Pelicans Sign Nate Wolters To 10-Day Contract
WEDNESDAY, 9:20am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.
TUESDAY, 7:25pm: Wolters has agreed to a 10-day contract with the Pelicans and is on his way to join the team in Detroit, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link).
5:58pm: The Pelicans are targeting free agent Nate Wolters for a 10-day contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Wolters cleared waivers today after being waived by the Bucks earlier this week. The point guard was released by Milwaukee to clear a roster slot for Kenyon Martin, who was inked to a 10-day pact of his own.
New Orleans currently has two open roster spots, so no corresponding move will need to be made to add Wolters to the team. The Pelicans had also been considering signing Mike James or Gal Mekel prior to Wolters becoming available, Stein adds in a separate tweet.
The 23-year-old Wolters appeared in 11 contests for the Bucks this season, averaging 2.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. His shooting numbers were .433/.269/.638.
Eric Maynor Signs To Play In Italy
WEDNESDAY, 8:09am: The deal is official, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia on Twitter). It covers the rest of the season.
MONDAY, 9:05am: Five-year NBA veteran Eric Maynor has agreed to play for OpenJobMetis Varese of Italy, the Italian publication La Prealpina reports (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Maynor resisted the idea of going to the D-League, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com hears (Twitter link), and he’s instead heading overseas to recharge a career in which he was once one of the NBA’s most prominent backup point guards. The terms of the Andrew Vye client‘s Italian deal are unknown.
The 27-year-old Maynor reportedly worked out for the Pelicans earlier this season, but he hasn’t played since the Sixers waived him this past March. He signed a two-year deal worth nearly $4.123MM in the summer of 2013 with the Wizards, but he fell out of the rotation and Washington sent him to Philly in a trade deadline deal nearly a year ago. The Sixers ate the guaranteed salary on both seasons of his contract when they let him go, but they could be in line to recover a small fraction of that money via set-off rights depending on the size of his deal in Italy.
Maynor had been a vital bench player for the Thunder when he tore his right ACL three years ago this month, and Reggie Jackson seized that role in his absence. Oklahoma City traded Maynor to Portland a little more than a year after the injury, and after the Blazers declined to make the former 20th overall pick a qualifying offer, he inked with the Wizards.
Western Notes: Joseph, Jerrett, Smith
Cory Joseph, cognizant that he was an afterthought as a deep reserve on the Spurs, didn’t even ask his agent about a rookie scale extension before the October deadline because he assumed the team wouldn’t give him one, as he tells Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Now, amid a breakthrough year for the point guard, it seems like the Spurs will be hard-pressed to afford the raise he’ll likely merit, McDonald writes. “He always impressed me with the way he plays,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He is not blessed with the most talent in the world, but I don’t think there is anybody on the planet who gets more out of what he’s got.”
Here’s more out of the Western Conference:
- The Thunder have once again assigned Grant Jerrett to the Oklahoma City Blue, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be Jerrett’s seventh sojourn of the season with the Blue. The 21-year-old has only appeared in four games with the Thunder this season, and has averaged 1.8 points and 1.0 rebound in 5.9 minutes per contest.
- When the Thunder inked Ish Smith to a deal using a hardship exception back in November, he was looked at as little more than a short-term insurance policy, but Smith turned that audition into a guaranteed contract for the remainder of the season, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. Smith’s work ethic impressed the coaching staff, and with Reggie Jackson‘s future with the team cloudy, Smith remains an important part of Oklahoma City’s roster, Slater adds.
- The Pelicans created a traded player exception worth $507K for Russ Smith, and the Grizzlies created one valued at $3.15MM for Quincy Pondexter, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Both players were part of the three-team deal with the Celtics for Jeff Green.
- Pondexter is overjoyed with the trade that brought him back to the Pelicans, Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com writes. “It’s unbelievable,” Pondexter said. “This game takes you full circle sometimes. To be back with [coach] Monty [Williams] and [GM] Dell [Demps] and the guys, there’s no place I’d rather be right now. [New Orleans] was always a second home in the league. I’m glad to be back.” Pondexter spent his rookie season in New Orleans and then was dealt to the Grizzlies for Greivis Vasquez.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
No Deal For Clippers, Darius Miller
WEDNESDAY, 8:32am: The team decided against signing Miller and will instead ink Dahntay Jones instead, Wojnarowski reports.
TUESDAY, 4:56pm: The Clippers will sign Darius Miller to a 10-day contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Los Angeles currently has 14 players on its roster, so no corresponding move will need to be made to accommodate the addition of Miller. Miller had previously appeared in five contests with the Pelicans earlier this season, but was waived back in November.
The Clippers have been mentioned to be interested in signing Nate Robinson, should he reach a buyout with the Celtics in the wake of him being dealt from Denver for Jameer Nelson. This could make Miller’s stay in Los Angeles a brief one, though with the team possibly looking to deal Reggie Bullock and Jordan Farmar, the Clippers’ roster could change markedly over the next few days.
Miller’s career averages are 3.1 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in a total of 102 NBA appearances. His slash line is .420/.351/.841.
Fallout/Reaction To The Jeff Green Trade
The Grizzlies and Celtics had cursory discussions about Jeff Green two years ago when Memphis was nearing its Rudy Gay trade, and the teams engaged in more serious discussions about Green last year, according to Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in a subcription-only piece. The Grizzlies thought they might acquire Green as part of the Courtney Lee swap that took place in January 2014, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis probably isn’t done dealing, though the Green deal seems to have extinguished the chances that the team will give up Kosta Koufos, Herrington believes. The Grizzlies “kicked the tires” on Thaddeus Young, Herrington writes, echoing a hint from earlier report, but they appear to have moved on from that, the Commerical Appeal scribe adds. Here’s more in the wake of today’s three-team deal:
- Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger had a major voice in the trade talks, as he said Sunday to reporters, including Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
- Green isn’t a massive upgrade over what the Grizzlies had at his position, but he’s the right fit, especially given the savings that the team reaps on this year’s team salary and in the long term with the offloading of Quincy Pondexter, opines Ben Golliver of SI.com. It’s also a signal to soon-to-be free agent Marc Gasol that the team is committed to winning, Golliver believes.
- The flurry of trades the Celtics have made in the past few weeks have left the team positioned to clear cap space for the first time in several years, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com points out. The growth of some of the players eligible for restricted free agency this summer makes that cap flexibility all the more intriguing for the C’s, as Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com explains.
- The Pelicans made an upgrade at small forward a priority as they sought Pondexter, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune.
Grizzlies Acquire Jeff Green In Three-Team Trade
3:16pm: It’s a 2017 first-rounder headed from Memphis to Boston that’s top-10 protected, reports Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). If the Grizzlies don’t convey it in 2017, it’s top-12 protected for 2018, top-eight protected for 2019, top-six protected for 2020, and unprotected for 2021.
10:33am: The Grizzlies acquired forward Jeff Green from the Celtics in a three-team trade that also includes the Pelicans, the teams announced in three separate press releases (Grizzlies, Celtics, Pelicans), Memphis had drawn close to acquiring the high-scoring Green Friday. In addition to Green, the Grizzlies land Russ Smith from New Orleans. Boston acquires Tayshaun Prince and a protected first-round pick from Memphis in exchange for Green, and they also receive Austin Rivers from New Orleans. The Grizzlies send Quincy Pondexter to the Pelicans along with a 2015 second-round selection. This trade will help further Boston’s rebuilding process, which has already seen the team deal Rajon Rondo to the Mavs and Brandan Wright to the Suns.
Green has one season left on his current deal, but was reported to be considering turning down his $9.2MM player option for 2015/16 in order to test free agency and secure a long-term contract. He’ll add some scoring punch to Memphis’ offense, something the Grizzlies have been seeking. In 33 games this season, the 28-year-old Green has averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 33.1 minutes per game. His career numbers over six seasons are 14.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.6 APG, with a slash line of .440/.340/.788.
Smith, a rookie out of Louisville, has appeared in just six contests for the Pelicans this season after being selected 47th overall in last June’s draft. By contrast, Prince, who’s leaving Memphis, is a 12-year NBA veteran who appeared in 25 contests for the Grizzlies. The 34-year-old’s large expiring contract is likely what appealed to the Celtics, who are clearly looking toward building for the future rather than contending in the present.
The 26-year-old Pondexter has appeared in 30 games for the Grizzlies this season, including two as a starter. His season averages are 4.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. He still has three years remaining on his contract and is scheduled to make $3,382,023 in 2015/16, $3,617,978 in 2016/17, and $3,853,931 in the deal’s final season. The sharpshooting swingman out of Washington missed almost all of 2013/14 with a stress fracture in his foot and suffered an MCL sprain in 2012/13 that cost him a good chunk of that season as well.
“The New Orleans Pelicans are thrilled to welcome back a high character person like Quincy Pondexter to our organization,” Pelicans GM Dell Demps said in the team’s statement. “Quincy is a two-way player, a multi-position defender that will add toughness along with an offensive skill set that we anticipate will help the Pelicans win games.
Rivers heads to Boston, where his father, Doc Rivers, enjoyed remarkable success as the Celtics coach before heading out west in 2013. However, there have been indications that the former 10th overall pick’s stay in Boston will be relatively short, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that the the Clippers, for whom Doc Rivers serves as coach and head of basketball operations, are interested in acquiring the young shooting guard.
“It was difficult to trade Austin Rivers and Russ Smith,” Demps said. “Russ was only with the team for a short time while Austin is an intense competitor that is continuing to improve. We will miss Austin and Russ on and off the court. We thank Austin and Russ for their contributions and wish them success in the future.”
Los Angeles GM Dave Wohl and assistant coaches Lawrence Frank and Mike Woodson have encouraged Doc Rivers to try to trade for his son Austin, even if the move might be publicly viewed as family favoritism, Wojnarowski writes. Rivers will become a free agent after this season, since New Orleans declined his third-year player option back in October.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reported that the sides had come to an agreement, though Wojnarowski maintained that there were still moving parts and later reported the final structure of the deal. The pair added numerous details along the way, and Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, John Reid of The Times Picayune, and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today also reported details.
Grizzlies, Celtics Close To Deal For Jeff Green
SUNDAY, 12:03pm: The Clippers are working to find a third team to help deliver Boston an expiring deal to go along with a second-rounder that the Celtics want in the Clippers/Rivers deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
6:43pm: Stein is also reporting that Smith is headed to Memphis, and adds that the Grizzlies are sending a second round pick to the Pelicans (Twitter link). Washburn says Rivers will likely be moved in a separate deal (Twitter link). Wojnarowski notes the Celtics don’t want to take back any salary beyond this season. (Twitter link).
6:00pm: Officials in the Clippers’ front office and coaching staff are pushing Doc Rivers to bring Austin to Los Angeles, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).
5:39pm: The Clippers are the likely destination for Rivers, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).
5:21pm: The Celtics are attempting to find a trade partner for Rivers, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).
5:05pm: Salmons was originally going to be included in the trade, but Boston made a push to acquire Rivers instead, John Reid of The Times Picayune reports. This wasn’t the first time the two sides had discussed a deal for Rivers, Reid notes, as New Orleans had conversations with the Celtics last summer about a potential trade involving Rivers, but talks broke off without a deal getting done. The Pelicans, who have been struggling to get consistent play at small forward, pushed to get Pondexter in the deal, Reid adds.
4:36pm: Rivers is reportedly headed to Boston, but he may not stay with the team, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reports (Twitter link). Whether this means the Celtics intend to waive Rivers or trade him is unclear.
2:15pm: The three sides have agreed to terms, Stein maintains (on Twitter), but it appears there are still some moving parts involved. It’s unclear if they will push the trade through today or wait until Monday when the league office reopens, Stein adds.
2:09pm: Boston would also get a future first-rounder, Stein reports (Twitter link).
1:50pm: The current deal being discussed involves Green heading to Memphis, Prince and Rivers to Boston, and Pondexter to New Orleans, Stein tweets. Stein makes no reference to Smith, who was previously reported by Wojnarowski to be involved, nor any draft picks changing hands.
SATURDAY, 1:42pm: New Orleans is going to send Austin Rivers to the Celtics as part of the proposed deal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
10:04pm: Russ Smith is also heading to Memphis in the proposed deal, Wojnarowski tweets.
8:44pm: The third team involved looks to be the Pelicans, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter links). In this proposed three-way deal, Green would go to Memphis, Prince, John Salmons, and a first-rounder from Memphis to Boston, and Quincy Pondexter would head to New Orleans, Wojnarowski notes. The Grizzlies are discussing various deals involving Pondexter with other teams, Wojnarowski reports, but their focus is on including him in a trade for Green.
FRIDAY, 5:06pm: The Celtics are continuing with their rebuilding process, and the next player on the list to be dealt is Jeff Green, who is likely on his way to the Grizzlies, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Memphis is offering Boston Tayshaun Prince and a first round draft pick in return, Wojnarowski notes. There also appears to be a third team involved in the deal, Wojnarowski adds.
Memphis has been actively trying to acquire either Luol Deng from the Heat, or Green from Boston over the last few days. When the Grizzlies couldn’t make any headway on nabbing Deng, they zeroed in on Green over the last 48 hours and sold Boston on deal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Boston had initially been asking for two first-rounders in return, Wojnarowski tweets. The Clippers had also inquired about Green, but they didn’t have the expiring contracts that Boston was looking for to make a trade work, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports (Twitter link).
In 33 games this season, the 28-year-old Green has averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 33.1 minutes per game. His career numbers over six seasons are 14.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His career slash line is .440/.340/.788.
Prince is a 12-year NBA veteran, and is averaging 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 25 appearances (9 starts) this season. The 34-year-old’s career numbers are 11.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 2.5 APG. His career shooting percentages are .455/.367/.758.
Celtics Notes: Stevens, Nelson, Green
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge understands that trading Rajon Rondo made coach Brad Stevens‘ job tougher, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald writes. Rondo’s departure has thrown Boston’s rotation for a loop, and Stevens has the difficult task of sorting out who the team should be playing, Murphy adds. “It’s difficult if there aren’t three or four guys who are the stabilizing force for your team,” Ainge said. “Sometimes the second team is capable of beating the first, and sometimes it’s the first that’s better than the second. Sometimes the third is better than both of them. You could see it [last Monday] against Charlotte. He used 13 guys, and the third unit looked hungrier than the other two.”
Here’s more out of Beantown:
- Ainge doesn’t place the onus solely on Stevens to keep the Celtics’ locker room content, Murphy adds. “It’s hard to keep everybody happy,” Ainge said. “It’s not Brad’s job to keep everybody happy. It’s a player’s job to make the coach believe that he can’t win without him. This is just a very difficult roster to manage up and down.”
- In light of Boston’s recent trades, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com ran down the plethora of draft picks the Celtics have accumulated through the 2019 NBA draft.
- Despite the recently acquired Jameer Nelson spending time on the inactive list since arriving in Boston, Stevens has praised the veteran player’s professionalism, Murphy writes in a separate piece. “We talked. I don’t know that it’s a fixture,” Stevens said of whether the veteran guard has a long-term role on the inactive list. “Tonight, yes, but it’s hard for me to predict anything beyond one day right now. We had a talk and he’s been great. He’s a pro, he’s helpful. We had a film session and he was active in the film session helping the young guys. It’s a transition. He played 10 years in one place, and then he chose to go someplace else and gets traded. He’s never lived this before.“
- Jeff Green, who is part of the proposed three-way deal with the Pelicans, Celtics, and Grizzlies, is expected to opt out of his contract after the season, Zach Lowe of Grantland reports (Twitter link). Green has a $9.2MM player option for 2015/16, which is the final year of his current deal.
D-League Moves: Mavs, Thunder, Pelicans
The weekend usually brings about D-League assignments for a handful of NBA players, many of whom are more familiar with D-League gyms than they are with NBA arenas. That’s the case for a trio of first- and second-year players again today, as we detail:
- The Mavericks have assigned Ricky Ledo to the D-League for the eighth time this season, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com reports (on Twitter). The shooting guard has seen just two minutes total for Dallas this season, but he’s averaging 14.3 points in 34.0 minutes per game across 10 appearances for the D-League’s Texas Legends.
- Grant Jerrett is going on D-League assignment No. 6 this season, the Thunder announced (Twitter link). He’s seen 24 minutes total of NBA action this season, and he hasn’t received particularly heavy minutes in the D-League, either. He’s put up 11.2 PPG in 22.0 MPG over five D-League games.
- The Pelicans have sent Russ Smith to the D-League for the third time, the team announced. The rookie has totaled 29 NBA minutes in six NBA games, but he’s averaged 16.5 PPG in 26.0 MPG in the D-League. He’s going once more to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the affiliate that New Orleans shares with a dozen other teams.
Bucher’s Latest: Kings, Pelicans, Cavs
It’s no secret that the Nets trio of Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson are available on the trade market, and they’re among a long list of players that GMs say teams are open to trading as the February 19th deadline approaches, according Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher. Jeff Green, Brandan Wright, Lance Stephenson, Greg Monroe, Brandon Jennings, Goran Dragic, Nik Stauskas, Ben McLemore, Jason Thompson, Arron Afflalo and most of the other Nuggets are also on that list, with Bucher, in many cases, confirming earlier reports. Still, Bucher hears plenty of new rumbles, as he passes along in his piece, and we’ll hit the highlights here:
- Kings owner Vivek Ranadive unilaterally made the decision to fire former coach Michael Malone, sources tell Bucher, even though GM Pete D’Alessandro claimed the decision as his own. Most of the Kings organization was pleased with the direction the team was headed in and believed the team was overachieving, though there were doubts that Malone was the long-term solution, Bucher writes.
- Ranadive wanted to make a splash with Malone’s successor, but Kings front office executives prevailed upon him to keep Tyrone Corbin as head coach, according to Bucher. Ranadive would relish the chance to turn the screws on the Warriors, of whom he used to be a part-owner, by hiring Mark Jackson, the ex-Warriors coach, a source tells Bucher, who nonetheless believes that the team won’t hire Jackson during this season.
- Talk “circulating around the league” suggests that Pelicans owner Tom Benson is eyeing former Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and former Mavs and Nets coach Avery Johnson if he decides to make changes, Bucher writes. Still, Pelicans sources tell Bucher that the club hasn’t contacted either Dumars or Johnson, and that there are no signs that Benson is definitively displeased with either GM Dell Demps or coach Monty Williams.
- Several executives from around the league don’t believe the pair of trades the Cavs made this week assure the team of any more than a second-round appearance, according to Bucher. One exec tells Bucher that the Cavs “overinflated” the market with what they gave up for Timofey Mozgov.