Pelicans Sign Wolters To Second 10-Day Deal
SATURDAY, 11:12am: The signing is official, the Pelicans have announced via a press release.
8:58pm: Karnes has confirmed the deal via his Twitter account.
THURSDAY, 8:52pm: The Pelicans are expected to sign guard Nate Wolters to a second 10-day contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The first is set to expire at the end of Friday. New Orleans will have to decide whether to keep the 23-year-old for the rest of the season at the end of his next 10 days with the team, since clubs can only sign any one player to two 10-day contracts in a single season.
Wolters has seen fewer minutes per game for the Pelicans than he did with the Bucks before they released him to sign Kenyon Martin instead, but that figures to change with New Orleans starting point guard Jrue Holiday sidelined for two to four weeks. The Pelicans have given Wolters 10.5 MPG, but the Jared Karnes client started 31 games as a rookie last season for Milwaukee.
A need at the point guard position has cropped up for the Bucks since they let Wolters go, as Kendall Marshall tore his ACL last week, knocking him out for the season. Still, Milwaukee apparently intends to keep Martin around as its 15th man, as the Bucks have reportedly agreed to a deal for the rest of the season with him, even though his second 10-day contract just began on Monday. Wolters has been occupying the 14th spot on the New Orleans roster, so the Pelicans remain flexible.
Central Notes: Butler, Bucks, Irving
The Pistons are just a game out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and if they continue their surge, four Central Division teams will be in line to make the postseason. The Central was supposed to boast the class of the East in the Bulls and the Cavs, but as they languish in the middle of the playoff pack, here’s the latest from around the division:
- The Bulls will match any offer sheet that Jimmy Butler would sign this summer, as executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson said in appearance Thursday on ESPN Chicago radio’s Waddle and Silvy program, notes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link). That’s no surprise, since the Bulls reportedly plan to make Butler a maximum-salary offer of their own that they hope will forestall the restricted free agent from negotiating with any other team. Paxson also confirmed that the Bulls are interested in Ray Allen and have been in contact with his agent, Jim Tanner, notes Bear Heiser of Fox Sports West (on Twitter).
- Commissioner Adam Silver made it clear to Seattle mayor Ed Murray that the NBA envisions the Bucks staying put, dispelling Murray’s notion that the Bucks were a candidate to move if the team failed to make progress on a new arena in Milwaukee, as Murray tells Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. The Bucks have until fall 2017 to have an arena in place, and if they don’t, the NBA has the option to take control of the team from its new owners. Seattle investor Chris Hansen is facing a November 2017 deadline to secure an NBA team for the city, lest a promise of civic funding expire.
- Kyrie Irving finished fourth in fan voting for the two Eastern Conference starting backcourt spots in the All-Star Game, so he missed out on his best chance to trigger the Derrick Rose rule and up the salaries on the five-year extension that kicks in for him next season. That rule allows players who sign rookie scale extensions to make a starting salary worth approximately 30%, instead of just 25%, of the salary cap. Irving agreed to take only 27.5% if he were to qualify, which can now happen only in the unlikely event he wins MVP this season.
Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Kidd, Robinson
The Nets weren’t as close to trading Brook Lopez to the Thunder as they seemed, a league source tells Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher, adding that Brooklyn simply didn’t want Lance Stephenson, who would have come from Charlotte in a three-way proposal, or Kendrick Perkins. Still, a Lopez trade remains a possibility, Bucher writes, and the Nuggets are expected to make another run at him, according to Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post, just as they did when they reportedly spoke about a package with JaVale McGee as the centerpiece. There’s more on the Nets amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:
- “High ranking sources” in the Nets organization dispute to Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News that Mikhail Prokhorov wants to sell his majority interest in the club, but those same sources tell Abramson that it’s not out of the question that Prokhorov will give up the team.
- The management for Jason Kidd‘s ownership stake in the Nets has asked the NBA for more time to find a buyer, reports Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com. Kidd owns one-sixth of 1% of the Nets, Soshnick notes, but he’s required to divest himself of that share, worth $2.5MM based on the Forbes valuation of the franchise, since he’s now coaching the Bucks instead.
- Nate Robinson gave up $689K of this season’s salary of nearly $2.107MM in his buyout agreement with the Celtics, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- The Knicks and Sixers both have dreadful records this season, but only in Philadelphia’s case is that according to any sort of plan, as Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines.
Eastern Notes: Alexander, Seraphin, Harris
Joe Alexander has been labeled as a bust after lasting just two seasons in the league following his selection by the Bucks with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, something that doesn’t sit too well with the player, David Pick of Basketball Insiders writes. “I don’t think there is a hard definition of what a ‘draft bust’ is,” Alexander told Pick. “Ultimately not being in the NBA is on me, but as far as ‘who is a bust?’ you have to look at Milwaukee and the management that drafted me. If you want to label anyone with the term ‘bust’ — it’s the Bucks. When Milwaukee drafted me, I was touted as a ‘project’ and someone with a lot of potential who could contribute had I learned to play the game. That’s what the Bucks told me. I needed time. I didn’t start playing basketball until I was 16 years old, but I was the most athletic guy in the entire draft. The Bucks knew that. Everyone understood this. I could’ve been drafted by any other team in the league and they would’ve given me time to develop.”
While injuries definitely affected Alexander’s NBA career, he firmly believes that he was also the victim of a dysfunctional regime in Milwaukee, Pick adds. “I had a normal, mediocre NBA rookie season,” Alexander said. “If you look at my per-36 numbers, I was on par with every player in the draft except for Derrick Rose. There are players in the league who a few years ago played spotty minutes and made mistakes, but were able to learn from them. That’s an opportunity I wasn’t given in Milwaukee.”
Here’s more from the East:
- Kevin Seraphin is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the big man would like to re-sign with the Wizards, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders writes. “I’ve been here for five years,” Seraphin said. “For sure. For sure I’d like to be here long term, a very long time. Especially now that our team is good. Why wouldn’t I want to be here?”
- Sixers coach Brett Brown hasn’t completely ruled out injured rookie Joel Embiid playing this season, Tom Moore of Calkins Media tweets. But Brown did add that there would be no chance of Embiid returning to the court prior to the All-Star break, Moore adds.
- The Cavaliers have recalled Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This was Harris’ first trip of the year to Canton.
Lowe’s Latest: Aldridge, Spurs, Sanders
Grantland’s Zach Lowe spoke with a half-dozen executives from four different teams who brought up the possibility that LaMarcus Aldridge would sign with the Spurs this summer. It’s still unlikely that the All-Star power forward winds up with San Antonio, Lowe asserts, noting that Aldridge pledged this past summer to re-sign with the Blazers when he hits free agency after this season. The Spurs declined to give Kawhi Leonard a max extension this past fall, reportedly in part to preserve flexibility to sign a max-level free agent this summer in case Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili retire. The Blazers have nonetheless always been leery of teams from Aldridge’s native Texas above all other potential suitors for the 29-year-old who hits free agency this coming summer, according to Lowe. A November report indicated that the Mavs planned a run at him, though that was before Dallas acquired Rajon Rondo, and the Mavs would have to renounce their rights to some desirable free agents to chase Aldridge, as Lowe points out.
The Grantland scribe has more tidbits picked up from this past weekend’s D-League showcase in his must-read column, and we’ll focus on the news related to player movement here:
- Larry Sanders will likely miss many more than 10 games on his latest drug-related suspension, according to Lowe, who hears from league sources who expect the Bucks and Sanders to eventually strike up buyout talks. Sanders is in the first year of a four-year, $44MM extension.
- The Celtics have been calling teams in the past week and letting them know that they’re willing to take on cap-eating contracts, Lowe writes. Boston is over the cap but about $11.8MM shy of the luxury tax line this season, and the Celtics have only about $33.5MM in commitments for next season.
- There’s “major skepticism” that the Suns will be able to acquire a first-round draft pick in exchange for Miles Plumlee, Lowe hears. That’s certainly no surprise, though Phoenix is looking for a first-rounder as they shop the big man, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported Sunday.
- Executives from teams around the NBA have tried to sell league brass on an earlier trade deadline, Lowe reports, suggesting that the teams are aiming to move the deadline up by at least a week or two. This year’s deadline is February 19th.
Bucks Ink Kenyon Martin To Second 10-Day Deal
The Bucks have signed Kenyon Martin to his second 10-day contract with the team, Milwaukee announced. The move is no surprise, since the Bucks are reportedly likely to keep the former No. 1 overall pick for the rest of the season. They can’t sign him to any more 10-day contracts once this one expires, so Milwaukee would have to ink him for the rest of the season if the team wants to extend his stay.
Martin appeared in three games for a total of 15 minutes during his first 10-day contract with the Bucks, which expired Sunday night. The Bucks had been dealing with multiple injuries in their frontcourt when they first began to go after the 37-year-old, and they waived guard Nate Wolters to open a roster spot for him. Power forward Ersan Ilyasova returned to the lineup for the same game in which point guard Kendall Marshall tore his ACL last week, but it appears the Bucks are content to keep Martin around rather than bolster their backcourt.
Milwaukee’s roster is once more at 15 players with the readdition of Martin, who’s a former teammate of coach Jason Kidd. The Bucks are about $7.2MM under the cap.
Kendall Marshall Will Miss Rest Of Season
The Bucks’ Kendall Marshall will miss the remainder of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the team announced Saturday in a press release. The backup point guard injured the ACL in his right knee during Thursday’s game in London.
The injury was confirmed through an MRI conducted Saturday by team orthopaedic physician Dr. Michael Gordon. Marshall will undergo surgery on the knee, but the date has not been determined.
Milwaukee’s options for replacing Marshall are limited. January 15th was the deadline for applying for a disabled player exception, but because the Bucks are below the salary cap, they wouldn’t have been eligible for the DPE anyway.
The timing of the injury is unfortunate for Marshall, who will be entering free agency this summer after his minimum-salary contract expires at the end of the season. He was averaging 4.2 points and 3.1 assists in 28 games this season. He was shooting a career best .455 from the field and a career-best .889 from the free-throw line.
NBA Hits Larry Sanders With Drug Suspension
The NBA has suspended Larry Sanders without pay for a minimum of 10 games for a violation of its anti-drug policy, the league announced. The suspension will continue until he fully complies with his treatment program, the league said in its statement. It’s the second drug-related suspension for the Bucks center, whom the league suspended for five games late last season, a punishment which Sanders admitted was for marijuana use. The NBA doesn’t suspend players for their first two marijuana violations, but the league’s drug policy stipulates a five-game ban after the third and 10 after No. 4.
Players lose 1/110th of their salary for every game they’re suspended, so assuming Sanders sits out only the 10 games, he’ll lose $1MM of his $11MM salary. The 26-year-old is in the first year of a four-year, $44MM extension. Sanders has already been away from the team since December 23rd because of personal reasons, though he denied a report that he’s thinking of retiring.
There were trade rumors surrounding Sanders last year as he slumped after the breakout campaign in 2012/13 that led the Bucks to sign him to his extension. It appeared some teams had serious interest in acquiring the defensive ace around draft time, but talk has cooled as Sanders has failed to return to form. He was averaging just 21.7 minutes for Milwaukee before his absence.
And-Ones: Draft, Martin, Jazz, Nets, Europe
Jahlil Okafor‘s Duke team is faltering, but the center’s grip on the top spot in the 2015 draft isn’t any looser, as he tops the latest Big Board from Chris Mannix of SI.com and the updated top 100 prospect list from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Ohio State combo guard D’Angelo Russell is up to No. 4 on Givony’s list, while Mannix has him at No. 8, still a leap from his No. 11 position in Mannix’s last rankings. Russell’s also in the top 10 in the latest Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Power Rankings. Here’s more from around the NBA:
- Kenyon Martin went unsigned this season before he joined the Bucks on a 10-day contract last week, but he admits that his recovery from ankle surgery wouldn’t have allowed him to be ready for training camp this past fall, Newsday’s Al Iannazzone tweets.
- Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic still has aspirations of making the NBA, as he tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links). FC Barcelona Regal, his Spanish team, holds a team option for next season and “anything is possible,” Tomic said. The 27-year-old center was the 44th overall pick in the 2008 draft.
- Possible bidders for the Nets include former Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, investor David Bonderman and hedge fund manager David Einhorn, as Josh Kosman and Tim Bontemps of the New York Post hear, though it’s unclear if any of them are indeed poised to bid. Entertainment mogul David Geffen has been interested in the team in the past, an insider told Robert Windrem of Nets Daily.
- Commissioner Adam Silver envisions four teams in Europe some day, but he admits the league has a long way to go to get there, notes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, who adds that the NBA seems to keep pushing the idea farther into the future.
- Magic coach Jacque Vaughn‘s job security appears to be in doubt, but Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes GM Rob Hennigan should be feeling the heat, too.
- Quincy Miller, whom the Clippers nearly signed a 10-day contract, Spurs camp cut JaMychal Green and one-year NBA veteran Seth Curry are among the potential NBA signees to watch at the D-League showcase, which begins today. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports look at those three and others who’ll be angling for NBA jobs.
Knicks Notes: Antetokounmpo, Calderon, Martin
Bucks swingman Giannis Antetokounmpo believes strongly that the Knicks should call up his older brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, from the D-League, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “He’s ready,’’ the younger Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t think the Knicks have to lose anything. They lose 15 [straight] now. Tomorrow is going to be 16. They don’t have anything to lose. My brother could bring energy to the team and [is] hard-working, and guys from the team can see that and take something from him.’’ With three players currently on their roster with 10-day contracts, the Knicks will have an available slot shortly, Berman notes.
Here’s more out of New York:
- Kenyon Martin, who is currently with the Bucks on a 10-day deal, was asked why the Knicks didn’t show any interest in his services this season, Berman writes in a separate piece. Martin’s response was, “You got to ask them that, boss. You know that. They made that decision. It is what it is. I moved on. I went and got my surgery and did most of [the rehab] on my own. I don’t hold no grudges. I thought it would’ve been a little different. It is what it is. I’m not bitter.’’ Milwaukee is reportedly considering signing Martin for the remainder of the season.
- Point guard Jose Calderon understands that he could be traded by the Knicks prior to February’s deadline, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. “It can happen,” Calderon said. “Why are you going to be surprised? They’re changing stuff. I don’t know what’s really on their minds right now. I have no idea what’s going to happen. It’s the NBA. It’s a business. They have a plan. They really want that cap space. That’s why they made some of the moves. It can happen again.” The Knicks appear to be shopping Calderon along with Andrea Bargnani.
- Calderon isn’t focusing on his trade status, Iannazzone adds, but rather on trying to help turn around a nightmarish Knicks season. Calderon said that until something changes he will consider himself part of New York’s future, the Newsday scribe notes. “I came here thinking I was part of it [the Knicks’ rebuilding plan],” Calderon said. “I’m still thinking about it. It’s nothing different yet. So I’m still part of it.“