2014 January | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Not Sure They’ll Keep Tyshawn Taylor

January 22nd, 2014 at 2:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pelicans traded for Tyshawn Taylor on Wednesday, receiving cash that will be enough to cover his one-year veteran’s minimum salary in exchange for only a European prospect who isn’t likely to play in the NBA. It’s a sweetheart deal that would have been difficult for New Orleans to turn down, and it seems the club isn’t really that sold on Taylor. John Reid of The Times Picayune suggests the Pelicans could buy him out, pointing to comments from coach Monty Williams that indicate Taylor might not have a role on the team.

Taylor has already received about half of his $788,872 salary. As long as he doesn’t agree to a buyout worth nearly the entire amount remaining on his contract, which expires at season’s end, such a severance could be a financial plus for the Jeff Schwartz client if he quickly finds other NBA work. Taylor, the 41st overall pick in 2012, saw 11.7 minutes per game in 23 appearances for the Nets this season, and though he put up a discouraging 5.6 PER in that time, there’s at least a decent chance another team would take a flier on him.

The Pelicans are without starting point guard Jrue Holiday, so Taylor could provide them depth. Still, the injury-riddled team is also missing Ryan Anderson and Jason Smith, and New Orleans is reportedly trying to trade for a big man, and waiving Taylor would open up room on the roster that would make it easier to add an interior player. The Pelicans are currently at the 15-man limit. They could also use an open roster spot to sign Pierre Jackson, the D-League’s leading scorer. New Orleans acquired Jackson’s NBA rights on draft night.

Ford’s Latest: Bucks, Wiggins, Sixers

January 22nd, 2014 at 1:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford of ESPN.com unveiled his latest Insider-only mock draft today, and it has the Bucks taking Joel Embiid first overall. Much could change over the more than five months between now and draft night, of course, and recent reports suggest Embiid and fellow top prospect Jabari Parker might not be available. There are plenty of significant developments going on that will affect what happens when soon-to-be commissioner Adam Silver steps to the podium on June 26th. Here’s the latest, culled from Ford’s mock and his weekly chat:

The Bucks, who have the best shot at the No. 1 overall pick, probably won’t pull off a major trade at the deadline, sources tell Ford.
There are a few GMs who don’t consider Andrew Wiggins a top-three prospect, but all of those executives are habitually risk-averse, according to Ford.
The Sixers have Wiggins and Parker at Nos. 1 and 2 on their board, Ford writes.
Ford figures that Parker’s Mormon faith makes it much less likely he’d leave Utah as a free agent if the Jazz were to draft him, increasing the likelihood that the Jazz would take him No. 1 overall if they have the chance.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Celtics, Green

January 22nd, 2014 at 12:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The average value of an NBA franchise is $634MM, a 25% jump over last year, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.com. The Knicks lead the way with a valuation of $1.4 billion, helped along by renovations to Madison Square Garden. Only four NBA teams lost money last year, Badenhausen writes, though Grantland’s Zach Lowe notes that the league usually disputes the numbers in the Forbes annual report (Twitter link). While the Knicks appear to be doing just fine financially, that isn’t the case on the court or in the locker room, as we detail amid our look at the Atlantic Division:

There have been some hard feelings between Mike Woodson and Tyson Chandler, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News examines, noting that Knicks GM Steve Mills isn’t thrilled with Woodson’s job performance.
The Celtics highly value a player’s zeal for the game, as their 10-day signing of Chris Johnson and dismissal of Keith Bogans indicate, but it won’t be easy for Johnson to get a deal with Boston for the rest of the season, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Presumably that applies to the newly signed Vander Blue, as well. The C’s are close to the luxury tax line, and keeping roster spots open will help the team retain flexibility for trades in advance of the February 20th deadline, Forsberg explains.
Jeff Green tells Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher that the Celtics haven’t indicated to him that he’s on the trade block, as Bucher notes at the end of his piece.
Danny Ainge didn’t say whether he envisions a long-term future in Boston for Kris Humphries, who’s expressed a desire to stay, but the Celtics GM tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he didn’t expect Humphries to perform as well as he has. Ainge was nonetheless high on the power forward even before the trade that brought Humphries to Boston this summer.
Nets GM Billy King thinks Jason Kidd is “coming into his own” as a coach, as he said on The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show on ESPN New York 98.7, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. Mirza Teletovic expressed similar sentiments in a conversation last night with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
King also confirmed on radio that it’s unlikely Edin Bavcic, a throw-in to Wednesday’s Tyshawn Taylor trade, ever plays for the Nets. King said the roster spot the team opened via that transaction enhances the possibility the Nets will use the disabled player exception for Brook Lopez to add a player. Youngmisuk has more from the Nets GM in the same piece.

Latest On Rajon Rondo

January 22nd, 2014 at 10:50am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics GM Danny Ainge isn’t shopping Rajon Rondo, but he isn’t turning away calls, either, sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Still, Ainge has consistently rejected offers for the All-Star point guard, according to Berger. The only time the Celtics came close to trading Rondo was in a deal that would have landed them Chris Paul, Berger writes, presumably referring to a 2011 proposal.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders gets the sense from his time around the C’s that they want to keep Rondo around and gauge how well he can become a leader. It’s a role they envisioned for their newly appointed captain before the departures of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, so it appears they’re invested in him for at least the foreseeable future. A weekend report from Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News nonetheless indicated that executives around the league believe the C’s will try to trade Rondo at the deadline or before the draft in June. That echoes what Chad Ford of ESPN.com wrote last week.

Rondo has been at the center of several rumors since the Garnett/Pierce trade this summer, but most of the recent suggestions that he’s on the block appear to be coming from outside the Celtics organization. Ainge has been steadfast that Rondo isn’t a trade candidate, so perhaps the idea that he could be on the move is just wishful thinking from other teams.

Rondo’s contract runs through next season, when he’ll make a little more than $12.9MM, a bargain for a top point guard. It’s unlikely he’ll sign an extension, Berger writes, noting the limitations in the latest collective bargaining agreement that make it unappealing for most star players to do so. Berger says that Rondo can only add two years to his deal if he signs an extension this summer, and while he can actually add up to three years via extension come July, it would nonetheless be to Rondo’s advantage to wait until he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2015. Then, he could re-sign with the C’s for up to five seasons, or ink a deal for as many as four years with another team.

Celtics Sign Vander Blue To 10-Day Deal

January 22nd, 2014 at 10:26am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 10:26am: The Celtics have officially announced their 10-day contract with Blue.

TUESDAY, 8:53pm: In the wake of Avery Bradley‘s injury, the Celtics are set to sign Vander Blue out of the D-League, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Blue was claimed by the Delaware 87ers one week ago. It’ll be a 10-day deal, according to Wojnarowski’s latest update.

The former Marquette guard was waived by Maccabi Rishon LeZion of Israel just before the New Year and was clearly on the NBA radar. Blue was in camp with the Sixers over the summer and had a partially guaranteed deal, so he received a $55K severance from Philly when he was let go.

The 6’5″ shooting guard helped lead Marquette to the Elite Eight in last season’s NCAA tournament, averaging 18.3 PPG in the team’s four March Madness games. He then left the Golden Eagles one year shy of his expected graduation date.

Bulls Sign Mike James To 10-Day Contract

January 22nd, 2014 at 9:50am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 9:50am: James has officially signed his deal with Chicago, and it’s a 10-day contract, the team announced.

TUESDAY, 4:34pm: The Bulls will re-sign point guard Mike James, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The 38-year-old made the team out of training camp, but the Bulls waived him last month after signing D.J. Augustin. Chicago traded Marquis Teague to the Nets today for big man Tornike Shengelia, so the return of James replenishes the Bulls’ point guard depth. USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt wrote last month that the team might bring James back if it traded Teague.

It’s unclear if the agreement is for a 10-day contract or a deal that covers a rest of the season. Cartier Martin is on his second 10-day with the Bulls, who hope to re-sign him for the season once it expires. That would still leave Chicago with a pair of open roster spots, leaving plenty of room for James. The Bulls are within $1MM of the luxury tax line, so it seems the timing of the decision to bring James aboard in the wake of today’s trade, which sheared $285,848 from Chicago’s payroll, is financially motivated.

The Bernie Lee client saw just 38 minutes total in his first stint with the Bulls this season, but he started 23 games for the Mavericks last year, averaging 8.2 points, 4.4 assists and 25.8 minutes per game in those starts. He also played with the Bulls during the 2011/12 season.

Bulls Unsure If They’ll Amnesty Carlos Boozer

January 22nd, 2014 at 9:41am CST by Chuck Myron

Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer has long seemed like an amnesty candidate, but there appears to be only a 50-50 chance that Chicago will use the amnesty clause to remove Boozer’s cap hit from its books this summer, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Sulia link). The Bulls aren’t certain that a top-tier free agent will become available to them this summer, and if that doesn’t happen, they’d be content to keep Boozer and let him play out the final season of his contract next year.

There’s been increasing chatter that the 2015 free agent class will turn out to be more star-laden than this summer’s crop, and it sounds like Chicago is thinking about focusing on 2015 rather than amnestying Boozer and signing second-tier free agents this summer, Kyler writes. Boozer is set to make $16.8MM in 2014/15. He’ll receive that money even if the Bulls use the amnesty clause, since the amnesty only erases a contract from a team’s ledger, rather than its actual payroll. It would make sense if cost-conscious Chicago owner Jerry Reinsdorf decides against setting himself up to pay a player who’ll no longer be on his roster.

The Bulls slipped beneath the luxury tax line with their trade of Luol Deng earlier this month, and that could make it less likely the team will amnesty Boozer, according to Kyler. Had Chicago not escaped the tax for this season, there would have been pressure to avoid what might have been a third straight taxpaying season next year. That would have triggered repeat-offender penalties for subsequent seasons. Now that it doesn’t appear the Bulls will pay the tax this year, there’s not as much motivation to avoid it in 2014/15. Including Boozer’s salary, their commitments already bring them within $13MM of the projected tax line for next season, so it will be hard for them to avoid becoming 2014/15 taxpayers without amnestying Boozer.

Hawks Re-Sign James Nunnally

January 22nd, 2014 at 9:06am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 9:06am: The deal is now official, the team announced.

TUESDAY, 9:30am: The Hawks will sign James Nunnally to a second 10-day contract on Wednesday, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. His first deal with the team expired last night, when it appeared Atlanta was still debating whether to keep the 23-year-old forward, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). The Hawks will have to decide whether to keep Nunnally for the rest of the season when his second 10-day contract ends.

Nunnally hasn’t had a chance to make much of an impression during his time with the Hawks, who’ve put him on the court for a single eight-minute appearance so far. He’s done most of his work this season with the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League, averaging 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. The Suns had him in training camp this fall, and he averaged 3.0 PPG in 10.5 minutes per game during the preseason.

Atlanta has 14 guaranteed contracts, so keeping Nunnally around for the rest of the season would make that 15, limiting the team’s flexibility. Even if the Hawks decide against keeping him, it sounds like he has plenty of other opportunities for NBA work. He was one of the most sought-after camp invitees, and he met with the Cavs, Bulls and Thunder before signing his first 10-day deal with the Hawks.

International Rumors: Andersen, Jenkins, Leslie

January 22nd, 2014 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

A lot of former NBA players looking to find their way back into the league do so via 10-day contracts this time of year, but others have decided their best options are overseas. Here’s the latest on a few noteworthy deals overseas:

David Andersen has signed with SIG Strasbourg of France, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The former Rockets, Raptors and Pelicans center has drawn mild NBA interest of late, but he said last week that he thought it more likely he’d head to Europe. L’Equipe first reported Andersen’s deal.
Charles Jenkins has signed a one-year extension with Red Star Belgrade in Serbia, tweets Djordje Matic. The 24-year-old guard spent the past two seasons in the NBA with the Warriors and Sixers before joining Red Star this past summer. It’s unclear what kind of escape clause, if any, the deal would provide for Jenkins if another NBA team comes calling.
Former Clippers and Jazz guard Travis Leslie has signed with BC Siauliai of Lithuania, according to the team (translation via Carchia). French club ASVEL Villeurbanne released the 23-year-old last week.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, James, Felix

January 21st, 2014 at 9:57pm CST by Zachary Links

There has been speculation that the Bucks could wind up leaving Milwaukee at some point as they’ve been unable to secure a new arena in the city, but Herb Kohl is working hard to make sure they stay put. Kohl has been insistent that he is only seeking investment partners and doesn’t want to sell the team outright, but today we learned that there are four suitors with “serious interest” in buying the club from him. There’s no word on a frontrunner, but one club is said to be comprised of local investors, which could give them an upper hand should Kohl have a change of heart and sell. More from around the league..

The Lakers have had to rebuild on the fly before, but their current troubles will be tougher to fix, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
The Bulls brought Mike James back because he’s the candidate that coach Tom Thibodeau wanted more than anyone else, tweets Mark Deeks of Shamsports.com. The Bulls re-signed the veteran after they traded one guard Marquis Teague to the Nets. It’s not clear at this point if James got a ten-day pact or was inked for the rest of the season.
The Cavaliers have recalled Carrick Felix from the D-League, the team announced. The six-day stint was the third assignment to the Canton Charge for the 33rd overall pick in the NBA draft this past June.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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