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Southeast Notes: Wade, Mickey, Weiss, Hawks

August 20th, 2017 at 9:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Two more Heat players have spoken out about the possibility of bringing back Dwyane Wade if he agrees to a buyout with the Bulls, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Hassan Whiteside and Wayne Ellington both endorsed the move during an appearance Saturday at a Whiteside Foundation fundraiser. “He’s a great basketball-IQ guy,” Whiteside said. “He can find you on a lob. He can find you on a pick-and-roll situation. He’s a great scorer.”

Whiteside had previously backed a reunion with Wade through a nodding GIF on social media, but these were his first public comments on the potential move. Wade, who spent 13 years in Miami before signing with Chicago last summer, remains a popular figure in South Florida, but he would have to give up a significant portion of his $23.8MM salary for a buyout to occur. Ellington, who is among the players who might see a reduced role if Wade returns, is also on board. “Obviously this is something that D-Wade helped build,” he said, “so obviously this city and us as a team being able to have somebody like that on our team would be amazing.”

There’s more today from the Southeast Division:

The terms of Jordan Mickey‘s two-year agreement with the Heat have been confirmed, Winderman adds in the same story. The former Celtic’s first season will be guaranteed at the $1.5MM veteran’s minimum and the second will be a team option.
The Hornets are in the market for a new assistant coach after Bob Weiss left to join the Nuggets, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. The 75-year-old had been with Charlotte since Steve Clifford was hired as head coach in 2013. Weiss opted to take a job in Denver to be closer to his grandchildren, and Clifford hopes to find another veteran coach to replace him.
Sharecare, a digital health company based in Atlanta, agreed to a five-year deal this week to become the Hawks‘ jersey patch sponsor, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta. “Every team has had their own strategy with regard to patch partners,” said Andrew Saltzman, executive vice president and chief revenue officer for the team. “But ours is very clear: true to Atlanta and making this a component of a much larger and fully integrated partnership that benefits our fan base, Atlanta as a whole and certainly our partner and ourselves.”

Hornets Notes: Howard, Zeller, Monk, Stone

August 19th, 2017 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

To find a coach who still believes in him, Dwight Howard couldn’t have picked a better place than Charlotte, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The June trade that sent Howard from Atlanta to Charlotte reunited him with head coach Steve Clifford, who served as an assistant with the Magic while Howard was putting together his best seasons. “Cliff’s going to push me, but he’s not going to ever be one of those guys who I would say would break my spirit,” Howard said. “He really believes in me. Throughout all the mess that has happened the last couple of years, this is a great opportunity for me to prove to myself that I know exactly who I am — to just shut people’s mouths.”

The “mess” Howard refers to comes from feeling unwanted in Houston when he opted out last summer, then having a similar experience in Atlanta after signing a three-year, $70.5MM deal. He averaged 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game with the Hawks, but his playing time dwindled in the postseason and he was barely used in the fourth quarter. Clifford expects Howard to be inspired to prove that he still has something left to offer. “From the trade until now, I think he’s very motivated to have a great year, and he badly wants us to win,” the coach said. “The last couple years have been difficult for him. I see him as motivated to work. The success of our team is the thing that keeps coming up in our conversations. He wants to be a part of our team. And that’s his priority.”

There’s more today out of Charlotte:

The addition of Howard may give Cody Zeller some minutes at power forward, but Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer doesn’t believe that’s his best position. In response to a question in his mailbag column, Bonnell says Clifford is considering the move, but Zeller isn’t the type of stretch four that most of the league is now using. However, Bonnell believes Zeller can excel as a backup center.
First-round pick Malik Monk is unlikely to work his way into the starting lineup as a rookie, Bonnell writes in response to another question. The shooting guard out of Kentucky should give the Hornets a scoring boost, but his porous defense and small size at 6’3″ make it likely that he will remain a reserve all season.
The release agreement that Julyan Stone negotiated with his Italian team may only cover one season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Stone had agreed to an extension with Umana Reyer Venezia earlier this year, but requested to be freed from it so he could return to the United States to be closer to his ailing father. The Hornets had hoped to sign Stone to a two-year contract, but that will depend on the terms of his agreement in Italy.

Julyan Stone Granted Release From Italian Team

August 14th, 2017 at 7:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 14, 7:22pm: Stone has been granted his release from Umana Reyer Venezia and is expected to sign with the Hornets this week, Bonnell reports.

AUGUST 13, 2:30pm: The Hornets plan to sign Stone to a two-year minimum deal with a second-year trigger date, pending clearance from FIBA, per Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter).

10:18am: Julyan Stone is making progress toward getting out of his Italian League contract so he can sign with the Hornets, reports Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.

The 28-year-old combo guard recently agreed to a two-year extension with defending league champion Umana Reyer, based in Venice. Stone doesn’t have an opt-out clause to leave for the NBA, but he is asking the team to release him from his deal so he can be closer to his father, who is in a coronary care unit in the United States with severe lung, heart and kidney conditions.

Charlotte has a two-year, veteran’s minimum offer waiting for Stone and envisions him as a third-string point guard backing up Kemba Walker and free agent addition Michael Carter-Williams. However, before he can join the Hornets, Stone has to obtain a letter from FIBA stating that he has no contractual obligation to any other team.

Stone has prior NBA experience with the Nuggets and Raptors. He has also played in Turkey and Italy.

Julyan Stone Expected To Sign With Hornets

August 12th, 2017 at 8:03am CST by Austin Kent

Expect Julyan Stone to finally sign a contract with the Hornets, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes. The guard is now expected to part ways with Italian club Reyer Venezia and return stateside for a second NBA stint.

As we wrote about last week, Stone had recently inked a two-year contract extension to stay in Italy but was adamantly seeking a way out in order to return to America and be closer to his ailing father.

While terms of Stone’s exit haven’t been made available, it’s worth noting that his contract didn’t include any formal opt out options. Last week, as discussed in our previous coverage of the story, Stone took to Instagram to express frustration with the EuroLeague team’s apparent reluctance to engage in a conversation about him leaving.

Per Carchia, when Stone officially becomes a free agent, he’ll sign a two-year guaranteed deal with Charlotte.

Prior to playing overseas, Stone played sparingly for the Nuggets and Raptors, logging 47 games across three seasons from 2011-2014.

And-Ones: Offseason Winners, Losers

August 11th, 2017 at 4:35pm CST by Austin Kent

There were no shortage of teams that made big moves in an effort to improve this offseason but the squad that improved its standing the most is Tom Thibodeau‘s Timberwolves, an ESPN report says.

The worldwide leader in sports put the Wolves well ahead of the second-place Sixers who edged out the Nuggets. Also on ESPN’s list were the Bucks, Thunder and Lakers.

It’s hard to disagree with the fact that the Timberwolves took the top honors, the impact that Jimmy Butler will have is almost indisputable.

The Sixers and Nuggets, too, will welcome big names to their lineup, Philly’s of course coming via the past two drafts and Denver’s in the form of free agent Paul Millsap.

There’s more from around the NBA:

Turmoil in the locker room could cost the Cavaliers big time, an ESPN report states. The Cavs are considered the team most likely to be adversely affected by off-court moves and issues in 2017/18, ahead of the Knicks, Pelicans, Clippers, Bulls and Rockets.
A number of stars will suit up for new squads this season but the biggest addition of the offseason has been Houston’s landmark acquisition of Chris Paul. An ESPN report breaks down why the Rockets fared so well this offseason.
An ESPN report suggests that the Hornets‘ decision to acquire Dwight Howard may not bear fruit. Due to concerns about his fit in the modern era, he’s the most likely candidate to be the least effective individual to have changed addresses this summer.

China Is Next Step For Christian Wood

August 9th, 2017 at 5:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Christian Wood, who has seen scant playing time in two seasons with the Sixers and Hornets, has signed to play in China, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. The 21-year-old power forward has inked a contract with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Undrafted out of UNLV in 2015, Wood signed with Philadelphia shortly before training camp. He was waived twice during his rookie year and spent much of the season in the G-League, but managed to average 3.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 17 games with the Sixers.

Wood signed with the Hornets in July of 2016, but again was in the G-League for most of the season. He appeared in 13 games for Charlotte, averaging 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in about 8 minutes per night.

The Chinese season typically ends before the NBA’s, so Wood will be eligible to return to the NBA when his commitment in China is complete.

Poll: Which Southeast Team Had Best Offseason?

August 9th, 2017 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

For multiple teams in the Southeast, the 2017 offseason was more about retaining their own players than going out and making a major splash via trade or free agency. That was especially true for the reigning division champs in Washington.

Not only did the Wizards match Brooklyn’s four-year, maximum salary offer sheet for Otto Porter — the club also completed another four-year, maximum salary extension, locking up John Wall far beyond the remaining two years on his current contract. Washington also made other minor changes to its roster, adding Jodie Meeks and Tim Frazier, but the team’s major moves involved keeping its current core intact.

The same can be said about the Heat, who pursued Gordon Hayward, but missed out and quickly shifted their focus back to their own free agents, finalizing new long-term contracts with James Johnson and Dion Waiters. Miami also made the biggest investment in the division on an outside free agent, striking a four-year, $45.6MM deal with Kelly Olynyk, which could be worth even more via incentives.

The Hawks brought back Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Muscala on new deals, but opted not to re-sign their top free agent, letting Paul Millsap go to Denver. The move was one of several made by Atlanta that will re-shape the roster for 2017/18. Dewayne Dedmon, Miles Plumlee, and Marco Belinelli are among the newly-added Hawks, while Tim Hardaway, Dwight Howard, Thabo Sefolosha, and Mike Dunleavy are a few of the players who left Atlanta this summer.

The Hornets were on the other end of a major trade with Atlanta, landing Howard in exchange for Belinelli and Plumlee. The cap-strapped Hornets didn’t have a lot of flexibility to make upgrades, but the additions of Howard, Malik Monk, and Michael Carter-Williams are intriguing moves for a club that underperformed in 2016/17.

Meanwhile, the Magic didn’t make any big-money investments in free agency, but landed Jonathon Simmons, Shelvin Mack, Arron Afflalo, and Marreese Speights on affordable deals, and added a tantalizing athlete in Jonathan Isaac in the draft.

What do you think? Which Southeast team has had the best offseason so far? Vote in our poll and then head to the comment section to share your thoughts.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Previously:

Agent Hopeful Stone Can Join Hornets

August 7th, 2017 at 8:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Julyan Stone‘s agent is hopeful of freeing his client from a European contract so that the point guard can sign with the Hornets, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte has offered Stone a two-year deal to be its third point guard behind Kemba Walker and Michael Carter-Williams but he first must be released from the contract he signed with Reyer Venezia in the Italian pro league. Stone’s agent, Giovanni Funiciello, told Bonnell that he’s hopeful a compromise can be worked out this week so that Stone can remain in the U.S. and be close to his ailing father.

Family Issues Push Julyan Stone Toward Hornets

August 5th, 2017 at 6:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

The poor health of his father is motivating Julyan Stone to try to get out of his Italian contract and sign with the Hornets, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.

The 28-year-old point guard has a two-year offer from Charlotte that he would like to accept, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reported Friday. Stone’s primary motivation is the condition of his father, who is in the United States in a coronary care unit with severe lung, heart and kidney ailments.

Stone has approached his Reyer Venezia club, based in Venice, about getting out of his current deal, but hasn’t made any progress. He posted a message on his Instagram account Friday explaining his father’s dire condition and claiming that Reyer Venezia officials won’t return his repeated messages. Stone would like to return to the NBA to be closer to his father and be in a better position to pay for his care.

Signing Stone would also benefit the Hornets, who are looking for an inexpensive backup to Kemba Walker and Michael Carter-Williams. Charlotte is hovering near the luxury tax line with about $119MM committed in salary for next season, so any roster additions will have to be made at minimal cost.

The Hornets waived Briante Weber in late July before his $1.5MM contract became guaranteed, and they recently held a workout for prospective point guards.

The 6’6″ Stone has previous NBA experience, playing 26 games for the Nuggets over two seasons and 21 with the Raptors in 2013/14.

Hornets Interested In Julyan Stone

August 4th, 2017 at 9:00pm CST by Austin Kent

The Hornets are said to be interested in signing Julyan Stone to a two-year contract but the 28-year-old is unable to opt out of his current deal with his Italian club, Emilio Carchia of Sportando writes. Per Stone’s Instagram account, the club hasn’t exactly made pursuing a buyout easy.