Tayshaun Prince Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Notes: Ilyasova, Jennings, Drummond

January 1st, 2016 at 6:31pm CST by Will Joseph

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is very much interested in keeping Ersan Ilyasova in Detroit next season, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press relays (on Twitter). Ilyasova has a non-guaranteed deal worth $8.4MM for next season. The 28-year-old power forward is averaging 10.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Detroit acquired Ilyasova in a trade with the Bucks in June and Van Gundy recently said he has been thrilled with the move.

“He’s a very good player on a very good contract,” Van Gundy said, per Ellis. “I don’t really see a scenario where we wouldn’t.”

Here’s more news concerning Detroit:

Brandon Jennings still needs time to get back to full speed, but his return so far has impressed Reggie Jackson, who assumed Jennings’ role as the Pistons’ starting point guard, David Mayo of MLive.com details. “They really haven’t dropped off with Brandon coming in, a guy we all know can get hot and get it going, but as well, probably doesn’t get enough credit for being able to see the floor, and his passing ability,” Jackson said. “I think it really showed tonight. He got hockey assists, got kick-outs, really got to the paint, and was attacking. I’m happy to see him doing well and helping lead our second unit to help lead our team to get wins.” Jennings has yet to start a game since returning from a torn Achilles last week.
Former Piston and current Wolves small forward Tayshaun Prince returned Thursday to Detroit, where he spent 11 of his 14 seasons, but he’s not ready to say it was for the final time, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes. “When people tell me I’m done, I look at them like they’re crazy because throughout my whole career when we won, and even when we didn’t win, the things I did on the floor didn’t show up in the stat sheet,” Prince said. “No matter what, I can still impact the game, and I know I can still do that for a long time.”
Andre Drummond‘s inconsistency can be attributed to a lack of focus and engagement during games and has nothing to do with conditioning, according to Van Gundy, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes.

Timberwolves Rumors: LaVine, Rubio, Muhammad

November 17th, 2015 at 1:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

It’s no coincidence that the Timberwolves are giving Zach LaVine minutes at point guard after going back on their decision to make him the starting shooting guard, since Ricky Rubio would become a trade chip if LaVine proves capable running the point, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Rubio and LaVine have played just 10 minutes together so far this season, with Lowe calling it “beyond dumb” that they haven’t shared the floor for more time and Rubio making it clear he’d like to play more often with LaVine. Both Rubio and GM Milt Newton expressed to Lowe that they hope Rubio is the long-term answer at the point, “but he has to stay healthy,” Newton said. Regardless, Newton isn’t in a hurry to make any deals.

“We are cognizant about not rushing it,” Newton said to Lowe. “We don’t want to be a flash in the pan. We don’t want to disrupt our young core. If we do something, it has to be the kind of deal where the majority of that young core is still here, but you get a veteran who is not that old — and can grow with the group.”

See more on the Timberwolves:

LaVine has shown flashes of brilliance and moments of struggle alike at point guard this season, but his play is making it increasingly apparent that he deserves time at one position or another, as Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune examines. “I love him,” Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said Sunday before Minnesota’s game against Memphis. “I’m a big LaVine fan. I think he can really score the basketball. He’s tough to guard. I think he’s still trying to figure out where he is in the league, learn his teammates, where he can go and when it’s not a good time to go. When he learns that? He’ll be a very potent scorer.”
Opposing front office personnel were initially dismissive of the late Flip Saunders‘ decision to sign so many veteran mentors this summer, but some of them have warmed to the notion that re-signing Kevin Garnett and adding Andre Miller and Tayshaun Prince was shrewd, Lowe writes in the same piece.
The Timberwolves almost chose Giannis Antetokounmpo over Shabazz Muhammad in the 2013 draft, several sources tell Lowe. The Jazz officially drafted Muhammad, but they had already agreed to trade the pick to Minnesota by the time they went on the clock, so evidently the Timberwolves were telling the Jazz whom to take, as is often the case behind the scenes with draft-night deals.
If Steve Kaplan, the Grizzlies minority owner who’s reportedly in talks to buy a share of the Timberwolves, were to purchase a controlling interest in the Wolves at some point, he’d probably include Garnett in the ownership group, Lowe hears from sources.
Sean Kilpatrick, who was with the Timberwolves on a 10-day contract this past spring, has re-signed with the D-League affiliate of the Sixers, the team with which he ended last season, the D-League club announced.

Western Notes: Ezeli, Miller, Lillard, Diawara

November 2nd, 2015 at 5:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Festus Ezeli‘s favorable perception of the Warriors hasn’t changed in the wake of the end of extension talks between agent Bill Duffy and the team, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays. The center is headed into restricted free agency in July with the extension window officially set to close at 11pm Central tonight.

“Obviously [Duffy] didn’t come up to an agreement with the team, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I want to be here for the rest of my career, and I love these guys,” Ezeli said. “I love the team. We discussed it a little bit with my family, and [Duffy] kind of told us what he thought was best moving forward, and we went with that.”

See more from the Western Conference:

Part of the reason the Timberwolves wanted to sign Andre Miller is because Flip Saunders wanted to shore up the team’s troubles with simply inbounding the ball at the end of games, as TNT’s David Aldridge notes within his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Of course, Miller’s leadership was key, too, and Saunders told Miller ahead of time that the team would be signing fellow veteran Tayshaun Prince, as Miller said to Aldridge for a piece that further shows the respect the Wolves have for the late coach/executive.
Damian Lillard‘s play has been surprisingly underwhelming so far this season, but it’s chiefly a product of his willingness to experiment with his game so that he can tailor it to the needs of the Blazers‘ overhauled roster, as Jason Quick of CSNNW.com examines. “It’s easy for me to go out there and get 35 and have seven assists and the game not be played as well,’’ Lillard said. “But if we are going to play the game the right way and if our team is going to grow and keep getting better, then I have to make sure we are doing things the right way.’’
Four-year NBA veteran and Grizzlies camp cut Yakhouba Diawara has signed with CSP Limoges of France, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Freelance journalist Guido Guida first reported the news (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Crawford, Dejean-Jones, Prince

August 22nd, 2015 at 3:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There are reportedly multiple teams, including the Knicks, Heat, and Cavaliers, that are interested in swinging a deal with the Clippers to acquire sixth man Jamal Crawford. But Los Angeles isn’t currently motivated to give up Crawford without garnering a useful return, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register relays in a series of tweets. It wouldn’t be a wise move to deal Crawford, who is extremely valuable as a bench piece, for a backup caliber point guard or center, Woike opines. The Orange County Register scribe believes that the smarter move for the Clippers would be to hold onto Crawford and see how the team’s roster shakes out in training camp to better assess what the team’s needs are before making a decision.

Here’s what else is happening around the Western Conference:

The Pelicans dipped into their mid-level exception to sign undrafted shooting guard Bryce Dejean-Jones, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The pact includes a partial guarantee of $50K for the 2015/16 campaign, while the other two seasons of the deal are non-guaranteed, Pincus adds.
According to league sources, the Jazz have yet to contact other teams or free agents regarding adding another point guard in the wake of Dante Exum‘s season-ending knee injury, Andy Larsen of KSL.com relays (Twitter links). Utah appears content to begin the season with Trey Burke, Bryce Cotton, and Raul Neto, and will potentially look to acquire additional help later in the season if needed, Larsen adds. There were reports that the Jazz had interest in acquiring Garrett Temple from the Wizards, but Washington reportedly isn’t anxious to to move Temple, and he wouldn’t come cheaply if they were so inclined.
Tayshaun Prince‘s minimum salary arrangement with the Timberwolves for the 2015/16 season is fully guaranteed, Pincus tweets. The addition of Prince gives Minnesota 16 fully guaranteed pacts, according to our roster count for the team.

Timberwolves Sign Tayshaun Prince

August 20th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

AUGUST 20TH, 10:59am: The deal is official, the team announced (Twitter link).

“We’re excited to add a veteran like Tayshaun,” Timberwolves coach/executive Flip Saunders said in the team’s statement. “Having coached Tayshaun for three seasons in Detroit, I know that his experience and defensive mindset will benefit our younger players. He also has shown that he can shoot from long distance, which will help our ability to stretch the floor.”

AUGUST 13TH, 12:54pm: The Timberwolves have reached agreement on a one-year deal with Tayshaun Prince for the minimum salary, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The move is somewhat surprising, since Minnesota already has 15 fully guaranteed deals. He’ll join Kevin Garnett and the newly signed Andre Miller among the long-tenured veterans supplementing a youthful Wolves core. Prince is “super close” with longtime Pistons trainer Arnie Kander, who also recently joined Minnesota, notes Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).

Prince finished up this past season in Detroit as a coda to the 10 and a half seasons he spent there at the start of his career. His production bounced back to a degree this past season after a dropoff in 2013/14. The Cavs and Spurs reportedly reached out to the Bill Duffy client at the start of free agency last month, and the Blazers apparently had more recent interest before the Wolves snagged him. Prince spent 2014/15 on the move, as the Grizzlies traded him to the Celtics in the Jeff Green deal and Boston later flipped him to the Pistons at the deadline.

Since it’s only for one year, the deal with Prince will cost the Wolves just $947,276 while the league picks up the tab for the rest of his $1,499,187 salary. It’s not much of a financial burden for Minnesota, which had been carrying about $72.7MM in guaranteed salary, well shy of the $84.74MM tax threshold, but it puts pressure on the team to make a trade before opening night to get down to no more than 15 fully guaranteed deals. Prince’s arrival also seemingly makes it tougher for Lorenzo Brown to stick past the preseason. His salary is partially guaranteed for only $75K.

Prince had hoped to sign with a contender, but the Wolves, who finished with the league’s worst record this past season, don’t fit that bill, notes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link). The small forward signed his last contract while he was still in his prime, so this pact will represent a significant decline in pay from the more than $7.7MM he made in 2014/15. Our Dana Gauruder correctly predicted in Prince’s Free Agent Stock Watch this week that he would end up with a one-year deal, even though the 35-year-old said this spring that he felt he could play for another two or three years.

Do you think Prince is the right fit for the Timberwolves? Leave a comment to let us know.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Tayshaun Prince

August 10th, 2015 at 6:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Players in the twilight of their careers often need to exercise patience when they hit the free agent market. That’s especially true for a veteran hoping to hook on to a contending team and get one last chance to earn a championship ring. Such is the case with small forward Tayshaun Prince, who won an NBA title with the Pistons in 2004 and was a fixture on a unit that reached the Eastern Conference Finals six consecutive years from 2003-08.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Prince got traded twice last season in his walk year. The Grizzlies, who traded for him midway through the 2012/13 season from Detroit, dealt him to the Celtics in January as part of a three-team deal in which Memphis acquired Jeff Green. Prince only appeared in nine games with the Celtics before he was shipped back to the Pistons at the trade deadline for forwards Jonas Jerebko and Luigi Datome. Prince initially thought the Pistons would release him but Detroit needed another small forward after dealing starter Kyle Singler to the Thunder as part of the Reggie Jackson trade.

He appeared in 23 games in his second stint with Detroit, including seven starts, and showed that he still had some life in his 35-year-old legs by averaging 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 24.8 minutes. That included a 23-point, 7-rebound outing at Orlando on March 27th.

He may have lost a step but he still has those long arms to distract opponents defensively and knows the ins and outs of team defense. He’s a facilitator on offense, though more of a No. 4 or 5 scoring option at this stage of his career. He can also play some power forward in smaller lineups.

Seeking younger options at his spot, the Pistons had no interest in bringing back Prince. They wound up drafting Stanley Johnson and trading for Marcus Morris this summer. Meanwhile, from all appearances, Prince has not received much attention on the open market.

Sam Amico reported in his weekly column for Hoops Rumors late last month that the Trail Blazers had shown interest in the BDA Sports Management client. The Spurs reportedly contacted Prince at the beginning of free agency and the Cavs also looked into pursuing him. But the Spurs have seemingly filled their needs during a highly-successful summer highlighted by the signing of prized free agent LaMarcus Aldridge. Any hope for Prince to land in Cleveland was lost when it signed another 35-year-old small forward, Richard Jefferson.

The Blazers don’t fit the profile of a contender without Aldridge, so that would be a fallback option at best for Prince. Portland brought in two younger options at that position this summer, adding Al-Farouq Aminu in free agency and trading for Maurice Harkless.

Thus, Prince might have to take a wait-and-see approach, hoping an opportunity arises with a club that feels it needs frontcourt depth and another savvy, sage voice in its locker room. The wait could stretch into the regular season, when an injury might cause a playoff-caliber team to scour the landscape for available options.

Prince, who made $7,707,865 last season, said back in March that he felt he could play effectively for another two or three seasons. It’s likely Prince will have to settle for a one-year offer, unless the second year includes a team option.

What other teams might have interest? Pure speculation but it would seem the Wizards could be a good fit, considering they lost Paul Pierce and play a half-court style suited to Prince’s game. The Mavericks, who lost Jefferson, may also come calling, since Prince was drafted by the Pistons when Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was entering his second season as Detroit’s head man.

The Hawks, who lost DeMarre Carroll in free agency, could be a logical landing spot for Prince. The Rockets could also use some frontcourt depth, though they drafted Sam Dekker.

Prince has enough left in the tank that someone will eventually come calling. He’ll just have to stay patient until that time comes.

Column: Indiana Ready To Move At Different Pace

July 28th, 2015 at 8:03am CST by Hoops Rumors

Sam Amico, the founder and editor of AmicoHoops.net and a broadcast journalist for Fox Sports Ohio, will write a weekly feature for Hoops Rumors with news, rumors and insight from around the NBA. We’re excited to present the first installment here:

It should be an interesting season for the Indiana Pacers.

Two years ago, the Pacers were a real contender. They lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals but appeared to be on the brink of very good things. They were making major strides, seemingly a franchise that would soon get over the hump.

Then Lance Stephenson left in free agency.

Then Paul George suffered a horrific leg injury while playing an exhibition with Team USA.

Then the Pacers suddenly became a middle-of-the-road club, fighting to make the playoffs, but not quite good enough to get in.

So president of basketball operations and basketball icon Larry Bird decided to give them a bit of a makeover. Bird and coach Frank Vogel aimed to get the Pacers to move at a quicker, well, pace. They want to push the ball, force the tempo, and move away from the smash-mouth style of the previous five or six years.

That style worked well for the Pacers — but it truly was an elbows-out, feet-on-the-floor type of game and it only carried them so far.

So plodding 7’2″ center Roy Hibbert was shipped off to the Lakers (for virtually nothing), aging power forward David West left for San Antonio, and Bird suddenly started talking about the possibility of George, a swingman by trade, playing some power forward.

(As an aside, when George hinted he may be less than thrilled with the position change, Bird uttered a line only a man with his credentials can utter. “He don’t make the decisions around here,” Bird said, drawing laughter.)

Either way, the Pacers will be playing an entirely different style — and they believe that with the addition of a healthy George and free agent signees Monta Ellis and Jordan Hill, they are ready for take-off.

Bird and Vogel also seem especially excited about rookie lottery pick Myles Turner, a big man with a perimeter game, and even Joseph Young, a push-it-up and fill-it-up combo guard drafted in the second round.

Also, even after the signing of Glenn Robinson III, the Pacers may still have a few minor moves in the works.

Right now, Turner is likely the starting center, with Hill and George in the frontcourt, and George Hill and Ellis at guard. Word is, Bird wants another experienced big, and someone such as Carlos Boozer may eventually come cheap.

But no matter who comes and goes, it’s clear that Bird, his front office team and coaching staff are taking a different approach to finding success. And with good health and smooth adaptation to a new playing style, the Pacers just may be on to something.

Around the NBA

1. Several league execs have said this could be a breakout season for Perry Jones III, a fourth-year forward who was recently traded from Oklahoma City to Boston. “I’m just happy to have a fresh start,” Jones told the media Monday, including Jay King of MassLive.com (Twitter link). “It’s something that I needed.”

2. Since last season, the Celtics have added David Lee, Amir Johnson, Jones and draft picks Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter. “It feels like we’ve taken a step forward in this offseason by adding these guys and our draft picks,” owner Wyc Grousbeck told reporters Monday, including Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com (Twitter link).

3. One untrue rumor making rounds is J.R. Smith to the Lakers. But Smith is considerably more likely to return to the Cavs than go anywhere else. And the Lakers aren’t interested. A deal between the Cavs and Smith could be finalized within the next seven to 10 days.

4. Tayshaun Prince and the recently released Henry Walker are both drawing interest from Portland.

Western Notes: Davis, Prince, Matthews

July 1st, 2015 at 6:36am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Lakers have contacted free agent Ed Davis, and would like for him to return to Los Angeles next season, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. There will be some competition for Davis’ services, as four undisclosed teams have also expressed interest in the big man, Medina notes. Davis is seeking a two or three-year deal worth $7MM-$8MM, or a one-year arrangement worth $9MM-$10MM, the Daily News scribe adds. In 79 games for the Lakers last season, Davis notched averages of 8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 23.3 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Clippers are not optimistic about the idea of Paul Pierce taking less money to come their way, Sam Amick of USA Today Sports tweets.
The Lakers have expressed interest in restricted free agents Jimmy Butler of the Bulls, and Iman Shumpert of the Cavaliers, Medina relays (Twitter link).
The Spurs were among the teams to contact unrestricted free agent Tayshaun Prince, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets.
The Mavericks and Wesley Matthews are still engaged in contract talks, but remain approximately $3MM apart in annual value for the agreement, Amick tweets. Matthews is seeking an annual salary of $15MM per year, while Dallas is offering $12MM, Amick notes.
The Jazz contacted free agent Joe Ingles to express their interest in re-signing the forward, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News tweets. Utah tendered Ingles a qualifying offer worth $1.045MM on Monday, making him a restricted free agent. The 27-year-old appeared in 79 games for the Jazz in 2014/15, including 32 starts, and averaged 5.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 21.2 minutes per contest.
The Mavs have reached out to point guard Nick Calathes, who is a restricted free agent, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Free Agency Rumors: Pierce, Green, Dragic

June 30th, 2015 at 11:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Wizards have a phone conversation scheduled with free agent forward Paul Pierce at 12:01 a.m. ET, a league source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter). Here’s more from a busy night around the league:

One GM told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (on Twitter) that the three-year, $46MM deal that Chandler Parsons signed in 2014 will set the market for wings this year. That will apparently have an impact on guys like Danny Green, Khris Middleton, and DeMarre Carroll.
The Heat placed a call to Goran Dragic shortly after midnight on the East Coast, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter). However, the guard is in Slovenia where it’s early in the morning and Shelburne seems to be implying that he was not awake to receive the call.
The Cavs have reached out to the reps for forward Tayshaun Prince, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. The Cavs feel that Prince could help shore up their wing depth. Prince, 35, played for the Grizzlies, Celtics, and Pistons last season and averaged 7.5 PPG and 3.6 RPG.
The Mavericks and Rockets were the first two teams to reach out to Patrick Beverley, sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).

Central Notes: Scola, Stuckey, Jackson, Prince

April 20th, 2015 at 10:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star looks at each of the soon-to-be free agents on the Pacers, pegging Rodney Stuckey and Lavoy Allen as the most likely among them to return, C.J. Watson and Chris Copeland as unlikely to be back, and Luis Scola and Donald Sloan somewhere in between. President of basketball operations Larry Bird said they’d all like to be back, but Scola, while praising the Pacers organization, doesn’t seem quite ready to commit, as Buckner relays.

“We’ll see what happens. We didn’t have our exit meeting yet. I’m hoping to get some type of feedback there and some type of impression of what they want to do in the future and move on from there,” Scola said last week.

Buckner suggests Stuckey, who drew praise from Bird, wants a multiyear deal with his wedding planned for mid-July. While we wait to see if the Pacers have something picked out for him on his registry, here’s more from around the Central:

Greg Monroe isn’t ruling out a return to the Pistons, but Reggie Jackson has spoken of communicating with other Pistons over the summer so everyone stays motivated for next season, notes MLive’s David Mayo, pointing to the dichotomy between Detroit’s two main soon-to-be free agents. As for other free agents on the team, the Pistons are unlikely to offer Tayshaun Prince a chance to return, and John Lucas III probably won’t be back with the team next year, Mayo writes.
Several NBA executives say that they expect Khris Middleton to wind up signing a deal with $8MM annual salaries this summer, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. That figure is somewhat lower than the $10MM estimate that Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops heard from several GMs and other executives recently. Woelfel points to numbers that don’t suggest much improvement from Middleton this season, though he grants that the Bucks combo forward’s value could escalate with a strong playoff performance.
Former Bucks center Larry Sanders still doesn’t have a desire to return to the game, Woelfel notes within the same piece.