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Julian Champagnie Claimed Off Waivers By Spurs

February 16th, 2023 at 6:02pm CST by Rory Maher

6:02pm: San Antonio confirmed in an email that it claimed Champagnie. He will wear No. 30 for the Spurs.

4:20pm: The Spurs have claimed Julian Champagnie off waivers, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowki (Twitter link).

An undrafted rookie out of St. John’s, Champagnie had been with Philadelphia on a two-way contract, but he was recently waived in favor of Mac McClung. The Spurs have an open two-way spot, so they won’t need to release anyone to acquire Champagnie.

The 21-year-old spent three college seasons with the Red Storm, averaging 19.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.1 BPG on .414/.337/.781 shooting in 31 games (34.2 MPG) as a junior. He only appeared in two games with the Sixers for a total of seven minutes, having spent the majority of his first pro season with their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

The 6’8″ forward had an impressive run during the fall Showcase Cup, averaging 21.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 1.2 BPG on .465/.347/.839 shooting in 14 games (35.1 MPG). His numbers have declined since the regular season began, with Champagnie recording 14.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 0.9 BPG on .419/.352/.875 shooting in 18 games (28.7 MPG) for the Blue Coats.

The Spurs now have a full 15-man standard roster and both two-way slots filled — Dominick Barlow occupies the other.

Clippers Talking To Russell Westbrook

February 16th, 2023 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers have begun talks with Russell Westbrook after being granted permission by the Jazz, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

L.A. has been prominently mentioned as a possible destination for Westbrook if he agrees to a buyout with Utah. He’s established in the city after playing the past year and a half with the Lakers, and the Clippers are in need of point guard help after failing to upgrade that position at the trade deadline.

Paul George and Marcus Morris both publicly endorsed the idea of adding Westbrook to the team last week.

Westbrook appears to have several options if he accepts a buyout, with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski mentioning the Wizards as being interested during Wednesday night’s NBA Countdown. Westbrook helped Washington secure a playoff berth in his lone season with the team before being traded to the Lakers.

The Bulls, with Westbrook’s former Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan, and the Heat, who also need backcourt help, are believed to be other leading contenders to sign the 34-year-old guard.

Westbrook was sent to the Jazz as part of a three-way trade at last week’s deadline following a tumultuous stay with the Lakers. He adapted to a bench role this season, but still struggled with his shot, connecting at 41.7% from the field and 29.6% from three-point range.

Celtics Promote Joe Mazzulla To Head Coach

February 16th, 2023 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Joe Mazzulla is officially the head coach of the Celtics, with the interim tag now removed from his job title, the team announced (via Twitter). Mazzulla also received a contract extension, although terms of the deal weren’t released.

“As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader,” said president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. “He has a unique ability to galvanize a room around a mission. We are thankful for the work he has done to help get us to this point, and excited that he has agreed to lead us into the future.”

Mazzulla took over when Ime Udoka was suspended in September following an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Mazzulla has guided the Celtics to a league-best 41-17 record, winning Coach of the Month honors for October and November, and will coach Team Giannis in this weekend’s All-Star Game.

The team’s official announcement acknowledges that Mazzulla replaces Udoka, who led Boston to a 51-31 mark and an NBA Finals appearance in his only season at the helm.

Despite the circumstances that led to his dismissal, Udoka is expected to be a strong candidate for any head coaching jobs that open up after this season, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

Mazzulla, 34, joined the Celtics staff as an assistant in 2019. After playing college basketball at West Virginia, he held coaching jobs in the NCAA and with Boston’s G League affiliate.

Kevin Love, Cavaliers Nearing Buyout Agreement

February 16th, 2023 at 12:11am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Longtime Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love is working toward a buyout agreement with the team, sources inform Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.

Love is currently making $28.9MM in the final season of a four-year, $120MM contract extension he signed with the team in 2018. The deal kicked in the following season.

According to The Athletic’s writers, the Heat are already said to be interested in procuring Love’s services. Given Miami’s issues with floor spacing and its lack of traditionally sized power forwards, this would feel like a natural fit.

The 34-year-old big man has been with the Cavaliers since he was traded to the club by the Timberwolves ahead of the 2014/15 NBA season.

Love, a five-time All-Star, won a title in Cleveland in 2016 alongside All-Stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. As Charania and Lloyd note, the former No. 5 pick out of UCLA was the only remaining player from that title team who was part of the exciting ’22/23 club that is currently the fourth seed in the East.

The 6’10” vet had fallen out of Cleveland rotation last month around the same time Dean Wade returned from a shoulder injury. Love played what could be his last game for the team on January 24, a 105-103 loss to the Knicks.

Even before that, Love had taken more of a backseat to Cleveland’s starting frontcourt tandem of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen this season. 6’7″ Cedi Osman has taken on more minutes as the team’s de facto reserve power forward of late.

Across 41 games while still in the team’s rotation, Love posted averages of 8.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG, with shooting splits of .389/.354/.889.

D’Angelo Russell, Lakers Have Mutual Interest In Extension

February 15th, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers acquired D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota last week as part of a three-team blockbuster trade that also sent Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles.

Russell is playing on a $31.38MM expiring contract and could hit free agency this summer. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on NBA Countdown (YouTube link) that there’s mutual interest between Russell and the Lakers in discussing a contract extension.

Based on Wojnarowski’s wording, those conversations have yet to begin, but there’s an expectation the two sides will come together in the coming weeks and months.

The Lakers don’t view Russell as a mere rental player, with Wojnarowski noting that they gave up their 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected) and a couple of second-rounders as part of the deal. There’s hope that the 26-year-old could be a “solution at that point guard position,” Wojnarowski said.

Russell is having a strong year from an efficiency standpoint, posting a .465/.387/.853 shooting slash line for a career-high .601 true shooting percentage. Through 56 games (32.9 MPG) with the Wolves and Lakers, he’s averaging 17.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 6.1 APG and 1.1 SPG.

In other Lakers-related news, LeBron James (foot/ankle) returned from a three-game absence on Wednesday, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Head coach Darvin Ham used a new starting lineup featuring Russell, Beasley, James, Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis.

Russell Westbrook Interested In Returning To Wizards?

February 15th, 2023 at 7:40pm CST by Rory Maher

After being traded from the Lakers last week, former league MVP Russell Westbrook is currently away from the Jazz as he explores his options on the buyout market. Utah has granted Westbrook permission to speak with teams that might be interested in his services, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on NBA Countdown (YouTube link).

While the Bulls, Clippers and Heat have previously been mentioned as possibilities, Wojnarowski reports that Westbrook has also spoken to the Wizards.

Westbrook helped lead the Wizards to the playoffs a couple years ago prior to getting traded to Los Angeles. In 65 games (36.4 MPG) with the Wizards in 2020/21, he averaged a triple-double, posting 22.2 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 11.7 APG and 1.4 SPG on .439/.315/.656 shooting splits.

He only spent one season in Washington D.C., but Westbrook is familiar with several players on the Wizards’ roster and shares an agent (Jeff Schwartz) with Kristaps Porzingis.

As Woj explains, Westbrook and his potential suitors have been trying to figure out “what a potential fit might look like, what a role might look.” There’s also a chance that Westbrook could opt to sit out the rest of the season and enter unrestricted free agency this summer, according to Wojnarowski.

In 52 games (28.7 MPG) with the Lakers in ’22/23, all but three as a reserve, Westbrook averaged 15.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 7.5 APG and 1.0 SPG on .417/.296/.655 shooting.

Justin Holiday Signs With Mavs After Buyout With Rockets

February 15th, 2023 at 5:14pm CST by Rory Maher

FEBRUARY 15: Holiday’s new contract with the Mavericks is official, the team announced (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 13, 9:05pm: Holiday has officially been waived by the Rockets, according to the NBA transactions log.

FEBRUARY 13, 12:17pm: Veteran swingman Justin Holiday has reached a buyout agreement with the Rockets and intends to sign with the Mavericks after he clears waivers, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Marc Stein reported Sunday evening (via Twitter) that the Mavs would be interested in Holiday if he was bought out by Houston. Dallas was also reportedly interested in Terrence Ross, who plans to sign with the Suns after being bought out by Orlando. However, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Holiday was the Mavs’ top potential buyout target (Twitter link).

Holiday, 34, was sent to Houston from Atlanta as part of a cost-cutting trade by the Hawks. Now in his 10th season, Holiday didn’t get much playing time with Atlanta in 2022/23, making 28 appearances while averaging 4.5 points in 14.7 minutes per game.

A report after the trade indicated that the Rockets were interested in keeping Holiday around, perhaps even beyond this season. Obviously that didn’t work out, with Holiday spotted having an extended conversation with coach Stephen Silas during Monday’s shootaround (Twitter link via Kelly Iko of The Athletic).

The Mavs dealt away Dorian Finney-Smith as part of the Kyrie Irving trade, so Holiday will provide some additional depth on the wing. Dallas technically has a full 15-man roster, but big man Chris Silva is only on a 10-day deal — if Dallas wants to sign Holiday before the All-Star break, Silva’s contract would likely be ended early to make room for the newcomer.

Bryn Forbes Arrested On Domestic Violence Charge

February 15th, 2023 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Timberwolves guard Bryn Forbes was arrested early on Wednesday morning in San Antonio on a misdemeanor family violence charge, according to Dillon Collier and Ben Spicer of KSAT.com.

As Collier and Spicer outline, a preliminary police report stated that Forbes and a woman he’s dating were out together when he became upset. They drove home and got into an altercation which became physical, according to police. The woman was struck several times by Forbes, police say — she required medical attention and he was taken into custody.

The case remains under investigation, per KSAT’s report. According to Taylor Pettaway of The San Antonio Express-News, Forbes was arrested on suspicion of assault with bodily injury, but hasn’t been booked into the Bexar County Jail.

Forbes, who spent the first four seasons of his professional career with the Spurs, has bounced around the NBA in recent years, playing for the Bucks, Spurs (again), Nuggets, and Timberwolves. He signed with Minnesota last summer and appeared in 25 games this season for the club, averaging 3.6 PPG on .361/.304/1.000 shooting.

The 29-year-old’s minimum-salary contract and his dip in three-point shooting (he’d made 41.3% of his career attempts entering this season) made him the logical odd man out when the Timberwolves acquired two players in exchange for D’Angelo Russell at last week’s trade deadline and needed to open up a roster spot. Forbes was waived on Thursday and is now a free agent.

Given his ability to knock down outside shots, Forbes was a candidate to get a look from playoff contenders this season, but that seems very unlikely to happen now. Any team with interest in Forbes will certainly hold off until there’s more clarity – or a resolution – on his legal situation.

Suns Officially Sign Terrence Ross

February 15th, 2023 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have officially signed free agent swingman Terrence Ross, the team announced today in a press release.

Ross reached an agreement to join the Suns after finalizing a buyout agreement with the Magic, so today’s announcement had been expected. He cleared waivers on Tuesday, paving the way for him to join Phoenix just before the All-Star break.

Ross had been with the Magic since being traded from Toronto to Orlando at the 2017 deadline. He had been considered a trade candidate for the last couple years, but ended up staying put — with his contract set to expire at season’s end, the team agreed to set him free a little early by completing a buyout.

The 32-year-old averaged 14.4 points in 27.2 minutes per game in 220 contests during his first four full seasons with the Magic, but has seen his role cut back in the last two seasons as Orlando has gone through a rebuilding process. He has averaged just 9.2 PPG in 22.8 MPG across 105 appearances since the start of last season, though he’s knocking down 38.1% of his three-point attempts in 2022/23.

The Mavericks reportedly pursued Ross along with the Suns and believed they were poised to sign him. Instead, the veteran wing chose the opportunity to compete for a title in Phoenix alongside Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and new Sun Kevin Durant. With Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson having been sent to Brooklyn in the Durant trade, the door is open for Ross to earn a rotation role.

Ross surrendered $918,516 in his buyout agreement with the Magic, Hoops Rumors has learned. That’s the equivalent of his minimum salary for 55 days. There are now 54 days left in the regular season, so if he received a minimum-salary deal from Phoenix, Ross will earn slightly less than what he gave up. His contract details aren’t yet known.

Since the Suns had a pair of open spots on their 15-man roster, no corresponding move was necessary to officially add Ross. The team still has one roster opening available.

Cavaliers Sign Danny Green

February 15th, 2023 at 8:05am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

FEBRUARY 15, 8:05am: The Cavaliers have officially signed Green, the team confirmed in a press release.

FEBRUARY 12, 3:04pm: The Cavaliers and Green have reached an agreement, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The deal will be worth $2MM for the rest of the season, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter).

That’s more than a prorated minimum-salary contract for Green would be worth, so it’ll come out of Cleveland’s mid-level exception — the team only used a portion of the MLE to sign Ricky Rubio last summer.

The agreement will leave the Cavs’ team salary about $471K below the tax line, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype.

FEBRUARY 12, 12:21pm: After reaching a buyout agreement with the Rockets earlier today, free agent swingman Danny Green is “nearing an agreement” to sign with the Cavaliers, his Roc Nation Sports agent and attorney Raymond Brothers informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Cleveland, who has needed help stabilizing its small forward position, could benefit from the influence of Green. When healthy, he’s a still-impactful 3-and-D vet who has won three titles for three different clubs.

Woj tweets that Green’s representatives and the Cavs are still sussing out the terms on an agreement.

Green, 35, is recovering from ACL and LCL tears he suffered while in the playoffs with the Sixers last season. He only appeared in three games with Memphis.

For what it’s worth, the 6’7″ wing has tweeted, “It’s not done yet…,” presumably in reference to the impending new contract with Cleveland.