Pelicans Rumors

Tyreke Evans Out For Season

February 11th, 2016 at 8:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 8:16pm: Evans underwent surgery today and will miss the remainder of the 2015/16 season, the Pelicans announced via press release.

11:38am: Coach Alvin Gentry cautioned that it’s not certain Evans is out for the year, pointing to further tests he’ll undergo this week, notes Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate (Twitter links). He’s meeting with specialists to gather a second opinion, Gentry said, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune (on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY, 7:58am: Tyreke Evans will likely miss the rest of the season, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. He plans to have surgery this week on his right knee, the same knee on which he had surgery that knocked him out for the first month of the season, Charania notes, adding that he’ll finalize those plans after meeting with specialists this week. It’s also the same knee in which he’s been suffering from tendinitis that’s kept him out for the past seven games. New Orleans had reportedly been gauging the trade market for him, and the 26-year-old swingman is apparently among the players the Cavs have been eyeing. The Pelicans had been showing a greater willingness to move either Evans, Eric Gordon or both than they had with Ryan Anderson, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

Gordon is due back soon from the broken right ring finger he suffered last month, but in the meantime, he’s one of three Pelicans with significant injuries at present, joining Evans and Quincy Pondexter, who’s also out for the season. New Orleans would need a fourth injury that’s expected to keep a player out for the next two weeks in order to qualify for a hardship provision of a 16th roster spot.

It’s too late in the season for the Pelicans to receive a disabled player exception for Evans that would allow them additional financial means to acquire someone to replace him. New Orleans is six and a half games behind the Rockets for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and with Evans injured, the team’s postseason hopes appear faint.

Evans, making nearly $10.734MM, is the third leading scorer for New Orleans at 15.2 points per game. His 6.6 assists are tops on the Pelicans and match his career high from last season. He’ll make about $10.204MM next year in the final season of his contract.

Western Notes: Kings, Clippers, Rockets, Warriors

February 11th, 2016 at 2:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings will try to make defensive improvements at the trade deadline, GM Vlade Divac said on “The Grant Napear Show” on CBS Sports 1140 in Sacramento, tweets James Ham of CSN California. The Rockets would prefer to add a shooter via trade, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). The Clippers are expected to assess their need for a backup point guard with Austin Rivers injured, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). The Warriors, meanwhile, aren’t looking to fix what isn’t broken, as GM Bob Myers said in a radio appearance on 95.7 The Game, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link).

“It’d have to be something unbelievable to really mess with the chem & the personnel on the team,” Myers said.

See more from the Western Conference:

Divac acknowledged that he was thinking about making a coaching change and had full authority to do so, but simply decided against it, as he said in an appearance on “The Grant Napear Show” on CBSports 1140 in Sacramento, notes Sean Cunningham of KXTV-TV in Sacramento (Twitter link). However, the resistance that Kings minority-share owners put up against eating the rest of George Karl‘s salary also played into the decision to keep the coach, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com said today in an appearance on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike” show (audio link), and as RealGM transcribes. That jibes with an earlier suggestion from Sam Amick of USA Today. Vivek Ranadive owns a controlling share of the team, but it doesn’t constitute a majority of the franchise, Windhorst points out.
Communication with management didn’t go smoothly for former Kings coach Tyrone Corbin last season, as he said this week on SiriusXM NBA Radio’s “NBA Today” show (Twitter link; audio link). “It was a mess. The organization was kind of playing it both ways,” Corbin said.
Bryce Dejean-Jones and the Pelicans have only slightly different figures in mind, Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate hears, advancing his earlier report that the rookie shooting guard is in talks with the Pels and other teams (Twitter links). The shooting guard is seeking a two- or three-year deal following the expiration of his second 10-day contract with New Orleans on Wednesday, Kushner adds. The Pelicans are ineligible to sign him to any more 10-day deals.
The Rockets offered Josh Smith more money in free agency last summer than the minimum-salary deal he signed with the Clippers, Rockets GM Daryl Morey said on the “Chad, Joe & Lo” show on 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area (audio link; transcription via HoopsHype). Smith wound up with the Rockets anyway via trade.

Wizards Ask About Anderson, Tucker, Booker

February 10th, 2016 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards have inquired about Ryan Anderson, P.J. Tucker and Trevor Booker as they search for help at power forward, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who writes in his NBA AM piece. Washington hasn’t gained much traction in talks thus far, Kyler cautions, having heard that the team believes the serious talk will take place during the All-Star break. The Wizards have been disappointing this season, sitting one game in the loss column behind the eighth-place Pistons in the Eastern Conference, but they’re unlikely to break up their core, Kyler writes.

Multiple reports within the last month have indicated that the Pelicans are more willing to trade other players than they are with Anderson, and coach Alvin Gentry has said he’s unlikely to end up in a deal, even though NBA executives reportedly believed, at least as of January, that if the Pelicans were to make a trade this season, Anderson would be in it. Stretch fours appeal to Washington, according to Kyler, and Anderson, a career 38% 3-point shooter, fits that bill. New Orleans reportedly made Anderson available earlier this season, but the team wasn’t anxious to trade him, as Kyler reported, later noting that the Rockets “kicked the tires” on him. New Orleans apparently had talks with the Suns about Markieff Morris that involved Anderson. Reports conflict on whether New Orleans turned down an offer from the Kings of Rudy Gay for Anderson

Tucker has consistently been attracting interest on the trade market, with the Raptors among those eyeing him, multiple reports have said. The Suns were reportedly holding off on trade discussions involving him as of last month, waiting to gauge their postseason hopes, but Phoenix has fallen 12 games behind the eighth-place Rockets. He’d be an undersized option at the four, since he’s 6’6″ and primarily plays small forward, but Washington has used 6’7″ Jared Dudley extensively at power forward this season. Tucker, unlike Anderson and Booker, has one more year left on his contract, but it’s only partially guaranteed for $1.5MM, so it wouldn’t take a significant chunk out of Washington’s cap flexibility for the summer ahead.

Rumors about Booker have been sparse, even though he’s on an expiring contract with the Jazz that gives him $4.775MM this season. Washington’s interest in Booker is somewhat curious, even though he spent his first four NBA seasons there, since the Wizards elected not to tender a qualifying offer to him when he was eligible for restricted free agency in 2014.

What should the Wizards do at the deadline? Leave a comment to share your ideas.

Cavs Eye Korver, Evans, Asik; Kings Reject Mozgov

February 9th, 2016 at 11:32am CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers are interested in Kyle Korver and also have Tyreke Evans and Omer Asik on their radar, while recent talks with the Kings about Timofey Mozgov have met with rejection from Sacramento, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said in a radio appearance today on ESPN Cleveland’s “The Really Big Show,” according to a series of tweets from ESPN Cleveland. The Cavs have also been showcasing Anderson Varejao for a trade, Windhorst said, nonetheless adding that it doesn’t seem he’s drawing much interest. It’s unlikely that Cleveland lands Korver, Windhorst also said, though the relatively likelihood of Evans, Asik and Mozgov changing teams is unclear. The Cavs and Pelicans had talks earlier that involved Mozgov and Asik, but the Cavs were reluctant to deal, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reported last month.

Atlanta has reportedly solicited offers for Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder of late and isn’t entirely certain that Al Horford will re-sign in free agency this summer, and Windhorst speculates that the Hawks could be sellers. They’re in fifth place in the Eastern Conference at 30-24, having already lost more games than they did during the entire regular season last year. Korver is under contract through next season, at more than $5.746MM this year and more than $5.239MM for 2016/17. His normally elite 3-point shooting is down to 38.3% this season, but that’s still better than most, and the Cavs have reportedly sought to add long distance shooting and defense to the wing.

New Orleans has reportedly sized up the market for Tyreke Evans and had discussions about trading him, though it’s unknown whether those talks were internal or external. The former Rookie of the Year is out until at least the All-Star break with tendinitis in his right knee. He’s once more been seeing time at point guard, where he’s matching his career high with 6.6 assists per game, though it would seem more logical that Cleveland would have interest in him as a wing player. His salary of nearly $10.734MM is just barely outside the bounds of the $10,522,500 trade exception Cleveland has as a vestige of Brendan Haywood. That’s true even though Evans’ salary for next season, the last year on his contract, is only about $10.204MM.

Asik’s numbers are off significantly this year, having suffered a right calf strain in the preseason that continued to bother him well into the regular season. The five-year, nearly $53MM contract he signed this past offseason looks player-friendly so far, though his more than $9.213MM salary for this year would fit within Cleveland’s exception.

He’d ostensibly offset the lack of production the Cavs have seen from Mozgov, who has also been slow to recover from injury, having undergone offseason surgery on his right knee. I examined Mozgov’s trade candidacy shortly after Wojnarowski reported that the Cavs had begun to explore the trade market for him. Sacramento would be an odd fit for him, given the presence of big men DeMarcus Cousins, Kosta Koufos and Willie Cauley-Stein, though it’s unclear what the Kings would have relinquished in Cleveland’s proposals. Mozgov is making $4.95MM this season on an expiring contract.

Varejao saw 27 minutes of action against the Pelicans on Saturday, but his minutes have otherwise been spotty. The longtime confidant of LeBron James is making $9.638MM this season in the first year of a three-year extension.

Do you see a deal involving any of these names that the Cavs should make? Leave a comment to tell us.

Trade Candidate: Eric Gordon

February 8th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Will the Pelicans be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline? Do they still view themselves as playoff contenders? And which of their available assets is most likely to be dealt away?

Derick E. Hingle / USA Today Sports Images

All these questions will take a back seat to Mardi Gras on Tuesday in New Orleans, but they will become important soon afterward. With the trade deadline looming on February 18th, the Pelicans have reportedly had talks about trading at least four prominent players.

Of the Pelicans’ potential trade assets, shooting guard Eric Gordon is the riskiest. The risk comes from a broken ring finger that he suffered in a January 19th game and from his looming free agency. With his recovery timetable set at four to six weeks, a team that acquires Gordon may not have him on the court until early March. And when free agency hits in July, Gordon will no doubt seek a hefty raise from the more than $15.5MM he is making now. So any team that deals for him will have to be confident he will sign for the long term.

The eighth-year shooting guard out of Indiana had a chance to enter free agency last summer but chose to exercise his option and spend another year in New Orleans. At the time, he cited the Pelicans’ talent level and an offseason coaching change that saw Monty Williams let go in favor of Alvin Gentry, who carried the promise of a faster-paced offense.

Gordon has been a productive but frequently injured player during his five seasons in New Orleans. The broken finger is the latest in a series of mishaps that have limited his availability since the Pelicans acquired him from the Clippers in the December 2011 trade that sent Chris Paul to Los Angeles. Gordon missed 136 games during his first four seasons in New Orleans, and that number continues to rise with his current injury.

The 27-year-old has been an effective scorer since he arrived in New Orleans, averaging 17.0 points and 3.7 assists per game. He is fourth on the team this season at 15.0 points a night and was eighth in the league with 98 3-pointers when he fractured his finger. Still, it’s not clear how vital he is to the Pelicans’ success. The team recently won seven of nine games with him on the sidelines to sneak back into playoff contention, and his overall numbers suggest his value isn’t as high as it seems. ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus ratings currently put Gordon 40th among the league’s shooting guards, up slightly from 43rd a year ago when he had the benefit of being part of a playoff team. Gordon fares a little better in ESPN’s Player Efficiency Rating, but he still comes in just 24th among shooting guards.

Those numbers, along with Gordon’s contract situation, make it easy to understand why New Orleans seems more inclined to move him rather than stretch forward Ryan Anderson or point guard Tyreke Evans, whom the team also reportedly explored trading. Like Gordon, Anderson is on an expiring contract, while Evans has one year left on his deal at $11.7MM. In addition, the Pelicans would probably love to find a trade partner to take center Omer Asik off their hands, but the five-year, nearly $53MM deal he signed last offseason makes that problematic.

New Orleans reportedly tried to deal Gordon in January, offering him and Alonzo Gee to the Kings in exchange for Rudy Gay. It’s not known if negotiations between those teams are continuing, but John Reid of The New Orleans Times-Picayune recently wrote that the Pelicans are still seeking a trade that would involve Gordon. No other interested teams have emerged publicly, as Gordon’s salary will necessitate a significant return. Only the Trail Blazers have enough cap room available to take on Gordon without worrying about the salary-matching rules, and Portland is already set at shooting guard with C.J. McCollum enjoying a breakout season.

It could be a buyer’s market for teams hoping to obtain perimeter scoring before the deadline, so the Pelicans may not get as much as they want in return for Gordon. The Wolves have put Kevin Martin on the market, as Chuck Myron examined last month. Also, the Nets’ Joe Johnson is expensive but presumed available, the Grizzlies are gauging interest in Courtney Lee and the Lakers are willing to listen to offers for virtually all of their veterans, including Lou Williams and Nick Young. Other possibilities from underperforming teams include the Bucks’ O.J. Mayo and the Magic’s Evan Fournier.

Gordon’s future in New Orleans will come down to how strongly the Pelicans want to move him and what they’re willing to accept in return. Any potential trading partner probably views Gordon as a risky investment and is unlikely to give the Pelicans enough to help them make another late-season push for the playoffs. However, if New Orleans has decided to focus on the future, the front office can probably find a contender that would be eager to add an instant-offense player like Gordon at a bargain price.

Do you think the Pelicans will make a deal involving Gordon before the February 18th deadline? Please share your opinion in the comments section.

Central Notes: Hibbert, Whittington, Tolliver, Bucks

February 8th, 2016 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

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.

Suns Sign Orlando Johnson To 10-Day Contract

February 5th, 2016 at 12:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:28pm: The signing is official, the team announced. It’ll cover three games, against the Jazz, Thunder and Warriors, the only ones Phoenix has left until the All-Star break, and expire before the February 18th trade deadline.

7:57am: The Suns will sign former Pacers and Kings shooting guard Orlando Johnson to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The two-year NBA veteran has been playing for much of this season with the Spurs affiliate in the D-League. He’s poised to go into the open spot on Phoenix’s roster and add depth on the wing to compensate for the loss of T.J. Warren, who suffered a season-ending broken foot.

Johnson, 26, averaged 4.0 points in 12.1 minutes per game with 38.3% shooting from behind the arc as a rookie in 2012/13 for the Pacers, who had acquired him via trade shortly after the Kings drafted him 36th overall in 2012. His minutes fell the next season and the Pacers waived him at the trade deadline in 2014 to accommodate their deal for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen. He resurfaced on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Kings later that season but has been out of the NBA ever since, though it appeared the Pelicans were considering him last month.

The former UC Santa Barbara player spent the last year and a half playing in Spain, the Philippines and the D-League. He’s averaging 15.2 points in 31.4 minutes per game and hitting 3-pointers at a scintillating 48.6% clip for the D-League Austin Spurs this season. He was slated to take part in the D-League All-Star Game and 3-point shooting contest, but he’ll be ineligible to participate in either if he indeed joins the Suns.

Phoenix already has Jordan McRae on a 10-day contract, as only 13 Suns have deals that run through at least the end of the season. The Suns are reportedly a strong bet to make at least one trade before the February 18th trade deadline, so they have plenty of flexibility to do so. Johnson’s contract would lapse and leave an open roster spot for the trade deadline as long as Phoenix signs him by the end of Monday.

Pelicans Sign Dejean-Jones To Second 10-Day Deal

February 1st, 2016 at 12:32pm CST by Will Joseph

MONDAY, 12:32pm: The signing is official, the team announced. New Orleans plays six games in the next 10 days, against the Grizzlies, Spurs, Lakers, Cavs, Timberwolves and Jazz.

SUNDAY, 2:51pm: The Pelicans will sign combo guard Bryce Dejean-Jones to a second 10-day contract on Monday, Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate reports. Dejean-Jones’ original 10-day pact expired at the end of Saturday.

In his last two games as a starter filling in for Tyreke Evans, Dejean-Jones has averaged 11 points and 5.5 rebounds, as John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune notes. It is also worth noting that shooting guard Eric Gordon is still out because of a broken finger. Dejean-Jones’ second 10-day contract would be set to expire on February 10th and the Pelicans would then have to either sign him for the rest of the season or simply let him go. The sides are working toward a long-term pact, according to Kushner.

Dejean-Jones had signed with the Pelicans in August as an undrafted free agent after earning a spot on New Orleans’ summer league team. He averaged 8.8 points in 18.2 minutes per game during the preseason, but the Pelicans waived him prior to opening night.

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Sixers, Celtics

January 31st, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Will Joseph

Signing Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson, who is set to be a free agent after this season, in the summer would make sense for the Nets because they need outside shooting and would have the money to spend, Andy Vasquez of The Record details. The Nets were actually Anderson’s first team before they shipped him to the Magic, as Vasquez points out. Anderson, 27, is enjoying his best season in the league and is averaging 17.5 points per game. Anderson is also pals with Brook Lopez, and that could be an advantage for the Nets, Vasquez writes. It is worth mentioning, however, that Thaddeus Young, a bright spot for the Nets this season, plays the same position as Anderson.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

Ish Smith‘s former agent turned down a $2.9MM deal from Suns and later declined a $1.5MM offer from Kings over the summer because he strongly believed the Sixers would re-sign him after Smith played well in 25 appearances with Philadelphia last year, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes in an extensive profile. Of course, that did not happen, but Smith nonetheless found his way onto the team this season. The Sixers acquired Smith in a deal with the Pelicans last month and the point guard has flourished since the trade, as Pompey details in the worthwhile read. Smith switched from IAM Sports & Entertainment to Dutt Sports Services for representation.
Knicks point guard Jose Calderon, who is signed through next season, has been a stabilizing presence for New York despite his underwhelming defense and lack of speed, Scott Cacciola of the New York Times relays. Calderon has a reputation around the league for being an ideal teammate, Cacciola adds.
The interesting combination of Kelly Olynyk and Jonas Jerebko on the floor together has opened things up for the Celtics, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com details. Over Boston’s last 10 games, Olynyk and Jerebko have combined to go 29 for 51 on 3-pointers, according to Forsberg. The Celtics re-signed Jerebko this past summer on a two-year, $10MM deal.

And-Ones: Hield, Pelicans, Drummond

January 31st, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The rapid improvement of Buddy Hield‘s 3-point shot leaves Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com skeptical that Hield will bring his record setting accuracy to the NBA level, as Pelton writes in a collaborative piece with ESPN.com’s Chad Ford. The Oklahoma shooting guard is taking 8.3 shots from behind the arc and converting 52.4% of them. The senior hasn’t made more than 39% of his 3-pointers in any other season for the Sooners. Still, both scribes project Hield to be a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.

Here’s more from around the league:

Hield would be a good fit for the Pelicans and he is a realistic target for the team in the upcoming draft, Jeff Duncan of The Time-Picayune opines. The Pelicans are 18-28 on the season, owning the seventh worst record in the league, as our Reverse Standings page shows.
The Hawks are expected to recall center Edy Tavares from the Austin Spurs of the D-League as soon as today, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Andre Drummond, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, was the first Piston to be selected to the All-Star game since Allen Iverson, who was voted in by the fans in 2009, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. Ellis notes that Drummond’s accomplishment represents a sign that the team is taking the right steps forward. The last time the Pistons had an All-Star was also the last time they made the postseason.

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