Uncategorized Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Lakers, Shaw, Brown

May 19th, 2016 at 10:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers were able to keep their 2016 first-rounder when they landed the No.2 overall pick in Tuesday’s lottery. The team still owes Philadelphia and Orlando a first round pick each and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders breaks down the possible pick exchanges in a series of tweets. Los Angeles sends its 2017 first-rounder to Philly if it falls outside the top-3. If the Sixers get the 2017 pick, then the Magic receive the Lakers’ unprotected 2019 selection. If it doesn’t convey in 2017, then the Lakers send their 2018 unprotected pick to Philly and they wouldn’t owe Orlando a first-rounder at all. Instead, the Magic would receive a 2017 second-rounder and a 2018 second-rounder. Los Angeles is in this predicament because of its 2012 trade for Dwight Howard and its 2012 trade for Steve Nash.

Here are some notes on the upcoming draft:

The Lakers have offered Brian Shaw a spot on their coaching staff, but the former Nuggets coach is still weighing his options, reports Bill Oram of The Los Angeles Daily News.
Jaylen Brown, who’s a projected top-10 pick, won’t sign an agent. Instead, he will use the NBPA to advise him on his rookie deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets.
Memphis’ Dedric Lawson has withdrawn from the draft, as his father tells Gary Parrish of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
Abdul-Malik Abu will withdraw from the draft and return to NC State, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Jalen Moore will withdraw from the draft and return to Utah State, Goodman tweets.
The Bucks have worked out Tim Quarterman, Anthony Barber, Melo Trimble, Ron Baker, Anthony Gill and Devin Williams, per the team’s website.

And-Ones: Dunn, Sanders, Calipari, Blatt

May 18th, 2016 at 5:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Representatives for Providence’s Kris Dunn don’t want him to go to a team with a young point guard already in place and may refuse to release his medical records to the Celtics and Suns, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Speaking on a draft lottery special, Wojnarowski said Dunn’s agents did not submit him for a physical at last week’s draft combine, which would have made his records accessible to everyone. Dunn has undergone two surgical procedures on his right shoulder, and teams may be reluctant to draft him if they are unsure of his current physical status. Dunn has been projected as a possible No. 3 pick, but his camp apparently doesn’t want him to compete for playing time with Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart in Boston or Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight in Phoenix. The Celtics own the third selection in next month’s draft, while the Suns pick fourth.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

Rutgers freshman point guard Corey Sanders will withdraw from the draft and return to school, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. There’s little chance that Sanders would have been drafted, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him ranked 73rd among NCAA freshmen and ESPN’s Chad Ford doesn’t have him listed among his top 100 prospects.
Kentucky coach John Calipari, whose name has been floated for several NBA openings, plans to stay with the Wildcats for the rest of his career, he said in a message on his website. Calipari was considered a candidate for the Nets job after they fired Lionel Hollins in January, and the Kings reportedly spoke to him about taking over for George Karl last summer.
Spanish power FC Barcelona is interested in former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, according to El Mundo Deportivo (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Blatt recently talked with the Rockets, Kings, Knicks and Lakers about their coaching jobs.
Twenty-four teams will compete in the Las Vegas Summer League July 8th-18th, the NBA announced today in a press release. The Spurs, coached by Becky Hammon, are the defending champions.

Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Anderson, Terry

May 18th, 2016 at 4:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies spoke with at least two candidates today as their search for a new coach heats up. Heat assistant David Fizdale came to Memphis for an interview, tweets Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com., as did Portland assistant Nate Tibbetts, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Both had been previously named as candidates for the job.

Spurs assistant James Borrego impressed Grizzlies officials during his interview earlier this week, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis has also held interviews with Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, Hornets assistant Patrick Ewing and recently fired Pacers coach Frank Vogel (Twitter link). The Grizzlies have significant interest in Vogel, according to ESPN, but so does Orlando (Twitter link).

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

Pelicans free agent Ryan Anderson says he was nearly traded to Cleveland at the deadline, relays Brett Dawson of The Advocate. Appearing on “The Vertical Podcast,” Anderson contends the Cavaliers were trying to work out a deal for him before they picked up Channing Frye from Orlando. “There was a very last-minute phone call that I could have gone to Cleveland,” Anderson said. “I would be playing for the Cavs right now.” Anderson said he didn’t ask the Pelicans to trade him because he wants to have the option in free agency of staying in New Orleans. Anderson’s last experience as a free agent came in 2012 when he was restricted and Orlando swung a deal to send him to the Pelicans. This time, he likes the feeling of being in complete control. “I want to enjoy this process and see where New Orleans is at this summer,” Anderson said. “I want to see where, I don’t know, Houston is at or Sacramento or Washington.”
The Spurs could be interested in power forward Thomas Robinson if he opts out of his deal with the Nets, according to Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. Robinson would give up a little more than $980K by opting out, but he stands to make much more on the open market with the expected jump in the salary cap. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has talked about the need to rebuild the bench with younger players, and the 25-year-old Robinson, a former teammate of LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland, could be a possibility.
Rockets point guard Jason Terry thinks Dwight Howard would be a “great fit” with the Mavericks, but only if he adapts to coach Rick Carlisle, according to The Dallas Morning News. “Whatever [Howard’s] role is, he would have to be the one to buy in first, and then you go from there,” Terry said on ESPN Radio’s Cowlishaw and Mosley show. “But he and Dirk [Nowitzki] together? That’s a powerful combination.” The 38-year-old Terry adds that he hopes to play one more season before retiring.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Vogel, Brooks, Olynyk

May 15th, 2016 at 8:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Several Heat players had their minds on the future after today’s Game 7 loss at Toronto. The overall feeling is that most players want to return next season and they hope free agent center Hassan Whiteside is with them, tweets Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. One exception could be Amar’e Stoudemire, who was unhappy with his playing time after signing a one-year deal with Miami as a free agent last summer (Twitter link). However, Stoudemire also felt the Heat had “great chemistry” and said, “I enjoyed the guys and I had the best time of my life with my teammates this season.” (Twitter link). Veteran Udonis Haslem, who has been with Miami for his entire 13-year career, understands he may have to find a new team to stay in the league next season. “There’s a business side to everything, so you never know,” Haslem said (Twitter link). Joe Johnson, who will be a free agent after joining the Heat in late February, said it’s too early to think about his next move (Twitter link). Chris Bosh, Goran Dragic, Justise Winslow and Josh McRoberts are the only Miami players with guaranteed deals for next season.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Knicks are hoping to hire a coach in the next week or so, writes Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal. Frank Vogel, who met with team president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills Wednesday in Los Angeles, is apparently a finalist for the job, along with David Blatt and interim coach Kurt Rambis. Vogel reportedly spent much of his interview making the case that the understands the triangle and would incorporate it into his offense.
The Bucks will interview Utah executive Justin Zanik and former Charlotte GM Rod Higgins for an open front office position, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Milwaukee is looking for someone to work with GM John Hammond (Twitter link).
New Wizards coach Scott Brooks traveled to Orlando this week for a meeting with Marcin Gortat, according to Keely Diven of CSNMidAtlantic. Brooks is hoping to establish a better relationship with his starting center than former coach Randy Wittman, who feuded publicly with Gortat.
Kelly Olynyk will have to undergo surgery soon on his injured right shoulder in order to be ready for the start of next season, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. Olynyk has been hoping he can help the Canadian national team qualify for the Summer Olympics, but with a five-month projected recovery time, he is already likely to miss at least some of the Celtics‘ training camp.

And-Ones: Spurs, Celtics, Sixers, Pistons, Nuggets

May 13th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili aren’t certain whether they’ll retire, as Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com details, but they’re not the only Spurs liable to hang it up in the wake of the team’s playoff elimination Thursday night. Andre Miller has strongly considered retirement, though he, too, hasn’t made up his mind yet, as he told Marc Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). San Antonio’s contract with the 40-year-old Miller expires at the end of next month while Duncan, also 40, and Ginobili, who turns 39 in July, have player options. David West also has a player option, and though he turns 36 over the offseason, the talk surrounding him isn’t of retirement but of the lack of regrets he has about sacrificing roughly $11MM to sign his two-year minimum-salary contract with San Antonio last summer, as Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio News-Express relays (Twitter links).

“It’s been a great experience,” West said of his season with the Spurs. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

See more from around the NBA:

The Celtics, Sixers, Pistons, Nuggets, Pacers and Trail Blazers all benefited this season from set-off rights, reducing their obligations to waived players who had guaranteed salary remaining on their contracts, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details. Boston saved $620,306 from the money it owed David Lee because he signed a deal with the Mavs that paid more than $845,059, a figure equivalent to the one-year veteran’s minimum salary, Pincus writes. The Sixers saved $227,241 on JaVale McGee the same way. The Nuggets were spared $68,144 on Pablo Prigioni, the Pacers avoided paying $159,900 to Toney Douglas and the Trail Blazers shaved $327,064 from their bill for Mike Miller, according to Pincus. The Pistons saved $341,353 on Josh Smith, though that figure will be spread evenly over each season of the five-year obligation Detroit still has to him because the team used the stretch provision.
The Pistons also got cap relief for Aaron Gray, whom they owe $452,049 each season from 2015/16 through 2017/18, Pincus points out. Gray had to retire because of a heart condition, but a team can remove the cap hit for a player who had to retire because of a medical reason one year after his final game. Gray last played in 2014. Detroit still must pay the money to Gray, but it doesn’t count against the team’s cap, Pincus notes.
Agent Jason Glushon and the Wasserman agency mutually agreed to part ways, and Glushon will start his own agency, a source told Spears (Twitter link). Glushon has a short list of clients, with none more prominent than Hawks soon-to-be free agent Al Horford, who left Wasserman, Glushon and B.J. Armstrong to sign with Bill Duffy of BDA Sports last fall only to rejoin Wasserman a couple of months later. Jrue Holiday and Norman Powell are other Glushon clients.

Eastern Notes: Bazemore, Pistons, Whiteside, Lin

April 24th, 2016 at 1:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks‘ Kent Bazemore stands to significantly increase his $2MM salary as he heads toward free agency, but he tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he has been too busy to think about it. “Honestly, I haven’t had time,” Bazemore said. “It’s been a very aggressive year as far as scheduling, as far as the physical and mental load. I think in December, I had already played 300 more minutes than I had the whole last year. So physically, it was a lot.” Bazemore probably attracted a lot of suitors by averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in his first full year as a starter with the Hawks. He was the team’s fourth-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder. Although he can expect to get plenty of offers this summer, Bazemore’s first choice is to remain in Atlanta. “Being able to be out there and play through your mistakes and have a coach [Mike Budenholzer] who takes it personal to coach you,” Bazemore said. “He loves my competitiveness and I love how competitive he is. It’s a match made in heaven.”

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Cleveland’s 3-0 lead over the Pistons in their playoff series has helped expose some of the changes that need to be made this offseason, according to David Mayo of MLive. The team could use another player who can create off the dribble, Mayo writes, along with more shooters and a reliable backup point guard. The Pistons will also look at what Tobias Harris has brought to the team since he was acquired in February and see how to compensate for the weaknesses in Andre Drummond‘s game.
The Heat were hurt by not having the taxpayer’s mid-level exception available last season, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Miami had to use its room mid-level, which limits contracts to two years, to sign free agent center Hassan Whiteside. He emerged into a player who may demand a max contract this summer, and the Heat don’t own his Bird rights because he only had a two-year deal.
The hiring of coach Kenny Atkinson, who was Jeremy Lin‘s mentor with the Knicks, could give the Hornets point guard a reason to come to Brooklyn, according to NetsDaily. The Nets need backcourt help and may be interested in Lin, who passed on a $3.5MM mini-mid level offer from Brooklyn last season.

Duke SG Grayson Allen Declines To Enter Draft

April 6th, 2016 at 10:52am CST by Chuck Myron

Duke sophomore shooting guard Grayson Allen has decided against entering this year’s draft, the school announced. The leading scorer for the Blue Devils was a fringe first-round prospect, ranking 30th in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider listings and 34th with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

The 20-year-old broke out in a major way this season, averaging 21.6 points in 36.6 minutes per game after seeing single digits in both categories last year on a richly talented Duke squad that won the national championship. Still, Allen made his presence felt with 16 points in the 2015 title game. This year’s Blue Devils fell in the third round of this year’s NCAA Tournament despite the presence of Allen and Brandon Ingram, a strong candidate for the No. 1 overall selection. Allen’s size is an issue for NBA scouts, according to Ford, who lists him at 6’5″. Givony pegs him as only 6’4″. Allen led the Blue Devils with 3.5 assists per game this season and can play the point, according to Ford, so that could ultimately ease size concerns.

It’s somewhat surprising to see Allen decide against the draft, particularly given the ability prospects have this year to take part in workouts for NBA teams, as well as the combine, while still retaining their college eligibility if they refrain from hiring an agent and withdraw by May 25th. Allen could have shown NBA teams what he can do at the point, though he figures to have an opportunity to do the same with next season’s Blue Devils, who are positioned as the favorites for the 2017 title with another strong recruiting class coming in.

Most Frequently Traded Draft-And-Stash Players

January 26th, 2016 at 11:04am CST by Chuck Myron

The trade that sent Josh Smith from the Clippers to the Rockets on Friday didn’t include anyone else currently in the NBA, but it did involve two draft-and-stash players. Maarty Leunen went from the Rockets to the Clippers, while Sergei Lishouk went from the Clippers to the Rockets in the deal, which marked the third time Houston has traded for Lishouk’s rights. It’s six trades overall for the 49th overall pick from the 2004 draft, and still zero NBA games played, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle pointed out (Twitter links). The Ukrainian native has played internationally all the while, as he continues to toil for Murcia of Spain.

Georgios Printezis is the only other draft-and-stash player whose rights currently belong to an NBA team who has been traded more often than Lishouk has, but plenty of others have been dealt more than once. More than a dozen other draft-and-stash players have seen their NBA rights traded traded multiple times and, by definition, they’ve yet to sign a contract with any NBA team. Edin Bavcic, the 56th overall pick from 2006, comes closest. He’s been traded four times, most recently in the 2014 trade that sent his rights to the Cavaliers in a deal that allowed Cleveland to clear the cap space necessary for the return of LeBron James. So, these players, while obscure, aren’t inconsequential.

Here’s a look at every current draft-and-stash player whose rights have been traded more than once:

SEVEN TRADES

Georgios Printezis (2007, 58th overall)

Spurs to Raptors
Raptors to Mavericks
Mavericks to Knicks
Knicks to Trail Blazers
Trail Blazers to Thunder
Thunder to Hawks
Hawks to Spurs

SIX TRADES

Sergei Lishouk (2004, 49th overall)

Grizzlies to Rockets
Rockets to Lakers
Lakers to Rockets
Rockets to Sixers
Sixers to Clippers
Clippers to Rockets

FOUR TRADES

Edin Bavcic (2006, 56th overall)

Raptors to Sixers
Sixers to Pelicans
Pelicans to Nets
Nets to Cavaliers

THREE TRADES

Cenk Akyol (2005, 59th overall)

Hawks to Clippers
Clippers to Sixers
Sixers to Nuggets

Albert Miralles (2004, 39th overall)

Raptors to Heat
Heat to Celtics
Celtics to Bucks

Emir Preldzic (2009, 57th overall)

Suns to Cavaliers
Cavaliers to Wizards
Wizards to Mavericks

TWO TRADES

Semaj Christon (2014, 55th overall)

Heat to Hornets
Hornets to Thunder

Tadija Dragicevic (2008, 53rd overall)

Jazz to Mavericks
Mavericks to Bulls

Roberto Duenas (1997, 57th overall)

Bulls to Pelicans
Pelicans to Heat

Lior Eliyahu (2006, 44th overall)

Magic to Rockets
Rockets to Timberwolves

Petteri Koponen (2007, 30th overall)

Sixers to Trail Blazers
Trail Blazers to Mavericks

Chukwudiebere Maduabum (2011, 56th overall)

Lakers to Nuggets
Nuggets to Sixers

Milovan Rakovic (2007, 60th overall)

Mavericks to Magic
Magic to Bulls

Sofoklis Schortsanitis (2003, 34th overall)

Clippers to Hawks
Hawks to Thunder

Latavious Williams (2010, 48th overall)

Heat to Thunder
Thunder to Pelicans

RealGM was used in the creation of this post.

Records Of Teams Since Trade Deadline

December 7th, 2015 at 1:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lots of teams make in-season trades with the idea of bettering themselves, yet of the 17 that swung a deal at the February trade deadline last season, only five have a winning record since. That’s a strikingly low number as front offices get set for the unofficial start of in-season trading for 2015/16 on December 15th, the date that most offseason signees become eligible to be traded.

Still, that’s not to say that plenty of movement can’t lead to success. The Celtics made seven in-season trades in 2014/15, and they have the best record since the February deadline among those that made deals that day. The Rockets have struggled this season and trade rumors involving Houston have emerged, but they’re right behind the Celtics in this category.

It’s no surprise to see the Sixers at the bottom of this list, but it’s noteworthy that the Suns and Bucks, who were part of a three-team deadline-day deal with Philadelphia that sent Brandon Knight from Milwaukee to Phoenix, have almost the same poor record since.

Here’s a look at each team that swung a trade at the deadline last year, ranked by winning percentage since then. Details on the trade each team made can be seen by clicking the date. If a team made multiple trades at the deadline, further details are linked within parentheses.

Celtics — 31-20 (.608) February 19th, 2015 (also see other trade made that day)
Rockets — 30-20 (.600) February 19th, 2015 (also see other trade made that day)
Jazz — 28-19 (.596) February 19th, 2015
Thunder — 29-20 (.592) February 19th, 2015 (also see other trade made that day)
Heat — 27-21 (.563) February 19th, 2015
Trail Blazers — 24-26 (.480) February 19th, 2015
Pelicans — 23-26 (.469) February 19th, 2015
Pistons — 23-26 (.469) February 19th, 2015 (also see other trade made that day)
Wizards — 21-25 (.457) February 19th, 2015
Nets — 22-28 (.440) February 19th, 2015
Bucks — 19-31 (.380) February 19th, 2015
Suns — 18-31 (.367) February 19th, 2015 (also see two other trades made that day)
Nuggets — 18-32 (.360) February 19th, 2015 (also see other trade made that day)
Kings — 18-34 (.346) February 19th, 2015
Knicks — 17-33 (.340) February 19th, 2015
Timberwolves — 13-35 (.271) February 19th, 2015
Sixers — 7-43 (.140) February 19th, 2015 (also see two other trades made that day)

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Central Notes: Morris, Noah, Pacers

December 6th, 2015 at 4:15pm CST by Will Joseph

With increased minutes this season, Marcus Morris is making the most of his opportunity with the Pistons after being acquired by Detroit in a summer trade with the Suns, Rod Beard of the Detroit News details. Morris is a focal point of the offense and has been a workhorse, Beard writes. Morris is playing 37 minutes per game this season. In comparison, he saw 25.2 minutes per game last year, which set a career-high for the 26-year-old. Morris has played well lately and is averaging 14.8 points per game. There is a strong chance the trade turns out to be the Pistons’ best move of the offseason, Beard adds.

“Marcus can do a lot of things and I have to create more and more things for him. He’s a [expletive]-good passer too. We’re really fortunate to have him,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. “We thought he was good when we got him and he’s better than I thought he was.”

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

Joakim Noah, a 2016 free agent who is now coming off the bench for the Bulls, has had a string of solid performances for the first time this season, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune writes. “I’m still trying to figure it out,” Noah said. “I just stay positive and keep my focus on what I can control. Overall, I think I’m in a good place and I just have to keep building.”
Pacers rookie shooting guard Joseph Young has played in only seven games so far this season, but the former Oregon star isn’t frustrated about being left out of the rotation, Tyson Alger of The Oregonian relays in a Q&A. “I asked coach, ‘Coach what do I need to do to get in the rotation?’ And coach said, ‘Son, you’ve done everything you need to do to get in the rotation. But right now, we need to play the players we’re paying,'” Young told Alger. “He’s saying that he’s got to get Monta Ellis 30-plus minutes. Rodney Stuckey, you got to get him minutes. They’re paying them and they want to play them. I’m a rookie. I just got to keep working hard and my time is going to come. Just paying my dues.”