And-Ones: Jordan, Rondo, Kings
The Knicks did not ultimately factor in DeAndre Jordan‘s decision this summer, but Jordan said it had nothing to do with the team’s presentation, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports. Jordan met with the Knicks but re-signed with the Clippers.
“The Knicks had a great presentation,” Jordan said. “Phil Jackson speaks for himself with his resume. [Coach Derek Fisher] did a great job. The whole team, I felt like they had a plan — for the organization, and they had a plan for me, which was cool. But nothing was wrong with their presentation. It was great.”
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Rudy Gay believes his friend and new teammate Rajon Rondo is motivated to prove doubters wrong, Berger writes in the same piece. Rondo signed a one-year, $10MM pact with the Kings in July. Rondo will be coming off a down year in terms of production.
- The Kings have hired longtime NBA sabermetrician Roland Beech to head up their analytics department, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. Beech replaces Dean Oliver, who was let go in July.
Lakers Plan To Work Out D.J. Kennedy
MONDAY, 7:57am: Kennedy has signed with Enisey Krasnoyarsk of Russia, the team announced (Twitter link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). It’s unclear if the pact includes an NBA out, or if it precludes him from taking part in the workout.
SUNDAY, 8:39pm: The Lakers will work out D.J. Kennedy, a source tells overseas reporter David Pick (Twitter link).
Kennedy, 25, is a one-time swingman with the Cavs out of St. John’s. His stint with the Cavs in the 2011/12 season lasted only two games. He played in Germany last year after beginning the season with Russia’s Krasny Oktyabr. He split the prior season in France and Israel, respectively.
In January, it was reported that the Raptors, Bulls, Jazz and Pistons had reached out to Kennedy, who went undrafted in 2011. Kennedy was in camp with the Mavs in 2013.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 8/9/15
The summer has seen some big-name players land lucrative deals. To list a few, LaMarcus Aldridge signed with the Spurs, Greg Monroe joined the Bucks, Wesley Matthews inked a deal with the Mavs and Monta Ellis signed with Pacers. Other marquee players re-signed with their respective teams such as: LeBron James, Marc Gasol, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, Kawhi Leonard, DeAndre Jordan and Dwyane Wade.
There were several more signings, however, that seemingly flew under the radar. Mo Williams joining the Cavs and Al-Farouq Aminu signing with the Blazers are two that come to mind. While these kind of signings lack the appeal of others, they are usually vital. In many cases, offseason signings for teams — regardless of how much money is involved — can restore depth, add veteran leadership and fill holes.
Thus, the question of the day: What has been the most underrated signing of the summer so far?
Aminu’s move is an underrated one, in my opinion, because he is a talented two-way forward who can rebound. Portland needed to fill holes after it lost Aldridge and Matthews to free agency and Aminu helps in that regard. Williams joining the Cavs is an underrated move as well because his contract is a bargain for the production he will likely provide as the team’s sixth man.
Being mindful of our commenting policy, let us know in the comments section below what you think is the most underrated signing of the summer so far.
And-Ones: Brand, Gordon, Knicks
Free agent big man Elton Brand, 36, who’s contemplating retirement, told Jane Lerner of The Journal News that he has not received “the phone call,” and remains noncommittal toward his future. Brand, who played for the Hawks last season, had been connected to the Mavs earlier this summer.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Drew Gordon, who played mostly in the D-League and appeared in nine games with the Sixers last season, inked a deal with France’s Chalons-Reims, according to the team’s site (h/t Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). The forward averaged 13 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game with the D-League’s Delaware 87ers. Gordon, 25, was waived by the Sixers in December.
- Kristaps Porzingis, whom the Knicks drafted No. 4 overall, approved of the team’s signing of fellow European player Sasha Vujacic, a veteran and former member of the Lakers, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. “I played against him,’’ Porzingis said. “Very experienced. He’s a cold-blooded shooter. He doesn’t care. He loves the pressure. He’s great. Those situations will help the team in those important moments. For me, it will be great having him. His experience and being European, he can teach me a lot on how hard he works. He’s a hard worker.”
Western Notes: Nuggets, Lawson, Davis
Though it may not be obvious because the Nuggets did not add free agents from outside the organization, the moves Denver GM Tim Connelly made this summer have the franchise pointed in the right direction, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. The Nuggets had a busy and productive summer, as Dempsey points out, because they committed to more than $100MM on extensions and re-signings of of Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Will Barton and Jameer Nelson. Dempsey writes that Denver made these moves, not only because it did not have the cap space to reel in big-name free agents, but also because it wanted to retain these players.
From a financial standpoint, the Nuggets, like many other teams, should be in position to offer a max contract next summer with the help of the salary cap rise, Dempsey writes. Furthermore, Dempsey adds, the return of Pete D’Alessandro to the front office bolsters the Nuggets in terms of a salary cap and business knowledge standpoint, improving any deficiencies the organization thought it may have had there.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Ty Lawson, whom Houston acquired in a trade with the Nuggets, improves the Rockets despite not being a perfect fit, Tim Cato of SB Nation writes. Lawson does not exactly complement star James Harden because Lawson is a ball-dominant player and is not a great defender, Cato adds.
- Ed Davis, who signed a three-year contract with the Blazers, told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that he really wanted to stay with Lakers, but they could not agree on a deal (Twitter link).
Lakers To Work Out Eric Moreland
The Lakers will work out forward Eric Moreland, a source tells overseas reporter David Pick (on Twitter).
The Kings waived Moreland late last month because, reportedly, his playing style was too similar to that of No. 6 pick Willie Cauley-Stein. If the Kings had not released Moreland, his salary would have became guaranteed. Sacramento, however, is interested in re-signing Moreland, according to vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac.
Moreland, 23, had a labral tear in his left shoulder end his rookie year prematurely after he’d made it into only three games this past season. He is known as a good rebounder and averaged double-figures in boards during his final two college seasons and pulled down 12.7 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game in seven contests for Sacramento’s D-League affiliate before his injury. The Lakers are a team that would benefit from depth in the frontcourt.
Jason Maxiell To Play In China
Jason Maxiell has signed with the Tianjin Steel of the Chinese CBA, a source tells overseas reporter David Pick (Twitter link). There is no clause in the guaranteed contract that would allow an out if an NBA team were to make an offer, Pick tweets.
In a reduced role, the veteran power forward made 61 appearances with the Hornets last season. Maxiell, 32, signed with Charlotte for the veteran’s minimum about a month before the start of the season and he basically served as a mentor for the young team, logging about 14 minutes per game.
Maxiell had a similar role with the Magic during the 2013/14 season. The Andy Miller client saw significantly less playing time in Orlando than he had during most of his eight seasons with Detroit. He didn’t seem to garner much attention on the market this summer or in the summer prior, for that matter, so a move overseas seems like a logical one.
Latest On JaVale McGee
AUGUST 8TH, 4:32pm: McGee’s current focus is on getting himself healthy, though several teams have expressed interest in the center, sources have informed Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). According to Kennedy, the Lakers and the Mavs appear to be the front-runners to sign McGee.
5:11pm: The interest is mutual, sources tell Stein (Twitter link).
4:54pm: The Mavs are “very concerned” about the center’s health, MacMahon tweets. That casts a pessimistic tone, since McGee’s condition is the linchpin to the Mavs’ interest in him, as Stein reported (below).
1:58pm: The interest would appear to hinge on McGee’s health, but if he checks out, chances are strong that he becomes the team’s top priority, Stein tweets. The sides had their first in-person meeting of substance on Sunday, the ESPN scribe adds.
JULY 13TH, 1:33pm: The talks are on an exploratory level at this point, sources caution to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
JULY12TH, 11:10pm: The Mavs have initiated talks on a potential deal with unrestricted free agent center JaVale McGee, reports RealGM’s Shams Charania (on Twitter).
This, of course, comes after DeAndre Jordan spurned Dallas and re-signed with the Clippers, so the Mavs are still in the hunt for a big man. McGee, 27, has been a free agent since being waived by the Sixers in March. Earlier this offseason, the Kings expressed interest in McGee, as did the Rockets, Raptors and Heat.
McGee put up career lows this past campaign in several categories, including his 11.1 minutes per game across 23 appearances split between Denver and Philadelphia.
Latest On Bucks, John Henson Extension Talks
AUGUST 4TH, 9:05am: The Bucks and Henson remain “on course” for an extension, several league sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who speculates that Henson will end up with eight-figure salaries.
JULY 12TH, 10:40pm: Contract extension talks are ongoing between the Bucks and center John Henson, and they appear to be gaining momentum, but no deal has been struck, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein also tweets that the two sides are indeed heading toward a deal.
Henson, as Gardner points out, will be in the final year of his rookie-scale deal in the 2015/16 season but can sign an extension prior to the end of October. Henson averaged seven points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game in 67 appearances. He is expected to have an expanded role as Greg Monroe‘s backup, Gardner adds.
The Bucks regard Henson as a key part of their core, Stein tweets. In February, however, the Bucks dangled the big man in the trade market with the hope of acquiring a top point guard.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Carlos Boozer
Unrestricted free agent Carlos Boozer is one of the biggest names still on the market. A big reason for Boozer being one of the final chips to fall is his age. The summer was filled with marquee free agent big men — and ones that are in their prime — landing lucrative deals. Boozer, on the other hand, will turn 34 in November.
The man can still play, though. The veteran can still help a contending team with his scoring and rebounding. That is why Boozer still has interest from at least a few teams for his services.
The Knicks, Rockets and Mavericks continue to have interest in signing Boozer, according to Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops. Scotto first identified the Knicks as among the teams eyeing the Rob Pelinka client earlier this month. Marc Berman of the New York Post reported soon thereafter that the Knicks had engaged in internal conversations about him but hadn’t made a formal pursuit and then labeled New York’s interest in Boozer as “tepid.” Whether as a starter or reserve, Boozer would be a nice piece to add from the Knicks’ perspective because the team, as presently constructed, would start either Derrick Williams or Kyle O’Quinn at power forward (unless Carmelo Anthony sees time there) with little depth after that in the frontcourt. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com said the Mavs and Rockets were among teams interested in Boozer just before free agency began, while Broussard later heard that the Mavs were one of four teams in talks with the former two-time All-Star.
At this point in the summer, financial flexibility — or lack thereof — is a big factor. The Knicks and Mavericks have access to the $2.814MM room exception. The Rockets are in a more difficult situation because they only have roughly $2.3MM left on their mid-level exception to spend but would trigger a hard cap if they gave any of it to Boozer. Houston also has No. 32 pick Montrezl Harrell who remains unsigned.
There are plenty of more potential suitors for Boozer, according to reports. Several other teams, including the Clippers, Spurs, Raptors, Pelicans, Nuggets, Nets, Lakers and Heat, have reportedly been interested in Boozer over the last month, but it’s unclear if any of them remain in the mix. Boozer and the Clippers reportedly had mutual interest.
In Boozer’s 13-year career, he has averaged 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. In a somewhat limited role with the Lakers last season, Boozer produced a pretty solid season. He had 11.8 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game in 23.8 minutes per game.
If he’s looking to play for a team with a strong chance to challenge for a championship, the Clippers and Rockets would both seem like logical choices because they each have assembled another quality team, especially considering the Clippers’ re-signing of DeAndre Jordan. Boozer would add even more depth and experience to either team’s frontcourt. Boozer has expressed a willingness to come off the bench for any team he signs with, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.