Reggie Jackson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Love, George, Sanders, Jackson

March 7th, 2015 at 6:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers‘ Kevin Love is shooting a higher rate of threes lately, but he doesn’t take kindly to the label of stretch-four, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Love didn’t have any post-up opportunities in the game, and 10 of his 11 shot attempts were from three-point range. “I heard some people calling me that but I know I’m not a stretch-four,” Love said. “I’m a post player who can shoot. Right now I’m just doing what I’m called to do. For good, bad or indifferent, I’m playing my role and doing what’s asked of me.” With Love entering free agency this offseason, any hint of unhappiness has to cause concern in Cleveland.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Many in Indiana are hoping Paul George can return to help the Pacers‘ playoff charge, but Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star tweets that coach Frank Vogel isn’t thinking that way. “Honestly, we’re not even thinking about Paul George,” Vogel said of his star, who hasn’t played since breaking his leg during an exhibition game with Team USA last summer. “Our whole approach has been he’s not going to play for us this year,” Vogel added, “even right now we’re just trying to become the best possible team without him.” (Twitter link). At 27-34, the Pacers are tied with the Heat for the final playoff spot entering Saturday’s action.
The Bucks plan to stretch Larry Sanders‘ contract over the full allotment of years, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. That means Milwaukee can pay its departed center $1.9MM a year over the next seven years, affecting the team’s salary cap through the 2021/22 season. Sanders, who was in the middle of a four-year, $44MM deal, was waived Feb. 21.
The Pistons have long-term plans for Reggie Jackson, according to Brendan Savage of MLive.com. Jackson came to Detroit in a deadline-day trade from the Thunder in exchange for Kyle Singler and D.J. Augustin. Team president and coach Stan Van Gundy plans to sign the free-agent-to-be to a lengthy contract this summer. “We’re committed to him,” Van Gundy said. “It’s a long-term thing. This isn’t a tryout.”

Central Notes: Carter-Williams, Jackson, Monroe

March 6th, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Greg Monroe is expected to garner max salary contract offers this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, but that doesn’t mean the Pistons‘ big man will ink a long-term deal David Mayo of MLive.com writes. With the salary cap expected to jump significantly in 2016, courtesy of the league’s new television deal, Monroe could elect to sign a deal with an opt-out clause for the second year, which would allow him to sign a much more lucrative deal, Mayo notes.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

David Thorpe of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) wonders if newly-acquired Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams has enough upside to turn into a guard similar to his head coach Jason Kidd. Like Kidd, MCW brings a lot to the table, but leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to his shooting. Kidd didn’t have much of a jumper to start his career, but he went on to have 12 seasons of shooting 34% or better from downtown. The Sixers, he writes, clearly didn’t see Carter-Williams figuring out his shot.
While Pistons coach/exec Stan Van Gundy is certain that having Reggie Jackson for the long haul makes his team better, he’s also optimistic that the February deal will pay dividends in the short term, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. SVG also explained that even though he was high on Jackson, he was prepared to walk away if the bidding got out of hand. “We were aware of (other teams involved), but it didn’t matter to us. We knew what our interest was in him. That’s what mattered. And we knew what the parameters of a deal would be,” Van Gundy explained. “As much as we liked him, we weren’t going to give up a first-round pick – that was our sticking point. As much as we liked him, we wouldn’t have done that.”
The Bucks‘ playoff hopes are in jeopardy after their deadline shakeup, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel writes. Milwaukee went 0-4 on their West Coast trip and they’ll try to get back in the win column against the Wizards on Saturday night.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Kyler’s Latest: Love, Monroe, Gasol, Leonard

March 3rd, 2015 at 10:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The trade deadline is in the past and the focus is shifting to the draft and this year’s class of free agents. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders takes a broad look at free agency for the summer ahead, passing along a number of noteworthy tidbits from his conversations around the league. His entire NBA AM piece is worth a read as he examines the outlook for several teams, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

The Celtics are planning to target marquee free agents this summer, with Kevin Love atop their list, followed by Greg Monroe, Kyler writes. Marc Gasol and restricted free agents Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are others in Boston’s sights, sources tell Kyler. It appears the Celtics will look to re-sign Brandon Bass to a salary lower than the $6.9MM he’s making this season, Kyler suggests, also indicating a likelihood that the Celtics renounce Jonas Jerebko‘s rights. That wouldn’t preclude a new deal with Jerebko, something that Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reported earlier that the Celtics would like, though it does indicate that the C’s aim to open cap space. That’s a path of questionable merit, as I examined.
There’s a “sense” that the Sixers will make a play for Monroe, too, as well as Butler, Tobias Harris and Reggie Jackson, according to Kyler.
Monroe, Love and Rajon Rondo are at least willing to meet with the Lakers this summer, Kyler hears, though Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge are long shots for the team, the Basketball Insiders scribe cautions. Still, chatter is connecting the Lakers to just about every would-be free agent, including Jackson and Brandon Knight.
It’s unlikely that Rondo gets a full maximum-salary deal in free agency this summer, league sources tell Kyler, who surmises that teams would float short-term max offers instead. A full max from the Mavs would entail a five-year deal with 7.5% raises, while other teams can offer four years and 4.5% raises.
Sources also tell Kyler that they believe Monta Ellis will opt out this summer, which is no surprise given his level of play and the $8.72MM value of his player option.
Kyler also gets the sense that Paul Millsap is content with the Hawks and would like to stay for the long term, though it appears Atlanta is eyeing an upgrade at DeMarre Carroll‘s small forward position.
The Spurs will make Gasol their top free agent priority this summer, Kyler writes, though the team will have trouble signing him if Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili return at salaries comparable to the ones they’re making. In any case, San Antonio was believed to be the team with the most interest in Monroe last summer, Kyler adds.

Central Notes: Sanders, Perkins, Pistons

February 27th, 2015 at 4:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

Larry Sanders had a clause in his contract that would have allowed him to continue to be paid if he didn’t play for the Bucks as long as he received mental health treatment, according to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. Sanders this week acknowledged checking into a hospital to take part in a program for anxiety, depression and mood disorders, but Arnovitz indicates that he’s no longer in that facility, having departed shortly before he arranged his buyout from the Bucks. Before that, Sanders had broken off contact with the team, which nearly suspended him before the league did last month, Arnovitz also hears. One source who spoke with Arnovitz backed up a December report that Sanders was considering retirement, one Sanders quickly denied, though the center this week hinted that he might not play again. While we wait to see if Sanders can overcome his troubles and return to the NBA, here’s more from the Central Division:

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers pursued Kendrick Perkins even after he’d already committed to the Cavs, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com said today in an appearance on ESPN Cleveland radio (audio link at 32:10 mark).
It’s doubtful that Brandon Jennings and Reggie Jackson both remain Pistons long-term, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, who nonetheless believes it’s a distinct possibility that the two of them are still on the team next season.
The Pistons lavished more money on Jodie Meeks than they did with any of the team’s other free agent signees last summer in large measure for his outside shooting, but the slumping Meeks is knocking down a career-worst 30.1% of his three-point attempts, MLive’s David Mayo notes. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy doesn’t regret failing to hire a shooting coach this summer but said he’ll consider it for next season, according to Mayo.

Knicks Notes: Draft, Jackson, Shved, Larkin

February 27th, 2015 at 1:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Knicks team president Phil Jackson called Ohio State combo guard D’Angelo Russell a “great prospect” when he spoke to Doug Lesmerises of Cleveland.com upon his visit to Ohio State amid a scouting trip, and while it’s no surprise he would say that, the comment sparked trouble nonetheless. The NBA doesn’t allow team officials to talk about college underclassmen, so the league has begun an investigation into Jackson’s comments and is likely to fine him for the remarks about Russell, a freshman, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Knicks top the Reverse Standings, and Russell is No. 3 in Eddie Scarito’s Hoops Rumors Prospect Power Rankings. Here’s more on the Knicks:

The Knicks indeed made another push to deal for Reggie Jackson at the trade deadline, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. They were reportedly likely to make a renewed effort after coming up short in an attempt to trade for him last month. New York lacked the assets for the future to snag Jackson at the deadline, Berman writes, but the team is reportedly planning to target him again when he hits restricted free agency this summer. The Knicks have the potential recruiting advantage of employing coach Derek Fisher, a former Jackson teammate, as Berman examines.
The Knicks took on salary to trade for Alexey Shved because they view him as a fit for the triangle, Berman observes in the same story. “We definitely see the potential and his ability to play with our team and operate well within our format,’’ Fisher said. “He’s a good ballhandler and good passer and he can get to the rim and he’s pretty capable shooting.”
Shane Larkin would rather re-sign with the Knicks than play elsewhere in the NBA next season, Berman notes in a separate piece. However, the point guard can seek better offers than the $1,675,320 that New York is limited to paying him next season since the team declined his option for that same amount. “The league is watching at all times,’’ Larkin said. “If I go out there and play well the last 25 games, the Knicks could want me or someone else could want me. It’s not that I’m set on one team. They didn’t pick up my option. I can go wherever, but of course I want to stay in New York.’’

Central Notes: Jackson, Perkins, Bulls

February 26th, 2015 at 6:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Reggie Jackson has embraced his new role as the Pistons’ floor leader but he’s not ready to become the leader in the locker room, according to David Mayo of MLive.com. Jackson, who becomes a restricted free agent after the season, was acquired by Detroit from the Thunder at the trade deadline. “It’s hard, it’s really hard,” Pistons president of basketball operations and coach Stan Van Gundy said in the story. “You don’t have a relationship with guys yet. That’s why I think it’s tough for point guards. And yet, as a point guard, you’re expected to organize and lead and everything else. I think it’s a major challenge when you haven’t been with the team all year.” Jackson has already been organizing post-game restaurant outings with teammates, according to Mayo, which is perhaps an indication that he would welcome the opportunity to sign with the club long-term.

In other news around the Central Division:

The contract that Kendrick Perkins signed with the Cavs is a minimum-salary affair that runs only until season’s end, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals on his Cavs salary page (Twitter link).
The Pistons created two traded player exceptions in the deal for Jackson, Pincus tweets. Along with one worth $1.09MM for Kyle Singler, they also created a $796K exception for D.J. Augustin, according to Pincus. That will give the Pistons more flexibility to make trades this offseason.
The mood around the Bulls is glum in the wake of Derrick Rose‘s latest knee surgery, and there’s concern he may not recover mentally after undergoing three knee operations since the 2011/12 playoffs, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. His teammates took the news particularly hard. “Very tough news, unexpected,’’ Pau Gasol said to Chicago beat reporters. “Heartbreaking in a way because of how much he has been through the last couple of years. Difficult to deal with; we feel for him. He’s definitely a key player for us, as well.’’ Even if Rose is able to return this season, it might difficult for him to be effective because of the intensity level of the postseason, Cowley adds.
The Bulls could add another player to the roster depending upon the timetable for Rose’s return, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. The decision on whether to sign a free agent will hinge on whether Rose is out for the season or not, according to Johnson.

Will Joseph contributed to this post.

Aldridge’s Latest: Thunder, Lopez, Jackson

February 23rd, 2015 at 2:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder aren’t making moves simply out of fear that Kevin Durant will jump ship in 2016 and Russell Westbrook will follow suit the next year, a league source tells TNT’s David Aldridge for his Morning Tip column on NBA.com. Still, it’s been an active season for GM Sam Presti, who went over the tax line to acquire Dion Waiters and stayed above it after Thursday’s swap that sent out Reggie Jackson and brought in Enes Kanter. Aldridge has much more in his column, and we’ll hit the highlights, many of which are Thunder-related:

The Thunder let the Nets know they wouldn’t do the proposed Jackson/Brook Lopez trade just 15 minutes before the deadline, Aldridge reports. The Nets likely would have dealt Jarrett Jack to the Wizards if they’d done that deal, Aldridge adds.
The concern that Arron Afflalo would turn down his player option and hit the open market dissuaded the Thunder from trading for him, as Aldridge explains.
The Rockets preferred Goran Dragic to Jackson and the Celtics weren’t willing to trade young players for the then-Thunder guard, Aldridge writes.
The Thunder didn’t have plans to re-sign Kendrick Perkins in the summer even before they traded him at the deadline, according to Aldridge.

Pistons Notes: Prince, Jackson, Van Gundy

February 23rd, 2015 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Tayshaun Prince said he was angry when he realized the Celtics had traded him Thursday, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press details. Prince didn’t call him out by name, but Ellis believe Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is the object of Prince’s rage.

“I thought no trade was going to happen at all,” Prince said. I was going to be in Boston and see what happened, whether the buyout was going to happen or not. The buyout wasn’t 100%. So I thought there was no trade at all. We get ready to go on the bus to practice and they said, ‘Come here, you’ve been traded.'”

Prince was set to talk buyout with the Celtics before the trade, but Pistons coach/president Stan Van Gundy doesn’t believe Prince will push for a buyout with his new team, and Van Gundy isn’t inclined to give him one. Here’s more from the Motor City:

Prince added that he felt disrespected when the Pistons traded him to the Grizzlies two years ago, but “that’s a story for back then,” Prince said, according to Ellis.
Owner Tom Gores is impressed with the “nimble” handling of the trade deadline that Van Gundy and GM Jeff Bower displayed, as Ellis notes in a separate piece. “Stan believes he can do very special things in this league,” Gores said of new acquisition Reggie Jackson. “I believe there’s something Stan saw in Reggie and thinks he can be a real superstar in the league,” Gores said.
Van Gundy has said he believes the Pistons job will be his last coaching gig, and he’s not sure if he’d want to work as an executive without coaching, as MLive’s David Mayo notes. The 55-year-old made it sound as if he’d rather coach than manage if it came to that. “I don’t know about that,” he said of an executive-only role. “I didn’t really think about that [after the deadline]. I know I was glad when it passed and you can sort of get back to just having your mind on coaching now, until the season’s over, and then you go back to the draft and free agency. But being able to just focus on what goes on on the court, it’s nice, because that last week, it was tougher on Jeff than it was on me, but it was tiring.”

Pistons Notes: Jackson, Prince, Singler

February 20th, 2015 at 10:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons president of basketball operations and coach Stan Van Gundy stressed that Detroit acquired Reggie Jackson with an eye on signing him to a long-term deal this summer, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “We wouldn’t have made the move we did if we didn’t feel ready to make it a long-term commitment,” Van Gundy said. “There’s no guarantees. He’s a [restricted free agent]. We know we can keep him through next year no matter what he does, but we feel good about making a long-term commitment to him and hopefully he’ll feel real comfortable making a long-term commitment here and we’ll get it done. We’ve got a chance to put together a really solid young core and continue to develop them. You’ve got to have some patience, but I’m not all that patient, so hopefully it will come together sooner. But you do see a window there and it’s not a short window. It’s not a two- or three-year window.”

Here’s more from Motown:

Van Gundy told newly acquired swingman Tayshaun Prince that the team had no intention of buying out the veteran’s contract, Langlois tweets.
Jackson is overjoyed to be a starter with the Pistons, and relieved to be putting the difficulties he had with the Thunder behind him, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes. “I wasn’t always perfect, nor was the situation, but I became the brunt of the blame there,” Jackson said. “Everything bad that happened, I was the scapegoat. I’m taking all this blame, and I’m wondering: ‘How am I supposed to change it all here, make an impact, in eight minutes a game?’ Everybody is jumping down my neck, and it gets annoying when I’m supposed to have this great impact playing so little this season.”
Out of the four players the Pistons traded on Thursday, the only one who the team didn’t want to part with was Kyle Singler, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Detroit liked the idea of having Singler as a lower budget backup at small forward, Mayo notes.
It was Jackson’s desire not to stay in Oklahoma City beyond this season, not his trade request, that led to him being dealt by the Thunder, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes. The point guard also had an offer sheet in the $14.5MM per season range “already in the bank,” a league source told Berger. OKC wasn’t willing to remain in luxury tax territory to re-sign a player who didn’t want to commit to them, Berger adds.

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Afflalo, Jackson

February 20th, 2015 at 2:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

Blazers GM Neil Olshey made it clear that Thursday’s trade for Arron Afflalo was a product of the team’s emphasis on the present, as he told reporters and as The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman transcribes.

“It’s one of the things about our league; you can’t be a development team and a winning team,” Olshey said. “They’re not always independent of one another, but they’re more independent than people would like to admit.”

All five Northwest Division teams made trades Thursday, and that included two deals in which Northwest teams hooked up with each other. We rounded up the latest on the Wolves, the lone team that didn’t make an intradivision trade, earlier today, and now here’s what’s happening in the rest of the division:

The Nuggets expected that Afflalo would command $9-10MM a year in a new contract this summer, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com, who writes in his Open Floor column. The new Blazers shooting guard has a player option likely worth $7.75MM for next season, up from his base salary of $7.5MM. That’s because playing with Portland means he’ll probably trigger the bonus for making the playoffs that’s part of his contract, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
There were strong feelings in the Nuggets organization that the presence of JaVale McGee negatively influenced a “winning culture,” Mannix also writes in the same piece.
Reggie Jackson sat out a game at the beginning of the season because he was disappointed the Thunder didn’t trade him, a source tells Royce Young of ESPN.com, who delves into the frayed relationship between Jackson and his now former Thunder teammates.
The development of Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors and the desire for cap flexibility motivated the Jazz’s decision to trade Enes Kanter, not Kanter’s trade request, Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey insists, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune relays.
Dorell Wright, a free agent at season’s end, would prefer re-signing with the Blazers over a deal with any other NBA team, as he tells Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders.
There’s a decent chance Tibor Pleiss, the draft-and-stash prospect whom the Jazz acquired Thursday from the Thunder, leaves his Spanish team soon, making him available to sign with Utah, a source indicated to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). Pleiss, a center, is currently under contract through 2016, as our draft rights held database shows.