2015 July | Hoops Rumors

Heat Rumors: Ennis, Richardson, Johnson

July 27th, 2015 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

James Ennis‘ contract will be fully guaranteed if he makes the opening day roster in an amended agreement between the Heat and his agent, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Ennis, who is represented by Scott Nichols of Rize Management, was originally scheduled to have half of his $845,059 salary guaranteed on August 1st. That partial guarantee is no longer in effect. The approach regarding Ennis’ guarantee has yet to be finalized but both sides apparently agree he will remain non-guaranteed for near future, according to Ira Winderman of the Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). The Heat will thus retain his rights through training camp, Winderman adds in another tweet. This gives the team a chance to evaluate him in camp before making any financial commitment, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets.

In other news concerning the Heat:

They plan to make an offer to No. 40 overall pick Josh Richardson soon, according to Jackson. The shooting guard from Tennessee will likely see a multiyear offer with partial guarantees similar to the deal that Ennis signed with Miami last year, tweets Winderman.
Miami didn’t signal the likelihood or lack thereof that it would offer Henry Walker a chance to re-sign with the team, but their parting today was “amicable,” agent Mike Naiditch told Jackson for the same piece.
Tyler Johnson‘s 50% contract guarantee will be picked up by Saturday’s deadline, according to Winderman (Twitter link). That would mean Johnson will receive at least $422,530 this coming season.
Team president Pat Riley and point guard Goran Dragic have collectively decided that Dragic won’t play for Slovenia this summer, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press tweets.

Kobe Bryant Notes: Minutes, Free Agents, Jackson

July 27th, 2015 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers can only use Kobe Bryant at power forward against Western Conference teams on a limited basis, Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk opines. Lakers coach Byron Scott plans to gives Bryant some minutes at power forward next season, as he told NBA.com’s David Aldridge. “There’s some games, against some teams, where he’ll probably play four,” Scott said. “With his tenaciousness, the way he guards people and when his mind is set, if I say ‘Kobe, you’ve got him,’ he takes that as a challenge.” Helin doubts Bryant will see much action there against some of the better Western Conference teams, pointing out that he cannot match up defensively with the likes of Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, Serge Ibaka, LaMarcus Aldridge, Zach Randolph, Dirk Nowitzki and Draymond Green. Scott will likely split up most of the minutes at power forward between Julius Randle and Brandon Bass, Helin concludes.

In other news regarding Bryant:

Bryant’s failure to reach out to the team’s newcomers is a non-issue for Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reports. Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams and Bass were silent during their introductory press conference when asked if Bryant had contacted them. In a SiriusXM NBA Radio interview, Kupchak laughed off the controversy: “Kobe doesn’t call every single player we sign or trade for. I don’t even know if he’s in the country, to be honest with you. There was much made of it. But I thought it was kind of comical.” However, Bryant did attend FC Barcelona’s soccer practice last week in Los Angeles, Medina notes.
Knicks president and former Lakers coach Phil Jackson confirmed during a Q&A session with author Charley Rosen posted Monday on ESPN.com that Bryant has a lot of animosity toward him. “Yes, quite often I could feel his hatred,” Jackson told Rosen. “I’m sure Kobe was [upset] when I wrote in “The Last Season” that he was uncoachable. And, yes, we were often at loggerheads. He wanted more freedom and I wanted him to be more disciplined. This is a normal source of friction thing between coaches and players on just about every level of competition.”

Central Rumors: Cavs, Jackson, Pacers

July 27th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers traded Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller to the Trail Blazers mainly to add two exceptions and expand their trade options, even though they will save millions in luxury tax, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Cleveland believes teams are more willing to make mid-season trades and the exceptions it picked up on Monday — $10.5MM for Haywood and $2.85MM for Miller — gives it some flexibility to make those moves, Pluto continues. The Cavs’ salary cap concerns would have made any trade next season much more difficult without those exceptions, though they cannot be combined, Pluto adds.

In other news around the Central Division:

Second-round pick Sir’Dominic Pointer is a longshot to end up on the Cavs roster this year, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes in his story on the Haywood deal. Cleveland drafted the small forward from St. John’s 53rd overall last month.
Reggie Jackson was convinced he would re-sign with the Pistons when they helped him with a family crisis, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. When Jackson found out his father Saul had a diabetic seizure in March, the organization flew Jackson on the team plane to Colorado to visit him, the story continues. That made a lasting impression on Jackson, who didn’t consider any other teams before signing a five-year, $80MM deal as a restricted free agent to remain with the club. “I think I knew then I didn’t need to be nowhere else,” Jackson said to Ellis. “In my mind I was already here, but that kind of solidified it. There was no need to even play around and do free agency. I was good.”
Only the first year of Glenn Robinson III‘s three-year contract with the Pacers is guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Robinson will make $1.1MM this season, then $1.05MM in 2016/17 and $1.09MM in 2017/18 in the non-guaranteed years, Pincus adds. The signing was officially announced on Monday.

Atlantic Notes: Larkin, Nets, Lee

July 27th, 2015 at 6:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shane Larkin admits he had trouble fitting into the Knicks’ triangle offense and feels he’s a much better fit with the Nets, Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News reports. In Part 5 of a series of Q&As between Knicks president Phil Jackson and author Charley Rosen posted on ESPN’s website, Jackson said in February that Larkin had “failed to show any growth since the start of the season.” Larkin responded in a tweet on Monday. “Couldn’t grow in an offense I wasn’t comfortable in. … Glad I’m across the river now.” The Nets emphasize a faster pace with a pick-and-roll heavy attack, Abramson adds. A free agent after the season, Larkin signed a two-year, $3MM deal with the Nets with a player option on the second season.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

In the same Q&A with Rosen, Jackson spelled out his reasons for trading J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavaliers. “J.R. was more interested in hunting for his own shots than in buying into the triangle. Plus, he has a player’s option for next season that would limit our flexibility. As for Shumpert, mainly because of injuries, he’d take one step forward and two steps backward. And because of a salary ‘hold’ on his rookie contract, a CBA format that limits available money in free agency.” Jackson was presumably referring to Shumpert’s cap hold, which would have taken up more than $6.542MM on New York’s cap this summer.
David Lee nearly signed with the Celtics the last time he was a free agent, Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com tweets. Lee signed a six-year contract with the Knicks and then was shipped to the Warriors in a sign-and-trade in 2010. The Celtics completed a long-rumored trade for Lee on Monday. Lee was immediately interested in joining the Celtics when they showed interest in acquiring him, according to Jay King of MassLive.com (Twitter link).
The Nets used their $2,339,131 Kevin Garnett trade exception to acquire Steve Blake from the Trail Blazers last month, as NetsDaily indicates. It was one of three exceptions Brooklyn could have used to accommodate the deal. Blake’s salary, since moved to the Pistons in the Quincy Miller trade, left a virtually unusable $262,131 remaining on the Garnett exception.

Ognjen Kuzmic Signs To Play In Greece

July 27th, 2015 at 3:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

Former Warriors center Ognjen Kuzmic has signed with Panathinaikos of Greece, the team announced (on Twitter; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Golden State last week withdrew its qualifying offer of more than $1.147MM to Kuzmic, making him an unrestricted free agent, though the power to match other offers that the Warriors possessed before that move wouldn’t have precluded the native of Bosnia from jumping back overseas. It’s unclear if Kuzmic’s new deal is as lucrative for him as it would have been if he’d taken the qualifying offer from Golden State while it was on the table.

Regardless, it’s no surprise to see the 7-footer exit the NBA, as he saw action in only 36 games over two years in the league, both with Golden State. He logged significantly more time on D-League assignment, making 57 appearances for the Santa Cruz Warriors. I speculated earlier this month that Kuzmic would sign overseas.

The Warriors reportedly reached a deal with shooting guard Ian Clark earlier today, but it’s not clear if that represented the final door closing on any hope Kuzmic had of returning to the team. Regardless, Panathinaikos figures to give Kuzmic a chance to remain on the NBA radar, as the club also added NBA veterans Miroslav Raduljica and Nick Calathes earlier this month.

Do you think we’ll see Ognjen Kuzmic in the NBA again? Leave a comment to let us know.

Celtics Sign Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter

July 27th, 2015 at 3:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics have signed No. 16 pick Terry Rozier and No. 28 pick R.J. Hunter, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge announced in a press conference today, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe relays (Twitter link). Boston had put off the moves while it officially remained below the cap, but with the long-anticipated David Lee trade becoming official today, Boston went over the cap and thus no longer had motivation to keep the cap holds for Rozier and Hunter as low as possible. Rozier will see more than $1.824MM this season and nearly $8.77MM over the life of his four-year rookie scale contract, while Hunter’s salary is almost $1.149MM with nearly $5.861MM total on his deal, assuming they both signed for the standard 120% of the rookie scale, as our chart shows. Their cap holds had been equivalent to 100% of the scale.

Rozier was a surprise pick, as he was the 23rd-ranked prospect according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com but just No. 47 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress listings. Our Eddie Scarito had him going 29th in the final version of the Hoops Rumors 2015 Mock Draft, right after Boston’s second pick of the first round. Still, the point guard from Louisville impressed coach Brad Stevens with his motor during a pair of predraft workouts, and Ainge didn’t want to risk waiting for him to drop to No. 28.

Ainge and company made a more conventional choice with Hunter, whom Ford ranked 24th and Givony had 26th. Our mock draft had the Georgia State shooting guard and NCAA Tournament hero going at No. 22. The two account for 17 fully guaranteed contracts on Boston’s roster, though the team is reportedly going to unload the newly acquired Zoran Dragic. That would still leave Boston one over the regular season limit.

Which of Rozier and Hunter will have the better NBA career? Leave a comment to share your opinion.

Mavs Sign Brandon Ashley To Camp Deal

July 27th, 2015 at 3:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MONDAY, 3:00pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

SATURDAY, 12:41pm: The Mavericks have reached agreement with undrafted Arizona power forward Brandon Ashley on a partially guaranteed multiyear deal, RealGM’s Shams Charania tweets. The 6’9” Ashley averaged 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds as a junior last season before declaring for the draft. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds as a sophomore before breaking his foot in February of that season.

Ashley played seven games for the Hawks in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He originally committed to play for the Lakers in the summer league, then shifted gears and instead joined Atlanta.

According to his draft profile by ESPN Insider Chad Ford, Ashley’s attributes include length, athleticism, shot-blocking ability and an improving jump shot. On the downside, he needs to add strength and refine his post game and footwork, along with showing he has the motor and toughness to play in the NBA.

Mavs Sign Jamil Wilson To Camp Deal

July 27th, 2015 at 2:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

MONDAY, 2:57pm: The Mavs have officially signed Wilson, the team announced via press release.

SUNDAY, 10:43am: Jamil Wilson will be added to the Mavs’ training camp roster, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. The forward’s deal will be partially guaranteed, according to Charania.

The Marquette product reached an agreement with the Suns prior to last season, which allowed Phoenix to secure his D-League rights. The Suns then waived Wilson and he signed with their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam. There’s a good chance that Wilson will follow the same path and end up on Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Mavs, although that is just my speculation.

The forward played for the Wizards in this year’s summer league in Vegas. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.7% from the field.

Pacers Re-Sign Lavoy Allen

July 27th, 2015 at 2:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 27TH, 2:17pm: The signing is official, the Pacers announced.

“We think he’s ready to step in and play more minutes at two different positions,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. “This is a great opportunity for him to play night in and night out at a high level.”

9:22pm: Allen’s deal will be worth a total of approximately $12MM, Spears tweets.

JULY 2ND, 7:12pm: The Pacers and free agent Lavoy Allen have reached an agreement on a multiyear deal, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The pact is for three years, and includes a team option for the final season, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). The Clippers were also reportedly interested in the 26-year-old’s services.

In 63 appearances for Indiana last season, Allen averaged 5.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, with a slash line of .472/.000/.702. His career numbers are 5.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.0 APG. His career shooting numbers are .459/.143/.702.

Allen was the 50th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The 6’9″ forward began his career with the Sixers before being included in the deal that brought Evan Turner to the Pacers.

Celtics Re-Sign Jae Crowder

July 27th, 2015 at 2:09pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 27TH, 2:09pm: The deal is finally official, the team announced.

“Jae epitomizes everything that we look for in a Celtic,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. “His infectious energy on both ends of the court and his versatile skill set enabled him to win over both the coaching staff and our fan base after his acquisition last season.”

JULY 1ST, 11:02am: The Celtics and free agent Jae Crowder have reached an agreement on a five-year, $35MM deal, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The Mavericks, who dealt Crowder to Boston back in December were also in the running for the Glenn Schwartzman client. The deal includes no options, and is fully guaranteed, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald adds (Twitter link).

The Celtics had tendered a qualifying offer to Crowder worth $1.2MM earlier this week, making the forward a restricted free agent, which would have allowed Boston to match any offer he received from another team. Crowder had expressed an interest to return to the Celtics, but did note that he planned to test the free agent market.

Crowder appeared in 57 games for the Celtics after arriving via trade, and he averaged 9.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 24.2 minutes per game. His career numbers through 238 contests are 5.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.0 APG, with a slash line of .414/.316/.735.

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