Month: November 2024

Cavaliers To Sign Austin Daye

September 23rd, 2015 at 5:38pm CST by Eddie Scarito

5:38pm: Daye’s contract will be non-guaranteed, international journalist David Pick tweets.

5:34pm: The Cavaliers have reached an agreement on a contract with unrestricted free agent small forward Austin Daye, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). It will be a one-year deal, though it is unclear if the arrangement includes any guaranteed salary, Charania adds. It’ll have to be for the minimum salary, since that’s all the Cavs can give. Cleveland’s roster count will increase to 17 players with the addition of Daye, including 13 with fully guaranteed pacts. This number does not include restricted free agent Tristan Thompson, who remains unsigned.

Daye, 27, had been waived by the Hawks back in July in an effort to clear cap space. His salary was non-guaranteed, but the move cleared his $1,185,784 cap hold from Atlanta’s books, which it required to re-sign of Paul Millsap and trade for Tiago Splitter. Atlanta originally signed Daye to a pair of 10-day contracts during the 2014/15 campaign before inking him to a deal that covered the rest of the season as well as added an additional non-guaranteed year. Daye recently hired agent Obrad Fimic of the AltiSport agency to negotiate deals in Europe.

The former 15th overall pick didn’t see much action while with the Hawks, appearing in only eight regular season games for an average of 9.5 minutes per contest. He didn’t make it in to any of Atlanta’s playoff games. Daye’s career numbers through 293 NBA contests are 5.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists to accompany a slash line of .402/.351/.778.

Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag

September 23rd, 2015 at 4:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In addition to our regular weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted every Saturday.

Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.

If you missed out on any past mailbags and would like to catch up, you can view the full archives here.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Wolves, Anthony Bennett Reach Buyout Deal

September 23rd, 2015 at 4:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:09pm: The buyout is official and Bennett has been placed on waivers, the team announced. “In speaking with Anthony and his representatives over the past few days, we came to the conclusion that this was the best outcome for both parties,” Timberwolves GM Milt Newton said in the team’s official statement. “When you look at our team, our deepest position is probably power forward. This move balances out our roster while also allowing Anthony another opportunity in the NBA. He has a lot of talent and his play this summer internationally made this a difficult decision for us. During his short time here Anthony has carried himself with class and represented the franchise in a very professional manner. We thank him for his positive attitude and wish him the best of luck in future endeavors.”

WEDNESDAY, 10:29am: Bennett agreed to have his salary cut to $3.65MM in the deal, which the Timberwolves are finalizing, sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter links). Minnesota won’t be responsible for even the reduced figure if another team picks him up off waivers, but the Wolves haven’t been expecting that to happen, Krawczynski adds (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 11:12am: The Timberwolves and Anthony Bennett have reached agreement on a buyout, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Minnesota will waive the 2013 No. 1 overall pick shortly, Charania adds. The move will resolve a roster dilemma, since Minnesota has been carrying 16 players with fully guaranteed contracts, one more than the regular season roster limit. Without Bennett, the Wolves will have 15 full guarantees plus a partial guarantee for Lorenzo Brown and the non-guaranteed pacts of Kleon Penn and Nick Wiggins.

Bennett has been in line for a guaranteed $5,803,560 this season, with a decision due by the end of November 2nd on a team option worth more than $7.318MM for 2016/17. It’s unclear how much the Excel Sports Management client is giving up, but he wanted the buyout so he could have an opportunity to control the next step in his career, according to Charania (Twitter link), while Bennett’s reps have been eager for a buyout so that he can see more playing time elsewhere, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote Monday. Wojnarowski first reported at that point that Bennett and the Wolves were making progress toward a buyout deal.

The 22-year-old Bennett showed improvement last season after a disastrous rookie year, and he looked strong playing for the Canadian national team this summer. However, his path to minutes was complicated in Minnesota, where 2015 top pick Karl-Anthony Towns, 2014 15th overall pick Adreian Payne and reigning Euroleague MVP Nemanja Bjelica are all competing for playing time in the frontcourt along with Gorgui Dieng, Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Garnett. Andrew Wiggins, Tayshaun Prince, Shabazz Muhammad and Damjan Rudez clog the way to playing time at small forward.

Who do you think a buyout will benefit more, Bennett or the Timberwolves? Leave a comment to let us know.

Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript

September 23rd, 2015 at 4:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:03pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: The first NBA training camps start Saturday, while the rest begin Tuesday, and with them, a new set of decisions face NBA teams. The Timberwolves solved a roster dilemma early with their decision to accept a buyout from Anthony Bennett, sparking interest from a trio of teams eyeing the former No. 1 overall pick. An extension deadline looms for Harrison Barnes and the Warriors, and it looks like they’ll need more than $16MM to get a deal done. October 1st is the last day for Tristan Thompson to accept his qualifying offer if he’s to do so, as he and the Cavs remain far apart in negotiations over a number of options.

We can talk about all of this and more in today’s chat. Click here to join!

Grizzlies To Sign Ryan Hollins

September 23rd, 2015 at 2:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:28pm: It’s expected to be a one-year deal, Spears adds in a full story. That means the Grizzlies will only be responsible for $947,276 of the $1,362,897 Hollins would make if he sticks for the season, with the league covering the rest.

2:20pm: The contract will be non-guaranteed, a source tells Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).

1:32pm: The Grizzlies and Ryan Hollins have agreed to a deal, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The Warriors, Clippers and Kings reportedly spoke with the center’s representatives last month, but apparently it’s Memphis instead where he’ll end up, with training camp set to begin this coming Tuesday. An overseas deal for fellow Todd Ramasar client Chris Singleton, who had reportedly been in touch with the Clippers around the same time L.A’s Hollins talks took place, provided a hint earlier today that a Hollins signing might be forthcoming. It’s not immediately clear whether the Grizzlies are including any guaranteed money in the pact, though it’s certain that the contract will be for the minimum salary, since that’s all Memphis can give.

Hollins, who turns 31 next month, has found consistent work as a backup center over his nine-year NBA career, and he spent last season with Sacramento. The Pelicans and Mavericks were reportedly interested in him earlier this summer. The Grizzlies spend plenty of time with two big men on the floor, and with combo forward Jarell Martin, this year’s 25th overall pick, out indefinitely with a broken foot, Hollins reinforces the team’s depth behind Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and mid-level signee Brandan Wright.

Memphis has 14 fully guaranteed pacts, a partial guarantee for power forward JaMychal Green, and three non-guaranteed deals, as our roster count shows. Point guard Andrew Harrison, whom the Grizzlies picked 44th overall, remains unsigned, as former Nets executive Bobby Marks points out (on Twitter).

Do you think Hollins will help the Grizzlies this year? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Dwight Buycks To Play In China

September 23rd, 2015 at 1:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1:29pm: Buycks has signed with Fujian, Pick hears (Twitter link). That team featured Al Harrington, John Lucas III and DJ White last season.

SEPTEMBER 7TH, 9:59am: Former Raptors and Lakers point guard Dwight Buycks has turned down multiple non-guaranteed offers from NBA teams to agree to play in China instead, a source tells international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The Lakers apparently had interest in re-signing him earlier this summer, as Pick reported in June. It’s unclear which Chinese team Buycks will be joining, nor is it known how much he’ll make.

Buycks was a late addition to the Lakers this past season, signing a 10-day contract in early April. He saw a decent chunk of playing time for the injury-hit purple-and-gold and averaged 8.7 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 turnovers in 20.5 minutes per game across six appearances, but the broken hand he suffered on the final night of his 10-day deal scuttled the team’s plan to sign him for at least the rest of the season. The 26-year-old managed only 0.5 PPG in 10.5 MPG for the Lakers summer league squad in July.

His lack of summer league success was surprising, given his track record in that venue. Buycks averaged 19.7 PPG in 29.9 MPG for the summer Raptors in July 2014, a year after Toronto had signed him to a deal that gave him a guaranteed salary for his rookie season. However, he saw action in only 14 games for the Raptors in that 2013/14 season, and the team waived him last July in spite of his strong summer performance.

The Chris Patrick client is no stranger to turning down NBA offers to go overseas. He reportedly did so last summer to sign with Valencia of Spain, though he and the club parted ways early last season as NBA teams showed renewed interest. Buycks also saw action with China’s Tianjin Steel and the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.

Do you think Buycks belongs in the NBA? Leave a comment to share your opinion.

And-Ones: Durant, DeRozan, Warriors, Bennett

September 23rd, 2015 at 1:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kevin Durant is fully cleared for training camp, Thunder GM Sam Presti said, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Thus, the former MVP is ready for the start of a pivotal season for the Thunder, who’ll surely do what they can to prove their worth as a contender before Durant can bolt in free agency next summer, and for Durant himself, who’s out to prove he can stay healthy after a broken foot cost him all but 27 games this past season. While we wait for action to begin in a 2015/16 campaign sure to include plenty of chatter about Durant’s future, see more from around the NBA:

It’s certainly no shock, but GM Masai Ujiri conceded that DeMar DeRozan won’t be talking about an extension with the team this season in advance of his ability to opt out next summer, as Ujiri said this week on SportsNet’s Free Association podcast. The Aaron Goodwin client becomes eligible for an extension on October 31st, three years from the day that he inked a rookie scale extension with Toronto, but unlike those sorts of extensions, veteran extensions come with sharp financial limits that discourage players from signing them.
The Warriors don’t have much cap flexibility, but their existing roster and superior management team, which includes Executive of the Year Bob Myers, has them atop the ESPN Insiders Future Power Rankings, which rate teams based on their potential for success over the next three seasons.
Former 15th overall pick Austin Daye has hired agent Obrad Fimic of the AltiSport agency to negotiate deals in Europe, Fimic announced (on Twitter). The Hawks waived Daye in July, but no indication of NBA interest has emerged since.
The Timberwolves didn’t provide Anthony Bennett with the tools to succeed on the court, as Flip Saunders‘ lack of enthusiasm for three-pointers encouraged the former No. 1 overall pick to launch too many long twos, one of myriad problems with Bennett’s game, opines Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. Still, Bennett deserves blame for many of his shortcomings, too, and he’ll need to show improvement just to carve out a niche as a reserve stretch four, Golliver believes.

Top Bloggers: Akis Yerocostas On The Kings

September 23rd, 2015 at 12:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Anyone can have a blog about an NBA team, but some set themselves apart from the rest with the dedication and valuable insight they bring to their craft. We’ll be sharing some knowledge from these dialed-in writers on Hoops Rumors in a new feature called Top Bloggers. As with The Beat, our ongoing series of interviews with NBA beat writers, it’s part of an effort to bring Hoops Rumors readers ever closer to the pulse of the teams they follow. Last time, we spoke with Seth Rosenthal of SB Nation’s Posting & Toasting. Click here to see the entire Top Bloggers series.

Next up is Akis Yerocostas, editor of SB Nation’s Sactown Royalty. You can follow Akis on Twitter at @Aykis16 and click here to check out his stories. You can also follow Sactown Royalty at @sactownroyalty.

Hoops Rumors: Is the relationship between George Karl and DeMarcus Cousins going to work out for the long haul? They seem to have smoothed out their differences, but will that last?

Akis Yerocostas: That’s the big question right now isn’t it? I’d like to pretend that I knew this answer but I don’t. In my opinion however, everything is going to be just fine IF the Kings can start winning some games. They say winning cures all ills, and DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t experienced a winning season since coming to the NBA. Cousins wants to win games, Karl wants to win games. That seems like a common goal that they can work with.

Hoops Rumors: The Kings have experienced so much tumult over the past few years, from nearly moving out of town to all the coaching changes to the Cousins trade rumors. Do you think the organization, from Vivek Ranadive on down, is committed to finally establishing some stability?

Akis Yerocostas: I think so. Vlade Divac is now fully in charge of this team and there seems to finally be a clear command structure in place. Before Vivek hired Vlade, there was no real understanding of who was actually running the basketball side of things. Was it Pete D’Alessandro, Chris Mullin, Vivek himself or one of the other numerous voices in the room? Vlade has made it clear this summer that this is his team to run and that he will be the final decision maker. Divac’s demeanor and candor have been refreshing for fans who had grown tired of hearing a lot of talk and not much to back it up. There’s not much B.S. with Vlade around and that’s a good sign for the future.

Hoops Rumors: How much better off would the Kings had been if they had signed Wesley Matthews or Monta Ellis, whom they were reportedly targeting, instead of splitting their cap space between Rajon Rondo, Kosta Koufos and Marco Belinelli?

Akis Yerocostas: I’m actually a bit happier that the Kings missed out on those two bigger names. While I would have loved to have a player of Matthews’ caliber on the team, the fact that he’s coming off of a major injury makes me a little squeamish about offering him what would have been the second biggest contract on the team. Ellis would have been a smaller financial commitment, but I’ve never been a fan of his fit on a team that already features two heavy usage scorers in DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. The Kings were instead able to use that money to acquire some solid depth at key positions. Rajon Rondo might not be the Rondo of old anymore, but he’s still a top-tier playmaker and is only locked down for one year (meaning the Kings can cut ties pretty easily if things don’t work out). Koufos was probably one of the best bench bigs in the league last season and will bring a real defensive presence in the middle, and Belinelli brings the kind of shooting the Kings have been lacking for years. I don’t know if the Kings would have been able to add as much depth if they had signed Matthews or Ellis.

Hoops Rumors: Was the trade that opened up that cap space — sending Nik Stauskas, Jason Thompson, Carl Landry and a first-round pick to the Sixers — worthwhile for Sacramento?

Akis Yerocostas: The easy answer is that it’s too soon to tell. It will definitely become clearer down the road. The Kings made a big bet on themselves with this trade and so far I think it’s looking OK for them. They were able to use that cap space to make some nice value signings and replace players that hadn’t been very productive for the team. It can all go wrong of course, if the Kings continue to play poorly, or if Nik Stauskas becomes a very good player, but the Kings felt they needed to make a big move to shake things up and this was definitely a big move. Perhaps it would have been more prudent to wait and take a longer-term approach, but the Kings are nearing a full decade of missing the playoffs, they have a young, disgruntled star that they want to keep around for a long time, and they need to have some excitement around a team that is heading into a new arena in 2016. It’s not that hard to see why the Kings made such a bold and aggressive move.

Hoops Rumors: In the age of small ball, does it strike you as odd that the Kings are making moves that suggest they’ll have Cousins playing a lot more power forward?

Akis Yerocostas: Not necessarily. While I do think Cousins will play a lot more power forward this year, I think we’ll still see plenty of smaller lineups from the Kings. The lineup that George Karl used the most down the stretch of last season featured Omri Casspi and Rudy Gay at the three and four, respectively. Kosta Koufos is also the only really traditional big man the Kings brought in this season. Willie Cauley-Stein is athletic enough that I think he can eventually cover some of the NBA’s more perimeter-oriented frontcourt players. I expect that the Kings will play a fast-paced game and also feature guys like Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison on the court at the same time. They’ll also have the option to play a bigger, more traditional lineup depending on the matchup, which is a nice luxury to have.

Hoops Rumors: What are realistic expectations for how the Kings will fare this season?

Akis Yerocostas: I think the only realistic expectation we can have with the Kings this year is that they will be better than they have been in a long time. The real question is to see how much better. Given how tough the Western Conference is, I find it hard to predict them making the playoffs. I would like to see them at least in contention for a playoff spot past the All-Star break. That would be a huge improvement for this team and a good building block going forward.

No. 48 Pick Dakari Johnson To Play In D-League

September 23rd, 2015 at 11:42am CST by Chuck Myron

Former Kentucky center Dakari Johnson will sign with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, GM Sam Presti said today to media, including Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Oklahoma City drafted the 7-footer 48th overall this past June, though it’s no surprise that he’s not joining the NBA roster for the start of the season, particularly since the Thunder already have 15 fully guaranteed deals. Oklahoma City retains Johnson’s NBA rights even as he heads to the D-League.

Johnson was the 33rd-best prospect on Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings heading into the draft, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him 45th, closer to his draft position. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game, though he had to compete for playing time with top pick Karl-Anthony Towns and No. 6 selection Willie Cauley-Stein, among others, on last season’s stacked Kentucky team. Johnson, a Leon Rose client, saw more playing time in summer league, with 26.7 MPG, and while his 7.6 PPG were unremarkable, his 8.6 RPG showed his strength on the boards.

Oklahoma City has made frequent use of its D-League team to stash draft picks in recent years. The Thunder struck an innovative deal with Josh Huestis in 2014, agreeing to use the 29th overall pick on him in exchange for his promise to play in the D-League this past season. The team also had 2013 No. 40 pick Grant Jerrett and 2014 No. 55 pick Semaj Christon sign in the D-League.

Do you think Johnson will become a productive NBA player once he receives his shot in the league? Leave a comment to tell us.

Pelicans Officially Sign Three For Camp

September 23rd, 2015 at 11:14am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pelicans have formally signed Jeff Adrien, Chris Douglas-Roberts and New Zealand prospect Corey Webster, the team announced. The moves, which had been expected, give New Orleans 18 players with training camp set to begin this coming Tuesday.

Adrien is receiving a one-year deal for the minimum after splitting last season between the Timberwolves and China. The 29-year-old power forward again drew interest from Minnesota this summer, as well as from the Magic, Mavs, Timberwolves, Knicks, Hornets and Sixers, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported when he first broke the story of the deal and its details. It remains unclear just how much, if any, of Adrien’s salary will be guaranteed.

Douglas-Roberts, 28, returns to the NBA on a two-year minimum salary deal after sitting out since January, when the Celtics waived him following the trade that sent him to Boston from the Clippers. Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported the deal between the Pelicans and the 28-year-old, while John Reid of The Times Picayune added that it’s non-guaranteed.

Webster, a 26-year-old who attended college in the U.S. at the former Lambuth University in Tennessee, spent last season playing in Serbia as well as his native New Zealand. Marc Hinton of stuff.co.nz first revealed the shooting guard’s three-year, non-guaranteed deal. It’s not clear if Webster signed for any more than the equivalent of the rookie minimum salary, though the length of the contract dictates that the team used a portion of its mid-level exception.

Only 13 Pelicans are known to have fully guaranteed contracts, ostensibly giving Adrien, Douglas-Roberts and Webster decent chances of sticking for opening night. Bryce Dejean-Jones and Sean Kilpatrick are headed to camp without full guarantees in their deals.

Load More Posts