2018 December | Hoops Rumors

Kent Bazemore To Miss At Least Two Weeks

December 31st, 2018 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

A prime trade candidate will be sidelined to start the new year, as Kent Bazemore has been diagnosed with a right ankle sprain, according to a press release issued by the Hawks. The team’s announcement indicates that Bazemore will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks.

Bazemore’s absence from Atlanta’s lineup shouldn’t have any real impact on the Eastern Conference playoff race, since the 11-24 Hawks aren’t in contention for a top-eight spot in the East. However, it could affect the team’s spot in the NBA’s reverse standings.

Currently, Atlanta has the fifth-worst record in the NBA, which would give the club a 10.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the spring. The Hawks have also been playing without Taurean Prince, another key swingman dealing with a sprained ankle of his own, so Bazemore’s injury will leave them especially short-handed.

Bazemore had been enjoying one of his most productive seasons so far in 2018/19, averaging a career-high 14.0 PPG to go along with 4.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 1.7 SPG. He has been inconsistent from beyond the arc in 2018/19 (32.7%), but came into the year as a 36.0% career three-point shooter.

Bazemore’s ability to make three-pointers and play solid perimeter defense has made him a potential trade target for teams in need of help on the wing. The Rockets and Pelicans have been cited most frequently as possible suitors for the 29-year-old, with a recent report suggesting that Houston has had trade discussions about him.

Still, this ankle injury may compromise the Hawks’ ability to shop Bazemore for at least the next couple weeks. His contract also makes it somewhat challenging to find a viable deal — he has a $18MM+ cap hit this season, followed by a $19.27MM player option for 2019/20.

Warriors Decline To Match Cavs’ Offer Sheet For Patrick McCaw

December 30th, 2018 at 11:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have opted not to match the Cavaliers‘ offer sheet for Patrick McCaw, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter). Golden State had until the end of the day on Sunday to formally make a decision on McCaw, who inked a two-year, $6MM deal with Cleveland on Friday.

Reports surfaced over the weekend suggesting that the Warriors were leaning against matching McCaw’s offer sheet, since they were unsure how he’d fit back into the locker room after a lengthy holdout. The club also likes the idea of keeping its 15th roster spot open to retain flexibility going forward. Plus, matching McCaw’s offer sheet and keeping him for the season would have increased the Dubs’ projected tax bill by over $11MM.

McCaw, who has been 2018’s only unsigned restricted free agent for the past few months, had a promising rookie season for Golden State in 2016/17, but took a step backward last season. In 57 games (16.9 MPG), the former UNLV standout averaged 4.0 PPG on .409/.238/.765 shooting.

Despite his struggles in 2017/18, the Warriors issued McCaw a qualifying offer, then reportedly proposed a two-year, $5.2MM contract, with a non-guaranteed second year. Unsatisfied with that offer, McCaw held out for nearly the entire first half of the regular season as he sought a deal with another team. The Cavaliers stepped up and became that team this week.

Cleveland topped Golden State’s offer by signing McCaw to a two-year, $6MM offer sheet. While the Cavs’ deal is fully non-guaranteed, McCaw only has to remain under contract beyond January 7 to lock in his 2018/19 salary. If he’s waived on or before that date, his salary won’t become guaranteed, but he’ll be on track to become an unrestricted free agent, so it’s a win-win scenario for the 23-year-old.

The Cavaliers’ plan for McCaw remains unclear, but they currently have the NBA’s worst record (8-29) and are in the process of stockpiling young talent after carrying a veteran-heavy roster in recent years. McCaw could end up being an intriguing addition to a group of young players that includes Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Larry Nance, and Ante Zizic.

Cleveland won’t have to make a corresponding roster move to finalize McCaw’s signing, since the club had been carrying an open spot on its 15-man roster. The Cavs’ roster is now full, and the team still has a little breathing room below the luxury tax line.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: Pelicans’ Playoff Chances

December 30th, 2018 at 9:26pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

Coming off of a strong 48-win season and Western Conference Semifinals appearance, the Pelicans were widely expected to build on that success with a roster that, while flawed, played to the team’s strengths and style of play. Adding Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle around the core of Jrue Holiday, Nikola Mirotic and Anthony Davis appeared to be solid moves on the surface, but injuries and poor play in close games have plagued the Pelicans so far.

The Pelicans currently sit at 16-21, good for 14th in the Western Conference. Payton has only played in six games so far, while Mirotic has missed significant time with an ankle injury, appearing in just 25 games. While Holiday, Davis and Randle have stayed healthy, the team’s lack of point guard and wing options have hampered their play.

What’s more troubling is that the Pelicans are 6-14 in clutch games, with an 87.2 offensive rating and 110.1 defensive rating in such situations. Their -22.9 net rating in the clutch is 29th in the league, behind only the Cavaliers. This is in stark contrast to last season, when the Pelicans went 30-20 in clutch games while posting a +8.2 net rating.

While many consider Davis to be an MVP candidate, he can only do so much with this current roster, despite having Holiday and Randle alongside him. The Pelicans have been one of the best offensive teams in the league (they currently own the league’s fourth ranked offense), but have been plagued by their 26th-ranked defense.

With that being said, the Pelicans are still just four games out of the playoff picture at the moment, with the surprising Kings holding down the eighth seed. There is certainly time for the Pelicans to turn things around just enough to squeeze into the playoffs, especially if they can stay healthy and/or make a trade to bolster the team’s depth in the backcourt or on the wing.

How do you feel about the Pelicans’ playoff chances? Vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments section!

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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/30/18

December 30th, 2018 at 7:56pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Hornets announced on Twitter that Dwayne Bacon has been assigned to their G League affiliate in Greensboro. Bacon has appeared in 17 games for the Hornets this season, averaging 5.5 points per game.
The Rockets have recalled Brandon Knight from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Rockets are thin in the backcourt as a result of injuries to Chris Paul and Eric Gordon.
The Hawks have assigned rookie forward Omari Spellman to the Erie Bayhawks and have also transferred Alex Poythress to the Bayhawks, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Lakers have recalled Svi Mykhailiuk, Moritz Wagner and Isaac Bonga from the South Bay Lakers, according to a tweet from the team’s G League affiliate.
The Warriors have assigned rookie wing Jacob Evans to their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, according to a tweet and press release from the team’s PR department.

Warriors Likely To Decline McCaw’s Offer Sheet

December 30th, 2018 at 6:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 30, 6:58pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN has confirmed previous reports and expectations that the Warriors are not planning to match the two-year deal for McCaw. The team officially has until 11:59 pm ET tonight to decide, but currently has no plans to do so, according to Wojnarowski.

DECEMBER 29, 6:23pm: The Warriors haven’t indicated how they plan to respond to Patrick McCaw‘s offer sheet, but a pair of writers who cover the team believe they won’t match the two-year deal from the Cavaliers.

Sources tell Anthony Slater of The Athletic that Golden State is “strongly leaning” toward refusing to match and letting the third-year shooting guard go to Cleveland. The Warriors kept a roster spot open for McCaw throughout his unexpectedly long holdout, but they have developed a more pressing need at center. With Damian Jones injured, the team’s top priority is finding another big man, according to Slater, with Robin Lopez the number one candidate if he negotiates a buyout in Chicago.

Alfonzo McKinnie has performed well in McCaw’s absence and seems likely to be kept on the roster as his contract becomes fully guaranteed next month. Slater states that Warriors owner Joe Lacob is unhappy about how McCaw handled the situation. Lacob paid $2.4MM to the Bucks two years ago to acquire the draft pick that was used to select him.

Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News believes the front office made its decision on McCaw a long time ago. There was limited contact with the 23-year-old after he turned down a $1.7MM qualifying offer and a subsequent two-year, $5.2MM deal.

“The whole thing has been surprising. We anticipated Pat would be part of our rotation this year,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It just didn’t happen, for whatever reason. We’ll see what happens. Obviously we have a decision to make.”

There are also concerns, both writers note, about bringing McCaw back into a locker room environment where he might not be fully welcome. The Warriors opted not to renounce him in case he became a trade asset, but they’re reached a point where a decision must be made.

Golden State must settle on its next step by tomorrow night — 48 hours after McCaw officially signed the offer sheet. The deal promises him $6MM over two years, although neither season is guaranteed. Contracts throughout the league become fully guaranteed on January 10, so whichever team winds up with McCaw would have to waive him by January 7 — a little more than a week from now — to avoid paying him $3MM for this year.

Because of the luxury tax, it would cost the Warriors more than $11MM to keep McCaw on the roster. He wouldn’t be eligible to be traded until the offseason if the offer sheet is matched.

Pacific Notes: Oubre, Shumpert, Lakers

December 30th, 2018 at 6:11pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

After getting off to a very rough start, the Suns have started to turn things around, winning five of their past nine games. The recent success is mainly a result of strong play from their two franchise cornerstones Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, but Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype writes that Kelly Oubre‘s positive impact shouldn’t be overlooked.

As Kennedy points out, Oubre is averaging 14.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 threes and 1.0 blocks per game, while shooting 47.4 percent from three-point range since joining the Suns several weeks ago. Ayton and Booker have loved the energy and “swag” that Oubre has brought to the team and perhaps more importantly, Oubre fits with the team’s timeline as they continue on a rebuilding path.

The Suns are still evaluating what they have in some of their young players, but it’s safe to say that the team continues to show more promise as Booker and Ayton lead the way on a nightly basis.

There’s more from the Pacific division:

An afterthought when acquired back in February, Iman Shumpert has taken up a leadership role with the Kings this season as his play has improved. Jason Jones of The Athletic details the valuable presence that Shumpert has had for this young Kings team.
As a result of recent struggles in the face of LeBron James‘ injury, is it better for the Lakers to stay patient or make a win-now move? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tackles this challenging question.
Speaking of those struggles, Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register details the Lakers‘ inability to close out games with James not playing. A recent buzzer-beating loss to the Kings and fourth quarter unraveling against the Clippers highlighted the room for growth for the Lakers’ young core.

Central Notes: Bulls, Thompson, Pistons, Carter

December 30th, 2018 at 5:02pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

As the Bulls continue to navigate their way through the early stages of a rebuild, their core players have struggled most of the time they have been on the floor together. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes that the core of Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen look confused when sharing the floor together and at this point, still have more questions than answers.

A big reason for this confusion is the injuries that have plagued each player. In fact, Cowley points out that the three players have only played in 15 games together, despite joining together after the Jimmy Butler trade in June 2017.

The Bulls have since added Wendell Carter to the mix and have changed coaches, which will surely continue to create confusion among their growing core. Of course, as the rebuild continues, there will be more faces added to the mix to compliment this core.

There’s more from the Central division:

Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson played a key role during Collin Sexton‘s recent stretch of promising play, but has missed the past ten games due to a foot injury. As Chris Fedor points out, Sexton has struggled in recent weeks without his pick-and-roll partner alongside him.
After their blowout loss to the Pacers, Rod Beard of The Detroit News reveals that the Pistons held a team meeting last week, with coach Dwane Casey and some of the team’s veterans sharing some positive words about how it went.
Wendell Carter has continued to prove he belongs in the league, providing energy and hustle plays on both ends of the floor. Sam Smith of the Bulls team website writes about how Carter is focusing on growing and learning each time he steps on the court.

Atlantic Notes: Hollis-Jefferson, Embiid, Smart, Burke

December 30th, 2018 at 3:56pm CST by JD Shaw

Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson suffered another groin injury on Saturday, but the severity of the issue isn’t worse than his strained right adductor from this past summer, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.

Hollis-Jefferson sustained the injury as the team played Milwaukee, with the 23-year-old heading to the locker room for examination and being ruled out of the game early.

“Yeah,” he said, “I felt a little strange feeling on a crossover going baseline. It just felt weird to me so I just wanted to be cautious and talk to our training staff, see what was going on.”

Hollis-Jefferson missed the entire preseason following his adductor injury on Aug. 4, making his debut nearly 12 weeks after the injury on Oct. 24. News of his Saturday’s injury not being worse than the problem in August comes as a relief for Brooklyn, a team already playing without talented wing Caris LeVert.

Hollis-Jefferson has started in 19 of 34 games this season, averaging 9.9 points per contest while playing his usual stellar defense. He’ll undergo further examination on Sunday with hopes of making a return in the near future.

“You know where your groin is, so I knew it was my groin,” Hollis-Jefferson said, according to Lewis. “But I’m no doctor, so I didn’t know “Oh, it’s this severe” or whatever the case may be. I knew it was my groin. A little sore. But we’ll go see [Sunday], check and see how it feels, how everything is.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division today:

Sixers All-Star Joel Embiid is quietly building a case for Defensive Player of the Year this season, Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com writes. Philadelphia sports an impressive 101.9 defensive rating when Embiid is on the court, turning into a different team when he’s protecting the rim. “I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say it again, he is the Defensive Player of the Year,” coach Brett Brown said. “When I look at our metrics, his impact on this team is overwhelming.”
Before the Celtics‘ game against the Rockets last week, coaches from both teams praised Marcus Smart for the intensity he brings on defense. Smart notched 11 points, three assists and a steal in the game, defending players such as James Harden and Eric Gordon. “Just his ability to stick his nose into everything and stamina, strength, and then being willing to do all the dirty work,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said of Smart, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “He’s one of the better defenders in the league. He’s like P.J. [Tucker] for us. They do what’s needed. And some people have noses for the ball, situations they can think they’re way out of defensively. He does that.”
Knicks guard Trey Burke has regained his love for basketball while playing in New York, Eric Woodyard of the Deseret News writes. Burke started his career with the Jazz, a tumultuous time period he still reflects on today. “I’ve had to figure the league out,” Burke said. “I think individually it helped me kind of look myself in the mirror and re-evaluate what I needed to get better at and the areas I needed to grow in.”

Weekly Mailbag: 12/24/18 – 12/30/18

December 30th, 2018 at 1:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.

Where do you think Anthony Davis gets traded to after reports floated of Danny Ainge trying to trade for him, offering Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and LeBron James spotted having dinner with AD, Celtics or Lakers? — Greg Dizon

Trading Davis remains a last resort for the Pelicans and it will only happen if he turns down an extension this summer. But if he does become available, the Celtics and Lakers will both be ready to lavish New Orleans in riches to obtain his rights. Boston may have four first-rounders in this year’s draft, and L.A. has been building up young talent for several seasons. The Pelicans will want to make the best deal possible, but Davis’ decision to sign with Rich Paul, LeBron’s agent, offers a major clue to how things will play out. James and Paul wield a lot of power, and they won’t hesitate to throw it around to make Davis a Laker.

Do the Grizzlies make a move before the trade deadline? Who goes or who comes in? — David Day II, via Twitter

Memphis tried to get involved in the deal that sent Trevor Ariza from Phoenix to Washington and attempted to sign Austin Rivers after his buyout with the Suns, so there’s reason to believe the front office will continue to be active. There was a report last month that the Grizzlies contacted the Knicks about Frank Ntilikina, so the organization seems to believe it needs at least one more productive guard. Like a lot of teams, Memphis could be buyers or sellers by the February 7 deadline. Who goes and who stays will depend on what shape the playoff race takes over the next month.

Patrick McCaw‘s decision to hold out with such little leverage always seemed odd. Will it pay off with the offer from Cleveland? — J.B., via Twitter

Whether the Warriors elect to match or not, there is no guaranteed money in McCaw’s deal, at least for another week. The Cavaliers are giving him two non-guaranteed years at $6MM, but all NBA contracts guarantee for the rest of the year on January 10 and teams have to waive players to avoid that by January 7. So it looks like McCaw will receive $3MM this year, with a chance to earn another $3MM in 2019/20. That’s much better than the $1.7MM qualifying offer he turned down, and assuming he isn’t released, it beats the Warriors’ best offer of $5.2MM over two seasons with one year guaranteed. If McCaw winds up in Cleveland, he will get a chance to prove himself with a young team and set up a larger payday later on.

Nuggets Waive Nick Young

December 30th, 2018 at 12:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets have parted ways with veteran guard Nick Young, the team announced in a tweet.

Young signed in Denver 20 days ago shortly after the team was granted a hardship exception. He appeared in four games, averaging 2.3 PPG in 9.3 minutes per night.

The hardship exception expires when a sufficient number of players return from injury, and the Nuggets are starting to get healthy, notes Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports (Twitter link). Paul Millsap came back last night, and Gary Harris and Will Barton are expected to return soon.

Denver has a full roster with 15 players plus both two-way slots filled. Young, who had a non-guaranteed contract, understood the situation and was professional during his time with the team, Dempsey adds (Twitter link). The Nuggets will incur a $311,070 cap hit for Young, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

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