New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sasha Vujacic Works Out For Two NBA Teams

September 11th, 2018 at 9:34am CST by Dana Gauruder

Longtime NBA shooting guard Sasha Vujacic worked out for the Pelicans on Monday, Andrew Lopez of the New Orleans Times Picayune tweets. The Thunder are hosting Vujacic today as he attempts to return to the league, according to RealGM.

Vujacic revealed last month that he was seeking another NBA contract. He spent the 2017/18 season with Fiat Torino of the Lega Basket Serie A in Italy, helping the team win its first even Italian Cup by scoring the deciding layup in the final seconds.

The workouts for Vujacic can be chalked up as teams exercising due diligence with training camp around the corner. The Pelicans have eight wing players on their roster already, though they continue to look for another option at shooting guard. Their offer sheet to restricted free agent Tyrone Wallace was matched by the Clippers a week ago.

The Thunder have a number of options at shooting guard, including Andre Roberson, Alex Abrines, Terrance Ferguson and Hamidou Diallo, though Roberson is still recovering from a knee injury and could remain sidelined until December.

A 10-year NBA veteran, the 34-year-old Vujacic last played in the NBA during the 2016/17 season, appearing in 42 games for the Knicks and averaging 3.0 PPG and 1.2 APG in 9.7 MPG. The highlight of Vujacic’s NBA career was winning two championships with the Lakers.

Vujacic, 34, also had brief stints with the Clippers and Nets.

Pelicans’ Anthony Davis Parts Ways With Agent

September 8th, 2018 at 10:08am CST by marksuleymanov

Pelicans star Anthony Davis has parted ways with longtime agent Thad Foucher, according to Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Players are required to file paperwork with the players’ union and wait 15 days before changing agents, ESPN adds.

Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who represents LeBron James, is reportedly a “leading contender” to became Davis’ new representative.

Davis, 25, has two years and $52MM left on his deal with the New Orleans in addition to a $29MM player option for the 2020/21 campaign. In 75 games last season, Davis averaged 28.1 PPG and 11.1 RPG, finishing third in NBA Most Valuable Player voting.

While Davis’ agent change doesn’t necessarily mean anything in and of itself, it may make some Pelicans fans anxious, Scott Kushner of The Advocate tweets. As Kushner notes, then-Hornets guard Chris Paul switched agents in 2010 shortly before requesting a trade.

There have been waves of trade speculation surrounding Davis, who could eventually look to join a bigger-market organization if the Pelicans don’t move any closer toward title contention within the next year or two.

Davis Made Heavy Pitch For Randle

September 7th, 2018 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shooting guard Tyrone Wallace can’t be traded by the Clippers without his consent as a result of Los Angeles matching his offer sheet, salary cap expert Albert Nahmad tweets. The restricted free agent signed a two-year, $2.9MM offer sheet with the Pelicans but the Clippers opted to match it on Wednesday despite a roster logjam. The Clippers are prohibited from trading Wallace to the Pelicans for one year, Nahmad adds.
Anthony Davis called Julius Randle three times after Randle hit the free agent market to ensure the former Laker would sign with the Pelicans, William Guillory of The Athletic reports. Randle had his rights renounced by the Lakers after LeBron James agreed to sign with Los Angeles and Randle quickly agreed to a two-year, $18MM deal with New Orleans. Randle had more lucrative deals on the table, Guillory adds, but Randle wants to remain with the franchise even though he has an opt-out next summer.

Clippers Match Offer Sheet For Tyrone Wallace

September 5th, 2018 at 8:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have matched the Pelicans’ offer sheet for guard Tyrone Wallace, according to a team press release.

“We identified Tyrone as a versatile, competitive and tough-minded player who adds to the organizational culture,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “Ty worked hard with our staff at Agua Caliente and Los Angeles, and his growth has been a reflection of his commitment to getting better. Together with our team’s player development program, Ty demonstrated impressive improvement and contributed meaningfully to our team last season. We are excited to welcome Ty back to the Clippers.”

The Pelicans signed Wallace on Monday to an offer sheet worth the veteran’s minimum, approximately $2.9MM over two years. The Clippers had two days once Wallace signed the offer sheet to decide whether to match it or let him go.

It was generally assumed the Clippers wouldn’t match the offer sheet for the 6’5” restricted free agent, who played last season on a two-way deal. With Wallace back in the mix, the Clips now have 15 players with guaranteed deals, plus non-guaranteed contracts for Wallace and Patrick Beverley, so they’ll have to trade or release a couple of those players by the end of the preseason.

Still, as ESPN cap expert Bobby Marks points out (via Twitter), even though retaining Wallace doesn’t help the Clippers clear their roster logjam, there’s little risk involved in bringing him back for the time being. His new deal features a partial guarantee of $300K (as of September 12), but won’t become fully guaranteed until the new year, and the second season is fully non-guaranteed, with no trigger dates.

The Clippers will now have the opportunity to evaluate Wallace and the rest of their roster in training camp, and will only be out $300K if they decide that the second-year guard isn’t part of their plans after all. That wouldn’t be a terrible outcome for Wallace either, as he’d have the opportunity to reach unrestricted free agency after having collected $300K for a few weeks of work.

With 17 players now vying for 15 spots in L.A., Jawun Evans‘ roster spot becomes even more precarious. The 6’0″ Evans has a guaranteed contract, but it’s only worth the minimum and doesn’t feature any guaranteed money beyond 2018/19. The Clippers also have numerous point guard options, including Patrick Beverley, Avery Bradley, Milos Teodosic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Clippers’ Decision On Tyrone Wallace Due Soon

September 5th, 2018 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have until the end of Wednesday to decide whether or not to match the Pelicans‘ offer sheet for Tyrone Wallace, according to Keith Smith of RealGM.com (Twitter link), who hears from a source that L.A. received the signed offer sheet on Monday. RealGM’s log of NBA transactions confirms that Wallace signed his offer sheet with New Orleans on September 3.

Under the NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team has just two days after receiving an offer sheet to decide whether or not to exercise the right of first refusal. If the Clippers decide not to match the Pelicans’ offer for Wallace, his deal with New Orleans will become official.

Wallace, who finished last season on a two-way contract with the Clippers, received a qualifying offer from the team in June. For two-way players, a qualifying offer is equivalent to another two-way contract offer, with a $50K guarantee. So even though the reported terms of Wallace’s deal with the Pelicans are modest – the veteran’s minimum for two years, with a $300K partial guarantee due next week – they’re more player-friendly than his QO from L.A.

Matching Wallace’s offer sheet wouldn’t cost the Clippers much financially, but a roster logjam makes it unlikely that they’ll bring back the former second-round pick. For now, the Clippers have 15 players with guaranteed salaries, plus Patrick Beverley on a non-guaranteed deal, so they’ll already have to trade or release one veteran on a guaranteed contract to reach the 15-man regular season limit. Retaining Wallace would force the club to make another preseason roster decision.

Additionally, the Clippers’ backcourt is so crowded that there probably wouldn’t be many minutes available for Wallace if he were to return to Los Angeles. Beverley, Lou Williams, Avery Bradley, Milos Teodosic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jerome Robinson, Sindarius Thornwell, and Jawun Evans are all currently under contract with the franchise.

Pelicans Sign Darius Morris

September 4th, 2018 at 4:25pm CST by Luke Adams

4:25pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

9:51am: The Pelicans are continuing their efforts to add depth at the point guard position, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that veteran free agent Darius Morris is signing with New Orleans. Morris will receive a partially guaranteed two-year deal, per Charania. It’ll be worth the minimum.

News of the Pelicans’ agreement with Morris comes a day after word broke that the club is signing two-way restricted free agent Tyrone Wallace to an offer sheet. New Orleans has two openings on its 20-man offseason roster, so the team could add both Wallace and Morris and let them battle it out for a regular season roster spot. Morris could also be an insurance policy in case the Clippers match the Pelicans’ offer sheet for Wallace.

Morris, a second-round pick in the 2011 NBA draft, spent four seasons playing for the Lakers, Sixers, Clippers, Grizzlies, and Nets after entering the league. In 132 total regular season contests (11.1 MPG), the 27-year-old averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.4 APG, last appearing in an NBA game in 2015. Since then, Morris has played in the G League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and in China for the Guangdong Southern Tigers.

Like Wallace, Morris was one of a handful of free agent point guards who worked out for the Pelicans in August. The club also took a look at Ty Lawson and Erick Green.

If the Clippers don’t match Wallace’s offer sheet with New Orleans, he would become the seventh player on the Pelicans’ roster with a non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed salary. Emeka Okafor, Jahlil Okafor, Troy Williams, Kenrich Williams, Garlon Green, and Morris would also be in the mix on non-guaranteed on partially guaranteed deals.

Pelicans, Tyrone Wallace Agree To Offer Sheet

September 4th, 2018 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 4, 12:42pm: Wallace’s two-year offer sheet with the Pelicans will feature a $300K partial guarantee as of September 12, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

SEPTEMBER 3, 11:55am: The Pelicans’ offer sheet for Wallace is a two-year, minimum salary deal that is partially guaranteed, sources tell ESPN’s Ian Begley (Twitter link). The cap hits would be $1,349,383 for year one and $1,588,231 for year two.

SEPTEMBER 3, 11:26am: The Pelicans have reached an agreement with restricted free agent guard Tyrone Wallace, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Wallace will sign an offer sheet with New Orleans.

Wallace finished the 2017/18 season on a two-way contract with the Clippers, who extended a qualifying offer to the rookie guard. The 24-year-old isn’t a traditional restricted NBA free agent like Rodney Hood or Patrick McCaw, but he’s a two-way RFA, which essentially gives the Clips the same rights — they’d have the opportunity to match the Pelicans’ offer sheet.

A former second-round pick out of the University of California, Wallace made his NBA debut for the Clippers last season after signing a two-way deal with the club, and became a crucial part of L.A.’s rotation. In total, Wallace appeared in 30 games (19 starts), averaging 9.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 28.4 minutes per contest.

Wallace was one of a handful of point guards to work out for the Pelicans in August as the club sought depth at the position. Ty Lawson, Darius Morris, and Erick Green were among the other free agents who earned a look from New Orleans, but the team apparently liked what it saw from Wallace. If the Pelicans add Wallace or another point guard to their regular season roster to join Elfrid Payton and Frank Jackson, it would allow Jrue Holiday to see more action off the ball.

Assuming Wallace officially signs his agreed-upon offer sheet with the Pelicans, the Clippers would have two days to decide whether or not to match it. The Clips already have an overcrowded backcourt and a full roster, so they may simply let Wallace go. Still, the Pelicans’ cap flexibility is limited and their offer will have to be for the minimum salary, so it’s not out of the question that L.A. would match the offer and figure out its roster logjam later.

The Clippers currently have 15 players on guaranteed salaries, plus Patrick Beverley‘s non-guaranteed contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trio Of Small Forwards Competing For Roster Spot

September 3rd, 2018 at 5:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans signed Troy Williams, Kenrich Williams and Garlon Green to partially-guaranteed contracts in the hope of finding one reliable small forward, Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Advocate notes. That trio will compete for a roster spot, though the potential addition of swingman Tyrone Wallace — signed to an offer sheet on Monday — could change that. “They just told me they’re bringing some guys in and having them go head-on to see who wins a spot,” Kenrich Williams told Kushner.

Pelicans’ Trade Exception Set To Expire

September 3rd, 2018 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

A Pelicans traded player exception created in last September’s Quincy Pondexter trade with the Bulls is set to expire if it’s not used by the end of the day on Tuesday. The exception, which is worth $3,853,931, was created last September 1.

As we explain in our glossary entry on the subject, traded player exceptions can be used to acquire one or more players whose salaries fits within the amount of the exception (plus $100K). Using their TPE, the over-the-cap Pelicans wouldn’t have to send out any salary if they were to acquire a player earning up to nearly $4MM.

While traded player exceptions generally expire exactly one year after they’re created, they can’t expire on a weekend or holiday, so New Orleans will get a few extra days for this one due to Labor Day weekend.

The Pelicans’ trade exception, the largest of four held by the team, isn’t massive and isn’t likely to be used at the last minute this week. Still, it’s worth mentioning because the Pels don’t have many pathways – besides the minimum salary exception – to add more players to their roster. The team used its mid-level exception on Julius Randle and its bi-annual exception on Elfrid Payton.

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New Orleans Pelicans

Southwest Notes: Doncic, Ginobili, Bluiett, Grizzlies

September 2nd, 2018 at 3:01pm CST by marksuleymanov

The third overall pick from the 2018 NBA Draft, Luka Doncic, will not be part of the Slovenian national team for September’s FIBA World Cup qualifiers, per a Sportando report. Instead, he will remain in the United States to prepare for the upcoming NBA season, Doncic confirmed with a tweet.

Doncic, 19, was drafted by the Hawks with the third pick in the draft but was immediately traded to the Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Trae Young and a 2019 first-round pick. Given his past success internationally, it was possible that Doncic would have suited up for the Slovenian team before the NBA season started.

With Real Madrid this past season, Doncic racked up several major awards. He became the youngest player to win the EuroLeague Final Four Most Valuable Player award in addition to being named the EuroLeague MVP and Rising Star.

Check out more Southwest Division notes below:

In an in-depth look at the recently retired Manu Ginobili, Gilbert Garcia of the San Antonio Express-News looked at how his presence around the organization made everyone appreciate him. After 16 seasons with the Spurs, the Argentina product announced he will retire instead of pursuing a 17th season.
Trevon Bluiett impressed at Summer League, which paved the way for him to ink a two-way contract with the Pelicans. As Scott Kushner of The Advocate writes, Bluiett is excited about the opportunity and is ready to prove himself. “All I know is that it’s a foot in the door,” Bluiett said. “I don’t look at it as, I signed a two-way so I’m good and everything is done. It’s just a foot in the door to get to my ideal goal.”
The Grizzlies finalized their basketball operations department, the team announced in a press release.