John Wall Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Beal, Batum, Dragic, Hawks

March 31st, 2016 at 9:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bradley Beal‘s harsh comments toward his teammates after Wednesday’s loss in Sacramento are a sign of underlying problems on the Wizards, contends J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Beal, who is headed toward restricted free agency this summer, said the team isn’t “hungry enough” and seemed to give up in the closing moments of the game. “We bark too much,” Beal said. “We say what we need to do. We scream at one another. We can even try to blame [coach Randy Wittman] if we want to, but at the end of the day we still the ones playing. … We just do dumb mental lapses that just mess up the game and end up hurting us in the long run.” Michael thinks Beal and John Wall need to get together as team leaders and work out whatever personal differences they have with each other before their relationship is too far gone.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Nicolas Batum figures to be the most sought after among a large group of Hornets free agents, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Contracts for Marvin Williams, Courtney Lee and Al Jefferson will also expire at the end of the season and Jeremy Lin has the choice to opt out, but Batum has risen above the crowd with his versatile play. “I’ve been around teams where people think about their contract and their personal situation. I can’t understand that,” Batum said. “With this team, we know if we do great as a team, if we all do our jobs, everything will work out.”
If the Heat were giving any thought to trading point guard Goran Dragic and pursuing Grizzlies free agent Mike Conley, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald says Dragic has changed their minds with his recent performance. “We love Goran,” said team president Pat Riley. “Now he’s playing like The Dragon. His game has opened up. I’m very happy that we have this point guard.”
The Hawks plan to keep Lamar Patterson and Edy Tavares with the Austin Spurs through the D-League team’s playoff run, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Both rookies have spent extensive time in the D-League this season. Tavares, a 7’3″ center, has played in 27 games for the affiliates of the Spurs, Suns and Cavs, while Patterson has been in 17 games with San Antonio’s and Cleveland’s D-League teams.

J.R. Smith To Drop CAA, Hire Klutch Sports

March 24th, 2016 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron

J.R. Smith is in the midst of parting with agent Leon Rose and the Creative Artists Agency and plans to sign with Rich Paul of the LeBron James-backed Klutch Sports Group, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It’s the latest step in the growing bond between Smith and James, who’ve strengthened their connection on the court and off since Smith arrived in Cleveland via trade in January 2015, Haynes writes. Smith is on an unusual two-year contract that includes a player option and partially guaranteed salary for next season.

That deal came at the end of a frustrating summer for Smith, who turned down a player option worth nearly $6.4MM and lingered on the market for about two months before agreeing to a $5MM salary for this season. The partial guarantee on next season’s $5.375MM salary is worth only $2.2MM, though it increases to a full guarantee if he remains under contract through September 7th.

Smith will join James and fellow Cavs teammate Tristan Thompson as clients of Paul. The swingman represents the latest score for Klutch, which also landed Ben Simmons, a prime contender for the No. 1 overall pick who announced his selection of Klutch on Wednesday. John Wall left Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports to sign with Paul earlier this season. CAA has also otherwise had a strong year so far, landing Joel Embiid as well as soon-to-be free agent Pau Gasol.

The 30-year-old Smith has had a reputation for inconsistent play and stirred controversy in the past, but he was recently cleared of any wrongdoing in a case involving an incident outside a New York nightclub. Coach Tyronn Lue is impressed with Smith’s growth, as Haynes relays.

“Just talking to him the other day after the game, just hearing his maturity. I think him taking that step he took this summer, I think that’s helped him off the court,” Lue said. “And then on the court, every night, he’s giving us effort every single night. He’s playing hard. He’s competing and that’s all we can ask of J.R. It’s been good because I’ve known him since he was 18 years old, just to see the growth and how he’s matured over the years.”

2016 NBA All-Star Game Reserves Announced

January 28th, 2016 at 6:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA has officially announced the reserves for the 2016 All-Star game, which will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, February 14th. The names of the reserves were first reported by Carron J. Phillips of The News Journal and confirmed by Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution (All four Twitter links). The starters for both conferences were announced last week, with Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard voted to tip off the exhibition in the West and LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kyle Lowry slated to represent the East.

While the starters are selected by the fans, reserves are chosen by the coaches in each conference, though they are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Listed below are the reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star game for each conference:

Eastern Conference

Chris Bosh (F) — Heat
Jimmy Butler (G/F) — Bulls
DeMar DeRozan (G) — Raptors
Andre Drummond (C) — Pistons
Paul Millsap (F) — Hawks
Isaiah Thomas (G) — Celtics
John Wall (G) — Wizards

Western Conference

LaMarcus Aldridge (F) — Spurs
DeMarcus Cousins (C) — Kings
Anthony Davis (F) — Pelicans
Draymond Green (F) — Warriors
James Harden (G) — Rockets
Chris Paul (G) — Clippers
Klay Thompson (G) — Warriors

Who was the biggest surprise among the All-Star reserves announced tonight? Share your thoughts with a comment.

John Wall Changes Agents, Hires Rich Paul

January 26th, 2016 at 2:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

JANUARY 26TH, 2:17pm: Wall has officially hired Paul and the Klutch Sports Group, a spokesperson for Paul told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

2:21pm: Wall will sign with Paul, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer has been told, but Wall said to TNT’s David Aldridge that he hasn’t signed with anyone yet, calling his departure from Fegan a “long story” (Twitter links).

2:04pm: Wall is leaning toward signing with Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, the agent for LeBron James, as sources have indicated to Heitner (Twitter link).

JANUARY 12TH, 1:53pm: John Wall has fired agent Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports, as sources tell Darren Heitner of Forbes and the Sports Agent Blog, and as Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post confirms (Twitter link). Wall is in the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary extension worth $84,789,500 that Fegan negotiated for him in 2013. The Wizards point guard seemed to express frustration this summer about having missed out on the projected escalations to the salary cap, pointing to the five-year, $80MM contract Reggie Jackson signed with the Pistons. Wall could have been an unrestricted free agent this summer if he had played out his rookie scale contract and signed a qualifying offer with the Wizards in 2014, but that would have meant a significant financial sacrifice last season, and players rarely turn down max extensions. Still, the deal doesn’t include a player option on the final season, a feature that many max extensions have.

Fegan is one of the NBA’s most powerful agents, though his client list took a hit over the offseason in the wake of the DeAndre Jordan saga. Jordan dropped him and fellow agent Jarinn Akana in August, more than a month after his about-face on his decision to sign with the Mavericks. Fegan has close ties to Mavs owner Mark Cuban. Austin Rivers, the son of Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers, also left Relativity in 2015 after a brief time with the agency, and Relativity lost Ed Davis, too, as Heitner points out (on Twitter). However, Jordan, Rivers and Davis all departed after signing free agent deals, so Fegan and his partners are still getting their percentages.

Happy Walters, another prominent Relativity agent, left the agency this past fall. Fegan still has a long list of NBA clients, including DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons.

Aldridge on Lee, Ainge, Agents, Beal, Portis

January 18th, 2016 at 6:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

David Lee seems to have fallen out of the Celtics‘ rotation a year after going through the same experience in Golden State, writes TNT’s David Aldridge in his weekly column for NBA.com. Boston is fully healthy for the first time this season, which has cut deeply into Lee’s playing time as coach Brad Stevens opts for a smaller lineup. “I’ve been through this before, and it turned out OK,” Lee said. The 11th-year forward is making nearly $15.5MM in the final season of his contract and is headed for free agency for the second time in his career.

Aldridge touched on a number of other topics in the piece:

With a little more than a month before the trade deadline, Celtics GM Danny Ainge has to decide whether to deal the team’s excess draft picks to pursue an available star or save the picks and use them to build for the future. Boston owns the Nets‘ unprotected first-rounder this year, along with a Mavs first-rounder that is top-seven protected. The Celtics could potentially get the Wolves‘ first-rounder as well, but it is only top-12 protected, so that’s unlikely. If Minnesota keeps the pick, it will have to give Boston second-rounders this year and in 2017.
Pressure has increased on agents to get not only the best playing contracts for their clients, but TV and movie roles, music opportunities and shoe deals as well. The Wizards‘ John Wall last week became one of a handful of big name players to change agencies recently when he left Relativity Sports, which had represented him since he was drafted in 2010. “The people I was with have been a great partnership the five years I was with them,” Wall said. “They did a lot of positive things for me. It was just a situation where I felt me and my team wanted to go in different ways with how I wanted to build my team.”
Aldridge believes the Wizards still plan to give Bradley Beal a max contract, even though he will probably be under a minutes restriction for the rest of his career. Aldridge contends that Beal can be an All-Star playing 30-35 minutes a night and compares the situation to what the Celtics did when Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were in their final years there or how the Spurs handle their veterans.
Aldridge also sees a bright future for Bulls rookie Bobby Portis, saying he can succeed through hard work despite his limited vertical leap.

And-Ones: Wall, D-League, Pelicans

January 13th, 2016 at 10:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Wizards point guard John Wall expressed appreciation for what agent Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports did for him, but is excited about the possibilities his new agent, Rich Paul, will provide, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic writes. “The people I was with, it was a great partnership for the five years I was with it. Did a lot of great and positive things for me but it’s just a situation where I felt me and my team wanted to go different ways in how we wanted to build out team,” Wall told Michael. “It was a decision I made to part ways with them. … I think just getting it off my chest was kind of a relief.”

Wall, whose shoe deal with Adidas expired earlier this season, says the agent change wasn’t about that particular endorsement opportunity, Michael adds. “It doesn’t factor in at all. That wasn’t even part of the decision why I wanted to make that. It’s just something that I’ve been thinking about for a while and I’m still open to every shoe company,” Wall said. “I’m going to talk to all those guys through the process, figure out what I can do. I still have interest in Adidas. … I’m just wearing what’s comfortable for my feet and protecting my feet for right now. I’m still weighing my options.”

Here’s the latest from around the league

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry isn’t sure how active the team will be at the trade deadline because the rash of injuries the roster has suffered makes it difficult to discern the team’s needs, Sam Amick of USA Today relays. “Well the first thing is that, you know, we’ve never really had our entire team on the floor, not for one single day,” Gentry told Amick. “So to anticipate that we would like to make changes or do something like that is really difficult to do because we really don’t know the team that we have, and one of the things we felt like is that last year the success they had is something that we could build on and grow on, so we’re not so eager to just all of a sudden start making trades. Now if there’s something that makes sense for our franchise, or is going to make us a much better team, I’m sure it’s something that [GM] Dell [Demps] and I will talk about and there will be a decision made, obviously, that we think is in the best interests of our club.”
The Hawks have assigned swingman Lamar Patterson and center Edy Tavares to the D-League, the team announced via a press release. Both players will report to the Austin Spurs as part of the league’s flexible assignment rule since Atlanta doesn’t possess its own affiliate.
The Bulls have recalled power forward Cristiano Felicio from the D-League, the team announced (via Twitter). This was Felicio’s first trip to the D-League on the season.

Southeast Rumors: Wizards, Lamb, Hawks

October 12th, 2015 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

John Wall believes the Wizards will be able to play with a faster tempo now that aging small forward Paul Pierce has joined the Clippers, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports in his weekly column. The Wizards’ floor leader feels that with Otto Porter at that spot in place of Pierce, the club will be able to rely much more on its transition game. “We kind of wanted to be a halfcourt team because he couldn’t get up and down the floor,” Wall told Aldridge. “He’s not the young Paul any more. And he helped us out a lot in so many other ways, making big shots and being a leader. But now it’s going to be an opportunity to let Otto exhale, running the floor, being able to create off the dribble, him slashing to the basket, and just anybody that comes into that position.” The Wizards were just 16th in pace last season but coach Randy Wittman wants more possessions, Aldridge adds. “If you have the ball, and you have an open shot, you’re shooting it,” Wittman said to Aldridge. “If you don’t, you’ve either got to pass, or dribble penetration. You can’t hold it and dribble and dribble.”

In other news around the Southeast Division:

Shooting guard Jeremy Lamb has the most upside among the Hornets’ offseason acquisitions, Ken Berger of CBS Sports opines. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist likely out for the season, Lamb could be a starter on the wing alongside small forward Nicolas Batum. But Lamb either has to display an improved jump shot or develop his drive game and get to the paint in order to take full advantage of the opportunity, Berger continues. The Hornets’ front office tried to acquire Lamb long before he was finally made available by the Thunder, Berger adds. Lamb was dealt in June to Charlotte for Luke Ridnour and a protected second rounder.
The Hawks are experimenting with a big lineup of Tiago Splitter at center, Al Horford at power forward and Paul Millsap at small forward but the results have been mixed thus far, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “Obviously, we have a lot of good big guys,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told Vivlamore. “We are trying to figure out a way to play them together.” The Hawks were 28th in the NBA in rebounds last season and the big lineup could help improve that figure, Vivlamore adds.
The Magic have not found any superstars with their recent lottery picks but they could all contribute the team’s revival, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Agent Happy Walters Leaves Relativity Sports

October 7th, 2015 at 1:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

Prominent NBA agent Happy Walters has left Relativity Media and its Relativity Sports offshoot, Variety’s James Rainey reports. Walters represents John Wall, Jimmy Butler, Ty Lawson, Monta Ellis, Amar’e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert and other notable NBA names. Billionaire and Relativity part-owner Ron Burkle, who was once a part of the bidding group that ultimately bought the Kings in 2013, will take over as chairman of Relativity Sports, tweets Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal.

Relativity was in the news this summer when DeAndre Jordan, then a client of Relativity agents Dan Fegan and Jarinn Akana, pulled his infamous flip-flop and re-signed with the Clippers after verbally committing to the Mavs. Jordan later let go of Fegan and Akana, and Austin Rivers, the son of Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers, did the same.

Several Walters clients made moves this offseason. Butler scored a new five-year deal worth more than $92MM with the Bulls, Ellis signed with the Pacers for nearly $44MM over four years, Shumpert re-upped with the Cavs on a four-year deal worth $40MM and Stoudemire joined the Heat for the minimum salary. Lawson gave up the guarantee on the final season of his contract to facilitate a trade to the Rockets, a move that could cast him into free agency this coming summer.

Walters is forming his own company, Rainey hears, though it’s unclear if all his clients will follow him. One of them, Maurice Harkless, faces a November 2nd deadline to sign a rookie scale extension, but the chances of an extension for Harkless, whom the Blazers acquired via trade this summer, have long seemed remote.

And-Ones: Bender, Wall, Durant, Brown, Lawson

October 1st, 2015 at 1:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

European phenom Dragan Bender will make his U.S. debut in Chicago tonight for Israel Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv for the first of a pair of exhibitions against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, as Zach Links of Hoops Rumors first reported he was likely to do. The 17-year-old has stirred no shortage of excitement, as international journalist David Pick writes for Bleacher Report. Almost all 30 NBA teams are set to scout the contests, with the Celtics, Nets, Mavericks, Grizzlies and Bucks among them, sources tell Pick. Hornets GM Rich Cho will be there, too, tweets Jake Fischer of SI Now. The Nuggets, Sixers and Magic have had talks with Maccabi officials about the 7’1″ power forward, Pick also hears. Bender is well ahead of where 2015 No. 4 overall pick Kristaps Porzingis was at the same age, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress told Pick. Givony has Bender as the fifth-best prospect in next year’s draft, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him seventh.

“The only thing ’17 years old’ about him is his mustache,” Maccabi coach Guy Goodes said to Pick.

See more on Bender and other NBA news here:

Bender turns 18 next month, so he’ll turn 19 in 2016 and thus be eligible for early entry for the upcoming draft, but it’s not a given that he’ll declare, as Maccabi GM Nikola Vujcic, who also serves as Bender’s guardian, explained to Pick for the same piece. Vujcic suggested to Pick that Bender won’t enter the draft unless he receives a commitment from a team picking in the top three to five selections and suggested that he might decide to stay overseas for a while even if he is drafted.
John Wall says he and Kevin Durant are “really close” and reiterated that he’ll make a recruiting pitch to the former MVP who hits free agency next summer, though he adds that he’ll be cautious not to take an overbearing approach, as the Wizards point guard explains to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
The Nets declined to waive Markel Brown by Tuesday’s guarantee date, so his $200K partial guarantee jumped to a full guarantee on his $845,059 minimum salary, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). That gives the Nets 13 fully guaranteed contracts among the 20 players they have in camp.
The Rockets are trying to minimize their risks with Ty Lawson, having told him that they’ll provide a ride for him to any destination at any time, according to TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Lawson, for whom Houston traded this summer despite two DUI arrests in six months, has been on his best behavior so far, Aldridge notes.

Southeast Notes: Scott, Fournier, Williams

September 30th, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hawks forward Mike Scott spoke publicly Monday for the first time since his arrest this summer on felony drug charges. The veteran would not discuss details of the case, but did note that the gym has been a sanctuary during the past few months, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays. “I just come in every day and compete,” Scott said at Hawks media day. “Joke around and laugh with my teammates. This is kind of been my sanctuary for the summer. I come into the gym and work hard and put everything behind me. Then when in I get back to the locker room I’ll look at my phone and I’ll be ‘Oh, right. I forgot.’ Coming into the gym every day, working out with my teammates, is something that has been great for me.”

Scott did acknowledge that his situation has embarrassed the Hawks’ organization, Vivlamore adds. “I don’t like to make other people look bad,” Scott said. “I don’t like to embarrass people. I don’t want to feel embarrassed. I thought it made us look bad a little bit. I take full responsibility for that. Moving on.”

Here’s the latest out of the Southeast Division:

Evan Fournier is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Magic prior to this year’s deadline, and he’d welcome a new deal if the parameters made sense, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “It would be awesome,” Fournier said when asked about a possible extension. “But, to be honest, I don’t even think about it because that’s not in my power. That’s not in my hands. Right now I’m focused on getting healthy and just being back on the court. But, yeah, it would be awesome, man.“
John Wall would be happy to assist the Wizards in recruiting Kevin Durant, who is set to become a restricted free agent next summer, Royce Young of ESPN.com relays. “There’s gonna be an opportunity to throw a pitch at him to try to get him to come back home,” Wall told CSNMidAtlantic.com. “But I know one thing of just knowing him, he’s going to be very focused on taking care of Oklahoma City this season, and I’m going to be focused on taking care of the Washington Wizards. But when the time is right and he can get away from all that, yeah, we’ll probably have some conversation and throw a pitch.“
Hornets coach Steve Clifford doesn’t expect the role of Marvin Williams will be diminished despite the offseason additions of Frank Kaminsky, Tyler Hansbrough, and Spencer Hawes, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “He’ll play the majority of his minutes at [power forward], but he could play [small forward] some nights depending on matchups,” Clifford said of Williams. “He’ll space the floor and be a very good defender. He adds versatility because he can switch [defensively] with some of the perimeter guys. Really the way the NBA is going he’s becoming the prototypical [power forward] now — 6’8″ or 6’9″, can make 3s and guard different guys.”
Mario Chalmers, who was the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, leaned on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade for support to get through the uncertainty surrounding his future with the Heat, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “LeBron and D-Wade are my two closest people when I’ve got things going on in my mind,” Chalmers said. “I talked to those two in the summer and it really helped ease my mind. Bron, big brother, he told me, ‘Don’t worry — it’s a business.’”