2021 | Hoops Rumors

LJ Figueroa Signs With Warriors

October 13th, 2021 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent swingman LJ Figueroa has signed a training camp contract with the Warriors, the team announced (via Twitter). No details of the deal were released, but it’s likely intended as a way to get Figueroa to Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.

After two years at St. John’s, the 23-year-old played for Oregon last season, averaging 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 26 games. He went undrafted, then played for the Mavericks during Summer League.

The move brings the Warriors to the preseason roster limit of 20 players.

Pelicans Exercise Options For Williamson, Alexander-Walker, Hayes, Lewis

October 13th, 2021 at 5:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have picked up rookie-scale options on four players, including Zion Williamson, the top overall pick in 2019, the team announced in a press release. New Orleans exercised the fourth-year option for Williamson, guaranteeing his $13.5MM salary for the 2022/23 season.

It’s a routine move that sets the stage for next summer, when Williamson will be eligible for an extension that could tie him to the franchise for an additional five seasons. Although those offers are nearly always accepted, there have been rumblings that Williamson might consider turning it down because of pressure from family members to play elsewhere and an uneasy relationship with head of basketball operations David Griffin.

The Pelicans also exercised fourth-year options on guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($5MM) and center Jaxson Hayes ($6.8MM). Point guard Kira Lewis had his third-season option picked up, which will pay him $4MM for 2022/23.

Knicks Notes: Grimes, McBride, Robinson, Noel

October 13th, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rookie guard Quentin Grimes played less than two minutes in the Knicks‘ last preseason game, but he gave the team a taste of what he can contribute, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. The 25th pick in this year’s draft hit a pair of three-pointers in that short span, showing he may be a good fit with coach Tom Thibodeau’s new approach on offense.

“You have to be ready to come in and knock down shots,’’ Grimes said. “It’s definitely an adjustment — my first time ever coming off the bench or even sitting the first 46 minutes. You got to be locked in and watching the whole game. You can’t worry about if your number’s not called.’’

Grimes and fellow rookie guard Miles McBride have both been relegated to the end of the bench during preseason after making strong impressions in Summer League. However, Thibodeau indicated that he has plans for both guards.

“They are going to be good players,” he said. “It started in the Summer League, fall workout and then training camp. When it comes to get in there, get the job done. That’s what I love about both guys. Quentin went in, Miles went in right at the end of the game. Both of them played really well.”

There’s more from New York:

Mitchell Robinson continues to make progress in his return from a broken foot and may be ready for Friday’s preseason finale, Berman adds. Thibodeau considers Robinson to be a practice away from being cleared for full contact, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.
Nerlens Noel will miss his third straight preseason game tonight, and he tells Berman that he’s more concerned about a hamstring injury than his knee (Twitter link).
After years of being known for turmoil, the Knicks are enjoying a calm preseason, especially compared to their Atlantic Division rivals in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, notes Peter Botte of The New York Post. The new front office has worked to create a drama-free environment, and Thibodeau is happy with the results. “You never come in not looking forward to seeing them, being with them and working together,” he said of his players. “And when you get a group that makes that type of commitment to not only themselves but to each other, it’s special. And we’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s not going to be easy. But I look forward to doing it with these guys. They’re special.”

Warriors Sign, Waive Quinndary Weatherspoon

October 13th, 2021 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 13: The Warriors have waived Weatherspoon, according to the team.

OCTOBER 11: The Warriors have signed free agent shooting guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, the team announced today in a press release. Weatherspoon claims the 20-man roster spot previously occupied by Langston Galloway, who was cut over the weekend.

Weatherspoon was selected by San Antonio with the 49th overall pick in the 2019 draft and spent his first two professional seasons on a two-way deal with the Spurs. He appeared in just 31 total NBA games during that time, averaging 1.9 PPG in 6.4 MPG.

The 25-year-old saw more action at the G League level, recording 14.9 PPG and 5.1 APG on .455/.333/.795 shooting in 37 games (29.1 MPG) for the Austin Spurs. However, San Antonio opted not to give him a qualifying offer this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Terms of Weatherspoon’s contract with the Warriors aren’t known, but it’s safe to assume it’s a non-guaranteed camp deal, likely with Exhibit 10 language. Weatherspoon almost certainly won’t make the 15-man regular season roster, but if he’s willing to play for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBAGL, Golden State could make Weatherspoon an affiliate player and give him a bonus worth up to $50K.

Cavaliers Sign Ed Davis, Justin James

October 13th, 2021 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have announced a pair of signings, stating in a press release that they’ve added big man Ed Davis and guard Justin James to their roster. Cleveland now has a full 20-man squad.

Davis, 32, spent the 2020/21 season with the Timberwolves, playing a limited role in the team’s frontcourt. The center averaged 2.1 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 23 games (13.0 MPG).

Davis, an 11-year veteran who has 691 career regular season games under his belt, isn’t the kind of player who typically gets signed and quickly waived this week for G League purposes, so it will be interesting to see what the Cavs’ plan for him is. The team only has 11 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so there’s room for Davis to make the 15-man regular season roster.

As for James, he spent his first two NBA seasons with the Kings after being selected 40th overall in the 2019 draft out of Wyoming. He didn’t play a regular role for Sacramento, but appeared in 72 games across two seasons, averaging 3.2 PPG and 0.9 RPG with a shooting line of .446/.343/.544 in 7.5 minutes per contest.

The 24-year-old was waived by the Kings earlier this offseason, signed a two-way deal with Utah, and then was released by the Jazz as well. The Cavs may view him as a potential affiliate player for the Cleveland Charge.

Latest On Kyrie Irving

October 13th, 2021 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

After issuing a press release on Tuesday announcing that Kyrie Irving won’t practice or play for the Nets until he can be a “full participant,” general manager Sean Marks spoke to reporters to provide more details on the team’s decision, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN and Alex Schiffer of The Athletic write.

“We looked at everything. When you make a decision like this, it’s one that you don’t want to do hastily,” Marks said, per Bontemps. “… I think we all know what our objective is this year and how this, a decision like this, may be able to (impact) that ultimate objective. They are never easy decisions, but at the end of the day, I think we are looking at putting a group of people that are going to be able to participate fully and that is what this comes down to. And we’re not looking for partners that are going to be half time.

“I don’t think that would be fair to not only the team and staff and ownership and fans, but to be quite frank, not fair on Kyrie either when you are putting somebody out there that potentially can’t get the right ramp-ups and right buildups and so forth and look as good as he or the team should under a different set of circumstances. That is why this decision was ultimately made.”

Asked if Nets stars James Harden and Kevin Durant had a say in the decision to sideline Irving, Marks said that “everyone” in the organization was kept in the loop about the situation, but stressed that he and team owner Joe Tsai made the final call.

“Ultimately, this decision was Joe Tsai and myself, and this decision came down to what we felt was the right move for the organization at this time,” Marks said.

Irving is the only player on the Nets who remains unvaccinated against COVID-19. A New York City executive order requires individuals who work in the city to have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine in order to enter indoor venues such as Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden.

The NBA has stated that players who are ineligible to play in games due to local vaccine mandates will lose 1/91.6th of their salary for each game they miss. While the NBPA has pushed back against the league’s interpretation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the expectation is that Irving’s stance will cost him $381K per game over the course of 43 games (41 in Brooklyn, plus two at MSG), for a total of nearly $16.4MM in lost salary.

Marks confirmed on Tuesday that Irving will only be docked salary for games in New York. As former Celtics and Suns executive Ryan McDonough explains (via Twitter), the decision to continue paying Irving for road games neutralizes Kyrie’s ability to involve the NBPA and file a grievance.

Here’s more on Irving:

As of now, Irving has no plans to be vaccinated and there’s no indication New York City’s policy on unvaccinated individuals will change any time soon, writes Shams Charania of The Athletic. According to Charania, rival teams think Brooklyn would be open to a “significant” trade offer for Irving, but that kind of offer probably won’t be on the table, given that it’s unclear how willing Kyrie would be to join another team.
Executives polled by Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports believe an Irving trade is possible, but only under “special circumstances,” since there are concerns he could retire if he’s dealt. “I don’t know if I’d touch him, but you have to look at it, for the sake of your team,” one exec told Goodwill.
Head coach Steve Nash told reporters today that he supports the Nets’ decision on Irving, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Nash said he’d love to have Irving back with the team if the situation changes, but believes it would have been a “tenuous situation” to have a player with the team off and on.
Harden said he respects Irving’s stance and would love to have him back in the lineup, but acknowledged that the Nets will benefit from knowing who will be available on a night-to-night basis (Twitter link via Begley).

Lakers Waive Mac McClung

October 13th, 2021 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have waived former Texas Tech guard Mac McClung, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link).

McClung signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Los Angeles as an undrafted rookie this offseason and played for the team at the Las Vegas Summer League and in the preseason. However, he struggled with his shot, making just 6-of-31 attempts (19.4%) in Vegas and 1-of-7 (14.3%) in three preseason contests.

McClung played two seasons for Georgetown before joining the Red Raiders as a junior. He averaged 15.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 2020/21.

There was a sense that McClung could be a candidate for a two-way contract if he impressed the Lakers this fall, but the club signed Sekou Doumbouya on Tuesday to fill its open two-way slot. McClung’s next step will be with the South Bay Lakers, as he’s expected to be an affiliate player for L.A.’s G League team.

Northwest Notes: DSJ, Gay, Jazz, Thunder

October 13th, 2021 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Former lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr. appears to have the 14th spot on the Trail Blazers‘ regular season roster all but locked up, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic.

The Trail Blazers entered training camp with 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, and they’re unlikely to carry a 15th man on a permanent basis for luxury-tax reasons. That left Smith competing with Marquese Chriss, Quinn Cook, and Patrick Patterson for what may just be one available roster spot, and he has impressed the team so far this fall.

“There have been some behind-closed-doors practices and games where some of the other guys have stood out or played well, too,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said on Monday after Smith put up 18 points and seven assists against Sacramento. “But, you know, you can’t hide what you saw today. I mean, (Smith) was really good.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Tony Jones of The Athletic takes a look at the impact that veteran forward Rudy Gay could have with the Jazz this season, both on and off the court. “He’s been a real leader for us so far,” Hassan Whiteside said of Gay. “He’s someone who is making a difference.”
Trading Derrick Favors and signing Gay will give the Jazz more flexibility to play against smaller lineups, John Hollinger of The Athletic notes in his season preview for the team, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if Gay is Utah’s de facto backup center in the playoffs. Hollinger adds that the Jazz could reduce their luxury tax bill by unloading a couple smaller contracts in deadline trades and replacing them with prorated minimum signings.
Hollinger also previewed the Thunder‘s season, pointing out that the team remains $22MM below the salary floor for 2021/22, putting OKC in great position to accommodate a salary dump at the deadline.

Malcolm Brogdon Has Grade 1 Left AC Sprain

October 13th, 2021 at 11:54am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

OCTOBER 13: Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle downplayed the severity of Brogdon’s injury, referring to it as a “day-to-day” issue and confirming that the guard participated in non-contact work on Wednesday (Twitter link via Agness).

OCTOBER 12: Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon has sustained a Grade 1 left acromioclavicular joint sprain, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (via Twitter).

This is a shoulder separation, typically low-grade enough to not require surgical intervention, and can take a few weeks to fully heal, though the Pacers haven’t confirmed a recovery timeline for Brogdon. Agness says the veteran is a scratch for tonight’s preseason contest against the Grizzlies. The Pacers are set to play their first game of the 2021/22 regular season against the Hornets on October 20.

Brogdon’s name has been a popular one on the trade market this summer, as the Sixers have apparently had conversations with Indiana about including him and/or promising swingman Caris LeVert in a package for Philadelphia’s disgruntled All-Defensive First Teamer Ben Simmons.

Though Brogdon has yet to be named to an All-Star team, he is an above-average starter with two-way ability at one of the most valuable positions in the NBA on a reasonable contract, which makes him a key attribute in a lot of trade chatter. The 28-year-old has one year and $21.7MM left on his current deal. In 56 games last season, Brogdon averaged 21.2 PPG, 5.9 APG and 5.3 RPG, while logging a stellar shooting line of .453/.388/.864.

Ben Simmons Takes Physical, Meets With Sixers’ Brass

October 13th, 2021 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

After returning to Philadelphia on Monday, Sixers star Ben Simmons took his required physical and met with the team’s brass on Tuesday, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. That meeting included president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, who says sources described it only as “brief.”

Both Pompey and Shelburne indicate that Simmons won’t be cleared to participate in any team-related activities until at least Friday, due to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. As Brian Windhorst observed during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (video link) on Wednesday, that timeline suggests Simmons may not yet be fully vaccinated, since the league requires fully vaccinated players to register just one negative PCR test in order to interact with other players. Players who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated require at least four negative tests upon reporting to the team, according to ESPN.

We don’t know yet whether Simmons actually intends to return to the court and play for the 76ers following his holdout, but for what it’s worth, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report says the 25-year-old’s physical showed no signs that he isn’t healthy. Simmons will be able to begin conducting individual workouts with the assistance of Sixers coaches on Wednesday, Fischer notes.

As we wait to see what the next steps are for the Sixers and Simmons, there’s no indication that the team is anywhere close to making a trade. Both Fischer and Sam Amick of The Athletic have heard that Philadelphia continues to hold out hope that a star like Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal will become dissatisfied with his situation and ask for a trade, but that remains a long shot unless the Trail Blazers or Wizards get off to a really disastrous start this season.

According to Amick, Simmons’ camp hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a trade to the Nets, but sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Athletic that the Sixers have exhibited zero interest in pursuing a deal involving Kyrie Irving.

Fischer names the Cavaliers, Pistons, Rockets, Pacers, Timberwolves, Blazers, Kings, Spurs, and Raptors as the nine teams that have remained at least somewhat engaged with Philadelphia, and adds that a “mystery” 10th club has also had “substantive” discussions with the Sixers as of late. Not even Klutch Sports is certain of the identity of that 10th team, per Fischer, who cautions that the mystery suitor still hasn’t come close to meeting Morey’s asking price.

Here’s more on Simmons:

Sources tell Fischer that the Sixers have informed potential trade partners whose offers would be heavy on draft picks that their best bet would be a three-team structure in which Philadelphia lands at least one impact player, since Morey and his front office are interested in win-now pieces rather than future assets.
Although the Timberwolves still have interest in Simmons following their front office shake-up, new head of basketball operations Sachin Gupta isn’t believed to be pursuing the three-time All-Star as aggressively as Gersson Rosas did, according to Fischer.
The Kings remain unwilling to discuss either De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton in a potential Simmons deal, while the Sixers appear unmoved by the idea of acquiring Dejounte Murray and/or Lonnie Walker from the Spurs, sources tell Bleacher Report. Fischer adds that there’s a belief the Pistons would entertain trading Jerami Grant in a deal for Simmons.
Improving the relationship between Simmons and head coach Doc Rivers is believed to be a priority for the Sixers if Simmons is going to stick around for a little while, according to Fischer, who says the two men never seemed to build a strong rapport last season. Sources tell Bleacher Report that during an offseason meeting at agent Rich Paul‘s home, when the Sixers confirmed they intended to fine Simmons for not complying with the terms of his deal, Rivers shouted, “It’s in your f–king contract” to report to training camp and play for the team.

Year: 2024