Southeast Notes: Hornets, Walker, Heat
Hornets guard Kemba Walker has been cleared to resume all basketball activities, moving him closer to a return from knee surgery, as The Associated Press writes. “I’m excited. I’ve been anxious,” Walker said. “I’ve been working hard trying to get back to competing with my teammates. And I got some great news, so I’m excited.” Coach Steve Clifford said the team will practice again Saturday and Walker’s return to action will depend on how the knee responds to an increased workload. Here’s more from the Southeast Division..
- Lance Stephenson is having a poor first season in Charlotte, but Clifford thinks that the 24-year-old needs some more time to adjust to his new surroundings, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes. ““I think first of all, in some ways expectations were a little out of whack,” the Hornets said of Stephenson, who inked a three-year, $27MM deal with Charlotte over the summer. “I think secondly, he’s a young player, and unlike a guy like Mo Williams, who has played for seven coaches, seven systems and is used to adapting to new teammates and new cities, this is the first time.” The Hornets shopped Stephenson at the deadline but they were unable to find a suitable deal.
- Jarell Eddie, who has inked a 10-day deal with the Hawks, took a path similar to Danny Green on his way to the NBA, Lorne Chan of Spurs.com writes. Green carved out a role for himself by knocking down shots from long range, but also doing the little things well. Eddie is now the third member of the Austin Spurs to reach the NBA this season after JaMychal Green and Bryce Cotton.
- David Pick of Basketball Insiders looked at the unusual path taken by Henry Walker, who just inked his second 10-day deal with the Heat.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asked Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if he believes the Heat will take advantage of the $2.65MM exception they have as a result of Josh McRoberts‘ knee surgery. Miami has until March 10th to use it, but Winderman doesn’t see them veering into tax territory to aid in a fight for the No. 7 or No. 8 seed.
Southeast Notes: Beasley, Webster, Mo Williams
Michael Beasley has promised to reform in the past, but he knows there’s a decent chance his 10-day contract with the Heat represents his final opportunity in the NBA, observes Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel. The former No. 2 overall pick’s deal expires at the end of Saturday.
“I’m still the same guy, but it’s desperation for me,” Beasley said. “This is my last chance, my last shot. It’s either play or sit down and I’m not ready to play at `The Y’, not ready for open gyms. I’m playing to eat right now, and I got kids. It adds that much more.”
While we wait to see if Beasley’s third career contract with the Heat will lead to a fourth, here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- 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, Grantland’s Zach Lowe tweets. Those Jack proposals appeared to be contingent on Brooklyn’s failed Reggie Jackson-for-Brook Lopez talks, as Lowe points out (on Twitter).
- Mo Williams says he took his time on successful Cavs teams earlier in his career for granted and is grateful for last month’s trade that sent him from Minnesota to the Hornets and gave him a chance to compete for a playoff berth again, as he tells Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders. The soon-to-be free agent signed with the Wolves knowing they wouldn’t be contenders, but it seems his focus has changed. “I just want to win. It’s as simple as that — just win,” Williams said. “I’m at the point at my career where I’ve made a lot of money, been an All-Star, and one thing I haven’t experienced is playing at the highest level and that’s winning a championship. That’s everybody’s goal.”
- Re-signing Trevor Ariza would have helped the Wizards better overcome their recent struggles, but that was a sacrifice the franchise was willing to make to save cap flexibility for a shot at Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016, as Ben Standig of CSNWashington.com examines.
Southeast Notes: Wizards, Stephenson, Harkless
Despite having a roster spot open, the Wizards aren’t anticipating a move, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Washington hasn’t filled the opening it created by waiving Glen Rice two months ago, and the Wizards don’t seem intrigued by any of the available options. Today is the last day players can hit waivers and still be eligible for the playoffs with another team, although that deadline applies only to players who have appeared in the NBA this season. “Nobody is going to be added to the team. That’s the reality of it,” coach Randy Wittman said earlier this week.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Despite a post-All Star Game slump, the Wizards aren’t considering a coaching change, Michael writes in a separate story. Before Saturday’s win over the Pistons, Washington had dropped 11 of 13 games, causing some to question Wittman’s future with the team. Michael reports that Wittman still has the support of star player John Wall and there are no indications that he has “lost the locker room.”
- Hornets coach Steve Clifford blames unreasonable expectations for Lance Stephenson‘s early struggles in Charlotte, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. “A lot of this is totally off base among basketball people,” Clifford said of the hype that accompanied Stephenson. “He’s 23 years old. He’d played for one coach in one offense.” Many thought Stephenson would be the missing piece for the Hornets after signing as a free agent during the summer. Instead he has struggled to find his shot, connecting on just 36.6 percent from the field this season and 15.1 percent from 3-point range.
- St. John’s basketball coach Steve Lavin said an extra year in college would have helped the Magic’s Maurice Harkless improve his draft status, tweets Josh Newman of Asbury Park Press. Lavin said NBA general managers told him that Harkless could have been a top three choice in the 2013 draft. Instead, he left St. John’s in 2012 and was selected 15th.
And-Ones: Daniels, Shved, Towns
The amount of cash the Thunder sent the Pelicans in the Ish Smith trade is $801K, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). The 2015 second-round pick headed from Oklahoma City to New Orleans is Philly’s top-55 protected pick, as Pincus shows on his Pelicans salary page. The 2016 second-rounder headed to the Thunder is the less favorable of Sacramento’s top-55 protected pick and the Pelicans’ pick, according to RealGM.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Hornets gave up Gary Neal two weeks ago in the trade that netted Mo Williams and Troy Daniels, but Steve Clifford can envision Daniels developing into the sort of role Neal has played in the NBA, notes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Bonnell’s piece examines just what the Hornets have in Daniels, who has a fully guaranteed minimum salary for next season.
- The Heat sent the Suns $2.2MM in cash in the Goran Dragic trade, according to Pincus (Twitter link).
- The Knicks did indeed take Alexey Shved‘s $3,282,057 salary into their $3,637,073 Raymond Felton trade exception as part of their trade with the Rockets, reducing that exception to $355,016, as Pincus tweets. The move allowed New York to create a new $1,662,961 trade exception worth the equivalent of Pablo Prigioni‘s salary, Pincus adds.
- A number of NBA GMs and scouts are beginning to view Karl-Anthony Towns as having greater long-term potential than Jahlil Okafor, and the freshman could play his way into being drafted No. 1 overall this June, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Nets To Sign Thomas Robinson To 10-Day Deal
1:49pm: Robinson has agreed to sign a 10-day contract, though the Nets are expected to eventually sign him for the rest of the season, Wojnarowski reports in a full story.
1:26pm: Nets officials changed their minds about Robinson this weekend after they were initially uninterested in signing him, according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter link).
12:57pm: Robinson confirmed the agreement to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, as Kennedy relays in a pair of tweets.
12:47pm: The Nets and Thomas Robinson have agreed to a deal that will see the big man join the team after he clears waivers from the Nuggets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Denver released him Sunday after agreeing to a buyout deal, so he’s poised to clear waivers Tuesday. It’s something of a surprise to see Brooklyn end up with the former No. 5 overall pick, since a report late Sunday indicated that the Nets weren’t interested. That ran counter to an earlier dispatch from Shams Charania of RealGM that said Brooklyn, along with the Spurs, Suns, Heat and Hornets, had engaged in talks with Robinson.
Brooklyn has an open roster spot, so no corresponding move is required. The Nets are limited to paying the Tony Dutt client no more than the prorated minimum salary, which is less than the other teams reportedly in discussions could offer, as I explained. Still, it’s not a shock to see him settle for the minimum, as he’s struggled to live up to his lofty draft position, and Brooklyn is poised to become his fourth team in fewer than three NBA seasons. The Blazers declined their team option on the fourth year of his rookie scale contract before trading him to Denver at the deadline on Thursday.
Robinson was one of three prospects the Nets were particularly enamored with when they traded their 2012 lottery pick to Portland, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). That pick came in sixth, which the Blazers used to select Damian Lillard, so Brooklyn wouldn’t have had a chance to nab Robinson, since the Kings took him fifth. Since then, Robinson has displayed proficiency on the boards, hauling in 11.7 per 36 minutes for his NBA career, but he’s otherwise failed to make much of an impact.
Five Teams In Talks With Thomas Robinson
Thomas Robinson has had conversations with the Spurs, Nets, Suns, Heat and Hornets in the wake of his buyout deal with the Nuggets, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The former No. 5 overall pick went to Denver in the deadline-day trade that sent Arron Afflalo to the Blazers.
The Suns can spend the most, with more than $3.247MM in cap room. Miami has a disabled player exception worth nearly $2.653MM it can spend. The Spurs have a prorated portion of their mid-level, worth about $2.4MM, while the Hornets have their room exception, which comes to about $2MM at this point. The exceptions that San Antonio and Charlotte possess reduce in value daily. The Nets are limited to the minimum salary, which also prorates on a daily basis.
Robinson has seen his minutes decline each season after his rookie campaign, when he was traded midseason from the Kings to the Rockets. Portland acquired him when Houston sent him out in a cap-clearing move that helped the Rockets sign Dwight Howard, but at each stop, the power forward has failed to live up to his draft position. Still, he’s an efficient rebounder, averaging 4.2 boards in 12.2 minutes per game this season.
Gary Neal To Push For Buyout
FEBRUARY 21ST, 6:37pm: The Timberwolves have no plans for a buyout with Neal, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The season-ending injury to Shabazz Muhammad has no bearing on Minnesota’s thinking, Wojnarowski adds.
FEBRUARY 20TH, 9:35am: Saunders indicated that he remains disinclined to do a buyout, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune relays. “I’m not into buyouts,” Saunders said. “I’m not into paying a guy to play for someone else. It has to make sense for the team, not just the player.” To be clear, Neal would by definition be the party relinquishing money in a buyout, though Minnesota would still have to pay whatever remains on his contract, even if he hooks up with a new team.
5:42pm: The Wizards would have interest in Neal if he were to become a free agent, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reports (Twitter link). Washington has an open roster spot it could use to add Neal, Michael adds.
4:21pm: The Bulls also have interest in Neal should he reach a buyout deal, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
FEBRUARY 19TH, 11:38am: Neal wants a trade to a playoff team, and the Hawks remain one of four or five postseason-bound clubs with interest in trading for him, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). He will indeed push for a buyout if there’s no trade, Berger adds (Twitter link).
6:38pm: The Wolves are trying to include Chase Budinger in any trade involving Neal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
FEBRUARY 18TH, 4:09pm: Neal continues to prefer either a trade or a buyout rather than remaining in Minnesota, Chris Mannix Of SI.com reports (Twitter link). Atlanta remains interested in Neal, Mannix adds.
FEBRUARY 13TH, 1:08pm: There’s a significant level of interest in Neal around the league, and the Hawks are among the teams that would like to sign him, but substantive buyout talks between the Relativity Sports client and the Wolves have yet to take place, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
9:12pm: Neal and his representatives will make a push to reach a buyout deal with the Wolves, in spite of Minnesota’s preference he remain on the roster for the remainder of the season, Wolfson tweets.
3:38pm: The Wolves have no plans to arrange a buyout with Neal, Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders told reporters, including Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). Instead, Saunders said he insisted on receiving a shooter in the deal with the Hornets, Zgoda notes, though Neal has slumped from behind the arc this year, as I noted (below).
12:40pm: Minnesota is looking at either a buyout or another trade involving Neal, Charania now says (on Twitter).
FEBRUARY 10TH, 12:22pm: The Wolves plan to explore a buyout with Gary Neal after having acquired him from the Hornets this afternoon, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link) Charania previously reported that the team would look for ways to flip the guard (Twitter link), but his latest dispatch indicates that Minnesota won’t do that. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities first raised the possibility that Neal would push for a buyout (on Twitter). In any case, the Wolves have plans for the roster spot that today’s trade opened up, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press, adding that he’s heard that spot should be filled by day’s end.
Neal, 30, is making $3.25MM in the final season of a two-year contract that he signed in 2013 with the Bucks, who shipped him to the Hornets a year ago. He’s a client of Dan Fegan’s Relativity Sports, an agency with multiple Timberwolves clients, as Wolfson points out (Twitter link).
The fifth-year veteran is experiencing his worst three-point shooting season so far, nailing just 29.3%. He was a 39.4% three-point shooter during his first four seasons of action, and that skill led Charlotte to acquire him at last year’s deadline. Neal has averaged 9.6 points in 21.7 minutes per game across 43 appearances this season.
Eastern Notes: Ross, Blatt, Pistons
Terrence Ross is unlikely to be dealt by the Raptors before Thursday’s trade deadline, Michael Grange of SportsNet reports. Raptors GM Masai Ujiri tells Grange that it’s too early to give up on Ross, even though Ross’ playing time has dropped from 31.1 minutes in December to 20.9 in January and 22.0 for February. “I would be shocked if we did something with Terrence,” Ujiri said to Grange. “Trust me. I can’t tell you more how I totally don’t think that would happen before Thursday.” Ross has been rumored to be part of a package that could deliver a quality big man such as the Pacers‘ David West.
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- David Blatt’s job security is on firmer ground because LeBron James has gained respect for him, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports. James, who did not give Blatt ringing endorsements earlier in the season, called him “great” and added that Blatt has handled his first season as the Cavs coach “extremely well so far, and I’m happy to be playing for him.“
- The Cavs have recalled Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. Harris has played in seven games for Canton this season, averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 32.3 minutes per contest.
- Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy says that things are quiet on the trade front for Detroit, and that it was doubtful the team would make a move prior to the trade deadline, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press tweets.
- Free agent Jamaal Tinsley has turned down 10-day contract offers from the Pistons, Hornets, and Wolves, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link). Tinsley appeared in eight games for the Jazz last season.
- Sixers coach Brett Brown said the team will get another point guard in time for its next game, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Pompey did not elaborate on whether that would occur by trade or free agent signing.
- Suspended Sixers forward Andrei Kirilenko is a likely buyout candidate, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com tweets. Philadelphia would prefer to trade him for assets but it’s expected that won’t happen and the team will wind up buying Kirilenko out, Mazzeo adds.
- Brandon Bass made it clear that he has no interest in a buyout, as Jay King of MassLive relays (Twitter link). Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck identified him as a likely buyout candidate last week.
Eddie Scarito and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Wojnarowski’s Latest: Prince, Clippers, Nelson
With Thursday’s NBA trade deadline creeping ever closer, things are going to heat up rather quickly. The reports that the Suns are looking to trade Goran Dragic are likely just the beginning of what should be an interesting couple of days around the NBA. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relayed some of the latest deadline rumors from around the league:
- The Celtics are continuing to try to include Tayshaun Prince in a trade package, but if unable to find a taker, the team will work out a buyout arrangement after the deadline, Wojnarowski notes.
- After missing out on Amar’e Stoudemire, who is reportedly on his way to Dallas once he clears waivers, the Clippers’ best chance to improve their roster will be to sign a free agent, Wojnarowski opines. Los Angeles may attempt to sign Prince if he is waived by Boston, Wojnarowski adds. The Blazers are also interested in Prince, the Yahoo! scribe relays.
- The Clippers have dangled Jamal Crawford in an effort to acquire a first round draft pick that the team could use to nab the Nuggets‘ Wilson Chandler or Arron Afflalo, the Yahoo! scribe adds. Los Angeles continues to show interest in the Suns‘ Gerald Green as well, Wojnarowski reports.
- Los Angeles had scouted Lance Stephenson recently, but the Clippers never engaged in discussions with the Hornets regarding the mercurial guard, Wojnarowski relays.
- There are several teams around the league that are hoping Jameer Nelson reaches a buyout arrangement with the Nuggets, Wojnarowski notes. Denver currently has no plans to cut the veteran point guard loose, adds the Yahoo! scribe.
- Wolves president Flip Saunders has shown little inclination that he wishes to deal Kevin Martin and Thaddeus Young, Wojnarowski relays.
- Teams that miss out on acquiring Afflalo may take a look at nabbing the Wolves‘ Chase Budinger, Wojnarowski writes. While teams like Budinger’s ability to spread the floor, his $5MM player option is a deterrent for some interested franchises, the Yahoo! scribe adds.
Kyler’s Latest: Dragic, Deng, Garnett, Lawson
The Knicks have engaged the Suns in talks as they keep an eye on Goran Dragic, just as the Lakers have done, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. The Knicks and Lakers would be on board with trading for a player whom they could otherwise just wait to sign outright in free agency this summer, like Dragic, but it doesn’t seem that either would give up major assets in any such swap. Kyler has plenty more new information with the trade deadline just two days off, and we’ll hit the highlights here:
- Miami is open to trading Luol Deng, according to Kyler, who suggests that the veteran small forward isn’t garnering the sort of interest it would take for him to be traded. Kyler also lists Norris Cole, Chris Andersen and Danny Granger as players the Heat are making available, which jibes with earlier reports on all three.
- Golden State is “more than” interested in Kevin Garnett, Kyler hears, which advances a suggestion from Grantland’s Zach Lowe on Monday that the Warriors would like to try to convince Garnett to waive his no-trade clause. The 20th-year veteran reportedly has no plans to seek a buyout.
- The Bucks are “being linked” to Ty Lawson, Kyler writes, though it’s unclear just what sort of interest is there.
- The Bulls would think about trading Tony Snell for a veteran shooting guard who fits what they’re looking for, Kyler writes. Still, while Chicago is speaking generally about doing some deals before the deadline, the team doesn’t appear to be willing to give up what it would take, according to Kyler.
- The Suns are making Gerald Green available, according to Kyler.
- Charlotte has interest in Wilson Chandler, but the Hornets would prefer to trade for Arron Afflalo, as Kyler hears. That’s the reverse of the Blazers‘ apparent preference. The Bulls are “sniffing at” both players, too, Kyler adds, nonetheless casting doubt once more on whether Chicago is willing to give up the assets necessary to swing a deal.
- Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas have come up in trade rumors, but it’s more likely that the Raptors deal someone on an expiring contract, according to Kyler, naming Landry Fields, Tyler Hansbrough and Amir Johnson as examples.
- Sources close to the Pacers tell Kyler that David West is likely to opt in with the Pacers for next season, when his contract calls for him to make $12.6MM.
- There is “a sense” that the Magic are making Ben Gordon and Luke Ridnour available, Kyler says.