Month: November 2024

Wizards Notes: Gafford, Bryant, Beal, Dinwiddie

August 29th, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Daniel Gafford had the best stretch of his brief career after being traded to the Wizards in March and he’s spending the summer trying to upgrade his low-post moves, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. With a compressed schedule caused by an early-season outbreak of COVID-19, Washington went weeks without practicing, so Gafford had to save the tweaks to his game for the offseason.

Used as a backup center after being acquired from the Bulls, Gafford averaged 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 23 games. He may take over the starting role this season and wants to become more of a scoring threat.

“I’m really just focusing on if I get the ball down in the post, working on my face-up game,” Gafford said. “Shooting the ball more, just trying to be more of a threat on the floor when I’m out there, during the times that I get on the floor.”

There’s more from Washington:

Injured center Thomas Bryant may be ready to return early in the upcoming season, relays Bijan Todd of NBC Sports Washington. Bryant is working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in January, and his agent, Todd Ramasar, provided an encouraging update this week on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “He’s doing great. He’s right on track in terms of his recovery,” Ramasar said. “If I’m guestimating in talking to his trainers, he’s probably going to make a return towards the end of this (calendar 2021) year, or let’s say, the beginning of the regular season.”
Bradley Beal is already a nightmare for opposing defenses and he’s working to expand his game even further, Hughes adds in a separate story. Beal hopes to become more effective on longer three-point shots to put pressure on the defense as soon as he crosses half court. “Deeper threes. I’m not trying to compete with (Damian Lillard), I’m not Logo Lillard. But I want to shoot deeper threes and shoot more threes,” Beal said. “You know I need to shoot more threes. You probably say it all the time. And, obviously, make them. I have to make them.”
Beal has been teaming with new backcourt partner Spencer Dinwiddie in pickup games hosted by skills trainer Drew Hanlen, according to Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports.

Southwest Notes: Tate, Hernangomez, Hayes, Pelicans

August 29th, 2021 at 10:40am CST by Arthur Hill

Jae’Sean Tate wants to reward the Rockets‘ faith in him after they decided to guarantee his contract for the upcoming season, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26. Tate, who played two years overseas before coming to the NBA, will make about $1.52MM.

Tate was an All-Rookie First Team selection, averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 70 games. He quickly established himself as a starter and was one of the few bright spots in a difficult season for Houston. The Rockets will have a $1.78MM team option on Tate for 2022/23.

“I’ve been working really hard this summer and my whole goal is just to prove (general manager) Rafael (Stone), (executive) Patrick and (owner) Tillman (Fertitta) right,” Tate said. “That they did the right thing guaranteeing those contracts. I think that’ll show this year.” (Twitter link)

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

It doesn’t appear that Juan Hernangomez, who was acquired from the Timberwolves this week, will have a future with the Grizzlies. ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweeted on Saturday that Hernangomez wasn’t asked to report to the team or take a physical, just like Rajon Rondo, who is now a free agent after reaching a buyout agreement with Memphis. Hernangomez has two years and $14.3MM left on his contract, although the final year doesn’t become guaranteed until June 20, 2022, notes Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Body camera footage has been released from the arrest of Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes in Los Angeles last month, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Hayes had an altercation with police after the incident, which he said stemmed from a fight with a girlfriend. He was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and charged with resisting arrest.
The Pelicans received $1.2MM in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Lonzo Ball to the Bulls, tweets Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

Lakers Notes: Rondo, Thomas, Jordan, Handy

August 29th, 2021 at 9:16am CST by Arthur Hill

Rajon Rondo appears likely to join the Lakers after he clears waivers on Monday, even though the team can only offer a veteran’s minimum contract, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Rondo reached a buyout agreement on Saturday with the Grizzlies, who apparently never had any intention of keeping the veteran guard after acquiring him from the Clippers two weeks ago. Details on the buyout haven’t been made available, but he was set to make a base salary of $7.5MM in the final season of a two-year contract.

Rondo is reportedly eager to return to L.A. and rejoin the franchise where he won an NBA title in 2019/20. The Lakers are over the salary cap and already used their taxpayer mid-level exception to add former Heat guard Kendrick Nunn.

Rondo would be the fifth former Laker to return to the team this offseason, McMenamin notes, joining Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore.

There’s more from Los Angeles:

The Lakers were “strongly considering” adding Isaiah Thomas to their roster, but Rondo’s buyout has “clearly changed things,” tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Thomas worked out for the team earlier this month, along with Darren Collison and Mike James, and is hoping to find a way back to the NBA after playing just three games for the Pelicans last season.
Center DeAndre Jordan could be a candidate for the Lakers if he agrees to a buyout with the Nets, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne suggested on a recent appearance on the “Mason & Ireland” show (hat tip to Dan Feldman of NBC Sports). Shelburne speculates that any move won’t happen until midseason, although a report this week stated that Jordan may not be with Brooklyn when training camps open September 28. The veteran center, who played the first 10 seasons of his career with the cross-town Clippers, is owed nearly $20MM over the next two years.
Appearing on Sirius XM NBA Radio, assistant coach Phil Handy cautioned that there’s still a lot of work to do after the offseason talent upgrade (hat tip to Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation). “Paper doesn’t win championships for us,” Handy said. “Those names that are on that paper, are some phenomenal names. … We gotta do our work and make sure we gel. Do we fit? These guys, they gotta figure out ways to play with each other and sacrifice, and let their names take over.”

Knicks Notes: Gibson, Redick, Randle, Rookies

August 28th, 2021 at 8:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Taj Gibson talked to several teams in free agency and some offered more money than the Knicks, but he preferred to stay in New York with coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Owen O’Brien of Newsday. Gibson re-signed for $10.1MM over two years with a team option on the second season.

“It was real frustrating, but it was a good frustrating,” Gibson said of the free agency experience. “But at the same time, I knew I made the right decision. Money doesn’t move me, I just wanted to be a Knick.”

Keeping Gibson was part of a busy offseason for New York, which added Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier in addition to re-signing several key parts of last season’s 41-31 team. Gibson said the Knicks look “really stacked” and he’s looking forward to resuming his role as one of their veteran leaders.

“They know I’m always willing and ready to play, but right now I’m just happy to be the vet on the team,” he said. “The guy that comes in and works out hard every day — but always capable — and I’m having a good time being with these young guys every day and just trying to build a culture.”

There’s more from New York:

Free agent guard J.J. Redick, who is rumored to have interest in joining the Knicks or Nets, doesn’t expect to be with a team when training camps open next month, relays Jenna Lemoncelli of The New York Post. Redick, who prefers to play close to his family in Brooklyn, talked about the situation on his “Old Man and the Three” podcast. “We’ll make a decision on next season — what team, what city, etc. — probably sometime in the next two or three months,” Redick said. “… But, you know, I would say, pretty much definitively, like, I won’t be in a training camp to start the season. That’s not gonna happen.”
Now that Julius Randle has a four-year extension in place, he wants to do everything he can to build a championship team, including serving as a recruiter in free agency, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. The Knicks had more than $50MM in cap space this summer, but didn’t land any top-tier free agents, spending most of that money to keep their own players. “I told them if they need me to help, I’ll definitely get involved,” Randle said. “At the end of the day, winning is all that matters. My biggest goal is to win a championship here in New York. Whatever I can help to make that happen, to bring a championship to the city, they need me to help and get a player, I’m confident we’re doing that for sure.”
Randle paid close attention to the Summer League team and said Thibodeau loves the work ethic displayed by rookies Miles McBride, Quentin Grimes and Jericho Sims, Berman adds. “When I saw those guys, man, they’re competitive and they’re skilled,” Randle said. “Those guys sound like they’re going to get in and add to our core guys.”

Lauri Markkanen Happy To Get “Fresh Start” In Cleveland

August 28th, 2021 at 7:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lauri Markkanen had been hoping free agency would bring a new opportunity and now he has it in Cleveland, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Markkanen got the contract he was looking for — $67MM over four seasons — from the Cavaliers, who officially completed a three-team trade earlier today.

“I don’t think I’ve hit close to my ceiling yet,” Markkanen said after the deal was announced. “… The last couple years have been mentally pretty tough. I’ve grown as a person because of that, so I wouldn’t change it. I’ve learned a lot. But I just felt like I need to get back to the old me and how I know I can play the game. I think this is a good opportunity for me to do that.

“I’m happy. I’m really excited and looking forward. We kind of felt like I needed a fresh start. And I appreciate all the people who were involved to help facilitate it and make it happen.”

Markkanen once appeared to part of the foundation for a rebuilding Bulls team. He was included in the return when Chicago traded Jimmy Butler to Minnesota, and he earned first-team All-Rookie honors in 2018 after averaging 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. However, his next three seasons were filled with injuries that limited him to 52, 50 and 51 games.

Markkanen, who turned down an extension offer before the season began, ended his stay in Chicago coming off the bench regularly for the first time in his career. After the Bulls acquired centers Nikola Vučević and Daniel Theis at the trade deadline, coach Billy Donovan opted for a bigger, more rugged starting lineup.

“I think obviously I’m most disappointed we didn’t make the postseason one time when I was there. We tried our best obviously. That’s what we’re paid to do. It didn’t work out,” Markkanen said. “I think I had good moments as a player, and I had some inconsistencies. But I’m looking ahead.”

Markkanen is entering another rebuilding situation with the Cavaliers, who went 22-50 last season and landed the third overall pick in the draft. At age 24, he will be one of the more experienced players in an organization filled with young talent. Markkanen will likely move back into a starting role in Cleveland, and he believes he’s joining the franchise at a good time.

“I think I fit in well — young core, exciting point guards. I’m looking forward to playing with those big guys in the frontcourt. They’re all young, talented guys. I think we can grow together,” Markkanen said. “And I can’t wait to learn from a player like Kevin Love. Just learn aspects of the game from him and the mentality of the game, how he approaches it. I’m looking forward to that as well.”

Trail Blazers Notes: Markkanen, Nance, McCollum

August 28th, 2021 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Trail Blazers were hoping to acquire Lauri Markkanen directly from the Bulls, but weren’t willing to part with the draft picks that Chicago wanted, sources tell K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Instead, they became a third team involved with the trade that sent the restricted free agent to Cleveland.

Portland offered Derrick Jones Jr. and a lottery-protected first-rounder, which it gave up in the three-team version of the trade, but balked when the Bulls asked for an extra second-round pick. Johnson explains that Chicago is trying to restock its draft capital after giving up three first-rounders in recent deals involving Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan. The Bulls may also lose picks if they are found guilty of tampering in an investigation regarding Lonzo Ball.

There’s more from Portland:

Larry Nance Jr. shared his thoughts about leaving the Cavaliers in a first-person piece on Cleveland.com. Nance says he asked Cleveland general manager Koby Altman to send him to a contender if he could work out a deal that would benefit the team as well. “Going to Portland is something that I am extremely excited about,” Nance wrote. “This is a team that has seen the biggest stages and is hungry for more, and I’m thrilled that they believe I can help them climb higher. This opportunity is one that I’m very ready to take advantage of and I have the Cavs to thank for preparing me for it.”
Adding Nance makes the Trail Blazers the winner of the three-team deal, contends Nekias Duncan of Basketball News. Duncan calls Nance “destructive” as a help-side defender and says he will help the offense as a screener and cutter.
In an appearance on J.J. Redick‘s “Old Man and the Three” podcast, CJ McCollum says he feels like he let down backcourt partner Damian Lillard in Game 5 of the playoff series with the Nuggets (hat tip to Marlow Ferguson Jr. of Blazer’s Edge). Lillard had 55 points and 10 assists, but Portland still lost in double overtime. “I have a full summer understanding what we went through, understanding how I performed at the beginning of the season, middle and the end, and I know how I need to perform for us to have success,” McCollum said. “Obviously, I want to win a championship. I have dreams, goals, aspirations, that’s the priority. But for any of that to happen, I need to be the best version of myself, and I have to be a version of myself that most of the world hasn’t seen. You talk about that irrational confidence again, and it’s still here.”

Cavaliers Acquire Lauri Markkanen In Three-Team Sign-And-Trade

August 28th, 2021 at 5:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 28: The trade is official, the Cavaliers announced in a press release.

“We are extremely fortunate as an organization to be in a position to acquire another young and talented player with the skill-set of Lauri Markkanen,” said Cleveland general manager Koby Altman. “He has the proven ability to play multiple positions and stretch the floor from the perimeter and, at 24-years-old, we believe his best basketball is in front of him. We are committed to establishing a winning culture in Cleveland that can be sustained over time and Lauri helps elevate that description.”

AUGUST 27: The Cavaliers will acquire Lauri Markkanen from the Bulls in a sign-and-trade deal that also includes the Trail Blazers, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Portland will receive Larry Nance Jr. in the deal, according to Wojnarowski, and will send Derrick Jones Jr. and a 2022 protected first-round pick to Chicago. The Bulls will also get a Nuggets 2023 second-rounder from Cleveland.

The trade ends a long wait for Markkanen, who had been looking for a new team since free agency began on August 2. He will receive a four-year, $67MM contract from the Cavs, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link), and the Bulls get the first-round pick they were seeking in return for the 24-year-old restricted free agent. That pick from Portland will be lottery protected through 2028, Woj adds (via Twitter), and will become a second-round selection if it’s not conveyed before then.

Markkanen’s four-year contract is valued at $18MM in the final season, but only carries a $6MM guarantee, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

The deal leaves the Cavs $4.7MM under the luxury tax with 14 players under contract, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The Blazers are $1.3MM above the tax threshold with 13 players signed and will likely be $3MM over once they add a league-mandated 14th player. The Bulls are $6.4MM under the tax and $11.8MM below the hard cap with 13 guaranteed contracts, Marks adds (Twitter link).

Markkanen’s outgoing salary only counts as $7.79MM, rather than the full amount, due to base year compensation rules, Marks notes (via Twitter). Chicago had hoped to get a player in the $9-10MM range, which it did by acquiring Jones. Markkenen’s incoming salary from the Cavs’ perspective will be the full amount of $15.58MM.

Markkanen fell out of Chicago’s starting lineup last season for the first time in his four years in the NBA and played a career-low 25.8 minutes per night. His averages of 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game were all the worst of his career.

He had been hoping for a “fresh start” and will get it in Cleveland, where he will likely be the new starting power forward. The trade allows the Cavs to solidify a position of need and gives rookie big man Evan Mobley more time to develop.

Nance, 28, is under contract for two more year at $10.69MM and $9.67MM. He averaged 9.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season and will bring a defensive presence to Portland’s front line. New coach Chauncey Billups has spoken repeatedly about the need to upgrade the team’s defense.

Jones, 24, has an expiring $9.72MM contract for the upcoming season. He averaged 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 58 games last season and adds another versatile forward to Chicago’s rotation.

Community Shootaround: Paul Millsap And J.J. Redick

August 28th, 2021 at 4:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

As the dust settles on another free agency/trade market, there are two names conspicuously absent from rosters: J.J. Redick and Paul Millsap.

Redick’s absence is understandable, as he was vocally disappointed with how he was treated by the Pelicans, who traded him mid-season to the Mavericks in the midst of Redick’s least product year since the 2008/09 season. Redick has been clear on his desire to take his time, enjoy the summer with his family, and not make a decision until at least the fall.

Redick was also limited in the 2020/21 season by a heel injury that kept him out of the Mavericks’ playoff run and bothered him throughout much of the season. Teams interested in his service will be sure to do their due diligence on how his recovery has gone, and whether that will be a lingering issue.

Millsap’s lengthy free agency is a little more surprising. Though the 36-year-old forward is clearly slowing down a bit in recent years, he was still an important part of the Nuggets’ success over the last four seasons, as a versatile team defender who shot over 37% from three in his Denver tenure.

With defense and shooting a premium commodity from the power forward spot, Millsap’s skill set would be very useful to a number of contending teams, or teams looking to make the push into contention. In previous reporting, Millsap has been linked to the Warriors, Timberwolves, Hawks, Nets, Pelicans, and Sixers, which leads to an interesting philosophical question for the veteran.

If Millsap were to go to a team like the Timberwolves, he would likely play a relatively large amount of minutes, as second-year defensive standout Jaden McDaniels, Jake Layman and current RFA Jarred Vanderbilt are the only forwards on the team’s roster. He could join a young team desperate to start winning, and provide an ideal counterpart to the elite shooting of Karl-Anthony Towns.

But his lack of rush in signing a deal also points to a potential desire to do more than get minutes for a likely middling team. With the Warriors, Millsap could fill a role very similar to the one Blake Griffin provided for the Nets last season, and, depending on the growth and health of last year’s number two overall pick James Wiseman, could possibly even start alongside Draymond Green. Millsap’s IQ, defensive versatility and shooting prowess would make him an ideal fit in Golden State’s system, and helping Stephen Curry and the Warriors regain their contender status could hold a lot of appeal for a player who has only won two career Conference Finals games.

The Warriors still have their taxpayer mid-level exception, meaning they could offer up to $5.9MM to Millsap, though the tax bill from doing so would be immense.

With the Bucks, Millsap could provide a similar role. After losing P.J. Tucker to the Heat, the Bucks remain very shallow in the frontcourt, with Bobby Portis and raw second-year player Mamadi Diakite as the team’s only depth. Millsap could provide a similar role to Tucker, but as more of a threat from deep.

Meanwhile, the Nets are generally considered the most likely landing spot for Redick, who lives in Brooklyn already and loves New York. There have even been rumblings that Redick might consider retirement if he doesn’t land with the Nets or Knicks. But between Kyrie Irving, Patty Mills, James Harden, Joe Harris, and this year’s first-round pick Cameron Thomas, the Nets are already overflowing with hot-shooting guards who are defensive question marks, and it’s unclear what kind of role Redick would command.

The Knicks, who have also been mentioned as a team Redick could be interested in, have a similar guard log-jam, with Evan Fournier, second-year standout Immanuel Quickley, Alec Burks, and first-round pick Quentin Grimes all likely to see time at the shooting guard position.

So that brings us to the question of the day: Which teams will Redick and Millsap end up with? And will they sign before the season, or after the season’s already underway?

Take to the comments to let us know!

Rajon Rondo Bought Out By Grizzlies, Likely To Join Lakers

August 28th, 2021 at 3:45pm CST by Eli Cohen

Rajon Rondo and the Grizzlies have agreed to a contract buyout, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). Rondo was traded to Memphis in a three-way deal that sent Eric Bledsoe to the Clippers.

According to Charania (via Twitter), the 35-year-old two-time NBA champion could be on his way back to Los Angeles, though not to the Clippers. Charania reports that the Lakers are the frontrunner to sign Rondo. If the point guard does return to the Lakers, it would be his third season with the team — he won a title with the team in the 2020 bubble.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) confirms the Lakers’ interest. Rondo will clear waivers on Monday, and Wojnarowski says he will likely be signed into one of the Lakers’ final roster spots.

While the Lakers did an impressive job filling out their roster following the trade for Russell Westbrook, the backup point guard spot was one notable hole. Rondo was unable to replicate his success with the Lakers in this year’s playoffs run with the Clippers, but should provide a solid, competent play-maker off the bench, especially as young guards Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn are both more likely to see time at the shooting guard spot.

Bobby Marks of ESPN adds (via Twitter) that Rondo was never asked to report to the Grizzlies or take a physical, calling it as sure a sign as you can get that a subsequent move would be made. In a separate tweet, he says that the same is true for Spanish forward Juan Hernangomez.

And-Ones: Lingering Questions, Ref Vaccinations, Noel, Jenkins, Mathias

August 28th, 2021 at 2:56pm CST by Eli Cohen

The NBA’s summer of player movement may be winding down, but there are still some questions looming over teams. An ESPN panel of insiders looked at some of them on Thursday (before the Lauri Markkanen–Larry Nance–Derrick Jones Jr. three team deal broke).

Among the predictions that were made: Nick Friedell believes Damian Lillard will eventually end up with the Knicks, just not in the immediate future; Kirk Goldsberry thinks that J.J. Redick will end up with the Nets; Andrew Lopez predicts Paul Millsap will start the season not on a roster, but will be picked up mid-season.

The crew also looks at which new coaches have the hardest road ahead: Chauncey Billups with the Blazers and Willie Green with the Pelicans each received two votes, while Jason Kidd with the Mavericks received one.

And, of course, the much-discussed Ben Simmons–Sixers impasse was the first topic of debate.

We have more news from around the world of hoops:

The NBA will require its referees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, barring medical or religious exemptions, the league announced today. A report from ESPN laid out the scope of the policy, including that referees will receive booster shots once those become recommended, and that refs without an approved exemption who aren’t vaccinated will not be eligible to work games.
Knicks center Nerlens Noel‘s lawsuit has the potential to change the NBA-agent landscape, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Fischer writes that as opposed to the league’s tampering rules between teams and players, there are no such prohibitions on agents trying to poach clients, and that this unprecedented peek behind the curtain could give the league incentive to put some protections in place.
John Jenkins has signed with BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque in France, reports Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw (via Twitter). Jenkins played eight seasons in the NBA, averaging 5.0 PPG while shooting 36.7% from three on 319 career attempts. Jenkins recently participated with the Team USA select team as Team USA prepared for their eventual gold medal run.
Dakota Mathias has agreed to sign with the G League Ignite, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The 26-year-old played eight games for the Sixers as one of their two-way contracts last season, and Scotto reports that several teams have interest in him as a two-way player again this year. Mathias averaged six PPG and 1.6 APG in 15.4 minutes a night for Philadelphia.

Load More Posts