2021 February | Hoops Rumors

Jarrett Allen, Kendrick Nunn Meet Starter Criteria

February 16th, 2021 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen and Heat guard Kendrick Nunn both met the starter criteria as a result of being included in their respective teams’ starting lineups on Monday night.

The starter criteria applies to players who will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end. Typically, a player is required to start a total of 82 games during the two seasons prior to his free agency to meet the criteria, but that threshold has been adjusted and varies from player to player this year, since each of the last two NBA seasons have been shortened.

Based on the number of games their teams played prior to the hiatus last season, Allen needed a total of 68 starts over two seasons (not counting the summer bubble), while Nunn required 69. Allen had 58 pre-hiatus starts last season and recorded his 10th of this season on Monday, while Nunn had 62 last season and now has seven this year.

In order to make a player a restricted free agent, a team must issue him a qualifying offer, which is essentially a guaranteed one-year contract offer that gives the team the right of first refusal on a rival offer sheet. Meeting the starter criteria makes a player eligible for a larger qualifying offer than he would have been if he’d fallen short of that criteria.

By meeting the starter criteria, Allen boosts the value of his qualifying offer from $5,661,538 to $7,705,447, while Nunn’s QO increases from $2,122,822 to $4,736,102, the same figure that applies to his teammate Duncan Robinson.

Of course, a team has the option of forgoing a qualifying offer and making a player an unrestricted free agent rather than an RFA, but that seems unlikely to happen for Nunn and extremely unlikely for Allen, who is expected to be Cleveland’s long-term center.

Allen and Nunn are the fourth and fifth RFAs-to-be to meet the starter criteria this season, joining Robinson, Lonzo Ball, and Devonte’ Graham. Barring an injury or another unexpected development, Hawks big man John Collins, who needs just two more starts, will be the next to reach that threshold.

Ryan Broekhoff Signs With Australian Team

February 15th, 2021 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Mavericks wing Ryan Broekhoff has returned to his home country to resume his career. Broekhoff has signed with the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw tweets.

Broekhoff spent most of the last two seasons with the Mavericks, averaging 4.0 PPG in 10.7 MPG over 59 career games. He was waived last February when Dallas signed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

The 30-year-old signed with the Sixers prior to the summer restart but bowed out after his wife contracted the coronavirus. He participated in Philadelphia’s training camp prior to this season but was released in mid-December.

Broekhoff spent the first few years of his career with Besiktas in Turkey and Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia.

Community Shootaround: Griffin, Drummond

February 15th, 2021 at 9:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Just two years ago, Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond were the stars on a Pistons team that made the playoffs.

Griffin carried Detroit that season, averaging 24.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 5.4 APG, while his frontcourt partner averaged 17.3 PPG and a league-best 15.6 RPG.

Their careers remain on a parallel course but in a different way – both players have mutually agreed with their teams to sit out until a trade or a buyout can be arranged.

Griffin’s presence on the roster became an awkward situation for the Pistons, who are in full rebuild mode. Ideally, they’ll find a playoff contender willing to take Griffin off their hands. It will be an extremely tough sell, considering Griffin has lost his explosion after multiple knee surgeries and his max contract runs through next season, including a $39MM player option.

Most likely, the Pistons and Griffin will agree to a buyout and allow Griffin to hook onto a team that needs help at power forward.

Detroit practically gave Drummond away to the Cavaliers last season, rather than risk having him opt it and hamstring its rebuilding efforts.

Drummond will be headed to unrestricted free agency this offseason, making him somewhat easier to trade than Griffin.

When Cleveland acquired Jarrett Allen in the James Harden multi-team blockbuster, the four-time rebounding champion became a very expendable part. The key will be matching up salaries comparable to the $28.75MM that Drummond is making this season.

That brings us to our topic of the day: Where do you think Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond will wind up playing the remainder of the season?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in. We look forward to your input.

Cavs Notes: Drummond, Trade Partners, Defense, Love

February 15th, 2021 at 8:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers would prefer not to take bad contracts with multiple years remaining in a potential Andre Drummond deal. However, they’re open-minded to that possibility if an asset is included that would justify a restricted future cap, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The front office would otherwise like to protect cap space with extensions for Collin Sexton and Jarrett Allen on the horizon.

Cleveland has received calls on Drummond, as well as Allen and JaVale McGee, but it is not interested in dealing Allen. Fedor explores potential trade partners for Drummond and what those deals could include.

We have more on the Cavaliers:

Spencer Davies of Basketball News also speculates where Drummond, an impending unrestricted free agent after the season, could be dealt. The Raptors, Mavericks, Knicks and Kings could be among the teams in the mix if a trade is completed, while the Nets would be the front-runner if Drummond winds up on the buyout market.
Drummond didn’t play on Sunday, but that didn’t solve any problems as the Cavaliers lost for the ninth time in 10 games. They were overwhelmed by a Clippers team playing without stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, demonstrating that the team’s issues go far deeper than Drummond, Fedor writes. The Cavs’ overall effort has been lacking, especially at the defensive end. “I think defensively we need to be better,” Cedi Osman said. “I mean, it’s just not enough, especially against these types of teams. We have to play harder.”
Kevin Love has been making progress from the right calf strain that has kept him out since December 27 and coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the team could desperately use his veteran presence and scoring prowess, Fedor notes in a separate story. “There’s times in games when you can see ‘This is where Kevin would help us’ or ‘This is where he would help settle us in. I know right now he’d get a foul because we’re in the bonus.’ There’s those moments where you see,” Bickerstaff said.

Sixers Seeking Point Guard Depth

February 15th, 2021 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers are in the market for a point guard, with the Pistons’ Delon Wright and Thunder‘s George Hill among the players the team has inquired about, Jason Dumas of Bleacher Report tweets.

The current options behind Ben Simmons include combo guards Shake Milton (currently dealing with an ankle sprain) and rookie Tyrese Maxey. Another point guard option would allow the team to have multiple ball-handlers on the floor for extended stretches.

Wright has played well for the rebuilding Pistons, who acquired him in a trade with Dallas during the offseason. He began the season as their starting shooting guard, then slid over to the point when rookie Killian Hayes injured his hip. Wright is averaging 10.4 PPG, 4.9 APG, 4.7 RPG and 1.4 SPG in 29.1 MPG. He’s making $9MM this season and $8.5MM next season in the final year of his contract.

Philadelphia’s interest in Hill is a little more surprising, considering that he’s expected to miss at least the remainder of this month after undergoing a surgical procedure on his right thumb. He’s started 14 games this season for the Thunder, averaging 11.8 PPG and 3.1 APG. What would make Hill more attractive from a trading standpoint is that his $10MM salary for next season is only guaranteed for approximately $1.28MM.

Projected Top-10 Pick Jalen Johnson Cuts College Season Short

February 15th, 2021 at 6:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

6:52pm: Johnson has declared for the 2021 draft, according to a Duke University release.

5:55pm: Duke freshman forward and projected lottery pick Jalen Johnson has opted out for the remainder of the college basketball season, Jacob Polacheck and Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com report.

The 6’9” Johnson is currently ranked No. 6 on ESPN’s Best Available list for this year’s draft and is the top-ranked small forward. ESPN’s Mike Schmitz writes that Johnson has an impressive combination of strength and explosiveness, and is an extremely versatile defender.

The one-and-done prospect has appeared in 13 games this season, including eight starts, with averages of 11.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.2 BPG and 1.2 SPG in 21.4 MPG. He missed three games with a foot injury.

Johnson cleaned out his locker on Monday morning, according to ZagsBlog’s sources. Duke’s unusually ordinary season — the Blue Devils are 8-8 overall — and Johnson’s declining minutes may have contributed to his decision.

Johnson had a monster game against Pittsburgh last month — 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks — but his playing time had dropped dramatically in recent games. He played only 15 minutes against Notre Dame on Tuesday and eight minutes against North Carolina State on Saturday.

Anthony Davis Out At Least 2-3 Weeks Due To Calf Strain

February 15th, 2021 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

5:00pm: Davis did not have a rupture in his right Achilles tendon, according to a team press release. Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter) that today’s MRI did confirm a re-aggravation of Davis’ Achilles tendinosis in addition to his calf strain.

3:53pm: After undergoing an MRI, Davis has been diagnosed with a right calf strain and will be re-evaluated in two or three weeks, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Woj adds (via Twitter) that the Lakers and Davis will take a conservative approach to his return, which could happen after the All-Star break.

8:32am: After missing two games last week due to right Achilles tendinosis, Lakers star Anthony Davis aggravated that issue during Sunday’s loss to the Nuggets when he bumped legs with Nikola Jokic, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

Davis, who was forced to leave the game early, was diagnosed with a right Achilles strain and will undergo an MRI on Monday after the Lakers arrive in Minnesota for Tuesday’s game against the Wolves, according to the team. The 27-year-old said he felt “completely fine” earlier in the day on Sunday, but is now waiting on further testing to confirm the diagnosis and to get a sense of his return timeline.

“I mean, you kind of learn a lot from the MRI, so kind of just waiting on that,” Davis said on Sunday night, per McMenamin. “Obviously, the doctors don’t want to rule out anything and then it’s something, or say it’s something, then it’s not. But they say everything looks good, but you still want the MRI just to make sure.”

We’ll have to wait for an official update from the Lakers following that MRI, but one expert who spoke to Jovan Buha of The Athletic speculated that the club may play it safe by giving Davis “multiple weeks” to fully recover. The Lakers’ big man sounds hopeful he’ll be back sooner than that, but acknowledged that a cautious approach is the right one with any Achilles issue.

“I do put a lot of pressure on myself to go out there and play. If I feel I can go out there and play, I will, Davis said. “… But this one is a little different that I definitely have to be smart with. I don’t want to go out there and try to play and risk it for the long term. So, all that is inclusive of what the MRI shows. Knock on wood, it’s great information — and I’ll be out there sooner than later.”

Kyle Kuzma figures to be first in line for an increased role if Davis misses time.

NBA To Resume Play March 10 After All-Star Break

February 15th, 2021 at 4:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA schedule will resume on March 10 after the All-Star break, one day earlier than originally planned, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.

Games on that date will likely includes teams that have few or no All-Stars, giving the clubs with more All-Star players an extra day or two to prepare for the second half of the season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. As previously reported, all players must return to their home markets two days prior to their team’s first post-All-Star break contest (Twitter links).

The league is trying to squeeze in the remainder of the regular season games prior to the postseason, which is slated to begin on May 18 with the new Play-in Tournament. Resuming play the Wednesday after the All-Star break could help the league reach that goal. The Spurs-Pistons postponement this Tuesday is the 24th this season due to COVID-19, as we noted earlier today.

Earlier this month, the NBA and Players Association reached an agreement to hold an All-Star Game in Atlanta on March 7. The usual skills competitions will also be held but they will occur on the same day as the game. The 3-point event and Skills Challenge will be held prior to the game and the dunk contest will take place at halftime, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Western Notes: J. Smith, Pelicans, Thomas, Azubuike

February 15th, 2021 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With no minutes available for rookie big man Jalen Smith in the Suns‘ rotation, the team has opted to send him to the G League. The Northern Arizona Suns aren’t in action this season, so Smith will join the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, Los Angeles’ affiliate, via the flexible-assignment rule, as the Clippers announced today.

Smith, who dealt with COVID-19 earlier in the season, has appeared in just eight games for the Suns so far, logging 50 total minutes. While the Clippers’ affiliate won’t necessarily showcase him like Phoenix’s own affiliate would, 2020’s No. 10 overall pick should still see regular playing time during his NBAGL assignment.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Following a four-game winning streak, the Pelicans have now dropped three consecutive contests, all to sub-.500 teams. The slump has head coach Stan Van Gundy considering changes to the team’s rotation, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “I think now we have to take a look at who we’re playing and how many minutes and what rotations and figure out if there is a way that we can play better defense,” Van Gundy said. “But, I’m being honest with you, I don’t know how many of our guys really have a defensive mentality.”
After being waived by the Rockets on Friday, Brodric Thomas has joined Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Twitter link). The Rockets promoted Ray Spalding from the Vipers’ roster to fill Thomas’ two-way contract slot, so the two players essentially swapped places.
Jazz rookie Udoka Azubuike suffered a severe right ankle sprain during the first game of the Salt Lake City Stars’ season in the G League bubble last week and will be sidelined indefinitely, as Sarah Todd of The Deseret News writes.

Magic Sign Chasson Randle To Two-Way Contract

February 15th, 2021 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

3:40pm: The Magic have officially signed Randle and waived Mason, the team announced in a press release.

12:24pm: The Magic intend to sign free agent guard Chasson Randle to a two-way contract, according to Josh Robbins and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Randle, who made his NBA debut in 2017, has appeared in 78 total games since then for the Sixers, Knicks, Wizards, and Warriors, averaging 5.3 PPG and 1.7 APG in 13.9 minutes per contest. He was on a 10-day contract with Golden State last March when the season was suspended, but didn’t catch on with a new NBA team for the summer restart or for the start of the 2020/21 campaign.

Randle has been playing in the G League bubble this month for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s affiliate. In two games (26.3 MPG), he has averaged 20.0 PPG on .556/.375/.667 shooting.

The Magic have been hit hard by injuries at the point guard position this season. After losing Markelle Fultz for the season with a torn ACL, the team recently saw Cole Anthony go down with a shoulder strain and Frank Mason suffer a strained groin. Michael Carter-Williams just returned on Friday after missing over a month due to a foot sprain and is the only healthy point guard on the roster for the time being, so Randle could get an opportunity to earn minutes immediately.

Mason currently occupies one of the Magic’s two-way contract slots and is the likeliest candidate to be cut to make room for Randle, according to Robbins. Karim Mane is Orlando’s other two-way player.

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