Ryan Boatright Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Release Boatright, Miller, Daniels

October 20th, 2015 at 1:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have waived point guard Ryan Boatright, small forward Quincy Miller and center Chris Daniels, the team announced via press release. The moves take Brooklyn’s roster down to 17 players, including 13 with full guarantees. Boatright’s contract includes a partial guarantee of $75K and Miller’s has a $50K partial guarantee, while the salary for Daniels is non-guaranteed, so Brooklyn stands to be eat $125K in salary, barring waiver claims.

Boatight, 22, reached a two-year, minimum-salary agreement with Brooklyn shortly after he went undrafted out of Connecticut this year. He averaged 4.2 points, 3.8 assists and 1.0 turnover in 13.9 minutes per game, numbers that aren’t shabby but nonetheless inferior to those that free agent signee Donald Sloan put up, so it appears Sloan has won the third point guard job for the team.

The 22-year-old Miller came from the Pistons in the Steve Blake trade. He played in as many preseason games this fall as he did regular season games for the Pistons last season, scoring six points in nearly 30 total minutes of preseason play.

Daniels, who’s played in China the last two seasons, scored effectively for the Nets, averaging 7.4 points in 13.0 minutes per game, but despite injury concerns for fellow Nets big men Andrea Bargnani and Willie Reed, it wasn’t enough to save the 31-year-old’s job.

Reed and Sloan have partial guarantees of $500K and $50K, respectively, while Justin Harper and Dahntay Jones are on non-guaranteed contracts. Those four players are ostensibly competing for two regular season spots.

Who do you think the Nets will keep for opening night? Leave a comment to weigh in.

Eastern Notes: Oubre, Watson, Sloan, Johnson

October 12th, 2015 at 11:29am CST by Chuck Myron

Kelly Oubre is off to a rough start in his first preseason action, but despite their status as an upper-tier Eastern Conference team, the Wizards view this year’s No. 15 overall pick as a long-term project, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.

“He’s a young kid, a rookie, first time out, and he’s learning,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. “And I love his attitude. He hasn’t put his head down. He hasn’t, I’m sure, got off to the start that he would want to get off, in terms of numbers and how he’s playing. But he’s out there fighting. He hasn’t put his head down or anything like that so that’s a good thing. And he’s in here every day. He’ll be in here tomorrow ready to get better.”

See more from the Eastern Conference:

The Magic had tried multiple times years ago to try to acquire C.J. Watson, and while new coach Scott Skiles wasn’t around for those attempts, recommendations from two of his assistants have him excited about the backup point guard who signed with Orlando this summer, as John Denton of Magic.com chronicles. “We just felt like his ability to shoot the three and play behind Elfrid [Payton] would be good for us because he’s always been a solid, heady player,’’ Skiles said. “A couple of our coaches – Adrian Griffin has had him before and Mario Elie has been around him and they swore by the kind of person that he was. We were able to go and get him and we’re glad to have him.’’
Judging by their relative performances and playing time so far, Donald Sloan appears to have the edge on Ryan Boatright for the third point guard job on the Nets, observes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Sloan’s partial guarantee is $50K and Boatright’s is $75K.
Four of the five rookies among those Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders singles out as the most impressive so far in the preseason hail from the Eastern Conference, including Stanley Johnson of the Pistons, who leads all rookies in preseason scoring even though he was a surprise pick at No. 8 overall.

Nets Sign Ryan Boatright

September 25th, 2015 at 3:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 25TH, 3:35pm: Boatright appears on the team’s official training camp roster, which serves as confirmation from the Nets that Boatright has been signed.

JULY 3RD, 6:50pm: The Nets have reached a contract agreement with Ryan Boatright, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (on Twitter). The pact is for two years, $1.4MM, with $75k guaranteed, Pincus adds. Boatright will earn $525,093 next season and $874,636 for the 2016/17 campaign. Minimum-salary deals for two years or less, such as this one, are some of the few allowed to become official during the July Moratorium.

Boatright went undrafted after four seasons at the University of Connecticut. His career NCAA numbers are 14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, with a slash line of .416/.380/.794. The 6’0″ guard will add depth behind Deron Williams if he makes the regular season roster.

The 22-year-old considered turning pro after UConn won the title back in 2014, as he told Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links prior to the 2015 NBA Draft. “Yes, I was going to go pro right after we won,” said Boatright. “I knew my name was hot and I had a great tournament. However, after I spoke with everyone whose opinion I trusted, I felt like one more year would be good for me. The last day before the deadline, I decided to go back to school to show everyone that I could run the team and be a true point guard.“

Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Celtics, Boatright

July 28th, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Knicks team president Phil Jackson tacitly questioned the wisdom of spending max-level money on Marc Gasol in an interview that took place in February with longtime confidant Charley Rosen, who transcribes it as part of a series on ESPN.com. Still, it seemed more of a remark about spending max money in general, and indeed, the Knicks wound up spreading their cap space around on multiple second-tier free agents. Jackson admits that he pursued Goran Dragic at the trade deadline in February, when the Knicks were one of the preferred teams on the point guard’s wish list of destinations, with the Zen Master adding that he might have spent too much time on the pursuit of Dragic, as Rosen’s piece also shows. Jackson also expressed interest in Arron Afflalo, whom the Knicks eventually signed this summer, and Enes Kanter, whom they reportedly spoke with this month. Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics are unlikely to use their $2.814MM room exception, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). That’s not surprising, since the C’s already have 17 fully guaranteed contracts, including Zoran Dragic, whom the team is expected to either waive or trade.
Ryan Boatright‘s minimum salary deal with the Nets is already partially guaranteed for $75K this season, according to NetsDaily (Twitter link). A previous report indicated that guarantee wouldn’t kick in until August 1st. Boatright will lock in $200K if he sticks on the roster for the regular season, NetsDaily adds. However, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders shows Boatright only with a $75K guarantee until November 15th, when that guarantee would increase to $125K.
The Knicks are letting go of interim D-League head coach Craig Hodges, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Hodges had reportedly been expected to remain as a D-League assistant.

Nets Rumors: Boatright, King, Brown, Value

July 25th, 2015 at 10:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ryan Boatright has improved his chances of making the Nets with a strong summer league performance, according to Don Amore of The Hartford Courant. After being passed over in this year’s draft, the rookie from Connecticut signed with Brooklyn for $1.4MM over two years, with $75K guaranteed if he stays on the roster past August 1st. Boatright, who is hoping for an invitation to training camp, played in both the Orlando and Las Vegas summer leagues, averaging 14.1 points, 2.2 assists and 23 minutes per game. When Brooklyn waived Deron Williams, that may have opened a space for Boatright. Coach Lionel Hollins said the rookie is a “candidate” for the third point guard slot, but added, “I don’t know who else we’ll bring to camp.”

There’s more news out of Brooklyn:

GM Billy King accomplished nearly all of his goals for the offseason, writes Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. He was able to re-sign Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, lessen the burden of Williams’ contract, avoid the luxury tax and make the team younger and more athletic. By settling with Williams for $27.5MM of the $43.3MM that was owed to him, Brooklyn was able to save an estimated $40MM to $50MM in luxury tax payments for next season and create an additional $17MM in cap space for next offseason. Mazzeo estimates the Nets could have $40MM in cap space next summer, enough to chase the league’s top free agents.
Hollins raved about the summer league performance of Markel Brown, according to Kathryn Przybyla of NBA.com. The second-year player was the team’s top scorer in Las Vegas, averaging 15.8 points in five games. “This year he came out, made an impact on the game, made shots and made plays,” Hollins said. “That’s how you get noticed, by coming out and helping your team win.” Brown is under the Nets’ control through the 2016/17 season.
The Nets are ranked No. 24 on Forbes’ list of the most valuable sports franchises, mainly due to the league’s new TV contracts with ESPN and TNT, according to Norman Oder of the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report. The Nets are valued at $1.5 billion after failing to make the Top 50 list last year when they were valued at $770MM, Oder continues. That’s why it’s a good time for minority owner Forest City Enterprises to be selling the 20% share of the team owned by Nets Sports & Entertainment.

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Davis, Suns, Clippers

June 21st, 2015 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Kings executive Vlade Divac insists the team has no plans to trade DeMarcus Cousins, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Divac, who is preparing for his first draft since being named vice president of basketball and franchise operations in March, said the team is looking for players who will complement Cousins’ skills. “That is not happening,” Divac said about the possibility of moving Cousins, “but I would love to do something, a smaller move, before the draft. We have a lot of changes to make. The league is much more up-tempo now, and we need more three-point shooting. If we don’t get that in the draft, we’ll be active in free agency and see about making trades later in the offseason.” Sacramento holds the sixth pick in Thursday’s draft.

There’s more from the Pacific Division as we count down toward draft day:

Ed Davis hopes to land a richer and longer contract with the Lakers by opting out of his current deal, but Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News isn’t sure if that will work. The 26-year-old Davis, who has a $1.1MM option for next season, posted a career high in scoring, rebounding and several other categories this year. An unidentified source told Medina that Davis wants a two- or three-year contract worth $7MM to $8MM annually or a one-year deal in the $9MM to $10MM range. Whether the Lakers will make that kind of offer depends on what the team can acquire through the draft and free agency.
After a non-playoff season, any Suns player can be traded or replaced through the draft, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. “We always need guys that will push our guys or even challenge them for a spot,” said Suns coach Jeff Hornacek. “… Where we’re picking at 13, you’re going to get a good, solid guy that can push our guys and maybe in a year or two take over their spots.” Coro writes that the 12 picks ahead of Phoenix are unpredictable, but he expects the Suns to use their pick to add size.
The Clippers will hold a workout today for Ryan Boatright, D.J. Newbill, Chris Walker, Royce O’Neale and Damontre Harris, tweets Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.

Q&A With NBA Draft Prospect Ryan Boatright

June 18th, 2015 at 8:35am CST by Zachary Links

Leading up to the draft, Hoops Rumors will be talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s class. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with UConn guard Ryan Boatright, who is ranked No. 84 in this year’s class by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 96 by Chad Ford of ESPN.com.

At 5’11” and 170 pounds, UConn’s Ryan Boatright packs a lot of punch for his small size. Over the course of his four years in college, Boatright made a name for himself as a tenacious pick-and-roll point guard on offense and a pesky perimeter defender on the other side of the floor. In 2014, Boatright and backcourt mate Shabazz Napier helped lead UConn to a national championship. While there was some talk of Boatright going pro early, he opted to stay in school for his senior season to show that he can lead a team all by himself. Boatright, a client of Aaron Goodwin, spoke with Hoops Rumors last week about the workout trail, his draft stock, and much more.

Zach Links: At the draft combine this year, you clocked in with an eye-popping 41-inch vertical leap. Did you get a lot of extra attention from scouts and team executives after that?

Ryan Boatright: I spoke with my agent and he told me a lot of people were impressed. The funny thing is though, I normally do a 44-inch vertical. So, that 41-inch jump was good, but it wasn’t my best.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

ZL: Did you think about doing it again?

RB: They gave me the opportunity to do it again but I didn’t take it. I think 41 is impressive enough and that day I was dealing with a bit of a groin injury, so I felt like I should leave it alone.

ZL: Has your agent told you about specific teams that are especially interested in you?

RB: He said that the Clippers, Nets, and Trail Blazers are really interested in me.

ZL: Do you have an idea of where you might get drafted?

RB: I don’t ask him for the details or whatever. I just go in there and focus on the workouts and do my best. I don’t ask him for the range I might go in because that can always change.

ZL: After winning the National Championship in 2014, did you give any thought to going pro?

RB: Yes, I was going to go pro right after we won. I knew my name was hot and I had a great tournament. However, after I spoke with everyone whose opinion I trusted, I felt like one more year would be good for me. The last day before the deadline, I decided to go back to school to show everyone that I could run the team and be a true point guard.

ZL: Are you glad that you stayed in school?

RB: Yeah, I’m glad I did that. A few wins and a few losses this year could have made my draft position a little bit different but I don’t have any regrets.

ZL: I’m sure that you enjoyed playing alongside Shabazz Napier, but did you also enjoy getting to take on more of a leadership role in your final year?

RB: I’ve always been a leader. I’ve never been a follower in my entire life and that role just came naturally to me. I shared it with Shabazz when he was here; we were co-captains. This year, though, it was just totally different. This year I had to lead a young and inexperienced team and that was exciting.

ZL: In your freshman year at UConn, you made headlines in the New York Times Op-Ed section after the NCAA held you out for several games due to what they felt were improper benefits. In actuality, it sounds to me like you didn’t really do anything wrong. What was that experience like?

RB: It was extremely tough. It was one of the hardest situations or things that I went through in my life. But, it made me stronger as a person and as a player and made me more hungry and determined to succeed. To have something snatched away from you for no reason, when you did nothing wrong, it was devastating. I couldn’t play basketball and that was the whole reason I went to UConn. Still, I got through it and persevered and made the best of it.

ZL: This year, you shot 41.6% from three-point range, the best showing of your collegiate career. What led to that major improvement?

RB: Teams were just more scared of me getting into the paint and creating havoc for myself and others. They really contained me to keep me out of the paint. I knew that in order to be efficient on the floor, I had to improve my three-point shot off the catch and dribble. I just focused on practicing hard and knocking it down.

ZL: What would you say to critics who fear that you’re too small for the NBA?

RB: Everyone is going to have their opinion. I’ve been doubted my whole life. No one thought I’d go to UConn, let alone start and win a national championship. The same people I’m playing in college, those are the same people I’m going to be playing in the NBA. Even if they’re bigger and stronger, I’m going to get bigger and stronger. I’ve held my own my whole life. I came up in Chicago playing against pros. If a team takes a chance on me, I’m going to hold it down for the guys that are 6’0″ and under.

ZL: Why did you choose Aaron Goodwin to represent you?

RB: Part of it was family ties, but he’s just a good guy. I trust him. I don’t think he’d do anything to steal from me or harm me in any way. He takes his job seriously. I believe that he’s going to work hard for me. Some agencies, they only want the guy who is going in the lottery or top 20. I feel like Aaron believed in me as much as I believe in myself. That sealed the deal for me.

And-Ones: Martin, Boatright, Vaughn

June 13th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

LSU big man Jarell Martin has a mid-first-round draft promise from a team and will likely shut down all workouts, league sources have informed Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Martin is currently the No. 29 ranked prospect according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required), while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress slots the 21-year-old as the 41st best player in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Here’s more from around the league:

UConn point guard Ryan Boatright told Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links (Twitter link) that the Clippers, Blazers, and Nets are high on him as a potential draftee. Boatright worked out for Portland earlier this week, is in Los Angeles today, and has a workout scheduled with Brooklyn on Monday.
Duke point guard Tyus Jones has a workout scheduled for Wednesday with the Bulls, a second workout for the Rockets on Friday, and a showcase for the Suns on June 22nd, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. You can view our full prospect profile for Jones here.
With the free agent signing period looming on the horizon, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) runs down the ideal free agent fits for teams in the Eastern Conference. Doolittle didn’t neglect the other half of the league, you can view his thoughts on the Western Conference here.
UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn has a workout scheduled for today with the Hawks, and will show the Timberwolves what he is capable of this Monday, Jon Krawczysnki of The Associated Press relays.
Greg Whittington has taken an unorthodox path to the NBA thus far, and the former Georgetown Hoya hopes to overcome his injury woes and hear his name called on draft night, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes.“He’s kind of chosen a difficult path but he has some talent,” said Austin Ainge, the Celtics’ director of player personnel. “So we thought we’d check him out.” A torn ACL ended the big man’s college career, and saw him play in the NBA D-League last season for Westchester, the Knicks‘ affiliate, Blakely adds. “Feeling good,” Whittington said when asked about his recovery. “The knee is better now. It’s been two years since I played. Getting back into this is big.”

Pacific Notes: Divac, West, Clippers

June 12th, 2015 at 8:38pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive tried to bring Vlade Divac in as a goodwill ambassador and basketball adviser last year, but GM Pete D’Alessandro and adviser Chris Mullin mounted strong opposition that derailed the move, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Of course, Ranadive brought Divac this year to head the basketball operations department, bumping the now-Nuggets-bound D’Alessandro from that role.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Clippers will hold workouts on Saturday for Aaron White (Iowa), David Kravish (California), Treveon Graham (VCU), Julian Washburn (UTEP), Quinn Cook (Duke), and Ryan Boatright (UConn), Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter links).
While they don’t currently possess any picks in this year’s NBA Draft, the Clippers will look to acquire a second round pick on draft night, Arash Markazi of ESPN.com tweets.
Warriors adviser Jerry West threatened to resign last offseason if the team went ahead and dealt Klay Thompson in exchange for Kevin Love, Chris Ballard of SI.com writes in his profile of West. West predicted that Thompson’s defense would improve, and that the pairing of he and Stephon Curry would give Golden State a Hall of Fame backcourt for the next decade, Ballard adds.
The Lakers will bring in St. John’s guard Phil Greene as part of a group workout on Saturday, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops relays (via Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Russell, Celtics, Draft

June 12th, 2015 at 6:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Illness prompted D’Angelo Russell to cancel a workout with the Sixers planned for this weekend, a source close to the combo guard told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who heard from another source who wouldn’t rule the notion of the workout taking place sometime later. Still, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter links) speculates that Russell may have received a promise from the Lakers, a prospect that could have a trickle-down effect that would make Jahlil Okafor available to the Knicks at pick No. 4. That seems far-fetched, particularly since the Lakers have reportedly zeroed in on Okafor for the second pick. Still, plenty is unknown with less than two weeks to go before the draft.

Here’s the latest from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics are having trouble attracting players with lottery aspirations to work out with them in spite of “better than average” odds that Boston trades up from the 16th overall pick, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Wisconsin small forward Sam Dekker pulled out of a workout with the C’s last week.
Working out for the Raptors this Saturday will be Delon Wright (Utah), Jabril Trawick (Georgetown), Kevon Looney (UCLA), Michale Kyser (Louisiana Tech), Cliff Alexander (Kansas), and Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), the team announced.
The Nets have four upcoming workouts scheduled, the team has announced. Monday’s group will be Ryan Boatright (UConn), T.J. McConnell (Arizona), D.J. Newbill (Penn State), Sir’Dominic Pointer (St. John’s), Larry Nance Jr. (Wyoming), and Brandon Ashley (Arizona).
Working out for Brooklyn on Tuesday will be Marcus Thornton (William and Mary), Will Cummings (Temple), Tyler Haws (BYU), Julian Washburn (UTEP), Jordan Mickey (LSU), and Yanick Moreira (SMU).
Displaying their wares on Wednesday for the Nets will be Mike Caffey (Long Beach State), Ray Parks Jr. (Melrose H.S.), Dez Wells (Maryland), Norman Powell (UCLA), Le’Bryan Nash (Oklahoma State), and Vince Hunter (UTEP).
The final batch of players working out for the Nets, which will take place on Thursday, are Travis Trice (Michigan State), Rashad Madden (Arkansas), Michael Qualls (Arizona), Trawick, Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), and Josh Smith (Georgetown).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.