Quinn Cook Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Sign Quinn Cook To Second 10-Day Contract

March 22nd, 2021 at 1:18pm CST by JD Shaw

MARCH 22: The Cavs have officially re-signed Cook to his second 10-day deal, the team announced in a press release.

MARCH 21: The Cavaliers are signing point guard Quinn Cook to a second 10-day contract, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

Cook appeared in four games during his first 10-day deal with the team, which expires tonight, averaging five points, 1.5 assists and 12.8 minutes over that stretch. He holds past experience with the Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Lakers.

Once his second 10-day deal expires, the Cavaliers can sign Cook for the rest of the season or opt to let him go at the end of this contract, something the Lakers did with center Damian Jones over the weekend.

Cleveland currently owns the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 15-26. The team has upcoming games scheduled against the Raptors on Sunday, Kings on Monday and Bulls on Wednesday.

Cavaliers Notes: Drummond, Allen, Love, Cook

March 21st, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers are still optimistic about an Andre Drummond trade before Thursday’s deadline, although they don’t expect much in return, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Drummond hasn’t played since February 12 while the Cavs searched for a trading partner, and he will be a strong buyout candidate if Cleveland can’t work out a deal.

The interest level in Drummond has always been high, Fedor adds, but his $28.7MM contract makes any deal complicated. Many teams would like to add the veteran center for a playoff run, but the players they would have to give up to match salaries are too good to part with.

Fedor states that general manager Koby Altman will need to be creative and suggests a multi-team deal is the only realistic way for Drummond to be traded. Cedi Osman or Taurean Prince could be offered to motivate other teams to get involved, according to Fedor.

Rival teams are becoming skeptical that Drummond will be traded, Fedor adds, but he says the idea that only a few teams will have a chance to sign him after a buyout works in Cleveland’s favor. The Knicks, Raptors, Bulls, Heat and Celtics probably couldn’t compete with the Lakers or Nets if Drummond becomes a free agent, so they may be willing to make modest trade offers. Fedor points to New York as the most likely team to trade for Drummond.

There’s more from Cleveland:

The Cavaliers should expect an offseason extension for Jarrett Allen to cost about $100MM, Fedor notes in the same story. Even though he will be a restricted free agent, Allen is expected to be one of the top players on the market this summer. Cleveland is committed to keeping him, Fedor adds, but will have to start his new contract at around $20MM per year.
Kevin Love has been offered up in trades for several months, but the Cavs haven’t found any takers, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. A calf injury that has sidelined Love for most of the season and a pricey contract that pays him more than $60MM over the next two years have limited the market for the veteran forward.
The Cavaliers are facing a decision on Quinn Cook, whose 10-day contract expires today. Cook has appeared in four games since signing with Cleveland, averaging 5.0 PPG in 12.8 minutes per night. He is eligible to sign another 10-day deal with the team.

Cavaliers Notes: Love, Nance, Cook, Garland

March 13th, 2021 at 4:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Love only played 10 minutes Friday night, but the veteran Cavaliers forward told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com it was a huge relief just to be back on the court. Love missed more than two months with a calf injury that resulted from being kicked in the back of the leg during a preseason game. He’s on a minutes restriction, with coach J.B. Bickerstaff and team doctors deciding to limit him to five minutes in each half for his first game.

“I don’t want to speak hyperbole or take it over the top, but this is probably the most mentally taxing — not the most physically taxing injury — but the most mentally taxing for me for sure,” Love said. “It was really a struggle ‘cause it’s who I am. I’m a basketball player first and foremost and I’ve loved this game for so long. Just playing basketball, that’s what I love to do. It’s so much a part of me. When you have it taken away from you and you feel like there’s not much you can do after working so damn hard, that can be really disheartening and a tough hurdle to overcome.”

Love reaggravated the injury in a December 27 game and didn’t receive clearance to resume basketball-related activities until early February. He was able to practice with the team on February 18, but pain following that session delayed his return even further. The Cavaliers opted to rest him through the All-Star break to give him more time to recover.

“Now I’m just hoping these next couple weeks I’ll get the wind underneath me, I’ll get to start feeling like myself again and I won’t be as sore,” Love said. “A lot of that calf pain has subsided, so I’m hoping a lot more of my lift will come back in the meantime.”

There’s more on the Cavs:

Cleveland also welcomed back Larry Nance Jr., who missed 12 games after having surgery on his left hand, writes Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Nance was among the league leaders in steals and deflections before the injury. “I know Larry has been wanting to play for some weeks now,” said Collin Sexton. “… And he said he was a little bit winded out there running down the court the first five times, but it’s definitely good to have him out there.”
Reports that Quinn Cook was signing a 10-day contract surfaced Wednesday night, but the Cavaliers delayed the move until Friday so they could get maximum value out of the deal, Fedor states in a separate piece. Cook, who scored 13 points in 17 minutes in his debut, will be with Cleveland for six games during that 10-day stretch.
Darius Garland, who suffered a groin strain in the final game of the first half, wasn’t ready to return Friday as Cleveland kicked off the second half of its season, Fedor notes in another story.

Cavaliers Sign Quinn Cook To 10-Day Deal

March 12th, 2021 at 1:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 12: The Cavaliers have officially signed Cook to his 10-day contract, the club announced today in a press release.

MARCH 10: Free agent guard Quinn Cook will sign a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

[RELATED: 10-Day Contract Tracker]

Cook, 27, spent the past season and a half with the Lakers before being waived last month. He got into 16 games this season, averaging 2.1 points in 3.9 minutes per night.

The Cavs will be the fifth team in five seasons for the former Duke star, who began his NBA career in Cleveland’s training camp in 2015, but wasn’t able to win a roster spot. He had brief stays with the Mavericks and Pelicans before winning a rotation role with the Warriors for two seasons.

The Cavaliers have an open roster spot, so no move will be necessary before signing Cook.

Lakers Release Quinn Cook

February 24th, 2021 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 24: The Lakers have officially released Cook, the team announced today in a press release. He’s now on track to clear waivers on Friday, while L.A. will carry a cap hit of about $797K if he goes unclaimed.

FEBRUARY 23: The Lakers are waiving veteran guard Quinn Cook, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move will leave the team with a pair of open spots on its 15-man roster.

Cook, who will turn 28 in a month, averaged 11.5 minutes per game in 44 regular season games for the Lakers last season, but has played even less of a role in 2020/21, logging just 62 total minutes in 16 appearances. He has played double-digit minutes just once.

As Charania explains (via Twitter), the Lakers valued Cook, but wanted to gain some extra roster and cap flexibility for possible upcoming moves, and his non-guaranteed contract made him the obvious roster casualty. Wednesday is the deadline for teams to waive a player on a non-guaranteed deal and avoid paying them his full-season salary.

Assuming Cook is officially released on Tuesday, his cap hit will dip from $1.62MM to about $785K, creating a little extra breathing room below the hard cap for Los Angeles. The Lakers will have up to two weeks to fill at least one of their two open roster spots to get back to the league-mandated minimum of 14 players on standard contracts, but could do so temporarily with a 10-day signing.

With two open roster spots, the Lakers will have some options on the trade market, but may ultimately focus on the post-deadline buyout market, as the defending champs will be a compelling destination for the top players who reach free agency.

Cook, meanwhile, would clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday if he goes unclaimed. According to Charania, the former Duke standout is expected to draw some interest around the league.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

L.A. Notes: Lakers, Cook, Davis, George, Clippers

December 7th, 2020 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

According to a report from Ben Stinar of Forbes (Twitter link), the Lakers have sent home their players who don’t have guaranteed contracts as a coronavirus precaution in order to limit the number of people on the court during training camp.

The exact details here are a little unclear. The Lakers reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with undrafted rookies Zavier Simpson, Tres Tinkle, and Kevon Harris, but those signings haven’t been announced by the team and haven’t shown up in the league’s public transactions log, so it’s possible they simply won’t be officially finalized.

Meanwhile, Quinn Cook formally re-signed with the Lakers on Friday, and Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter) that Cook received a non-guaranteed training camp contract. However, it doesn’t appear that Stinar’s report would apply to the veteran guard. Head coach Frank Vogel suggested on Sunday that he expects Cook to begin practicing later this week once he clears COVID-19 protocols, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets.

As we await more details on the Lakers’ camp roster, let’s round up a few more notes on the NBA’s two L.A. teams…

After signing a five-year contract with the Lakers, Anthony Davis explained that he felt more comfortable locking in a longer-term deal in part because of his injury history, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I do have a little history with injuries, and a two-year deal, you kind of bet on yourself. … God forbid, knock on wood, something happens,” Davis said. “… I want to secure the most amount of years possible and be here long-term with this team, so I thought the five-year deal was best for me in my situation.”
After suggesting during an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast that Doc Rivers misused him last season and suggesting the Clippers failed to make adjustments during their second-round loss to Denver, Paul George walked those comments back a little on Friday, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN details. Rivers’ response, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Hey, listen, I enjoyed coaching him. So not a lot to say there. (New Clippers coach) Ty Lue was sitting right next to me. So he better hope it’s not adjustments. It ain’t going to be much different.”
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley said that he and his teammates are entering the season angry and looking to make up for their disappointing playoff showing. “The attitude around here is guys are pissed off,” Beverley said, according to Youngmisuk. “Which is good. We should be pissed off after our exit last year in the playoffs. … It is a little quieter workplace and guys are more locked in, more focused, and that is the way it should be.”

Lakers Re-Sign Quinn Cook

December 4th, 2020 at 6:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers have re-signed guard Quinn Cook after waiving him last month, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Cook received a $1MM partial guarantee on his original $3MM contract before he was waived, a move which created more cap room for the Lakers to sign free agents. He didn’t get claimed and ultimately decided to return to the defending champions.

Cook will receive the veteran’s minimum with an additional cap hit of $1.6MM, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tweets. He’ll get a salary of $1,737,145, which added to the previous guarantee is nearly as much as he would have received without going on waivers.

Cook, who signed with Los Angeles as a free agent during the 2019 offseason after two years in Golden State, didn’t have a major role for the Lakers last season. He averaged 5.1 PPG, 1.2 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 44 regular season games (11.5 MPG) and then logged only 24 total minutes during the team’s postseason run.

Western Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Cook, Thunder, Nuggets

November 29th, 2020 at 6:43pm CST by JD Shaw

The Clippers would’ve benefited more from adding a new floor general this offseason instead of a new coach, LZ Granderson of the Los Angeles Times writes.

While multiple veteran guards remain unrestricted free agents, Los Angeles has yet to upgrade the position with training camps set to begin this week. The team promoted Tyronn Lue last month after firing longtime coach Doc Rivers, who first joined the franchise in 2013.

The Clippers lost a grueling seven-game series to the Nuggets in the playoffs last fall, failing to make the Western Conference Finals despite having two All-Stars and an impressive supporting cast. The team’s biggest free-agent acquisition was Serge Ibaka; L.A. also reached a deal with Nicolas Batum on Sunday.

There’s more from the Western Conference tonight:

The Lakers ultimately decided against stretching Quinn Cook‘s salary, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Los Angeles will take a cap hit of $1MM for 2020/21 as a result of waiving the 27-year-old, who remains a free agent after playing just 44 games with the team last season.
Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman lists five questions for the Thunder ahead of training camp and the 2020-21 season, with the team recently completing a full rebuild after clinching a playoff berth in Orlando. Chris Paul (Suns), Danilo Gallinari (Hawks), Dennis Schroder (Lakers) and Steven Adams (Pelicans) all departed the franchise this month, with Gallinari being the only player to leave as a free agent.
Mike Singer of the Denver Post also examines a list of questions related to the Nuggets, a team with its sights set on contending this season. The franchise lost Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee and Torrey Craig from last season, signing veteran JaMychal Green and bringing back Paul Millsap for frontcourt depth. The team also converted the two-way contract of Bol Bol and signed forward Greg Whittington to a two-way deal.

Lakers Waiving Quinn Cook

November 19th, 2020 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are waiving Quinn Cook before his salary for 2020/21 becomes fully guaranteed, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Cook currently has a $1MM partial guarantee on his $3MM cap hit for next season. If he remains on the roster, that figure becomes fully guaranteed, so the Lakers will let him go before that happens, creating at least $2MM in cap flexibility. If the club decides to stretch Cook’s $1MM guarantee over three seasons, it would open up an extra $667K.

Cook, who signed with Los Angeles as a free agent during the 2019 offseason after two years in Golden State, didn’t have a major role for the Lakers. He averaged 5.1 PPG, 1.2 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 44 regular season games (11.5 MPG) and then logged only 24 total minutes during the team’s postseason run.

Assuming Cook clears waivers this weekend, he’ll be free to sign with any team as an unrestricted free agent.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Chriss, Cook, Kings, Clippers

May 20th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are in position to secure a top-five pick in the 2020 NBA draft, and a big man looks like an obvious need for a team projected to start Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in the backcourt and Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green in the frontcourt.

However, Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle suggests the Warriors aren’t as high on the likes of James Wiseman and Onyeka Okongwu as you might think. As Letourneau details, Golden State’s system doesn’t require a dynamic scorer or play-maker at the five — the team just wants someone who can reliably play his role.

Marquese Chriss is someone who may fit that bill, given the strides he made in 2019/20 as a rim-runner, passer, and defender. In fact, multiple sources tell Letourneau that the Warriors would be comfortable entering the ’20/21 campaign with Chriss as their starting center. For his part, the former lottery pick says he’s prepared to play whatever role the team asks.

“I’m just thankful to have an organization that believes in me,” Chriss said. “At the end of the day, if (the Warriors) do draft (Wiseman), I know they’re making the best decision that they can for this team and that they feel will be beneficial for us to win a championship. As a team player, I want to win and I want to be a part of the team. Whatever role I have to have to make that happen, I’ll take on.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Lakers guard Quinn Cook has new representation, having signed with Mark Bartelstein and Priority Sports, tweets Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal. Cook was previously repped by Tandem.
James Ham of NBC Sports California makes a case for why big man Serge Ibaka would be an ideal target for the Kings during the 2020 free agent period.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic identifies some frontcourt free agents the Clippers could target during the offseason if they lose some combination of Montrezl Harrell, Marcus Morris, and JaMychal Green.
In an interview this week with TNT’s Ernie Johnson, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers shared his side of a story J.J. Redick has told before, describing how the club’s deal with Redick in 2013 was nearly scuttled due to then-owner Donald Sterling‘s apparent aversion to white players. Kurt Helin of NBC Sports has the story, with Rivers’ comments.