D’Angelo Russell Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Leonard, Raptors Workout, Russell, Eisley

June 3rd, 2019 at 6:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard filed a federal lawsuit against Nike on Monday, claiming he designed the logo that appeared on his Nike apparel and the company copyrighted the logo without his consent, Matthew Kish of the PDX Biz Journal reports.

In a separate development that could foretell his summer plans, Leonard apparently bought property in his current NBA city, according to Michael Landsberg of TSN (hat tip to Dan Feldman of NBC Sports). Landsberg said in a radio interview that “What we’ve heard is that he’s purchased a property in Toronto,” and that “we’ve heard this now from two different sources.” That could be an indication that Leonard, who will opt out and become a free agent this summer, plans to stick with the Raptors.

We have more news from the Atlantic Division:

The Raptors will hold their fourth pre-draft workout on Tuesday, according to Blake Murphy of The Athletic (Twitter link). The list includes guards Jalen Adams (UConn) Australian William McDowell-White, Kyle Allman (Cal State Fullerton) and Jared Harper (Auburn) and forwards Dedric Lawson (Kansas) and Dean Wade (Kansas State).
Nets guard D’Angelo Russell expects that he’ll have to be patient in free agency, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. Russell will be a restricted free agent. “It’s more of just the waiting game as far as chess moves have to be made,” Russell told Lewis. “There’s a lot of big fish out there that have to find their destinations so I think I’ll [fall in line after that]. There are a lot of fish out there that need to find destinations. So whenever that time comes then I have decisions to make on my own, I think I’ll be well ready for it.”
Knicks assistant coach Howard Eisley is expected to join Michigan’s staff under former Heat assistant Juwan Howard, Brendan Quinn of The Athletic tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Horford, Brown, Nets, Lowry

May 25th, 2019 at 8:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics can’t really start planning their offseason until they know if Al Horford is picking up his $30.1MM option for next season, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. Horford’s decision is due by June 18 and it will affect a lot of other areas in what could be a summer of change in Boston.

Horford’s choices are to either take the money, which is a hefty salary for a player about to turn 33, try his luck on the open market, or attempt to work out a longer deal with the Celtics that includes a smaller payment for next season. Forsberg notes that by opting in, Horford could make himself an attractive trade piece to help Boston match salaries in a deal for Anthony Davis or another star.

Even if the Celtics don’t get Davis and lose Kyrie Irving in free agency, Horford could be valuable to keep, Forsberg notes. He formed an effective combination with the team’s younger players during last year’s run to the conference finals.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

This will also be an important summer for Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension. Brown doesn’t have an agent, but he hopes the team will be open to talking about a long future together. “I’m 22 years old. I know I have a lot to learn,” he said. “I know the older guys on our team, I think they feel the same thing. They got a lot to learn, too. So, that’s a part of it; everybody growing.”
With rumors swirling of Irving possibly teaming up with D’Angelo Russell in the Nets‘ backcourt, the man who coached them both in high school believes they can be successful together. Marc Berman of The New York Post talked to Kevin Boyle, who knows both players as well as anyone. “I 1,000 percent think that could work,” Boyle said. “D’Angelo knows Kyrie, likes him, respects him. That could work with both sides. Kyrie could help D’Angelo to that top-10, top-15 level. I could see that blending together nicely. Not everybody fits with everybody. I don’t know why in Boston the things didn’t fit [for Irving], but it could fit there.”
Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is one win away from cashing in on a $500K bonus for reaching the NBA Finals, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. If he collects, it would add $1.25MM to the team’s luxury tax payment. Lowry would earn another $500K if the Raptors win the NBA title.

An Irving-Russell Backcourt For Brooklyn?

May 25th, 2019 at 2:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s mutual interest between Kyrie Irving and the Nets but that doesn’t mean Brooklyn won’t re-sign restricted free agent D’Angelo Russell, according to Anthony Puccio of SNY.TV. Irving and his camp will strongly consider Brooklyn if he doesn’t re-sign with the Celtics, Puccio hears.

Irving’s people have kept close tabs on the Nets organization, noting its improvement on and off the court. While signing a free agent of Irving’s stature would seemingly lead to Russell’s exit, the Nets are open to pairing Irving and Russell in the backcourt.

The Nets don’t want to lose Russell, 23, after he emerged this season as a candidate for the Most Improved Player award.

While having two point guards in the backcourt could make it difficult for Irving and Russell to co-exist, GM Sean Marks isn’t averse to accumulating the best possible talent and letting head coach Kenny Atkinson figure out how to make it work, Puccio notes.

It’s also worth pointing out that the two guards are on good terms and shared the same high school coach, Kevin Boyle.

The Nets are positioned to bring in at least one top-level free agent. They could have up to $50.5MM in cap space but Russell’s $21MM cap hold significantly impacts that figure.

Harden, Giannis, George Named MVP Finalists

May 17th, 2019 at 7:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Defending champion James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George are the finalists for this season’s Most Valuable Player award, the league announced in a press release.

The voting is expected to be close between Harden, who averaged 36.1 PPG and 7.5 APG during the regular season, and Antetokounmpo, who carried the Bucks to the best record in the league while averaging 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG and 5.9 APG. George averaged 28.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 4.1 APG.

The league also released the finalists for its other awards. The winners will be revealed during a TNT broadcast on Monday, June 24. Here are the rest of the finalists:

Rookie of the Year:

Deandre Ayton (Suns)
Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
Trae Young (Hawks)

Sixth Man of the Year:

Montrezl Harrell (Clippers)
Domantas Sabonis (Pacers)
Lou Williams (Clippers)

Defensive Player of the Year:

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
Paul George (Thunder)
Rudy Gobert (Jazz)

Most Improved Player:

De’Aaron Fox (Kings)
D’Angelo Russell (Nets)
Pascal Siakam (Raptors)

Coach of the Year:

Mike Budenholzer (Bucks)
Michael Malone (Nuggets)
Doc Rivers (Clippers)

New York Notes: Russell, Crabbe, Perry, Free Agents

May 6th, 2019 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Re-signing point guard D’Angelo Russell will be the top priority for the Nets this summer, writes Michael Scotto of The Athletic. After making several recent runs at restricted free agents such as Tyler Johnson, Allen Crabbe and Otto Porter, Brooklyn will be on defense this year, hoping Russell doesn’t receive an offer that’s too outrageous to match.

The Nets would like to have enough cap flexibility to offer two max contracts and will be handcuffed if Russell receives a substantial offer shortly after free agency begins on July 1, Scotto notes. Brooklyn will have just two days after the moratorium to decide to match, which could tie up money the organization is hoping to use elsewhere.

Scotto considers the Pacers to be a threat to make a move on Russell, with Darren Collison and Cory Joseph both headed toward free agency. That leaves rookie Aaron Holiday as the only other point guard on the roster, and Scotto says Indiana may like the idea of teaming up Russell with Victor Oladipo. Still, he believes the Nets will match any offer unless they find themselves in position to add two elite free agents.

There’s more today from New York City:

Scotto lists Brooklyn’s other offseason priorities as trading Crabbe’s $18.5MM salary to open cap space, adding a veteran center to back up Jarrett Allen and finding another stretch four. Scotto notes that the Hawks, Bulls, Mavericks, Pacers, Suns and Kings all have enough cap room to add Crabbe, and the Nets will consider using the stretch provision if they can’t find a taker. Free agents Robin Lopez, Aron Baynes, Boban Marjanovic, Zaza Pachulia, Tyson Chandler and Kyle O’Quinn are possibilities as reserve centers, while Nikola Mirotic, Anthony Tolliver, Mike Scott and Omri Casspi are free agents forwards with 3-point range.
The Knicks will prioritize talent over position in the draft, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Team president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry discuss the process in a new “MSG 150” TV show that will air tonight and tomorrow. “Where we are at right now, talent is important,” Perry said. “If it’s very close, then you may lean towards the position of need, but if there is a clear delineation between the talent, I think you always err on the side of talent.”
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic examines all the free agents that the Knicks might consider this summer. Kevin Durant tops the list, of course, but Vorkunov rates plenty of others, including role players who could be useful if New York gets the stars it wants.

Eastern Notes: Russell, Carter, Magic, Oladipo

May 5th, 2019 at 6:46pm CST by JD Shaw

Nets All-Star D’Angelo Russell was cited last week after it was discovered he was hiding marijuana while trying to board at a New York airport, but this distraction won’t prevent him and Brooklyn from coming together on a new deal this summer, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.

“It’s not an issue,” one league source told Lewis. “I’ve had a cell phone ticket that was more [costly].”

Russell, who’s coming off a career season with the Nets, is scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1. Brooklyn will likely offer him a lucrative multi-year deal, especially if the team strikes out on recruiting some of the top free-agent players.

Russell won’t be suspended by the NBA for his first-time action, as stated in the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. He’s heading into free agency as one of the most talented backcourt players, coming off a season that saw him average a career-high 21.1 points, seven assists and 1.2 steals in 81 games.

“We got a little lucky: We got him in the right time frame and the point in his maturity,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said of Russell on a Bleacher Report podcast last week. “He never expected anything. When we had our first conversation with him, I was authentic with him and honest that you’re going to have to earn it. And I think that was a continuing conversation. I think our communication helped.

“There was nary a text, never a ‘Hey coach, can I talk to you? I’m not happy.’ There was zero of that. I think he knew he had to earn it, take stock of how he was playing, and was honest with himself. … He tells me that all the time: ‘I really learned how to be a pro here.’ ”

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference today:

Matt John of Basketball Insiders examines potential landing spots for veteran guard Vince Carter, who becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Carter has played for three different teams in the past three seasons, good for eight different teams in his 21-year career. John speculates that Carter could be a good fit on many different clubs, including a potential return in Toronto.
Sean Deveney of Sporting News outlines the offseason focus for the Magic, including free agency, the draft and more. Orlando has a major decision to make on whether they want to retain All-Star center Nikola Vucevic on a new deal, with the 28-year-old also set to reach free agency in July.
The Pacers need Victor Oladipo to pace himself in order for them to maximize their potential next season, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star writes. Oladipo suffered a season-ending torn right quad tendon in January and is pushing to get himself ready for next year, though it’s imperative that he doesn’t rush the process and risk suffering a setback. Indiana finished with the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 48-34 this season despite Oladipo only appearing in 36 of those games.

D’Angelo Russell Cited For Marijuana Possession

May 2nd, 2019 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets guard D’Angelo Russell was cited for marijuana possession at LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday before flying from New York to his hometown of Louisville, reports A.J. Perez of USA Today. The TSA found the marijuana stashed in a hidden compartment of what appeared to be an Arizona Iced Tea can.

When Russell was questioned by police about the bag of weed, he claimed it was his brother’s, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The All-Star guard ultimately received a summons for possession of under 50 grams of marijuana and was released to fly home.

Although possession of marijuana is still illegal in the state of New York, the legal ramifications are unlikely to be significant, and Russell probably won’t face any real discipline from the NBA. As Perez notes, a player is required to enter the league’s marijuana program if he is convicted of possession of marijuana in violation of the law, but he isn’t subject to a suspension until his third violation of the NBA’s policy.

The Nets, who will hold Russell’s rights as a restricted free agent this offseason, issued a statement confirming they’re looking into the matter, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).

“We have been made aware of the situation involving D’Angelo Russell and are in the process of gathering more information at this time,” the team said in the statement.

Atlantic Notes: Leonard, Butler, Russell, Smart

April 28th, 2019 at 11:40am CST by Arthur Hill

Kawhi Leonard‘s performance in the opener of the Eastern Conference semifinals was exactly was the Raptors were hoping for when they acquired him, writes Michael Lee of the Athletic, but the Sixers need Jimmy Butler to step up in the same way. The matchup of recently traded forwards could go a long way toward deciding their playoff series. Leonard was brilliant in Game 1, scoring 45 points and pushing his career record against Philadelphia to 14-0.

Lee notes that there are many similarities between Leonard and Butler, who were both drafted outside the lottery, became stars through hard work and forced themselves out of unhappy situations. However, Leonard was clearly the better player on Saturday as Butler hit just 4 of 12 shots and scored 10 points.

“He’s just evolving,” said Sixers forward Jonathon Simmons, who played alongside Leonard in San Antonio. “He wants to be in the conversations with the best of them. That’s what he works for.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers will need more production from Joel Embiid to have a chance in the series, notes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Despite being among the league’s best centers, Embiid has a history of struggling against Marc Gasol, a former Defensive Player of the Year in Memphis. Embiid made just one shot Saturday while Gasol was guarding him and finished 5 of 18 from the field.
The Nets can create enough cap room this summer to reshape their roster, but they’ll have to determine how many of their own free agents they want to keep, observes Tom Dowd of NBA.com. The most significant decision will involve point guard D’Angelo Russell, who will be a restricted free agent after a breakthrough season. Brooklyn can match any offer that Russell receives, but the front office will have to prioritize how much to pay another guard with Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie already in place. “He’s obviously one of our more talented players,” GM Sean Marks said of Russell. “You said we’ll have decisions. D’Angelo is going to have decisions, too. That is a little bit of the nature of this business.”
Celtics coach Brad Stevens confirmed today that Marcus Smart is unlikely to be available for the conference semifinals, tweets Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. Smart, who suffered a torn oblique three weeks ago, is doing core work, but his return still appears far off. “I don’t see any way that he’s available until whenever his timeline hits that we thought initially — four to six (weeks),” Stevens said. “And I said at the start, the four seems awfully aggressive.”

Community Shootaround: D’Angelo Russell’s Nets Future

April 27th, 2019 at 10:12am CST by marksuleymanov

With the Nets‘ season over following a first-round postseason loss to the Sixers, the focus turns towards Brooklyn’s summer plans. Among the most watched storylines this offseason will be what D’Angelo Russell‘s future holds.

Just 23 years old, Russell is coming off his best season as an NBA talent. A serious candidate for Most Improved Player, Russell set career-highs across every major category, including games played (81 games), PPG (21.1) and APG (7.0).

“He’s obviously one of our more talented players,” general manager Sean Marks said in his exit press conference, per the New York Post. “You said we’ll have decisions. D’Angelo is going to have decisions, too. That is a little bit of the nature of this business. But at the end of the day, our job is to continue to put talent on the floor for Brooklyn.”

There are several directions in which this offseason can go. Brooklyn could just lock up one of its youngest, most dynamic players immediately and avoid a drawn-out discussion on what should be done. Or, the Nets could let Russell explore the market, using their right of first refusal to ultimately match any offer sheet he signs, if they so choose.

Before joining the Nets, Russell had just come off two mostly disappointing, if not controversial, years with the Lakers. In the two seasons since, Russell has become a leader in the Nets’ locker room and been praised around the organization for his maturity and development. Additionally, the Nets figure to be major players for some of the premier free agents on the market this summer — and pairing them with Russell is an enticing possibility.

What do you think should happen between the Nets and Russell? Should the Nets sign him to an extension and lock him up long-term? Should the Nets let him explore the open market and hedge their bets? Do you think Brooklyn would be better off without Russell despite his standout 2018/19 season? Sound off below!

D’Angelo Russell “Definitely” Wants To Stay With Nets

April 24th, 2019 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s possible that Brooklyn’s season-ending loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday night was D’Angelo Russell‘s last game with the Nets, given that the All-Star point guard is facing restricted free agency this summer. However, Russell told reporters today that he hopes to extend his stay with the franchise a little longer, as Ian Begley of ESPN.com details.

“I definitely want to be here. But I also know it’s a business, too. So I’m not going to play that role like I don’t know what could possibly happen,” Russell said. “Say somebody comes here that I have to be a part of (a transaction to acquire them), I know that could be a possibility. So I just want to stay in this moment and not speak too soon about anything.”

A former No. 2 overall pick, Russell enjoyed a breakout season for the Nets in 2018/19, establishing new career highs in PPG (21.1), APG (7.0), FG% (.434), and 3PT% (.369), among other categories. The 23-year-old’s performance set him up well for free agency, particularly since Brooklyn and several other teams around the NBA have the cap flexibility to accommodate a maximum-salary contract.

While it remains to be seen if Russell will get a max offer from the Nets or another team, league sources have intimated that he’ll likely be seeking one, Brian Lewis of The New York Post wrote this week. As I’ve noted before, considering how active GM Sean Marks has been on the restricted free agent market in recent years, it isn’t unrealistic to expect a rival team to return the favor by going after Russell with an aggressive offer sheet, forcing the Nets into a tough decision.

While Russell would have to listen if another team came up with a more lucrative offer than Brooklyn’s, the point guard’s familiarity with the franchise means the Nets will enter free agency with a leg up on re-signing him.

“Yeah, for sure, for sure,” Russell said, according to Begley, when asked if he’ll favor the Nets over other suitors. “I don’t know any other teams, I don’t know any other GMs or coaches. I don’t know any of those people. I know where I’m at. So it definitely gives you that advantage.”