Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dwight Howard To Sign With Lakers

August 23rd, 2019 at 5:36pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dwight Howard is returning to the Lakers. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Howard and the Grizzlies are finalizing a buyout and the center will latch on with Los Angeles once that it complete.

Howard had several meetings with the Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Howard came in after dropping 25 pounds and showcased his that back was healthy. Woj hears that the Lakers got the sense that Howard had hit “rock bottom” and it had humbled him. While the Lakers are signing the center, they are proceeding with caution, as the deal is non-guaranteed.

The team wants him to come in and serve in a rim protecting/rebounding role. Several Lakers players were involved in the decision to bring Howard to the club.

The Lakers considered several options to fill the void DeMarcus Cousins‘ injury created. Joakim Noah also worked out for L.A. and the franchise believes that Noah and Howard could each help the team.

Howard’s deal will pay him the veteran’s minimum, which will be worth approximately $2.6MM. Again, it’s non-guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Howard, Noah Impressive In Lakers Workouts

August 23rd, 2019 at 11:12am CST by Arthur Hill

Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah both worked out for the Lakers Thursday and “left impressions that they could be helpful to the team,” tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Marreese Speights, who is also being considered for a roster spot, will hold his workout today.

L.A. is scrambling to find a replacement for free agent addition DeMarcus Cousins, who suffered a torn ACL last week. No timetable has been established for Cousins’ recovery, but it’s possible he will miss the entire season.

Howard is still under contract with the Grizzlies, but they have no plans to keep him on the roster after acquiring him from the Wizards this summer in a trade to cut salary. Memphis granted permission for Howard to audition for a role with the Lakers.

Noah remains unsigned after averaging 7.1 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 42 games for the Grizzlies last season. Speights spent the past season playing in China.

Howard Likely To Be Waived

August 21st, 2019 at 3:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Waiving Dwight Howard would be the most likely scenario for the Grizzlies, Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian writes. Howard is reportedly working out for the Lakers this week as Memphis looks to move the veteran center. Best case scenario for the Grizzlies would be a buyout agreement with Howard, who is owed $5.6MM. Using the stretch provision is unlikely since the team could have significant cap space next summer and probably wouldn’t want to add dead money to the bottom line.

Lakers To Work Out Noah, Speights, Howard

August 20th, 2019 at 11:51am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers plan to work out free agent centers Joakim Noah and Marreese Speights as well as the Grizzlies’ Dwight Howard this week in Los Angeles, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Another NBA free agent, Marcin Gortat, could also come in for a look, Wojnarowski adds. The Lakers want to evaluate the physical condition and mindset of each player as they seek to replace DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins suffered a torn ACL this month after he signed a one-year contract with the Lakers. Cousins could miss the entire season.

The Grizzlies had already granted the Lakers permission to meet with Howard. Memphis acquired him from the Wizards this offseason but he’s not part of their plans. The Grizzlies could make a trade or reach a buyout on his $5.6MM contract if the Lakers want him.

Noah averaged 7.1 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 41 games for Memphis last season after his woeful stint with the Knicks. He hasn’t drawn much attention on the free agent market, though he reportedly was being very selective about his next NBA destination.

Speights, who played in China last season, worked out in front of numerous NBA executives last month in Las Vegas.

Gortat was waived by the Clippers at the trade deadline last season and didn’t get picked up.

The Lakers currently have 14 players with guaranteed deals.

Peers Choose Zion, Morant As Top Rookie Of Year Candidates

August 19th, 2019 at 5:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Top pick Zion Williamson of the Pelicans is considered the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award by his peers, but he’s not a clear-cut choice. The second pick in the draft, point guard Ja Morant of the Grizzlies, finished a close second in the voting. However, that might not be such a good thing for either player.

For the 11th time in 13 years, John Schuhmann of NBA.com got the opportunity to ask the NBA’s incoming crop of rookies a series of questions related to their fellow draftees.

Historically, the NBA rookies haven’t been soothsayers. They haven’t accurately identified a Rookie of the Year winner since Kevin Durant in 2007/08. Last season, Deandre Ayton and Collin Sexton were considered the co-favorites. Luka Doncic ended up winning the award with Trae Young finishing a solid second.

Here’s some of the highlights from the survey:

Williamson got 35% of the vote for the Rookie of the Year prize, while Morant received 27% backing. No one else got more than 5%.
Nuggets second-round pick Bol Bol and Cavaliers’ late first-rounder Kevin Porter Jr. were considered the steals of the draft, with each getting 19% of the vote.
Two players stood out to their peers as being the best defenders in the draft — the Sixers’ Matisse Thybulle and the Hawks’ De’Andre Hunter. Thybulle collected 37% of the votes in that category, while Hunter received 29% backing.
By a wide margin, Williamson was chosen as the most athletic rookie, garnering 87% of the votes. Morant was selected as the best ball-handler, receiving 40% of those votes.
The Heat‘s Tyler Herro (33%) edged out the Kings’ Kyle Guy (29%) as the best shooter.
LeBron James (38%) got the highest total in the ‘Favorite player in the league’ category with Kevin Durant (20%) finishing second.

Grizzlies Grant Lakers Permission To Meet With Dwight Howard

August 18th, 2019 at 6:23pm CST by JD Shaw

The Grizzlies are granting the Lakers permission to meet with eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Both Howard and the Lakers have mutual interest on a deal, as Charania reported earlier on Sunday, with the team scanning the free-agent market for veteran centers in the wake of DeMarcus Cousins‘ ACL tear. Howard is currently under contract with Memphis, who traded for his services in a deal with the Wizards back in July for swingman C.J. Miles.

“I want to be whatever a team needs me to be,” Howard told Charania in an interview last month. “I’ve played in every situation so far. I used to really hate how Draymond (Green) plays, but what I noticed watching him during these playoffs was that he does everything for the team.

“He’s everywhere. He’ll get a tech, he’ll take a charge, he’ll be everywhere on defense. He’s talking. He does everything. It doesn’t show up in the stat sheet, but it shows up in the mind of everyone watching. I want to be that person.”

The Lakers requesting a meeting with Howard is only being described as “due diligence”, a team source told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

Howard, 33, appeared in 75 games during a tumultuous season with the team back in 2012/13, averaging 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per contest. He only saw action in nine games with Washington last season, missing most of the campaign with various back, glute and hamstring injuries.

Tyler Dorsey Signs With Maccabi Tel Aviv

August 18th, 2019 at 2:26pm CST by clarkcrum

As first reported by Israeli basketball reporter Roi Cohen a few days ago (Twitter link), shooting guard Tyler Dorsey has signed a contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League and EuroLeague, per a release from the team’s official Twitter account.

Dorsey, 23, was originally drafted by the Hawks out of Oregon back in 2017, where he played for Atlanta during the 2017/18 season and part of last season. On the day of the trade deadline, February 7, he was shipped to Memphis in exchange for veteran point guard Shelvin Mack.

Dorsey, who also saw time with the Memphis Hustle after the trade, performed well for the Grizzlies, averaging 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in 21 contests (11 starts). However, the Grizzlies opted not to extend Dorsey a qualifying offer this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Dorsey will join fellow ex-NBA players Omri Casspi, Quincy Acy, and Tarik Black on what should now be a relatively strong 2019/20 roster for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Lakers Interested In Reunion With Dwight Howard

August 18th, 2019 at 8:52am CST by Arthur Hill

Six years after leaving the Lakers, Dwight Howard may be about to return, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. L.A. is expected to seek permission to talk to the veteran center, and there is reportedly “mutual interest” in a reunion.

Howard, 33, is currently with the Grizzlies after being traded there in early July in exchange for C.J. Miles. However, the move was regarded as a salary dump for Memphis, and Howard isn’t expected to play for the franchise. Buyout talks are expected soon on his $5.6MM contract for the upcoming season.

An eight-time All-Star who was once considered one of the league’s best centers, Howard has turned into a journeyman since reaching his 30s. He has played for four teams in the past four years and was briefly the property of the Nets last summer. Injuries limited him to nine games last season, but he was still productive in 2017/18, averaging 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per night with the Hornets.

The Lakers suddenly find themselves short-handed at center after this week’s ACL injury to DeMarcus Cousins, who signed with the team last month. L.A. was hoping to avoid using Anthony Davis in the middle, but JaVale McGee is the only other currently option on the roster.

Still, the shift toward Howard is somewhat surprising, given his acrimonious history with the team. Howard spent just one year in L.A. after being traded there in 2012, signing with the Rockets the following summer. Kobe Bryant famously called him “soft” at the time and suggested that Howard wasn’t willing to learn how to win.

In an interview last month with Kristine Leahy of FS1 (video link), Howard appears to have come to terms with those comments. “Everybody reaches different levels of maturity at different times,” he said. “I think at that time I was ignorant to the level that he was at. So I appreciate you, Kobe. Thank you for saying I was soft. I didn’t realize what you meant until now.”

Brad Jones Will Be Taylor Jenkins' Lead Assistant

August 15th, 2019 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

New Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins spoke to Peter Edmiston of The Athletic about how he filled out his coaching staff and what traits he and the front office prioritized as they hired assistants. According to Jenkins, Brad Jones will be his lead assistant.

Mike Conley Talks Trade To Utah, Jazz’s Goals, More

August 12th, 2019 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The trade that sent Mike Conley from Memphis to Utah this offseason was one of the first major deals completed, and got buried under a flurry of free agency news, as All-NBA players like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook changed teams.

Still, the Jazz‘s acquisition of Conley could ultimately end up being one of the summer’s most impactful moves. Utah has finished in the top five of the Western Conference in consecutive seasons and now has a third standout player to complement defensive anchor Rudy Gobert and up-and-coming star Donovan Mitchell.

Speaking to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, Conley said that he’s excited to play alongside Mitchell in Utah’s backcourt, calling the 22-year-old a “special player” and suggesting that the two guards will help each other alleviate pressure from opposing defenses.

Conley also spoke about several other topics during his conversation with Kennedy, which is worth checking out in full. Here are some of the highlights from the Q&A:

On getting used to no longer being a member of the Grizzlies:

“It’s still an adjustment. Even just hearing people call my name out and saying ‘Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz,’ it doesn’t even equate yet (laughs). I’m still trying to get used to that and waiting for it to become normal. It’s a new beginning, a new journey, a new challenge and I love that. You don’t get blessed with opportunities like this very often. I feel like I’m in a blessed situation to be part of this organization and hopefully do something special while I’m there.”

On his first impressions of Utah:

“The people, the fans, have just been so welcoming. My family and I really enjoyed ourselves in the two or three weeks that we’ve been able to spend there. Everyone is just so excited! The Jazz organization is top-notch in every way. Coach Quin [Snyder] is one of the best out there and we have a really good roster. We have all of those in one bottle, so we have a lot going on and it’s going to be exciting.”

On the Jazz’s goals for 2019/20:

“After talking to Coach Quin, we all realize what the ultimate goal is – and it’s everyone’s ultimate goal – and that’s winning a championship. We know that. Are we going to achieve the daily goals to become a champion? … That’s what it boils down to. I think we’re at the stage where we’re just working and trying to stay humble and stay focused and respect the game. At the end of the day, if we [achieve our daily goals], we have a good enough team, a good enough organization and good enough coaches to give ourselves a chance.”

On whether he’d be interested in coaching after his playing career is over:

“Yeah, I think coaching is kind of the natural progression for me. I think that’s something that I’d definitely enjoy, whether it’s coaching kids at any level or [coaching] all the way up to the NBA. It’s such a passion of mine, this game, and it’s something that I know so much about. And it’s one of those games that you can never figure all the way out, and I think that’s one of the things that I love about it. Hopefully I can continue to give back as much as possible.”