New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Sixers, Stephenson, Anderson

December 10th, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

No one in the NBA expects Sixers GM Sam Hinkie will have the ability to overrule chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo on the team’s personnel decisions going forward, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. It was around the time of Jahlil Okafor‘s autumn off–court incidents that Sixers owner Josh Harris and commissioner Adam Silver first spoke about what one source described to Berger as a “course correction” for the team. Harris asked Silver for advice, and the commissioner gave him a list of people, with Colangelo’s name on top, to consider for the new front office role the owner was considering, Berger explains. Silver reached out to Colangelo to measure his interest in joining the Sixers, introduced him to Harris, and let them work it out from there, league sources said to Berger. We passed along more earlier today on the Colangelo hiring, and we’ll share news from around the league here:

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers denies that he’s reached out to any teams about trading Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith, but Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher (video link) hears the Clippers are anxious to move the two. Stephenson and Smith are frustrated with their roles, Bucher adds. “That’s silly talk. Nothing. No truth,” Rivers said, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, in response to an initial report that the Clippers had gauged the interest that other teams have in trading for them.
Virtually no trade market exists for Stephenson, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece, and the Clippers would have to attach another player to him in any viable trade proposal, one league source said to Kyler. A feeling exists that the Clippers would be willing to take on a sizable contract via trade, so Stephenson’s $9MM salary could come in handy for matching purposes, but for now, the Clippers’ trade talks are exploratory in nature, Kyler hears.
The Pelicans‘ first preference would be to keep Ryan Anderson instead of trading him, but the power forward’s upcoming free agency may force their hand, Kyler adds in the same piece. New Orleans would think about trading Anderson for Markieff Morris, especially if Anderson signals he won’t re-sign with the Pelicans when his contract expires this summer, as Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported this week.

Max Deal In Play For Ryan Anderson?

December 8th, 2015 at 4:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

A source within an NBA team told Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times and Basketball Insiders that he expects Ryan Anderson will be able to command a maximum-salary contract this summer (Twitter link). The Pelicans are willing to consider trading Anderson for Markieff Morris, especially if Anderson indicates he doesn’t want to sign a new deal with the Pelicans, as Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported earlier today. Pincus’ source, who isn’t with one of the Los Angeles teams, cited the 2016 free agent market, which isn’t particularly strong past the top few names.

Anderson is making $8.5MM in the final season of his contract. He’ll be a veteran of eight years by this summer, so he’d be eligible for the middle-tier max of a projected $24.9MM. New Orleans, which has his Bird rights to exceed the cap to re-sign him, already has more than $63.8MM in guaranteed salary for next season, as Pincus notes, so a new max deal for Anderson would make it difficult for the team to open significant cap room. Phoenix has about $60MM in guaranteed salary for 2016/17, including $7.4MM for Morris.

Two executives recently told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Rajon Rondo is in play for a max deal next summer, just one year after he signed a one-year, $9.5MM contract with Sacramento. Those executives cautioned that it’s not a certainty, particularly with so much of the season remaining, and that’s likely the case with Anderson, too. Driving such talk about lucrative deals is the rising cap, projected to surge to $89MM with many reportedly believing it’ll go as high as $95MM. It will leave many teams with max-level cap flexibility to either retain their own players or pay a premium to nab free agents from others.

How much do you think Anderson should see on his next deal? Leave a comment to tell us.

Pelicans, Suns Open Talks On Markieff Morris

December 8th, 2015 at 12:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pelicans and Suns have engaged in preliminary dialogue about a trade involving Markieff Morris, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. New Orleans has “significant interest” in acquiring Morris and would consider giving up Ryan Anderson, especially if Anderson, who’s on an expiring contract, doesn’t show interest in signing new deal, Wojnarowski and Charania hear. Morris has continued to push for a trade, the Yahoo scribes write, which casts doubt on what seemed to be a change of heart at the beginning of the season, when Morris professed that he wanted to stay in Phoenix.

The felony aggravated assault charges that Morris faces concern just about every team interested in trading for him, sources told Wojnarowski and Charania. Still, belief around the league is growing that the Suns are warming to the idea of trading him after having resisted since he demanded a trade over the summer, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported when he identified the Rockets as another Morris suitor. The Pistons are also reportedly interested, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reported in October.

Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post first connected Anderson and Morris in the offseason, when he wrote that Phoenix was attempting to trade Morris and that Phoenix was targeting Anderson. That report came after the Suns agreed to trade Marcus Morris, Markieff’s twin, to the Pistons, but before Markieff publicly made his trade demand.

Sources close to the Pelicans recently told Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that the team values Anderson quite highly and that it would take a “monster offer” for New Orleans to think about parting with him. The Pelicans are enamored with the potential pairing of Morris and Anthony Davis, Wojnarowski and Charania write, so perhaps that’s enough to sway the New Orleans brass.

Morris has indicated on multiple occasions since he backed off his trade demand at the start of training camp that he’s content with the Suns, and he even said after coach Jeff Hornacek removed him from the starting lineup for Friday’s game that he deserved the benching. Morris didn’t comment after Sunday’s game, when Hornacek declined to play him at all.

Anderson’s $8.5MM salary is nearly identical to the $8MM Morris is making, so a one-for-one swap would work. Both are eligible to be traded immediately and aren’t subject to the December 15th date upon which most offseason signees become trade-eligible. The primary difference in their contracts is the remaining length. Morris is in the first year of a four-year extension, while Anderson is poised to hit free agency in the summer ahead.

Who do you think would benefit most from a Morris-Anderson swap? Leave a comment to let us know.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Allen, Martin, Adams

December 7th, 2015 at 12:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavericks have established a tight-knit locker room, and that’s why the team is in no hurry to make deals once most offseason signees around the league become eligible to be traded December 15th, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News wrote last week. The team is 12-9 and, in a surprise, tied for fourth in the Western Conference.

“We’re not exactly sure what we have yet,” said Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, according to Sefko.

The Morning News scribe speculates that backup center is the only spot that might elicit an upgrade, with the still-recovering JaVale McGee limited to no more than 15 minutes per game and unable to play back-to-backs, but the Mavs only have two back-to-back sets the rest of the month, Sefko notes. See more from the Southwest Division:

Tony Allen remains a starter, but he’s failed to score or play as many as 20 minutes in four straight games, notes Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal, who examines the swingman’s changing role for the Grizzlies. Allen is signed through 2016/17.
Jarell Martin, whom the Grizzlies drafted 25th overall this year, is moving closer to a return from a broken foot, and when he does make his season debut, it’ll be on D-League assignment, Herrington writes in the same piece. Jordan Adams will also probably go to the D-League when he comes back from right knee soreness, Herrington adds.
Center Mirza Begić, briefly with the Pelicans during the preseason, has formally joined Bilbao of Spain on a deal for the rest of the season, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi). J.M. Cortizas of El Correo first reported Begić was close to signing.

Western Notes: West, Gobert, Arthur

December 6th, 2015 at 8:36pm CST by Will Joseph

After crunching the numbers, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald notes that David West left $10,500,813 on the table to sign with the Spurs after opting out of the final year of his contract with the Pacers. West explained to Bulpett that a shot to win a championship meant more than money.

“The only question I needed to answer was, ‘Will my lifestyle change? Will my family’s lifestyle change?’ That was a no,” West said, per Bulpett. “I’ve been preparing to make a decision like this for quite some time, just planning the right way and being a little patient early on and just always having the idea of living well below my means. That’s always allowed me the room to make a decision like I made. A lot of people can’t understand that because they just don’t know me. A lot of that criticism is from far off. To me, it was just a basketball decision.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

While a definitive timeline was not provided, Jazz coach Quin Snyder hinted that Rudy Gobert, who is out indefinitely after suffering Grade II sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, could be out for a couple of months, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News tweets.
Alvin Gentry‘s job as Pelicans head coach has been made much more difficult because of the rash of injuries the team has experienced, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com writes. The Pelicans have used 11 different lineups so far this season, according to Verrier. New Orleans is 5-15, which is obviously not the start Gentry had in mind when he took the job in May and inherited what was thought to be a promising team.
Darrell Arthur, whom the Nuggets re-signed to a two-year deal in August, is playing better than he has in recent years and his success lately can be attributed to a rediscovered jumper, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post writes. Arthur has scored in double-figures in five of his last eight games, Dempsey adds.

Southwest Notes: Hill, Bickerstaff, Lawson, Lee

December 5th, 2015 at 8:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Alvin Gentry refused to directly address rumors that the Pelicans are interested in the Pacers’ Solomon Hill, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune. It was reported Friday that Indiana is making Hill available for a deal, and New Orleans is believed to be among the suitors. ”I’ve got enough problems coaching the team,” Gentry said today. ”We got really competent guys with [GM] Dell [Demps] and his whole group that handle all of the personnel part of it.When it comes time or a situation where they are going to do that, they always talk to me about it. As of right now, all my energy and everything is going towards trying to figure out how we can get this whole thing straightened out.”

There’s more news from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons believes J.B. Bickerstaff has a bright future as a head coach, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Parsons, a former Rocket, worked closely with Bickerstaff during his time in Houston and says the coach has what it takes to be successful. “The biggest thing with a coach is how to manage players, how to get along with players, how to manage egos,” Parsons said. “He’s going to have respect from his guys. X’s and O’s he was always great. Time outs when I had him he was always able to draw something up on the fly. I think he’s going to be a really, really good young coach in this league.”
Kings coach George Karl says things will get easier for Ty Lawson in Houston, Feigen writes in a separate story. Karl coached Lawson in Denver and contends the point guard just needed to make it through the adjustment period. “Ty is one of these guys, he needs a comfort zone,” Karl said. “I don’t think he’s found it yet. Once he finds it, you’re going to see a much better player than you’re seeing so far.”
Courtney Lee has turned into a productive reserve for the Grizzlies, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. After shooting 34% from the field and 19% from three-point range in the season’s first 10 games as a starter, Lee has improved those numbers to 48% and 31% since moving to the bench. “It’s part of being a professional,” said Lee, who will be a free agent next summer. “Throughout your career, everybody has a role either as a starter or they come off the bench. It’s just about how you handle it.”

Pacers Make Solomon Hill Available For Trade

December 4th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:30pm: The Pelicans have expressed interest in Hill, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star tweets.

11:25am: The Pacers have made Solomon Hill available to other teams who might be interested in trading for him, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports within a column. Indiana declined its 2016/17 rookie scale option on Hill before the season, so he’s set for unrestricted free agency in the offseason ahead, when he’ll be just three years removed from having been the 23rd overall pick. The Pacers are ineligible to re-sign him next summer for a starting salary of more than $2,306,019 because they declined the option, which was worth precisely that amount. That restriction would transfer to any team that might trade for the 24-year-old small forward.

Hill led an injury-racked Pacers team in total minutes last season, when he averaged 8.9 points in 29.0 minutes per game, but he’s outside the rotation this year, notching just 6.3 minutes per night across seven appearances. That’s in spite of a revamped Pacers attack that puts a greater emphasis on wing players like the 6’7″ former University of Arizona player, who’s making slightly less than $1.359MM this season.

It’s no shock to see Hill in trade rumors, since all four of the players whose rookie scale team options were declined in 2014 are no longer with the team that declined the option. Hill and swingmen Sergey Karasev of the Nets and P.J. Hairston of the Hornets are the only three players who didn’t have their rookie scale options picked up this year, and trade chatter has already surfaced surrounding Karasev, too, though he denied reports that he wanted the Nets to deal him away. I speculated in a recent mailbag column that Hill would become a trade candidate.

It’s unclear if any team has interest in Hill. He’s eligible to be traded immediately, but most in-season deals don’t happen until the majority of the players who signed in the offseason become trade-eligible on December 15th. The Pacers are more than $12MM clear of the luxury tax threshold, so they have no shortage of financial flexibility.

New York Notes: Prokhorov, Teletovic, Fredette

December 2nd, 2015 at 4:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nets majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov and real estate developer Bruce Ratner’s Forest City Enterprises have reached an agreement that will give Prokhorov sole ownership of the team and the Barclays Center, Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com reports. The terms of the potential sale have not been disclosed, and the NBA is in the process of reviewing the proposal, Soshnick notes. Gaining full ownership of the Nets and Barclays Center would make it easier for Prokhorov to sell all or part of either asset if he desired down the line, the Bloomberg scribe adds. The franchise is still undergoing a valuation to assess its worth, but sources have informed NetsDaily (via Twitter) that the team itself, minus the arena, will be second to only the Clippers, which sold to Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.

Here’s more from the Big Apple:

Mirza Teletovic, whom the Suns signed to one-year, $5.5MM deal this past offseason, didn’t shut the door on a potential return to the Nets in the future, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (via Twitter). When asked if he’d consider playing in Brooklyn again, Teletovic said, “Yeah, why not? I enjoyed the time here. Like I said before, I love the city, I love the atmosphere, I love the way people treat basketball and they show respect to it. I really wouldn’t mind.“
Jimmer Fredette, who recently returned to the Knicks‘ D-League affiliate after the Pelicans waived him, hopes he can catch the eye of an NBA team and return to the league this season, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “I know I can play in the NBA, and I can be a very good player in the NBA. I’m excited to be able to start here,” Fredette told Begley. “Sometimes you’ve got to be able to go backwards in order to get back up to where you want to be.“
The Knicks have recalled Cleanthony Early from their D-League affiliate, the team announced, just hours after sending him down. This was Early’s second trip of the season to Westchester.

Southwest Notes: Matthews, Lawson, Anderson

December 1st, 2015 at 11:44am CST by Chuck Myron

Wesley Matthews was initially bitter that the Trail Blazers didn’t make him an offer this past summer, but he now understands how GM Neil Olshey and company saw his future with Portland as having been inextricably tied to LaMarcus Aldridge‘s, as Jason Quick of CSNNW.com details. Matthews told Quick he already feels at home in Dallas and is secure in his decision to join the Mavericks, and while his former coach is surprised at how quickly he returned from last spring’s Achilles injury, he thinks it makes sense that Matthews has found the Mavs to his liking.

“Other than staying in Portland, he couldn’t have found a better situation,’’ Blazers coach Terry Stotts said to Quick. “I’m really pleased that everything worked out so well for him, because he deserves it.’’

See more from around the Southwest Division:

Opposing teams believe they’ll be able to trade for Ty Lawson on the cheap, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The Rockets, who have a record of 7-11, have been “sniffing around” for deals, Kyler adds, though it’s not entirely clear whether they’ve had discussions about Lawson, who gave up the guarantee on his salary of more than $13.213MM next season to facilitate the swap that sent him to Houston this past summer.
Ryan Anderson‘s name surfaces more often than any other Pelicans player in Kyler’s conversations with sources, but sources close to the team told Kyler that the organization places a remarkably high value on Anderson and that it would take a “monster offer” for New Orleans to think about parting with him.
It took a while for Matt Barnes‘ offense to catch up with his defense, but the Grizzlies‘ offseason trade acquisition is clicking on both ends thanks to the team’s swifter pace, increased motion and open minutes at power forward, observes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Barnes and coach Dave Joerger appear confident the 35-year-old will continue to flourish even with Zach Randolph back from a five-game absence. “Small ball is where the league is headed. We still have one of the best power forwards in the game,” Barnes said. “[Randolph] is old-school, so we just have to mix small ball in with what this team is accustomed to and what they made their name on. It’s been a learning curve for all of us, but we’re getting the hang of it.”

And-Ones: Dunleavy, Mekel, D-League

November 30th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy Jr., who underwent back surgery in September, suffered a “setback” and his timetable for a return to the court is unclear, coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters, including Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. Dunleavy re-signed with Chicago during the summer. Hoiberg, per Friedell, said there isn’t concern at this time that Dunleavy will have to miss the entire season or have another procedure on his back.

Here’s more from around the league:

Former Mavericks and Pelicans point guard Gal Mekel has signed with European power-agent Misko Raznatovic, International Journalist David Pick tweets.
The Knicks have assigned Cleanthony Early to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Early has only seen 24 minutes of NBA action this season.
The Cavs have recalled Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. Harris appeared in three games during his latest stint, averaging 22.7 points in 36.9 minutes per game.
Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders takes a look at the league’s landscape so far this season and the Hawks are among his underachievers. Greene believes one major reason for the disappointing start is that Atlanta still hasn’t found an adequate replacement for DeMarre Carroll.

Will Joseph contributed to this post.