Shelvin Mack Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Durant, Mack, Evans, Robinson

July 5th, 2016 at 10:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

A contributing factor that led to Kevin Durant leaving OKC to join the Warriors was his frustration with the Thunder‘s offense and guard Russell Westbrook‘s tendency to dominate the ball, a source close to the “Slim Reaper” told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. “Ultimately, he got frustrated and felt that they had plateaued,” the source told Beck. “[Coach Billy Donovan] came in, and he still had the same issues that he had with Russ under Scotty [former coach Scott Brooks]. The offense didn’t change much. He still had to take a ton of contested shots every game; and that’s when he had the ball at all. He’s never going to have a game in Golden State where Steve Kerr has to say at halftime, ‘You guys need to get Kevin the ball,’ which happened in OKC.”

Here’s more from around the league:

The chances are increasing dramatically that the Mavericks will look to trade forward Jeremy Evans, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. Evans, 28, has one year and $1,227,286 remaining on his current contract. Dallas is also exploring options to get JaVale McGee and his $1,403,611 salary off the books for next season, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com tweets. If the center remains on the roster past July 12th his deal becomes fully guaranteed.
The Jazz will keep point guard Shelvin Mack on the roster past Thursday, which means his contract worth $2,433,334 will become fully guaranteed, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Unrestricted free agent guard Nate Robinson hasn’t garnered much interest around the league and a number of teams have been turned off by his stated interest in joining the NFL, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated relays (on Twitter).
The Warriors are seeking veterans willing to sign team friendly deals to fill out the roster and may be interested in point guard Mario Chalmers and center Kendrick Perkins, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle writes.

Western Notes: Durant, Rondo, Crawford, Mack

July 3rd, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant has concluded his meeting with the Heat, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. The session lasted about two hours, according to Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Durant plans to meet with representatives from the Thunder this afternoon before making his final decision. He also talked to the Warriors, Clippers, Spurs and Celtics this weekend, although L.A. is now out of the running.

There’s more news from the Western Conference:

The Kings are “moving on” from free agent point guard Rajon Rondo, according to Aldridge (Twitter link). Aldridge says Sacramento is comfortable with Darren Collison as its starter and will seek a backup in free agency.
The Sixers have made a “significant” offer to Clippers free agent combo guard Jamal Crawford, tweets Dan Woike of Orange County Register, and several other teams are interested. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has been contacted by the Kings, Hawks, Nets, Mavericks, Celtics and others, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
The Jazz have to make a decision on point guard Shelvin Mack this week, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Mack’s $2.4MM salary for next season will become fully guaranteed on Thursday. Mack became the starter in Utah after a midseason trade from Atlanta and averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 assists in 28 games. The Jazz are trading backup point guard Trey Burke to the Wizards.
The Timberwolves are interested in Jordan Hill, but Pau Gasol remains their top priority in free agency, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.

And-Ones: Benson, Scott, Timberwolves

May 2nd, 2016 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A judge’s ruling last year that Pelicans owner Tom Benson is mentally competent to run the team has been affirmed by the Louisiana Supreme Count, reports Katherine Sayre of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The higher court refused to hear an appeal Monday by his estranged family members to have the 88-year-old declared incompetent to run his affairs. Those family members have tried to convince the courts that Benson, who also owns the NFL’s Saints, has been unduly influenced by his third wife, Gayle, and a group of Saints executives.

In other news around the league:

Former Lakers coach Byron Scott admitted on Dan Patrick’s radio show that he was “a little blindsided” by their decision to let him go after the season (YouTube link). Scott was under the impression he would have “two or three years” to get the team headed in the right direction but added he didn’t have “any ill-will feelings towards the organization.”
The Timberwolves have never enjoyed more reason for optimism in the franchise’s history than now, opines Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. They have hired a top-level coach in Tom Thibodeau, possess a wealth of young talent and practice in a new, state-of-the-art facility, Souhan points out. All those factors provide real hope that the team will soon be a powerhouse in the Western Conference, Souhan concludes.
Power forward Trevor Booker, center Jeff Withey and small forward Chris Johnson have a cloudy future with the Jazz, writes Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News. None of those players has guaranteed contracts for next season and GM Dennis Lindsey strongly hinted that he expects Booker to sign with another team, Sorensen continues. Point guard Shelvin Mack is another player without a guaranteed deal, but the Jazz are expected to retain him on his salary of about $2.433MM.
Florida State combo guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes has opted to return to school, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Rathan-Mayes, who was not considered a Top 100 prospect by either ESPN Insider Chad Ford or DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony, decided to test the draft waters in early April.

Jazz Rumors: Mack, Exum, Lindsey, Booker

April 14th, 2016 at 8:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Shelvin Mack became Utah’s starting point guard immediately after being acquired from Atlanta in February, but there’s no certainly no guarantee he’ll keep that role next season, writes Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Mack helped keep the Jazz in the playoff race until the final day of the season by averaging 12.7 points and 5.3 assists per game after the trade. But if Dante Exum recovers as expected from a torn ACL in his left knee, Mack will likely head back to the bench. “It’s not something that I’ve thought that much about,” he said. “I know that Dante’s a great player and the organization has a lot invested in him. I’m ready to compete, but I have to control the things I can control. I want to put myself in the best position I can be to help the team win.” Jones expects Utah to guarantee Mack’s salary, worth more than $2.4MM, for next season. It’s non-guaranteed but becomes fully guaranteed if he doesn’t hit waivers by the end of July 7th.

There’s more news on the Jazz:

Exum has started sprinting and is expected to be cleared for contact in June, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News, but he will not be part of Utah’s summer league team. Exum will talk to Jazz officials before considering whether to represent Australia in the Summer Olympics. “I wouldn’t do that unless I’m 100% [healthy] and confident in myself,” he said. (Twitter link).
Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey tried to deal a draft pick for veteran help before February’s trade deadline, tweets Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Lindsey said he accepted two trade offers, but both deals fell through. “If there’s one criticism you could make that’s fair,” he said, “is that we erred toward chemistry, continuity and continued development (Twitter link).” Lindsey would still be willing to swap draft picks for veterans, Jones relays (Twitter link).
Trevor Booker may not be in Utah’s future plans, Jones tweets. The 28-year-old power forward, who collected $4.775MM this season in the final year of his contract, prefers to remain with the Jazz, Genessy tweets. “I would definitely love to stay,” he said. “I know it’s a business. I’m not sure it’s going to happen.”

Northwest Notes: Durant, Jones, Mack

March 19th, 2016 at 2:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thunder small forward Kevin Durant, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, understands that every comment he makes regarding other NBA cities will be magnified, but he doesn’t feel that he needs to censor his opinions, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. “I love being in Philly, too,” Durant said, addressing reaction to what he said this week about Boston. “If you ask me about a city, I like being there. I’m not going to say anything bad about it. That’s how I am. I’m not going to watch what I say. Because I know how I’m saying it and my intentions in saying it. People are going to pick and choose what they want to write and I can’t control that. But I can control what I say. And I’m not going to hold my tongue or answer things differently or walk on eggshells because I don’t want stuff written about me. I’m just gonna be who I am. Of course people are going to say stuff. I like playing in Boston, like the city, it’s a cool city, they ran with that one. But I know how it is. It’s all good.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Timberwolves rookie point guard Tyus Jones has shown marked improvement in his 3-point shooting this season after numerous scouts had expressed concern over his shooting range during the predraft process last season, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes. “I’m confident in myself, confident in my game and it’s something I’ve always prided myself on,” Jones responded when asked if his success has surprised him. “That’s something you have to focus on, especially running the second unit. You want to come in and be sure we’re efficient. That’s what I’m trying to do.” The 19-year-old has connected on 42.4% of his shots from beyond the arc on the year.
The acquisition of point guard Shelvin Mack has paid off for the Jazz, who have benefited from his consistency and leadership since he arrived from Atlanta, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes. “He is a smart player. That is one of the reasons that we traded for him,” coach Quin Snyder said. “I think it’s really a familiarity and comfort level. We know how much we need each other as a group and we’ve got good unselfish guys that support each other. They have probably made that easier for him and I think that he certainly understands that it can help the group and help him impact the group in a positive way.”

And-Ones: Ajinca, Dawson, Lawson

March 9th, 2016 at 10:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pelicans center Alexis Ajinca, who is dealing with a fractured sternum he suffered on March 2nd, hopes to return to action this season, but he is still experiencing significant discomfort, Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com writes. “It’s still painful,” Ajinca said. “I’m still trying to catch my breath sometimes. But it’s getting better. I started shooting. I’m hoping to come back soon, but I’m still dealing with the pain, so we’ll see how far I have till I come back.”

Ajinca wants to help out his injury-depleted team by returning to the court, but he also needs to weigh his desire to play versus long-term health concerns, Eichenhofer relays. “I’m trying to come back, because sitting on the side is not really my thing. I don’t like doing that,” Ajinca said. “I’m trying to come back before the end of the season. But on the other hand, I’m also trying to be healthy and not jeopardizing my health if I’m coming back too early. I hope I can come back soon and have a pad on [the injury to protect it]. Hopefully it won’t be too painful if I get hit again.” The big man is in the first year of the four-year, $20.2MM deal he inked last July.

Here’s more from around the league:

Clippers rookie Branden Dawson has spent the bulk of his rookie season in the D-League, only making three NBA appearances on the campaign, but the small forward believes this will help his development in the long run, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com writes. “Just a better opportunity and just playing more,” Dawson said about his D-League time. “The first time I went down, when I went to Bakersfield, it was different. I didn’t know what to expect going down for the first time. Now, I’m a lot more confident and I’m playing more. The main thing is to get better. The reason why guys go down is to get better. The first two times, I learned a lot from the coaches I played with, the different programs. The main thing is to just come down and get better.”
A number of teams had interest in point guard Ty Lawson after he reached a buyout agreement with the Rockets, including the Bucks and the Jazz, Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports tweets. Lawson subsequently signed with the Pacers because he wanted to catch on with a new team quickly and he believed Indiana was a perfect fit for his skills, Agness adds.
Shelvin Mack has impressed the Jazz with his solid play since arriving in a trade deadline deal from Atlanta, and he’s provided the stability the team sought after losing starter Dante Exum for the year with a torn ACL in his left knee, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes. “I think he’s making a good transition,” coach Quin Snyder said. “A lot of that is a compliment to Bud [Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer] and his staff and their team … and to him, of course.”

And-Ones: Anthony, D-League, Mack

February 24th, 2016 at 10:55pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the mild awkwardness of being back in a Pistons uniform after the three-team trade he was a part of was nixed, Joel Anthony says he’s glad to return to Motown after nearly becoming a member of the Sixers at the trade deadline, David Mayo of MLive writes. “It is obviously a little awkward, a little weird,” Anthony said. “It’s been one of the weirdest weeks I’ve had as a professional. It’s great to be back here. I love the guys on the team. Everyone was happy with me coming back. So just looking forward to being a part of this team and helping us move forward.”

“Things like this happen in the league where guys get hurt, guys get injured,” Anthony also said. “It’s really about that next man up, the next guy’s supposed to step up. You have guys on the roster for a reason, so those guys are going to have to play their role the way they’re supposed to, and continue to help us win.”

Here’s the latest from around the league:

Shelvin Mack has impressed the Jazz with his solid play since arriving in a trade deadline deal from Atlanta, but his emergence may further cloud Utah’s unsettled point guard rotation, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. “We’ve had — I wouldn’t say a revolving door — but we’ve found that depth from internally, essentially using guys out of position,” coach Quin Snyder said. “If we would have had three point guards at the beginning of the year, you’d see some sort of separation in the early part of the year. We haven’t had that. As a result, that process has to occur now. There’s going to be decisions I have to make relative to who’s going to play.”
The Jazz have assigned center Tibor Pleiss to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Pleiss’ fifth trek to Idaho on the season. He has appeared in 15 games, averaging 12.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.7 assists in 31.3 minutes per contest.
The Kings have recalled power forward Duje Dukan from the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This concludes Dukan’s fifth trip to the D-League.

And-Ones: Morris Twins, Gerald Green, Hardaway

February 22nd, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris thought their close relationship with Suns owner Robert Sarver, which included invitations to Sarver’s home to work out on his basketball court, would ensure advance warning of the trade that sent Marcus to the Pistons, the twins told Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher. It’s not simply a matter of the trade having separated them, Marcus insists, saying to Bucher that he also would have pulled off the deal that sent him to the Pistons if he thought, as the Suns did, that it would give them a better shot at LaMarcus Aldridge.

“Everybody thinking that we’re upset because we don’t get to play with each other,” Marcus said. “Kieff can’t deal with adversity? We’re from north Philadelphia. This isn’t adversity. This is betrayal.”

The Magic offered Channing Frye for Markieff shortly after the deal that sent Marcus to the Pistons this summer, a league source told Bucher, and the Cavaliers and Bulls were interested in Markieff, too, Bucher hears, also confirming an earlier report that the Pistons held interest in reuniting the brothers. Bucher indicates that the twins were closer with former Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby than with Suns GM Ryan McDonough, suggesting that that the reduction in Babby’s role played a part in the end of the run for the Morrises in Phoenix. See more from around the NBA:

Gerald Green said to Bucher for the same piece that the Suns told him they would re-sign him this past summer but never called his agent back. The Kenton Edelin client instead signed with the Heat, telling Bucher that he holds the Heat organization in a much higher regard than the Suns.
Some Knicks players thought the offseason trade that sent away Tim Hardaway Jr. came about because the organization wanted to avoid an odd dynamic in the locker room between Hardaway and then-coach Derek Fisher, who are rumored to have been involved with the same woman, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
Shelvin Mack recorded season highs in minutes, points and assists Sunday in his debut for the Jazz, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Quin Snyder‘s familiarity with and endorsement of the point guard and a rave review from former Hawks GM Danny Ferry helped convince the Jazz to trade for Mack on Thursday, as Genessy details in a separate piece.

Western Notes: Jazz, Varejao, Lakers

February 21st, 2016 at 10:44pm CST by Will Joseph

The Jazz acquired Shelvin Mack because he can defend bigger guards and can handle the ball, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News relays (on Twitter). Mack is in line for playing time with Utah, Genessy tweets. “We traded for him to help us — and he is different than the other guys, so he’s going to play,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. Mack averaged only 7.5 minutes in 24 games with the Hawks, but he doesn’t believe conditioning will be an issue, per Genessy (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

The most significant reason why Anderson Varejao agreed to sign with the Warriors was Golden State assistant Luke Walton, a former teammate of Varejao’s, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets.
Lakers star Kobe Bryant gave coach Byron Scott a vote of confidence days after Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak declined to comment on Scott’s future, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com relays. “I think he’s been channeling his inner Zen,” Bryant said. “It’s been very tough for him. It’s been very tough. I think he’s managing it very well. He’s remaining consistent and continuing to try to bring the best out of these young guys and demanding the best from them. He’s doing the best that he can in the situation.”
Scott said today that D’Angelo Russell will start for the rest of the season, Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets.
The Wolves‘ needs for this summer after not striking a deal at the deadline consist of a veteran athletic wing who can defend and shoot, another athletic big man and a scoring point guard, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes.
The Thunder recalled Mitch McGary from the D-League, the team announced via press release.
The Mavs recalled Jeremy Evans and Justin Anderson from their D-League affiliate, Dallas announced in an emailed press release.

Hawks Acquire Kirk Hinrich In Three-Team Deal

February 18th, 2016 at 11:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jennifer Stewart / USA Today Sports Images

4:16pm: The Bulls traded Kirk Hinrich to the Hawks as part of a three-team swap that also involved the Jazz, all three teams announced. Chicago, in its first trade since July 2014, gets Justin Holiday from the Hawks and Denver’s unprotected 2018 second-round pick from the Jazz, who acquired it from the Nuggets in 2013. Utah receives Shelvin Mack from the Hawks.

Hinrich returns to Atlanta, where he spent a season and a half as part of the two-year hiatus in his Bulls career from 2010-12. The 35-year-old is in his 13th NBA season and his 11th with Chicago. However, he’d never had such a limited role, with his minutes only at 15.9 per game this season, by far a career low. Any playing time he gets in Atlanta figures to come at the wing instead of the point guard spot, since the Hawks held on to Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder in spite of rumors about both, and Teague in particular.

Atlanta did end up dealing away Mack, its third-string point guard, who, like Hinrich, is playing the fewest minutes he’s ever seen in his career at 7.5 a game. The 25-year-old Mack, a fifth-year veteran, becomes the most experienced point guard for the Jazz, who’ve de-emphasized the position in the wake of the offseason injury to Dante Exum that wiped out his season. Utah’s reported talks about swapping point guards Ty Lawson and Trey Burke fell through. Mack has a non-guaranteed salary of more than $2.433MM for next season.

Holiday, the other player the Hawks gave up, picked up a championship with the Warriors last summer and shortly thereafter signed a two-year fully guaranteed deal for the minimum salary with Atlanta. His minutes are down slightly but his shot attempts and scoring are off markedly from last year’s numbers. The primary benefit for Chicago, aside from the pick, is the financial savings, as the Bulls subtract the $1,907,664 difference between Hinrich’s and Holiday’s salaries from their payroll. That also clears the Bulls of nearly $2.9MM in projected luxury tax penalties. The deal allows Chicago to create a trade exception equivalent to Hinrich’s $2,854,940 salary.

Atlanta gets to create a trade exception worth the equivalent of Holiday’s $947,276 salary, since Mack’s $2,433,333 pay is a close match with Hinrich’s, even though a 15% trade kicker that Chicago is paying Hinrich gives him a slight bump on his salary. The Jazz remain under the cap, using a slice of the roughly $7.6MM in cap room they had entering deadline day to take in Mack’s salary.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com broke the news that Hinrich was headed to Atlanta (Twitter link), while Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reported the Jazz were getting Mack and giving up a second-round pick (Twitter link). K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune relayed that Holiday was going to the Bulls and that all the pieces were part of the same three-teamer, rather than separate deals (Twitter link). Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution pegged the second-round pick going to Chicago as Denver’s 2018 second-rounder. RealGM shows that the pick carries no protection.