Elliot Williams Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Brewer, Barnes, Williams

January 15th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

More than two dozen players became eligible to be traded today, and among them is Corey Brewer, about whom the Rockets and Suns reportedly had serious discussions as they entertained a swap that would also include Terrence Jones going to Phoenix for Markieff Morris. Still, Suns GM Ryan McDonough denied that any deal was prearranged or pending as he spoke Wednesday on the “Burns & Gambo” show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, as Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com transcribes. McDonough predicted lots of activity between now and the February 18th trade deadline and promised he’ll take an aggressive approach, though he said he can envision Morris remaining with Phoenix through the end of the season, adding that the Suns are “under no pressure to do anything immediately.” While we wait to see what happens on that front, there’s more on the Rockets and other Southwest Division teams:

Improved defense, better 3-point shooting and the presence of Patrick Beverley in the starting lineup instead of Ty Lawson have sparked the Rockets to improved play, as Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com details, but GM Daryl Morey isn’t satisfied. “I’m worried given our goals,” Morey said, according to Watkins. “We still have a lot of improvement to do and we’re working towards that.”
The performance Matt Barnes has put on for the Grizzlies lately makes it clear his controversial October encounter with Knicks coach Derek Fisher isn’t a distraction to the team and that he’s been one of the most valuable Grizzlies on the court, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. The 35-year-old has maintained his high level of defensive play all season, and more recently he’s begun to regain his usual shooting touch, Tillery notes. Barnes delivered pithy comments to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, saying, “I don’t talk to snakes” when asked if he’ll speak to Fisher while the Knicks are in Memphis for Saturday’s game. Barnes sent threatening text messages to Fisher in the weeks preceding Barnes’ alleged physical attack on Fisher at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post.
A pair of small trade exceptions expired for Southwest Division teams this week, vestiges of the three-team trade that sent Jeff Green to the Grizzlies. The Pelicans allowed their $507,336 Russ Smith trade exception to lapse, while the Grizzlies didn’t find a use for the $396,068 leftover scrap of the Quincy Pondexter trade exception. Memphis used most of that Pondexter exception, originally valued at $3,146,068, to take in Luke Ridnour, whom the Grizzlies promptly flipped for Barnes.
Chris Herrington of The Commericial Appeal doesn’t think the Grizzlies will issue a second 10-day contract to Elliot Williams, whose existing 10-day deal expires at the end of Sunday (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Williams, Mavs, Randle

January 9th, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Mavericks say that they look at each game as a recruiting opportunity for future free agents, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “It’s an all-year-round process,” small forward Chandler Parsons said. “Every game you go into — I know Ryan Anderson is a free agent, I know Kevin Durant is a free agent. You have relationships with guys and you understand when they’re free agents. I just try to be myself and go about the business of playing and winning games. But at the same time, you definitely have an understanding of what’s going on and what’s coming up each summer.”

“You don’t recruit individual free agents,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban said. “You define your brand as a team and attractiveness as a team to all free agents. We don’t do something geared to one guy. We try to show: ‘Here, this is who we are and this is what we stand for and this is our culture.’ That’s our recruiting message. We don’t try to be anything to anybody. We try to be ourselves and hope that that’s a good fit. You can’t try to alter who you are for one free agent. It just won’t work.”

Here’s what else is happening out West:

Lakers coach Byron Scott says his relationship with young power forward Julius Randle is like that of a father and son, and the coach believes that Randle requires some tough love from time to time, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times writes. “The thing that I told him is that he’s probably never had adversity in his life on a basketball court because he’s been so good everywhere he’s been,” Scott said. “This is the first time that he’s had to face it. I told him, ‘You’re going to have to deal with it. And the way you deal with it is going to determine how great you’re going to be as a basketball player.’”
Elliot Williams, who inked a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies this past week, believes he can provide a spark with his fresh legs and defensive abilities, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal relays. “I can fit in pretty well defensively,” Williams said. “I know most of the guys already from staying here in the offseason and playing with them in the offseason. I’m familiar with the team and I’m looking to come in here and make an impact.”

Grizzlies Sign Elliot Williams To 10-Day Contract

January 8th, 2016 at 10:16am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 10:16am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

THURSDAY, 12:58pm: The Grizzlies are expected to sign Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). It’ll necessitate a corresponding move, since Memphis already has 15 players on its roster. Ryan Hollins joined the club just last week, while James Ennis has a partially guaranteed contract. JaMychal Green does, too, though he’s an unlikely candidate to hit waivers. All salaries for this season become fully guaranteed if not waived by 4:00pm Central today.

Memphis will become the fourth team to sign Williams to a 10-day contract in the past two seasons, since he had 10-day deals with the Jazz, Hornets and Pelicans last year, as our 10-day Tracker shows. He didn’t end up sticking for the balance of the season with any of those three teams, though he was back with Charlotte for the preseason before the Hornets again let him go. The five-year NBA veteran who was the 22nd overall pick in 2010 joined the D-League affiliate of the Warriors in early November, and he’s put up impressive numbers in 16 appearances for that club, averaging 28.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.9 turnovers in 40.9 minutes per game.

The 26-year-old has also canned 36.1% of his 3-pointers in the D-League this season, a key stat for Memphis, which lacks outside shooting, but Williams is just a 31.2% shooter from behind the arc over the course of his NBA career. The Grizzlies, at a disappointing 19-18, begin a key six-game homestand Friday.

And-Ones: D-League Showcase, Cavs, Terry

January 5th, 2016 at 10:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Nuggets point guard Erick Green heads the list of free agents at the D-League Showcase event that begins on Wednesday, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports opines. Shooting guard Elliot Williams, who was with the Pelicans, Hornets and Jazz last season, is second on Spears’ list, followed by point guard Lorenzo Brown, shooting guard Orlando Johnson and power forward Perry Jones. Brown saw action for the Timberwolves last season, Johnson played for the Pacers and Kings from 2012 to 2014 and Jones appeared in 43 games with the Thunder last season. Players at the Showcase are angling for opportunities to sign 10-day contracts.

In news around the NBA:

The Cavaliers are leaning toward retaining combo guard Jared Cunningham, a source informed Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Unless Cleveland waives Cunningham by the close of business Thursday, his $981,348 salary for the remainder of the season is guaranteed. It’s a bigger money commitment than that, since his salary would cost the Cavs approximately $3.8MM in luxury tax if no other changes are made to the roster. Cunningham will accompany the Cavs on their upcoming road trip, McMenamin continues, and is viewed by them as a young, versatile bench player who has endeared himself to his teammates. Joe Harris‘ potentially season-ending injury will not influence Cleveland’s decision, McMenamin adds.
Jason Terry could be closing out more games for the Rockets, considering the way interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff gushed about him to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Terry, who has shared the point guard spot with Ty Lawson and Patrick Beverley, made a key basket and assist that lifted Houston to a two-point win over the Jazz on Monday. “Jet is clutch,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s been that way since I can remember, since he was in college at Arizona. In the big moments, when a big shot is needed, Jet makes those plays.”
The Thunder assigned small forward Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Huestis has already appeared in 10 games for the Blue.

Elliot Williams To Join Warriors D-League Team

November 9th, 2015 at 2:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

Five-year NBA veteran and Hornets camp cut Elliot Williams will sign with the D-League affiliate of the Warriors, his agent tells Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link). The Santa Cruz Warriors still hold his D-League rights from his time with their squad last season. The No. 22 overall pick from the 2010 draft went up and down between Santa Cruz and the NBA last season, when he signed five 10-day contracts with three NBA teams.

The Hornets were one of them, and they gave him a partial guarantee of $80K when he signed with Charlotte this past summer. That was slightly more than the $75K the team gave rookie Aaron Harrison, but the team kept Harrison and released Williams at the end of the preseason. Williams saw action in only two preseason games for Charlotte, averaging 5.5 points in 13.0 minutes per contest.

Santa Cruz is also adding Daniel Orton, another former first-round pick who last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 season, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). It’s yet more talent for a team that won the D-League championship last spring, matching the NBA title that the parent club won, but Williams and Orton have no direct ties to Golden State and remain free to sign with any NBA franchise.

Hornets Waive Four Players

October 23rd, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hornets have parted ways with center Jason Washburn, swingman Damien Wilkins, small forward Sam Thompson, and shooting guard Elliot Williams, the team announced (via Twitter). Washburn, Wilkins, and Thompson were in camp on non-guaranteed pacts, so the team won’t be on the hook for any funds as a result of these moves, but Williams’ deal includes a small partial guarantee of $80K, which Charlotte would be responsible for provided Williams clears waivers. The team’s roster count now sits at 15 players. These moves also indicate that former Kentucky guard Aaron Harrison, who is signed to a partially guaranteed deal, has a strong shot to make the team’s regular season roster.

Washburn, 25, went undrafted out of Utah back in 2013. His career numbers in four seasons for the Utes were 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks to go along with a shooting line of .565/.444/.792. He spent last season overseas playing for Brussels, where he averaged 8.9 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 27 appearances. Washburn played in two contests for the Jazz in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League.

Wilkins, 35, had spent the 2012/13 season with the Sixers, for whom he put up 6.4 points in 18.0 minutes per game with 33.3% shooting in 61 appearances, numbers close to his NBA career averages. Wilkins has played overseas and in the D-League since, notching 20.2 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 37.8 MPG with 33.1% three-point shooting across 50 contests with the D-League affiliate of the Grizzlies last season.

Thompson, 22, had appeared in 35 games for Ohio State last season, notching averages of 10.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists to go along with a shooting line of .466/.262/.688. His career marks through four NCAA seasons are 6.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.1 APG.

Williams has struggled to find his footing in the NBA, appearing last season only on a series of five 10-day contracts split between Charlotte, the Jazz and the Pelicans. The now 26-year-old shooting guard put up 2.8 points in 9.2 minutes per game across 13 appearances in 2014/15. He saw more extensive action in 2013/14 with the Sixers, with whom he put up 6.0 PPG in 17.3 MPG.

Eastern Notes: Biyombo, Hornets, Hawks

October 18th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

The Raptors‘ signing of Bismack Biyombo for two years and $6MM appears to be a steal so far because of the center’s defense and how vocal he is on the court, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes. While the Raptors have several capable scorers, Biyombo fills the role of setting screens and grabbing offensive rebounds, which should help the team a great deal, Wolstat adds. Biyombo, as Wolstat points out, is also only 23.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Veteran Damien Wilkins, undrafted rookie Aaron Harrison and third-year player Elliot Williams appear to be the candidates for the Hornets‘ final roster spot, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer details. Wilkins, Bonnell contends, has the best chance to play among the three because of his experience at small forward. The Hornets are thin at the position after Michael Kidd-Gilchrist‘s season-ending injury, as Bonnell points out. Williams likely has the smallest chance because the Hornets are deep at point guard, Bonnell adds.
Though he was mentored by Gregg Popovich, Mike Budenholzer, who is entering his third season as head coach of the Hawks, has put his own mark on the franchise and its style of play, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. While the Hawks use a system similar to the Spurs, Budenholzer has crafted it to fit his personnel, Vivlamore adds.
Dahntay Jones, a native of New Jersey, said he always wanted to be on the Nets, but Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes that it’s going to require a surprising move for the team to keep the 34-year-old. That’s because the franchise has made an effort to get younger and there likely just is not a spot for Jones, Bontemps adds. The Nets, as Bontemps includes in his piece, have 13 guaranteed contracts and will likely use one of the two remaining spots on a point guard. The Nets signed Jones to a non-guaranteed deal in September.

Southeast Notes: Richardson, Williams, Gordon

August 5th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Heat trade candidate Mario Chalmers and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who’s eligible for an extension from the Hornets until October 31st, are among the five players Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders believes must show improvement this coming season. Chalmers will have motivation to bounce back after a poor shooting year that featured his career-worst 29.4% three-point percentage with his contract set to expire at season’s end, while Kidd-Gilchrist has to contend with trade acquisition Nicolas Batum at his position. While we wait to find out whether either of them will break through this coming season, see more from the Southeast Division here:

The deal that No. 40 pick Josh Richardson signed with the Heat features minimum salaries for all three seasons and no guaranteed money beyond this season’s fully guaranteed salary, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders shows (Twitter link). His 2016/17 salary becomes guaranteed if he sticks through August 1st, 2016, Pincus adds.
Elliot Williams received two years at the minimum salary with an $80K partial guarantee for this season and no guaranteed money for 2016/17 in his camp deal with the Hornets, Pincus also reports (Twitter link).
Aaron Gordon is among the players from the 2014 draft class who appear on the verge of a breakout, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. A fractured bone in Gordon’s left foot helped limit him to 47 games last season and made it tough to see why the Magic invested the No. 4 overall pick in the combo forward.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Napier, Hornets, Williams

July 28th, 2015 at 8:07pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Magic have amassed just 68 wins in the 246 games that they’ve played since Dwight Howard last suited up for Orlando, but the player and personnel additions made by the team this offseason are providing a sense of hope throughout the organization, as Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders details. Even with a weak Eastern Conference, it’ll be tough the Magic to sneak into the playoffs next season, but a look at all the young talent on the club gives fans plenty to be excited about. Orlando is currently rostering 10 players under 25 years old, including the newly acquired Shabazz Napier, whose recent trade we detail further in tonight’s look at the Southeast Division:

The 2016 second-round pick going from the Magic to the Heat in the Napier trade is Orlando’s own, and it’s top-55 protected, as RealGM shows. In the likely event that the pick doesn’t convey to the Heat this year, the Magic don’t owe Miami anything.
The Heat sent their own unprotected 2020 second-round pick to the Celtics in the Zoran Dragic trade, and the 2019 top-55 protected second-rounder going to Miami in the deal is Boston’s own, according to RealGM. The Celtics skip out on their debt if that pick falls within the protected range.
Elliot Williams is no certainty to make the Hornets’ regular season team after signing a deal to join the team for training camp, but he feels a little more comfortable about his chances of sticking with the organization because GM Rich Cho and assistant GM Chad Buchanan were both with the Blazers when Williams played there, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer notes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Hornets Sign Elliot Williams For Camp

July 28th, 2015 at 12:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 12:04pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

MONDAY, 4:47pm: The Hornets will sign former first-round pick Elliot Williams to a training camp deal, a source tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Williams was with Charlotte on a 10-day contract this past season, but the team let him go to make room for Mo Williams, who’s since moved on to the Cavs. The terms of the deal aren’t immediately clear, but while Charlotte has its full $5.464MM mid-level exception available, it seems likely it will be a minimum-salary arrangement.

Elliot Williams reportedly worked out earlier this month for the Knicks and Spurs, but instead it appears he’s circling back to the Hornets, where GM Rich Cho is a familiar face from their time together with the Trail Blazers organization, Bonnell notes (on Twitter). The 22nd overall pick from 2010 has struggled to find his footing in the NBA, appearing last season only on a series of five 10-day contracts split between Charlotte, the Jazz and the Pelicans. The now 26-year-old shooting guard put up 2.8 points in 9.2 minutes per game across 13 appearances in 2014/15. He saw more extensive action in 2013/14 with the Sixers, with whom he put up 6.0 PPG in 17.3 MPG.

Charlotte had already been carrying 15 players, at least 13 of whom have fully guaranteed deals, as our Hornets roster page shows. Rookie Aaron Harrison, who’s on a deal that’s partially guaranteed for $75K, would seem Williams’ prime competitor for an opening-night roster spot.

What do you think of Williams’ chances to stick with the Hornets for the regular season? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.