Warriors Not Interested In JaVale McGee
It remains to be seen where JaVale McGee will land, but it apparently won’t be in Golden State. A Warriors source told Tim Kawakami of The Mercury News (Twitter links) that the team continues to have very little interest in signing the big man. The W’s entertained the thought at one point but have since moved on.
The Warriors told McGee that they’d think about signing him and after some deliberation, they arrived at a point where they had “very limited interest.” McGee, of course, was waived by the 76ers just prior to the deadline for playoff eligibility. McGee, a B.J. Armstrong client, fielded interest from a number of clubs at that point, but wound up on the verge of a deal with the Celtics. That union surprised many and a double swerve was thrown everyone’s way when the prospective deal was called off. The C’s wanted McGee’s 2015/16 season to be a team option while his camp wanted a player option.
Now, McGee remains on the open market with one less suitor now that Golden State is likely to take a pass. Things are also “dead” between the 27-year-old and Boston and will not be revived. Still, the Mavericks, Rockets, Raptors, and Heat are among the playoff-bound/hopeful teams in the hunt to sign him.
The athletic big man appeared in just seven contests for the Sixers after being acquired from Denver, averaging 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per contest. In 382 career games McGee has averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
Hoops Links: Knicks, Whiteside, Westbrook
On this date in 2008, the Hawks beat the Heat in the first NBA “do-over” game in a quarter-century. Months earlier, Atlanta’s scorer mistakenly fouled out Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal with 51.9 seconds left in overtime and the Hawks up, 114-111. The Heat won their appeal to have the end of the game replayed, but they did so without the services of Shaq since he was traded in the interim to the Suns.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…
- Posterized Basketball looked ahead to the Knicks’ offseason.
- Legion Report looked at the remarkable rise of Hassan Whiteside.
- Slam Dunk Zone makes the case for Russell Westbrook winning MVP.
- OT Nation gives us their three most valuable rookies.
- Celtics Blog wonders whether Evan Turner is a fit going forward.
- Sonics Rising spoke with KING5 reporter Chris Daniels.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week..
- Chuck Myron recapped all the happenings of buyout season.
- Eddie Scarito fielded your questions in this week’s mailbag.
- Chuck looked at the financial impact of the deals that went down in the Northwest Division. You can check out the full list of the divisional posts here.
- Eddie looked at the players with player options for 2015/16.
- I asked Hoops Rumors readers if the Celtics will make the playoffs. Nearly 60% of you said that they’d fall short.
- Chris Crouse asked Hoops Rumors readers whether they think Kevin Love will stay with the Cavs.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and on your RSS feed.
- If you missed out on this week’s chat, check out the transcript.
Week In Review: 3/2/15 – 3/8/15
A look back at the week that was..
- After months of speculation about where he would land, Ray Allen let the world know that he won’t be playing this season.
- That didn’t stop everyone from calling, however. The Blazers, after losing guard Wesley Matthews for the season due to a torn Achilles’ tendon, called the agent for the 39-year-old to gauge his interest. They were turned down.
- The Nuggets fired head coach Brian Shaw. In his time in Denver, Shaw coached the team to a record of 56-85.
- The Celtics and JaVale McGee appeared to be on the verge of an agreement, but things fell apart when the C’s wanted a team option on the second year of the deal and McGee’s camp wanted it to be a player option. Teams that are still interested in signing McGee also include the Rockets, Raptors, and Heat.
- The Clippers signed free agent guard Nate Robinson to a 10-day deal. In 33 games for the Nuggets this season, Robinson averaged 5.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 14.1 minutes per contest.
- Alexey Shved plans on staying in the NBA next season and isn’t plotting a return overseas.
- Shaw would “absolutely” be “very interested” in coaching the Magic if that job were to become available, according to a source close to the former Nuggets coach.
- Goran Dragic hasn’t been in Miami long, but he already knows that he wants to stay long-term.
- The Suns and center Earl Barron reached agreement on a second 10-day deal.
- Talk continues to swirl around the prospective sales of the Nets and Hawks.
- The Celtics are planning to target marquee free agents this summer, with Kevin Love atop their list, followed by Greg Monroe.
- Jordan Hamilton got a second 10-day contract from the Clippers.
- Steve Nash hasn’t made any formal pronouncements regarding the end of his career, but he’s under no illusions that he’ll be coming back to the NBA.
- The Nuggets are expected to target Mike D’Antoni, Vinny Del Negro, and other notable names for their head coaching job.
- Jimmy Butler will be out for a while because of a left elbow injury.
- The Clippers were considering signing free agent Andre Emmett.
- An attorney for the NBPA has strongly indicated that the union will want the minimum age requirement to enter the NBA lowered in the next round of collective bargaining.
- The Jazz have informed draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic that they’re willing to pay the buyout of his contract with FC Barcelona Bàsquet.
- The Nets would have had to take Martell Webster if they’d traded Jarrett Jack to the Wizards at the deadline, and the deal would have involved the teams swapping future first-round picks.
- In addition to signing Bryce Cotton to another 10-day deal, the Jazz announced the signing of forward Jerrelle Benimon to a 10-day pact.
- The Mavs signed Bernard James for the rest of the season.
- The Hawks signed Jarell Eddie to a 10-day deal.
- The Pelicans signed guard Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract.
- Dwight Buycks has signed with the Thunder’s D-League team.
- The Celtics have made it clear they have interest in keeping soon-to-be free agent Jonas Jerebko beyond the season.
- The Grizzlies signed JaMychal Green to a multiyear pact.
- The Timberwolves claimed Justin Hamilton off of waivers from the Pelicans. Minnesota waived Glenn Robinson III in order to clear the required roster spot.
- The 76ers claimed Robinson off waivers.
- The Delaware 87ers, the Sixers’ D-League affiliate, acquired Jordan McRae.
- The Heat and Henry Walker agreed to a second 10-day pact.
- The Pistons signed Quincy Miller to another 10-day deal.
Bucks Sign Chris Johnson To 10-Day Deal
10:47pm: The deal is official, the team has announced.
9:31am: The Bucks plan to sign guard/forward Chris Johnson to a 10-day deal, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Johnson, currently with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League, is on his way to Milwaukee.
Johnson, 24, was waived by the Celtics in September and claimed off waivers soon after by the Sixers. After some time in the D-League, Johnson returned to the NBA when he got a 10-day deal from the Jazz. In total, Johnson has seen time in eleven games this season, averaging 6.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 20.5 minutes per contest.
For his career, Johnson has averaged 5.9 PPG and 2.3 PPG across parts of three seasons with the Grizzlies, Celtics, Sixers, and Jazz. Johnson is not to be confused with the three-year NBA veteran center by the same name who recently signed to play in Turkey.
As the Hoops Rumors roster counts show, the Bucks have only 14 players under contract so they will not have to release anyone to make way for Johnson. Johnson is averaging 20.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists for Rio Grande Valley.
Central Notes: Carter-Williams, Jackson, Monroe
Greg Monroe is expected to garner max salary contract offers this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, but that doesn’t mean the Pistons‘ big man will ink a long-term deal David Mayo of MLive.com writes. With the salary cap expected to jump significantly in 2016, courtesy of the league’s new television deal, Monroe could elect to sign a deal with an opt-out clause for the second year, which would allow him to sign a much more lucrative deal, Mayo notes.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- David Thorpe of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) wonders if newly-acquired Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams has enough upside to turn into a guard similar to his head coach Jason Kidd. Like Kidd, MCW brings a lot to the table, but leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to his shooting. Kidd didn’t have much of a jumper to start his career, but he went on to have 12 seasons of shooting 34% or better from downtown. The Sixers, he writes, clearly didn’t see Carter-Williams figuring out his shot.
- While Pistons coach/exec Stan Van Gundy is certain that having Reggie Jackson for the long haul makes his team better, he’s also optimistic that the February deal will pay dividends in the short term, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. SVG also explained that even though he was high on Jackson, he was prepared to walk away if the bidding got out of hand. “We were aware of (other teams involved), but it didn’t matter to us. We knew what our interest was in him. That’s what mattered. And we knew what the parameters of a deal would be,” Van Gundy explained. “As much as we liked him, we weren’t going to give up a first-round pick – that was our sticking point. As much as we liked him, we wouldn’t have done that.”
- The Bucks‘ playoff hopes are in jeopardy after their deadline shakeup, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel writes. Milwaukee went 0-4 on their West Coast trip and they’ll try to get back in the win column against the Wizards on Saturday night.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Knicks Notes: Matthews, Green, Galloway
Wesley Matthews was a prospective free agent target for the Knicks, but his season-ending Achilles tendon injury probably takes him off their list, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News tweets. That might be a tough blow for the Knicks, but it’s definitely a tough break for the Blazers, who currently occupy the top spot in their division. Here’s more out of MSG…
- Keith Schlosser of SNY.tv knows the Knicks are in win-now mode, but he still believes that they can keep the big picture in mind and take advantage of a potentially depressed market for Matthews if he has to miss some time to start the 2015/16 season.
- Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders wonders if the Knicks should make a run at pending restricted free agent Draymond Green. Depending on where the salary cap finally falls, New York may be looking at nearly $28MM in cap space to work with, which could allow for one max deal and another significant contract. Even if the Knicks offer up the max, however, there’s no guarantee that they’ll snag him.
- The Knicks see potential in undrafted rookie guard Langston Galloway, who has a partial guarantee for next season, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. Galloway hasn’t had the smoothest transition going from the D-League to the NBA, but it sounds like the Knicks will give serious thought to keeping him around next season.
Clippers Re-Sign Jordan Hamilton
3:23pm: The deal is official, according to the RealGM Transactions Log.
2:00pm: Jordan Hamilton will get a second 10-day contract from the Clippers, according to Arash Markazi of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Coach Doc Rivers indicated earlier this week that Hamilton would “most likely” get a second deal.
The fourth-year NBA veteran signed his first 10-day pact with the Clips on February 24th. Rivers was targeting players who’ve gone through buyouts around that time, but wound up using Hamilton to fill out one of his empty spots when he came up short on some of the players he was eyeing.
The former 26th overall pick, who’s spent most of his NBA career with the Nuggets, has bounced around quite a bit this season. After some quick stints with the Jazz and Raptors, he initially landed with the affiliate of the Grizzlies after signing with the D-League, but that club traded him to the Kings affiliate in December. His numbers were more impressive since the swap that sent him to the up-tempo Reno Bighorns, as he averaged 18.1 points and 7.6 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game.
In four games (two starts) for the Clippers, he has averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 11.5 minutes per contest.
Southeast Notes: Dragic, Heat, Hornets
There were a flurry of trades at the deadline nearly three weeks ago and a deal that was overlooked by many may prove to be the most impactful, Scott Lauer of Hornets.com writes. There wasn’t a ton of fanfare surrounding the Hornets‘ acquisition of Mo Williams, but in seven games the guard has been playing at a high level, averaging 21.6 PPG and 8.9 APG. Here’s more from the Southeast Division..
- Goran Dragic hasn’t been in Miami for long, but he already knows that he wants to stay long-term. At a shootaround Friday morning, he reiterated his desire to stay with the Heat beyond this season. “That’s my wish,” said Dragic, according to Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. “Right now I’m focused on doing as much as possible this season and make the playoffs, but of course this first 10-15 days here has been a great feeling for me. Unbelievable.” Dragic says he’ll decline his $7.5MM player option no matter what, but he’ll have no need to look elsewhere if Miami gives him a suitable offer.
- The Heat will have to fight to retain Hassan Whiteside when he hits unrestricted free agency in 2016. In today’s mailbag, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel discussed how the Heat can try and sell him on Miami between now and then.
- Hornets coach Steve Clifford has said that Lance Stephenson is the victim of unrealistic expectations and Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated agrees to some extent. Stephenson thrived off of playing in the Pacers’ system, Mannix writes, as he played off of David West and enjoyed the attention paid to Paul George and Roy Hibbert. Now in Charlotte, Stephenson is having to settle for pull up jump shots. Stephenson is in year one of a three-year, $27MM deal and the Hornets were unsuccessful in their attempts to move him in mid-season.
Blazers Called On Ray Allen
You can’t blame the Trail Blazers for trying. Shortly after losing guard Wesley Matthews for the season due to a torn Achilles’ tendon, Portland GM Neil Olshey called agent Jim Tanner to see if Ray Allen might be interested in signing, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. However, Olshey was informed that Allen, 39, remains intent on sitting out the season and wouldn’t consider the possibility of joining Portland – or any other team.
All in all, there were reportedly 14 teams – nearly half the NBA – interested in signing Allen until his announcement earlier this week. The Blazers would have presented Allen with a chance to join a playoff-bound team badly in need of a three-point shooter following Matthews’ injury, but it sounds like his mind is made up for good.
It would almost take less time to list the teams that weren’t after the veteran. The Cavs were linked to Allen more than anyone, but they were informed in late February that Allen was not Cleveland-bound. The Grizzlies, too, were ruled out of the running recently. The Warriors, Wizards, Spurs, Heat and Hawks were keeping in touch with Allen’s camp as of early February, and Clippers coach/exec Doc Rivers spoke to him around that time, but they were all rebuffed. The Blazers might go down as the last team to call on Allen this season, but you never know who might give it the old college try.
If Allen doesn’t play again this year, he’ll walk away as the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made and career earnings in excess of $184.356MM, according to Basketball-Reference.