2017 July | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Monroe, Terry, LaVine, Bradley, Mirotic

July 15th, 2017 at 10:48am CST by marksuleymanov

Greg Monroe‘s name has been prevalent in trade rumors the last 12 months and not much has changed. The former seventh overall pick from the 2010 NBA Draft is still a productive asset but his lack of rim protection partnered with his sizeable salary ($17.8MM next season) make him an expendable player for the Bucks.

Before the Bucks faced the Jazz for Summer League action in Las Vegas Friday, Monroe told reporters, including Gery Woelfel of Woelfel’s Press Box, that he’s thrilled to be in Milwaukee and doesn’t want to go elsewhere.

“I’m happy,” Monroe, 27, said.“I had no reason to leave. I want to build on what we started last year. I’d like to stay but that’s up to them.”

Coming off the bench last season, Monroe averaged 11.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and shot 53% from the floor in 22.5 minutes per game. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s new extension kicks in and Tony Snell (four years, $46MM) will take up a big chunk of the Bucks’ payroll so shedding Monroe’s salary remains an enticing proposition.

Here are additional notes around the Central Division:

Free agent Jason Terry is drawing interest around the league, Woelfel notes in the same article. The 39-year-old was a solid veteran presence for the Bucks last season but his return to Milwaukee is not certain. Woelfel adds that a Western Conference squad is weighing an offer to the former NBA champion.
After trading Marcus Morris to acquire Avery Bradley from the Celtics, the Pistons have high expectations from their new acquisition, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. Coach Stan Van Gundy expressed his excitement with Bradley joining the team while the Celtics’ second leading scorer last season is ready to maximize his skills under Van Gundy’s tutelage and alongside players like Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond.
Nikola Mirotic wants to remain with the Bulls and the feeling is mutual, Joe Cowley of he Chicago Sun-Times writes. While Chicago has undergone several changes — most notably trading away Jimmy Butler — the restricted free agent and the team are just waiting it out before likely agreeing to a deal. Mirotic also discusses Butler’s exit and his plans for the future.
One of the Bulls’ newest acquisitions, Zach LaVine, is expected to be ready for training camp as he rehabs from knee surgery, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears tweets.

Bulls Sign Antonio Blakeney To Two-Way Deal

July 15th, 2017 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 15: Blakeney’s contract is a two-year pact, per Sean Highkin of The Athletic (via Twitter). Two-way contracts can be for either one or two years.

JULY 14: The Bulls have finalized their first two-way contract, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed Antonio Blakeney to one of their two-way spots. Chicago has one more opening to add another two-way player.

Two-way contracts, which were introduced Collective Bargaining Agreement, allow NBA teams to keep two extra players under club control without counting them as part of the typical 15-man roster. Those players will essentially be on G League contracts, but they’ll be paid more than the average G League player, and rival NBA teams won’t be able to sign them away from their current team. We go into more details on two-way contracts in our glossary entry on the subject.

Blakeney, who declared for the draft after his sophomore season at LSU, was considered a top-100 prospect by DraftExpress, but went undrafted last month. The 6’4″ guard caught on with the Bulls for Summer League and has made a strong impression in Las Vegas, averaging 16.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG in four Summer League games.

In his final year at LSU, Blakeney averaged 17.2 PPG and 4.8 RPG with a .511/.358/.724 shooting line for the season.

Kings Sign Second-Rounder Frank Mason

July 15th, 2017 at 9:16am CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 15: Mason signed a three-year deal with the Kings, according to Keith Smith of RealGM (via Twitter). Mason’s deal is believed to be fully guaranteed for 2017/18 and he will likely hit restricted free agency in 2020.

JULY 13: The Kings have signed Frank Mason, according to the team’s website. Sacramento has remaining cap room, so Mason may receive more than just a two-year deal, and it’s possible that it will be worth more than the minimum salary.

Mason spent four seasons at Kansas where he played in 145 games and averaged 13.0 points per contest. He was named the AP National Player of the Year during his senior season after leading his team to a 31-5 record while averaging 20.9 points and 5.2 assists per contest.

Sacramento selected the point guard with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2017 draft. He is one of four prospects drafted by the team.

Timberwolves Pursuing Backcourt Depth

July 14th, 2017 at 10:52pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Timberwolves have arguably been the most active and become the most improved team this offseason. And the team appears far from done as Minnesota is pursuing depth at both the point and shooting guard positions, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter).

Scotto mentions Aaron Brooks, Anthony Morrow, and Alan Anderson as players currently on the Timberwolves’ radar. None of those veterans played a huge role for their respective teams during the 2016/17 season, but all bring a track record of prior success.

To this point, the Timberwolves have added Jimmy Butler, Jamal Crawford, Taj Gibson, and Jeff Teague to a core that already featured Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. At this juncture, the team’s focus will be to add depth and veteran leadership. Tyus Jones is the only other perimeter player on the Timberwolves’ roster, so the team figures to be active in this market.

With no real cap space left and the room exception ticketed for Crawford, Minnesota’s aforementioned targets can only sign for the veteran’s minimum.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Nets, Raptors

July 14th, 2017 at 9:41pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Knicks have, at least for now, pulled Carmelo Anthony from the trading block and are not actively shopping their All-Star scorer. If the Knicks really wanted to trade Anthony, the team could have sent him to the Rockets if taking Ryan Anderson‘s contract in return was not a hurdle. As Frank Isola of the New York Daily News writes, dealing Anthony for a player who does less on the court and guaranteed more money the next three years is not a wise move.

Anthony, 33, has two years, $54MM left on his deal whereas Anderson, 29, has three years, $61MM left. Reports have suggested the Knicks are seeking a third, possibly fourth, team to complete a deal. After naming Steve Mills president and acquiring Scott Perry from the Kings to be the team’s new general manager, it’s clear that New York is going in a new direction. Owner James Dolan said as much in a statement regarding the team’s new hire.

“Today marks a culture change for our organization where we reestablish the pride, work ethic and responsibility that comes with playing for the Knicks and representing New York,” Dolan said (via ESPN). “I’m confident that Steve is the right person to take on this role, and ensure that we return to one of the elite teams of the NBA. He’s got an ambitious plan that centers on building a young team focused on player development, communication and teamwork.”

The Knicks still have an abundance of options with Anthony: They can hold onto Anthony and hope he plays well and trade him midseason if the team is out of contention; keep pursuing trades until the team finds a good fit; and, less ideally, buyout Anthony for cap relief. It’s a complicated situation for all and Anthony, with his no-trade clause and trade kicker, has all the power.

Here are additional notes around the Atlantic Division:

The Nets have 10 guards in their organization and acquiring additional size this offseason remains a priority, per Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Kerber mentions Shabazz Muhammad and JaMychal Green as possible targets for Brooklyn as the team continues its search for upgrades in the frontcourt.
One of the newest Nets, DeMarre Carroll, tells Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun that he expected a trade this offseason. In the candid interview, Caroll discussed why he did not fit into the Raptors’ offense the way he imagined and why it became frustrating playing for the team.

Clippers Remain Engaged On Several Free Agents

July 14th, 2017 at 8:19pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Clippers have had a busy offseason thus far and the team remains active with at least two players from last season’s roster. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter) first noted that Los Angeles has been engaged with Luc Mbah a Moute and Los Angeles Times scribe Brad Turner (via Twitter) added that in addition to Mbah a Moute, the Clippers are interested in retaining Marreese Speights.

While there is interest, Wojnarowski noted that the Clippers’ financial constraints would make a deal difficult and Turner added that no deal is close.

Mbah a Moute, 30, played in 80 games (76 starts) last season while averaging 6.1 PPG and 2.1 RPG. As for Speights, the 29-year-old appeared in all 82 games for Los Angeles and the NBA champion provided his usual solid production with 8.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG.

After losing Chris Paul to the Rockets, the Clippers spent significant money on sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari (three years, $63MM), international superstar Milos Teodosic (two years, $12.3MM), and re-signing Blake Griffin (five years, $173MM). While the team restocked its roster in the sign-and-trade sending Paul to Houston, Speights and Mbah a Moute were two key pieces of last year’s team on both sides of the floor.

Los Angeles has no cap space left as the team used its bi-annual exception last year and used up most of their mid-level exception on Teodosic and Jawun Evans. With approximately $1.5MM left on their MLE, the Clippers’ best chance of retaining Mbah a Moute/Speights would be on deals worth the veteran’s minimum.

Thunder Notes: George, Roberson, Christon

July 14th, 2017 at 7:26pm CST by marksuleymanov

The arrival of Paul George has signaled a renewed intrigue around the Thunder organization. Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook once again has a superstar partner as Oklahoma City chases an NBA title. The vacancy left by Kevin Durant has been filled temporarily but George teased being a permanent staple for the club.

As Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman writes, George spoke at his introductory presser about the possibility of remaining with the Thunder beyond the 2017/18 campaign if his first season goes smoothly.

“I could come here and love it, as I have been loving it here,” George said. “Both myself and Russell, if we love where we’re at and we feel we can do something special here, I’m open to it.”

George and his new teammate Westbrook could both hit free agency next season. The California native George is expected to pursue joining the Lakers at some point — despite claiming his interest is overstated — and the former UCLA product Westbrook could follow him there. However, George teasing another dynamic duo in Oklahoma City less than two years after Durant left the city for greener pastures may be a cruel tease of what may never occur.

Below are additional notes surrounding the Thunder:

While it was clear that George was on the trading block, he was surprised to see himself land with the Thunder, ESPN’s Royce Young writes. While team’s such as the Cavaliers, Rockets, Lakers, and others were mentioned as possible destinations, George noted that joining Westbrook made the trade worthwhile.
In other George news, Young, in a separate piece for ESPN, and Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated, both wrote up compelling features on George’s first day in Oklahoma City.
After signing a three-year, $30MM with the Thunder, Andre Roberson is happy to be back with the team. While he possibly missed out on more money by signing an offer sheet elsewhere as a restricted free agent, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes that Roberson realizes sacrifice comes with being in a special place.
The Thunder and Semaj Christon have agreed to move 2014 second round pick’s guarantee date back to the end of training camp, per Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript (via Twitter).

Raptors Waive Justin Hamilton

July 14th, 2017 at 5:37pm CST by Austin Kent

JULY 14: The Raptors have officially waived Hamilton, per the NBA’s official transactions log.

JULY 9: The Raptors will waive newly acquired center Justin Hamilton and stretch the remainder of his contract, Brian Windhorst of ESPN tweets.

Hamilton and his $3MM 2017/18 deal were acquired from the Nets in the trade that sent DeMarre Carroll to Brooklyn.

Per Bobby Marks of ESPN, the cap hit will be stretched into $1MM over each of the next three seasons. This, he adds, puts the Raptors $2.5MM below the luxury tax line.

Pacers Waive Georges Niang

July 14th, 2017 at 5:25pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Pacers have officially waived 6’8″ forward Georges Niang, according to Adrian Wojnarowksi of ESPN (via Twitter).

The Iowa State product and 50th overall pick in last year’s draft appeared in 23 games with Indiana last season and averaged just 0.9 PPG and 0.7 RPG.

The 24-year-old’s $1.3MM salary for 2017/18 season would have become guaranteed tomorrow if the Pacers kept him on the roster, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks mentioned. Instead, the Pacers will incur a $100,000 cap hit and their room will increase to $5.7MM. Additionally, Marks added that Indiana now has 13 guaranteed contracts for 2017/18, including second round pick Ike Anigbogu.

Bulls Claim David Nwaba Off Waivers From Lakers

July 14th, 2017 at 4:29pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Bulls have claimed shooting guard David Nwaba off waivers from the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). The Lakers waived Nwaba on Wednesday as a precursor to completing a deal with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

The 24-year-old Nwaba made his NBA debut with the Lakers in 2016/17 and earned himself a permanent roster spot after a strong showing following two 10-day contracts. While Los Angeles picked up Nwaba’s option for 2017/18, his salary remained non-guaranteed, giving the team the flexibility to create additional cap space.

Nwaba posted solid numbers in his 20-game cameo with the Lakers, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 19.8 minutes per game. The Lakers were intrigued by Nwaba’s development and defensive capabilities but understood he would likely be claimed off waivers, per Charania’s report.

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