Nets Could Target Otto Porter In Free Agency
Otto Porter will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and the feeling within the Wizards’ organization is that he will draw interest from the Nets, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.
GM Sean Marks has attempted to land restricted free agents in the past, but he failed on all three of his attempts. The Nets signed Donatas Motiejunas to an offer sheet earlier in the month, but the Rockets decided to match before they released the big man. Allen Crabbe signed an offer sheet with Brooklyn during the offseason, but Portland decided to match the offer and retain its play-maker. The same situation occurred with Tyler Johnson and the Heat over the summer.
Porter is enjoying an excellent fourth season in the league and he reportedly could command a maximum-salary offer in restricted free agency. The small forward is averaging 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while sporting an 18.1 player efficiency rating.
Atkinson Uses Committee Approach With Lin Out
- The Nets are taking a committee approach with point guard Jeremy Lin sidelined again by a hamstring injury, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. Coach Kenny Atkinson is rotating Randy Foye, rookie Isaiah Whitehead and Spencer Dinwiddie in Lin’s absence, while shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick is also taking a bigger role in the playmaking duties, Lewis continues. “I think it was ensemble,” Atkinson told Lewis and other media members. “That’s how we’re going to do it.”
And-Ones: Booker, Embiid, Karl
The Nets landed Trevor Booker during the offseason by selling him on the opportunity to expand his role, as he tells Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (video link). Booker said the Hornets, Magic, Suns, Mavericks and Wolves were among the teams to reach out to him, but his relationship with GM Sean Marks made him feel comfortable joining Brooklyn.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Joe Harris is enjoying the opportunity to play for the Nets, as he tells Scotto in a separate piece (video link). Harris, who signed with Brooklyn on a two-year deal during the offseason, is seeing a career-high 23.5 minutes per game this season.
- Joel Embiid is the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, but it’s partly due to the struggles of the 2016 rookie class, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders details. Kennedy notes that there isn’t a single 2016 draft pick who is averaging at least 10.0 points per game.
- In his book, George Karl claims that the NBA has a steroid issue, suggesting that performance-enhancers are the reason that players have longer careers in today’s NBA, as Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays. It’s worth noting that in the book, Karl doesn’t present specific evidence of any particular player using PEDs nor does the former coach even acknowledge the advances in league-approved medicine or the increased awareness in players’ dietary needs, both of which have been proven to increase the length of an average career.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/26/16
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
11:24pm:
- The Clippers have assigned rookie center Diamond Stone to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s website. He previously played four games with Santa Cruz, as the Clippers don’t have a direct affiliate in the D-League. The 40th pick in this year’s draft, Stone has appeared in four games for L.A.
- The Kings have recalled Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis from Reno, tweets James Ham of CSNBayArea. Labissiere was activated for tonight’s game, but Papagiannis was not.
5:30pm:
- The Grizzlies have assigned Troy Williams to Iowa Energy, the team announced on its website. Up to this point, the undrafted rookie has played 24 games for Memphis and started 13 of them.
2:20pm:
- The Nets sent Chris McCullough back to their D-League affiliate today, the team announced in a press release. McCullough, who is playing in the Long Island Nets’ afternoon game, could be recalled prior to tonight’s contest between Charlotte and Brooklyn, which would allow him to suit up for both Nets teams today.
Lin Leaves Game With Hamstring Problem
- Nets point guard Jeremy Lin left tonight’s game in the third quarter with a strained left hamstring, according to The Associated Press. He recently returned after missing 17 games with a hamstring problem.
Booker's Grit, Leadership Will Benefit Young Nets
- The Nets are a rebuilding team and veterans like Trevor Booker could be just what the franchise needs to make sure that its young core develops the right way. Zach Lowe of ESPN suggests that Booker’s bully style of play will benefit young assets like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert.
Lewis: Taking Stock Of Nets' Season, Roster
- With the Nets now more than a third of the way through their 2016/17 schedule, Brian Lewis of The New York Post takes stock of the season and the roster. As Lewis observes, it’s still hard to determine exactly who the Nets are, since the team has been hit hard by injuries during the season’s first two months.
New York Notes: Motiejunas, LeVert, Knicks, Rose
Donatas Motiejunas would have been a huge addition for the Nets if the Rockets hadn’t matched his offer sheet, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Having another 7-footer on the court would have helped a team that ranks last in points allowed and scoring margin. Motiejunas could also have provided a fourth scorer in the starting lineup. The Nets have given more than 800 combined front line minutes to Justin Hamilton and Luis Scola, neither of whom is having a productive season. After matching the four-year, $37MM offer sheet, Houston worked out a separate deal with Motiejunas, then waived him after his physical. That made him a restricted free agent, but he’s not permitted to sign with Brooklyn for a full year after the offer sheet was matched.
The Nets still have nearly $17.8MM in cap room and seem like obvious candidates to make some roster moves before the February 23rd trade deadline. “Will we be active? I think we’ll be strategic,’’ GM Sean Marks said. “We’re not just going to jump on something.”
There’s more news today out of New York:
- Nets rookie Caris LeVert can expect to see his minutes expanded as the season wears on, according to NetsDaily. LeVert had nine points and seven rebounds in Friday’s loss to Cleveland and is making an impression on coach Kenny Atkinson. “I love how hard he plays. Good for him to see a few shots go down,” Atkinson said. “That’s a positive we get out of this game.”
- The Knicks‘ winning record isn’t impressive because it was built against lower-level teams, charges Marc Berman of The New York Post. With today’s loss to the Celtics, New York is now 16-14, but just 3-10 against teams that are .500 or better. “That’s the jump we got to make,’’ shooting guard Courtney Lee said. “Just learn from it and put it all together so when we play those losing teams we’re supposed to take of, we do that, but then the plus-.500 teams we got to start taking care of that, too.”
- Derrick Rose is hoping to remain healthy for the rest of the season after recovering from back spasms, Berman writes in a separate story. After appearing in 66 games with the Bulls last season, Rose has been able to play in 25 of the Knicks’ first 30 contests. “I feel good,” he said. “Not feeling my back anymore. My body is healthy — just trying to find a rhythm, just trying to play my game, either a floater or try to finish at the rim or me trying to dunk. I feel all three elements are my game.”
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/22/16
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
10:55pm:
- The Nets recalled forward Chris McCullough from the Long Island Nets, the team tweets. McCullough was assigned to the D-League Nets on December 9 and started the team’s last five games. He had 20 points and eight rebounds in 35 minutes against the Grand Rapids Drive on Thursday.
3:50pm:
- The Spurs have recalled Dejounte Murray and Bryn Forbes from their D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. Tom Orsborn of Spurs Nation relays. Both players will be available for tonight’s game against the Clippers.
- The Jazz have assigned Joel Bolomboy to the Salt Lake City Stars, the their D-League affiliate, according to the team’s website. This will be Bolomboy’s sixth assignment of the season.
- The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet to their D-League affiliate, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
Bogdanovic An Under-The-Radar 2017 Free Agent?
Now an unrestricted free agent, Donatas Motiejunas has more freedom than ever to decide the next step in his basketball career, even if he can no longer sign with the Nets. As he looks for a new NBA home, Motiejunas released a statement today on Twitter, announcing that he has “a lot more to give to the game of basketball, and can’t wait to get back on the court.”
- Keith P. Smith of RealGM.com identifies 11 players on track for 2017 free agency who may be flying under the radar a little, including JaMychal Green (Grizzlies), Patty Mills (Spurs), and Bojan Bogdanovic (Nets).