Southeast Notes: Beal, Wittman, Bazemore, Zeller
Bradley Beal seems certain to return to the Wizards next season, but coach Randy Wittman’s future is in doubt, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic said on an interview this morning with SiriusXM NBA Radio (h/t Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.com.) Michael said Washington plans to match any offers for Beal, who will be a restricted free agent after failing to reach an extension agreement with the team in November (Twitter link). However, Wittman’s job is in jeopardy unless the 30-31 Wizards make a significant improvement by the end of the season (Twitter link). Michael says Wittman was forced to change his system to the floor-spacing approach that Washington currently uses. (Twitter link). He has a 167-189 record in nearly five full seasons as the team’s head coach.
There’s more news from the Southeast Division:
- Soon-to-be free agent Al Horford established a winning tradition in Atlanta, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Hawks made the playoffs in eight straight seasons after drafting Horford third overall in 2007, and they can stretch that streak to nine with a decent finish. Horford has stayed silent on the topic of free agency, trying to keep it from being a distraction, but Vivlamore notes that Atlanta is in position to make the best offer: five years at about $146MM.
- Horford will be the Hawks‘ free agent priority this summer, but they would like to keep Kent Bazemore as well, according to Danny Leroux of The Sporting News. Both will be unrestricted, and Atlanta would like to avoid losing talented wing players two years in a row. DeMarre Carroll left the Hawks last summer to sign with Toronto. Atlanta has Early Bird rights on Bazemore, meaning it can only exceed the salary cap to keep him if his contract starts at less than about $6MM annually. Any additional salary for next season would have to come out of cap room.
- The Hornets may have benefited from a mid-season knee injury to Al Jefferson, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Jefferson, who is headed toward free agency this summer, has missed a significant part of this season with calf and knee problems, but his absence showed that Cody Zeller could handle the rigors of being a starting center.
Southeast Notes: Beal, Jennings, Johnson
Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal says he has no issues coming off the bench for the team and understands it is a way for coach Randy Wittman to manage his minutes and not a demotion, Spencer Davies of AmicoHoops.net relays. “I mean it’s not like it’s a punishment,” Beal said. “I think guys are taking it as the wrong way as [Wittman] benching me or something like that. It’s just his way of following my minute restriction. It’s the safest way, smartest way for me to be in down the stretch. I don’t look at it as anything other than that.” A minutes restriction was imposed on the pending restricted free agent after doctors discovered what was termed “the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula” in December.
Here’s the latest from the Southeast Division:
- The Heat never asked small forward Joe Johnson to wait until March 8th to sign with the team, as he told Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Waiting until that date, or March 6th at the earliest, would have allowed Miami not to have to rely on Beno Udrih agreeing to a buyout in order to add Johnson in a tax-free scenario, Jackson notes. Miami wanted Johnson available immediately, and Udrih’s agreement to relinquish $90K of his $2,170,465 salary allowed Johnson to be available for five additional contests, the Herald scribe notes.
- Brandon Jennings has struggled to find his game since the Magic acquired him, and coach Scott Skiles concedes it will take time, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “I think he’s still adjusting a little bit to the guys,” Skiles said. “It’s difficult to be traded midseason, anyway. But it’s more difficult if you’re a point guard, I think — [that’s] just my personal opinion — because you’re asked to come in and run a team that you don’t even know. You’re not even familiar with the players that much. We’ll keep putting him out there and try to get him minutes and try to get him to feel a little bit more comfortable.“
- The Hawks have recalled center Edy Tavares from the Suns D-League affiliate, where he had been sent as part of the flexible assignment rule, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. Swingman Lamar Patterson remains on assignment to the Canton Charge, the Cavs affiliate, Vivlamore notes.
Southeast Notes: Morris, Humphries, Fournier
The Wizards are giving Marcin Gortat more minutes down the stretch of late, and he prefers playing with Jared Dudley and Wizards trade acquisition Markieff Morris at power forward instead of Kris Humphries, who went out in the trade for Morris, notes J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic.
“It’s opportunities, being the guy who’s pretty much played the whole fourth quarter. I didn’t have that opportunity in the first 50 games,” Gortat said. “I’m definitely excited about playing more minutes. I think just having Markieff or Jared next to me in the starting lineup it’s a much better fit for me than Kris Humphries. Not picking on him but he just didn’t fit with me well. He’s a totally different player than Keef or Jared. I feel more comfortable playing with them.”
Gortat called Morris “a great teammate” and said the controversy surrounding him in Phoenix was overhyped, quipping that “we’re not giving him towels to throw at people,” a reference to the towel Morris tossed in former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek‘s direction in the midst of a December game, as Michael also relays. See more on the Wizards, and on Humphries, amid news from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards are likely to allow their $2,806,750 disabled player exception expire, Michael hears, writing in a separate story. Washington couldn’t use the majority of it anyway without going over the tax line. The deadline to use it is a week from today.
- Soon-to-be restricted free agent Evan Fournier would like to re-sign with the Magic, observes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. GM Rob Hennigan has refuted the idea that the team isn’t entirely sold on the swingman, and reports indicated the Magic were hesitant to trade him at the deadline. “I really like to play for this team. I’m having my best year so far. There’s no reason for me to leave,” Fournier said.
- The Hawks dipped into their room exception to sign Humphries to his deal for the rest of the season, giving him an even $1MM and not the prorated minimum salary as previously reported, reveals Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). That gave Humphries an even exchange on the buyout market, since he gave up $1MM to secure his release from the Suns, Pincus notes (on Twitter). Atlanta has about $900K left on its room exception in the wake of the Humphries signing.
And-Ones: Durant, Harden, Most Improved, Hawks
Kevin Durant has a shot at the largest contract in league history when his free agency officially arrives this summer, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Durant will have plenty of options to choose from, starting with the Thunder, who would love to keep him and Russell Westbrook together through the prime of their careers. The Warriors are believed to be the front-runners if Durant decides to leave Oklahoma City, and his hometown Wizards will surely be calling, along with the Lakers, who will need a star to replace Kobe Bryant. Or Durant could sign a one-year deal with OKC, maximize his earning power as a 10-year veteran and put off the larger decision until 2017. “Everybody’s going to ask me, so of course I’m going to have to think about it now,” Durant said. “To tell you one thing, it’s great to feel wanted, I guess.”
There’s more news from around the world of basketball:
- James Harden says he feels unfairly targeted for the bad situation in Houston, Washburn writes in the same piece, particularly the rumored rifts with Rockets center Dwight Howard and former coach Kevin McHale. “All the time,” Harden said when asked if he feels he’s being singled out over team disunity, “but I don’t really pay attention to it. I can’t focus on negativity because that drains you. I focus on what I can do, what I can control, and go out there and just compete at a high level.”
- The Blazers‘ C.J. McCollum is almost certain to win this season’s Most Improved Player award, according to Eric Saar of Basketball Insiders. McCollum, who’ll be up for a rookie scale extension this summer, has become a full-time starter and has raised his scoring average from 6.8 points a game last year to 21.1 points this season. Saar’s other candidates for the award are the Warriors‘ Draymond Green, the Celtics‘ Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder and the Raptors‘ Kyle Lowry.
- The Hawks have recalled center Edy Tavares and guard/forward Lamar Patterson from the Austin Spurs of the D-League, the team announced today. Tavares has averaged 10.1 points and 9.6 rebounds in 14 D-League games, while Patterson’s averages are 15.6 points, 5.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds in seven games with Austin.
- Chris Douglas-Roberts, whom the Pelicans cut in training camp, will be rejoining the D-League’s Texas Legends, who are the affiliate of the Mavericks, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Southeast Notes: Beal, Morris, Johnson, Hardaway
The Wizards have been bringing Bradley Beal off the bench so he can be available for fourth quarters without exceeding his minutes restriction, writes J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The shooting guard, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, has only topped 30 minutes in a game once since the All-Star break. Beal’s minutes are based on a sliding scale that takes into account how much he played in prior games. The restriction was imposed after doctors discovered “the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula” in December. “It’s an adjustment still,” Beal said. “It’s kind of difficult knowing sometimes you have to be more aggressive especially when my minutes aren’t as high. … I don’t know what it is. Each night it’s different.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Markieff Morris has adjusted quickly to the Wizards after Phoenix sent him to Washington in a deadline-day trade, writes Keely Diven of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Morris has become an important contributor on both offense and defense, and today registered a plus-22 in a win over the Cavaliers. “I just bring intensity,” he said. “I’m the type of guy, you put me out there and I’ll do anything for the team, whether it’s rebound, play defense, score. I’m just trying to lead by example. And on that second unit, be the guy that you can put on the forward and to stop him, and I think I’m that guy.”
- Joe Johnson decided to sign with the Heat because he was familiar with several of the players, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Johnson cited a connection with Dwyane Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire and others as his reason for picking Miami over Cleveland.
- After a disastrous first half of the season, Tim Hardaway Jr. is starting to show the Hawks what he can do, writes Ray Glier for USA Today. A broken wrist during summer league continued to bother Hardaway as the season started. He was inactive for the opener and barely played during the first half of the season, which included two D-League trips. It wasn’t what Atlanta expected when it traded its first-round pick to New York to acquire him last summer. “We’re happy with the way Tim has responded,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He had an injury that was a little bit understated. … I think he has the athleticism where he can be a good two-way guy. He’s on his way.”
Suns Waive Kris Humphries
4:18pm: The Suns have waived Humphries, the team announced (on Twitter), confirming an earlier tweet from Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
SUNDAY, 11:01am: The Suns are expected to complete a buyout deal with Kris Humphries later today, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. The Hawks are the favorite to sign Humphries after he clears waivers, as Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops first reported Saturday. Because Humphries is being released before Tuesday’s deadline, he will be eligible to participate in the postseason with his new team. “Basketball always comes down to winning and competing, especially now that the season is so long,” Humphries said, according to Coro. “[Joining a playoff team] is always an option.”
Humphries has been in Phoenix for a little more than a week after Washington traded him there in a deadline deal for Markieff Morris. The Suns also received a top-nine protected draft pick and DeJuan Blair, who was waived on Monday. Humphries is making $4.6MM this season and in 2016/17, so it’s possible he could be giving up a substantial amount of money in the buyout.
The parting of ways with Humphries coincides with Phoenix’s desire to give more time to younger players, as Coro examines in a separate story. Interim coach Earl Watson used the team’s 18th different starting lineup of the season Saturday and wants to see more of Alex Len, Archie Goodwin and Devin Booker.
“I think it’s time to put our young guys in position, as many young guys as we can, in a position to be successful,” Watson said. “I think we have to let them be comfortable.”
The Hawks have an open roster spot and are definitely interested in Humphries, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta has been monitoring buyout candidates as it searches for a replacement for center/forward Tiago Splitter, who is out for the rest of the season after undergoing hip surgery this week. Splitter was averaging 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds through 36 games, mostly as a reserve.
Humphries could play a role in costing his former team a playoff spot if he signs with Atlanta, writes Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic. At 27-30, the Wizards are in 10th place and four games behind the Hawks in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The teams will meet three more times this season.
Southeast Notes: Riley, Johnson, Anderson
Heat president Pat Riley acknowledged that injuries that have left the team with only 10 healthy players could prompt the team to change its tax-related stance against making a signing in the next two weeks, observes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Heat can’t sign anyone until March 6th without crossing the tax threshold, and Riley has said his plan is to wait even longer so Miami can fill both of its open roster spots before season’s end.
“We have our limitations financially as far as what we can do and how much and there’s a certain date,” Riley said. “But obviously being down another point guard, we may have to rethink that. But right now, that’s not a priority.”
Miami is reportedly among the contenders for Joe Johnson and would have interest in Kevin Martin if Johnson signs elsewhere. See more from the Southeast Division:
- Johnson would be a cheap addition for the Hawks who would fill a need for scoring and help on the wing, where Kyle Korver and Kent Bazemore have struggled, but he doesn’t seem like a fit within Atlanta’s offense, opines Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who questions whether Johnson would accept a secondary role.
- Alan Anderson surprised himself with his performance Wednesday in his first game with the Wizards after injury knocked him out for most of the season, as J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic relays. Anderson, who signed a one-year, $4MM deal in the summer, led the team in plus/minus at plus 11, Michael notes. “He’s going to be competitive. He’s going to play with a chip on his shoulder, an edge. He’s always one of those physical players out there. He did one heck of a job for his first game back,” John Wall said. “His defensive pressure, intensity, his talking out there, made some big shots for us to get us back into the game. Once he gets his wind [back], he’s going to be great for us. That’s the reason we wanted him on our team.”
- Soon-to-be free agent Hassan Whiteside‘s value depends on the eye of the beholder, as some teams would probably jump at adding him for the eye-popping production he delivers while others wouldn’t tolerate his mistakes, writes Rob Mahoney of SI.com, who details the Heat big man’s strengths and limitations.
Wizards Sign J.J. Hickson
The Wizards have signed J.J. Hickson, the team announced. Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reported that a deal was expected between the sides after Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports wrote that they were engaged in advanced discussions about a prorated minimum-salary contract that would run through the rest of the season. The pact indeed covers the balance of 2015/16, as Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld confirmed in the team’s press release.
“Signing J.J. for the remainder of the season gives us another solid veteran who will bring more depth to our frontcourt,” Grunfeld said. “His experience, athletic ability and physical presence will be solid additions to our team as we continue our playoff push.”
Hickson became a free agent earlier this week after the Nuggets waived him Saturday. Denver and the Jeff Schwartz client were planning to do a buyout deal, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported shortly before Hickson’s release, though it’s unclear how much salary, if any, Hickson forfeited from the $5,613,500 his Nuggets contract called for him to make this season. Assuming he’s getting the minimum as reported, he’ll make $366,337 with the Wizards as a seven-year veteran, though Washington only has to pay $273,038, the equivalent of the prorated two-year veteran’s minimum, with the league picking up the tab for the rest. That’s key, since the Wizards were already only about $1MM shy of the tax line.
Washington was only carrying only 14 players, one below the regular season maximum, so the team didn’t have to make a corresponding move. The Wizards were short a big man, since they sent Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair to the Suns for Markieff Morris in a two-for-one trade at last week’s deadline. The 27-year-old Hickson appeared in only three games for the Nuggets after December 8th, but he made nine early-season starts prior to that, eclipsing the eight starts in 73 appearances he made last year.
Southeast Notes: Bazemore, Richardson, Booker
The presence of Kent Bazemore was one reason why the Hawks let DeMarre Carroll walk in free agency this past summer, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and over the first half of the season, Bazemore delivered on the team’s faith in him. However, Bazemore has slumped of late, as Vivlamore details. The fourth-year veteran heads into his own free agency July 1st, the same day he turns 27, with projections for next season’s salary varying widely between the mid-level and $12MM. Celtics coach Brad Stevens was the first to call him when he last became a free agent, in 2014, notes Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. That came on the heels of Bazemore’s first significant minutes in the NBA down the stretch of the 2013/14 with the Lakers, who had acquired him via trade from the Warriors at the deadline that season, and he’s grateful for the swap, cognizant that if he was ever to carve out a substantive role for himself in the NBA, he’d have to leave Golden State, Charania writes. See more on Bazemore’s current team amid news from the Southeast Division:
- Bazemore’s slump, Kyle Korver‘s advancing age and the underwhelming impact of trade acquisition Tim Hardaway are among the reasons the Hawks have regressed this season, as Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders examines. Greene also wonders how much the looming specter of Al Horford‘s free agency and the unsettled situation at point guard, where Dennis Schröder‘s performance has pushed Jeff Teague for playing time amid trade rumors involving both, have also played into the team’s decline in play. Atlanta is 31-27 after going 60-22 a year ago.
- The defensive versatility of Josh Richardson, who can guard every position but center, figures to come in handy for the Heat down the stretch this season, as Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald wrote Monday, and that’s doubly so in the wake of Tuesday’s news that backup point guard Beno Udrih is likely done for the year. A utility role isn’t new for this year’s 40th overall pick. “I was like that in college all four years,” Richardson said, according to Navarro. “It’s not any different now.”
- The Wizards may well have been better served re-signing Trevor Booker in 2014 instead of signing-and-trading for Kris Humphries instead, given the team’s change of styles since then, observes J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Booker instead signed with the Jazz, while Washington traded Humphries along with DeJuan Blair and a protected first-rounder for Markieff Morris, creating a roster spot that the team is poised to fill with fellow power forward J.J. Hickson.
Wizards, J.J. Hickson In Advanced Talks
WEDNESDAY, 11:10am: The expectation is that a signing will take place on Thursday, Castillo writes, noting that Hickson has to pass a physical before joining the Wizards.
4:36pm: The contract would be a prorated minimum salary arrangement that covers the remainder of this season, Charania writes in a full-length story.
4:30pm: Hickson and the Wizards are indeed engaged in contract talks, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post tweets, though the scribe notes that no agreement is expected to be formalized today.
TUESDAY, 4:18pm: The Wizards are in advanced contract discussions with free agent power forward J.J. Hickson, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). The exact terms of the proposed deal are unknown but Charania notes that it would be for the remainder of the 2015/16 season. Washington currently has 14 players on its roster, so no additional move would be required to sign Hickson.
Hickson was waived by the Nuggets on Friday after Denver was reportedly shopping him leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline but found no takers. The power forward was scheduled to make $5,613,500 this season, an amount that the Nuggets will be on the hook for less any salary Hickson may have given up in a buyout arrangement.
The 27-year-old appeared in 20 games for Denver this season averaging 6.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 15.3 minutes per contest. Hickson’s career numbers through eight NBA seasons are 9.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists to accompany a shooting line of .505/.000/.622.