Pelicans Sign Nate Wolters To 10-Day Contract
WEDNESDAY, 9:20am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.
TUESDAY, 7:25pm: Wolters has agreed to a 10-day contract with the Pelicans and is on his way to join the team in Detroit, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link).
5:58pm: The Pelicans are targeting free agent Nate Wolters for a 10-day contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Wolters cleared waivers today after being waived by the Bucks earlier this week. The point guard was released by Milwaukee to clear a roster slot for Kenyon Martin, who was inked to a 10-day pact of his own.
New Orleans currently has two open roster spots, so no corresponding move will need to be made to add Wolters to the team. The Pelicans had also been considering signing Mike James or Gal Mekel prior to Wolters becoming available, Stein adds in a separate tweet.
The 23-year-old Wolters appeared in 11 contests for the Bucks this season, averaging 2.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. His shooting numbers were .433/.269/.638.
Eastern Notes: McRae, Stoudemire, Kidd
There’s a possibility that 2014 second-rounder Jordan McRae could join the Sixers prior to the end of the season, Tom Moore of Calkins Media writes. McRae, whose rights the Sixers acquired from the Spurs on draft night, has been averaging 20.9 points in 18 games for Melbourne United of the Australian league this season. Philadelphia coach Brett Brown has kept a watchful eye on McRae’s progress overseas, Moore notes. “We are always paying attention to Jordan,” Brown said. “He’s in a good situation. He’s playing a lot of minutes and continuing to score. Jordan is always in the back of our minds.”
With the Sixers having an open roster spot thanks to Andrei Kirilenko being placed on the suspended list, Brown was asked about the possibility of McRae filling that slot, Moore adds. “It’s a fair question,” Brown said. “How we decide to handle Jordan will be determined — just not now. We have talked a lot about it.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Kevin Love‘s comment that he intends to opt in and remain with the Cavaliers for the 2015/16 campaign leaves the team with one less distraction this season, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders writes.
- The Knicks are reportedly not looking to deal Amar’e Stoudemire, but the team has had internal discussions about the possibility of reaching a buyout agreement with him so that Stoudemire could try and catch on with a contender, Mark Woods of ESPNNewYork.com reports.
- Jason Kidd has found a fit as the coach of the Bucks that he didn’t during his time with the Nets, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. Last year’s Brooklyn squad didn’t need a teacher in the way that Milwaukee does, and it’s a role that Kidd is more suited to, Zillgitt opines.
- Cavs coach David Blatt‘s level of comfort in Cleveland would benefit greatly from a stout endorsement from LeBron James, something that hasn’t happened yet, Sam Amick of USA Today writes.
- One of the Knicks‘ biggest issues as a franchise is their poor player development history, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal writes. “The Knicks have always had the money to spend. But because they saw that as their advantage, it might have also become a reason to put off being patient with a rebuild,” John Nash, a former NBA GM, told Herring. “They may have felt they didn’t have the time to truly develop young players.” New York’s problem isn’t poor drafting, as the franchise has actually had three first-team All-Rookie selections the past four seasons, Herring notes. But those players have all regressed offensively in their second seasons, which is an alarming trend, the Wall Street Journal scribe adds.
Central Notes: Haywood, Martin, Bulls
There are a number of executives around the league who believe that the Cavaliers aren’t finished reworking their roster, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Cleveland is most likely going to try and trade center Brendan Haywood, whose $10.5MM contract for the 2015/16 season is non-guaranteed, Kennedy notes.
Here’s more out of the Central Division:
- Cleveland’s salary cap outlook has changed markedly with all of its recent additions, and Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders took an in-depth look at how the Cavs‘ finances and cap space were altered by these deals. Duncan also notes that Haywood’s contract could be used as a trade piece, but adds that Cleveland would likely have to add another asset as a sweetener in any deal, something its previous deals have left in short supply.
- Bucks coach Jason Kidd doesn’t think it will take long for Kenyon Martin, who was recently inked to a 10-day contract, to acclimate to his new team, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. “Just in shootaround, you could see the difference in his voice, helping guys out,” Kidd said. “We want to put him in a good position so if the game presents itself where he can get a couple minutes, yes. He’s not shy, so that helps for these young guys understanding what it takes to win.”
- The Bucks would like to keep Martin for the remainder of the season, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times reports (Twitter link). Teams can ink players to a maximum of two 10-day contracts per season before they either have to release them or sign them to a guaranteed contract that covers the rest of the season.
- One issue that the Bulls still need to address is finding a reliable backup for swingman Jimmy Butler, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes.
- The Pistons‘ sudden winning ways have altered the team’s immediate plans to give rookie Spencer Dinwiddie more NBA playing time, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “They’re playing really well,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “We’ve had to change our approach from early in the year. That was a change in approach at 5 and 23. So right now, that whole thing with Spencer has to be on hold right because of how well we’re playing. You’re always adjusting within a game and within a season. This has been sort of a crazy first half of the season, in terms of you lose 13 in a row, then you win seven in a row. It’s sort of hard to wrap your head around, quite honestly.“
Bucks Notes: Parker, Wolters, Henson, Sanders
Jabari Parker has said in the past that he wants to remain with the Bucks for his entire career, and he tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that market size simply isn’t a consideration.
“LeBron [James] went back to Cleveland, Kevin Durant is in OKC,” Parker said. “There’s no such thing as a small market. If you win, they come see your games. It’s about winning. If you lose and you’re in a big city, they are not going to come to your games, so it doesn’t matter.”
Indeed, big-city draws aren’t what they used to be, as Deveney examines. Parker couldn’t elect unrestricted free agency until July 2019, but Milwaukee will certainly welcome the promise of a franchise cornerstone for more than just a handful of years to come. Here’s more on the Bucks:
- The Timberwolves are surely high on Nate Wolters, whom the Bucks waived today, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who nonetheless doesn’t get the sense that Minnesota will pursue him, since that would require opening up a roster spot.
- The Bucks were “in position” on Christmas Day to listen to offers for John Henson, but in the two weeks since, he’s done much to demonstrate his value to the Bucks as a long-term piece, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. GM John Hammond insists the team is committed to the big man and always has been. “We’ve never had any interest in trading John Henson,” Hammond tells Lowe. “He’s the kind of player you want in your organization for a long time.”
- The Bucks aren’t entirely certain of their options regarding Larry Sanders and his salary as the center continues to sit out games, but the team isn’t particularly concerned about that at this point, league sources tell Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. The Bucks instead appear willing to give Sanders, in year one of a four-year, $44MM extension, time to sort through his issues and tend to his mental health, Aschburner writes.
Bucks Sign Kenyon Martin To 10-Day Deal
FRIDAY, 9:57am: The deal is official, the Bucks announced.
“Kenyon provides some needed depth to our front court and brings an additional veteran presence to help develop our young team,” Bucks GM John Hammond said in the team’s statement. “He has always been known for his tough-minded, physical approach to the game and we’re excited to welcome him to the Milwaukee Bucks.”
THURSDAY, 8:02am: The Bucks will sign Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract this week, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Milwaukee has 15 players already, so a corresponding move will be necessary. Still, the news is no surprise, since coach Jason Kidd and his staff put Martin through a workout last week. Kidd and Martin were teammates on the Nets in the early 2000s.
Martin also drew attention from the Cavaliers, who have an open roster spot after their pair of trades this week. Still, it appears the Bucks won over the Andy Miller client, who also met with the Grizzlies and the Rockets earlier this season. There were conflicting reports about whether those visits with Memphis and Houston were for playing or coaching positions, but there was no doubt that Milwaukee’s interest was in Martin as a player. The Bucks are still missing Larry Sanders, even though he’s denied retirement rumors, while Ersan Ilyasova is out with a concussion and Jabari Parker is done for the year with a torn ACL. Small forward Damien Inglis is missing the entire season.
Inglis appears like a possible candidate to be let go to accommodate Martin, though Inglis’ salary is guaranteed for next year, too. Nate Wolters has the least amount of guaranteed salary on the books of any member of the Bucks, and the guard has seen action in only 11 games this year after a strong rookie season in 2013/14. Still, it’s unclear whom the Bucks are thinking of offloading.
The 37-year-old Martin, a former No. 1 overall pick, is no stranger to 10-day contracts, having signed two with the Knicks in 2013. New York followed with a contract for the rest of the 2012/13 season and kept him for 2013/14, too.
Bucks Waive Nate Wolters
9:56am: Team has officially waived Wolters, the Bucks announced.
“We appreciate everything Nate gave to the Bucks both on and off the court,” Hammond said. “We know we will see him again in the NBA and wish him well in the future.”
9:21am: The Bucks have waived Wolters, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), though the team has yet to make an announcement. A source has told Kennedy the same (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 8:58am: Milwaukee is signing Martin and waiving Wolters this morning, tweets Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Bucks had trade talks with several teams Thursday but couldn’t strike a deal, Gardner writes in a full story. Jared Karnes, the agent for Wolters, hadn’t received confirmation that the guard would be waived but said that it wouldn’t surprise him if that indeed took place, as Karnes told Gardner on Thursday night.
THURSDAY, 7:12pm: The Bucks haven’t waived Wolters yet, and are trying to find a trade partner for him before taking that route, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). There’s a belief that Wolters won’t clear waivers if cut, which is why teams may want to trade for him now to ensure that they get him, Kennedy adds.
10:34am: The Bucks are expected to waive Nate Wolters to accommodate their 10-day deal with Kenyon Martin, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link). Milwaukee can’t sign Martin unless it offloads one of the 15 players it has on the roster, and it appears Wolters is the one to go, as I speculated, since his contract contains the least amount of guaranteed money among anyone on the Bucks. He’s making the one-year veteran’s minimum salary this year, but next year’s minimum salary is non-guaranteed.
Wolters has seen action in just 11 games so far this season, though he did receive only his second stint of 20 or more minutes since the season began in Wednesday’s blowout win over the Sixers. The 6’4″ combo guard played a much more prominent role last year, starting 31 games and averaging 7.2 points, 3.2 assists and 1.0 turnover in 22.6 minutes per game.
The now 23-year-old Wolters was the 38th overall pick in 2013, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team claim his deal off waivers, though that’s just my speculation. He’s on a contract that covers three seasons, so teams would need more than the minimum-salary exception to submit a claim.
Milwaukee is about $7.3MM shy of the salary cap, so if the Bucks are stuck with Wolters’ salary, which would happen if he clears waivers, they’ll still be left with plenty of flexibility. Their team salary as it stands is about $1MM shy of the minimum team salary, but because Milwaukee is still paying money to Drew Gooden, whom the team waived using the amnesty clause in 2013, the Bucks don’t have to make up that gap.
Eastern Notes: Sanders, Dawkins, Waiters
Larry Sanders wouldn’t delve into specifics about his absence, but he denied Tuesday that he’s thinking about retirement, as he told reporters, including Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com. The Bucks center hasn’t played since December 23rd, but he sat on the bench with the team for Tuesday’s game, a first since he took his leave, and he said he’s ready to start working toward a return to the court. “I haven’t said anything like that,” Sanders said of the notion he would retire. “I figure with the absence, something was going to come out like that. It’s not true. What is true is I’m in the process of trying to do what’s best for my psyche and my physical health.”
Here’s more out of the East:
- The Heat waived guard Andre Dawkins so that the team could retain some measure of roster flexibility heading forward, Surya Fernandez of FOX Sports Florida writes. “We liked ‘Doc’ and the development he was making,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Right now it makes more sense for us to have some flexibility.” When asked if any players were being looked at to fill Dawkins’ roster spot on a 10-day contract, Spoelstra said, “It could be filled at any time, that’s the whole point, but nothing is imminent.”
- In the moments after he was informed that he had been dealt to the Thunder, Dion Waiters said he felt “bitter” toward the Cavs, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. But once he settled down and thought about his destination he felt much better about his situation, Slater adds. “I’m just happy they sent me here to another great organization where I get the chance to play with another great player,” Waiters said. “I feel I’m in a win-win situation. So I take it as a positive thing. I get a chance to grow and learn from these guys.”
- Waiters was also asked about the Cavs‘ disappointing start to the season, Slater notes. Waiters responded by saying, “Uhh, we never really played together. Of course I’d played with Kyrie [Irving], but I’d never played with Kevin [Love] or LeBron [James] or those type of guys who dominated on their opposing teams. So for them to come to Cleveland, we all had to change our game for the better of the team. Like, for instance, my scoring went down. Ky, he’s used to having the ball, but with LeBron, he’s a guy that needs the ball to facilitate and make plays. It was a chemistry thing that we was still building. Like they said, Rome wasn’t built in one day. We had to continue to figure it out day by day.“
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Waiters, Lakers, Lopez, Thunder
The Thunder landed Dion Waiters earlier tonight, but the Lakers previously made a run at him, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets. However, the Cavs weren’t just looking for a straight salary dump and Shumpert is more valuable than Robert Sacre, who the Lakers would have included. Here’s more from around the Association..
- The Nets and Thunder recently discussed a deal that would have involved Brook Lopez, Kendrick Perkins (and his expiring contract), Perry Jones, and Lance Thomas, but the Nets decided to stand pat as they liked what they were seeing, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com.
- The Rajon Rondo deal is looking pretty good for the Mavericks so far, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Center Tyson Chandler and coach Rick Carlisle are among those over the moon with what Rondo has done in Dallas. The Mavs have won six of their last eight games, including their last five.
- Sometimes, the best move is standing pat. The Warriors held on to budding star Klay Thompson rather than using him to get Kevin Love and that looks like a smart decision right now, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press writes. Many were surprised at the Warriors’ decision, but it’s one that had the full support of coach Steve Kerr.”For me as a new coach, what I saw was maybe the best backcourt in the NBA and a chance to keep the group together,” Kerr said. “And that’s pretty powerful, especially when you know you’re already pretty good.”
- Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders won’t rush to judge Bucks center Larry Sanders. While speculation flies about his situation, Koutroupis notes that Sanders has worked hard at his craft and has even independently trained in the offseason to work on some lagging aspects of his game. Earlier tonight, agent Happy Walters denied the report indicating that his client wants to walk away from basketball, so it will be very interesting to hear from Sanders himself.
Larry Sanders Contemplating Retirement?
7:24pm: Kidd told WTMJ’s Sports Central that he expects Sanders will return soon, possibly Tuesday, Gardner tweets.
6:27pm: Agent Happy Walters told HoopsHype that his client is not looking to retire. “I saw that tweet. It is not accurate at all. Rumor unsubstantiated,” Walters said.
4:15pm: Sanders disputes the notion that he told the Bucks that he no longer wanted to play basketball, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). According to Kyler, Sanders has been out with the flu and dealing with some personal issues, and is planning to rejoin the team sometime this week.
3:13pm: Bucks center Larry Sanders has recently told team officials that he no longer wants to play basketball, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times reports (Twitter links). Sanders’ potential lack of passion for the game has been building for some time, as some friends of Sanders told Woelfel last summer that they were concerned that Sanders wasn’t committed to basketball and wanted to explore other options. The 26-year-old big man is currently in the first year of a four-year, $44MM extension.
Sanders was previously reported to have left the team due to personal reasons, and was said to be out indefinitely by coach Jason Kidd. At the time Kidd was quoted as saying, “That’s a good question so you don’t have to ask me tomorrow or Sunday or Monday, so there’s no timetable. Being sick, away from the team, guys go on as you see. Charlotte, we played without him. The other night we played without him [in Cleveland]. It’s nothing new to this ball club. Injuries happen. The train keeps moving forward. It’s just personal. There’s nothing I can give you more. That’s the way the question will be answered.”
The Bucks were reportedly interested in dealing Sanders last season, and the talk began mere months after the team signed him to the extension. This was due in part to Sanders missing extended time during the 2013/14 campaign courtesy of a broken hand that was suffered during a brawl at a nightclub. According to Woelfel (Twitter link), Milwaukee had offered Sanders and Brandon Knight to the Pacers this summer for Roy Hibbert. With Sanders’ alleged lack of desire to play any longer, finding a taker for his contract at this point would likely be a near impossibility.
If Sanders’ issue is primarily with playing for the Bucks, rather than wanting to simply walk away from the game permanently, then Milwaukee would potentially be able to threaten him with a suspension on the grounds of intentional refusal to render the services required under his contract. The team could withhold his pay, which would likely bring the NBPA into the fray. But if Sanders is simply determined not to play any longer, then he could attempt to negotiate a buyout in which he would forfeit all, or most of his salary.
Sanders has made 27 appearances for the Bucks this season, averaging 7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game. His career numbers are 6.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.8 BPG. His career slash line is .480/.000/.550.
Central Notes: Cavs, Parker, Inglis
The Cavs are more than willing to be active in the trade market, but that doesn’t mean other teams will willingly come to their aid, and timing for both sides will be a factor in making any deals, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes. “We’re very actively working the phones and doing everything we can to improve the team,” GM David Griffin said. “At the same time, unfortunately our timing doesn’t always match the timing of everybody else. Until the trade deadline, people typically don’t have a lot of reason to do anything in a specific time. So we’re doing what we can and certainly working every angle we can.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Griffin also added that teams, including his own, tend to overvalue their assets when attempting to make trades, Kyler notes. “At times like these, everybody is hoping their assets are worth more than they really are,” Griffin said. “I’m probably no different. I’m hoping that our DP [Disabled Player Exception] and TP [Traded Player Exception] are attractive but we won’t really know until we get to the point where somebody is willing to act.”
- Bucks rookie Jabari Parker is set to undergo surgery today to repair his torn left ACL, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Parker injured his knee in December and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Parker said he will benefit from the rest after playing non-stop through high school and his freshman year at Duke, Gardner adds. “This will give me time to work on myself because I haven’t really had a chance,” Parker said. “AAU basketball took a lot out of my schedule. Even in college and high school, I took two years to really prepare for the NBA. I didn’t take any time off. I can take this time and really work on it. Even if I miss 20 games [next season], I’ll still get a good ratio out of the rest of the games. So there’s no rush.“
- Also going under the knife today for the Bucks will be Damien Inglis, Gardner notes. Inglis will have surgery on his right ankle , which he injured during a pre-draft workout in Oklahoma City. Inglis, a second round selection in this year’s draft, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game yet, and is also expected to miss the remainder of the 2014/15 season.