And-Ones: Oden, D-League, NBA Draft
The NBA is enamored with the idea of expanding rosters from the current regular season maximum of 15 to as many as 17 as part of the next CBA, with the additional spots to be designated for two-way D-League contracts, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. While the concept is still very much in the planning stages, the current idea is that the D-League portion of the contracts would be valued in the neighborhood of $75K to $100K per season, according to the NBA.com scribe. If the player were called up to the NBA, he would then earn a prorated portion of his NBA salary, Howard-Cooper adds.
“I think it’s something that makes a lot of sense for our league,” D-League president Malcolm Turner said. “I don’t want to get ahead of where we are, in terms of planning conversations, but I think it’s clearly a logical next step in our evolution. As you expand, you have rosters to fill, and we want to do so in a way that allows us to add more and better talent to the league faster. A two-way system can be facilitating.”
Here’s the latest from around the league:
- Former 2007 No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden was released by the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association recently, throwing his playing future into question, Doug Lesmerises of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Oden indicated that his deal with Jiangsu was month-to-month, so letting him go saved the team a month’s worth of salary, Lesmerises notes. When asked if he intended to continue his playing career, Oden said, “I mean, if the opportunity is there, and it’s the right opportunity, of course. I’ve just got to look at the opportunities. I haven’t heard about anything yet. I’ll take what I can.” Oden last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 campaign when he played in 23 games for the Heat.
- LSU’s Ben Simmons, Duke’s Brandon Ingram and Croatian big man Dragan Bender top the latest 2016 NBA draft rankings from ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider subscription required).
- One factor contributing to why the Knicks fired Derek Fisher prior to the All-Star break is that the league office frowns upon teams parting ways with coaches during All-Star week, as it detracts from the festivities, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets.
- The Heat have assigned power forward Jarnell Stokes to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Stokes’ sixth trip to Sioux Falls on the season.
And-Ones: Silver, Martin, Motiejunas
Commissioner Adam Silver says that he loves the parity that exists in the NBA right now and believes it is good that smaller market teams are able to compete with larger ones for free agents, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today relays. “What we’re seeing now is that players are moving to markets that have cap room and players are moving to markets where they see opportunities to play,” Silver said. “It’s not a function of market size these days. It’s a function of the management of the team and the opportunity in that market. That’s what you want for a league.”
Silver is concerned at how this summer’s anticipated cap spike will change the league’s dynamic, Zillgitt notes. “It will be disruptive and having been around the league for a long time, I only know it’s going to be disruptive in ways that we can’t even predict,” Silver said. “It’s not the way we modeled the CBA going into the last collective-bargaining agreement. We thought we would have more regular increases from year to year [in the salary cap]. You like to have a system where planning is rewarded and management is rewarded. Now, with all this unexpected cap room, teams that should not have had that kind of room [to spend] of course will have it.”
Both the National Basketball Players Association and the league can opt out of the current CBA by December 15th, and Silver noted, “clearly we’re operating under the premise that if we can’t get a new deal negotiated by then, they are likely to opt out. That puts a lot of pressure on both sides to work over the next 10 months, which is a long time, to get an extension done,” the USA Today scribe adds. Here’s more from around the league:
- The Grizzlies have recalled power forward Jarell Martin from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Martin has averaged 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in 30.6 minutes in seven games during his five assignments to Iowa this season.
- The Pistons have recalled Spencer Dinwiddie from their D-League affiliate, Keith Langlois of NBA.com tweets. The move was made so Detroit’s team doctors could examine the point guard’s sprained ankle, Langlois adds.
- The Rockets have recalled swingman K.J. McDaniels and power forward Donatas Motiejunas from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
And-Ones: Jackson, Walton, Westbrook, Colangelo
A “strong belief” persists that Knicks team president Phil Jackson will wind up back with the Lakers organization with fiancee Jeanie Buss, and it’s a safe bet that the Zen Master’s tenure in New York won’t outlast whomever he picks as the team’s next coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. That leads Wojnarowski to wonder why Knicks coaching candidate Luke Walton would head to New York this summer. Walton, like Tom Thibodeau, looms as a candidate for the Lakers job, Wojnarowski writes, with Byron Scott not assured of lasting past the season, so Walton could eventually reunite with Jackson, his former coach, in L.A. Regardless, Jackson’s stubborn refusal to look outside his own sphere of influence for coaches and other employees isn’t in the best interests of the Knicks, Wojnarowski contends. See more from New York amid the latest from around the league:
- Kristaps Porzingis and the allure of New York have Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook‘s attention as he thinks ahead to his free agency in 2017, Wojnarowski notes in the same piece.
- Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo is the early favorite to land the Nets GM job, sources tell NetsDaily, which confirms that Colangelo is among several candidates interviewing with the team this week.
- The Suns signed Jordan McRae to a second 10-day contract Monday, but it’s effectively a 12-day contract. That’s because all 10-day pacts are required to encompass at least three games, and Phoenix’s loss to the Thunder on Monday was one of only two games the team had left before the All-Star break when it re-signed McRae. The Suns open the second half of the season against the Rockets on March 19th, which will be the 12th day of McRae’s contract. He’ll make $37,065 instead of the standard $30,888 he’d see on a conventional 10-day deal.
- The Hawks assigned Edy Tavares to the Spurs affiliate in the D-League on Monday, Atlanta announced. It’s the 10th time this season that the Hawks, who are without a D-League team of their own, have used San Antonio’s affiliate. Tavares will likely spend two games with the Austin Spurs on his latest stint, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Central Notes: Hibbert, Whittington, Tolliver, Bucks
A sprained left ankle will keep Lakers center Roy Hibbert out of tonight’s game, which would have been his first back in Indiana since last summer’s trade, according to Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. Before his status was announced, his former Pacers teammates were concerned about the reception he might get from fans. “It was a situation where Roy didn’t want to leave, but it was about that time, I guess,” Paul George said. “So it wasn’t on bad terms for his sake, so I hope the fans don’t knock him or overlook that. Roy’s been great for this organization.” With the Lakers floundering, Hibbert is a candidate to be moved again before next week’s deadline, as Chuck Myron examined earlier today.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers have assigned forward/center Shayne Whittington to their D-League affiliate in Fort Wayne, the team announced today. A second-year player, Whttington has appeared in just four games with the Pacers this season, but 24 for Fort Wayne, where he is averaging 12.0 points and 8.1 rebounds.
- Anthony Tolliver has become a dependable reserve power forward for the Pistons, but it may not be enough to keep the 30-year-old on the team next season, writes Aaron McMann of MLive. Tolliver will be a free agent this summer, and coach/executive Stan Van Gundy has said he plans to exercise the team option on starting power forward Ersan Ilyasova. Detroit has also been rumored to have interest in Pelicans free agent Ryan Anderson. “I definitely would love to figure out a way to come back here and make this a long-term situation,” Tolliver said. “Obviously, it would have to be a mutual decision, mutually beneficial for both parties.”
- The Bucks shouldn’t be entertaining offers for forward/center Greg Monroe, argues Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Monroe was Milwaukee’s prize free agent addition last season, but the organization reportedly let other teams know last week that it would consider moving him or point guard Michael Carter-Williams if the right offer came along. Marks advises the Bucks to hang on to their core of young talent and draft picks, but to consider dealing away shooting guard O.J. Mayo and center Miles Plumlee.
And-Ones: Mudiay, Parsons, D-League
Nuggets rookie Emmanuel Mudiay conceded he played with a chip on his shoulder Sunday against the Knicks, a team that had an opportunity to draft him but instead selected Kristaps Porzingis, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post writes.
“I worked out with the Knicks [before the draft],” Mudiay said. “I knew they passed up on me, but they have a great pick in Porzingis. He is going to be a great player.”
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- The better Chandler Parsons plays down the stretch, the better the chances he opts out, opines Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News in a Q&A with readers. The value of Parsons’ player option for 2016/17 is $16.023MM.
- Chase Budinger is expendable for a trade because he is in the last year of his contract, and, when healthy, the Pacers have several wing players, Bobby Marks of The Vertical argues. Acquiring a veteran point guard and solidifying the bench should be priorities for the Pacers, Marks adds.
- The Hornets recalled Aaron Harrison from the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, Charlotte announced via press release. The Hornets do not have their own D-League team. Harris returns from his second assignment.
- The Raptors recalled Bruno Caboclo from their D-League affiliate, the team announced (on Twitter).
And-Ones: Trades, Clarkson, Pistons
The lack of enticing free agent options at the point guard position in the upcoming offseason should heat up the trade market prior to the deadline, Tom Ziller of SB Nation opines. Aside from Mike Conley, there isn’t another star-level point guard set to hit free agency this summer. Brandon Jennings and Rajon Rondo will be free agents and Deron Williams could join them if he turns down his player option after the season. Beyond those four players, there arguably isn’t another starting-caliber point guard on the market.
Ziller speculates that as many as seven teams, including the Knicks and Nets, could attempt to join in on the Jeff Teague sweepstakes. The scribe also names Darren Collison as a player to watch on the trade market, especially if the Kings get a sense that Rondo will re-sign with the team.
We’re 11 days from the trade deadline. As we wait to see what deals unfold, check out some notes from around the league:
- Jordan Clarkson has mostly played the two for the Lakers this year, but his past experience running the point makes Ziller, as he writes in the same piece, wonder whether another team will throw a substantial offer at him and look to make the 23-year-old a starting point guard. Clarkson will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, but he’s subject to the Gilbert Arenas Provision.
- It might be worthwhile for the Pistons to trade away their 2016 first round pick in exchange for bench help, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports opines in a piece that examines all of the team’s trade assets. Detroit is clinging to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 27-25, which, if the season ended today, would give the team the No. 17 overall selection in the upcoming draft, as our Reverse Standings indicate.
- The Heat have recalled Jarnell Stokes from the Sioux Falls Skyforce, their D-League affiliate, according to the team’s website. Stokes has averaged 20.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in five stints with the Skyforce this season.
Western Notes: Green, Rockets, McDaniels, Lillard
Erick Green won’t mind missing the D-League All-Star Game next week after signing a second 10-day contract with the Jazz, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Green has only seen nine minutes of playing time in three games with Utah, but the 6’3″ guard has managed to impress coach Quin Snyder. “We felt like he’s done everything we’ve asked of him and the minutes that he has played he’s played pretty good,” Snyder said. “Some of it is a question of we’ve had a couple situations where guys are getting bumped and banged up a little bit and we feel good about what he brings.”
There’s more from the Western Conference:
- Today’s lopsided loss to the Blazers is the latest evidence that the Rockets need a complete makeover, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Houston is 27-26 a year after reaching the Western Conference finals, and there have been rumblings for some time that changes are needed. The Rockets are over the luxury tax threshold and facing a hard cap, so GM Daryl Morey is limited in what he can do.
- The Rockets have assigned K.J. McDaniels to their D-League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, the team tweeted today.
- New teammates surround the Blazers‘ Damian Lillard this year, but the move that bothers him most is LaMarcus Aldridge‘s decision to sign with the Spurs, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. “I would have loved nothing more than to have him back,” Lillard said of Aldridge. “To have another All-Star on the team was good for me. I was happy with it. I reached out to him a bunch of times [before and during free agency], but I think he had got to the point where he thought maybe the organization was choosing me over him. And to this day, I still tell people that it’s not my team, it’s [owner] Paul Allen’s team, and I was willing to be the best complement I could to LaMarcus Aldridge. I expressed that to him multiple times, but I think it just came down to him being ready to move on to a new situation.” Portland lost four of its starters over the offseason, with Wesley Matthews signing with the Mavericks, Robin Lopez signing with the Knicks and Nicolas Batum being traded to the Hornets.
D-League Notes: Dukan, Stokes, Motiejunas
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams possess one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those 11 NBA teams without their own D-League squads this season have to assign players to D-League clubs affiliated with other NBA franchises. We at Hoops Rumors track all the NBA D-League assignments made during the course of the season and you can view the complete tracker, which is updated regularly, here.
Here are the D-League happenings for today:
- The Kings have assigned power forward Duje Dukan to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Dukan’s fifth trip to Reno on the season. The rookie is recovering from a bone contusion in his leg and will continue his rehab with the Bighorns.
- Power forward Jarnell Stokes has been assigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s D-League affiliate, the Heat announced. Stokes has averaged 20.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.0 assist in 30.0 minutes of action per night over his previous four D-League stints.
- The Jazz assigned center Tibor Pleiss to their D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release. This will be Pleiss’ third trek to Idaho on the campaign.
- The Rockets have recalled Donatas Motiejunas from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
D-League Notes: Motiejunas, Dunleavy, Whittington
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams possess one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those 11 NBA teams without their own D-League squads this season have to assign players to D-League clubs affiliated with other NBA franchises. We at Hoops Rumors track all the NBA D-League assignments made during the course of the season and you can view the complete tracker, which is updated regularly, here.
Here are the D-League happenings for today:
- The Pacers recalled center Shayne Whittington from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Whittington has appeared in 24 games for the Mad Ants, averaging 12.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game during his four stints with the team this season.
- The Bulls have recalled small forward Mike Dunleavy from the Warriors’ D-League affiliate, where the Bulls had sent him via the flexible assignment rule, the team announced via press release.
- The Grizzlies recalled James Ennis and Jarell Martin from their D-League affiliate earlier today and later reassigned the pair to the Iowa Energy, the team announced. This will mark Ennis’ eighth jaunt to the D-League on the season and Martin’s fifth.
- The Jazz recalled big man Tibor Pleiss from the Idaho Stampede, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
- The Rockets have reassigned Donatas Motiejunas to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. As was the case with his previous assignment this season to Rio Grande Valley, both Motiejunas and the NBPA had to sign off on the move because he is a fourth-year veteran.
Western Notes: Howard, Durant, Morris
Despite the reports that the Rockets are entertaining trade offers for Dwight Howard, GM Daryl Morey insists the team hasn’t given up on the season and the center is needed if Houston wants to make a playoff push, Brian T. Smith of The Houston Chronicle relays. “We’re just focused on this season,” Morey told reporters. “So is Dwight. If we as a team and he as a player plays like we know he’s capable and has been this year and was last year, all that stuff takes care of itself. There’s no way we make the conference finals last year without Dwight and there’s no way [we] are making the solid playoff push this year without Dwight.
The Rockets haven’t had any meaningful dialogue about a Howard trade since December and aren’t looking to trade him, one source told Calvin Watkins and Marc Stein of ESPN.com, a dispatch that conflicts with earlier reports. Here’s more from out West:
- Houston plans to make a big push this offseason to sign unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant, and the front office believes it has a legitimate shot to sign the Thunder star, Watkins and Stein note in the same piece. Rockets officials believe privately that they will have as good a chance as any team to lure Durant away from Oklahoma City because of his strong relationship with former teammate James Harden and the room Houston has to pay Durant max-contract money while also re-signing Howard, the ESPN duo note.
- The Suns have indicated they plan to make Markieff Morris the focal point of their offense, a move that is geared to showcase him to teams potentially interested in trading for the power forward, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders opines.
- Nuggets coach Michael Malone raves about the potential of big man Nikola Jokic and believes the sky is the limit for the 20-year-old, Harrison Wind of BSNDenver.com relays (via Twitter). “You can talk about some of these very young bigs who are very talented. I know Nikola Jokic and wouldn’t trade him for anybody in the world,” Malone said. “He’s a special young man, he’s a special young talent and he’s only going to get better as he continues to get stronger. But he’s a heck of a young talent. I give a lot of credit to [GM] Tim Connelly and the front office for finding him and making him part of this organization.”
- Former Hornets point guard Jannero Pargo, who signed with the D-League earlier this week, was claimed off waivers by the Thunder‘s D-League affiliate, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor tweets.