2021 August | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Craig, Bulls, Jones Jr., Noel, Randle

August 27th, 2021 at 4:05pm CST by JD Shaw

New Pacers forward Torrey Craig is aiming to bring defensive intensity to the team this season, David Woods of The Indianapolis Star writes.

Craig, who signed with the Pacers in free agency, spent the 2020/21 season with the Bucks and Suns. He averaged 5.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 16.1 minutes in 50 total games, shooting 48% from the floor and 37% from three-point range while playing strong perimeter defense.

“I don’t even like guys to score one basket. It doesn’t matter,” Craig said. “It’s just a pride thing. I think the more guys that have that mentality and catch on, that’s what makes you a hard team to beat.

“Offense, it’s the NBA. Guys are talented. Definitely some talented scorers on this roster. Offense is going to come. When you get teams that lock in offensively, and defensively, that’s when you become a championship team.”

Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference today:

The Bulls, who agreed to acquire Derrick Jones Jr. in a three-team deal with the Blazers and Cavaliers on Friday, were was also considering acquiring Jones last April, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times tweets. Chicago added Jones to help address the team’s lack of wing depth. The 24-year-old averaged 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 22.7 minutes per game with Portland last season.
Nerlens Noel‘s lawsuit against Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul may have stemmed from a grievance filed by Paul, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Paul claimed that Noel still owes him $200K as commission from the one-year, $5MM contract he signed with the Knicks last year. As we previously relayed, Noel is suing Paul for the loss of approximately $58MM regarding a past extension offer from the Mavericks.
Knicks All-Star Julius Randle preferred stability over more money, he said in explaining why he signed a four-year, $117MM extension with the team, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com examines. Randle would’ve been eligible for a new contract worth up to roughly $200MM if he waited until next summer. “The money was one thing, but for me, it was more about the situation as far as my happiness, the basketball situation, my family, just being stable and being in New York and really just continuing to build this thing up,” Randle said. “When I signed here two years ago, this was my vision, to be able to lock in something long term and build something from the ground up. That’s what we’re doing. All hands on deck.”

Sixers Waive Anthony Tolliver

August 27th, 2021 at 2:38pm CST by JD Shaw

The Sixers have waived veteran big man Anthony Tolliver, the team announced on Friday (Twitter link). Tolliver’s $2.69MM contract would’ve become fully guaranteed if he wasn’t released today.

The move opens up a roster spot for Philadelphia, which now has 15 players officially under contract (14 on standard contracts and one on a two-way). The team will also sign Grant Riller to a two-way contract and Haywood Highsmith to an Exhibit 10 deal, leaving three spots available on the 20-man offseason roster.

In addition, Philadelphia has yet to sign second-round draft pick Charles Bassey, who was selected No. 53 overall by the team last month.

Assuming he clears waivers on Sunday, Tolliver will reach free agency after concluding his 13th NBA season. The 36-year-old signed two ten-day contracts and a rest-of-season deal with the Sixers in 2020/21, appearing in a total of nine contests.

And-Ones: Hinton, Vaccinations, Wallace, Selby

August 27th, 2021 at 2:13pm CST by JD Shaw

Free agent guard Amir Hinton is signing in Finland with Kouvot Kouvola, agent Jerry Dianis of Team Entertainment Sports confirmed to Hoops Rumors.

Hinton has also been selected to play for the Syrian National Team, Dianis said. The 24-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Knicks as an undrafted free agent in 2019, attending training camp with the team later that fall. He spent all of the 2019/20 season with the club’s G League affiliate.

Throughout his 36 games in the G League, Hinton averaged 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 15.7 minutes per contest. The 6-foot-6 swingman played collegiately at Lock Haven and Shaw University.

Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The NBA is requiring that all team, arena and league personnel who interact with players and referees be vaccinated for the 2021/22 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). As Charania notes in a separate tweet, this includes staff in coaching, performance/medical, equipment, player development, security, public relations, social media, scorer’s table and attendants. More specifically, this applies for staff that come within 15 feet of a player or referee, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps. The league has set an October 1 deadline for personnel to be vaccinated, the duo adds.
Sixteen-year NBA veteran Rasheed Wallace has joined the University of Memphis as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team, the school announced in a press release. Wallace joins a coaching staff that includes Larry Brown and Cody Toppert as assistants, along with Penny Hardaway as head coach.
Former Grizzlies guard Josh Selby has signed in Lithuania with Pieno Zvaigzdes, the team announced today (via Instagram). Selby holds 38 games of NBA experience and was the No. 49 pick in the 2011 draft. He has spent most of his professional career overseas.

Celtics Notes: Parker, Horford, R. Williams

August 27th, 2021 at 1:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jabari Parker earned a $100K guarantee by staying on the Celtics‘ roster this week, but he will still have to win a job in training camp, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Parker signed with Boston in April and averaged 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds over the final 10 games of the season while playing 13.8 minutes per night . The remainder of his $2.283MM contract is non-guaranteed, but he will receive $1,141,517 if he’s still with the team on opening night.

Robb believes Parker has a decent shot at sticking with the Celtics, who don’t have another reliable scorer off the bench at power forward. However, sources tell Robb that Boston continues to explore roster additions, and finding another forward could affect Parker’s prospects. He adds that trading Carsen Edwards or Kris Dunn would be another option to trim the roster to 15 players.

There’s more from Boston:

The extensions the Celtics gave to Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and Josh Richardson will limit their roster flexibility next summer, Robb states in a separate story. The luxury tax line for the 2022/23 season will be about $145MM, and the new extensions leave Boston with a commitment of $141MM for 10 players. That could change if the Celtics decide to waive or stretch the contract of Al Horford, who only has a $14.5MM guarantee on his $26.5MM salary for 2022/23. Getting rid of Horford could open anywhere from $12MM to $18MM.
With only $48MM in guaranteed money, the extension for Williams could turn out to be one of the best deals of the summer, contends Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. Forsberg reports that the Celtics looked at several power forwards this summer and have the assets to make a deal if one becomes available.
In case you missed it, we relayed several details on Williams’ extension earlier in the week.

Nets Notes: Mills, Jordan, Millsap, Aldridge, Duke

August 27th, 2021 at 10:13am CST by Arthur Hill

Longtime Spurs guard Patty Mills was attracted to the Nets because of a couple of familiar faces there, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Mills, who agreed to a two-year, $12MM contract to come to Brooklyn, joins general manager Sean Marks and lead assistant Jacque Vaughn, who both spent time in San Antonio while Mills was there and have adopted some of the Spurs’ philosophies.

“To know free agency was going to be right in the middle of (the Olympics) definitely did make it quite tough,” Mills said. “The thing for me was not being able to have the conversations I wish I would’ve had leading into such a big decision. But turning to a new chapter and going to a new place, it was definitely something that knowing that we know people throughout the organization and in the city as well, it was comforting to know there are people there that look after us and look after my family.”

Another influence was a long talk that Mills had in Tokyo with Nets star Kevin Durant. Brooklyn made a strong effort to recruit Mills when free agency began, and he said the chance to exchange ideas with Durant influenced his decision.

“The conversation I had with Kevin was so pure and so genuine, being able to understand that he’s such a true pure hooper, and to go back-and-forth about basketball specifics,” Mills said. “It’s exciting for me to know there’s an opportunity there for me to try to be who I am. After a good Tokyo Olympics campaign, being able to ride the wave of that momentum and take it into Brooklyn is something I’m looking forward to … share the court with guys like that, I’m really going to continue to learn about the game and continue to get better myself and find little ways that I can do that.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

DeAndre Jordan isn’t likely to be on the Nets’ roster when training camp begins next month, per Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. The 33-year-old center, who is owed close to $20MM over the next two seasons, has been on the trade market all summer, according to Schiffer, but Brooklyn hasn’t found any takers.
The Nets would like to add another veteran big man, Schiffer states in the same piece, and while Paul Millsap may be out of their price range, a reunion with LaMarcus Aldridge seems more realistic. Millsap is reportedly looking at teams that still have their mid-level exception, and Brooklyn is limited to a minimum-salary contract. Schiffer notes that Aldridge played well in his five games with the team last season and enjoyed the experience, but isn’t certain to get medical clearance after being forced into retirement by an irregular heartbeat.
David Duke Jr. appears to be the favorite for the Nets’ open two-way spot, but a final decision probably won’t be made before training camp, Schiffer adds.

Agent: Pascal Siakam Doesn’t Want To Be Traded

August 27th, 2021 at 9:10am CST by Arthur Hill

Pascal Siakam has been the subject of trade rumors following the Raptors‘ disappointing season, but the fifth-year forward isn’t looking to be moved, agent Todd Ramasar said in an NBC Sports podcast.

“That’s the last thing on his mind,” Ramasar said. “… He loves it there. Yes. He won a championship. … That’s never come from us that there’s a change … Because of the pandemic, because the Raptors missed the playoffs, there’s been a lot of speculation around (about a trade), but it’s not because of Pascal or anything he’s said. Or even the organization. I think that’s just the chatter that picks up going into an offseason.”

Ramasar’s statement meshes with a report last week that Toronto isn’t trying to trade Siakam during this offseason. He’s under contract for $106MM over the next three seasons, so there’s no urgency to make a move, even if the team decides he’s not in its long-term future.

Several teams called this summer to see if Siakam is available, sources tell NBC Sports, and the Kings, Warriors and Clippers have been mentioned among those who expressed interest.

Siakam’s performance declined last season, which led to speculation that he might be on the trade market. Although he averaged 21.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in 56 games, those numbers were down slightly from the 2019/20 season and his efficiency dipped as well. The Raptors’ decision to draft Scottie Barnes with the No. 4 pick fueled rumors that Siakam might be headed elsewhere.

However, there were factors that contributed to Siakam’s decline. He was among several players who contracted COVID-19 midway through the year, and he suffered a shoulder injury late in the season that forced him to have surgery.

Siakam is currently rehabbing from that operation and Ramasar expects him to reach an All-Star level again. Also, his agent wants to remove any distractions that trade rumors might be causing.

“First of all, it’s about understanding when it is purely speculation as opposed to there being some substance to that, right? Is there traction to those rumors?” Ramasar said. “It starts with having good communication and a great relationship with the team and management, and communication. And it’s understanding that, because this is a business, at any point you can be traded… But in this situation, knowing that it was more so speculation than anything else, it’s having those conversations with the client. It’s also the team reassuring the player, in this case Pascal, and then you move forward and stay in control of the things you have control over.”

Knicks Sign Julius Randle To Four-Year Extension

August 27th, 2021 at 8:44am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 27: Randle’s extension is official, the Knicks announced (via Twitter).

“Julius Randle embodies everything you want your star player and leader to be about, and we couldn’t be happier about the long-term commitment we made to each other,” said team president Leon Rose. “His hard work and dedication to his craft are second to none and what he did last season won’t be forgotten by New Yorkers any time soon. We can’t wait to see what’s next for him.”

AUGUST 5: The Knicks have agreed to sign forward Julius Randle to a contract extension, tacking on four years to the one season left on his existing contract, agents Aaron Mintz and Steven Heumann tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal will include a player option for 2025/26, per Wojnarowski.

While Wojnarowski reports that the four-year extension will be worth $117MM, that figure includes some incentives — the extension will have a base value of about $106.4MM and could max out at just over $122MM if Randle earns all of his bonuses in every season of the deal (which is very unlikely). It’s the most the Knicks could have offered Randle this season.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), the incentives in the contract are related to making the playoffs, earning an All-Star nod, and making the All-Defense team. Randle earned the first two in 2020/21.

Randle, 26, had his best year as a pro this past season, establishing new career bests in PPG (24.1), RPG (10.2), APG (6.0), and 3PT% (.411), among several other categories.

The former seventh overall pick appeared in all but one regular season game, averaging an NBA-high 37.6 minutes per contest and helping to lead the Knicks to a No. 4 seed in the East and their first playoff berth since 2013. He was named Most Improved Player for the 2020/21 season and made the All-NBA Second Team.

Because Randle would be eligible for a longer, more lucrative contract if he waited until 2022 to reach free agency, there was some uncertainty about how willing he’d be to discuss an extension with the Knicks this summer. However, Wojnarowski writes that the former Laker and Pelican was eager to commit long-term to a team and city “he has come to adore.”

Randle also wanted to give the Knicks some financial flexibility rather than pushing for a higher salary in a year, per Marc Berman of The New York Post and Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter links). Of course, locking in a new deal now gives him some security in the event of an injury or regression next season.

It has been a busy week for the Knicks, who agreed to multiyear deals with free agents Evan Fournier, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, and Derrick Rose. All of those players are signing either three- or four-year contracts with team options in the final season. The club also intends to sign Kemba Walker, who should hit waivers soon after reaching a buyout agreement with the Thunder.

Randle’s deal represents one of several lucrative contract extensions agreed to around the NBA this week. Stephen Curry (Warriors), Trae Young (Hawks), Jimmy Butler (Heat), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) have all agreed to long-term deals worth well into the nine figures, while Luka Doncic (Mavericks) is set to finalize an extension following the Olympics.

Nuggets Notes: JaMychal Green, Jeff Green, Jones

August 26th, 2021 at 8:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JaMychal Green doesn’t anticipate his role changing after re-signing with the Nuggets, according to the Denver Post’s Mike Singer. Green, who signed a two-year, $17MM contract last week, says he’ll be a “glue guy” for one of the Western Conference’s top teams. Across 58 contests last season,

Green averaged 8.1 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 19.3 MPG, with a shooting line of .463/.399/.807. He averaged 5.4 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 19 MPG during the postseason.

Green added that Denver “felt like home” and he stayed in touch during free agency with Will Barton, who also re-signed with the club (Twitter links here).

We have more on the Nuggets:

Forward Jeff Green left the Nets in unrestricted free agency and signed a two-year, $10MM deal with Denver. Green called it was an easy decision, Singer writes. “It was a no-brainer,” he said. “I felt like it could be a special season.” The journeyman added the two-year commitment played a role in his selection, saying it was a relief to “finally lock in something more than one year.”
Popeye Jones has officially joined Michael Malone’s staff, according to a press release. Jones’ decision to leave Philadelphia’s staff to become an assistant in Denver came to light late last month.
In case you missed it, Barton said he never really considered leaving the Nuggets despite opting out of his contract. Get the details here.

Suns Waive Ty-Shon Alexander

August 26th, 2021 at 7:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns have waived Ty-Shon Alexander, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets.

Alexander, 23, played on a two-way contract last season. He went undrafted out of Creighton in 2020.

Alexander appeared in 15 regular-season games but he only averaged 3.1 MPG in those outings and scored a total of nine points. The 6’3” guard made a cameo appearance in Game 3 of the Finals against Milwaukee and also appeared in 15 G League games, averaging 9.3 PPG and 1.9 APG in 23.7 MPG.

In his last college season, he averaged 16.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG on .431/.399/.860 shooting.

Having parted ways with Alexander, the Suns now have both of their two-ways slots open. The team is carrying just 14 total players, all on guaranteed contracts.

Southwest Notes: Anderson, Brooks, Forbes, Pelicans

August 26th, 2021 at 7:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies have not engaged in trade talks with the Cavaliers regarding Kyle Anderson and Dillon Brooks, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. A report out of Cleveland suggested that the two forwards were available on the trade market for the right price. Memphis does have a major roster logjam at the moment with 18 players on guaranteed contracts, as noted in our latest roster count.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Whether or not they’ve engaged in talks with the Cavs, the Grizzlies would be wise to explore the market on Brooks, according to Evan Sidery of Basketball News. Brooks’ value is at an all-time high after a playoff series in which he averaged 25.8 PPG, but he may not be the best No. 2 scoring option during Ja Morant‘s prime years. Brooks will be a free agent after the 2022/23 season and Memphis may not want to commit to him long-term.
Bryn Forbes strongly considered re-signing with the Bucks before signing up for a second stint with the Spurs, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. Forbes declined a player option in order to become a free agent. He’s thrilled to return to the Spurs. “I still had good relationships with everyone here,” he said. “They know what I can do. … When I had the opportunity to come back, I was immediately excited.”
The New Orleans Times Picayune trio of Christian Clark, Scott Kushner and Rod Walker believe the Pelicans have improved enough to make the playoffs next season. They also discuss the Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade with the Bulls and the acquisition of Devonte’ Graham from the Hornets.

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