Pacific Notes: McLemore, Martin, Barnes
There is interest around the league in shooting guard Ben McLemore and with teams aware that he is available, the Kings have been fielding trade inquiries in advance of Thursday’s NBA draft, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. The 23-year-old saw his playing time diminish this past season under former coach George Karl, with McLemore only averaging 21.2 minutes per outing, down from the 32.6 he notched in 2014/15. If Sacramento does find a taker for McLemore, it would make him the second former lottery pick the team has shipped out in as many years, with the Kings sending 2014 first-rounder Nik Stauskas to the Sixers prior to the start of the 2015/16 campaign.
Here’s the latest from the Pacific Division:
- Fresh off of their crushing defeat at the hands of the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, pending free agents Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli say they haven’t begun to contemplate their offseason strategy, nor have they thought about where they might be playing next season, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle relays. If Golden State extends the players qualifying offers, with Barnes’ being worth $5,194,227 and $3,013,123 for Ezeli, the duo would become restricted free agents and the Warriors would have the opportunity to match any offer they were to receive.
- The Kings are closing in on an agreement with Darrick Martin that would make him the new coach of the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical relays (via Twitter).
- While the Clippers are expected to look to fill their most glaring roster needs via free agency, coach/executive Doc Rivers has two draft picks to work with for the first time in his tenure with the team and will look to add bench depth with them, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times writes.
Central Notes: Noah, Walters, Draft
Bulls center and unrestricted free agent Joakim Noah is looking forward to the free agent process and being recruited by interested suitors, as he told Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. When asked how involved he is in the free agent process, Noah said, “I’m very focused on free agency. I spent the last 10 years in Chicago, there were good moments and bad moments but now I have an incredible opportunity for a player, being recruited by a team, I definitely want to live that kind of experience. It’s new for me but it’s something very intriguing for a player. I’ll consider every offer on the table, no doubt.”
The big man was also asked if the culture of the team changed under Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg this season, with Noah telling Cauchi, “I don’t think so. I mean, Hoiberg is a good coach, the locker room is something that the players need to make work. It’s on us, not on the coach.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers have their sixth pre-draft workout scheduled for Wednesday, the team announced. Attendees will include Kellen Dunham (Butler), Jordan Loyd (Indianapolis), Taurean Prince (Baylor), Alex Poythress (Kentucky), Diamond Stone (Maryland), and Goodluck Okonoboh (UNLV), according to the release.
- The Pistons are expected to name Rex Walters as head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest relays. Walters previously served as the head coach at the University of San Francisco from 2008-16, compiling a record of 126-125 during his tenure. Otis Smith, the current coach of the Drive, is expected to be promoted to a front office position with the Pistons, Johnson tweets.
- The Bucks held a group workout this morning for Max Landis (IPFW), Carrington Love (UWGB), Tyrone Wallace (California), Kyle Collinsworth (BYU), Derrick Jones (UNLV) and Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), the team announced. Milwaukee also held an individual workout this afternoon for Marquette big man Henry Ellenson, the team relayed in the same announcement.
2015/16 D-League Usage Reports
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors recapped the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign. Listed below are all the reports sorted by conference and division:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
- Boston Celtics
- Brooklyn Nets*
- New York Knicks
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Toronto Raptors
Central Division
Southeast Division
- Atlanta Hawks
- Charlotte Hornets
- Miami Heat
- Orlando Magic
- Washington Wizards*
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
- Denver Nuggets*
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Utah Jazz
Pacific Division
Southwest Division
- Dallas Mavericks
- Houston Rockets
- Memphis Grizzlies
- New Orleans Pelicans*
- San Antonio Spurs
Note: Teams marked with an asterisk did not make any assignments to the D-League this season.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Jazz
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors have been recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll finish up with the Utah Jazz, whose D-League affiliate is the Idaho Stampede:
The Jazz made five assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending one player to the D-League for a total of 79 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Utah for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 30th: Assigned Tibor Pleiss (1st) — Recalled December 16th
- January 28th: Assigned Tibor Pleiss (2nd) — Recalled February 3rd
- February 4th: Assigned Tibor Pleiss (3rd) — Recalled February 7th
- February 18th: Assigned Tibor Pleiss (4th) — Recalled January 22nd
- February 24th: Assigned Tibor Pleiss (5th) — Recalled April 3rd
Here’s how Utah’s player(s) performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Tibor Pleiss: In 28 appearances Pleiss averaged 12.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 31.5 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .583/.316/.877.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Raptors
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Toronto Raptors, whose D-League affiliate is the Raptors 905:
The Raptors made a whopping 47 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending five players to the D-League for a total of 155 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Toronto for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 13th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (1st) — Recalled November 21st
- November 13th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (1st) — Recalled November 29th
- November 24th: Assigned Delon Wright (1st) — Recalled November 27th
- November 27th: Assigned Delon Wright (2nd) — Recalled November 29th
- December 4th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (2nd) — Recalled December 5th
- December 4th: Assigned Delon Wright (3rd) — Recalled December 5th
- December 7th Assigned Bruno Caboclo (3rd) — Recalled December 7th
- December 7th Assigned Delon Wright (4th) — Recalled December 5th
- December 12th: Assigned Delon Wright (5th) — Recalled December 20th
- December 12th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (4th) — Recalled December 20th
- December 19th: Assigned Norman Powell (1st) — Recalled December 20th
- December 20th: Assigned Anthony Bennett (1st) — Recalled December 20th
- December 21st: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (5th) — Recalled December 23rd
- December 21st: Assigned Norman Powell (2nd) — Recalled December 23rd
- December 29th: Assigned Norman Powell (3rd) — Recalled January 1st
- December 30th: Assigned Anthony Bennett (2nd) — Recalled January 1st
- December 30th: Assigned Delon Wright (5th) — Recalled January 1st
- January 16th: Assigned Anthony Bennett (3rd) — Recalled January 19th
- January 16th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (6th) — Recalled January 19th
- January 16th: Assigned Delon Wright (6th) — Recalled January 19th
- January 22nd: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (7th) — Recalled January 26th
- January 22nd: Assigned Norman Powell (4th) — Recalled January 26th
- January 22nd: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (2nd) — Recalled January 26th
- January 26th: Assigned Delon Wright (7th) — Recalled January 27th
- January 26th: Assigned Norman Powell (5th) — Recalled January 27th
- January 26th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (3rd) — Recalled January 27th
- January 27th: Assigned Anthony Bennett (4th) — Recalled January 30th
- January 27th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (8th) — Recalled January 30th
- February 2nd: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (9th) — Recalled February 7th
- February 21st: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (10th) — Recalled February 28th
- February 29th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (11th) — Recalled March 2nd
- March 3rd: Assigned Norman Powell (6th) — Recalled March 4th
- March 3rd: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (4th) — Recalled March 4th
- March 3rd: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (12th) — Recalled March 4th
- March 5th: Assigned Delon Wright (8th) — Recalled March 6th
- March 5th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (13th) — Recalled March 6th
- March 5th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (5th) — Recalled March 6th
- March 10th: Assigned Delon Wright (9th) — Recalled March 10th
- March 10th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (14th) — Recalled March 10th
- March 10th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (6th) — Recalled March 10th
- March 11th: Assigned Delon Wright (10th) — Recalled March 12th
- March 11th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (15th) — Recalled March 13th
- March 11th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (7th) — Recalled March 12th
- March 14th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (16th) — Recalled March 14th
- March 14th: Assigned Delon Wright (11th) — Recalled March 14th
- March 14th: Assigned Lucas Nogueira (8th) — Recalled March 14th
- March 18th: Assigned Bruno Caboclo (17th) — Recalled March 20th
Here’s how Toronto’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Anthony Bennett: In six appearances Bennett averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 17.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .339/.250/.786.
- Bruno Caboclo: In 37 appearances Caboclo averaged 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 34.3 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .403/.335/.727.
- Lucas Nogueira: In 11 appearances Nogueira averaged 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 25.2 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .570/.250/.762.
- Norman Powell: In eight games Powell averaged 24.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 39.6 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .500/.333/.796.
- Delon Wright: In 15 appearances Wright averaged 17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 35.7 minutes per night. His slash line was .536/.360/.806.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Spurs
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the San Antonio Spurs, whose D-League affiliate is the Austin Spurs:
The Spurs made 12 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending three players to the D-League for a total of 32 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by San Antonio for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 7th: Assigned Jonathon Simmons (1st) — Recalled November 14th
- November 16th: Assigned Jonathon Simmons (2nd) — Recalled November 18th
- December 4th: Assigned Boban Marjanovic (1st) — Recalled December 6th
- December 4th Assigned Ray McCallum (1st) — Recalled December December 5th
- December 16th: Assigned Ray McCallum (2nd) — Recalled December 21st
- December 27th: Assigned Ray McCallum (3rd) — Recalled December 28th
- December 29th: Assigned Ray McCallum (4th) — Recalled December 30th
- January 2nd: Assigned Ray McCallum (5th) — Recalled January 4th
- January 30th: Assigned Ray McCallum (6th) — Recalled February 1st
- March 17th: Assigned Jonathon Simmons (3rd) — Recalled March 19th
- March 20th: Assigned Boban Marjanovic (2nd) — Recalled March 22nd
- March 20th: Assigned Jonathon Simmons (4th) — Recalled March 22nd
Here’s how San Antonio’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Boban Marjanovic: In three appearances the big man averaged 23.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocs in 26.4 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .805/.000/.625.
- Ray McCallum: In nine appearances McCallum averaged 17.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 38.6 minutes per outing. His shooting numbers were .431/.375/.750.
- Jonathon Simmons: Simmons made four appearances and averaged 16.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 34.6 minutes per night. His slash line was .431/.231/.773.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Kings
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Sacramento Kings, whose D-League affiliate is the Reno Bighorns:
The Kings made 8 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending two players to the D-League for a total of 98 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Sacramento for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 13th: Assigned Duje Dukan (1st) — Recalled November 23rd
- November 30th: Assigned Duje Dukan (2nd) — Recalled December 7th
- December 9th: Assigned Duje Dukan (3rd) — Recalled December 10th
- December 17th: Assigned Duje Dukan (4th) — Recalled December 27th
- February 4th: Assigned Duje Dukan (5th) — Recalled February 24th
- February 25th: Assigned Duje Dukan (6th) — Recalled April 1st
- March 19th: Assigned Eric Moreland (1st) — Recalled April 1st
- April 7th: Assigned Duje Dukan (7th) — Recalled April 8th
Here’s how Sacramento’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Duje Dukan: In 27 appearances Dukan averaged 14.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 28.9 minutes per outing. His slash line was .403/.371/.722.
- Eric Moreland: In five appearances Moreland averaged 9.6 points, 14.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 27.0 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .553/.000/.286.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Trail Blazers
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Portland Trail Blazers, one of the 11 NBA franchises without their own D-League affiliate:
The Blazers made 2 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending two players to the D-League for a total of 20 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Portland for the 2015/16 campaign:
- March 10th: Assigned Cliff Alexander (1st) [Santa Cruz Warriors] — Recalled March 20th
- March 10th: Assigned Luis Montero (1st) [Santa Cruz Warriors] — Recalled March 20th
Here’s how Portland’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Cliff Alexander: Alexander appeared in four games and averaged 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 27.0 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .521/.000/.714.
- Luis Montero: Montero appeared in four contests and averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 28.3 minutes per night. His shooting numbers were .412/.385/.783.
And-Ones: Player Values, Trade Kickers, D-League
With the NBA salary cap set to jump by about $22MM this summer, it’s time to re-evaluate how players are valued, says Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. As Kennedy points, 24 teams are on track to have the ability to offer at least one maximum-salary contract this offseason, so while it’s easy to argue that a player isn’t “worth” the significant salary he’ll land in free agency, it makes more sense to adjust our expectations and get used to the new normal.
In my opinion, a good way to make that adjustment is to consider what percentage of his team’s salary cap a player’s salary takes up, rather than simply looking at the dollar amount. For instance, some executives believe Bismack Biyombo will command $16MM+ per year in free agency. That may seem outrageous, but consider that a $16MM salary in 2017/18 (when the cap is projected to rise to $107MM) would only represent about 15% of the cap. In 2013/14, when the salary cap was $58.68MM, a player taking up the same percentage of his team’s cap would have been earning just $8.77MM.
Here are a few more odds and ends from across the NBA:
- As Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details, timing is crucial for many players’ trade kickers, which could affect teams’ plans this offseason. For instance, players like Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, and Carmelo Anthony would be owed significantly more money if their current teams trade them in July rather than June. That’s not to say any of those players will be dealt, but for veterans with trade kickers who are on the block, teams may want to finalize deals this month.
- Both the NBA and the D-League have been adamant about wanting 30 D-League affiliates for the NBA’s 30 teams, but there are still eight NBA franchises without them. Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor examines those eight teams, estimating the odds that they’ll land D-League affiliates within the next few years.
- Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders identifies several pending free agents who will be seeking redemption and looking to bounce back on their next contracts, including Ty Lawson, Lance Stephenson, and Roy Hibbert.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Suns
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue on with the Phoenix Suns, whose D-League affiliate is the Bakersfield Jam:
The Suns made just one assignment for the 2015/16 season, sending one player to the D-League for a total of seven days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Phoenix for the 2015/16 campaign:
February 10th: Assigned Jordan McRae (1st) — Recalled February 16th
Here’s how Phoenix’s players performed in the D-League this season:
- Jordan McRae: He appeared in a total of 29 D-League games this season and averaged 23.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 35.4 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .459/.318/.799.