Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics, Nuggets Among Teams Eyeing Bertans

January 6th, 2020 at 3:13pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Wizards have suggested both privately and publicly that they’re interested in retaining Davis Bertans beyond this season, that hasn’t stopped teams from showing interest in the veteran sharpshooter as next month’s trade deadline approaches.

According to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, the Celtics and Nuggets are among the teams that have emerged as possible suitors for Bertans. Hughes, who previously identified the Sixers, Lakers, and Hawks as teams to watch, suggests those clubs remain in the mix as well.

Bertans has been sidelined since December 21 with a quad injury and has been ruled out for Monday’s game against Boston, but appears to be nearing a return. Our Chris Crouse tweeted today that Bertans has a chance to be ready to play as soon as Wednesday in Orlando, while Hughes hears from a source that the 27-year-old should at least be back by the end of the weekend.

Assuming Bertans makes it back within the next week and picks up where he left off, the Wizards will face a tough choice at the February 6 deadline. Bertans, who is averaging 15.4 PPG with a .434 3PT%, has been one of the NBA’s most effective shooters and has shown some play-making ability too. He’s also on expiring contract.

The former Spur would be a hot commodity at the deadline and could net the rebuilding Wizards a strong asset or two. However, he may also make sense as a foundational long-term piece in Washington, assuming the team is willing to pay up for him this offseason. Hughes notes that many observers believe Bertans’ price tag will increase to $15MM+ annually this summer. He’s currently making $7MM.

Hawks Sign Paul Watson To 10-Day Contract

January 6th, 2020 at 8:50am CST by Arthur Hill

JANUARY 6: Watson’s 10-day contract with the Hawks is now official, the team announced today in a press release. The deal makes Watson the first player to sign a 10-day contract in 2020 and will keep him locked up through January 15.

JANUARY 4: The Hawks will sign G League swingman Paul Watson to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Watson has spent this season with Raptors 905, where he is averaging 18.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in 13 games while shooting 46.7% from 3-point range. Undrafted out of Fresno State in 2017, Watson had a brief stop in Germany before joining the G League later that year.

Tomorrow is the first day this season that 10-day contracts can be extended. Teams can sign players to a pair of 10-day deals, then they must either be waived or signed for the rest of the season.

Atlanta only has 14 players on its active roster, so Watson can be added with no corresponding move. The Hawks have been carrying an open roster spot since waiving Tyrone Wallace on December 14.

Carter First To Play In Four Different Decades

January 5th, 2020 at 2:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

42-year-old Hawks wing Vince Carter became the first NBA player to suit up for teams in four different decades when he stepped onto the hardwood for Atlanta’s 116-111 defeat of the Pacers, Tory Barron of ESPN writes. The eight-time All-Star, who is playing in his record-setting 22nd season, notched a +7 plus-minus rating in 18 minutes. Barron notes that 36 NBA players who have logged one minute or more in a game this season were born after Carter’s league debut on February 5th, 1999.

Hawks May Shut Down Turner, Parsons For Foreseeable Future

January 4th, 2020 at 3:26pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran Hawks guard Evan Turner said today that Atlanta brass told him and his fellow graybeard, forward Chandler Parsons, that they will be inactive going forward while the 7-28 Hawks look to develop their youth, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Washburn considers Turner, on an expiring $18.6MM contract, a viable candidate for a buyout. Turner thrived as a bench off-guard for the Trail Blazers from the 2016/17 season through the 2018/19 season, and could provide a similar function for a high-level contender. He has only appeared in 18 games for Atlanta.

Parsons, however, has struggled to stay on the court since signing a four-year, $94MM deal with the Grizzlies in 2016. Injuries have limited the 31-year-old Florida alum to appearing in just 100 of a possible 363 games for Memphis and the Hawks. He may have very limited value to any team going forward, except as a big contract to make a transaction work. Parsons is earning $25.1MM this season, but has played in just five games.

As Dana Gauruder has noted previously on Hoops Rumors, both Hawks players’ expiring contracts number among options that could be thrown in to help complete a deal for a player on a large contract. Andre Drummond of the Pistons, currently making $27.1MM in the final guaranteed year of his contract, has been floated as a possible trade target for Atlanta. Drummond has a $28.8MM player option for the 2020/21 season.

Pistons Discussing Andre Drummond With Hawks, Others

January 3rd, 2020 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

3:42pm: The Celtics, Mavericks, and Raptors have also registered interest in Drummond, tweets Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Goodwill notes that Drummond has relationships with Dallas big man Kristaps Porzingis and Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry, while Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports adds (via Twitter) that the big man is close with Hawks star Trae Young.

2:05pm: The Pistons and Hawks have engaged in talks on a possible trade involving center Andre Drummond, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, nothing is imminent, but Detroit is discussing Drummond with multiple teams and there’s an increasing belief that the big man will be moved before next month’s trade deadline.

Drummond, 26, is enjoying perhaps the best season of his NBA career so far, with career highs in PPG (17.6), BPG (1.8), and SPG (2.0) to go along with a league-leading 15.8 RPG. Despite his strong play though, the Pistons are out of the playoff picture — their 12-23 record places them 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Facing a potential lottery finish and a contract year for Drummond, who will likely decline his $28.75MM option for 2020/21, it makes sense that the Pistons would consider their options. Securing a strong return for their starting center would be a more favorable outcome than losing him for nothing in the summer or overpaying to lock him up to a long-term contract.

As we relayed earlier today, Pistons owner Tom Gores admitted that his struggling team may need to consider taking a step back rather than remaining in win-now mode, and the Hawks are in the market for a veteran center. The two teams could be a good match, especially since Atlanta has extra draft picks available and a handful of expiring contracts that could be used for salary-matching purposes. Chandler Parsons‘s expiring $25.1MM deal would be the most logical trade chip to match Drummond’s $27.09MM cap hit.

According to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (via Twitter), a package of one or more expiring contracts and a protected 2020 first-round pick is one option being discussed. It’s not clear if the Hawks would be willing to make such an offer or if the Pistons would accept it.

If the Hawks were to acquire Drummond during the season, they’d be in position to re-sign him in July using his Bird rights. The club has plenty of cap flexibility going forward, so there would be no risk of going into tax territory even with a lucrative new deal for Drummond. Atlanta would then be in position to build around a frontcourt of Drummond and John Collins, with Trae Young running the show.

Of course, as Woj notes, the Hawks aren’t the only team talking to Detroit about a potential trade involving Drummond, so the Pistons are unlikely to rush a deal unless they get an offer they really like. The club still has nearly five weeks until the February 6 trade deadline arrives.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hawks Rumors: Locker Room, Adams, Dedmon

January 3rd, 2020 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The 7-27 Hawks have been the NBA’s worst team on the court so far this season, and it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the franchise in the locker room either, writes Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Charania that there has been a “disconnect at times” between the coaching staff and the club’s most important players.

“No energy, no one playing hard,” one source with knowledge of the Hawks’ situation told The Athletic after a recent loss. Another added: “This s–t is depressing.”

While it has been a discouraging year in Atlanta, the front office remains active and has been targeting a center and a backup point guard on the trade market, per Charania. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, who recently reported that the Hawks had internally discussed the possibility of pursuing Steven Adams, hears that the team has also considered a reunion with Dewayne Dedmon. Dedmon, who spent the last two seasons in Atlanta, signed with the Kings in the offseason but wants to be traded.

Kings’ Dewayne Dedmon Confirms Trade Request

December 30th, 2019 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

11:40am: The NBA will investigate Dedmon’s comments to determine whether he’ll be fined, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. As noted below, the league’s CBA prohibits players from publicly requesting a trade.

8:55am: Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Friday that Kings center Dewayne Dedmon, who has fallen out of the team’s rotation after signing a three-year, $41MM contract in the summer, wants to be dealt. Speaking on Sunday to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, Dedmon made no effort to deny Charania’s report or downplay his desire to be moved.

“I would like to be traded,” Dedmon confirmed. “I haven’t been playing, so I would like to go somewhere where my talents are appreciated.”

Dedmon, 30, was coming off two solid seasons in Atlanta when he reached unrestricted free agency this past offseason. In 2018/19, he averaged a career-best 10.8 PPG to go along with 7.5 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG, and a .382 3PT%. That performance made him a popular target on the open market and resulted in a lucrative contract offer from Sacramento.

However, Dedmon was outplayed by bigs like Richaun Holmes and Nemanja Bjelica in the early going this season. With Marvin Bagley III and Harrison Barnes also in the frontcourt mix, head coach Luke Walton hasn’t found minutes for the former Hawk as of late — Dedmon, who is making just 41.9% of his shots from the field this season, has only played seven total minutes since December 6, and is frustrated that he hasn’t gotten more of a chance to reverse his slow start.

“I’m not the only person struggling with my shot, so if that’s a factor then it’s kind of crazy,” Dedmon told Anderson. “If you’re not allowed to shoot through your slumps, I don’t know how you’re supposed to make shots.”

Dedmon is earning $13MM+ this season and has another fully guaranteed year left on his deal, so the Kings may still want to get him back into the rotation at some point to rebuild his value and salvage their investment. However, the veteran big man sounds skeptical that things will turn around for him in Sacramento.

“I definitely appreciate (the Kings’ investment), but I want to be somewhere where I get to play,” Dedmon said. “That’s my biggest thing. I’m trying to play and I’ve been told I’m no longer in the rotation here, so there’s really nothing to wait on.”

According to Anderson, the Kings are listening to offers for Dedmon and there may be a market for his services, but the front office will insist that any deal must make sense for the team’s future. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports recently speculated that teams like the Clippers, Celtics, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Hawks could be fits for Dedmon. Anderson adds the Mavericks and Magic to that list of hypothetical suitors.

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits players from making public trade demands, so we’ll see if the league responds to Dedmon’s comments. Anthony Davis was fined $50K last winter when agent Rich Paul publicly requested a trade.

Trae Young To Miss Time With Ankle Sprain

December 28th, 2019 at 9:32am CST by marksuleymanov

Hawks point guard Trae Young will miss Atlanta’s tilt against the Bulls on Saturday after he suffered a sprained right ankle in Friday’s loss to the Bucks, the team announced. X-rays were negative and Young will remain in Atlanta to receive treatment.

Young suffered the injury in the second quarter of Friday’s contest. He needed to be assisted off the court by Vince Carter and was not able to put much weight on the injured ankle.

“I rolled it pretty bad,” Young said, per USA TODAY. “It hurts pretty bad right now, but that’s to be expected. I’m getting treatment on it and iced it already.”

This is the second time of the year that Young has suffered an ankle injury. The first time came five games into the regular season but he ended up missing just one week before returning.

When he’s been healthy, Young has performed at an elite level during his sophomore campaign. In 31 games, the 21-year-old is averaging 28.5 PPG and 8.3 APG for the Eastern Conference-worst Hawks.

Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Southeast Division

December 27th, 2019 at 9:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the Southeast Division:

Allen Crabbe, Hawks, 27, SG (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $74.8MM deal in 2016
Remember when the Nets thought so highly of Crabbe they signed him to a giant offer sheet? And the Trail Blazers valued him so much they matched the offer sheet? And then Brooklyn wanted him so badly it traded for Crabbe the following summer? It all seems so silly now. The Nets were willing to give up two future first-rounders to get rid of Crabbe. Now in the final year of that odious contract, he’s averaging 5.0 PPG and shooting 28.8% from 3-point range. Crabbe will probably be looking at veteran’s minimum offers next season as he attempts to reboot his career.

Bismack Biyombo, Hornets, 27, C (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $72MM deal in 2016
Like Crabbe, Biyombo got silly money in the summer of 2016 after a solid playoff performance with Toronto. Orlando quickly got a case of buyer’s remorse and he was eventually shipped to Charlotte in 2018. To his credit, Biyombo has worked his way into the rebuilding Hornets’ rotation. He’s posted double digits in points six times this month while averaging 8.0 RPG in 22.1 MPG. Traditional big men like Biyombo are being phased out of the league, so he won’t attract a lot of interest. But he’s shown he can be a rotation piece somewhere.

Meyers Leonard, Heat, 27, PF (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $41MM deal in 2016
Another player who cashed in during the summer of 2016, Leonard has never averaged more than 8.4 PPG or 5.1 RPG. Other than avid Heat fans, few people realize that Leonard has started 30 games for one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. He doesn’t often finish games but he’s endeared himself enough to coach Erik Spoelstra to keep his spot in the lineup. Leonard doesn’t shoot a lot of threes but he makes them (48.3%). He’s also making an impact on the boards (23 in the last two games). As a stretch four alone, Leonard will draw interest as an unrestricted free agent.

D.J. Augustin, Magic, 32, PG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $29MM deal in 2016
Markelle Fultz is playing regularly but Augustin is still receiving steady playing time from coach Steve Clifford. Augustin threw in a two-point clunker against Chicago on Monday but in his previous four games he averaged 18.5 PPG and 5.3 APG. While Augustin’s overall shooting numbers are down, he can still be a productive rotation player. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Orlando brought back Augustin in a reserve role. If not, he still has enough left in the tank to be someone’s backup floor leader.

Davis Bertans, Wizards, 27, SF (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $14.5MM deal in 2018
Bertans was enjoying a breakout season until he was sidelined recently by a quad injury. Bertans was averaging 15.4 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 30.0 MPG while mostly coming off the bench for Washington. The Wizards have been feeding Bertans to ball beyond the arc and he’s consistently delivered, averaging 43.4% from deep on a whopping 8.6 attempts per game. Bertans’ prolific long range shooting is bound to get the unrestricted free agent some lucrative offers in this summer’s weak free agent class.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hawks' Young Core Finally Together

December 24th, 2019 at 6:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

In his season debut with the Wizards Monday, Gary Payton II looked a lot like his Hall of Fame father, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Some of the resemblance was the familiar No. 20 — the first time the younger Payton has worn his dad’s number in his brief NBA career — but a lot was performance. After being signed out the G League, Payton flew to Washington for a physical and arrived at Madison Square Garden shortly before the start of the game with the Knicks. He came off the bench to post 10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and six steals in 34 minutes.

“I told him at the end of the game; he changed the whole game around. He really did,” teammate Ish Smith said. “He came in that second quarter, him and (Justin Robinson), and at the top of that zone, they were so disruptive.”

Payton hopes to find a lasting NBA home after short stays with the Bucks and Lakers, followed by three games with the Wizards last season. He figures to get plenty of minutes in Washington’s next game while Isaiah Thomas completes his suspension, but his future beyond that is uncertain.

“It’s one game. You can’t get overly excited, but I love players that have stories like this,” coach Scott Brooks said. “You cheer for them. You want them to have success. They fought. They’ve been cut. They almost made it. They’ve been cut. They fought. They’ve been cut. And hopefully, he plays well enough to stick with us.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Payton’s new contract is a non-guaranteed one-year deal that carries a $1,090,781 base salary and a $1,052,909 cap hit, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Payton will earn $9,485 for each day he remains on the Wizards‘ roster.
Dion Waiters worked out today with a few teammates and some of the coaching staff after his latest suspension ended Monday, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat won’t practice again until Thursday, but Waiters took advantage of the chance to get some extra work in. It still appears doubtful that he will be used in any games this season.
The Hawks are optimistic that they can salvage something after a 6-25 start, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Before John Collins returned from a 25-game suspension last night, their young core of Collins, Trae Young and Kevin Huerter had only played together for 19 minutes this season. “I feel like there’s a little bit of a relief factor that comes along with the guy that you expected to have throughout the season, and now you have him back now getting acclimated to regular basketball activities,” Collins said. “I feel like it’s definitely a relief for everyone.”