New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Love, Leonard, Smith

December 23rd, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The end of Kevin Love‘s time with Minnesota was “pretty much set in stone” in January 2012 when he inked a four-year extension with a player option after year three instead of a five-year extension, Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders admits, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. The move that owner Glen Taylor and former GM David Kahn made to withhold a five-year extension from the budding superstar seemingly came back to bite Saunders, Kahn’s successor, when Love made it clear this summer that he’d leave the team via free agency in 2015. Still, Love insists it wasn’t the primary reason he wanted out.

“I don’t know, I think more than anything I just wanted to win,” Love said. “Now that we’re doing it here, I’m very happy. I think that was very shortsighted when it first happened, but in the end it was more the constant losing.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich relayed that Kawhi Leonard may end up needing surgery this offseason to repair the torn ligament in his right hand, Mike Monroe of The San Antonio Express-News reports (Twitter link). Leonard is set to become a restricted free agent after the season.
A pair of D-League assignments this season have not impacted Pelicans rookie Russ Smith‘s confidence, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”If I go back down, then I’ll just go down and get better,” Smith said. ”But if I’m up here [with the Pelicans], I’ll get better as well. So it’s a win-win situation.” In six games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Smith has averaged 16.5 points, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals.
Houston’s newest acquisition, Corey Brewer, said he didn’t expect his transition to the Rockets to be so easy, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes (Twitter links). “But you get out there with these guys, and they make it easy,” Brewer said. His new coach, Kevin McHale was especially happy to have Brewer on the team, Creech adds. McHale called Brewer, “a breath of fresh air,” and also added that Brewer “plays without an agenda.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Dragic, Pelicans, Nuggets

December 21st, 2014 at 12:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Multiple teams are inquiring as to what it would take to pry Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe or Isaiah Thomas away from the Suns, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Berger notes that rival executives have gotten the impression that Dragic is the player whom Phoenix would most like to keep out of the three. Dragic is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and will likely warrant a raise on his current $7.5MM per year salary, although that is just my speculation.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Although Damian Lillard was drafted before the Pelicans had a chance to acquire him with the 10th pick in the 2012 draft, the team would have been ecstatic to pair the point guard with first overall pick Anthony Davis, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. “I loved him,” coach Monty Williams said. “And I didn’t even see him play a lot. I just had a meeting with him, watched a little bit [of film] on him but after I talked to him face-to-face, I jammed him up on a few questions that he didn’t buckle. He didn’t get it right but he didn’t clam up. He just looked me in the eye and he got it wrong, but he stayed right there.” New Orleans ended up drafting Austin Rivers with the 10th overall pick in the draft.
The next few weeks could be key in determining what roster moves the Nuggets will make, opines Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Denver came into the season with playoff aspirations but currently owns a record of 12-15. If the team continues to win at this pace, Dempsey believes the Nuggets should begin to trade some of their veteran players for prospects or draft picks.
Andre Roberson could play a key role for the Thunder this season and his defense is being noticed around the league , writes Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. In the win against the Lakers on Friday night, Roberson guarded Kobe Bryant and held him to just nine points while allowing him to shoot only 21.4% from the field.

Western Notes: D-League, Daniels, Garcia

December 20th, 2014 at 12:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Prior to being waived by the Rockets yesterday, Francisco Garcia declined to be traded to the Wolves, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). There is still a possibility that Minnesota will claim Garcia off of waivers, Spears adds.

Here’s the latest from out west:

The Wolves‘ acquisition of Troy Daniels in the trade for Corey Brewer nets them an effective outside shooter, something the team was lacking, Michael Rand of The Star Tribune writes. If Daniels can indeed fill that role, his team-friendly salary for this season and next will make him a steal, Rand opines.
The Pelicans have recalled point guard Russ Smith from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA D-League, the team announced in a press release. In two D-League assignments this season, Smith has appeared in six games with Fort Wayne, averaging 16.5 points, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals.
Ricky Ledo has been recalled by the Mavs from the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. This was Ledo’s fifth sojourn of the season to the D-League.
The improved play of Darrell Arthur should benefit the Nuggets big man when he inks his next deal, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Arthur is in the final season of a three-year contract worth $9MM, and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Judging by the high-volume of trade calls Denver has received about him this season, Arthur’s value on the open market will likely be high, Dempsey adds.
For the fifth time this season, the Thunder have assigned Grant Jerrett to the Oklahoma City Blue, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Rondo, Mekel, Conley

December 19th, 2014 at 3:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets were runners-up in the Rajon Rondo sweepstakes, but they’re set to land Corey Brewer, whom they’d reportedly been targeting for a while. Brewer is excited to reunite with Rockets coach Kevin McHale, who was behind Minnesota’s decision to draft Brewer seventh overall in 2007, as the swingman tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Still, Brewer made it clear wasn’t anxious to leave the Wolves and never asked for or wanted a trade, Zgoda tweets, which seems to conflict with an ESPN.com report indicating that he had requested that the Wolves send him to a contending team.

“Kind of mixed emotions just because I really love Minnesota,” Brewer said to Zgoda. “People don’t understand how much I love Minnesota. I wanted to end my career here. That’s why I signed back here. I thought it’d be possible, but I understand we’re going young. It’s going to be a few years, but the Wolves have great, young talent.”

Brewer, who has a $4.905MM player option for next season, can hit free agency this summer. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

New Mavs point guard Rajon Rondo wanted out of Boston, friend and former teammate Kendrick Perkins says, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports notes via Twitter. Rondo made several public statements indicating his fondness for the Celtics prior to the trade.
It’s unclear whether Brewer waived his player option as part of the Rockets deal, but Chase Budinger indicated that he wouldn’t do so with his $5MM player option when the Rockets gauged whether he would, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears (Twitter link).
Troy Daniels is disappointed that he’s leaving the Rockets as part of the Brewer trade agreement, he tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, though he added that he’s hopeful that he’ll see more playing time in Minnesota than he has in Houston.
Pelicans coach Monty Williams confirmed that the team isn’t ruling out a new deal with Gal Mekel, whom New Orleans waived earlier today, observes Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune (Twitter link). That jibes with this morning’s report from David Pick of Eurobasket.com that the Pelicans hope Mekel clears waivers.
Mike Conley is a bargain for the Grizzlies, making just slightly more than $8.694MM this year on a contract that expires after next season, and an Eastern Conference executive tells Chris Mannix of SI.com that the point guard would garner at least $14MM annually on the open market.

Pelicans Waive Gal Mekel

December 19th, 2014 at 11:04am CST by Chuck Myron

11:04am: The move is official, the team announced via press release. The statement didn’t make any mention of a corresponding transaction.

9:39am: The Pelicans are releasing Gal Mekel, sources tell David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Pick indicates that the team has already waived the Israeli point guard, though New Orleans has yet to make an official announcement. The team is hoping that Mekel clears waivers, according to Pick. That would seem to suggest that the club intends to re-sign him should he become a free agent, though that’s just my speculation, and it’s not clear if Mekel’s release would be related to any other transaction. He’d signed a non-guaranteed two-year deal for the minimum salary earlier this month. His subtraction would leave the Pelicans with 14 players, one shy of the maximum.

New Orleans reportedly inquired about Jeff Green lately, and there are conflicting reports about whether the team is ready to move some of its core players, though another dispatch from a few weeks ago pitted them as having been aggressive in trade talks. Dispensing with Mekel would give the team a measure of flexibility to make an unbalanced swap, but unless a move is imminent, it wouldn’t make sense for the Pelicans to part ways with Mekel if they still found him a worthwhile part of the club.

There would seemingly be a decent chance that another team would claim him off waivers, since visa issues were apparently the only stumbling block that kept him from signing with the Pacers earlier this season, he worked out for the Lakers, and the Thunder have reportedly held interest in him, too. The Mavs, Mekel’s original team, have an open roster spot following the Rajon Rondo trade.

The 26-year-old has seen 10.8 minutes per game in four appearances with New Orleans, averaging 1.5 points, 3.3 assists and 0.5 turnovers per contest. The Pelicans are relatively thin at the point behind Jrue Holiday, as rookie Russ Smith is the only other pure point guard on the team. They also possess combo guards Tyreke Evans, Jimmer Fredette and Austin Rivers.

Clippers, Pelicans, Grizzlies Ask About Jeff Green

December 18th, 2014 at 3:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics aren’t interested in trading Jeff Green in spite of recent inquiries about the forward from the Clippers, Pelicans and Grizzlies, who view the C’s as sellers, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt (Twitter link). That conflicts with a Wednesday report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who wrote that the C’s were shopping Green in hopes of landing a first-round pick. Boston turned down an offer for Green and Rajon Rondo that included Jordan Hill and a first-round pick, presumably among other assets, from the Lakers, as Zillgitt reported earlier today.

The interest from the Clippers isn’t surprising, given their apparent need at small forward and reported interest in Corey Brewer, among other targets. The Pelicans were reportedly aggressive in trade discussions as of a few weeks ago, and they, too, could use help at small forward. The Grizzlies aren’t blessed with star-quality wing talent, either, but it’s somewhat odd to see them involved given their 21-4 record. It’s unclear what any of the three teams is willing to relinquish to acquire Green.

The 28-year-old former No. 5 overall pick is in the midst of strong year, averaging a career-high 19.6 points per game, and he’s far and away Boston’s leading scorer this season. Reluctance on the part of Boston to move him would seem to indicate that president of basketball operations Danny Ainge isn’t about to undertake an aggressive rebuilding even if he lets go of Rondo, though given the conflicting reports, it’s tough to get a read on the C’s strategy. Green is making $9.2MM this season and has a player option for the same salary next year.

And-Ones: Pelicans, Lucious, Kings, Raduljica

December 15th, 2014 at 10:02pm CST by Alex Lee

There’s plenty going on tonight thanks to Lance Stephenson and Greg Monroe. But with over half the league in action, let’s take a look at what else is abuzz around the league:

A source within the Pelicans‘ organization refutes this afternoon’s report that the team is willing to move some of its core pieces, reports Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. According to the source, New Orleans has received inquiries on Tyreke Evans but doesn’t want to move the sixth-year forward. Beck adds that the Pelicans, confident in their core with flexibility under the cap, aren’t in a rush to move anyone right now (Twitter links here).
Korie Lucious, who has played in Poland and Hungary since going undrafted in 2013, has entered the D-League player pool making him eligible to be added to a roster, according to the D-League Digest (via Twitter).
Given the Kings‘ decision to part ways with coach Michael Malone, it’s worth noting that putting an exciting product on the court is just as valuable to some owners as winning championships, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
Miroslav Raduljica is expected to reach a buyout settlement with the Shandong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association and become available to NBA teams in the next few weeks, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Charania adds that Raduljica has already received some interest from NBA teams, but he is unlikely to sign before the league’s January 10th deadline for contract guarantees. Raduljica apparently became expendable when Shandong recently added ex-NBAer Earl Clark.

Beck’s Latest: Kings, Knicks, Suns, Nets, Rockets

December 15th, 2014 at 2:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

There will be chatter aplenty between now and the February 19th trade deadline, but not all of it will truly constitute trade rumors, as Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck cautions. However, when multiple voices speak in unison, there’s usually a grain of truth involved, and Beck has plenty of tidbits he’s heard from a variety of sources around the league. We already passed along the news that the Pistons are putting Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings on the block, but that’s not the only item of note. We’ll pass along the rest of the highlights here and encourage you to read Beck’s full piece for more:

The Kings head coaching job is George Karl‘s if he wants it, as both Beck and Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee hear (Twitter links). Alvin Gentry and Mark Jackson are also “prime candidates,” according to Beck, though it’s not clear if the Kings are targeting either of them. Karl said to Tom Byrne of SiriusXM NBA Radio today that, “If they’re interested in me, I’m interested in them (Twitter link). Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first identified Karl as the front-runner for the job, which Tyrone Corbin is expected to assume on an interim basis.
Executives around the league tell Beck that the Knicks are making all of their players except for Carmelo Anthony available, as Beck writes in his piece. A similar scenario is in place for New Orleans, where the Pelicans are open to trading everyone outside of Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Omer Asik and Ryan Anderson, Beck hears.
Many executives expect the Suns to trade one of Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas, according to Beck.
The Nets would probably only move one or two of Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson, team sources tell Beck. The Rockets asked Brooklyn about Andrei Kirilenko before the Nets traded him to the Sixers last week, Beck also hears.
There’s conflicting intel on the Nuggets, whom many executives view as top candidates to become sellers, while one Western Conference exec tells Beck that the Nuggets like their team and aren’t inclined to move anybody. In any case, there’s plenty of interest in Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov, executives have said to Beck.
Many executives and scouts identified Thaddeus Young, Mo Williams and David Lee among likely trade candidates, Beck writes.

Western Notes: Thompson, Hill, McGee, Davis

December 11th, 2014 at 7:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Klay Thompson didn’t feel the need to test the free agent market, nor to entertain the idea of going to another team where he didn’t have to share the spotlight with another player, like he does now with Stephen Curry on the Warriors, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. “Why go somewhere else and start over when you get a huge contract with one of the best teams in the NBA?” Thompson said. “I think only an idiot would turn that down. I love it here. Love my teammates, the organization, especially the fans, and I never really wanted to go anywhere else.” Thompson inked a maximum salary extension with Golden State in October.

Here’s more from the West:

The two-year, $18MM deal the Lakers gave Jordan Hill this summer drew some head-scratches from executives around the league, but Hill is now the player that Los Angeles gets the most trade inquiries about, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reports. Hill had heard all the chatter about him not being worthy of his contract, but shrugged it off, notes Deveney. “I heard all that, but I didn’t pay any attention,” Hill said. “I knew I had the skills to do it, I just needed the minutes. With [Mike] D’Antoni, it was hard for me to find the minutes. He wanted me to do the things he wanted me to do to get the minutes. I couldn’t really do what I wanted to do, to play the way I know I could play. So, things happened and now it’s a whole new year. Now, I am one of the main focal points of the team, so I can go out there and do what I am capable of doing.”
The Nuggets have received very little return on their four-year, $44MM investment in JaVale McGee, and the big man would garner little on the trade market thanks to his bloated contract and injury history, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes. This is the peril of paying big men large salaries, Powell adds. The scribe also ran down a number of other deals handed out to centers that also haven’t worked out well for the teams writing the checks.
There has been some criticism about how the Pelicans are eschewing the draft in an attempt to build an immediate contender around Anthony Davis so he won’t leave as a free agent when he is eligible, Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM writes. Tjarks doesn’t believe New Orleans needs to worry, and despite a glaring weakness at small forward, the franchise should be able to retain Davis.

Western Notes: Wolves, Brewer, Lakers, Pelicans

December 11th, 2014 at 11:08am CST by Chuck Myron

Corey Brewer, a trade candidate, admits that he’s not enamored with the idea of going through a youth-focused rebuild with the Timberwolves, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes. Brewer can become a free agent at season’s end if he turns down a $4.703MM player option, and the Cavs, Rockets, Clippers and Heat have reportedly held interest in trading for him this season.

“It’s tough for me, I’m not going to lie,” Brewer said. “When I came back here, I wasn’t expecting this, to rebuild again. It comes with the territory. It’s business. It’s basketball. It’s what I love to do. So I wake up every day and I come to work.”

Still, the Wolves are relying heavily on Brewer for now, as we detail amid the latest from around the Western Conference:

The NBA has granted the Wolves a second 10-day period to keep a 16th roster spot via hardship, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Minnesota is holding on to Jeff Adrien, whom it signed to fill that spot the first time around, even though the team has a need a point guard, too, where Brewer, a swingman, is playing as the backup. “Let’s face the facts: Corey’s not the ideal point guard,” coach/executive Flip Saunders said. “But if something, heaven forbid, happened to Gorgui [Dieng], we have no center on our roster at all.”
The Lakers are still considering the addition of a wing player to the roster, and they’re still keeping a close eye on Roscoe Smith, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Smith, who’s playing for the Lakers D-League affiliate, was one of several players whom the Lakers worked out last month.
The Pelicans have once more assigned Russ Smith to the D-League, the team announced via press release. It’s the second time this season that the team has sent Smith to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. His first assignment was a three-day stint that ended Monday.