Western Notes: Edwin, Bjelica, Christopher, Kerr
Through the first eight games of the D-League season Fuquan Edwin has averaged 17 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, and according to a representative for Edwin, these numbers are garnering him interest from the NBA, Chris Reichert of Ridiculous Upside writes. Edwin’s representative told Reichert, “Three teams proactively called in the last three days regarding Fuquan, and several others have inquired with preliminary interest.” Edwin was in training camp with the Spurs this year prior to being waived.
Here’s more from out west:
- Serbian forward Nemanja Bjelica, whom the Wolves own the draft rights to, could be looking at making the jump to the NBA either next season, or in 2016/17, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune reports (Twitter link). The 2010 second-rounder had inked a deal with the Wasserman Media group back in September.
- Patrick Christopher, who was recently signed by the Jazz, credits his time overseas for allowing him to pursue his dream of making it to the NBA via the D-League, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes. “I got some experience over there [Europe]. I was able to put a few coins away and give myself an opportunity,” Christopher said. “Because when you play in the D-League, it’s somewhat of a sacrifice. That’s why you do take that opportunity, and it’s paid off.”
- Steve Kerr had a difficult task ahead of him in taking over as coach for Mark Jackson, who was very popular with the Warriors‘ players, Marcus Thompson II of The San Jose Mercury News writes. Kerr’s first move upon being hired was to reach out to the team’s star, Stephen Curry, who was one of Jackson’s most fervent supporters, Thompson notes. When asked how Kerr won him over, Curry said, “How he’s handled the whole situation. He understood the fragileness of that whole transition. He was never arrogant, never saying ‘I’m the best coach in the world, and I’ll take you guys to the promise land.'”
- With Wilson Chandler off to a solid start to the season, Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari is finding playing time difficult to come by thus far, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “I think he’d [Gallinari] be the first one to say it’s tough for him because he’s used to playing the role that he’s always played,” coach Brian Shaw said. “The guy was out 19 months. He understands that if Wilson wasn’t playing as well as he is playing at that position, then maybe I’d let him out there and try to play through it a little bit more. But Wilson is playing well, and he’s not, so that’s why Wilson is out there.”
Eastern Notes: Aldemir, Young, McDermott
The Sixers‘ potential signing of Furkan Aldemir to a four-year deal was first reported back on November 24th. But since then, there have been numerous issues with getting the agreement finalized. Aldemir’s Turkish club was initially reluctant to let him out of his contract, and once that hurdle was taken care of, Aldemir was then said to be awaiting his FIBA letter of clearance which would allow him to sign with an NBA team. It’s been almost two weeks since there has been any movement on bringing Aldemir to Philly, and Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News tweets that it still doesn’t look like the signing will be completed anytime soon, if at all.
Here’s more from the East:
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens gave an update on James Young, who injured his shoulder during a D-League game earlier this week, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reports (Twitter link). Stevens said that Young has a “little bit of muscular damage” in his right shoulder, and will rehab the injury in an attempt to avoid surgery. Young is currently listed as being out indefinitely.
- The Bulls have announced in a press release that rookie forward Doug McDermott will have arthroscopic surgery on Saturday to repair damage to his right knee and will be out indefinitely. Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com was the first to report this news (Twitter link). In 17 appearances this season McDermott is averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game.
- The sale of the Hawks is moving more swiftly than before, as USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt notes. There has been little chatter regarding the sale since late October, when it was still unclear just what percentage of the team would be on the market.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
2014/15 Salary Rankings: Power Forwards
Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the cap hit for each NBA player by position. I’ve already posted the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward salary rankings for the 2014/15 campaign. The next spot on the hardwood that I’ll be looking at is the power forward position for the 2014/15 season.
All told, NBA teams have committed a total of $510,052,423 in cap hits this season to the men traditionally tasked with scoring in the paint and snagging rebounds around the league. The average hit for the four spot this season is a respectable $4,722,708, with Amar’e Stoudemire of the Knicks topping the list with a more than robust $23,410,988.
It should be noted that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players will be sweating it out all the way until January 7th. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of the season. Most salaries align with cap hits, but that’s not the case for a player like Jeremy Lin, who’s getting close to $15MM from the Lakers this season even though his cap hit is little more than half that amount, because of the contract he signed through the Gilbert Arenas Provision. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects.
Still, the purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post. The only deals which were omitted were for players with non-guaranteed deals who were already waived.
The league’s power forwards are listed below, in descending order of salary:
- Amar’e Stoudemire (Knicks) $23,410,988
- Chris Bosh (Heat) $20,644,400
- Blake Griffin (Clippers) $17,674,613
- Zach Randolph (Grizzlies) $16.5MM
- LaMarcus Aldridge (Blazers) $16,256,000
- Kevin Love (Cavs) $15,719,062
- David Lee (Warriors) $15,012,000
- Nene (Wizards) $13MM
- Derrick Favors (Jazz) $12,950,000
- Serge Ibaka (Thunder) $12,350,000
- Kevin Garnett (Nets) $12MM
- David West (Pacers) $12MM
- Andrea Bargnani (Knicks) $11,500,000
- Tim Duncan (Spurs) $10,361,446
- Paul Millsap (Hawks) $9.5MM
- Thaddeus Young (Wolves) $9,410,869
- Tiago Splitter (Spurs) $9.25MM
- Channing Frye (Magic) $8,579,088
- Ryan Anderson (Pelicans) $8,491,500
- Boris Diaw (Spurs) $8MM
- Taj Gibson (Bulls) $8MM
- Dirk Nowitzki (Mavs) $7,974,482
- Ersan Ilyasova (Bucks) $7.9MM
- Pau Gasol (Bulls) $7,128,000
- Amir Johnson (Raptors) $7MM
- Marvin Williams (Hornets) $7MM
- Brandon Bass (Celtics) $6.9MM
- Glen Davis (Waived by Magic) $6.6MM
- Carl Landry (Kings) $6.5MM
- Derrick Williams (Kings) $6,331,404
- Jason Thompson (Kings) $6,037,500
- Patrick Patterson (Raptors) $5,831,326
- Anthony Davis (Pelicans) $5,607,240
- Anthony Bennett (Wolves) $5,563,920
- Greg Monroe (Pistons) $5,479,935
- Josh McRoberts (Heat) $5,305,000
- Nikola Mirotic (Bulls) $5,305,000
- Tristan Thompson (Cavs) $5,138,430
- Trevor Booker (Jazz) $5MM
- Brandan Wright (Suns) $5MM
- Luis Scola (Pacers) $4,868,499
- Jonas Jerebko (Pistons) $4.5MM
- Luc Mbah a Moute (Sixers) $4,382,575
- Kris Humphries (Wizards) $4,250,000
- Aaron Gordon (Magic) $3,992,040
- Al Harrington (Waived by Magic) $3,804,900
- Thomas Robinson (Blazers) $3,678,360
- Marreese Speights (Warriors) $3,657,500
- Darrell Arthur (Nuggets) $3,457,149
- Mike Scott (Hawks) $3,333,333
- Tyler Hansbrough (Raptors) $3,326,235
- Nerlens Noel (Sixers) $3,315,120
- Carlos Boozer (Lakers) $3,251,000
- Anthony Tolliver (Suns) $3MM
- Julius Randle (Lakers) $2,997,360
- Markieff Morris (Suns) $2,989,239
- Marcus Morris (Suns) $2,943,221
- Noah Vonleh (Hornets) $2,524,200
- James Johnson (Raptors) $2.5MM
- Kenneth Faried (Nuggets) $2,249,768
- Nick Collison (Thunder) $2,242,003
- Aron Baynes (Spurs) $2,077,000
- Elton Brand (Hawks) $2MM
- John Henson (Bucks) $1,987,320
- Adreian Payne (Hawks) $1,855,320
- Jeff Ayres (Spurs) $1,828,750
- Anthony Randolph (Waived by Magic) $1,825,359
- Reggie Evans (Kings) $1,768,653
- Ryan Kelly (Lakers) $1,650,000
- Terrence Jones (Rockets) $1,618,680
- Andrew Nicholson (Magic) $1,545,840
- Donatas Motiejunas (Rockets) $1,483,920
- Jared Sullinger (Celtics) $1,424,520
- Mitch McGary (Thunder) $1,400,040
- Victor Claver (Blazers) $1,370,000
- Shavlik Randolph (Suns) $1,227,985
- Cartier Martin (Pistons) $1,145,685
- Perry Jones III (Thunder) $1,129,200
- Ed Davis (Lakers) $981,084
- Jon Leuer (Grizzlies) $967,500
- Joey Dorsey (Rockets) $948,163
- Greg Smith (Mavs) $948,163
- Quincy Acy (Knicks) $915,243
- Lavoy Allen (Pacers) $915,243
- Lou Amundson (Waived by Knicks) $915,243
- Matt Bonner (Spurs) $915,243
- Glen Davis (Clippers) $915,243
- Drew Gooden (Wizards) $915,243
- Jason Maxiell (Hornets) $915,243
- Khris Middleton (Bucks) $915,243
- Kyle O’Quinn (Magic) $915,243
- Ekpe Udoh (Clippers) $915,243
- Charlie Villanueva (Mavs) $915,243
- Brandon Davies (Sixers) $816,482
- Grant Jerrett (Thunder) $816,482
- Tony Mitchell (Pistons) $816,482
- Mike Muscala (Hawks) $816,482
- Jarnell Stokes (Grizzlies) $725,000
- Dante Cunningham (Pelicans) $716,043
- Johnny O’Bryant (Bucks) $600K
- Cameron Bairstow (Bulls) $507,336
- Tarik Black (Lakers) $507,336
- Cory Jefferson (Nets) $507,336
- Eric Moreland (Kings) $507,336
- Dwight Powell (Mavs) $507,336
- JaKarr Sampson (Sixers) $507,336
- Shayne Whittington (Pacers) $507,336
- Drew Gordon (Sixers) $468,540
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
D-League Notes: Mitchell, Adams, Ledo
The D-League is becoming an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”
Here are the latest D-League moves:
- The Pistons have sent Tony Mitchell to the Grand Rapids Drive, their D-League affiliate, Keith Langlois of NBA.com reports (Twitter link). This will be Mitchell’s fourth D-League assignment of the season.
- Jordan Adams has been re-assigned to the Iowa Energy, the Grizzlies‘ affiliate, the team announced in a press release. In his three previous jaunts to Iowa, Adams has averaged 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 30.0 minutes per contest.
- The Mavericks have recalled Ricky Ledo from the Texas Legends of the D-League, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com reports (Twitter link). This was Ledo’s fourth assignment of the season to the D-League. In seven appearances for the Legends, he has averaged 13.3 PPG.
- The Kings have re-assigned Eric Moreland to their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, the team announced via Twitter. This will be Moreland’s fourth trip to Reno of the season, and he’s averaging 14.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks for the Bighorns this season.
Quincy Miller Signs With D-League
FRIDAY, 3:03pm: The affiliate of the Kings has been awarded Miller off waivers, a source tells Pilato (Twitter link).
THURSDAY, 3:34pm: The Reno Bighorns, the Kings’ D-League affiliate, have issued a waiver claim for Miller, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link). The player is not expected to fall past them, Pilato adds.
WEDNESDAY. 8:13pm: Free agent forward Quincy Miller has signed a contract with the NBA D-League, Shams Charania of RealGM reports. Miller will be subject to the D-League waiver system, so it’s not yet clear which D-League team he’ll play for. Miller’s agent, Jared Karnes, confirmed to Charania that Miller was entering the D-League with the hope he’ll earn a call-up to the NBA.
Miller worked out for the Lakers last month and was one of the candidates considered to earn a roster spot on an injury-riddled Los Angeles squad. The 22-year-old was in training camp with the Nuggets before being waived back in October.
In two NBA seasons, Miller has averaged 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. His career slash line is .366/.316/.702.
Eastern Notes: Davies, Weems, Rondo
Sixers coach Brett Brown isn’t happy that Brandon Davies was traded to the Nets, Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com reports. Brown will miss Davies because of the player-coach relationship the two had, which helped ease the sting of enduring the Sixers’ escalating loss totals, Lynam adds. “When you start losing people that you are very fond of and have tremendous respect for … there is a human side of it that bothers me because you are trying to grow chemistry, you are trying to grow a culture,” Brown said. “That takes a hit when teammates lose teammates. There is a respect, effort-wise, of how they go about their business. There is a reality to our job that is just business in the NBA, but it doesn’t mean it has to feel right.”
Here’s more from the East:
- Sonny Weems turned down multiple offers from NBA teams this past offseason, including a fully guaranteed deal from the Hawks, as he tells David Pick, writing for Basketball Insiders. Weems instead remains overseas on a long-term deal with CSKA Moscow that will pay him $10MM over the course of the contract, according to Pick. Money, contract length and timing were some of the stumbling blocks that kept Weems out of the NBA, Pick writes, adding that Weems is widely accepted as the best small forward not in the NBA.
- Rajon Rondo has been receiving his fair share of criticism for the Celtics‘ struggles this season, and he’s been benched late in games recently, but it is something he has downplayed, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. “I’ve been playing here for nine years, I’m one of the best at what I do, and I’m human,” Rondo said. “I make mistakes. I own up to my mistakes and that’s just part of the game. It’s not weighing on me at all. It’s a team effort. I am the captain, but there are 15 guys on this team and we’re all in this together.”
- Prior to leaving Washington, current Clippers assistant Sam Cassell played a major role in helping the Wizards land Paul Pierce this past summer, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. “I talked to him [Pierce], told him how well he’ll do with them two guys John Wall and Bradley Beal] and he viewed it and made his decision,” Cassell said. “He took it seriously. He looked at the roster that we had and he realized it was a pretty good roster. He saw where he could fit in and do well at. Why wouldn’t he come and be a part of the Wizards?”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
2014/15 Salary Rankings: Small Forwards
Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the cap hit for each NBA player by position. I’ve already posted the point guard and shooting guard salary rankings for the 2014/15 campaign. The next spot on the hardwood that I’ll be looking at is the small forward position for the 2014/15 season.
All told, NBA teams have committed a total of $392,677,538 in cap hits this season to the versatile men tasked with manning the small forward position around the league. The average cap hit for the three spot this season is a respectable $4,674,733, with Joe Johnson of the Nets topping the list with an impressive $23,180,790.
It should be noted that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players will be sweating it out all the way until January 7th. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of the season. Most salaries align with cap hits, but that’s not the case for a player like Jeremy Lin, who’s getting close to $15MM from the Lakers this season even though his cap hit is little more than half that amount, because of the contract he signed through the Gilbert Arenas Provision. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects.
Still, the purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post. The only deals which were omitted were for players with non-guaranteed contracts who were already waived.
The league’s small forwards are listed below, in descending order of salary:
- Joe Johnson (Nets) $23,180,790
- Carmelo Anthony (Knicks) $22,458,401
- LeBron James (Cavs) $20,644,400
- Rudy Gay (Kings) $19,317,326
- Kevin Durant (Thunder) $18,995,624
- Paul George (Pacers) $15,925,680
- Gordon Hayward (Jazz) $14,746,000
- Chandler Parsons (Mavs) $14.7MM
- Josh Smith (Waived by Pistons) $13.5MM
- Nicolas Batum (Blazers) $11,765,500
- Tyreke Evans (Pelicans) $11,265,416
- Danilo Gallinari (Nuggets) $10,854,850
- Gerald Wallace (Celtics) $10,105,855
- Luol Deng (Heat) $9,714,461
- Jeff Green (Grizzlies) $9.2MM
- Trevor Ariza (Rockets) $8,579,089
- Tayshaun Prince (Celtics) $7,707,865
- Wilson Chandler (Nuggets) $6,757,913
- P.J. Tucker (Suns) $5.7MM
- Andrew Wiggins (Wolves) $5,510,640
- Martell Webster (Wizards) $5,381,750
- Paul Pierce (Wizards) $5,305,000
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Hornets) $5,016,960
- Chase Budinger (Wolves) $5MM
- Nick Young (Lakers) $4,994,420
- Jabari Parker (Bucks) $4,930,560
- Kostas Papanikolaou (Rockets) $4,591,066
- Caron Butler (Pistons) $4.5MM
- Otto Porter (Wizards) $4,470,480
- Thabo Sefolosha (Hawks) $4,150,000
- Steve Novak (Jazz) $3,445,947
- Matt Barnes (Clippers) $3,396,250
- Mike Dunleavy (Bulls) $3,326,235
- Andrei Kirilenko (Sixers) $3,326,235
- Chris Copeland (Pacers) $3,135,000
- Dorell Wright (Blazers) $3,135,000
- Harrison Barnes (Warriors) $3,049,920
- Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) $2,894,059
- Terrence Ross (Raptors) $2,793,960
- Mike Miller (Cavs) $2,732,000
- DeMarre Carroll (Hawks) $2,442,445
- Tobias Harris (Magic) $2,380,594
- Doug McDermott (Bulls) $2,277,960
- Danny Granger (Heat) $2,077,000
- John Salmons (Pelicans) $2MM
- Shabazz Muhammad (Wolves) $1,971,960
- T.J Warren (Suns) $1,953,120
- Maurice Harkless (Magic) $1,887,840
- Jeremy Evans (Jazz) $1,794,871
- Luigi Datome (Pistons) $1,750,000
- Tony Snell (Bulls) $1,472,400
- Bruno Caboclo (Raptors) $1,458,360
- Solomon Hill (Pacers) $1,302,840
- Rodney Hood (Jazz) $1,290,360
- Shawne Williams (Heat) $1,227,985
- Damjan Rudez (Pacers) $1.1MM
- Kyle Anderson (Spurs) $1,093,680
- Kyle Singler (Pistons) $1,090,000
- Xavier Henry (Lakers) $1,082,000
- Austin Daye (Spurs) $1,063,384
- Robert Covington (Sixers) $1MM
- Al-Farouq Aminu (Mavs) $981,084
- Luke Babbitt (Pelicans) $981,084
- Rasual Butler (Wizards) $915,243
- Omri Casspi (Kings) $915,243
- Jae Crowder (Mavs) $915,243
- Alonzo Gee (Nuggets) $915,243
- Draymond Green (Warriors) $915,243
- Richard Jefferson (Mavs) $915,243
- Wesley Johnson (Lakers) $915,243
- James Jones (Cavs) $915,243
- Shawn Marion (Cavs) $915,243
- Jeff Taylor (Hornets) $915,243
- Lance Thomas (Waived by Knicks) $915,243
- Hedo Turkoglu (Clippers) $915,243
- Jerami Grant (Sixers) $884,879
- Damien Inglis (Bucks) $820K
- Glen Rice Jr. (Waived by Wizards) $816,482
- Jeff Adrien (Waived by Wolves) $742,962
- Cleanthony Early (Knicks) $507,336
- James Ennis (Heat) $507,336
- Joe Ingles (Jazz) $507,336
- K.J. McDaniels (Sixers) $507,336
- Travis Wear (Knicks) $507,336
Note: A number of players on this list also spend time at shooting guard. I used the positions listed on the official team rosters in compiling these rankings.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Western Notes: Thompson, Hill, McGee, Davis
Klay Thompson didn’t feel the need to test the free agent market, nor to entertain the idea of going to another team where he didn’t have to share the spotlight with another player, like he does now with Stephen Curry on the Warriors, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. “Why go somewhere else and start over when you get a huge contract with one of the best teams in the NBA?” Thompson said. “I think only an idiot would turn that down. I love it here. Love my teammates, the organization, especially the fans, and I never really wanted to go anywhere else.” Thompson inked a maximum salary extension with Golden State in October.
Here’s more from the West:
- The two-year, $18MM deal the Lakers gave Jordan Hill this summer drew some head-scratches from executives around the league, but Hill is now the player that Los Angeles gets the most trade inquiries about, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reports. Hill had heard all the chatter about him not being worthy of his contract, but shrugged it off, notes Deveney. “I heard all that, but I didn’t pay any attention,” Hill said. “I knew I had the skills to do it, I just needed the minutes. With [Mike] D’Antoni, it was hard for me to find the minutes. He wanted me to do the things he wanted me to do to get the minutes. I couldn’t really do what I wanted to do, to play the way I know I could play. So, things happened and now it’s a whole new year. Now, I am one of the main focal points of the team, so I can go out there and do what I am capable of doing.”
- The Nuggets have received very little return on their four-year, $44MM investment in JaVale McGee, and the big man would garner little on the trade market thanks to his bloated contract and injury history, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes. This is the peril of paying big men large salaries, Powell adds. The scribe also ran down a number of other deals handed out to centers that also haven’t worked out well for the teams writing the checks.
- There has been some criticism about how the Pelicans are eschewing the draft in an attempt to build an immediate contender around Anthony Davis so he won’t leave as a free agent when he is eligible, Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM writes. Tjarks doesn’t believe New Orleans needs to worry, and despite a glaring weakness at small forward, the franchise should be able to retain Davis.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, De Colo, Celtics
It might be time for the Knicks to end any thoughts of rebuilding the franchise around their existing core, and change their focus to completely tearing down their roster instead, Harvey Araton of The New York Times writes. The only thing that should prevent New York from doing so is if it can add a premier free agent next summer to partner with Carmelo Anthony, notes Araton. But team president Phil Jackson had admitted that he worries that this season’s disastrous turn will make New York an unattractive option to potential free agents like Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge, both of whom the Knicks would love to sign, Araton adds.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Despite losing their last 10 games, the Knicks‘ biggest concern right now is Anthony’s left knee, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. According to Anthony, surgery is the last option that he will consider, Begley notes. “I’m not even looking forward to even discussing the surgery or anything like that,” Anthony said. “I’ll explore as many other options as I can before I go under the knife and get surgery. We really don’t know exactly what’s the problem.”
- The Celtics have recalled James Young and Dwight Powell from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League Affiliate, the team announced. In Maine’s win over Delaware last night, Powell contributed 19 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes of action. Young also dropped 19 points, including nailing five three-pointers in seven attempts.
- The bad news regarding Young’s latest trip to the D-League is that he injured his shoulder and will be out indefinitely, Julian Edlow of WEEI 93.7 FM reports. “I guess his shoulder subluxed and they’re doing more tests to see the extent of the injury,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “Those can be very, very short-term things or they can be a little bit longer, but that’s the extent of what I know. He’s getting X-rays right now.”
- The Raptors and other NBA teams reached out last summer to express their interest in Nando De Colo, who wanted to re-sign with Toronto, but those clubs were too late, since he’d already committed to sign with CSKA Moscow, David Pick Of Basketball Insiders reports.
- The Knicks are unlikely to make any deals that would impact their cap space for next season unless they can acquire All-Star level player, Chad Ford of ESPN.com reports in his weekly chat.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
And-Ones: McGrady, Draft, Hamilton
The league has been canvassing team executives about the idea of eliminating as much as half of the preseason to make the regular season about 10 days longer, thus building more off days into the schedule, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reports. Any reduction in the preseason wouldn’t take place until the 2016/17 season at the earliest, according to Lowe, and the league has also brought up the idea of allowing organized team activities during the offseason like
the National Football League does, Lowe writes.
Here’s more from around the NBA and abroad:
- A recent report from Bleacher Report’s Les Carpenter left some ambiguity about whether Tracy McGrady wanted to return to the NBA, but McGrady confirmed via his verified Facebook account that he no longer wants to play.
- There will be more than a dozen NBA scouts in Spain tonight to observe Barcelona taking on Fenerbahce, with their primary focus being on Mario Hezonja, a projected lottery pick in the 2015 NBA draft, Chris Mannix of SI.com reports (Twitter link).
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) has released his second mock draft of the year. Ford projects the top three picks in the 2015 draft to be Jahlil Okafor (Duke), Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky), and Emmanuel Mudiay (Guangdong).
- The Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League traded for the rights to former NBA player Jordan Hamilton today, the team announced in a press release. In the deal, the Bighorns, the affiliate of the Kings, also acquired the Rio Grande Valley Vipers’ second round pick in the 2015 D-League draft. In return, Reno sent their 2015 first round pick in the D-League draft to the Iowa Energy, the Grizzlies’ D-League affiliate. Hamilton spent the 2014 preseason with the Raptors, before being acquired off of waivers by the Jazz, who later waived him themselves. The Lakers had expressed some interest in Hamilton, but declined to sign him after he worked out for the team last month.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.