Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Zoran Dragic To Play In Russia

August 13th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

Zoran Dragic has signed a two-year deal with Khimki of Russia, the team announced (Twitter link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Dragic cleared waivers from the Celtics on Wednesday following his Monday release. It’s no surprise to see the native of Slovenia return to overseas ball, as his camp pushed the Celtics to let go of him when they did so that he could sign with a European team that would give him minutes, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported this week. The Celtics reportedly intended to unload him somehow, though it appeared as though they were waiting to see if another NBA team would take him in a trade.

The Celtics stand to benefit to some degree if Dragic’s deal calls for a salary of more than the NBA one-year veteran’s minimum of $845,059, since that would allow them to invoke set-off rights to defray the $1.5MM they owe him. In any case, it’s a quick end to Dragic’s NBA excursion, one in which he saw just 4.7 minutes per game in 16 total appearances split between the Suns, who originally signed him a year ago, and the Heat, to whom Phoenix traded him along with his brother, Goran Dragic. Miami flipped him to Boston in a salary-clearing move last month.

Zoran nonetheless faces competition for playing time with Khimki, which bestowed a deal upon fellow former NBA guard Alexey Shved that reportedly makes him the highest-paid player in Europe. The team also has Mavs draft rights held player Petteri Koponen in the backcourt, as Carchia points out.

Who do you think stands a better chance of playing in the NBA again, Dragic or Shved? Leave a comment to tell us.

Atlantic Notes: Randolph, ‘Melo, Nets, Dawkins

August 13th, 2015 at 9:08am CST by Chuck Myron

9:08am: The total value of Randolph’s deal is only $4.5MM, and it includes no NBA outs, according to overseas journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The third season is a team option, Pick adds.

8:59am: Shavlik Randolph is set to earn at least $7MM over three years on his new deal with the Liaoning Flying Leopards of China, one that’s second only to Andray Blatche‘s three-year $7.5MM contract on the list of the most lucrative pacts in Chinese Basketball Association history, reports Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders (All Twitter links). The value of Randolph’s arrangement could swell to $8MM if he triggers bonuses, according to Camerato. Unlike Blatche’s deal, it includes an NBA out after each season, and Randolph, who saw his last NBA action as a member of the Celtics this past season, hopes to again return to the NBA this spring at the end of the abbreviated Chinese season, Camerato adds. Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

Part of Carmelo Anthony‘s willingness to stick up for Knicks team president Phil Jackson includes the understanding that ‘Melo’s friends aren’t off-limits for a trade, as was the case in the January deal that sent Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Cavs, observes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. “On one side,” Anthony said, “guys that we got rid of were close to me and my friends, and on the flip side of that, it’s a business at the end of the day. So I think he had to do that in order to put us in the position we’re in right now from a business standpoint. From a friendship standpoint, if those are my guys, if those are my friends, I’m going to always feel some type of way about losing guys that I played with that I formed a bond with. But I know this is a business and I know he had to do what he had to do to put us in this position.”
The Nets are carrying a lot more partially guaranteed money than they used to, as NetsDaily examines. The difference between the partial guarantees for five Nets players and their full salaries comes to more than $3.4MM, as NetsDaily notes.
Former Celtics 10-day signee Andre Dawkins has inked with Italy’s Auxilium CUS Torino, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Dawkins signed a pair of 10-day pacts with Boston this past season, though he only appeared in games for the team’s D-League affiliate.

Eastern Notes: Scott, Davies, Jordan, Mickey

August 12th, 2015 at 9:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mike Scott faces up to 25 years in prison on a pair of felony drug charges following his arrest late last month, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Scott’s salary of more than $3.333MM for this coming season with the Hawks is guaranteed, but next season’s salary is not. The 27-year-old appeared in 68 games for Atlanta last season, averaging 7.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Brandon Davies, who played for the Nets and Sixers during the 2014/15 campaign, has officially signed with Pallacanestro Varese of Italy, the team announced via Twitter (translation courtesy of Enea Trapani of Sportando). The impending deal was first reported by Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia.
The Knicks finished third in the running to sign free agent center DeAndre Jordan, who was the team’s top offseason target, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. The turning point in New York’s recruitment of Jordan was a face-to-face between the player and team president Phil Jackson in early July, Berman notes. Jordan left the meeting with a positive impression of the team’s rebuilding plan, though he ultimately decided to rejoin the Clippers after awkwardly changing his mind about signing with the Mavericks, the Post scribe relays. “I had a great meeting and great presentation,’’ Jordan told Berman. “Phil Jackson speaks for himself. Fish [Derek Fisher] did a great job. The whole team had a plan with the organization, a plan for me that was cool. I just decided to stay with the Clippers, but it was great. The Knicks were definitely a team I was considering.’’
Jordan Mickey preferred to sign a three-year deal with the Celtics that included two fully guaranteed seasons, but Boston’s persistence in pushing for a four-year pact won out, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “They made it obvious they wanted to sign a longer deal, and I’ve got to admit, at the beginning we just weren’t hearing that,” James Wright Sr., who is Mickey’s stepfather, said. “We didn’t want a four-year deal. We wanted a chance to get back to the table earlier. But Jordan, his mother, and I sat and talked and decided it made the most sense to just work this thing out, because this is the team he wants to play for.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Celtics, Levi Randolph Agree To Camp Deal

August 12th, 2015 at 4:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

AUGUST 12TH, 4:35pm: The pact is indeed for the minimum salary and Randolph will receive a partial guarantee worth $25k, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.

JULY 23RD, 10:41am: The Celtics will sign undrafted shooting guard Levi Randolph for training camp after the former University of Alabama standout accepted their offer, a source told Matt Zenitz of AL.com. Multiple overseas teams made offers, too, Zenitz writes, with Italy’s Vuelle Pesaro apparently the latest, as Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia reports. Boston has the flexibility to use cap space, so while it would seem unlikely that the 6’4″ Randolph will sign for more than the minimum salary, it’s possible that his contract will cover as many as four years. It’s unclear if any partially guaranteed money is involved, as is sometimes the case with camp invitees.

Randolph worked out for the Celtics prior to the draft, but he wasn’t a strong candidate to hear his name called on draft night, with Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranking him the 101st-best prospect and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress listing him only as the 48th-best senior in this year’s class. The 22-year-old, who turns 23 in October, split summer league between the Thunder and Jazz, averaging 4.8 points in 20.5 minutes per game with 2 for 15 three-point shooting in 10 total appearances.

The worst-case scenario for Randolph involves him ending up in the D-League, Zenitz’s source said, so it appears he’s willing to go that route rather than play overseas should the Celtics cut him at the end of the preseason. Boston has a one-to-one D-League affiliate, so the C’s can retain his D-League rights should he fail to make the opening-night NBA roster. That seems the most likely scenario, with Boston already poised to carry 16 guaranteed contracts.

Northwest Notes: Waiters, Saunders, Connaughton

August 11th, 2015 at 1:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dion Waiters doesn’t see any holes on the Thunder‘s roster, and he’s particularly impressed with new coach Billy Donovan and his staff, as he tells Nick Gallo of Thunder.com. Former NBA head coaches Monty Williams and Maurice Cheeks are among the assistants.

“I think they did a hell of a job as far as coaches, bringing in guys with experience who have been there before,” Waiters said. “They know what they’re doing. For a guy like myself, a young guy, I need those type of people around me so I can pick their brain.”

Waiters would become a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign an extension by October 31st. Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor conveyed optimism as he spoke about coach/executive Flip Saunders in the wake of the team’s revelation of his cancer diagnosis, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune relays (All Twitter links). The team will work around Saunders’ treatment schedule, Taylor said. “Something like this goes beyond basketball, that’s real life,” he said. “We all take care of each other.”
The Baltimore Orioles drafted and signed Pat Connaughton a year before he joined the Trail Blazers, but basketball comes first for the former Notre Dame standout, as Ian Thomsen of NBA.com details. GM Neil Olshey is adamant that Connaughton, whom Portland took with the 41st overall pick in the NBA draft this year, won’t be playing professional baseball while he’s on his three-year deal with the Blazers, but Olshey won’t close the door on a long-term two-sport future for the shooting guard/right-handed pitcher. “Now, look,” Olshey said, “if he gets into a second contract down the road and that is something he wants to pursue, then that can be a discussion point …”
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, himself a two-sport athlete, said the C’s almost drafted Connaughton, Thomsen notes in the same piece. Boston had the 33rd and 45th overall picks.

Eastern Notes: Thompson, Dragic, Pistons

August 10th, 2015 at 10:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Agent Rich Paul may represent both LeBron James and Tristan Thompson, but the influence Thompson’s negotiations have on LeBron’s decision-making is overstated, opines Hoops Rumors contributor Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, who believes Thompson shouldn’t overplay his hand.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Zoran Dragic‘s representatives wanted to secure his release from the Celtics so that he could return to Europe and play regularly, sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (Twitter link). The Celtics announced on Monday that they had waived Dragic, whom they acquired in last month’s trade with Miami.
The Cavaliers are the Eastern Conference’s top team in terms of roster construction but there are several surprises in the Top 5, according to an analysis by ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle in an Insider-only piece. The Pacers rank second in tier score, which is based on a team’s anticipated 10-man rotation. The Raptors, Pistons and Hawks round out the Top 5 while the Nets, a playoff team last season, are near the bottom at No. 13.
The Pistons could go with a wing trio of Marcus Morris, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Stanley Johnson against certain opponents, which would mean reduced playing time for Jodie Meeks, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. The production from that trio will have a major influence on the team’s goal to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2008/09 season, Langlois adds.

Atlantic Rumors: Sixers, Nets, Mickey

August 10th, 2015 at 8:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers were hoping to take D’Angelo Russell with the third overall pick in June when the Lakers snagged him at No. 2, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Grantland’s Zach Lowe heard the same, but not from people within the Sixers organization, who insisted to Lowe that they weren’t targeting the Ohio State guard (Twitter link). Philadelphia, which had the 21st-best offseason according to Aldridge, wound up drafting center Jahlil Okafor.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Sixers center Joel Embiid has not yet undergone a second surgery on his right foot, sources told John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com. The procedure is still scheduled to take place and Embiid is expected to miss the upcoming season, Gonzalez continues. The Sixers said on July 11th that he would have a bone graft surgery within seven to 10 days. Embiid and his advisors wanted more time to review the matter and select a doctor, Gonzalez adds.
The Nets went back over the luxury tax threshold with the signing of Donald Sloan on Monday, former NBA executive Bobby Marks tweets. The club now has 12 guaranteed contracts and five partial or non-guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season, including Sloan’s deal, Marks adds. Marks notes in a separate tweet that tax numbers are not finalized until the end of the regular season. He also speculates that Sloan will be battling rookie Ryan Boatright for the third point guard spot.
Jordan Mickey thought the Celtics might take him with one of its two first-round picks after working out for them twice, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reports. Mickey also felt that way shortly before the draft when he spoke to Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links. Mickey wound up being an early second-rounder for Boston at No. 33. An impressive summer league stint convinced the Celtics to sign Mickey to a four-year, $5MM deal, including two guaranteed years. “He’s a great shot blocker when you look at his numbers for a smaller guy in height,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told Himmelsbach. “But then you look at his length and his reach and he’s really, really long and gets off the floor extremely quickly.”

Celtics Waive Zoran Dragic

August 10th, 2015 at 3:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics have waived Zoran Dragic, the team announced. The team had reportedly been likely to release him ever since Boston picked him up in last month’s trade with Miami, though it appeared as though the team was holding out to see if it could find a trade partner. The Celtics had held signed contracts or verbal agreements with 21 players, but before they could officially sign all of the players they’ve invited to camp, they had to unload someone to comply with the 20-man offseason roster limit.

The main attraction of the trade in which Boston received Dragic is Miami’s unprotected 2020 second-round pick. The Celtics also net $100K in cash, since they received from Miami $1.6MM and are on the hook for $1.5MM to Dragic unless another team claims him off waivers, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (All Twitter links). Dragic’s cap figure is slightly more than $1.706MM, but that reflects a signing bonus that the Suns gave him when he signed last year that the Celtics aren’t responsible for, Pincus points out.

Dragic, 26, averaged only 1.8 points in 4.7 minutes per game across 16 appearances this past season, his first since coming over from Europe to join his brother, Goran, on the Suns. The Suns sent the Dragic brothers in tandem to the Heat at the trade deadline. Miami committed a five-year contract to Goran this summer, and he was reportedly OK with the deal that sent his brother to Boston. The Heat can’t re-sign Zoran until next July.

Today’s move still leaves the Celtics with a tough call to make, since they have 16 fully guaranteed contracts, as our roster counts show. They’ve also signed Corey Walden and Malcolm Miller to camp deals and will reportedly bring Levi Randolph and Coty Clarke to camp as well.

Do you think Zoran Dragic will end up on another NBA team someday? Leave a comment to let us know.

Heat Rumors: Chalmers, Andersen, Green, Draft

August 8th, 2015 at 10:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat would probably lack the depth needed to contend for a title if they ship out Mario Chalmers or Chris Andersen for luxury tax relief, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Miami recently got a measure of tax relief by trading Shabazz Napier to the Magic, but rumors persist that Chalmers, Andersen or Josh McRoberts could be sent elsewhere before the season begins. Winderman argues that dealing Chalmers or Andersen for little in return would damage the Heat by leaving them without veteran backups at point guard or center.

There’s more tonight from Miami:

The Heat should wait until at least midseason before making any more luxury tax moves, Winderman argues in the same piece. He contends the team needs a strong start after missing the playoffs last season, and that is more likely with all the veteran backups still around. Because the luxury tax is based on the season-ending roster, Miami could make a tax-relief deal or two during the season if it decides to pursue that strategy. He notes that owner Micky Arison is dedicated to keeping a “sustainable business model” as well as building a successful team.
Gerald Green feels “blessed” to be in Miami, according to Joe Beguiristain of NBA.com. Green, who signed a one-year minimum deal with the Heat last month, is happy to be reuniting with Goran Dragic, who helped Green post career highs in scoring and 3-point shooting percentage during their year together in Phoenix. “I never had anybody to make me better like that,” Green said. “He [Dragic] attacks the teeth of the defense, he puts pressure on the defense and he just does a great job of drawing two [or] three defenders.”
A series of trades has left the Heat low on draft picks over the next six years, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami has just three first-rounders and two second-rounders remaining in that span. That could change, although the odds seem remote, if Orlando has a top-five record next year or if Boston does in 2019.

Celtics, Malcolm Miller Agree To Camp Deal

August 8th, 2015 at 10:23am CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 10:23am: The signing has occurred, according to the RealGM transactions log, though there has been no official announcement made by the team.

4:30pm: Miller’s deal will be partially guaranteed for $25k, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.

FRIDAY, 2:27pm: The Celtics will bring summer-leaguer and former Holy Cross small forward Malcolm Miller to training camp on a one-year deal for the minimum salary, a league source tells Kevin O’Connor of SB Nation’s CelticsBlog. The arrangement will be non-guaranteed, O’Connor adds. It gives the Celtics contracts or verbal agreements with 21 players in the wake of the news earlier today that Coty Clarke will also sign a camp deal. Teams may only carry as many as 20 signed contracts during the offseason, but Boston reportedly intends to offload Zoran Dragic.

Miller averaged just 4.0 points and 12.1 minutes per game across seven appearances for the summer league Celtics, but he canned five of his six three-point attempts during that span. He was a 39.3% three-point shooter over his last two college seasons, and he put up 14.7 PPG in 31.7 MPG as a senior for the Crusaders this past year. The 22-year-old worked out for the Celtics and Jazz prior to this year’s draft, but he wasn’t selected on draft night.

At 6’7″, Miller carries much the same profile as does Clarke, who spent last season playing in Israel. Still, both face steep climbs to make the opening night roster for Boston, which has 17 fully guaranteed contracts, including Dragic’s. Shooting guards Corey Walden from Eastern Kentucky and Levi Randolph from Alabama are reportedly set to join Miller and Clarke in Celtics camp, with all four of them candidates to end up on Boston’s D-League affiliate. The C’s can protect the D-League rights to as many as four camp cuts. Still, it’s not surprising to see the Celtics, who are heavily loaded with point guards and big men, concentrate on wing players as they build their preseason roster, so that offers a glimmer of hope that one of them can stick for the regular season.

Which camp invitee do you think has the best chance of playing NBA regular season games for the Celtics or another team? Leave a comment to let us know.