Thunder Ask Nuggets About Wilson Chandler
The Thunder have checked on Denver’s willingness to part with Wilson Chandler, as Chris Mannix of SI.com reports amid his weekly notebook column. Chandler is making almost $6.758MM this year in the next-to-last season of his contract, and only $2MM of his nearly $7.172MM salary for 2015/16 is guaranteed. It’s unclear what Oklahoma City would be willing to give up in return, but the Thunder would have to relinquish some salary to acquire Chandler, since they don’t have a trade exception large enough to accommodate him and they’re only about $1MM shy of the luxury tax threshold.
A report in July indicated that the Nuggets were thinking of trading either Chandler, JaVale McGee or both, and Denver apparently put Chandler in a pair of trade proposals to Minnesota for Kevin Love before Love wound up in Cleveland. Chandler, 27, is performing slightly above his career averages this season as he puts up 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game with 38.3% three-point shooting. He’s starting at small forward in front of Danilo Gallinari for a deep but mediocre Nuggets team that’s gone just 10-12 but is 8-5 after a 2-7 start. Denver is about $3MM shy of the tax line.
The Thunder are climbing out of an early-season hole that resulted from injuries to Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and a host of others. They’ve won six of their last seven games to improve to 9-13, a mark that’s just two games back in the loss column from the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Western Notes: Christopher, D-League, Mavs
One area that the Jazz are always looking to improve upon is their outside shooting, which is the primary reason that Utah signed Patrick Christopher earlier today, Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “That’s an area we want to continually upgrade at the guards, wings, bigs,” Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey said. “If you can shoot the ball, there’s a good chance we’re going to take a look at you. He’s [Christopher] someone that [coach Quin Snyder] knew from his overseas experience. There was some familiarity there. He made it to our open gym and mini camp so there was some corporate knowledge. And we notched that he’s been shooting the ball very consistently over the last three years.”
Here’s more from out west:
- Christopher’s deal with the Jazz is a two-year, non-guaranteed minimum salary arrangement, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The player is scheduled to make $379,010 for this season, and $845,059 during the 2015/16 campaign, Pincus adds.
- The Thunder have re-assigned Mitch McGary and Grant Jerrett to the Oklahoma City Blue, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Jerrett’s fourth trip of the season to the D-League, and McGary’s third.
- Tuesday night’s loss to Memphis exposed the Mavs‘ most glaring weakness, which is a lack of interior depth behind Tyson Chandler, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. While no move to add another big man is imminent, Dallas is considering its options, notes Sefko.
- If the Wolves change their focus this season from retooling to rebuilding, it would open up permanent playing time for the team’s younger players like Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Anthony Bennett, Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng, which could benefit Minnesota’s outlook for next season, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes.
Celtics Notes: Rondo, Bradley, Thornton
Although he is known for his passing, the Celtics are better when Rajon Rondo is shooting more, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Boston has strung together three straight wins since coach Brad Stevens talked to Rondo last week about not being passive or being content with letting the game come to him. “When Rondo’s aggressive, I think our team is better,” said Jeff Green. “When he’s shooting open shots and also getting guys in transition, hitting them, that’s when we’re at our best.”
There’s more from Beantown:
- Brad Stevens told Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com that he likes the risk-taking attitude displayed by Avery Bradley late in Sunday’s win over the Wizards. With 19 seconds remaining on the shot clock and 37 seconds left in the game, Bradley hit a contested shot that gave Boston a two-possession lead. “I thought it was — fading a little bit into the corner, kind of off one foot — it wasn’t exactly how you draw it up, but, hey, maybe we should draw it up that way,” Stevens said. “I don’t know.”
- With free agency looming next summer, Marcus Thornton needs to make an impression, and Kyle Brasseur of ESPNBoston.com reports that he helped himself with an eight-point fourth quarter Sunday. The 27-year-old guard has been losing playing time to Phil Pressey in recent games, but given the chance in Sunday’s game, he responded with 21 points off the bench. “I’ve been through this before as a rookie so I know what it takes,” Thornton said. “When you’ve got positive teammates, it makes it that much easier too.”
- The Celtics team that won the 2008 NBA title may have been scattered throughout the league, but Brian Robb of Boston.com reports several players stay together through weekly texting sessions. Paul Pierce, who played his first game in Boston Sunday as a member of the Wizards, said he communicates regularly online with Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins. Pierce also refused to close the door on a possible return to the Celtics one day. “If the opportunity presents itself, you know, maybe,” he said. “If there’s an opportunity, I would love to.”
Northwest Notes: Jackson, Nuggets, LaVine
The Thunder’s Reggie Jackson will be a restricted free agent next summer, but he tells Marc Narducci of HoopsHype that he is trying not to look ahead. “My faith in God is that I try not to think about tomorrow and all I try to do is focus on today,” Jackson said. “Do as much today as possible. Tomorrow there is no guarantee so I am not worried about it.” Jackson, who figures to be highly sought after on the free agent market, said he enjoys playing with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Thunder recalled Mitch McGary from the D-League, the team announced in a press release. McGary is averaging 16.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in four games with the Oklahoma City Blue.
- The Nuggets are playing much better after their 1-6 start, but they need more improvement before they can think about the playoffs, opines Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Dempsey estimates it might take 50 wins to ensure a playoff spot in the Western Conference, something that could be out of reach for the 9-10 Nuggets.
- Denver’s depth isn’t all positive, according to Adi Joseph of USA Today. With 12 players all in their primes and with a history of being starters, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw faces difficult decisions regarding playing time. “It’s not a bad thing to have a deep team, but sometimes it kind of leaves things up in the air for players,” said Kenneth Faried. “You really don’t have time to feel the game out. You got to get going right away or someone else will take your place.”
- Learning through mistakes is part of life for any NBA rookie, including the Timberwolves‘ Zach LaVine, writes Kent Youngblood of The Star-Tribune, LaVine had a crucial defensive lapse Friday that allowed the Rockets’ Nick Johnson to score a game-winning layup. “You gain a lot of experience about what not to do down the stretch,” LaVine said. “It was a tough one, that loss. But we have to keep battling.”
D-League Notes: Celtics, Smith, Ledo
The Mavs reaped a subtle benefit when the Thunder decided to keep Ish Smith instead of Sebastian Telfair when their 16th roster spot expired last week, as Gino Pilato of D-League Digest explains. The Mavs affiliate, by D-League rule, inherited top waiver priority once Smith, who left the Mavs affiliate to sign with Oklahoma City on November 7th, spent his 21st day on the Thunder’s NBA roster, as Pilato points out. Thus, the Legends were able to grab Ivan Johnson even though Dallas didn’t have his D-League rights when he signed with the league earlier this week.
Here are the latest D-League moves:
- The Celtics have recalled James Young, Dwight Powell, and Marcus Smart from their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team has announced. The trio make their return after seeing action in Maine’s victory against Fort Wayne last night. Young poured in 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Powell contributed 21 points. Smart, making his D-League debut, added six points, five boards, and dished out seven dimes.
- Russ Smith has been assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pelicans have announced. Smith has appeared in three contests for New Orleans, going scoreless in his 3.7 minutes per game. The rookie averaged 5.0 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in six preseason games for the Pelicans this year. Smith is the first player that New Orleans has assigned to the D-League this season.
- The Pistons have assigned Tony Mitchell to their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, David Mayo of MLive reports (Twitter link). This will be Mitchell’s third trip to the D-League this season.
- Ricky Ledo has been reassigned to the Texas Legends, the Mavs‘ D-League affiliate, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. This is Ledo’s third such assignment, and in four games with the Legends Ledo has averaged 11.5 points and 2.8 assists.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Durant, ‘Melo, Love Spoke Of Playing Together
Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love have discussed the idea of one day playing together, whether it be in the NBA or on Team USA, Love tells Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. The subject came up when the three 2012 Olympic teammates were with each other as they trained this summer in a Los Angeles gym.
“I think naturally being around each other this summer and the Olympics and just in common passing, we have always talked about the opportunity to obviously play against each other but playing with each other as well,” Love said. “It is always something fun to think about when you have a bunch of guys in the gym this summer. And if not on our respective teams, then maybe at the Olympics.”
It would seem the next Olympics would be a much more likely venue for a reunion than the NBA, given Anthony’s new contract with the Knicks, which runs through 2018/19 with a player option for that season, and Love’s continued insistence that he plans a long-term future with the Cavs. Durant has given no clear signal of what he intends to do when his contract with the Thunder runs out in 2016, but it would be a “long shot, likely even a pipe dream” for the Knicks to land a superstar of Durant’s caliber to play alongside Anthony, Youngmisuk writes. The Knicks are reportedly pessimistic about their chances of attracting Marc Gasol this summer.
Love spoke of his admiration for New York basketball over the summer, as Youngmisuk notes, and the power forward called the Knicks “a great franchise to be a part of” in a recent interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post, though he made it clear to Serby that he wants to stay in Cleveland. Love can opt out of his deal this summer or opt in and align his free agency with that of Durant’s in 2016. Still, there seems little chance that he’d end up leaving the Cavs.
D-League Notes: McGary, Ledo, Celtics
The D-League is becoming an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”
Here are the latest D-League moves:
- The Thunder have re-assigned Mitch McGary to the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced via Twitter. This is the big man’s second trip to the D-League this season. McGary has yet to appear in an NBA regular season game since being selected with the No. 21 pick in this year’s NBA draft.
- Ricky Ledo has been recalled by the Mavericks from the Texas Legends, where he was on his second D-League assignment of the season, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com reports (Twitter link). In four appearances for the Legends, Ledo has averaged 11.5 points and 2.8 assists while logging 33.3 minutes per contest.
- The Celtics have assigned Dwight Powell, James Young, and Marcus Smart to the Maine Red Claws, the team announced. This will be Powell’s and Young’s third excursion to Maine, and Smart’s first. All three rookies are likely to be recalled to Boston on Friday, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
Sebastian Telfair To Play In China
THURSDAY, 7:50am: Telfair has arrived in China to join Xinjiang, Pick reports (Twitter link), so it appears the deal is done.
MONDAY, 6:48pm: The team Telfair is negotiating with is Xinjiang of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (via Twitter), who confirms that the sides are close to agreement.
9:06am: Sebastian Telfair is near a deal with a Chinese team, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Thunder let go of the point guard Wednesday to keep Ish Smith instead when their hardship exception for a 16th roster spot expired, eating Telfair’s guaranteed minimum salary in the process. The identity of the Chinese team that Telfair’s camp is negotiating with is unclear.
Telfair appeared in 16 games and started one for the Thunder, who signed him to a one-year deal over the summer. He put up 8.4 points and 2.8 assists against 1.1 turnovers in 20.4 minutes per game for the Thunder during his brief stay. The 29-year-old’s scoring average was his best in the NBA since the 2008/09 season, but it wasn’t enough to save his job in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder are on the hook for more than $915K for Telfair this season, but they could be in line to recoup a portion of that through set-off rights, depending on the amount of money in Telfair’s next deal. Set-off rights apply regardless of whether a player signs his next contract in the NBA or another professional league, so they would still be in play if Telfair indeed inks with a Chinese team.
Western Notes: Love, Stokes, Abrines
Kevin Love has denied all the rumors that suggest he is considering leaving Cleveland after this season to join the Lakers. In an interview with ESPN Radio’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning” (hat tip to Scott Sargent of WaitingForNextYear.com), Love continued to deny he intends to depart for Los Angeles, saying, “Whether we lose two or three games in a row, or there’s a game where my statistical output isn’t necessarily what it should be, people are always going to talk. Since I was traded to Cleveland this summer, I’ve said since Day one that I’m a Cleveland Cavalier long term and I plan for it to be that way. I want to grow with this team. There’s a lot of guys with a lot of unique talent, one-through-fifteen, on our roster who are going to be here for a long time. If I could end all the speculation now, I would. But people are going to continue to talk no matter what. I just want to continue getting better with this team long term. I’m a Cleveland Cavalier.”
Here’s more from the west:
- The Grizzlies have recalled Jarnell Stokes from the Iowa Energy, the team announced. This was Stokes’ second trip to the D-League this season. The 20-year-old forward has notched a total of eight points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes of action in his six NBA appearances for Memphis this season.
- With Nick Calathes having recently returned to the Grizzlies from his drug-related suspension, members of his camp have told David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link) that the talk of Calathes wanting out of his contract with Memphis so he can play overseas with Fenerbahce of the Turkish league are just rumors.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (Twitter links) has been hearing favorable reviews of Alex Abrines, a second round pick of the Thunder back in 2013 who is playing in Spain. Abrines was selected with the No. 32 overall pick, but if he entered the 2015 draft he would likely be a top-15 selection, notes Howard-Cooper. In 16 contests for FC Barcelona this season, Abrines is averaging 9.8 points on 57% shooting, including a stellar 53.3% from three-point range.
- Though no trades appear to be imminent, the Warriors, despite their 15-2 record, do not necessarily believe that their roster is set, Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group tweets. Golden State is surveying the trade market to see who is available, Kawakami adds.
Western Notes: Curry, Meeks, D-League
Stephen Curry is now in the second season of the four-year, $44MM deal that he inked with the Warriors, and he has become one of the most blatantly underpaid players in the game, DeAntae Price of The Sporting News writes. Part of the reason that Curry signed that deal was because he missed 40 games the prior season with an ankle injury, prompting him to become concerned about his ability to bounce back, notes Price. But Curry has no regrets about signing the contract, saying, “Yeah, you expect to continue to get better. Obviously, I was in a unique situation, one that I was very comfortable with the decision I made coming off the ankle surgeries. I was confident I’d be able to get back, but I didn’t know how long the road was going to be to get back to 100% and take my game to the next level. But four years is a long time and you hope you can prove that you’re that max type of player and talent.”
Here’s more from out west:
- The Jazz have recalled Toure’ Murry from the D-League, the team announced. The offseason signee was on assignment with the Idaho Stampede for nearly three weeks, putting up 14.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals in 31.5 minutes per game across six appearances.
- The Thunder have recalled both Mitch McGary and Grant Jerrett from the Oklahoma City Blue, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This was Jerrett’s third D-League assignment of the season and McGary’s first.
- The Lakers didn’t make an offer to Jodie Meeks when he became a free agent last summer because they wanted to maintain flexibility in case LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony decided to come to Los Angeles, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. So Meeks took the sure thing and inked a deal with the Pistons instead, though he still has nothing but warm feelings for the Lakers, Medina adds. “I was getting some interest with the Lakers, but obviously they were waiting on Carmelo and LeBron,” Meeks said. “Who knows what would’ve happened had I waited, but I feel like this [Detroit] is the best place for me.”