Charlotte Hornets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Thunder, Grizzlies, Antic

June 22nd, 2015 at 11:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder have been shopping Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb and Steve Novak, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets. Oklahoma City, which has $78.26MM in guaranteed salary commitments for next season, is seeking financial relief but it is also seeking a draft pick, Mannix adds. The Thunder already have picks at No. 14 and No. 48.

In other news around the league:

The Knicks, Kings and Hornets are the teams most likely to trade out of the Top 10 in the draft, Mannix reports in a separate tweet.
Guards Andre Hollins and Deville Smith and forwards Nino Johnson and Aaron White worked out for the Grizzlies on Monday, completing the team’s predraft workouts, according to Grizzlies.com.
R.J. Hunter, Anthony Brown, Olivier Hanlan, Christian Wood, Sir’Dominic Porter and Mouhammadou Jaiteh will work out for the Wizards on Tuesday, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. (Twitter link).
Fenerbahce of the Turkish League is interested in signing Hawks free agent center Pero Antic, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia.

Draft Notes: Lakers, Johnson, Berzins, Payne

June 21st, 2015 at 9:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers would prefer Karl-Anthony Towns to Jahlil Okafor, but Towns appears to be the player that the Timberwolves are targeting with the top pick, as Chris Mannix of SI.com hears (Twitter link). L.A. has swung and missed on attempts to have Towns in for a workout, while Mark Heisler of Forbes.com heard recently that Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders has become enamored with the Kentucky big man. The Lakers have zeroed in on Okafor if Towns is off the board, as Mannix reported earlier. Here’s more on the rapidly approaching draft:

Stanley Johnson is refusing to work out with the Hornets, who pick ninth, in hopes that either the Pistons, at No. 8, or the Heat, with the 10th pick, will draft him, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Latvian small forward Janis Berzins is working out for the Spurs and Celtics in addition to his audition with the Jazz this past Friday, as VEF Riga, his Latvian team, revealed via Twitter (translation via HoopsHype).
Cameron Payne has worked out for the Lakers, Kings, Nuggets, Pacers and Thunder, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. In addition, Payne held a meeting with the Celtics.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson said earlier this week that he has workouts left with the Jazz, Kings and Hawks, tweets Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.
Justin Anderson recently completed his eighth workout, Castillo tweets. He has the Cavaliers and Thunder remaining.
Larry Nance Jr. tells the Associated Press he has worked out for “about a dozen” teams, including the Spurs, Sixers, Celtics, Suns, Heat, Pacers and Knicks. The last workout on his schedule will be Wednesday with the Cavaliers.
Pat Connaughton has managed to fit more than a dozen teams into his workout schedule, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The Notre Dame product has received positive reviews at most of the workouts and has a chance to be a second round pick, Himmelsbach writes.
Kevon Looney has worked out for “nine or 10 teams,” tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. One of those sessions was with the Celtics on June 17th, writes Josh Slavin of WEEI.com.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Russell, Porzingis, Raptors

June 18th, 2015 at 9:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell had an under-the-radar workout with the Knicks back on June 11th, shortly before he pulled out of a scheduled workout with the Sixers due to an undisclosed illness, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. There are rumblings that Philadelphia has become enamored with forward Kristaps Porzingis, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has Philly taking the Latvian with the No. 3 overall pick in his latest mock draft. However, a league source insists the Sixers taking Porzingis over Russell is a reach and they are after the best available player regardless of position, Berman notes. “If you’re basing taking him [Porzingis] because of last week’s workout, you should be fired,’’ the league source told Berman.

Here’s the latest from the East:

Porzingis met with representatives from the Magic today in Orlando, but did not work out for the team, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops relays (Twitter link).
Texas big man Myles Turner has an individual workout scheduled Friday morning with the Hornets, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer relays (on Twitter). The majority of mock drafts predict that Charlotte will select a wing who can score from deep, and though Turner does have the ability to stretch defenses, selecting him could prove redundant in the wake of the team’s acquisition of Spencer Hawes from the Clippers.
The Raptors held pre-draft workouts today for Terry Rozier (Louisville), R.J. Hunter (Georgia State), J.P. Tokoto (North Carolina), Phil Greene (St. John’s), Tekele Cotton (Wichita State), and Jarekious Bradley (Southeast Missouri State), the team announced.
Michael Qualls (Arizona), Rashad Vaughn (UNLV), Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), and Josh Smith (Georgetown) all pulled out of their scheduled workouts with the Nets today, The Brooklyn Game relays (Twitter link). The reason for Qualls’ withdrawal is obvious, with the player having suffered a torn ACL, but it is unclear why the other players declined to attend the showcase.

Southeast Notes: Pierce, Hornets, Grant

June 18th, 2015 at 11:27am CST by Chuck Myron

Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson benefit from Monday’s trade because Lance Stephenson isn’t there any more to take away touches and minutes and challenge the team’s chemistry, opines Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Henderson decided Wednesday to pick up his $6MM player option, though whether Stephenson’s departure played into that decision remains unclear. There’s more on the Hornets amid the latest from the Southeast Division:

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis affirmed the notion that the Wizards want to retain Paul Pierce, who faces a decision on a $5.544MM player option for next season as rumors connect him to the Clippers, as Leonsis said on the team website (video link; transcription via Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post). The owner said that the organization “loves” the 37-year-old who’d be “welcomed with open arms” if he decides to stay in Washington.
Hornets GM Rich Cho said he’d “love” to trade up in the draft, though whether that happens will depend on how much Charlotte would have to relinquish to do so, Cho added, as Bonnell relays (Twitter links). “We’ve been talking to a lot of teams about moving up, moving backward, moving the pick all-together,” Cho said.
Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant will work out for the Hawks, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Grant spoke recently with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors, and our Chris Crouse looked at what makes him an intriguing prospect.

Eastern Notes: Williams, Knicks, Celtics

June 17th, 2015 at 5:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There have been reports that the Knicks intend to trade down in the NBA Draft if Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and D’Angelo Russell are off the board when New York is set to pick at No. 4 overall. As for what team president Phil Jackson is seeking in return for the fourth pick, in his weekly chat Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) relays that the Knicks want a young veteran player and a pick in the 8 to 14 range. One player who New York has been linked to in that draft range is fast-rising playmaker Cameron Payne of Murray State, who would fill a glaring need for the franchise at the point guard spot.

Here’s the latest out of the Eastern Conference:

Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams is expected to receive strong interest from teams that include the Kings, Lakers, Knicks, and Nets, providing a clear competition for the Raptors to retain his services, Shams Charania of RealGM writes. Williams is expected to seek a three-year deal in the range of $27MM or four years for $35MM, Charania adds.
The Celtics held workouts today for Kevon Looney (UCLA), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova), and Maurice NDour (Ohio), Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays (Twitter link).
The Wizards will hold workouts on Thursday for Justin Anderson (Virginia), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona), Jordan Mickey (LSU), Aaron White (Iowa), Derek Cooke Jr. (Wyoming), and Maxie Esho (UMass), Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Working out for the Cavaliers today were Josh Richardson (Tennessee) and Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops notes (on Twitter).
The Hornets are hoping that newly acquired Spencer Hawes can help replace the outside shooting the team lost when Josh McRoberts signed with the Heat last offseason, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “In the offseason you try to make your team fit better together, and I think that’s what this trade does. Our defense is more than good enough to win and our offense isn’t,” Clifford said. “If you look more specifically into the numbers [the flaw] is our [long] range shooting. What Spencer will do is improve our range shooting and he’s also a very good passer.”

Gerald Henderson Opts In With Hornets

June 17th, 2015 at 2:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

Gerald Henderson has picked up his $6MM player option for next season to stay with the Hornets, the team announced. The move means the Wasserman Media Group client will enter free agency next summer instead of this year, as the coming season is the last on a three-year, $18MM deal that the swingman signed with the team in 2013.

It’s the second time this week that a member of the Hornets exercised a player option. Al Jefferson officially did so Monday, the same day the team traded Lance Stephenson to the Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. This week’s moves, including Henderson’s decision, have lifted the team’s guaranteed salary for next season from about $46.2MM to approximately $63.8MM, making it likely the team stays above the projected $67.1MM cap for 2015/16.

Henderson started 72 games this past season, in part because Stephenson failed to become the mainstay that Charlotte hoped he’d be. The 27-year-old Henderson nonetheless averaged fewer minutes, points and shots per game than in any of the four seasons since he became a full-time starter for the team.

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 6/16/15

June 16th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Some of the greatest joys of being a sports fan, besides your favorite team winning the championship, are the debates that arise between fellow sports nuts along the way. It’s with this in mind that we have begun providing a forum for basketball fanatics to voice their opinions, debate trending topics, and simply hang out with like-minded hoops aficionados. We’ve begun been posting a new topic for readers to discuss each weeknight, which we hope that this will become a regular part of your sports day. If you missed our previous discussions you can view them here, or simply head over to the sidebar and select “Hoops Rumors Community Shootarounds.”

Of course, there will be differing opinions from time to time. While we absolutely encourage lively discussion and debate, we do expect everyone to treat each other with respect. So, please refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults or attacks, as well as the other taboo types of discourse laid out in our site’s commenting policy. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Hoops Rumors. Just put in your name, email address, and comment and submit it; there is no need to become a registered user.

Now that the preamble has been handled, let’s get to the topic of the day: What are your thoughts on the trade that sent Lance Stephenson to the Clippers in exchange for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes? Can Stephenson regain his status as a nightly triple-double threat under coach Doc Rivers? Will Hawes effectively replace what Charlotte was missing last season thanks to the departure of Josh McRoberts? What does this mean for both franchises’ playoff hopes? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

And-Ones: Borrego, Draft, Crawford

June 16th, 2015 at 10:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Walter Pitchford, a center from Nebraska, and Gardner-Webb combo forward Jerome Hill are the two U.S. players who withdrew from the draft in advance of Monday’s deadline to do so, the league announced. The deadline to withdraw while still maintaining college eligibility was more than two months ago, so neither is able to return to NCAA ball. Neither had much chance to be drafted this year, so the outcome of their respective decisions Monday, at least as far as next season is concerned, is likely the same, with either the D-League or overseas play probably in the future for them. Still, both will have the chance to go through the draft process again next year, when they’ll be automatically draft-eligible.

Here’s more from around the league:

Also withdrawing from the draft were Spanish small forward Alberto Abalde and Oriol Pauli, Ukrainian centers Vladislav Korenyuk and Sergiy Zagreba, Lebanese point guard Wael Arakji, Greek shooting guard Eleftherios Bochoridis, Georgian forward Beka Burjanadze, Senegalese center Moussa Diagne, Croatian shooting guard Ognjen Dobric, Spanish shooting guard Marc Garcia, Spanish forward Juan Alberto Hernangomez, Slovenian point guard Aleksej Nikolic and Kazakhstani power forward Alexandr Zhigulin, the league announced in the same press release. Several other overseas prospects also withdrew, according to Monday reports that the league confirmed.
Former University of Washington center Robert Upshaw has been cleared to resume workouts after his heart issue scare, Reid Forgrave of FOXSports.com relays (Twitter link). Upshaw has already worked out for the Mavericks, and will show his wares for the Rockets on Wednesday, Forgrave adds.
Clippers guard Jamal Crawford has hired Wasserman Media Group to represent him, Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). Crawford was previously with Andy Miller of ASM Sports.
Former Magic interim coach James Borrego is finalizing a deal with the Spurs to join coach Gregg Popovich‘s staff as an assistant, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (via Twitter).
The Hornets held workouts today for Treveon Graham (VCU), Alan Williams (Santa Barbara), Trevor Lacey (NC State), Sir’Dominic Pointer (St. John’s), Shannon Scott (Ohio State), and Seth Tuttle (Northern Iowa), the team announced (Twitter links).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Lance Stephenson Trade Fallout/Reaction

June 16th, 2015 at 11:27am CST by Chuck Myron

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers made a gamble Monday, trading for Lance Stephenson, who was a profound disappointment this past season with the Hornets. Of course, Spencer Hawes, who went to Charlotte in the deal, didn’t exactly validate the contract he signed for the full mid-level exception last summer in his time with the Clippers. Perhaps the greatest sacrifice in the trade for the Clips was Matt Barnes, their starting small forward, though that carries a touch of irony, since it appears the Hornets will waive Barnes soon. Here’s more on Monday’s swap, already the second of the offseason after Thursday’s Bucks/Pistons move:

Rivers backed out of a proposed trade with the Hornets during the season that was similar to the deal that went down Monday, sources told Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Rivers and his staff called people around the league this past week to gauge their opinions on Stephenson, Markazi writes.
The 15% trade kicker in Hawes’ deal gives him an additional $1,698,926 that’s spread over the 2014/15 season as well as the next two for the Hornets, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details (All four Twitter links). The $1,698,926 bonus is equivalent to 15% of his salary for 2015/16 and 2016/17, which is the remaining guaranteed salary on his contract, though because it’s still technically the 2014/15 season until June 30th, the bonus is spread over this season, too.
The Hornets wisely cut their losses with Stephenson, and the team’s desperation to rid itself of Stephenson was clear, opines Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer, who doesn’t have faith that the former Pacer will resurrect his career with the Clippers.
Some people at the ownership level in Brooklyn wanted to trade for Stephenson this past season, but GM Billy King never felt comfortable about bringing him on, tweets Robert Windrem of NetsDaily. The Nets and Hornets reportedly discussed Stephenson proposals multiple times.

Hornets GM Rich Cho On Stephenson Trade

June 16th, 2015 at 8:53am CST by Chuck Myron

GM Rich Cho has been in full control of the Hornets front office for barely a year, following the resignation of former president of basketball operations Rod Higgins, and his two most significant moves involve Lance Stephenson. Last summer’s acquisition of the shooting guard didn’t go so well, and now Cho is hoping that Monday’s trade that sent Stephenson to the Clippers brings better results. Cho said in a conference call with media after the deal that owner Michael Jordan didn’t order him to ship out Stephenson, though the GM said he does agree with the owner’s philosophy that it’s important to move on from mistakes. Cho had plenty more to say, and while Cho didn’t acknowledge that the team is likely to waive Matt Barnes, he focused his remarks much more heavily on Spencer Hawes, the other player the team received in the deal. We’ll round up the highlights here from the transcription on Hornets.com.

On the trade in general:

“We are really excited to acquire Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes in this deal. Spencer gives us a veteran game – he has proven himself in this league and adds a lot of experience to the locker room. He has the ability to face the floor in offense as an outside shooter and is a great passer as well. He has a high basketball IQ and we’re really excited to have him on the team. As far as Matt, we’re still evaluating our options with Matt. But before I end, I would like to thank Lance for all his hard work during the year and being a professional last season.”

More on Hawes:

“He didn’t have a very good year last year with the Clippers, but I think he just needs to have a comfort level. I just talked to him a little bit ago and he’s really excited to be here. I know our coaches are really excited to have him as well. We’re just looking forward to getting him here and getting him accustomed to our offense and defense and then having him work with our coaches.”

On Stephenson and his struggles this past season:

“I thought Lance handled it really well, actually. I think it was kind of a shock to the system when wasn’t playing as much. He got out of rotation a little bit, but he handled it professionally and I thought he was a great teammate and I don’t have anything bad to say about Lance.”

On team chemistry:

“I do think we had really good chemistry two years ago and for whatever reason, we probably didn’t have as good of chemistry last year. I wouldn’t put that all on Lance. I do think Spencer is very good locker room guy. I’ve known Spencer for a long, long time, just being from Seattle. I’m also very close with his uncle on his mom’s side. I know Spencer is a solid person and he’s going to be a good locker room veteran presence for us.”