New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Sign Vernon Macklin For Camp

September 26th, 2014 at 5:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 26TH, 5:12pm: The signing is official, New Orleans announced courtesy of a press release.

SEPTEMBER 12TH, 10:13am: Macklin signed his deal this week, just as new teammates Dionte Christmas and Kevin Jones did, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the Pelicans haven’t made any formal announcement.

SEPTEMBER 8TH, 8:06am: Power forward Vernon Macklin will join the Pelicans for camp on a non-guaranteed contract, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Macklin has played in the D-League, the Philippines, Turkey and China after a 23-game stint with the Pistons in 2011/12.

The 27-year-old spent summer league with the Magic this year, averaging 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per contest. He saw just 5.9 minutes per game during his regular season time with Detroit, which drafted him 52nd overall in 2011. It appeared as though he drew interest from multiple NBA teams after the Pistons allowed him to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2012, but there’s otherwise been little chatter about him formally rejoining the NBA until now.

New Orleans offers Macklin a decent shot to make the opening-night roster, since the Pelicans only have 12 fully guaranteed contracts. The 6’10” big man would nonetheless have to beat out Luke Babbitt, Darius Miller, Patric Young or some combination of the three, all of whom have partial guarantees.

Pelicans Sign Dionte Christmas

September 26th, 2014 at 5:09pm CST by Alex Lee

SEPTEMBER 26TH, 5:09pm: The deal is official, the Pelicans announced via a press release.

SEPTEMBER 12TH, 10:06am: Christmas has inked his contract, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the Pelicans haven’t made a formal announcement.

SEPTEMBER 11TH, 9:39am: The deal covers one year, as Charania writes in his full story.

SEPTEMBER 10TH, 5:31pm: The Pelicans have reached an agreement with free agent guard Dionte Christmas, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter). The Temple product was waived by the Suns in late July before his minimum salary for 2014/15 became fully guaranteed. Last season was the first in which Christmas saw any regular season NBA action, when he averaged 2.3 points and 6.4 minutes over 31 appearances with Phoenix.

Christmas, who turns 28 on September 15, played overseas for several seasons after going undrafted in 2009 but latched on with Phoenix after a strong summer league performance last season. The financial terms of this accord have yet to be disclosed, but it’s worth noting that Christmas has received more than the standard non-guaranteed training camp deal in each of the past two seasons, first with the Celtics in 2012 and again with the Suns last year.

The Pelicans have added Jimmer Fredette, Russ Smith, Darius Miller and John Salmons to their mix in the backcourt and on the wing this summer, all of whom Christmas figures to be competing with in training camp. Miller and Smith (and rookie big man Patric Young) are on partially guaranteed deals. New Orleans already has 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts for the 2014/15 season.

Pelicans Sign Kevin Jones For Camp

September 26th, 2014 at 5:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 26TH, 5:06pm: The deal is official, the team announced in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 12TH, 10:10am: The Pelicans and Jones have signed the deal, as the RealGM transactions log shows. The team hasn’t made an official announcement just yet, however.

9:34am: It’ll indeed be a non-guaranteed contract for Jones, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.

SEPTEMBER 8TH,9:27am: Former Cavs power forward Kevin Jones will attend training camp with the Pelicans, as he tells Caleb Wygal of The (Beckley. W.Va.) Register-Herald. The precise terms of the deal are unclear, but it seems likely to be a non-guaranteed arrangement, just like the one the Pelicans reportedly gave Vernon Macklin.

An impressive performance in summer league helped put the 25-year-old back on the NBA map, as he averaged 10.0 rebounds per game for the Pacers squad, more than anyone else in the Orlando summer league. He saw slightly fewer minutes per appearance with the D-League Select Team in the Las Vegas summer league, but his rebounding production was cut in half, to 5.0 per contest. Jones averaged 3.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game across 32 appearances for the Cavs in 2012/13, and he split this past season between Cleveland’s D-League affiliate and the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippines.

The additions of Jones and Macklin give the Pelicans agreements with 17 players, 12 of whom have fully guaranteed deals and three of whom have partial guarantees. Jones appears to be competing directly against Macklin and Patric Young, whose contract is partially guaranteed for $55K, for one of the final regular season roster spots.

Southwest Notes: Chandler, Pelicans, Blue

September 24th, 2014 at 9:42pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Tyson Chandler said Tuesday that he feels “indebted” to the Mavs for bringing him back to the team, observes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Mavs owner Mark Cuban hinted that he intends to keep Chandler around after his contract expires at season’s end, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com notes.

Here’s the latest out of the Southwest Division:

The Spurs worked out Vander Blue last week before Blue committed to a camp deal with the Wizards, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Blue was a part of San Antonio’s summer league team in July.
Cuban is excited about the Mavericks 2014/15 campaign, Price writes in the same piece linked above. Cuban said, “I am so fired up, you have no idea. You know how important I think chemistry is, so just being able to get a feel for how all the guys get together and how they get along [is important]. Everybody’s fired up, everybody pushing each other. Dirk Nowitzki has got a big old smile on his face, so it’s exciting.”
The small forward position looks to be the Pelicans‘ weakest link heading into training camp, John Reid of the Times-Picayune opines. That’s why newly signed John Salmons has a chance to make an impact this season, and he’ll compete for a starting job with Darius Miller and Luke Babbitt, notes Reid.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southwest Rumors: Leonard, Mohammed, Asik

September 22nd, 2014 at 9:32pm CST by Charlie Adams

Kawhi Leonard isn’t making any promises about signing an extension with the Spurs before the October 31st deadline for him to do so, but he tells Jabari Young of the San Antonio News-Express that he’s pleased with the other moves the team made this summer. He expressed particular satisfaction with new deals for Boris Diaw and Patty Mills, as well as Tony Parker‘s extension. “I’m happy about that just in case the Spurs do extend me and if I am a Spur for life,” Leonard said. “That’s a great thing to know that Tony will be there.” Let’s have a look at the latest from the Southwest:

Nazr Mohammed had expressed interest in returning to the Spurs for the 2014/15 season, but San Antonio clearly didn’t reciprocate the feeling, Young tweets. Mohammed, who won a championship with the Spurs in 2005, re-signed with the Bulls on minimum-salary contract this afternoon.
While taking on Omer Asik‘s bloated contract is definitely a risk for the Pelicans, Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune thinks New Orleans potentially stands to reap some major benefits from the decision. Specifically, Smith thinks Asik’s presence will help alleviate the pressure placed on Anthony Davis, who otherwise received the brunt of opposing teams’ attention last year in a less-than-stellar frontcourt.
Some of the advice that helped Kostas Papanikolaou decide to sign with Houston came from former Rockets shooting guard and fellow Greek native Vassilis Spanoulis, an unlikely source given the frustration Spanoulis felt upon his exit from the team. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has the details.
The Mavericks had a busy offseason, and it’s one that Jae Crowder believes will push Dallas to the next level of competition, as Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram transcribes. “I feel like we picked up some championship-level pieces,” Crowder said. “I’m not just blowing gas… “One thing Cuban was talking about was just having a good mix of older guys and younger guys, and I feel like that’s exactly what they did this summer with bringing in a good group of guys.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pelicans In Talks With Samad Nikkhah Bahrami

September 19th, 2014 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Pelicans are in talks with the representatives for Iranian small forward Mohammad Samad Nikkhah Bahrami (more often referred to as Samad Nikkhah Bahrami), sources tell Enea Trapani of Sportando. Bahrami was on the verge of a deal with French club Limoges Cercle Saint-Pierre, but that’s now on the back burner thanks to the possibility of joining New Orleans.

The 31-year-old has years of experience in international competition and has played for clubs in France, Iran, and China. Most recently, Bahrami played for the Fujian SBS Sturgeons in Chinese Basketball Association. Given his age, lack of NBA experience, and the Pelicans’ 18-man roster, one would assume that the Pelicans are looking at Bahrami as a non-guaranteed training camp possibility. Trapani writes that Bahrami is a consideration for the Pelicans since they’re thin at the three.

New Orleans currently has a dozen fully guaranteed contracts, three partially guaranteed deals, and three non-guaranteed deals on their roster.

Contract Details: Barbosa, Turkoglu, Roberts Jr.

September 15th, 2014 at 9:50pm CST by Cray Allred

Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders is always diligent in keeping us informed of the nitty gritty details for all of the contracts around the league, and after his latest round of updates, he figures there are 493 contracts in place, 400 of which are guaranteed, and at least 43 of which will have to be cut before the regular season begins (Twitter links). We’ll link to his team salary sheets, noting specific player revelations where they apply:

Leandro Barbosa‘s one-year pact for the minimum with the Warriors is partially guaranteed at $150K.
Hedo Turkoglu‘s one-year minimum deal with the Clippers is fully guaranteed.
Ronald Roberts Jr.‘s deal with the Sixers is for four years at the minimum salary, including a team option for the final year. This season is partially guaranteed at $35K.
Chris Crawford‘s two-year contract with the Cavs is indeed for the minimum, with a partial guarantee of $20K this year, and a fully non-guaranteed 2015/16.
Jerome Jordan‘s camp deal with the Nets is for the minimum, as expected. The one-year agreement will become partially guaranteed at $150K if he remains with Brooklyn through October 25.
Dionte Christmas, Vernon Macklin, and Kevin Jones have identical one-year deals with the Pelicans, each of which are non-guaranteed.

Western Rumors: Livingston, Hayward, Previews

September 12th, 2014 at 10:55pm CST by Cray Allred

The Clippers scandal that revolved around former owner Donald Sterling may be eclipsed by the Hawks race-fueled turmoil when all is said and done. The latter situation is still developing, and has extended down from the ownership box into Atlanta’s GM and scouting departments. Here’s a rundown of Western news and notes for the night:

On an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, Shaun Livingston said that he hopes to be able to return to the court by the start of the Warriors‘ season, the channel tweeted (H/T Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group). The veteran guard underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right big toe last month.
On his personal blog, Jazz forward Gordon Hayward recounts his summer. In addition to waxing about signing a max offer sheet, spending time with Team USA, and an offseason training regimen focusing on strength and shooting, Hayward says that he’s eager to start the new season and play for new coach Quin Snyder.
The Basketball Insiders crew previewed the 2014/15 season for the Pelicans, Nuggets, Jazz, Lakers, and Kings.

Western Notes: Faried, Warriors, Andersen

September 11th, 2014 at 8:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kenneth Faried‘s stellar play with Team USA is going to raise his asking price during his upcoming extension talks with the Nuggets, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. A few months ago a GM told Deveney that Faried was going to be paid in the Paul Millsap ($9.5MM) or Taj Gibson ($8MM) range, but now he’ll most likely command a salary more comparable to Al Jefferson‘s ($13.7MM), the GM opines.

Here’s more from the west:

Such a deal for Faried would carry a risk for Denver, according to what one Western Conference assistant coach told Deveney. The assistant said, “I guess you don’t know what kind of production he would give you over a long period of time. What happens if they get Danilo Gallinari back and healthy? Now they have Arron Afflalo back. Ty Lawson and JaVale McGee were not healthy last year. How much will having those guys affect his numbers?”
The Warriors gave partial guarantees of $35K apiece to Aaron Craft, James Michael McAdoo, Mitchell Watt and Justin Holiday, all of whom are on one-year deals for the minimum salary, as Pincus reports in a pair of tweets and on the Basketball Insiders Warriors salary page.
David Andersen has signed with ASVEL Villeurbanne of the French League, the team announced via Twitter (translation by Enea Trapani of Sportando). Earlier this summer he was eying a possible return to the NBA. Andersen played two seasons in the league, and made his last appearance in the association during the 2010/11 campaign with the Pelicans. His NBA career averages are 4.9 PPG and 2.8 RPG. His career slash line is .440/.347/.674.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southwest Notes: Lewis, Rockets, Terry

September 8th, 2014 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s tonight’s look at the Southwest Division..

Charlie Villanueva signing with the Mavericks can’t be a good sign for Rashard Lewis and his chances of getting something done with Dallas, tweets Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The team recently 86’d their one-year, $1.4MM offer after learning that Lewis needed an operation on his right knee.
The Rockets certainly wanted his expiring contract, but they also had their eye on adding a veteran guard when they traded for Jason Terry, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. With that in mind, Feigen wonders if the Rockets might want to add an experienced player at the center position. Trouble is, Houston has 19 players under contract and 16 with guaranteed deals. For now, it looks like Houston will hope to see some development out of Joey Dorsey, Donatas Motejunas, and Josh Powell.
Free agent forward Vernon Macklin, who signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the Pelicans, rejected overseas deals to hook on with New Orleans, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Kevin Jones, who also has a non-guaranteed deal with the Pelicans, had significant interest from the Pacers before Paul George‘s season-ending injury.