Spurs Waive Rasual Butler
The Spurs are have waived Rasual Butler in a move that accomodates their deal with Kevin Martin, as league sources told Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), shortly before the team officially announced Butler’s waiver, via press release. San Antonio was carrying 15 players, so it had to offload someone to sign Martin. Butler has a minimum-salary contract that bears a cap hit of $947,276, but it costs San Antonio $1,420,914 in additional projected tax penalties.
That’ll stick on San Antonio’s books if he clears waivers, though an outside chance exists that the Blazers would have interest in claiming him to reach the salary floor. It would be cheaper for Portland to grab Butler than it would be for them to claim Gary Neal, who’s also reportedly hitting waivers. However, neither Neal nor Butler is eligible to take part in the postseason for any new team they might join this season, since March 1st was the last day for players to hit waivers and retain playoff-eligibility.
Butler, 36, played 9.4 minutes per game in 46 appearances for the Spurs this season despite having signed only a non-guaranteed deal in the offseason. It’s the third year in a row that Butler made a regular season roster with a team he joined on a non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary. He scored a season-high 12 points in 26 minutes against the Suns on February 21st, though his average of 2.7 points per game ties a career low, and he shot just 30.6% from 3-point territory, well beneath his career 36.2% mark. The Spurs agonized over whether to drop Butler or Matt Bonner, as Charania writes in his full story.
Nets Hire Trajan Langdon As Assistant GM
The Nets have named Cavs front office executive Trajan Langdon as their assistant GM, Brooklyn announced via press release. The 39-year-old Langdon had just joined Cleveland as director of player administration and basketball operations this past September. He’ll rejoin new Nets GM Sean Marks, his former colleague in the Spurs front office, where Langdon worked as a pro scout from 2012 to 2015. Marks indicated via Brooklyn’s statement that the Cavs green-lighted the in-season move.
“We are very pleased to welcome Trajan and his family to the Brooklyn Nets,” Marks said in the statement. “Trajan is someone I worked with closely at the Spurs, and he brings a unique combination of NBA and European experience to the position. Trajan’s recent front office post with Cleveland added to his professional resume, and I want to thank the Cavs for their cooperation in this effort. The Nets look forward to Trajan’s contributions.”
Langdon is most well-known for his time playing at Duke, the alma mater of former Nets GM Billy King. The native of Alaska has further connections with Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, board member Sergey Kushchenko and rumored coaching candidate Ettore Messina, all of whom were affiliated with Russia’s CSKA Moscow when Langdon had a successful run as a player for that team, NetsDaily notes (on Twitter).
The Cavaliers drafted Langdon 11th overall in 1999, though he spent three only seasons as an NBA player, all of them with Cleveland. He was with the Clippers for training camp in 2004 but didn’t appear in the regular season for them.
Frank Zanin already holds the title of assistant GM for the Nets, who previously carried two assistant GMs when they employed Zanin and Bobby Marks, with whom the team parted ways last spring. It’s unclear what the hiring of Langdon means for the future of Zanin, who ran the front office while the team searched for King’s replacement.
And-Ones: Anthony, Marks, Lucas, Tavares
Five years later, no clear-cut winner exists in the blockbuster trade that sent Carmelo Anthony from the Nuggets to the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The teams have combined to win just one playoff series since the 12-player deal, Bondy notes, when New York defeated the Celtics in 2013. The Knicks got the superstar they wanted, but Denver wound up with two young but frequently injured players in Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. The Sixers benefited, as the Knicks’ first-rounder was sent to Denver, which later traded it to the Magic, which dealt it to Philadelphia, which ended up with the rights to Dario Saric.
There’s more from around the basketball world:
- Sean Marks, whom the Nets hired as GM last month, said he has tried to learn something important during every stop in his NBA career, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. As a player, Marks spent two seasons under current Heat president Pat Riley from 2001 to 2003. “The vision of it’s not about me,” Marks said. “Pat Riley’s, ‘The disease of me,’ I’ve obviously taken that from him.”
- John Lucas III, who played briefly with the Pistons last season, has been waived by the Pacers affiliate in the D-League, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor. The move took place because he has plans to sign with an overseas team, Reichert hears.
- The Hawks sent center Edy Tavares to the Austin Spurs in the D-League, the team announced today. Tavares has appeared in 12 games with Austin this season, but also two with Canton and two with Bakersfield because the Hawks don’t have a direct affiliate. He is averaging 9.6 points and 9.1 rebounds in D-League play.
- The Clippers have assigned guard C.J. Wilcox to the Cavs affiliate in the D-League. The Clippers also don’t have a direct affiliate, so Wilcox has played for Canton and Bakersfield in two prior D-League stints this season. His D-League averages are 17.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 15 games.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 3/5/16
The NBA’s oldest team picked up more veteran help this week as the Spurs signed point guard Andre Miller and reached a contract agreement with shooting guard Kevin Martin. Both players came off waivers from Minnesota after agreeing to contract buyouts as the Timberwolves turned their eyes toward the future.
They both were experiencing reduced roles before parting ways with the Wolves. Miller averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 assists in just 26 games this season. Martin, who averaged 20 points per game last year, was down to 10.6 as the Wolves cut his playing time by 12 minutes a night.
But the Spurs won’t be looking for much more than spot duty from either player, along with the specialized skills and playoff experience they bring to San Antonio. Miller’s reliable passing and reputation as a floor general, combined with Martin’s shooting touch and ability to spread the floor, can make them valuable in a playoff series.
Turning to veterans is certainly nothing new in San Antonio. The Spurs now have the league’s two oldest players on their roster in Miller and Tim Duncan, who are both 39. In addition, they have Manu Ginobili at 38, Rasual Butler at 36 and Matt Bonner and David West, both at 35. Butler or Bonner may wind up getting waived to open a roster spot for Martin, who is a relative child at 33. The average age of the Spurs’ roster is 31.8, according to RealGM, making them the only team in the league above 30.
The Spurs, of course, were doing just fine without Miller and Martin. They are 52-9 entering tonight’s game and a perfect 29-0 at home. They are firmly entrenched in the second spot in the Western Conference, three and a half games behind the record-setting Warriors. They also have a playoff-tested roster and coaching staff that make them an extremely difficult postseason matchup.
That brings me to tonight’s topic: How much will Miller and Martin help the Spurs over the rest of the season and the playoffs? Do they make San Antonio’s bench even deeper and more dangerous? Will they adjust quickly to the Spurs’ unselfish offense and rapid ball movement? Or is San Antonio in danger of having too many old guys and not being able to keep up with a younger team in a seven-game series?
Please share your thoughts and opinions on the topic in the comments section. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Central Notes: Middleton, Lue, Carter-Williams
The Bucks turned down a proposed trade deadline swap with the Timberwolves that would have sent Khris Middleton to Minnesota and brought point guard Ricky Rubio to Milwaukee, a deal the team was wise to nix, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com opines. The scribe cites Middleton’s versatility, solid production and reasonable contract as reason why the Bucks were smart to hold onto the swingman. The Wolves even offered to sweeten the deal with the inclusion of a protected 2016 first-round pick, but the Bucks, who never seriously entertained trading Middleton, declined that offer as well, Lowe notes. The Bucks did submit a counterproposal to the Wolves, offering Michael Carter-Williams in exchange for Rubio, a swap that Minnesota quickly shot down, Lowe adds.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Cavaliers have gone 12-6 thus far under Tyronn Lue and despite a few bumps along the way, LeBron James is pleased with the job the new coach has done since replacing the fired David Blatt, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. “I think he’s done a great job,” James said of Lue. “He’s even-keel as well. He just wants us to get better every single day and not waste an opportunity. Continue to focus on what needs to be done, the job at hand, and if we do that we’re going to give ourselves a great chance to win. He gets on us when we’re not doing our job and when we’re not doing it to the capabilities that we’re capable of doing it at, so that’s when he’s on us. And he stays on us.”
- Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy openly expressed his appreciation of the Spurs and how that franchise is able to maintain a championship-caliber roster while not running afoul of the salary cap, David Mayo of MLive.com relays. “There’s no question when you don’t have to pay guys market value it’s pretty easy to build depth,” Van Gundy said. “The salary cap is hard on most of us trying to build depth. But with them, when they’ve got Tim Duncan playing below market value, Tony Parker playing below market value, Manu Ginobili playing below market value, David West playing below market value, when those guys all give up money, well, then it’s easy to add other people and allow you to go out and do what you need to do to build depth. They’ve done a great job of that.“
Western Notes: Durant, Grizzlies, Spurs, Rockets
The Thunder absorbed a pair of discouraging losses to the Clippers and Warriors this week, but while their chances of title contention don’t look as strong as they did a few days ago, Kevin Durant is OK with that, as Royce Young of ESPN.com chronicles (on Twitter). Durant’s comments are particularly resonant against the backdrop of his free agency this summer, observes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link), especially in light of the report that the former MVP regards the Warriors as his top choice outside the Thunder.
“This is an exciting time for me,” Durant said. “I’m happy that we’re going through this because like I said it’s easy to be … we don’t want to be front-runners. That’s not who we are. That’s not who I am. And I’m not going to let the team be that way. When you’re losing, that’s when you really got to show your character and show who you are. We’re going to keep our heads up, all our guys are going to stay positive and keep working and learn from it.”
No team is as much of a front-runner as Golden State is, of course. See more from the Western Conference:
- Injuries have forced the Grizzlies to place a greater emphasis on younger players, from trade acquisitions Lance Stephenson and P.J. Hairston to incumbent reserves like JaMychal Green and Jarell Martin, as The Commercial Appeal’s Ronald Tillery examines.
- Suns interim coach Earl Watson was a major influence on San Antonio’s decision to sign Jonathon Simmons, stemming from his time as Simmons’ coach on the Spurs D-League affiliate last season, notes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News amid a larger look at the unlikely path the shooting guard took to the NBA.
- The Rockets assigned Montrezl Harrell and K.J. McDaniels to the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). They join Sam Dekker, who’s already on assignment from Houston.
Atlantic Notes: ‘Melo, Bargnani, Marks, Colangelo
A market for Carmelo Anthony would exist if the Knicks decide to trade him and he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause, but the Knicks shouldn’t expect to end up with a return that resembles what they gave up to trade for him five years ago, multiple NBA team executives tell Fred Kerber of the New York Post. An exec from an Eastern Conference team suggested New York could get an established player and a pick for ‘Melo, though he raised questions about his health, trade kicker and relative appeal compared to other stars, Kerber relays. That same exec also told Kerber that he doubts Anthony would waive his no-trade clause to go to relatively unappealing teams that the Knicks might view as desirable trade partners. Two of the executives with whom Kerber spoke said the Knicks shouldn’t have re-signed him in 2014 and instead would have been wise to have done a sign-and-trade at the time. See more from the Atlantic Division:
- Andrea Bargnani continues to draw offers from overseas, and Olimpia Milano team president Livio Proli claims that he wants to play in Europe, as Proli said to the Italian outlet Tuttosport, according to Eurohoops.net. The Italian team wants Bargnani for next season, while Turkey’s Galatasaray has made him an offer for the rest of this season, coach Ergin Ataman said, as Eurohoops.net also relays. The former No. 1 pick bought his way off the Nets last month.
- New Nets GM Sean Marks took an unconventional path to his job, but he’s leaning on what he learned from familiar front office stalwarts Pat Riley and Spurs bosses Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post details.
- Bryan Colangelo confirmed to Dave McCarthy of Vice Sports Canada that he was a finalist for the Nets GM vacancy that went to Marks and talked about Bargnani and other players from his tenure as Raptors GM. Colangelo’s name has been linked in speculation to Sixers, where father and chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo is considering a front office addition.
Texas Notes: Miller, Ginobili, Parsons, Lawson
Spurs coach/president Gregg Popovich had no shortage of praise for new addition Andre Miller, who signed Monday with San Antonio following his buyout from the Timberwolves, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News relays. Miller is just as glad to be with the Spurs as Popovich is to have him, McDonald notes.
“He’s one of those players you look at and say, ‘Boy, I could figure out how to fit him in,’” Popovich said. “He has been such a great player for several teams, and he does the same thing (everywhere). He’s just a pro, the consummate pro.”
See more on the Spurs amid news from the Texas triangle:
- Manu Ginobili is progressing much more quickly in his recovery from a testicular injury than the Spurs thought he would, Popovich said Tuesday, as Express-News scribe Melissa Rohlin chronicles. The Spurs expected Ginobili would miss at least a month when they announced that he underwent surgery February 4th, but Tony Parker hinted Tuesday that Ginobili could return next week. It’s unclear what that means for the team’s reported pursuit of fellow wing player Kevin Martin.
- Chandler Parsons thinks he’s playing the best basketball of his career, and it’s clear that he’s moved past the early-season struggles he went through as he recovered from a knee injury that prematurely ended his playoff run last spring, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News examines. Parsons is set to turn down his player option this summer and entertain an aggressive pitch from the Magic, as well as interest from the Rockets, Heat, Lakers, Nets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Nuggets and possibly Thunder, but the Mavs remain the favorites for him, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reported Tuesday.
- Ty Lawson‘s failure to produce for the Rockets was a product of lost confidence, people around the team told Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Houston waived Lawson in a buyout deal Tuesday.
Wolves Waive Kevin Martin In Buyout Deal
11:28pm: The Wolves have waived Martin, the team announced (Twitter link). Presumably, the official transaction took place before the 11pm Central time deadline, as previous reports indicated it would.
11:11pm: Some pessimism exists about the Mavs’ chances at Martin once he clears waivers, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
10:38pm: The Timberwolves and shooting guard Kevin Martin have come to an agreement on a buyout deal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The move comes prior to the 11pm Central time deadline, so Martin will be eligible for the playoffs with any postseason-bound team he might sign with before the end of the regular season. It’s not immediately clear just how much salary the shooting guard gave up to secure his release. Martin is scheduled to earn $7.085MM this season with a $7,377,500 player option for next year. The move will give Minnesota a roster count of 13 players, two under the league maximum.
Martin was available for a trade prior to the February trade deadline, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press first reported, but potential suitors were apparently reluctant to take him on without knowing what he’d do about his player option for 2016/17. GM Milt Newton said after the deadline passed without a Martin trade that a buyout discussion would probably take place between Martin and the team in the near future, and that’s apparently come to fruition.
The veteran scorer shouldn’t be out of work for long with a number of teams reportedly showing interest. The Mavericks, Cavaliers, Hawks, Heat, Rockets and Thunder are all potential suitors for the shooting guard, though the Spurs are reportedly the favorites to sign him, as Stein reported last week. The Spurs remain in front, with the Mavs, Rockets and Hawks in pursuit, according to Stein’s latest dispatch (Twitter link). San Antonio currently has the league maximum of 15 players on its roster, so a corresponding move would be required if the team inks Martin.
The 33-year-old has appeared in 39 games for Minnesota this season, including 12 starts. Martin is averaging 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.4 minutes of action per appearance. His career numbers through 698 games are 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists to go with a shooting line of .438/.385/.870.
Western Notes: Green, Miller, Dekker
Warriors combo forward Draymond Green issued a public apology for his halftime outburst on Saturday when things between he and coach Steve Kerr became heated, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com relays. “I made a mistake,” Green said. “I admitted my mistakes to my teammates and my coaching staff. I apologized to my teammates, my coaching staff [and] this organization. That wasn’t the right way to handle what needed to be handled. As a leader of this team, I can’t do that. Because it sets a bad precedent for how everything is run around here, how everything should be run, how everything has been ran and how everything will be ran going forward. It won’t happen again. It’s something where my emotions kind of got ahead of me and I let my emotions get the best of me. However, I will never quit on my teammates, as some have reported. I will never quit on my coaching staff. I will never quit on this organization.”
Here’s more from out West:
- The Rockets, who reportedly reached a buyout arrangement today with point guard Ty Lawson, will likely use the available roster slot and cap space created to sign another guard, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports relays.
- Andre Miller‘s buyout deal with the Timberwolves saw the team shave $256,333 off what had been an $947,276 obligation to the 39-year-old point guard, leaving Minnesota with a cap hit of just $690,943, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). He’ll see $396,844 on his new minimum salary contract with the Spurs that covers the rest of the season, Pincus also shows. It represents a $250,750 cap hit to San Antonio.
- The Rockets have assigned combo forward Sam Dekker to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Dekker’s third jaunt to Rio Grande Valley on the season.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.