New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs Sign Kendrick Perkins

February 24th, 2015 at 3:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

TUESDAY, 3:40pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

9:49pm: Perkins will sign with the Cavaliers Tuesday before the team plays in Detroit, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

MONDAY, 4:14pm: Perkins has cleared waivers as expected, a source tells Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link), clearing the way for him to sign with the Cavs.

SATURDAY, 3:30pm: Kendrick Perkins has finalized a buyout arrangement with the Jazz and intends to sign with the Cavaliers if and when he clears waivers, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports. Perkins was dealt to the Jazz on Thursday as part of a three-way trade with the Pistons and Thunder that sent Reggie Jackson to Detroit and Enes Kanter to Oklahoma City. The buyout has not been officially announced by the player or the Jazz as of yet, though Perkins’ agent Arn Tellem has informed Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that a buyout had been agreed upon.

The veteran big man was recruited by LeBron James to select Cleveland as his next NBA destination, Young notes. Perkins also drew heavy interest from the Bulls, Clippers, Pelicans, and Spurs, the ESPN scribe adds. The combination of a chance to contend for an NBA title along with an opportunity for playing time pushed Perkins to choose Cleveland over his other suitors, Young relays. The Cavs currently have 14 players on their roster, so no additional move would be required to sign Perkins. No contract details for Perkins have been released, but the Cavs do have a disabled player exception worth $4,852,273 for Anderson Varejao that they could use to sign Perkins for more than the minimum.

Perkins, 30, is making $9.654MM this season and would have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. In 51 appearances this season, all with the Thunder, Perkins is averaging 4.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 19.2 minutes per contest.

Darius Miller Signs To Play In Germany

February 24th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Small forward Darius Miller has signed with Brose Baskets Bamberg, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The third-year pro joins Gal Mekel among the ex-Pelicans signing overseas today. New Orleans drafted Miller 46th overall in 2012 and re-signed him this past summer, but the team waived him in November despite a $400K partial guarantee. Miller’s deal with Bamberg runs until season’s end, according to the team’s statement.

The Clippers appeared to have a 10-day deal in place with the 24-year-old last month, but they signed Dahntay Jones instead. The Clips have a pair of open roster spots, as our roster counts show, and coach/executive Doc Rivers has pointed to the post-deadline buyout period as the time to fill those vacancies, but it appears as though Miller is not an option for the team.

Miller saw fairly significant playing time in 2013/14, averaging 4.4 points in 16.1 minutes per game for New Orleans, but his role shrunk to encompass only 8.7 MPG in five appearances during the early going for the Pelicans this season. He was a solid outside shooter in his final two seasons at Kentucky and as a rookie, but last season his three-point accuracy dipped to 32.5%.

Gal Mekel Signs To Play Russia

February 24th, 2015 at 8:29am CST by Chuck Myron

Former Mavs and Pelicans point guard Gal Mekel has signed with Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi). The Pacers and Wizards are among the teams with interest in signing him for next season, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter), since he has an NBA escape clause that will allow him to shake loose this summer, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link). The contract otherwise runs through 2016, the team says, but it wouldn’t force Mekel or any NBA team to pay a buyout if he decided to end the deal this summer, Stein points out in his tweet.

Pick reported Monday that a deal was close, though Hapoel Jerusalem in Mekel’s native Israel made a strong effort to sign him late in the running, Stein adds (Twitter link). Mekel had been waiting for an NBA deal since the Pelicans cut him loose after a brief December stint. Coach Monty Williams wouldn’t rule out a new deal between the Pelicans and the 26-year-old shortly after his release, but no such arrangement materialized.

It’s no surprise to see the Pacers once more linked to Mekel, since Indiana reportedly would have signed him in November if it weren’t for visa-related complications. The Thunder have apparently held interest in him in the past, and he reportedly worked out for the Lakers twice earlier this season. He’s been drawing money from the Mavericks this season and will continue to do through 2017/18, since Dallas waived him before opening night and used the stretch provision on the second of the two years remaining on his contract.

Western Notes: Warriors, Mekel, Leonard

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Golden State stood pat at the trade deadline, but Warriors consultant and part-owner Jerry West, who has plenty of say on personnel, thinks the team still needs to make some kind of move, as he told Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.

“I think for sure we need to have a piece. For sure,” West said. “And I think as we get further into the year, I think if you watch how teams are going to particularly concentrate on our backcourt, we need more shooting and people who can make shots consistently. I think in games that we flounder in is when our guards are not able to go out there and score 45 to 60 points on any given night. … There’s going to be a bull’s-eye on those two guys’ backs.”

West made his remarks the day after the team signed James McAdoo for the season, filling the last open roster spot. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Former Pelicans and Mavs point guard Gal Mekel is close to a deal with Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod, a source tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links). The GM of the Russian team is confident that Mekel will sign the deal, which would have an NBA escape clause, Pick adds. Mekel had been holding out hope for an NBA deal since his brief stint with New Orleans in December, but he recently appeared to be losing patience.
It’s been a rough year for Kawhi Leonard, Spurs president/coach Gregg Popovich said, with the reigning Finals MVP suffering through injury woes and a shooting slump as restricted free agency looms this summer, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News explores. He’s nonetheless averaging career highs virtually across the board and, as McDonald writes, he remains eminently valuable to the Spurs.
Amar’e Stoudemire is having an instant effect on the Mavericks, notes Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas.com. The Mavs signed the ex-Knick last week, and it’s a prorated minimum-salary deal that goes until season’s end, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders shows (Twitter link).
The Kings have hired Vance Walberg as an assistant coach, the team announced. Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group first reported that the move would be expected if Sacramento hired George Karl as head coach. Of course, the Kings did indeed hire Karl last week. Walberg is leaving the Sixers staff for his new job.

Southwest Notes: Davis, Anderson, Grizzlies

February 22nd, 2015 at 11:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Mavericks are happy to welcome Amar’e Stoudemire to town but they haven’t forgotten about the way he dominated them in the 2005 playoffs, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. “They had a tough team to guard,” said Dirk Nowitzki, remembering the Mavericks’ six-game loss to the Suns in the second round of the playoffs. “And Amar’e was amazing rolling right down the middle, finishing above the rim. Nobody could get to him. He was, for a 6-10 guy, as explosive as this league has probably seen. He could just take off from outside the charge circle and dunk on everybody. He was a beast.” More from the Southwest Division..

Good news for Anthony Davis and the Pelicans, as tests revealed there was no structural damage to his shoulder, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The big man is now expected to be out for 1-2 weeks.
Unfortunately, Ryan Anderson figures to be out a little while longer. The Pelicans announced that the forward has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee and he’s expected to miss 2-4 weeks of action. Anderson suffered the injury in the second quarter of Saturday night’s contest against the Heat.
The Grizzlies announced that they have re-assigned forward/center Jarnell Stokes and guard Russ Smith to the their D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy. This marks the fifth assignment to Iowa for Stokes and the second for Smith, who had three prior stints this season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Stokes, a University of Tennessee product, spoke with Hoops Rumors prior to the 2014 draft.

Pelicans Waive Shawne Williams

February 22nd, 2015 at 10:07am CST by Eddie Scarito

SUNDAY, 10:07am: The Pelicans have officially waived Williams, according to the team’s website. New Orleans’ roster now stands at 14 players.

4:36pm: New Orleans intends to waive Williams, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com confirms (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 3:32pm: The Pelicans plan to work out a buyout arrangement with newly acquired Shawne Williams, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Williams came to New Orleans as a part of the multi-team deal that sent Goran Dragic to Miami earlier today. The agreement is expected to be reached on Friday, Wojnarowski notes.

The 29-year-old forward is earning $1,227,985 this season, though it’s unclear just how much Williams will be willing to leave on the table in a buyout arrangement. Williams is under contract for next season, though the $1,356,146 he is scheduled to earn is non-guaranteed, which means that the Pelicans won’t be on the hook to Williams for any funds beyond this season.

Williams has appeared in 44 games for the Heat this season, and is averaging 6.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 21.0 minutes per game. His career numbers over seven seasons are 5.8 PPG and 3.1 RPG. His career shooting percentages are .407/.345/.848.

Pelicans Acquire, Waive Ish Smith

February 19th, 2015 at 8:04pm CST by Eddie Scarito

8:04pm: The Pelicans have waived Smith, the team has announced.

7:22pm: The Pelicans have acquired guard Ish Smith from the Thunder, New Orleans has announced. In addition to Smith, New Orleans will also receive the rights to Latavious Williams, cash considerations, and a 2015 protected second round pick. Oklahoma City in return will garner a 2016 protected second round draft pick. Oklahoma City needed to reduce its roster count to the league maximum 15 players, and the trade of Smith will accomplish just that. The Pelicans now have 14 players on their roster with the addition of the point guard.

Smith appeared in 30 games this season for the Thunder, averaging 1.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists. Since going undrafted out of Wake Forest back in 2010, Smith has appeared in 221 career games for the Suns, Magic, Rockets, Bucks and Grizzlies, averaging 2.7 points, 1.9 assists and 1.4 rebounds. His career slash line is .388/.216/.581.

Williams was the 48th overall selection by the Heat in 2010. Williams currently plays for Bilbao Basket of Liga ACB in Spain, where he has appeared in 21 games this season, averaging 7.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Heat Acquire Goran Dragic

February 19th, 2015 at 7:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:38pm: The trade is now official, the Pelicans and Suns have announced. New Orleans acquired Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton and cash considerations from Miami, the Suns get John Salmons from the Pelicans and Danny Granger from the Heat, and Miami garners Goran Dragic and Zoran Dragic from the Suns. Phoenix also received Miami’s 2017 first-round pick (top seven protected) and Miami’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick as part of the deal. Phoenix is waiving Salmons, per the Suns’ official press release.

3:36pm: The expectation is that the Heat will offer Dragic a five-year max deal this summer, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).

2:48pm: There are other components to the trade agreement, which also involves the Pelicans, as we explain here.

2:09pm: The Suns will get Danny Granger and 2017 and 2019 first-round picks with protections for Dragic, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter).

Granger, 32 in April, has averaged 6.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG for the Heat this season since coming back from a hamstring injury. Of course, the draft picks are the center of the deal for Phoenix and not the veteran forward. Granger is earning $2.1MM this season and he also has a player option for the same amount in 2015/16.

1:49pm: The Heat and Suns have agreed to a deal that sends Goran Dragic to Miami, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Heat have long coveted Dragic and view him as just the sort of player they need to make a playoff push, Chris Mannix of SI tweets.

The Heat currently stand at 22-30 with a leg up over the likes of the Nets, Celtics, PIstons, and Pacers for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Pelicans Release Toney Douglas

February 19th, 2015 at 6:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

6:58pm: New Orleans has officially released Douglas, the team has announced. The Pelicans roster count stands at 13 players.

2:35pm: The Pelicans are releasing Toney Douglas from his 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Douglas just signed the pact Wednesday. New Orleans will be on the hook for the full $53,838 value of the deal. Douglas immediately goes to free agency, since waivers aren’t involved with 10-day deals.

Douglas appeared in three games for New Orleans, averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 22.0 minutes per game.

Suns, Heat, Pelicans Agree To Trade

February 19th, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:46pm: John Reid of The Times-Picayune has Cole going to New Orleans in the deal. In his summary, it’s Cole, Hamilton and Williams to the Pelicans and Salmons to the Suns. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the Suns getting Miami’s 2017 and 2021 first-rounders, Salmons and Danny Granger (Twitter links). Miami’s 2017 pick is top-seven protected and the 2021 selection is unprotected, Coro notes. However, there’s confusion even among some executives, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

4:17pm: Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today has Hamilton headed to the Pelicans and not the Suns (Twitter link).

2:28pm: Cole and Salmons are part of a larger deal involving Goran Dragic, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Cole, Justin Hamilton and two first-round picks go to Phoenix for Dragic and Zoran Dragic, while Salmons goes from New Orleans to Phoenix. Shawne Williams head to New Orleans (All Twitter links).

2:17pm: The Pelicans are acquiring Norris Cole from the Heat, a source tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). John Salmons is headed to Miami, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).