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Joe Johnson Reaches Buyout With Kings, Will Sign With Rockets

February 11th, 2018 at 5:34pm CST by marksuleymanov

FEBRUARY 11, 5:34pm: The Kings have officially waived Johnson, the team announced on its website. Since the transaction was finalized today, Johnson will clear waivers on Tuesday.

FEBRUARY 10, 10:17am: Veteran Joe Johnson is expected to sign with the Rockets now that his buyout with the Kings has been finalized, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Johnson will clear waivers on Monday and be free to sign with Houston immediately.

Johnson, 36, was traded to the Kings on Thursday as part of a three-team deal that included the Cavaliers and Jazz. Once it became clear that Sacramento would likely buyout Johnson, early reports named the Celtics and Warriors as favorites for his services.

Johnson is in the second year of the two-year, $22MM deal he inked with Utah before the start of the 2016/17 season. The seven-time All-Star has been a starter for most of his 17-year NBA career but shifted into a reserve role with the Jazz last season. Johnson missed part of the season with a wrist injury but has averaged 7.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 32 games.

“Iso Joe” joins a Rockets team that is just half a game behind the Warriors for the best record in the Western Conference. The Rockets are also expected to sign 11-year veteran Brandan Wright, giving the team’s bench two scoring additions. Houston will have to waive a player, as the team has 14 players signed to guaranteed deals before the additions of Wright and Johnson, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Grizzlies Waive Brandan Wright

February 10th, 2018 at 5:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

The buyout is complete for Brandan Wright, who has already indicated his intention to sign with the Rockets. The Grizzlies waived him this afternoon, announcing the move on their website.

The 30-year-old forward has been slowed by injuries since signing with Memphis in 2015, appearing in a combined 67 games over nearly three seasons. He played 27 games this year, averaging 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per night.

Wright will now go through the waiver process, and expects to sign with Houston once he clears on Monday. The Rockets will have a roster spot available after waiving veteran guard Bobby Brown.

Terms of Wright’s buyout were not released, but he was making nearly $5.96MM on an expiring contract. The move leaves Memphis with an open roster spot.

Rockets To Waive Bobby Brown

February 10th, 2018 at 11:56am CST by marksuleymanov

Despite signing Bobby Brown to a contract for the rest of 2017/18 on Friday, the Rockets will waive him to make room for Joe Johnson, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Johnson, who is expected to complete a buyout with the Kings, has committed to signing with the Rockets. With fellow Brandan Wright also expected to sign, Houston — with 14 players signed to guaranteed deals even before signing Brown — needed to clear roster space to accommodate the two incoming veterans.

Brown, 33, has appeared in 20 games with the Rockets this season, averaging 2.5 PPG. After playing internationally for six seasons, Brown returned to the NBA in 2016/17 to appear in 25 games with Houston.

Brandan Wright Plans To Sign With Rockets

February 9th, 2018 at 8:12pm CST by Austin Kent

While he hasn’t yet been formally bought out by the Grizzlies, Brandan Wright plans to sign with the Rockets when he is, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Shortly after we posted about Memphis’ intentions earlier this evening, Tim MacMahon of ESPN wrote that Houston had emerged as frontrunners to land the 30-year-old’s services.

In Wright, the Rockets will land a capable veteran that has shown glimpses of potential over the course of an 11-year-career.

While he’s consistently struggled to stay on the court over stints with six separate franchises, he’s an intriguing depth add for a team that can always use extra lob targets.

Thunder, Rockets Emerge As Suitors For Tony Allen

February 9th, 2018 at 4:33pm CST by Austin Kent

A week after having been shipped out of New Orleans, veteran wing Tony Allen has been waived by the Bulls. If the 36-year-old shooting guard clears waivers on Sunday, TNT’s David Aldridge says the Thunder and Rockets will be among the teams bidding for his services.

While Allen had been used marginally for the Pelicans through the first half of the season, he’s a famously effective perimeter defender, perfect for a Houston team in need of defensive depth on their second unit or a Thunder squad desperate to fill the vacancy left by Andre Roberson.

In 12.4 minutes of action for the Pelicans this season, Allen averaged 4.7 points per game. In 27.0 minutes per game during the 2016/17 campaign with the Grizzlies, however, The Grindfather put forth a respectable 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per.

Allen figures to be one of several big name players on the buyout market this season, so committing a roster spot now isn’t without its drawbacks, but Allen’s skill set will be an indisputably enticing one for team’s looking for depth on their bench.

Morey Sits Out Deadline For First Time As Rockets' GM

February 9th, 2018 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

For the first time since he became the Rockets‘ general manager, Daryl Morey didn’t make a deadline deal this season, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle details. Morey explained that Houston simply didn’t have much to give up, with very few expendable players and no first-round pick for 2018. Still, the Rockets are likely to be active in the buyout market, according to Feigen, who says point guard figures to be an area of focus for the club.

Kings Willing To Buy Out Johnson, Prefer To Keep Carter

February 9th, 2018 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

Joe Johnson, acquired from the Jazz by the Kings in one of Thursday’s three-team trades, will “definitely” get a buyout if he wants one from Sacramento, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. However, according to Stein, the Kings would love to hang onto another veteran – Vince Carter – for the rest of the season.

There’s a sense that the Kings would be open to working with Carter on a buyout if an intriguing landing spot surfaces for him in the weeks leading up to March 1, Stein reports (via Twitter). Still, Sacramento is hoping that he elects to stick around and act as a veteran mentor to the team’s young core.

Carter is on a one-year, $8MM deal with the Kings, and has played a limited role for the club this season. In 34 games, the 41-year-old has averaged 5.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG with a shooting line of .385/.367/.667 in 16.6 minutes per contest. His locker room presence has been important though, as the Kings’ in-season goals have transitioned — the club initially hoped to compete for a playoff spot, but now is focused on developing young players.

If the Kings were to grant Carter a buyout, one scenario could involve a return to his old team in Toronto. Multiple sources tell Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca that the Raptors front office has internally discussed the possibility of signing Carter if he reaches free agency, though he’s just one of several possible targets Toronto is keeping an eye on, Grange notes.

As for Johnson, we heard shortly after Thursday’s trade that he was expected to seek a buyout from the Kings, and that Sacramento was expected to be amenable to one. The Warriors and Celtics were mentioned as a pair of early frontrunners for the veteran forward, with the Thunder cited as a potential suitor too, per Kelly Iko of ESPN 97.5 Houston (Twitter link). The Rockets would also have interest in Johnson, according to David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link).

There’s no deadline for teams to finalize buyouts with players, but they have to happen by March 1 in order for those players to retain their postseason eligibility. Players waived after March 1 can’t participate in the playoffs if they sign with a new team.

Trade Deadline Notes: Evans, Hill, Hood, Mavericks

February 7th, 2018 at 11:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

One of the most important deadlines on the NBA calendar is less than 24 hours away, and teams are preparing their best offers as we head for 2:00pm Central. We’ll find out soon if any more franchise-altering moves are in store for this season, but in the meantime here are some Wednesday night trade rumors:

The Celtics remain in the running for Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans, but there’s a sense that Memphis is getting better offers elsewhere, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. A GM from another team tells Bulpett that Boston is waiting to swoop in if talks with those other clubs fall apart. Evans’ value figures to have increased after Lou Williams agreed to an extension with the Clippers today, taking one high-scoring guard off the market.
Multiple teams have shown interest in George Hill, but the Kings don’t want to take on bad contracts, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. The Cavaliers have been the team most prominently linked to the veteran guard, but Jones says the Rockets and others have contacted Sacramento about Hill. Houston could match salaries with Ryan Anderson, but he is owed more than $41MM over the next two seasons and the Kings want to avoid cutting into their future cap space. They are seeking young players and draft picks in return for Hill.
Teams have also called the Kings about veterans Garrett Temple, Vince Carter and Kosta Koufos, Jones adds in the same story. Both Temple ($8MM) and Koufos ($8.74MM) have player options for next season, while the 41-year-old Carter is on an expiring deal.
Jazz swingman Rodney Hood told Shams Charania of The Vertical that he expects to be traded. “I’ve had great times in Utah, but regardless of where I’m playing, whether it’s there or somewhere else, I’m going to stay professional,” Hood said. “I’m going to stick with it. My gut feeling is that I won’t be here by the deadline. I’ve enjoyed my time here, but I’ve felt isolated the past month and I would not be surprised if I was moved.”
The Mavericks are being offered players by teams trying to unload salary, but they aren’t getting enough incentives to make the deals worthwhile, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Sefko lists Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle of the Lakers and J.R. Smith of the Cavaliers as players who would be available if Dallas doesn’t mind committing the cap space.
The Knicks may be in the market for more deals after sending Willy Hernangomez to the Hornets, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Kyle O’Quinn and Courtney Lee are the most likely players to be moved.

Forbes Releases 2018 NBA Franchise Valuations

February 7th, 2018 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are still reeling from Tuesday’s news that Kristaps Porzingis has suffered a torn ACL and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. While Porzingis’ injury essentially eliminates the Knicks from the playoff race in the East, team ownership can at least find some solace in the fact that the organization remains the highest-valued franchise in the NBA, according to a report from Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.

For the first time, all 30 NBA teams have a perceived worth of $1 billion or more, per Forbes’ annual report. In 2017, 18 teams had a valuation exceeding $1 billion, which was up from 13 teams in 2016 and just three teams in 2015.

The league-wide average of $1.65 billion per team is also a record, with franchise valuations up 22% in total over last year’s figures. NBA franchise values have tripled over the last five years, according to Badenhausen.

Here’s the full list of NBA franchise valuations, per Forbes:

New York Knicks: $3.6 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $3.3 billion
Golden State Warriors: $3.1 billion
Chicago Bulls: $2.6 billion
Boston Celtics: $2.5 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $2.3 billion
Houston Rockets: $2.2 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $2.15 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $1.9 billion
Miami Heat: $1.7 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $1.55 billion
Toronto Raptors: $1.4 billion
Sacramento Kings: $1.375 billion
Washington Wizards: $1.35 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $1.325 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $1.3 billion
Phoenix Suns: $1.28 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $1.25 billion
Orlando Magic: $1.225 billion
Utah Jazz: $1.2 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $1.18 billion
Indiana Pacers: $1.175 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $1.15 billion
Denver Nuggets: $1.125 billion
Detroit Pistons: $1.1 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $1.075 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $1.06 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $1.05 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $1.025 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $1 billion

For comparison’s sake, Forbes’ 2017 valuations can be found right here.

Rockets Reluctant To Move 2020 First-Rounder

February 6th, 2018 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Daryl Morey and the Rockets view the buyout period as just as likely to result in a roster addition as the trade market, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Rockets still may complete a deal this week, with an emergency backup guard atop their wish list, but they want to hang onto their 2020 first-round pick, says Feigen. Houston’s 2019 first-round pick can’t be moved, since the team has already traded its 2018 first-rounder.