And-Ones: Raptors, Holiday, Middleton, Asik, Draft
Attracting a major free agent to Toronto comes down to the team’s success on the court, Raptors GM Masai Ujiri believes, and Toronto is holding up its end of the bargain so far this year, as Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com examines. The Raptors are in second place in the Eastern Conference, thanks in part to a lineup of Kyle Lowry, Patrick Patterson, offseason signees Cory Joseph and Bismack Biyombo, and the recently extended Terrence Ross that outscores opponents by a whopping 32.6 points per 100 possessions, Arnovitz notes.
“It’s simple: Win,” Ujiri said. “If you have a good culture, you can attract free agents. We have a very unique opportunity here.”
See more on the Raptors amid the latest from around the NBA:
- Jrue Holiday has shown flashes of his peak form, and that’s perhaps partly because the Pelicans restricted his minutes earlier in the season as he recovered from a stress reaction in his right leg, writes Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate. Would-be trade suitors have been “petrified” about Holiday’s leg issues, though the Pelicans are reluctant to deal him, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com wrote this week. “I think it helped me mentally, for one, preparing mentally to feel good,” Holiday said of the minutes restriction, since lifted. “Not to second-guess myself if I’m making a cut or doing a move, especially when it comes to the point where I’m playing back-to-back and playing a lot of minutes. And physically, I do feel really good right now.”
- The five-year, $70MM deal that Bucks leading scorer Khris Middleton signed this past offseason is the NBA’s most trade-able contract, opines Keith Smith of RealGM, while Pelicans center Omer Asik‘s five-year pact worth nearly $53MM, also signed this past summer, is the league’s least trade-able deal, Smith writes in a follow-up piece.
- LSU combo forward Ben Simmons unsurprisingly tops the latest draft rankings from Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, with Duke small forward Brandon Ingram second and Providence point guard Kris Dunn third.
- Raptors D-League power forward Ronald Roberts, who’s averaging 18.4 points in 34.4 minutes per game, tops the latest D-League prospect rankings.
Pelicans Size Up Market For Tyreke Evans
The Pelicans are listening to trade offers for Tyreke Evans and gauging his market value, sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports wrote earlier this month that the team had discussions about trading Evans, but it wasn’t clear if the talks were internal or involved other teams.
The former Rookie of the Year has been serving as the starting point guard for New Orleans with Jrue Holiday now in a sixth man role. Evans has dealt all season with the lingering effects of an October arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, as Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate details. Still, an MRI this week was negative, with tendinitis the only issue, according to fellow Advocate scribe Brett Dawson (Twitter link).
New Orleans has also reportedly had talks with other teams involving Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson, though Gordon is expected to be out for another three to five weeks with a broken right ring finger, and it appears the team prefers to hold on to Anderson. Those two are on expiring contracts, while Evans, who’s making nearly $10.735MM this season, has one more year left on his deal. Omer Asik‘s name has also reportedly come up in talks, and Scotto wrote in December that the team had made him available to potential trade partners.
It’s been a profound disappointment of a season for the Pelicans so far, as they stand at 16-28, but they’re just three and a half games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Evans is the team’s third leading scorer at 15.2 points per game and shooting 38.8% from 3-point range this season, by far the best percentage of his career.
What should the Pelicans ask in exchange for Evans? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Cavs Notes: Mozgov, Love, LeBron
- No one has wanted to acquire Kevin Love more than Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, Wojnarowski says in the same podcast (scroll to 51-minute mark). Still, podcast guest and Yahoo colleague Chris Mannix suggests it’s too soon for the Cavs to trade Love, who just re-signed with the Cavs to a five-year max deal this past summer. Cavs GM David Griffin wants a versatile, defensive-minded wing player, Mannix hears, speculating that Jae Crowder would fit that bill.
- Griffin has indicated in the wake of David Blatt‘s firing that the onus is on the players to put the team first, though with little recourse for major roster changes, new head coach Tyronn Lue would likely be the one to face the consequences if the Cavs don’t perform up to their potential, as USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt examines. “Our most glaring need is to understand and communicate role delineation and team sacrifice,” Griffin said. “We have to have group buy-in and team-first habits in order to become the team that intend to be. We don’t have to concern ourselves with expectations of a destination. We need to work towards tomorrow and honor one another with total commitment every single day.”
- LeBron James was pointed in his denial that he’s ever undermined a coach in the wake of rumors that he was behind the dismissal of Blatt and sought to have Erik Spoelstra fired, saying that it “does suck that people want to throw my name in dirt for no particular reason, because of speculation or whatever the case may be.” Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal has the details.
Northwest Notes: Hayward, Durant, Plumlee, Davis
The Jazz are “poking around” the market for a point guard, several league sources tell Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. It’s not entirely clear if such efforts are related to the team’s reported 10-day deal with Erick Green, though it would seem given the timing of that agreement, so soon after Raul Neto suffered a concussion Monday, that the team had already been looking. The Heat reportedly rebuffed Utah when it tried to engage them in Mario Chalmers trade talks over the offseason, but the Jazz’s interest in Chalmers was minimal, according to Lowe. The ESPN scribe speculates about other options, including Jrue Holiday, whose leg issues leave teams “petrified” and whom the Pelicans are reluctant to deal, anyway, Lowe reports. Lowe also believes Jeff Teague would be a fit for Utah, but reports that the Hawks have had “major trust issues” with backup Dennis Schröder and are focused on contending this season. In any case, the Jazz appear reluctant to pilfer from their store of future picks, which includes the Warriors unprotected 2017 first-rounder as the relative cost of rookie scale contracts becomes cheaper amid the rapid salary cap escalation, Lowe writes.
“Picks are that much more valuable,” GM Dennis Lindsey said to Lowe.
See more from Utah:
- The impending financial realities threaten the core of the Jazz, as Lowe details in the same piece, and Gordon Hayward, who can opt out after next season, acknowledged to Lowe that they cast a shadow on his future. “I’m constantly thinking about that,” Hayward said. “Contracts are so short now. A lot of our guys are on their rookie deals, and they’ll come up for extensions. It all might determine whether or not I stay in Utah.”
- The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater examines the surprising lack of legitimate rumors about Kevin Durant‘s impending free agency, writing that the idea of the Thunder star signing a deal that would allow him to opt out after just one season “has gained traction.” It’s not clear whether that idea is growing on Durant himself or if more people are simply realizing that it would likely represent the most lucrative path for the former MVP. That would allow him to take advantage of a projected $108MM cap for the summer of 2017 and a higher maximum-salary tier, since he’d be a 10-year veteran.
- The playmaking ability of Trail Blazers offseason acquisitions Mason Plumlee and Ed Davis has helped alleviate the pressure from incumbent guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, as Mike Richman of The Oregonian examines. Plumlee will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
Southwest Rumors: Gordon, Smith, Ginobili
There’s still a chance shooting guard Eric Gordon will be dealt by the Pelicans despite his latest injury, John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. The Pelicans were exploring trade offers for Gordon before he underwent surgery to repair a fractured right ring finger, which will require a four-to-six week recovery period, Reid continues. Gordon, who is making $15.5MM, becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. He started 40 of the team’s first 41 games, averaging 15.0 points per game, but he missed over 100 games due to injury in his first three seasons with the Pelicans, Reid adds. The Kings reportedly refused an offer from the Pelicans earlier this month to deal Rudy Gay for Gordon and Alonzo Gee.
In other news around the Southwest Division:
- Veteran combo forward Josh Smith has already transformed the Rockets’ rotation since they re-acquired him last week from the Clippers, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Smith’s passing out of the post and ability to guard multiple positions allows interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff to stick with a small lineup, Watkins observes. Bickerstaff also likes the way Smith doesn’t shy away from taking big shots, Watkins adds. “He’s a guy, again, because of his ability to pass the ball, he’s a guy that brings everybody together,” Bickerstaff told Watkins. “He can do that because he can make all the passes, he can make all the plays. Then his courage to shoot the ball late when he’s missed a few, most guys would turn those down and since we’ve seen him and he’s been with us, he’s thrived in those situations.”
- The free agent signings of power forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and David West during the offseason gave 38-year-old Manu Ginobili the final push to keep playing, Nick Moyle of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “I wanted to take this challenge,” Ginobili told Moyle. “Sometimes you need a little change, a little shake. But when you see that LaMarcus Aldridge is part of the team, it’s not a little shake any more. So it is very exciting and we have high expectations.” The Spurs’ shooting guard has justified his decision by averaging 10.3 points, nearly the same as last season’s 10.5, despite playing a career-low 20.2 minutes per game, Moyle adds.
Southwest Notes: Asik, Rockets, Mavs
Omer Asik has not played up to expectations after he inked a five-year, $58MM last summer with the Pelicans and the center attributed his lack of performance to an injury and confidence issues, John Reid of The Times Picayune details. Asik said he feels healthier now after dealing with a nagging calf injury the past few weeks, per Reid. Asik is averaging only 3.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. As Reid points out, Asik has scored in double figures only twice this season despite playing in 36 games. Yet last season, Asik scored at least 10 points in 20 games.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- By acquiring Josh Smith from the Clippers Friday, the Rockets have signaled that despite hovering around .500 for most of the season, Houston will still seek upgrades, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays. “There’s three teams that you can say are right, so to speak, obviously; San Antonio, Golden State, Cleveland,” Rockets shooting guard Jason Terry told Feigen. “They understand where they’re headed, what their mission is, what each guy’s role is to get it done. And you can see it. Every time they play, every night, it’s very consistent in how they play and what they do out there. Everybody else is trying to find their way, trying to get hot, trying to figure it out. Us, with the move we just made, is one of those teams. Will we get there? Yes. We’re very optimistic.”
- The Mavs have several strong players, but without a legitimate star, Dallas cannot be considered a title contender, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News opines in response to a reader’s question. The first name that would come to mind for many when thinking about how the Mavs can remedy that is issue is soon-to-be free agent Kevin Durant, but Sefko doesn’t see the superstar coming to Dallas.
- Chandler Parsons has shown signs of improvement with an uptick in scoring the last few games for the Mavs after undergoing knee surgery last May, Sefko writes in a separate piece.
And-Ones: Del Negro, Lue, D-League
The rash of injuries the Heat have suffered this season are taking a toll on the players, who have been asked to log significantly more minutes than normal as a result, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. “The toughest part about it is that you always worry about the health of your teammate, first and foremost,” Chris Bosh said. “You always want guys to be as healthy as possible, but when it’s another guy going down, it’s just tough. Two weeks ago, we were going into a West Coast road trip, really trying to prove ourselves with a whole roster and now we’ve got six guys out. It’s just a tough pill to swallow.”
While the situation is far from ideal, Bosh did note that the team’s younger players were benefiting from the increased playing time, Kennedy adds. “We’re constantly just trying to digest what’s going on, take the hit on the chin and then regroup,” Bosh continued. “Our young guys are trying [to fill in], but they’re inexperienced and they’re really learning on the fly. I think the best part about it is it’s going to help us in the long run because these guys are getting minutes under stressful situations, and that’s how it’s going to be later on.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Celtics big man Jared Sullinger is a big fan of new Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, and he raves about the former Boston assistant’s demeanor and knowledge, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “I like Ty Lue,” Sullinger told Blakely. “He knows a lot about the game. He helped me out big-time when he was here, as far as helping me stay calm, staying confident and just staying ready at all times.”
- Vinny Del Negro expects to coach in the NBA again, as he told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports in an appearance on the “The Vertical” podcast. Del Negro confirmed that he has had interviews with the Pelicans, Timberwolves, Nuggets and Cavaliers since the Clippers let him go in 2013, adding that he had extensive player personnel duties in his final year with L.A. “From Jamal Crawford to Matt Barnes to Chauncey [Billups] to Grant [Hill] to everyone, doing the sign-and-trade for Willie Green, everything that was involved. All the front office did was the paperwork,” Del Negro said (audio link, scroll to 28-minute mark).
- The Rockets have assigned Montrezl Harrell and K.J. McDaniels to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Harrell’s third trek to Rio Grande Valley and McDaniels’ fifth on the season.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Elijah Millsap Signs With Maccabi Tel Aviv
SATURDAY, 2:45pm: The signing is official, the team announced (h/t Sportando).
THURSDAY, 10:17pm: Free agent shooting guard Elijah Millsap is close to signing with the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops reports (via Twitter) and Adam Johnson of D-League Digest confirms (on Twitter). The sides have reached agreement, as international journalist David Pick clarifies (Twitter link). The arrangement will cover the rest of the season and won’t include any NBA escape clause, Pick tells Hoops Rumors. Millsap drew mention as a possible 10-day contract candidate for the Pelicans, who signed Bryce Dejean-Jones earlier today.
Millsap was waived earlier this month by the Jazz, who cut him rather than guaranteeing his minimum salary contract for the remainder of the season. The 28-year-old brother of Hawks combo forward Paul Millsap had seen his minutes decrease this season to 8.6 per contest in 20 appearances after averaging 19.7 minutes a night in 47 games with Utah last year. His career stats are 4.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists to accompany a shooting line of .332/.284/.683.
The 28-year-old client of Brendrick DeAngelo Simmons and Daniel Hazan has been to training camp with the Lakers, Thunder and Bucks since going undrafted out of UAB in 2010, and he spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors in September 2014 about his journey to the NBA.
Pelicans Sign Bryce Dejean-Jones To 10-Day Pact
THURSDAY, 3:24pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
WEDNESDAY, 5:31pm: The Pelicans intend to sign combo guard Bryce Dejean-Jones to a 10-day contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link) and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports confirms (via Twitter). The addition of Dejean-Jones will give New Orleans a roster count of 15 players, which is the regular season maximum.
New Orleans needs to add backcourt depth in the wake of losing shooting guard Eric Gordon for four to six weeks after he underwent surgery to repair a broken right finger earlier today. The Pelicans are ineligible to apply for a disabled player exception, because the deadline to do so was this past Friday. Gordon and Quincy Pondexter, who underwent season-ending surgery today, are the only Pelicans with current long-term injuries, so a hardship provision of a 16th roster spot isn’t a possibility.
Dejean-Jones had signed with the Pelicans back in August as an undrafted free agent after winning a spot on the New Orleans summer league team. He averaged 8.8 points in 18.2 minutes per game during the preseason, but a slew of injuries helped convince the Pelicans to waive him prior to opening night. He’s since joined the Jazz affiliate in the D-League and has posted 19.2 points in 31.3 minutes per contest across nine appearances.
And-Ones: Pelicans, Conley, Magic
It’s widely known that the Pelicans want to shake up their roster, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick, who says in a video report that sources tell him New Orleans has been much more willing to trade Eric Gordon than Ryan Anderson. Of course, the broken right ring finger that’s likely to keep Gordon out for the next four to six weeks complicates that situation. The Kings reportedly turned down an offer from New Orleans of Gordon and Alonzo Gee recently amid talks about Rudy Gay, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported last week. See more from around the NBA:
- Mike Conley gave strong indication that he’d be hard-pressed to sign with any team other than the Grizzlies in free agency this summer, pegging the difficulty of leaving teammate Marc Gasol as an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10 in response to a question from Matt Moore of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). We recently discussed Conley’s impending free agency in Tuesday’s Community Shootaround.
- The Magic have lost eight of their last nine games, and GM Rob Hennigan pins it on inconsistency that stems from having a roster laden with young players, as he told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Hennigan said he accepts blame for building a roster that perhaps has too much youth and suggested that he’s been trying to make moves to add experienced hands. “We’ll continue to be extremely selective with the types of veterans we pursue. But rest assured we’ll aggressively pursue any and all players that we feel fit the character of our team and can help push the team forward,” Hennigan said as part of a larger interview with the Sentinel scribe.
- Hennigan also hinted that he played a role in the team’s decision to bench former No. 2 overall pick Victor Oladipo earlier this season and praised coach Scott Skiles, citing the need for patience with the first-year coach even though it’s not his first NBA head coaching gig, as Robbins relays. The GM indicated a strong desire to retain soon-to-be restricted free agent Evan Fournier, countering the idea that the team isn’t entirely sure about re-signing him. “We really value Evan,” Hennigan said to Robbins. “We’ve said that all along, and I’ll say about Evan what we said about Tobias [Harris], which is it’s our intention that he’ll be here for many years to come. We really, really like him and think he’s a great piece to continue to grow with our team.”