2015 February | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Sullinger, Celtics, Knicks

February 19th, 2015 at 8:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics big man Jared Sullinger will be out indefinitely with a stress reaction in his left foot, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reports. “Jared is going to be out a while,” said coach Brad Stevens. “Supposedly it happened in the Atlanta game and he was talking a little bit about it [Wednesday], with regard to feeling some discomfort and so he went through a little bit of practice, then pulled himself out. [Team trainer] Ed [Lacerte] took him to get the X-ray [Thursday], so that’s not good news on the Jared front, that’s for sure. He’s not going to play on this trip, and I don’t anticipate him playing any time soon.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

In an interview with Andy Gresh and John Wallach on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Celtics GM Danny Ainge inadvertently shot down rumors linking his team to Suns guard Goran Dragic, as Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com writes. “We are also looking to acquire players that are already under contract,” Ainge said. “We really don’t want to get rid of multiple draft picks for players with uncertainty in the free agent market, a situation like we were in with Rondo as an example. We’re not looking to do those kind of games, but we’re looking for more certainty. It’s more likely that we will be busier in the summer time and actually get more accomplished than here at the trade deadline.”
The Knicks’ hopes to sign an impact free agent this summer took a big hit with Reggie Jackson headed to Detroit and Goran Dragic joining the Heat, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. With both players expected to re-sign with their new teams, the Knicks will now have to scramble to attract some of the second-tier free agents, Begley adds.
Carmelo Anthony underwent successful surgery today to repair damage to his left knee, and the Knicks‘ star is expected to be out of action for four to six months, Andrew Keh of The New York Times reports.
The Celtics‘ acquisition of Isaiah Thomas is one that will help the team now and in the future, Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com opines.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Sixers, McGee To Work Buyout?

February 19th, 2015 at 8:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

8:07pm: Philadelphia has no intention of discussing a buyout arrangement with McGee, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.

5:15pm: The Sixers and JaVale McGee are headed for a buyout, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media believes (Twitter link). McGee was acquired by Philadelphia from the Nuggets earlier today along with the Thunder’s 2015 first-round pick and the rights to Nigerian forward Chu Chu Maduabum in exchange for the rights to draft-and-stash prospect Cenk Akyol.

The 27-year-old center out of Nevada is earning $11.25MM this season, and is scheduled to make $12MM for the 2015/16 campaign. It’s unclear how much of next year’s fully guaranteed salary Philadelphia would be willing to absorb if the team decided to waive McGee as part of a buyout agreement. With McGee’s injury history it would be a bit surprising to see him give up a major chunk of next year’s salary, though that is just my speculation.

McGee missed most of the 2013/14 campaign due to a stress fracture in his leg and has also missed time this year because of an injury in the same area. The big man has only appeared in a grand total of 22 games for the Nuggets over the last two seasons. The athletic 7-footer has career averages of 8.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. McGee’s career slash line is .541/.200/.587.

Pelicans Acquire, Waive Ish Smith

February 19th, 2015 at 8:04pm CST by Eddie Scarito

8:04pm: The Pelicans have waived Smith, the team has announced.

7:22pm: The Pelicans have acquired guard Ish Smith from the Thunder, New Orleans has announced. In addition to Smith, New Orleans will also receive the rights to Latavious Williams, cash considerations, and a 2015 protected second round pick. Oklahoma City in return will garner a 2016 protected second round draft pick. Oklahoma City needed to reduce its roster count to the league maximum 15 players, and the trade of Smith will accomplish just that. The Pelicans now have 14 players on their roster with the addition of the point guard.

Smith appeared in 30 games this season for the Thunder, averaging 1.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists. Since going undrafted out of Wake Forest back in 2010, Smith has appeared in 221 career games for the Suns, Magic, Rockets, Bucks and Grizzlies, averaging 2.7 points, 1.9 assists and 1.4 rebounds. His career slash line is .388/.216/.581.

Williams was the 48th overall selection by the Heat in 2010. Williams currently plays for Bilbao Basket of Liga ACB in Spain, where he has appeared in 21 games this season, averaging 7.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Celtics Trade Tayshaun Prince To Pistons

February 19th, 2015 at 7:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:49pm: The trade is official, the Pistons have announced in a press release. “Tayshaun Prince is certainly well known to fans in Detroit and we’re pleased to welcome him back,” said Stan Van Gundy, Detroit’s coach and president of basketball operations. “He fills a position of need for us at small forward with his offensive and defensive versatility. We thank both Jonas and Gigi for their hard work and wish them well going forward.”

6:26pm: The Pistons intend to keep Prince, Ellis tweets.

2:23pm: The Pistons are acquiring Tayshaun Prince from the Celtics, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Gigi Datome and Jonas Jerebko head to Boston in return, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter).

In 917 career games, Prince has averaged 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. His career slash line is .455/.369/.758.

Heat Acquire Goran Dragic

February 19th, 2015 at 7:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:38pm: The trade is now official, the Pelicans and Suns have announced. New Orleans acquired Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton and cash considerations from Miami, the Suns get John Salmons from the Pelicans and Danny Granger from the Heat, and Miami garners Goran Dragic and Zoran Dragic from the Suns. Phoenix also received Miami’s 2017 first-round pick (top seven protected) and Miami’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick as part of the deal. Phoenix is waiving Salmons, per the Suns’ official press release.

3:36pm: The expectation is that the Heat will offer Dragic a five-year max deal this summer, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).

2:48pm: There are other components to the trade agreement, which also involves the Pelicans, as we explain here.

2:09pm: The Suns will get Danny Granger and 2017 and 2019 first-round picks with protections for Dragic, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter).

Granger, 32 in April, has averaged 6.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG for the Heat this season since coming back from a hamstring injury. Of course, the draft picks are the center of the deal for Phoenix and not the veteran forward. Granger is earning $2.1MM this season and he also has a player option for the same amount in 2015/16.

1:49pm: The Heat and Suns have agreed to a deal that sends Goran Dragic to Miami, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Heat have long coveted Dragic and view him as just the sort of player they need to make a playoff push, Chris Mannix of SI tweets.

The Heat currently stand at 22-30 with a leg up over the likes of the Nets, Celtics, PIstons, and Pacers for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Pistons Acquire Reggie Jackson

February 19th, 2015 at 7:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:13pm: The release on the Thunder’s website indicates that the Thunder received Detroit’s unprotected 2019 second-round pick, too.

6:34pm: The Jazz have formally announced that the deal is official. The Pistons and Thunder have also confirmed the trade in press releases. Utah has acquired Jerrett, the rights to Pleiss, Perkins, and a future first-round pick from Oklahoma City, as well as a 2017 second-round pick from the Pistons. The Thunder will receive Kanter and Novak from Utah, and Augustin and Singler from the Pistons, while Detroit garners Jackson.

4:06pm: The Jazz are getting Jerrett, a protected first-round pick from the Thunder and a second-rounder from the Pistons in addition to Kanter and the rights to Pleiss, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

3:49pm: Several picks are changing hands in the deal as well, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, suggesting that a significant chunk of the draft considerations are heading Utah’s way (Twitter link).

3:33pm: The Thunder dealt for Kanter with the intention of re-signing him this summer, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

3:25pm: Grant Jerrett is headed out in the deal, too, according to Mayberry, though he doesn’t specify which team he’s going to (Twitter link). The Thunder are expected to waive Ish Smith to accommodate all the moves, Mayberry adds.

2:49pm: The Thunder will send the draft rights to center Tibor Pleiss to the Jazz, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (on Twitter).

2:44pm: Guard D.J. Augustin is headed from the Pistons to OKC in the deal, according to Wojnarowski (on Twitter). The former No. 9 overall pick averaged 10.6 PPG and 4.98 APG in 23.8 minutes per game for the Pistons this season.

2:15pm: Steve Novak is heading from the Jazz to the Thunder in the deal, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (on Twitter). Jody Genessy of The Deseret News (on Twitter) first reported that Novak would be included in the three-way swap.

1:56pm: It’s now a three-way deal, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter links). The Jazz will send Enes Kanter to OKC, the Thunder will ship Kendrick Perkins to Utah, and Detroit will send Kyle Singler to OKC.

Talks with the Jazz about Kanter picked up today as OKC weighed the pros and cons of the Nets’ Brook Lopez/Jackson proposal. For his part, Kanter made it clear last week that he’s frustrated with his role and wants a trade. In 49 games this season, Kanter has averaged 13.8 PPG and 7.8 RPG – both career-highs, in 27.1 minutes per contest. For his career, the former No. 3 overall pick has put up 9.3 PPG and 5.9 RPG across four seasons in Utah.

Perkins, 30, is now slated to join the third franchise in his NBA career. The big man has been playing mostly in a reserve role this season, averaging 4.0 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 19.2 minutes per contest. In total, Perkins has put up 5.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG over the course of 12 seasons with the Celtics and Thunder.

1:50pm: The Thunder have traded Jackson to the Pistons, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

1:34pm: The Pistons are making a strong run at Reggie Jackson, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Jackson appeared to be Brooklyn-bound earlier today, but it’s not clear if that deal will be consummated.

The Thunder and the Nets were discussing the framework of a deal that would involve Brook Lopez going to OKC and Jackson going to Brooklyn. However, the Thunder pumped the breaks a bit on the talks when they started looking at a deal with another team. Given that Detroit is enthusiastic about landing Jackson, the PIstons might be the party putting a spoke in that wheel.

Jackson’s agent, Aaron Mintz, recently requested that the Thunder trade his client, who’s due for restricted free agency this summer. The Kings, Bucks, Heat, Pacers, Rockets and Nuggets also registered their interest in Jackson, while there are conflicting reports about whether the Celtics are pursuing him.

The 24-year-old turned down an extension offer in the neighborhood of four years and $48MM this past fall, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick (Twitter link). That was around the time teams around the league thought he’d end up commanding $13-14MM a year this summer, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported at the time.

Pelicans Release Toney Douglas

February 19th, 2015 at 6:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

6:58pm: New Orleans has officially released Douglas, the team has announced. The Pelicans roster count stands at 13 players.

2:35pm: The Pelicans are releasing Toney Douglas from his 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Douglas just signed the pact Wednesday. New Orleans will be on the hook for the full $53,838 value of the deal. Douglas immediately goes to free agency, since waivers aren’t involved with 10-day deals.

Douglas appeared in three games for New Orleans, averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 22.0 minutes per game.

Kings, Wizards Swap Sessions, Miller

February 19th, 2015 at 4:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:53pm: The Kings have followed with an official announcement of their own.

“Adding Andre bolsters our backcourt with one of the most prolific ball distributors in the game,” Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said. “He’ll also provide veteran leadership to the locker room and a wealth of experience at the point guard position. We’re excited to have him join the team. We also want to thank Ramon and wish him the best moving forward.”

4:13pm: The deal is official, the Wizards announce.

“Ramon is a proven veteran who will bring an up-tempo style to our second unit and give us quickness, energy and defensive presence,“ Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld said. “He can make plays for himself as well as others and will help to solidify our bench as we head into the final 28 games of the season and the playoffs.“

11:02am: The Kings and Wizards have agreed to swap Ramon Sessions and Andre Miller, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). New Kings coach George Karl had pushed to acquire Miller, whom he coached in Denver, Wojnarowski writes in a full story. The Wizards had been seeking an upgrade in the backcourt as Miller had lost playing time to Garrett Temple of late.

Suns, Heat, Pelicans Agree To Trade

February 19th, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:46pm: John Reid of The Times-Picayune has Cole going to New Orleans in the deal. In his summary, it’s Cole, Hamilton and Williams to the Pelicans and Salmons to the Suns. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the Suns getting Miami’s 2017 and 2021 first-rounders, Salmons and Danny Granger (Twitter links). Miami’s 2017 pick is top-seven protected and the 2021 selection is unprotected, Coro notes. However, there’s confusion even among some executives, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

4:17pm: Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today has Hamilton headed to the Pelicans and not the Suns (Twitter link).

2:28pm: Cole and Salmons are part of a larger deal involving Goran Dragic, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Cole, Justin Hamilton and two first-round picks go to Phoenix for Dragic and Zoran Dragic, while Salmons goes from New Orleans to Phoenix. Shawne Williams head to New Orleans (All Twitter links).

2:17pm: The Pelicans are acquiring Norris Cole from the Heat, a source tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). John Salmons is headed to Miami, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

Nuggets Sign Joffrey Lauvergne

February 19th, 2015 at 4:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

4:02pm: Denver has once more announced the signing and restored the press release to the team website.

2:59pm: The Nuggets sent out a press release recalling the announcement of the signing, and the page about the pact that was on their website has been replaced by an error message.

FEBRUARY 19TH, 2:37pm: The deal is official, the Nuggets announced.

FEBRUARY 11TH, 4:27pm: The Nuggets and Lauvergne are finalizing a two-year, fully guaranteed deal worth more than the minimum salary, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The pact will also contain a team option for a third season, Charania notes.

6:02pm: The Nuggets and Lauvergne should reach an agreement on a multi-year contract by next week, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reports (Twitter links).

FEBRUARY 5TH, 8:16am: Khimki Moscow and Lauvergne have officially parted ways, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The Nuggets face “logistical hurdles” before they can formally bring him stateside, a league source told Wojnarowski for his full story, but ostensibly, Khimki Moscow’s announcement clears one of them.

FEBRUARY 4TH, 8:55pm: The Nuggets are working on a deal to sign 6’11” forward Joffrey Lauvergne, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Lauvergne was set to cut ties earlier today with Khimki Moscow, his Russian team, a source told David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). The Nuggets currently have 14 players on their roster, so no corresponding roster move would be required in order to ink Lauvergne.

The 23-year-old Frenchman was originally selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. Lauvergne was subsequently dealt to the Nuggets, along with Darrell Arthur, for Kosta Koufos.

Lauvergne was averaging 7.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per game for Khimki Moscow this season. His career European professional numbers are 6.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 0.6 APG. His career slash line is .476/.269/.694.

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