Atlantic Notes: Porter, DeRozan, Vasquez, Holiday
The Nets could land Wizards small forward Otto Porter if they offered him a max deal, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Porter will likely be at the top of the Nets’ wish list from what he’s heard around the league, Lewis continues. The Nets have the cap room to make a substantial run at the restricted free agent. Brooklyn could have as much as $39.4MM in cap room by renouncing its free agents this summer and the Wizards may be unwilling to max out Porter with nearly $97MM already ready on their books for next season, Lewis speculates.
In other developments around the Atlantic Division:
- Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan wouldn’t mind a roster upgrade, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter links). DeRozan told Lewenberg he would welcome some reinforcements, adding: “Help is a great word, with anything. Anybody could take help if it’ll make you better, a better team.” Lewenberg indicated that DeRozan said the team didn’t need any help prior to previous trade deadlines. The Raptors have slipped to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings and are just one game ahead of the sixth-place Pacers in the loss column.
- Point guard Greivis Vasquez hopes to return to the Nets next season, David Alarcon of Hoops Hype reports. Vasquez’s career has been sidetracked by ankle injuries the past two seasons. He signed a $4,347,826 contract with Brooklyn during the offseason, then was waived in November after appearing in just three games and injuring the ankle again. Vasquez said he’s been in contact with Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, who invited Vasquez to continue his rehab from ankle surgery with the team after the season ends. “He left the door open for me. He offered me to come back in April or May to work with them,” Vasquez told Alarcon. “I told him that I accepted his offer, and I will work with them with no strings attached. … Brooklyn is a very attractive team in a very attractive city.”
- The cost of acquiring point guard Jrue Holiday from the Pelicans would likely be higher than the reward for the Sixers, Derek Bodner opines on his website. Philadelphia is reportedly interested in bringing back Holiday, who becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season. While there are valid reasons to make the move, including the benefit of seeing how he meshes with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, there’s no guarantee Holiday would stick around after the season, Bodner adds.
Community Shootaround: Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks seemed to be on the upswing and a good bet to make the playoffs coming into this season. As the trade deadline approaches, the outlook doesn’t look so rosy.
They have one of the league’s most dynamic players in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has blossomed into an All-Star starter. They also made a wise choice in the second round of last June’s draft in Malcolm Brogdon, who has exceeded all expectations as a scorer and playmaker.
Little else has gone right for the franchise this season. Despite the efforts of Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have floundered below the .500 mark, due in part to Khris Middleton‘s injury. Middleton made his season debut on Wednesday after recovering from a torn hamstring. Just when the Bucks had all their main pieces in place, they suffered another devastating setback.
Second-league scorer Jabari Parker tore his ACL on Wednesday. He will miss the rest of the season and probably a good portion of next season. The snake-bit Parker also suffered a torn ACL during his rookie campaign, and one can only wonder how a second major knee injury will affect the remainder of his career and the fortunes of the Bucks franchise.
That leaves the Bucks front office in a difficult spot. They recently traded center Miles Plumlee to the Hornets in what was, by all appearances, a salary dump of a questionable contract they handed out last summer. But Milwaukee still has limited financial flexibility after shelling out big money to acquire free agents Greg Monroe, Mirza Teletovic and Matthew Dellavedova and retain John Henson.
Teletovic and journeyman Michael Beasley figure to get more playing time in the wake of Parker’s injury. Milwaukee finds itself with the 11th-best record in the East but it’s only one game in the loss column behind the Pistons, who currently hold the eighth and final spot.
That leads us to today’s topic: In the wake of Jabari Parker’s knee injury, should the Bucks make a move before the trade deadline to improve their playoff chances? Or should they stand pat and try to regroup in the summer?
Please take to the comments section to give us your input on this subject. We look forward to hearing your opinion.
Nate Robinson To Play In D-League
9:00 PM: The 87ers have officially acquired Robinson, according to a team press release.
FEBRUARY 8, 11:35 AM: Robinson has been claimed off waivers by the Delaware 87ers, Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate, per Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (via Twitter).
FEBRUARY 2: Veteran point guard Nate Robinson signed a contract with the NBA Development League on Thursday, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Herman Manakyan, Robinson’s agent, told Charania of Robinson’s decision to play in the league with the hope of catching someone’s eye and returning to the NBA.
Robinson played for Hapoel Tel Aviv last season and needs a letter of clearance from the team into order to enter the D-League’s player pool. Oklahoma City, Erie, Texas, Fort Wayne and Grand Rapids hold the top priorities in the D-League waiver order, according to Charania.
Robinson had a workout with the Sixers in January but they passed on the 32-year-old and instead signed a younger point man, Chasson Randle. Robinson then lobbied LeBron James to spark some interest from the Cavaliers, who are looking for a backup point. Robinson’s difficulty in landing an NBA job last summer was due in part to his dalliance with the NFL.
Robinson appeared in two games last season with the Pelicans. He played a combined 42 games with the Clippers and Nuggets the previous season.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/4/17
Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls:
- The Celtics assigned power forward Jordan Mickey to their affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Mickey has appeared in 14 games with the Celtics but didn’t get any playing time in the last three games.
- The Hawks recalled rookie forward Taurean Prince from the Long Island Nets, according to a press release from the D-League team. Prince played for the Nets’ affiliate on Friday under the flexible assignment rule and tallied 16 points, four rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes at Greensboro. He’s played five games for the Nets’ D-League club and 29 games for the Hawks, averaging 3.4 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 10.1 MPG.
- The Kings recalled center Georgios Papagiannis from their affiliate in Reno, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets. The 7’2” center is averaging 12.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.3 BPG in 18 D-League games.
- The Spurs recalled guards Bryn Forbes and Dejounte Murray from their affiliate in Austin, according to a team press release. The duo was sent down to get some game action. Forbes had 20 points and seven rebounds against Rio Grande on Friday night, while Murray racked up 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
- The Bulls recalled rookie guard Denzel Valentine from the Windy City Bulls, according to a team release. Valentine averaged 30.5 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 7.0 APG in two games with Windy City.
Week In Review: 1/29/17-2/4/17
Several teams tinkered with their rosters this week, adding players to 10-day contracts to temporarily fill positions of need. A trio of players on 10-day deals impressed enough to receive multi-year deals. A couple of Eastern Conference clubs striving to make the playoffs completed a deal with each other, and rumors involving big-name players continue to fly with the trade deadline coming up later this month. We take a look back on a busy Week In Review:
News
- The Hornets and Bucks made a splash, swapping big men in a three-player deal. Charlotte acquired center Miles Plumlee – who has three years left on his contract – and cash considerations for center Roy Hibbert and power forward Spencer Hawes.
- Bucks shooting guard Khris Middleton is expected to make his season debut next week after recovering from a torn hamstring.
- Point guard Jordan Farmar stood out among four veteran players during a workout held by the Cavs.
- Lakers legend Magic Johnson returned to the franchise in an advisory role.
- Center Larry Sanders schedules team visits as he seeks to return to the NBA.
- The league sought clarification regarding President Donald Trump’s immigration ban, which could impact several NBA players.
Injuries
- Charlotte guard Ramon Sessions suffers meniscus tear in left knee.
- Kings swingman Garrett Temple partially tears hamstring, out 2-3 weeks.
Rumors
- The Cavs are interested in acquiring center Andrew Bogut and point guard Jose Calderon.
- The Bulls contact Sixers about the availability of power forward Jahlil Okafor.
- Timberwolves offered swingman Shabazz Muhammad for Suns forward P.J. Tucker.
- Pistons explore trade market for reserve centers Aron Baynes and Boban Marjanovic.
- Knicks continue pursuit of Cavs forward Kevin Love.
- Suns had discussions with Kings about center DeMarcus Cousins.
- Magic explore the market for power forward Serge Ibaka.
Transactions
- The Mavs sign point guard Yogi Ferrell to a two-year contract.
- Warriors waive center Anderson Varajeo and sign guard Briante Weber to a 10-day contract.
- Hornets sign guard Ray McCallum to 10-day contract.
- Hornets sign center Mike Tobey to 10-day contract.
- Bucks waive guard Steve Novak.
- Spurs sign center Joel Anthony to second 10-day contract.
- Sixers sign guard Chasson Randle to three-year contract.
- Nets sign power forward/center Quincy Acy to two-year contract.
- Grizzlies sign guard Toney Douglas to 10-day contract and waive forward Troy Williams.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 1/29/17-2/4/17
In addition to our news coverage, the Hoops Rumors team has been active publishing original content as well. Here are some of the best posts from this week.
- Should the Bucks stand pat after trading away Miles Plumlee or should they continue to tinker with their roster? Milo Taibi posed that question to our readers.
- Luke Adams took a poll to find out which Eastern Conference team poses the biggest threat to the Cavaliers. Check out the results here.
- Luke also took a closer look at the Timberwolves’ options regarding injured center Nikola Pekovic.
- There are still six teams below the salary-cap floor this season, including a club comfortably in the playoff mix. Want to know which teams still need to add to their payroll? Find out all the details here.
- Want to know how to follow specific players? We provide a detailed explanation here.
- Blazers center Mason Plumlee is a stat-sheet stuffer and an underrated fantasy basketball asset. Rockets center Clint Capela and Sixers guard T.J. McConnell are also trending upward. Read more about it in Chris Crouse’s Fantasy Hoops breakdown and send him your questions on Twitter at @HoopsRumors or @CW_Crouse.
- Don’t forget to check out our 2016/17 Reverse Standings to see how next year’s draft order is shaping up. The daily updated list tracks each team’s position in the standings and the associated lottery odds.
- We love hearing what readers have to say about pertinent topics in the NBA world. Here is a list of our Community Shootaround Topics this week.
- Chris Crouse handed out his midseason awards, including his MVP selection of James Harden. You can check out his selections and weigh in with your choices here.
- Here are last week’s Hoops Rumors Originals so you don’t have to go searching for them.
Eastern Notes: Plumlee, Baynes, Farmar, House
The Hornets took a major risk by acquiring center Miles Plumlee from the Bucks, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer opines. Charlotte needed to do something to improve its playoff chances but taking on Plumlee’s contract was a questionable move, Bonnell continues. Plumlee signed four-year, $50MM contract with Milwaukee last summer and that’s a steep price for a backup center to Cody Zeller, Bonnell adds. The Hornets traded two other big men, Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes, in the deal. Hornets coach Steve Clifford and his staff have done well with reclamation projects such as Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lin, Bonnell points out, providing some reason for optimism that the trade will pan out.
In other doings around the Eastern Conference:
- Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said it’s “hardly a surprise” that backup center Aron Baynes intends to opt out of his contract this summer, Aaron McMann of MLive.com reports. Baynes holds a $6.5MM option and reportedly has been shopped, in part because he’s expected to enter the free agent market this summer. “We don’t want to lose him,” Van Gundy told McMann and other beat writers. “I would love to be able to bring him back here, I really would. But at the same time, we knew going into the summer that was going to be a possibility — and that’s why we went out and signed Boban (Marjanovic) a year in advance and we had money, because we anticipated it.”
- Point guard Jordan Farmar stood out during the Cavaliers’ tryout of free agent playmakers on Wednesday and he’s willing to sign a 10-day contract to join the team, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon also reported that Farmar made the biggest impression. Farmar received assurances that if anyone from the workout would get an offer, he would be the choice, a source told McMenamin. Lance Stephenson, Mario Chalmers and Kirk Hinrich also participated in the workout and the latter two were looking for a contract for the remainder of the season, McMenamin continues. The Cavs would prefer to keep their options open prior to the trade deadline, rather than offering a guaranteed deal at this point, McMenamin adds.
- Wizards swingman Danuel House will be assigned to the D-League if he’s cleared for full contact, J. Michael of CSNmidatlantic.com tweets. House, who has appeared in just one game with Washington this season, is progressing from a right wrist fracture that he suffered in November.
Magic Rumors: Vogel, Vucevic, Gordon
Magic coach Frank Vogel thought he walked into a much better situation than he’s encountered, as John Denton of the team’s website relays. Orlando is 13 games under .500, much to the chagrin of its first-year coach. “I anticipated being as far over .500 as we are under .500 right now,” Vogel told Denton and other reporters. The additions of veterans like Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo have not made the desired impact and Vogel admits the pieces haven’t fit as well as expected, Denton adds. “I thought it had the potential to be a lot better than we’ve shown this year. But in basketball, the names, the faces and the contracts that are put together don’t always equate to a great mix and the pieces fitting,” Vogel said. “What you do is do the best job you can assembling it and hope the pieces fit. Sometimes, it really fits and the rhythm is there and sometimes it’s not there.”
In other developments involving the team:
- Trade rumors involving Nikola Vucevic and Ibaka show how poorly the team’s roster rebuild has gone, David Whitley of the Orlando Sentinel opines. The club cannot stand pat before the trade deadline but another major reboot is in store for the franchise, Whitley continues. Missing out on star talents like Andrew Wiggins and Kristaps Porzingis, while drafting Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja in the lottery, has put the Magic in this predicament, Whitley adds.
- Gordon has the potential to be a future Defensive Player of the Year, Denton writes in a separate piece. Gordon has the ability to guard any position because of his 6’9” length, his strength, his superior athleticism and his lateral quickness, Denton continues. Gordon realizes Orlando has to become a winner before he gains more notoriety around the league for his defensive ability, Denton adds. “To be D-POY, you’ve got to get more wins,” Gordon told Denton. “I don’t care how good of a defender you are, if your team isn’t getting wins, you aren’t going to get D-POY.”
Timberwolves Offered Muhammad for P.J. Tucker
The Timberwolves offered swingman Shabazz Muhammad for Suns forward P.J. Tucker, according to Basketball Insiders’ Michael Scotto, citing a league source. Minnesota was rumored last month to be one of the teams interested in Tucker, who told Scotto he’d rather stay put in Phoenix.
The salaries don’t quite match up but they’re reasonably close, with the 6’6” Tucker making $5.3MM in the final year of his contract and Muhammad earning approximately $3.0MM. Muhammad’s qualifying offer is priced at $4.24MM this summer.
Tucker, 31, is one of the hottest trade candidates this month because of his cheap, expiring contract and his reputation as a solid defender. Tucker, who is averaging 6.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 28.3 MPG this season, has posted a positive Defensive Box Plus/Minus rating ever since he joined the Suns for the 2012/13 season, according to Basketball Reference.
“This is the last year of my contract, but as of now, I’m a Phoenix Sun,” he told Scotto. “So, I’m going to keep playing until somebody tells me otherwise. In this league, it’s part of the business, especially coming up in a contract year.”
Tucker added that he’s not seeking a trade.
“Phoenix has been great to me. I’ve been here five years,” he told Scotto. “It’s been a great five years, somewhere I would love to be for a long time. So places like this, where I just fit and they understand me and let me be myself. It’s a big factor for me.”
The Clippers, Bulls, Cavaliers and Hawks have also been linked to Tucker. The Clippers reportedly offered a second-round pick last month but the Suns held out for a first-rounder.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/2/17
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Pistons recalled forward Henry Ellenson and guards Michael Gbinije and Darrun Hilliard from their affiliate in Grand Rapids, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. That trio was assigned to the Drive on Wednesday to get some game action. Hilliard scored 29 points against Westchester, while first-round pick Ellenson racked up 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Gbinije, a 2016 second-rounder, went scoreless in 30 minutes.
- The Thunder once again assigned forward Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Huestis has started 21 games for the Blue, averaging 13.9 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 32.4 MPG. Huestis made his season debut with the Thunder on Wednesday, scoring seven points in seven minutes against the Bulls.