New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Interested In Norris Cole

July 14th, 2015 at 10:33am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers have expressed interested in Pelicans restricted free agent Norris Cole, reports Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). The point guard’s free agency has been slow-going so far, as the Pelicans have reportedly made a push to re-sign him but are only willing to go so far.

The Rich Paul client went from Miami to New Orleans in the Goran Dragic trade at the deadline, when the Wizards, Thunder, Bucks and Cavs all reportedly had varying degrees of interest in him. None of those teams have been linked to him this summer. The Sixers, as usual, have the cap space necessary to outbid other suitors. Aside from an apparent training camp deal with undrafted free agent T.J. McConnell, Philadelphia has yet to make a move in free agency.

The Pelicans, who can match all competing bids, made Cole a qualifying offer worth nearly $3.037MM. New Orleans is capped out, but it has his Bird rights and no other logical option on the roster to back up at point guard, aside from Toney Douglas, who’s on a non-guaranteed deal, and Tyreke Evans, who sees plenty of time at other positions.

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Multiple Teams Eye Carlos Boozer

July 13th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

July 13th, 9:15pm: The Nuggets and Knicks, in addition to the Pelicans, Clippers, Raptors and Spurs, are interested in Boozer, according to Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (Twitter link).

1:21pm: The interest between Boozer and the Clippers is mutual, a source tells Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

July 7th, 1:12pm: The Pelicans are also showing interest, Broussard tweets. His latest dispatch doesn’t include the Spurs, so it’s unclear if they’re still in the mix after reaching a deal with David West.

July 6th, 1:21pm: Free agent Carlos Boozer is in talks with the Clippers, Spurs, Mavericks and Raptors, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com first reported that the Spurs had expressed interest, while Broussard identified San Antonio and Dallas on the eve of free agency as teams that were poised to pursue the Rob Pelinka client, along with the Nets, Rockets, Heat and incumbent Lakers.

The Mavs and Spurs would appear to have the most to spend among the four teams that Broussard reports in connection with Boozer today, as they have the $2.814MM room exception at their disposal. However, it seems Dallas is nearing a deal for that exception amount, and San Antonio reportedly has interest in David West, perhaps at that same price point. It looks like Toronto has its room exception earmarked for Bismack Biyombo, while the Clippers have $2.088MM left on their mid-level in the wake of Paul Pierce‘s deal and the departure of DeAndre Jordan.

Boozer, who’ll turn 34 in November, expressed a willingness to take a bench role as he expressed his desire to re-sign with the Lakers. Someone close to the power forward told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that he wouldn’t be surprised if Boozer signed with the Heat this summer, though it’s unclear if either the Lakers or the Heat still have interest.

Free Agent Roundup: Thompson, Sloan, Datome

July 12th, 2015 at 12:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers GM David Griffin remains optimistic the team will retain restricted free agent Tristan Thompson, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reports. “I think we’ll wind up getting something done,” Griffin told the Cleveland media. Amico opines that Thompson should take the reported five-year, $80MM contract that Cleveland has offered him, given that the club already has three max-level players in LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. It may come down to the Cavs having to match an offer sheet for the power forward, Amico adds.

In other free agent news:

Donald Sloan is discussing a contract with the Spurs, Bulls and Mavericks, league sources told RealGM’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Sloan spent the past two seasons with the Pacers and averaged 7.4 points, 3.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 53 games last season, including 21 starts.
The Pistons are looking to re-sign point guard John Lucas III, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Magic, Spurs, Mavericks and Clippers are also interested, Stein adds. Lucas would give the Pistons four point guards along with Reggie Jackson, Brandon Jennings and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Luigi Datome‘s Eurobasket profile has the free agent forward signing with Khimki Moscow but Eurobasket.com’s David Pick is skeptical, adding that Datome might wind up with CSKA Moscow if he plays overseas (Twitter links). Datome played for the Pistons and Celtics last season.
Fuquan Edwin drew interest from three NBA teams after he scored 16 points and made two steals for the Pelicans’ summer league team, Adam Zagoria of SNY.TV tweets. The former Seton Hall shooting guard played for Guaros de Lara in the Venezuelan league last season.

Southwest Notes: Parsons, Asik, Aldridge

July 10th, 2015 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In a candid Q&A session with Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, Mavs forward Chandler Parsons detailed the team’s recruitment of DeAndre Jordan, and expressed his disappointment with the center re-signing with the Clippers. When asked about his reaction to Jordan spurning Dallas, Parsons told MacMahon, “I’m shocked, very disappointed, frustrated, disrespected. This is something that I’ve never seen in my career, and I know that it doesn’t happen very often. When a man gives you his word and an organization his word, especially when that organization put in so much effort and I walked him through this process and was very, very open and willing to work with him, it’s just very unethical and disrespectful.”

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

It’s the Spurs‘ own 2016 second-rounder headed to Sacramento in the Ray McCallum trade, according to RealGM.
The protection on the 2017 second-round pick headed from the Hawks to the Spurs in the Tiago Splitter trade is for the top 55 picks, as RealGM details.
The four-year max deal that Wesley Matthews signed with the Mavs includes a player option after year three, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter link).
The final season in Omer Asik‘s five-year deal with the Pelicans is an early termination option. That season is partially guaranteed for $3MM, though he can end up with a larger partial guarantee if he triggers incentives, Pincus notes (Twitter links).
The Grizzlies used the mid-level exception for their deal with Brandan Wright. Pincus pegs its value at $17.1MM, though he’s probably rounding down from $17,129,640, the full value of the mid-level over three years. Wright also has a 15% trade kicker.
Alexis Ajinca‘s four-year deal with the Pelicans is worth $19.2MM, tweets Pincus.
The starting salary in Patrick Beverley‘s deal with the Rockets is $6,486,486, but that’s a function of front-loading. It’s worth a total of $23MM over four years, Pincus relays (on Twitter).
LaMarcus Aldridge has a 15% trade kicker in his max deal with the Spurs, notes Pincus (via Twitter).
The Mavs considered trying to swing a trade for Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson before Deron Williams reached a buyout arrangement with the Nets, MacMahon tweets. Williams is expected to sign with Dallas if he clears waivers, which is highly likely given the point guard’s player-friendly contract.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pelicans Re-Sign Dante Cunningham

July 9th, 2015 at 9:34am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 9TH, 9:34am: The signing is official, the team announced.

JULY 4TH, 2:07pm: Dante Cunningham has reached a new deal with the Pelicans, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN. It will be a three-year contract worth a total of $9MM, with the third year as a player option, according to Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).

Cunningham told John Reid of The Times Picayune earlier this week that several teams were interested in his services. He came to New Orleans in December on a veteran’s minimum contract and made nearly $832K last season. The Pelicans didn’t have Bird Rights on Cunningham, so they were limited in what they could offer. Reid wrote that the team was looking at Richard Jefferson and Quincy Acy as possible replacements.

The 28-year-old Cunningham appeared in 66 games for the Pelicans last season, averaging 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He took over as the starting small forward in January, but lost that job to Quincy Pondexter after the All-Star break.

Pelicans Re-Sign Alexis Ajinca

July 9th, 2015 at 9:33am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 9TH, 9:33am: The deal is official, the team announced.

JULY 1ST, 1:00pm: The Pelicans will re-sign Alexis Ajinca to a four-year, $20.2MM deal, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Sam Amick of USA Today has the deal worth $20.5MM (on Twitter). Ajinca took to Twitter to reveal that he and New Orleans have a deal. It’s quite a raise on the minimum salary that the Bradley Ames client had been making. The Pelicans, who are above the cap, can use Early Bird rights on the center.

New Orleans withdrew its $1,147,276 qualifying offer to Jeff Withey shortly before reports of the agreement, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (on Twitter), making Withey an unrestricted free agent and further pointing to the team’s commitment to Ajinca as its backup center. The Pelicans have a deal on an extension with Anthony Davis, but Omer Asik, the team’s starting center, is a free agent.

Pelicans Re-Sign Omer Asik

July 9th, 2015 at 9:31am CST by Eddie Scarito

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 9TH, 9:31am: The deal is official, the team announced.

9:07am: The guaranteed portion is worth almost $45MM, and it’s incentives and non-guaranteed money that could make it worth $60MM, sources told Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

JULY 2ND, 8:59am: The agreement is finalized, tweets John Reid of The Times-Picayune, though the contract itself can’t become official for another week, when the July Moratorium ends.

11:32pm: The final year of the deal is not guaranteed, Stein adds (Twitter link).

11:18pm: Asik’s proposed deal would be for five years, $60MM, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.

JULY 1ST, 9:56pm: The Pelicans and free agent Omer Asik are finalizing a deal that would bring the center back to New Orleans next season, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). The contract details are still being hammered out, but the two sides are expected to reach a verbal agreement by the end of the night, Stein adds.

Asik appeared in 76 contests for the Pelicans last season, averaging 7.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 26.1 minutes per night. His career numbers through 354 games are 5.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 0.9 BPG, with a slash line of .531/.000/.553.

Pelicans Sign Anthony Davis To Max Extension

July 8th, 2015 at 11:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Pelicans

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 9TH, 11:13pm: The signing is official, the team announced. “Words cannot describe the excitement of the New Orleans Pelicans to have Anthony Davis as the cornerstone of our organization,” said Pelicans GM Dell Demps. “Anthony is a great person, a phenomenal player and the ideal representative of his family, the Pelicans and the New Orleans community. We are thrilled to have Anthony commit to the Pelicans as we continue to build our team to have sustained success.”

JUNE 30TH, 11:03pm: The Pelicans and Anthony Davis have agreed to an extension moments after they became eligible to do so, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). It’s a five-year max deal worth an estimated $145MM, Wojnarowski writes in a full story. The full value won’t be known until next July, when the NBA sets the salary cap and max salaries for 2016/17. It’ll have either a player option or an early termination option on the final year, according to Marc Stein on ESPN.com (Twitter link). Davis took to Twitter to confirm the deal (hat tip to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News).

Davis was an All-NBA selection this season, and if he is again so honored in 2015/16, or if he wins MVP, he’ll trigger the Derrick Rose rule and be eligible for a maximum salary of approximately 30% of the cap instead of just 25%. That 30% max will be an estimated $25MM, or thereabouts, for 2016/17, while the 25% max would be about $21MM. Davis will presumably receive the maximum 7.5% raises on whatever the starting salary in his new deal is.

New Orleans has been planning a max extension for its budding star for a while, and John Reid of The Times-Picayune wrote today that the Pelicans intended to act quickly. They did just that, securing the Wasserman Media Group client for at least five more seasons, since the extension won’t kick in until after 2015/16.

Western Rumors: Durant, Cauley-Stein, Lee, Suns

July 8th, 2015 at 10:02am CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavericks believe they’re legitimate contenders for Kevin Durant next summer, buoyed as they are by their agreements to sign DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com. Of course, they’ll have plenty of competition, as many teams will no doubt line up for a chance at the player atop the 2016 free agent class. The Wizards have reportedly loomed as the top threat to the Thunder for the former MVP. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

One lottery team took Willie Cauley-Stein off its board completely over concerns about his surgically repaired left ankle, while another two teams cleared him, but “just barely,” according to Mannix, who writes in the same piece. The Kings drafted Cauley-Stein sixth overall.
The Warriors didn’t have any option of moving David Lee for no salary in return when they agreed to take on Gerald Wallace from the Celtics, according to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. The trade agreement nonetheless shrinks Golden State’s projected outlay from nearly $150MM in combined payroll and tax payments to about $128MM, Kawakami writes.
Suns coach Jeff Hornacek knows and likes Derrick Favors from his time as a Jazz assistant coach, but Utah is firm in its position to keep the power forward, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, suggesting that Phoenix is more likely to make a major addition via trade than free agency at this point. Speculation linking the Suns to Ryan Anderson doesn’t seem likely to bear fruit, Coro adds.
The Thunder met with free agent Keith Appling on Tuesday, a visit that could lead to a training camp invitation, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The former Michigan State point guard was with the Lakers for preseason this past fall.

Suns Shop Markieff Morris

July 7th, 2015 at 10:09am CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns have been attempting to trade Markieff Morris, as Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post hears (Twitter link). Schultz points to a poor relationship between Morris and coach Jeff Hornacek, and Phoenix’s agreement to trade twin Marcus Morris to the Pistons. Schultz is also hearing the suggestion that the Suns are targeting Ryan Anderson, among other power forwards (Twitter link), though it’s unclear if Anderson is indeed in their sights.

The Suns would have traded Markieff Morris if LaMarcus Aldridge had committed to come to Phoenix, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes, though Schultz’s report would suggest that offloading the remaining Morris brother is still a focus for the Suns even though Aldridge has agreed to a deal with the Spurs instead. The Morris twins are facing felony aggravated assault charges stemming from a January incident. The Suns had allowed them to divvy up $52MM in extension money this past fall, and the brothers prioritized sticking together, but Phoenix split the two even before their extensions kicked in. Markieff Morris is slated to make $8MM this coming season in the first year of his four-year, $32MM extension.

It’s unclear if Phoenix is looking to clear cap space with a Morris trade, as it surely would have if Aldridge were still a possibility, or if the Suns would prefer to trade Morris for a player who can contribute. Anderson would certainly fit the mold of a productive player, and his salary $8.5MM salary for this coming season is a match, but New Orleans would have to be motivated to give him up.