Tyler Zeller Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Tyler Zeller Worked Out For Nets

September 8th, 2017 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to working out Jared Sullinger in late August, the Nets recently brought in free agent center Tyler Zeller for an audition, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

It’s the first update we’ve heard in more than two months on Zeller, who was waived by the Celtics shortly after the free agent period began in July. The 27-year-old center had a non-guaranteed $8MM salary for 2017/18 that needed to be cleared from Boston’s books in order for the C’s to maximize their cap room, which they ultimately used to sign Gordon Hayward.

While there’s no indication that Zeller is on the verge of joining the Nets, Brooklyn remains on the lookout for frontcourt help. So far this offseason, the Nets have traded away Brook Lopez, Andrew Nicholson, and Justin Hamilton in various deals, adding Timofey Mozgov and Jarrett Allen to help fortify the rotation up front.

Zeller, the 17th overall pick in the 2012 draft, spent the last three seasons in Boston, but played a career-low 10.3 minutes per game in 2016/17. In 340 career games with the Cavs and Celtics, the UNC product has averaged 7.0 PPG and 4.4 RPG. Given his reduced role last season, those averages dipped to 3.5 PPG and 2.4 RPG, though his per-minute numbers weren’t far off his career rates.

Celtics Waive Tyler Zeller

July 2nd, 2017 at 4:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tyler Zeller, whose $8MM salary would have become fully guaranteed today, has been waived by the Celtics, tweets Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com.

The move was expected as Boston is concentrating on opening cap space to provide flexibility in free agency. Zeller now becomes an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team.

The fifth-year center spent the past three seasons with the Celtics after being acquired from Cleveland in a 2014 deal. Zeller, 27, played 51 games this season, averaging 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds.

Celtics Likely To Waive Tyler Zeller

July 1st, 2017 at 4:08pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics will likely part ways with Tyler Zeller on Sunday, per a report from Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link).

The center’s $8MM salary for 2017/18 is set to become fully guaranteed tomorrow, so waiving him will certainly provide the team with greater cap flexibility as it looks to make a splash in free agency this summer. Boston won’t be on the hook for any of that amount if it does indeed make him an unrestricted free agent as Murphy’s sources suggest.

The 27-year-old appeared in 51 games last season, including five starts, and averaged 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 10.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line for the campaign was .494/.000/.564.

Celtics Notes: Free Agents, Thomas, Green, George

May 26th, 2017 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Next season’s Celtics may have little resemblance to the group that earned the East’s top seed and reached the conference finals, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Free agents Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko are both very unlikely to be-resigned, according to Deveney. Johnson started 77 games this season, but his role was cut severely in the playoffs. Fellow free agents Gerald Green and James Young will also probably be let go. Kelly Olynyk may be a tougher call as a restricted free agent. The Celtics would like to keep him, Deveney notes, but they aren’t certain to match a large offer. The team would also like to trade center Tyler Zeller, who has one year left on his contract at $8MM, which won’t be guaranteed until July 2nd.

There’s more today out of Boston:

Isaiah Thomas is eligible for an extension this summer, but it’s unlikely to happen, Deveney states in the same story. Thomas has one year left on his deal at the extreme bargain price of about $6.26MM. The most likely scenario, according to Deveney, is that Thomas will play out his current contract, then pursue a max deal starting at more than $30MM per season in 2018, either from the Celtics or another organization. There has been speculation about a possible Thomas trade this summer, but Deveney says the Celtics haven’t talked to anyone about dealing him. Other offseason decisions include possible extensions for Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley, and Deveney notes that Boston can’t afford to invest big money in all three guards.
Executives around the league believe the Celtics will hold on to the No. 1 draft pick and select Markelle Fultz, Deveney adds in the same piece. They will take a year to see how he meshes with Thomas, Bradley and Smart before making any long-term decisions. Kansas forward Josh Jackson is probably the most likely choice if they pass on Fultz, according to Deveney.
At today’s exit interview, Green said he wants to return to the Celtics and help them win a title, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. The 31-year-old played just 47 games during the season, but started seven times in the playoffs.
Al Horford, who signed with the Celtics last summer, believes Boston will be a popular destination for free agents, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “I think it’s gonna be very attractive,” he said. “If you look at our team, the upside and everything, it’s a good time to be a Celtic.”
Boston has the assets to land Paul George in a trade if he refuses to sign a long-term deal with the Pacers, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Marks and Chris Mannix discuss the Celtics’ offseason options in a video on the Vertical website, with Marks saying a trade with Indiana is feasible without including the Nets’ pick for this year or 2018. He suggests a package of Jae Crowder, Terry Rozier, Zeller and the Grizzlies’ 2019 first-rounder may be enough to get a deal done.

Atlantic Notes: Rose, Zeller, General Electric

January 24th, 2017 at 5:53pm CST by Austin Kent

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding possible Carmelo Anthony trade scenarios, but Frank Isola of the New York Daily News argues that the Knicks would be better served dealing Derrick Rose instead.

Amid all the drama that has unfolded in New York, Rose has quietly put forth his best season since 2011/12. In 41 games for the Knicks, Rose has averaged 18.1 points and 4.5 assists per game. Still, despite the subtle improvements, Isola doesn’t think that the club could legitimately consider signing the 28-year-old guard long-term.

Isola suggests that the Knicks move Rose and his valuable expiring contract instead. He adds that the Knicks, then, should decrease the minutes assigned to Anthony so that they could dangle a high first-round pick and abundant available cap space when pursuing possible free agents next summer.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Out of action since December, Tyler Zeller will return to action for the Celtics tonight, a report published on the team’s official site says. The big man had been battling an illness that affected his inner-ear and consequently, his balance. Zeller averages 4.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
The Celtics will announce a jersey sponsorship agreement with General Electric, tweets Darren Rovell of ESPN. Previously the Sixers agreed to a deal with StubHub and the Kings to a deal with Blue Diamond Almonds.
A regularly scheduled foot scan has revealed that Ben Simmons is healing according to plan, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. In training camp, the Sixers rookie suffered a Jones fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot.

Celtics Notes: Thomas, Horford, Ainge, Zeller

September 24th, 2016 at 4:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

Isaiah Thomas believes the Celtics might have landed Kevin Durant if they could have gone into their meeting with a commitment from Al Horford, relays Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. In a wide-ranging interview, Thomas discusses the bright future in Boston, the additions the Celtics were able to make and how close he believes they came to getting Durant. “In our meeting, he was a fan of what he had going, was a fan of [coach] Brad Stevens and [president of basketball operations] Danny Ainge and those types of things,” Thomas said. “I honestly felt like we probably didn’t have enough for him in that situation. He’s trying to win a championship now. Like I said, if we had Al Horford going into that meeting, I think that would have been enough.”

There’s more today out of Boston:

The Celtics recognize that they could use another shooter and a rim protector, but Ainge tells The Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett that chemistry is a concern when it comes to making moves. “It would be nice to add a rim protector that didn’t hurt our offense,” Ainge said. “It would be nice to have a shooter that didn’t hurt our defense. But I feel like we have a lot of guys that are good shooters. But the kind of guys you’re talking about, those guys are hard to find.”
After appearing in a career-low 60 games last season, center Tyler Zeller hopes his new contract brings a larger role, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Zeller re-signed with Boston for $16MM over two seasons after becoming a restricted free agent this summer. Even though the second year of the deal is not guaranteed, it represents a significant raise for Zeller, who earned a little more than $2.6MM last year. Zeller often got overlooked in the Celtics’ crowded frontcourt last season, playing 10 minutes or fewer 28 times. “It was a frustrating year for me, but at the same time it was a time where I could work on my game,” Zeller said. “I was able to work out a lot, put a lot of time in the gym. Hopefully I continue to grow as a player and be even better this year.”
Evan Turner‘s decision to sign with the Trail Blazers has created an opportunity for Marcus Smart, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. The third-year guard made it into 61 games last season, mostly as a reserve, but Stevens believes he has earned a shot at more playing time. “I think his greatest strength will always be that he’s a guy that makes winning plays that sometimes aren’t quantified,” the coach said, “whether that’s guarding a [Paul] Millsap for eight minutes, or guarding [Kristaps] Porzingis for six minutes, or guarding the point guard for the next four. He’s just a guy that will do anything you ask to help this team win.”

Celtics Notes: Iverson, Zeller, Olynyk

August 25th, 2016 at 9:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have renounced their rights to center Colton Iverson, their 2013 second-round draft pick, a source told ESPN.com’s Chris Forsberg. The 27-year-old Iverson played for the Celtics’ summer-league team but had virtually no chance of making the roster this season with 19 players under contract, including 16 with guaranteed deals, Forsberg continues. By renouncing his rights, the Celtics are giving the 7-footer a chance to receive a training camp invite with another team that doesn’t have a frontcourt logjam and an overabundance of contracts, Forsberg adds. Iverson, who has played in Turkey and Spain the past three seasons, was the No. 53 overall selection in 2013 after the Celtics bought the pick from the Pacers.

In other news regarding the Celtics:

Center Tyler Zeller re-signed with the club for two years and $16MM this summer but his role is undefined, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com examines. Zeller’s ability to run the floor makes him a candidate to start at some point during the season but he’s not enough of an offensive threat to remain in the lineup, Blakely speculates. His playing time will fluctuate and there may be games where he doesn’t play at all, Blakely adds.
Big man Kelly Olynyk believes the club will miss swingman Evan Turner in a number of ways this season, Forsberg reports in a separate story. Turner, who signed a four-year contract with the Trail Blazers as a free agent this summer, was not only a rotation player but a strong influence in the locker room, according to Olynyk. “He’s somebody who really helps guys out. I think that his voice, that’s something that people respect,” Olynyk told Forsberg. “He just keeps it real, keeps it 100 (percent) every time you talk to him. You know what you’re getting from him.” The link to the interview can be found here.

Celtics Notes: Green, Iverson, Zeller, Thornton

July 30th, 2016 at 1:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics’ disappointment in James Young made the signing of Gerald Green necessary, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. In examining Boston’s offseason moves, Blakely sees Green as an “X-factor” who may not play a lot but could be the difference in four or five games next season. The veteran forward signed a one-year minimum deal with the Celtics last week. Blakely adds that team officials are impressed by the aggressiveness that No. 3 pick Jaylen Brown showed during summer league, where he averaged 10.2 free throws per game, and that second-rounders Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil are expected to spend most of 2016/17 in the D-League.

There’s more news out of Boston:

The Celtics haven’t discussed a contract for next season with Colton Iverson, tweets Jared Weiss of CLNS Radio in Boston. The rights to Iverson, who spent last season in Turkey, have belonged to Boston since a 2013 draft-night deal with Indiana. The seven-foot center reportedly believes he’s ready to try the NBA.
Tyler Zeller‘s new contract includes $8MM guaranteed for next season and a non-guaranteed $8MM for 2017/18, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Making the second year non-guaranteed rather than a team option gives the Celtics more flexibility if they decide to trade Zeller (Twitter link).
Marcus Thornton, a second-round pick by the Celtics in 2015, will play in Italy next season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 6’4″ guard played in Australia in 2015/16 and spent 12 games at the end of the season with Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine.

Celtics Sign Tyler Zeller To Two-Year Deal

July 27th, 2016 at 6:09pm CST by Will Joseph

JULY 27th, 6:09pm: The signing is official, Boston announced via press release.

JULY 23rd, 10:15am: The Celtics will re-sign restricted free agent Tyler Zeller to a two-year deal, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reports (on Twitter). The deal is worth $8MM per year and there is a team option for the second year, Bulpett adds. The Celtics also signed second round pick Demetrius Jackson and have agreed on a partially guaranteed deal with second round pick Ben Bentil, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

R.J. Hunter, James Young, John Holland and Bentil are in position to fight for the final roster spot, Himmelsbach tweets. It remains to be seen just how much more creative Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is going to be after he said he was looking to add another significant piece to a group that features newcomer Al Horford. If there were to be another move for Boston, it would likely come in the form of a large trade, according to recent reports. The Celtics also plan to sign unrestricted free agent Gerald Green.

Zeller spoke fondly of the Celtics after the season and was open to a return. It would not have been surprising, however, if he had signed elsewhere with the hopes of having a larger role than the one he had last season with Boston. Zeller averaged 6.1 points and 3.0 rebounds last season. He did not play in three of the six playoff games.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Lin, Embiid

July 23rd, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics have put major trade talks on hold after today’s flurry of signings, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. So far, the quest to obtain Russell Westbrook or Blake Griffin has made little progress, with the Thunder and Clippers wanting more than Boston is willing to surrender. Instead, the Celtics wrapped up a few smaller moves today, agreeing to terms with free agent swingman Gerald Green and center Tyler Zeller, in addition to deals with second-round picks Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil. The Celtics now have 18 players under contract, three over the roster limit. Bulpett expects Bentil to battle in training camp with R.J. Hunter, James Young and John Holland for the last roster spot, with Hunter as the early favorite. That would mean the end in Boston for Young, a 2014 first-round pick whose $1,825,200 salary might be included in any Celtics trade.

There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:

A source confirms, “There is no big deal right now” for the Celtics, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.
New Nets point guard Jeremy Lin moved around the league so much because he has yet to find the “perfect” situation, relays Steve Serby of The New York Post. Lin recently signed a three-year deal with Brooklyn, which will be the sixth franchise for the six-year veteran. “And because I’ve been in situations I didn’t want to be in,” Lin explained, “I’ve created and negotiated in terms of free agency a lot of shorter deals that give me the flexibility to leave if I’m not happy with the way things are going.” In a wide-ranging interview, Lin expresses excitement about the future of the Nets and the chance to once again play for new head coach Kenny Atkinson, who tutored Lin when he was an assistant with the Knicks.
Defeating Justin Bieber in an arm-wrestling match may not prove that the Sixers‘ Joel Embiid is ready for the NBA, but that was just part of an active weekend in Los Angeles, writes Rob Tornoe of The Philadelphia Inquirer. More significant was a video of Embiid working out on the court that was posted online this morning by his trainer, Drew Hanlen. Embiid, who sat out his first two NBA seasons with injuries, was cleared for five-on-five play last month.