Jabari Parker Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Open To Trading Monroe, Carter-Williams

February 4th, 2016 at 12:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bucks have let other teams know that Greg Monroe is available for the right price, and the team is also receptive to trading Michael Carter-Williams, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only Bucks player completely off-limits for a deal, though it would take a “crazy” offer to pry Jabari Parker or Khris Middleton from Milwaukee, a league executive said to Woelfel. Several people around the league have said they’d be surprised if the Bucks don’t make a significant trade, with the deadline looming two weeks from today, Woelfel adds.

Bucks GM John Hammond said recently that he “can’t imagine life without” Monroe, whom the team surprisingly landed in free agency on a three-year max deal, though coach Jason Kidd controls player personnel, as Woelfel has heard. It’s unclear what Milwaukee would demand in return for the former Piston. Monroe reportedly met with the Knicks, Lakers and Trail Blazers, all of whom apparently made max offers, before he signed with Milwaukee this past July. He can opt out after next season.

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Carter-Williams, like Monroe, was part of a six-man core that Hammond alluded to this past offseason. He’s nonetheless failed to impress since coming over in a controversial deadline trade a year ago, and Kidd benched him for a stretch of 10 games earlier this season. He’s returned to the starting lineup, but his points and minutes per game are down for a second season in a row since he won the Rookie of the Year award in 2013/14. His 31.7% 3-point shooting is a career best, but he’s taking fewer 3-pointers than in the past, attempting only 41 so far this season.

Milwaukee is 20-31 and in 13th place in the Eastern Conference after making the playoffs a year ago. The Bucks have lost six of their last seven games.

Eastern Notes: Crowder, D-League, Parker

January 1st, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics small forward Jae Crowder has earned Kobe Bryant‘s respect, with the Lakers shooting guard noting how impressed he is with Crowder’s development since arriving in Boston via a trade last season, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “I’ve seen him develop from his days in Dallas,” Bryant said. “There was one night where we got in late to Dallas, and I went straight to the practice facility to get some shots up and workout,” Bryant recalled. “And he [Crowder] was there. He was in there working out. He was in there working on his game. And when I see that, I have nothing but respect for him. And watching how he’s developed.”

Crowder continues to work hard, even after inking a five-year, $35MM deal with Boston this past offseason, Blakely adds. “I just try to bring it every night, do what I do well each and every night. Do my part, do my job,” Crowder said. “It’s not about the contract. Contract makes you feel comfortable, helps your game. I don’t think I should relax. I don’t think I should do anything differently.”

Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:

Bucks combo forward Jabari Parker is still experiencing growing pains, though, as interim coach Joe Prunty points out, Parker hasn’t even played a full season’s worth of games yet, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. “What you could argue is until a guy plays 82 games, is he still in his rookie season?” Prunty said. “He hasn’t even played in every arena. There are things that seem like little details to other people, but the reality is it’s a different environment. There’s a lot he’s going to be learning for quite a while.” There has been some measure of debate regarding what Parker’s NBA position should be, but the player feels that power forward is indeed a good fit for his skillset, Gardner adds.
The Celtics have recalled guards Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
The Pacers have re-assigned Rakeem Christmas and Shayne Whittington to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Christmas’ second stint in the D-League on the season and Whittington’s third.

Central Notes: Parker, Jackson, Bulls

November 26th, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Will Joseph

Jabari Parker chose Dr. Charles Tucker as his new agent after leaving the Wasserman Media Group and agent B.J. Armstrong earlier this month for familiarity and trust reasons, Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times details. Parker, according to Woelfel, got to know Tucker and his son, Charles Jr., while playing basketball on the AAU circuit as a kid. Both the younger Tucker and Parker, whom the Bucks chose with the second overall selection in the 2014 draft, have remained friends and religion is a big reason why, Woelfel writes.

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

Reggie Jackson does not anticipate a warm reception when he returns to Oklahoma City Friday for the first time since the February trade that brought him to the Pistons, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Jackson, as Mayo adds, grew tired of his backup role under Russell Westbrook while with the Thunder. The Pistons acquired Jackson last season after Brandon Jennings was lost to a season-ending injury. The Pistons re-signed Jackson to a five-year, $80MM contract over the summer. “I know what to expect,” Jackson said, per Mayo. “I know how it was. I was booed when I came out there to start there last year. So I expect some of the same treatment. It’s like every other arena. I get booed in other arenas when I come out, so I’m just ready to go out there and play.”
With Pau Gasol wanting more touches and Joakim Noah struggling, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg has a problem regarding his big men, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com explains. Hoiberg, in his first year with the team, is still trying to figure out what works best, Friedell writes. Noah is a 2016 free agent while Gasol has a player option on the final season of a three-year, $22.3MM contract that brought him to Chicago in 2014.

Jabari Parker Hires New Agent; Gasols Looking

November 6th, 2015 at 3:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:53pm: Parker has chosen Dr. Charles Tucker as his new agent, Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago reports (Twitter link).

3:27pm: Parker is leaning toward hiring Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, Pick hears (Twitter link).

1:10pm: Gerald Henderson is also parting ways with Armstrong, a source tells international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The Blazers swingman is in the final season of his contract.

11:28am: Jabari Parker is leaving the Wasserman Media Group and agent B.J. Armstrong, he confirmed to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol are also looking for new agents in the wake of Wasserman super agent Arn Tellem’s departure, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt reports (All Twitter links). Zillgitt doesn’t specify whether the Gasol brothers have left Wasserman just yet, but it’s nonetheless the latest round of disappointing news for the agency that’s lost LaMarcus Aldridge, Al Horford, Danilo Gallinari and Joe Johnson in recent months. Michael Tellem, the son of Arn and the agent who inherited many of his clients, is reportedly leaving the agency, too.

Each of the Gasols is doing his own search for an agent, and they’re not necessarily a package deal, Zillgitt hears (Twitter link). That makes sense, since they’re in different stages of their contracts. Marc re-signed with the Grizzlies this summer on a five-year max deal, while Pau can opt out of his deal with the Bulls this summer. Marc has said he’ll try to recruit Pau to join him on the Grizzlies. Parker is still close to two years away from the next significant negotiation on his NBA contract, since he won’t be eligible for a rookie scale extension until July of 2017.

Arn Tellem left the agency during the offseason to become the vice chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Pistons. That’s touched off a whirlwind of movement as many of his former clients have sought new representation. Wasserman isn’t the only agency to suffer high-profile losses of late, with Harrison Barnes and DeAndre Jordan also among those making changes.

Central Notes: Hill, Mozgov, Parker

November 4th, 2015 at 8:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers small forward Solomon Hill had his 2016/17 rookie option declined by the team, but it’s not a decision that is weighing on him, writes Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com. “I wasn’t even thinking about that, to tell you the truth,” he told Agness. “That stuff will handle itself. One thing I can control is my effort and my ability to play the game of basketball. I never look at it as being like a crucial time. I just want to win. That’s the biggest thing for me.” Hill, whose option value was approximately $2.306MM, is now set to become an unrestricted free agent this coming summer.

With Hill seeing sparse playing time thus far during the 2015/16 season, securing a lucrative free agent deal will certainly be difficult, Agness notes. “Of course [it’s difficult]. It is what it is. Stuff happens for reasons,” Hill said regarding his lack of minutes. “I can only control what I can control and that’s making sure I’m ready when my name is called. Anything else is out of my hands. I’m not going to stress about stuff that’s out of hands right now.”

Here’s more from out of the Central Division:

Center Timofey Mozgov, who had surgery on his right knee during the offseason, is still attempting to work himself back into shape, and the Cavaliers are banking on him rounding into form for the latter part of the season, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “He’s working real hard, strengthening,” coach David Blatt said of the big Russian. “He’s dropping a little bit of weight, which is good. That takes pressure off the knee. And getting himself in the kind of shape that he’s going to have to be in as we get further and deeper into the season. But I think he’s feeling better and I think it shows in his play.“
The Bucks are planning on taking it slow with Jabari Parker, who is returning from a torn ACL that cost him the bulk of his rookie campaign in 2014/15, Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports writes. The offseason free agent signing of center Greg Monroe may have brought heightened expectations to the franchise, but it also bought some extra time for Parker to heal, Lee adds. “The great thing about Jabari’s injury is who we are as an organization; that we’re not a finished product,” Milwaukee GM John Hammond told Lee. “I feel like, hopefully, we’re still a team in the future and I think our aspirations are high and we think we can do special things in the future here. So there is not that pressure where there’s a short window for us and the time is now. So with that being said for Jabari, it’s not about now, it’s about the long-term future.”

Central Notes: Parker, Thompson, Jones

November 2nd, 2015 at 4:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jabari Parker will return Wednesday for his first game since he tore his left ACL in December, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported (Twitter links), and as the Bucks confirm. It appeared the team was concerned he’d have to remain out until late this month, but he’s instead a go this week for Milwaukee, which has started the season a disappointing 0-3. Tyler Ennis will also make his season debut for the Bucks in that game after dealing with a shoulder injury. See more from the Central Division:

Tristan Thompson hinted to TNT’s David Aldridge that he was on board with sitting out all of this season if it was necessary for him to get a fair deal, as Aldridge writes within his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. The power forward finally re-signed with the Cavs on a five-year, $82MM deal late last month after lengthy negotiations. “I didn’t worry about it,” Thompson said. “Obviously I love playing the game of basketball. That’s what God blessed me to do. At the same time, playing in the NBA, it’s a business side to it. At the end of the day, myself, Rich [Paul], Mark [Termini], we handled it the way we felt best. We weren’t worried. If the deal gets done, it gets done. If not, so be it, sit out the whole season [and] work on my game, and just get better. It was no wondering if it would get done, or nervousness. If I had it to do over again, I’d do it the same way — no regrets.”
The Cavs have named former player and Termini client Damon Jones an assistant coach for their D-League team, notes Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link). Cleveland originally planned to have Jones, who served last year as a shooting consultant for both the Cavs and their D-League team, move into that full-time D-League role for last season, but he wasn’t interested, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (on Twitter).
The Pacers have assigned Rakeem Christmas and Shayne Whittington to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star first reported the moves would take place (Twitter link). They’re the first players any NBA team has assigned to the D-League this season, and the first that Indiana has ever assigned to its new one-to-one D-League affiliate.

Central Notes: Hoiberg, Parker, Jefferson, Boatright

October 27th, 2015 at 10:13am CST by Chuck Myron

Fred Hoiberg chose the Bulls in part because of their ability not just to win now but to have sustained success for the future, Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Indeed, long-term thinking is a key for Hoiberg’s Bulls, as the coach has taken a decidedly less-aggressive approach than Tom Thibodeau, his predecessor, leading Jimmy Butler to remark that Hoiberg “really cares about how our body feels,” as Johnson relays. In all, Hoiberg has brought more calm and collaboration to the Bulls, Johnson writes.

“There are days where he just talks and relates to us. That’s big,” Taj Gibson said. “Sometimes, guys come in a little down. It’s good to have a coach that comes to you and says, ‘It’s all right. Things are going to happen. I’ve been there.'”

Another change for the Bulls this season is an opening night roster with 15 players, breaking a longstanding tradition of starting with less than the maximum number of players allowed. See more from around the Central Division:

The Bucks privately say that they won’t rule out the notion that Jabari Parker‘s absence will extend until late November, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Last year’s No. 2 overall pick is still recovering from the torn left ACL he suffered in December.
The Cavaliers finished with a 1-6 preseason record, but Richard Jefferson was perhaps the team’s most consistent player throughout, an encouraging sign considering the free agent signee’s key role as the backup to LeBron James, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer details. The 35-year-old Jefferson asked out of a guaranteed one-year deal for the minimum with the Mavs to sign a contract for the same terms with Cleveland.
The deal that Ryan Boatright signed with the Pistons last week was non-guaranteed, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, so since Detroit waived him by the close of business on Saturday, he doesn’t count against the team’s cap. He’s reportedly expected to join Detroit’s D-League team as an affiliate player.

Bucks Pick Up 2016/17 Options On Four

October 26th, 2015 at 5:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bucks have exercised their rookie scale options for 2016/17 on Tyler Ennis, Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Michael Carter-Williams, the team announced, assuring them of their salaries for that season. The moves add more than $13.287MM to Milwaukee’s books, giving the Bucks close to $62MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $89MM cap for 2016/17.

Ennis has a salary of $1,733,880 for next season, while Parker will get $5,374,320. Antetokounmpo will receive $2,995,421, while Carter-Williams’ option will cost the Bucks $3,183,526. Milwaukee is already on the hook for three contracts above $12MM next season, as the salaries of Greg Monroe, Khris Middleton and John Henson add up to approximately $44.6MM.

It was a foregone conclusion the Bucks would pick up the options on three starters with only the Ennis move counting as somewhat of a surprise. The 21-year-old point guard appeared in 33 games last season as a rookie — eight with the Suns and 25 with the Bucks after he was acquired in the Brandon Knight deal. He had shoulder surgery during the offseason and isn’t expected back until sometime next month.

Central Notes: Jackson, Parker, Smith

September 30th, 2015 at 9:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons will look to Reggie Jackson, who re-signed with the team this offseason for five years and $80MM, to assume more of a leadership role within the franchise, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes. “The best leaders are normally the best followers,” Jackson said. “I have a tendency — I want to do everything perfect. I want to know why it works, why it doesn’t work and everybody’s position on the floor. I like to know what’s going on. Everybody doesn’t deliver the message well, but you have to filter out and listen to the message. I think that goes a long ways. I think a lot of my leadership comes from being willing to listen and in following. If I know how to do things right, then I feel like I’m confident enough to steer you in the right direction without hindering you, questioning myself if I’m giving you good advice.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

J.R. Smith is a fan of Cavaliers coach David Blatt, saying, “Coach really cares about me as a person…I’d run through a brick wall for coach,” Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com tweets.
Bucks forward Jabari Parker has been medically cleared to participate in training camp activities, but the team will limit how much the second-year player does, Matt Velazquez of The Journal Se ntinel writes. “I go within the hours, and whatever I’m able to complete, then you’ll be able to analyze that, but I can’t predict anything,” Parker said about the team’s precautions with him. “I’m just going to give everything I have for the amount of time and opportunity that I get.“
Before signing with the Cavaliers this summer, Mo Williams sought out and received LeBron James‘ blessing, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group relays. “Yeah, you have to call. This is his team,” said Williams. “That’s no secret. The conversation was made and the feeling was mutual. It was a good conversation.” Williams had been publicly critical of James departing Cleveland to sign with the Heat, but the two have apparently mended fences since then.
The addition of Greg Monroe as a free agent fits well with the Bucks‘ desire to be a more balanced offensive team, and not to overly rely on the deep ball for offense, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. “The game is looked upon as just shooting threes,” coach Jason Kidd said. “For us, last year we were a team that was very successful in the paint. That’s where we scored a lot of our points and hopefully we can continue that. It’s all right to score twos, and if they’re close to the rim that helps. We have guys that can shoot the three, but we want to be able to get the ball in the paint, take the easy shot first and work inside-out.“

Eastern Notes: LeBron, Parker, Nets

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite Tristan Thompson sharing the same agent as LeBron James, James hasn’t tried to use his leverage with the Cavaliers organization to push the team into upping their offer to the restricted free agent, Joe Vardon of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. A source close to James, who can opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, says that Thompson’s contract impasse is a “non-discussion right now” for LeBron as it relates to his own future in Cleveland, Vardon notes. A source within the Cavs organization also indicated to Vardon that the team isn’t concerned about James leaving if Thompson is not re-signed to a long-term deal, saying, “LeBron’s goals don’t change relative to Tristan Thompson or anyone. [Our primary goal is to] Be as good as we can be for as long as we can be.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Jabari Parker, who is recovering from a torn ACL, is expected to participate when the Bucks begin training camp, though the team hasn’t said how much the second-year forward will be allowed to do, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays in a series of tweets. Coach Jason Kidd is pleased with Parker’s progress, Gardner adds, with Kidd saying, “He looks extremely good. His body has changed and his spirits are extremely high right now, being on the court.” The team will certainly be cautious with Parker, Gardner also notes, with GM John Hammond saying, “He’s making progress. Wherever he’s at, if we think he [Parker] can play 30 minutes, we’ll probably have him play 15.“
The Nets are hoping that their team chemistry will be better this season after the departure of point guard Deron Williams, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post writes. When asked what he liked about what he has seen from the team over the summer, GM Billy King told Bontemps and other reporters, “I like the guys’ attitudes towards each other. I think they have a genuine liking and care for each other. If you’re willing to do that, then you’re willing to sacrifice on both ends of the floor for each other.“
The Raptors are still a work in progress, and despite the offseason additions of DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph, the team doesn’t appear to be a serious threat to unseat the Heat and the Bulls atop the Eastern Conference just yet, the crew at Basketball Insiders opine in their season preview of the team.