Nets Waive Yogi Ferrell
The Nets have waived Yogi Ferrell, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post (Twitter links). The cap hit for the move is slightly over $102K, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes on Twitter.
The team’s roster currently sits at 14, so a corresponding move could be forthcoming, but GM Sean Marks wouldn’t commit to a particular position when asked about who will fill the open roster spot. “I’d hate to limit us to just a position. I’ve never put something like that on it. We’ll look at every position to be honest,” Marks said. Brooklyn is without a healthy veteran option at the point guard position, as Jeremy Lin remains out with a hamstring injury.
Ferrell played sparingly for the Nets, only appearing in 10 games. He averaged 5.4 points and 1.7 assists in 15.1 minutes per contest. If Ferrell goes unclaimed and decides to join the D-League, he’ll play for the Long Island Nets, Chris Reichert of The Step Back tweets.
New York Notes: Carmelo, Jackson, Knicks, Nets
According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, Knicks All-Star Carmelo Anthony – who is usually affable with the media – was “visibly annoyed” when he was asked last night about Phil Jackson‘s comments on Anthony’s tendency to hold onto the ball for too long. After initially saying he didn’t want to answer those questions, Carmelo weighed in on Jackson’s assertion.
“I don’t even know what was said, to be honest with you. I just don’t even want to talk about that, what he’s talking about exactly. I want to stay away from that at this point,” the Knicks forward said. “My focus is my teammates and winning. We’ve been playing great basketball, and that’s the only thing I’m focused on. Whatever Phil said, he said it. I have nothing to say about that.”
When Jackson made comments last month about LeBron James‘ “posse,” which the NBA Finals MVP took exception to, Anthony questioned why the Knicks president was even discussing LeBron at all. This time around, while Carmelo was careful not to be critical, it sounded like he was once again unsure why Jackson’s comments were necessary.
Here’s more from out of New York:
- Mitch Lawrence of Forbes.com wonders if Jackson’s “penchant for speaking his mind” will negatively impact his ability to stick around long-term with the Knicks or to land another NBA job.
- In the wake of Houston’s decision to match the Nets‘ offer sheet to Donatas Motiejunas, GM Sean Marks said he didn’t regret not using the team’s huge chunk of cap room to make a bigger offer that would have made it harder for the Rockets to match. Brian Lewis of The New York Post has the details and the quotes from Marks.
- In a separate piece for The Post, Lewis examines how the Nets might use all that cap room, passing along a few more quotes from the club’s general manager.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/7/16
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
11:41 pm
- The Bulls have recalled R.J. Hunter, Doug McDermott and Paul Zipser from their D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. Zipser and Hunter were assigned to the Windy City Bulls just hours ago, so the duo presumably joined Chicago’s affiliate for practice.
- The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from the Long Island Nets, the team’s D-League affiliate, per a team press release. He scored 19 points and 13 rebounds in Long Island’s game today.
12:21 pm
- Rookie forward Cheick Diallo, who had been assigned to the Austin Spurs, has been recalled from the D-League by the Pelicans, the team announced in a press release. New Orleans doesn’t have its own D-League affiliate, so Diallo has been playing for San Antonio’s D-League squad, averaging 12.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in nine games for Austin.
- The Hornets have sent Aaron Harrison and Christian Wood back to the D-League on assignments, according to a press release issued by the club. Harrison and Wood, who have played very sparingly for Charlotte, should get a chance to suit up and see some action for the Greensboro Swarm in Wednesday night’s game.
- The Nets have once again assigned Chris McCullough to Long Island, according to a team release. The Nets’ D-League affiliate plays this afternoon, so McCullough could be recalled after the game for Brooklyn’s Wednesday evening contest against Denver.
- R.J. Hunter and Paul Zipser have been assigned to the D-League, the Bulls announced today in a press release. Chicago’s affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, doesn’t play until Friday, so it’s not clear how long Hunter’s and Zipser’s assignments will last.
McCullough, Caboclo Leaders In D-League Assignments
More NBA teams than ever have their own D-League affiliates in 2016/17, with three expansion D-League clubs joining the mix this year to bring the league’s count to 22 total teams. The NBA’s other eight teams can still send players to the D-League using the flexible assignment rule, but they may not be as inclined to do so as the clubs that operate and control their affiliates.
As expected, during the first month of the D-League’s season, the NBA teams most frequently assigning and recalling players from their affiliates generally met two criteria:
- They have young players on their roster who aren’t necessarily ready for regular NBA minutes, or can’t crack the NBA rotation.
- They’re geographically adjacent to their D-League affiliates, making it easy to send a player down for a practice, then recall him later in the day.
As Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily wrote last week, no team has taken advantage of the close proximity of a D-League affiliate quite like the Nets, who are temporarily sharing venues with the Long Island Nets, their new D-League squad. Long Island’s new building won’t be ready until the 2017/18 season, so when both teams are playing at home, it’s very easy for Brooklyn to send players back and forth between the NBA and the D-League. Chris McCullough has been the player most frequently affected, having already been assigned to Long Island nine times this season.
Like the Nets, the Raptors have a D-League affiliate that plays nearby — the Raptors 905 are based in Mississauga, a city in the Greater Toronto Area. And like McCullough with the Nets, Bruno Caboclo has been shuttled back and forth nine times between the NBA and D-League already this season, as Toronto takes advantage of having its D-League affiliate in the area.
While many NBA teams have established D-League teams – or relocated them – to ensure that sort of geographical proximity, not every club has done so. The Heat, for instance, might be more willing to assign and recall players from their D-League club more frequently if it wasn’t located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The distance between American Airlines Arena and the Sanford Pentagon (where the Skyforce play)? Over 1,800 miles.
Here are the players with the most D-League assignments early on in the 2016/17 season:
- Bruno Caboclo, Raptors (9)
- Chris McCullough, Nets (9)
- Dejounte Murray, Spurs (7)
- Josh Huestis, Thunder (6)
- Marshall Plumlee, Knicks (5)
- Fred VanVleet, Raptors (5)
- Bryn Forbes, Spurs (4)
- Demetrius Jackson, Celtics (4)
- Ron Baker, Knicks (3)
- Henry Ellenson, Pistons (3)
- Michael Gbinije, Pistons (3)
- A.J. Hammons, Mavericks (3)
- Aaron Harrison, Hornets (3)
- R.J. Hunter, Bulls (3)
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Sixers (3)
- Maurice Ndour, Knicks (3)
- Georgios Papagiannis, Kings (3)
- Kyle Wiltjer, Rockets (3)
Information from RealGM.com was used in the creation of this post.
Marks On Nets' Strategy
The Nets pursued several restricted free agents since Sean Marks took over as the team’s GM, but they weren’t able to land any of their targets. Marks said the team’s failures will not deter the franchise from pursing those types of players in the future, as Net Income of SB Nation writes.
- Marks added that the Nets won’t necessarily limit themselves to picking up a point guard if they makes any additions despite the lack of proven options on the roster, Anthony Puccio of SB Nation relays (Twitter link).
Donatas Motiejunas Not Reporting To Rockets
12:02pm: “We have our rights,” said Motiejunas’ agent B.J. Armstrong, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). “We’re not going to show up. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see what the Rockets do.”
11:47am: The Rockets essentially have two options for the Motiejunas situation, tweets Wojnarowski: Leave his deal on their books and hope he reports and signs it, or return him to restricted free agency. If Motiejunas hits the market again, he wouldn’t be eligible to sign with the Nets for a year, says Wojnarowski.
11:44am: A day after the Rockets matched his four-year offer sheet to retain him, Donatas Motiejunas did not show up for his scheduled physical exam with the team this morning, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). According to Feigen, the Rockets are weighing their options as they consider how to move forward.
Motiejunas, 26, remained on the free agent market for more than five months before finally signing an offer sheet with the Nets on Friday. On Monday, the Rockets exercised their right of first refusal on that deal, which has a base value of $35MM over four years, waiving Bobby Brown to clear room on their roster for the RFA forward. However, Motiejunas has yet to report to the team.
The Rockets reached an agreement to trade Motiejunas to the Pistons at last year’s deadline, but that deal ultimately fell through because of health concerns related to the big man’s back. Houston had also hoped to re-sign Motiejunas before November 23 so that he’d still be trade-eligible this season, another sign that he is perhaps not in the club’s long-term plans. Those factors, combined with the fact that the Rockets never made a contract offer Motiejunas’ camp viewed as acceptable, likely created friction between the player and team, though it’s not clear if that’s what motivated his no-show today.
It’s also not entirely clear what options the Rockets have at their disposal if Motiejunas doesn’t report to the team. According to Feigen (via Twitter), Houston “could return Motiejunas to restricted free agent status,” though the team has yet to make any decisions. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical confirms (via Twitter) that the Rockets and Motiejunas’ reps are discussing the situation.
We’ll provide updates on the situation as they’re available.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/5/16
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
10:54pm:
- The Nets have recalled guard Yogi Ferrell and forward Chris McCullough from their Long Island affiliate, the team announced in a press release. McCullough led the D-League team with 24 points and eight rebounds in today’s win over Sioux Falls. Ferrell is averaging 5.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in nine games with Brooklyn.
3:33pm:
- Bulls forward Doug McDermott has missed the team’s last nine games due to a concussion, but he may be nearing a return. The club announced today in a press release that McDermott has been assigned to the Windy City Bulls, presumably to practice with the D-League squad before he rejoins the NBA team.
- The Nets sent guard Yogi Ferrell back to the Long Island Nets for the team’s afternoon contest against Sioux Falls today, according to the club (Twitter link). Long Island lost the game, and Ferrell barely showed up on the score sheet, scoring four points on nine shots in 12 minutes of action.
- The Lakers have recalled 2016 second-rounder Ivica Zubac from the D-League, the team announced today (Twitter link). Zubac hasn’t seen much action with the NBA club so far in his rookie year, but has played well for the L.A. D-Fenders, averaging 17.3 PPG and 8.5 RPG in six contests.
- Jordan Mickey has returned to the Celtics, having been recalled from the Maine Red Claws, according to the team (via Twitter). Mickey was fairly quiet on Sunday, but had a huge game for Maine on Saturday, putting up 22 points, 15 boards, four assists, four steals, and four blocks.
Rockets Match Donatas Motiejunas’ Offer Sheet
4:18pm: The Rockets will create an opening on their 15-man roster for Motiejunas by waiving Bobby Brown, per Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. The move doesn’t come as a surprise, since Brown’s contract was the only fully non-guaranteed deal on Houston’s books.
Watkins adds that Motiejunas will have to pass a physical before he officially rejoins the Rockets. The veteran forward underwent a medical examination with the Nets when he visited the team last week, so the physical isn’t expected to be an issue, despite concerns about his back.
Meanwhile, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link), now that Houston has matched, Motiejunas’ deal is believed to be worth $31MM over four years. An earlier report suggested that the Nets’ offer featured $1MM annually in likely incentives, so perhaps those incentives are considered unlikely for the Rockets, in which case they won’t initially count against the cap.
3:58pm: The Rockets have matched the four-year, $35MM+ offer sheet Donatas Motiejunas signed with the Nets on Friday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Houston will have to clear a spot on its 15-man roster to make the move official and formally bring Motiejunas back into the fold.
For Brooklyn, the offer sheet for Motiejunas represented the third time this year that the team had made an effort to land a restricted free agent from another club. However, as with the case when they inked Allen Crabbe (Trail Blazers) and Tyler Johnson (Heat) to lucrative four-year offer sheets, the Nets were stymied in their attempt to add young talent when the player’s original team matched the offer.
Motiejunas, the NBA’s last unsigned RFA of 2016, received a qualifying offer worth about $4.4MM from the Rockets back in June. However, the 26-year-old didn’t reach an agreement with Houston or sign an offer sheet with a rival suitor during the offseason, and that qualifying offer expired in October. Still, the Rockets maintained the right of first refusal on the big man, giving GM Daryl Morey the opportunity to match Brooklyn’s offer.
The four-year deal Motiejunas signed on Friday with the Nets has a reported base value of about $35MM, and features $500K annually in unlikely incentives, for a full value of $37MM. The contract only includes $5MM in guaranteed money for now, but Motiejunas will reportedly have the rest of his $8.5MM first-year salary guaranteed in January, and his $9MM salary for 2017/18 will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through March 1. In other words, he’ll receive at least $17.5MM or so in guarantees unless he’s waived within the next three months.
The Rockets’ last offer to Motiejunas in November was said to be a two-year proposal worth about $7MM guaranteed in year one. The second-year salary on that offer was non-guaranteed. Houston will now have Motiejunas under contract for four years rather than two, at a slightly higher rate, though the final two years of the new deal will remain non-guaranteed until July 2018 and July 2019, respectively.
While the Nets used their cap room to make Motiejunas an offer, the Rockets will retain him using their Bird Rights. Houston entered the day just slightly over the $94MM salary cap, so the deal figures to increase 2016/17 team salary to over $100MM. The club will still be comfortably below the tax line, which is in the $113MM range.
[RELATED: 2016/17 Salary Cap Snapshot: Houston Rockets]
Although Motiejunas struggled to stay healthy last season and his production took a significant hit, he looked like a player on the rise in 2014/15, when he averaged 12.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG to go along with a .504 FG% and a .368 3PT%. He has been plagued by back troubles in recent years, creating some long-term uncertainty about his health and limiting his market. The Rockets were said to have concerns about how his back will hold up in the long term.
For now though, Motiejunas looks like a good fit for Mike D’Antoni‘s system, and once he gets up to speed, he’ll likely assume a role as the club’s backup power forward behind Ryan Anderson. The former 20th overall pick may also see some time at center in smaller lineups, and his return could have an impact on Sam Dekker‘s and Montrezl Harrell‘s minutes.
Assuming the Rockets don’t make a surprise cut between now and March, Motiejunas will remain with the team throughout the 2016/17 season, since he’s not eligible to be traded. Free agents can’t be dealt for three months after signing contracts, which means Motiejunas won’t be trade-eligible until March 5 — that date falls after this season’s February 23 trade deadline.
The Rockets previously agreed to trade Motiejunas to the Pistons at the 2015/16 trade deadline, but that deal fell through due to concerns about the seven-footer’s back.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Scouts Like Nets' Pursuit Of Motiejunas
- Brian Lewis of The New York Post spoke to NBA scouts about the Nets‘ offer sheet for Donatas Motiejunas, and the general consensus was that it makes sense for Brooklyn to try to land a player like Motiejunas. “What’s to lose? It’s a good move. I don’t see a negative,” said veteran scout Scott McGuire. “They have to shake the bushes.”
- While Caris LeVert has been cleared to make his debut for the Nets, it’s not clear how much playing time the 2016 first-rounder will actually receive right away, Lewis writes in a separate piece for The Post.
Poll: Should Rockets Match Nets’ Motiejunas Offer?
The Rockets have until the end of the day to decide whether or not they will match the Nets’ four-year, $35MM+ offer sheet for Donatas Motiejunas. And while there have been reports suggesting that Houston would like to keep Motiejunas in the fold, there has been no definitive word yet on whether or not the Rockets will match Brooklyn’s offer and bring back their restricted free agent.
The Nets’ offer reportedly only includes $5MM in guaranteed money, but that figure will increase to $8.5MM in January, and then his 2017/18 salary of $9MM will become guaranteed on March 1. So within three months, about half of Motiejunas’ four-year contract would be fully guaranteed, leaving just the final two seasons non-guaranteed.
Although Motiejunas struggled to stay healthy last season and his production took a significant hit, he looked like a player on the rise in 2014/15, when he averaged 12.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG to go along with a .504 FG% and a .368 3PT%. He has been plagued by back troubles in recent years, creating some long-term uncertainty about his health and limiting his market.
In their negotiations with Motiejunas, the Rockets had reportedly only been willing to offer one guaranteed year, worth about $7-8MM. Team officials reportedly have concerns about how the forward’s back will hold up over multiple years, which could make the Rockets wary about matching an offer sheet that essentially forces them to guarantee him nearly $9MM annually for two years.
The Rockets also would have liked to lock up Motiejunas by November 23, since that would have given the team the option to move him by this year’s February 23 trade deadline. Free agents can’t be dealt for three months after signing their contracts, so Motiejunas will be ineligible to be traded until after the 2016/17 season.
Houston is only barely over the salary cap at the moment, so adding Motiejunas’ contracts to the books wouldn’t put the team in danger of approaching tax territory. And the Rockets could use Motiejunas to provide depth behind frontcourt starters Ryan Anderson and Clint Capela, even if Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell have looked good in part-time roles so far.
What do you think? Will the Rockets match the Nets’ Motiejunas offer sheet? Should they match it? Weigh in on both of those questions in our poll and in the comments section below!
What should the Rockets do with Donatas Motejunas' offer sheet?
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They shouldn't match it, and won't 32% (267)
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They should match it, and will 26% (213)
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They should match it, but won't 24% (194)
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They shouldn't match it, but will 18% (151)
Total votes: 825
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