Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Blazers, Covington, Jackson

October 23rd, 2014 at 8:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thunder GM Sam Presti said the team wants Reggie Jackson to remain a piece of the franchise’s puzzle, Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press writes. “I think we’ve been really clear about his importance to the team, that we see him as a core member of the team, as a core member of the organization,” Presti said. “We’re going to put our best put forward, and I believe he will as well. We’ll see if we can figure something out.” If he and the Thunder don’t sign an extension by the end of next week, Jackson can become a restricted free agent next summer and could command big money on the open market. It remains to be seen if Oklahoma City would match any offer sheets that Jackson inks with other teams. The Thunder’s cap commitment for the 2015/16 campaign is already approximately $63.6MM.

Here’s more from out west:

The Rockets still haven’t waived Robert Covington, despite the player not being with the team for the last two weeks, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Covington is currently weighing some guaranteed offers to play in Europe, Feigen notes.
The remaining players on the Grizzlies‘ preseason roster all fit the team’s system rather well, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes in a subscription-only piece. This includes Patrick Christopher and Kalin Lucas, the team’s lone remaining players in camp whose deals aren’t fully guaranteed, notes Tillery. Both players are likely headed to the team’s D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, according to Tillery.
The Blazers still have decisions to make regarding their 2015/16 team options for C.J. McCollum, Thomas Robinson, and Meyers Leonard. Portland has until the October 31st deadline to exercise those options or the trio will become unrestricted free agents next summer. Joe Freeman of The Oregonian examines what the Blazers might do regarding each player’s contract.
Donald Sterling’s lawyers have begun talks with the NBA about dismissing Sterling’s federal antitrust lawsuit against the league, as Sterling attorney Maxwell Blecher revealed in a declaration filed in U.S. District Court today, reports Nathan Fenno of The Los Angeles Times. The former Clippers owner has sought more than $1 billion in damages in the suit, which became the primary thrust of his legal efforts against the league when he recently withdrew a different suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the NBA, his wife and Adam Silver.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Grizzlies Waive Earl Clark, Hassan Whiteside

October 22nd, 2014 at 4:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:15pm: Both players have been officially waived, the team announced in a press release.

2:08pm: The Grizzlies have waived Earl Clark and Hassan Whiteside, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make a formal announcement. They possessed two of the team’s four remaining non-guaranteed contracts, and their subtraction leaves Memphis at 16 players, one more than the team can carry on opening night.

Clark was a hot commodity a year ago, when he signed a two-year, $8.5MM deal with the Cavs. However, only the first season was guaranteed, and the forward couldn’t duplicate what had been a career year with the Lakers in 2012/13. The Cavs sent him to the Sixers, who quickly cut him loose, and aside from a pair of 10-day contracts with the Knicks, he spent the second half of last season out of the league. The Spurs auditioned him before he inked with the Grizzlies, but it seems he didn’t make enough of an impression on the Memphis brass to stick into the regular season.

Whiteside was also attempting to return to the NBA, though the former 33rd overall pick’s regular season experience consists of just 19 games over two seasons with the Kings from 2010-12. He was with the Raptors in summer league this year and spent time playing in Lebanon last season.

Patrick Christopher and Kalin Lucas remain as the only players without full guarantees on the Memphis roster, and ostensibly one, if not both, will go by Monday’s deadline for teams to cut down to no more than 15 players. The Grizzlies have only carried 13 players on opening night the last two years.

Southwest Notes: Carter, Udrih, Fredette, Conley

October 20th, 2014 at 2:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Vince Carter still thinks fondly of the Mavs, and he had expected he’d re-sign with the team this summer, as he told reporters today, including Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. That was until he signed with the Grizzlies, who gave him a take-it-or-leave-it offer while Dallas was still waiting to see if the Rockets would match the offer sheet that Chandler Parsons signed, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.

“They offered that young man a lot of money,” Carter said of Parsons. “I kind of understood how it goes from there. It’s a business. I get it, so there’s no hard feelings or anything like that. I understand how it goes. It was a great situation, a great offer from Memphis. It was kind of like, ‘If I pass on this now, what would be left here [in Dallas] for me?’ Obviously not much. Had to move on.”

There’s more on Carter’s new team amid the latest from around the Southwest Division:

Beno Udrih felt maligned while with the Knicks, where he was former coach Mike Woodson‘s whipping boy, but the Grizzlies rejuvenated him after claiming him off waivers last February, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal details in a subscription-only piece. Udrih re-signed with Memphis this summer. “I always believed in myself,” Udrih said. “When my number is called upon I’ll do my best. When your number is not called you can’t compete. I was in a situation [in New York] where people didn’t really care about what I could do. So all I could do is hope to get in the right situation. In Memphis, I’m definitely in the right situation.”
Jimmer Fredette‘s defensive shortcomings have limited his effectiveness in the NBA, but Pelicans coach Monty Williams believes that the former 10th overall pick can mirror the defensive competency of shooting specialists Marco Belinelli and Anthony Morrow. Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune has the details. Fredette signed for the minimum with New Orleans this summer, like Morrow did last year before parlaying his time with the Pelicans into a three-year, $10.032MM deal with the Thunder.
Mike Conley admits he had some uneasiness this summer amid the turmoil surrounding the Grizzlies front office and coach Dave Joerger, but Conley’s excited to proceed with Joerger and most of his teammates back for another year in Memphis, as he tells Jeff Caplan of NBA.com.

Western Notes: Mozgov, Spurs, Calathes, Scott

October 13th, 2014 at 8:40pm CST by Charlie Adams

Teams asked the Nuggets about potential trades for Timofey Mozgov last winter and throughout the summer, writes Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post, indicating that the Cavs aren’t the only opposing club interested in the 7-footer. While Mozgov remains in Denver for the time being, the Nuggets’ frontcourt depth might mean the club is willing to ship him away for a lucrative enough return. As we wait and see if Mozgov remains in blue and gold, let’s round up the latest from out west:

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich indicated that camp invitees Bryce Cotton, Josh Davis, and JaMychal Green are likely to remain with the team through the preseason, tweets Jeff McDonald of the Express-News.
Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal doesn’t necessarily see the Grizzlies signing a fourth point guard for depth while Nick Calathes is out with a 13 game suspension. If Memphis does decide to carry a 15th player into the season, however, a one-guard would be the most likely choice. Herrington adds that he’d like to see what Jon Leuer and Jarnell Stokes can do with Kosta Koufos headed towards free agency.
Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report chronicles the events that culminated in the Lakers’ decision to hire new coach Byron Scott. Ding opines that the extensive history Scott has with the franchise will mesh well with Los Angeles’ young cast of players, making him an exceptional hire for the Lakers.

Chuck Myron and Zach Links contributed to this post.

Grizzlies Waive Luke Hancock

October 13th, 2014 at 5:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:03pm: The move is official, the team announced via press release.

4:32pm: The Grizzlies are releasing swingman Luke Hancock, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders hears (Twitter link). The team has yet to make an official announcement, though Pincus indicates that the move has already taken place. The 24-year-old out of Louisville was on a non-guaranteed contract, so Memphis won’t be stuck paying him any salary. The move would reduce the Memphis roster to 18 players.

Hancock appeared in only one of the team’s three preseason games so far, making the only basket he attempted while coming up with three steals in nine minutes. He was a part-time starter at Louisville this past season before going undrafted in June, and he was with the Magic and Rockets in summer league this past July.

Memphis, which has a one-to-one D-League affiliation with the Iowa Energy this year, can keep the D-League rights to as many as four of the players it cuts before opening night, so it’s conceivable that it’ll do so with Hancock. Should the team formally let Hancock go, Patrick Christopher, Earl Clark, Kalin Lucas and Hassan Whiteside would be the lone remaining non-guaranteed contracts on the team’s books.

Southwest Notes: Stephens, Prince, Pelicans

October 11th, 2014 at 8:17pm CST by Cray Allred

The Spurs narrowly defeated Istanbul Fenerbahce Ulker 96-90 in today’s preseason action, salvaging a split from their international stint after losing to Alba Berlin earlier in the week. Fans aren’t likely to worry about San Antonio’s exhibition struggles after their dominating Finals win last season. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:

While D.J. Stephens remains a longshot to make the Pelicans‘ regular season roster, coach Monty Williams tells John Reid of The Times Picayune that the forward is a “once in a generation” athlete who might get some preseason minutes to make a bigger impression apart from the layup line. “He’s trying to figure out how to go from playing [power forward] to playing a wing spot–that’s hard. He’s done a decent job,” said Williams. “He could get some time in the next week or so.”
The Grizzlies made multiple attempts to trade Tayshaun Prince this summer, reports Ronald Tillery of Commercial Appeal. His name was rumored to be on the block at the very beginning of the offseason, but there have been no rumblings for the veteran forward since. Prince tells Tillery that he’s not ready to concede his role, despite increasing belief around the league that his skills are fading fast.
John Zitzler of Basketball Insiders takes a look at the roster additions across the Southwest, giving the Pelicans high marks for acquiring Omer Asik and John Salmons.

Michael Beasley Leaves Grizzlies For China

October 9th, 2014 at 4:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:29pm: Memphis has officially waived Beasley, the team announced in a press release.

4:10pm: The Grizzlies reported that Beasley has been ill recently, making it difficult for him to contend for the final regular season roster spot, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel notes. This information sheds some more light on why Beasley would decide to leave an NBA training camp to play overseas.

2:00pm: Beasley is receiving a “lucrative” one-year deal from the Sharks, Wojnarowski writes in his full story. Wojnarowski indicates that he’s already signed the contract, but the move can’t become official until the Grizzlies let him go and Beasley receives FIBA clearance.

1:30pm: Michael Beasley is leaving the Grizzlies and will sign to play in China, agent Jared Karnes tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). He’s set to join the Yao Ming-owned Shanghai Sharks, Wojnarowski adds (on Twitter). Beasley is on a non-guaranteed contract with Memphis, but the team has yet to formally release him. The Grizzlies would have to be on board with the move for Beasley to depart, and the former No. 2 overall pick has the best track record of the six players on non-guaranteed deals that Memphis brought to camp. Memphis only has 14 guaranteed contracts, seemingly indicating that Beasley had a decent shot to make the opening-night roster.

Still, Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said last month that the 25-year-old Beasley would have to “come in and take somebody’s spot,” suggesting that it wouldn’t necessarily be easy for him to remain on the roster into the regular season. The forward worked out for the Spurs and twice auditioned for Lakers brass, but it’s unclear if either club offered him a job. The Heat moved on from him after he spent last season with Miami, and while a report indicated the team had concerns about his maturity and his ability to play defense, Heat team president Pat Riley suggested there were no such issues.

Beasley was on a non-guaranteed contract this time last year with the Heat, but he stuck with the team for the entire season, averaging 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game. His 38.9% three-point shooting and 16.8 PER were his best marks in either category since his rookie season.

The terms of Beasley’s deal with Shanghai are unclear, but I’d imagine it involves some guaranteed salary, although that’s just my speculation. Most Chinese contracts involving NBA veterans cover one season without NBA escape clauses, but because the Chinese season ends much earlier than the NBA’s does, many players in Beasley’s position are able to latch on with NBA teams for the back stretch of the regular season and the playoffs.

Coaching Rumors: Vogel, Joerger, Hoiberg

October 9th, 2014 at 3:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird today called Frank Vogel a “perfect fit” for the team, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star notes (Twitter link), one day after Indiana granted an extension to the coach whose job appeared in serious jeopardy a few months ago. Much has changed for the Pacers since then, and Vogel’s task this year will be different than in years past, when he was in charge of a team on the rise. While we wait to see just how much Vogel can squeeze out of his depleted roster, we’ll pass along more on his deal and other news from NBA coaching circles.

Indications are that Vogel’s extension runs until the summer of 2017, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, who also notes that Vogel is likely to have received a raise on the $2MM average annual value of the extension he signed in 2013.
Dave Joerger‘s contract calls for him to make about $2MM each season through 2017/18, as Deveney also relays in the same slideshow. The Grizzlies this summer added the 2017/18 season onto the deal as a team option.
Warriors GM Bob Myers acknowledged that the team engaged in discussions with Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg this spring before hiring Steve Kerr, but Myers downplayed the significance of the inquiry as he spoke to reporters, including Travis Hines of the Ames Tribune. “We focused on some other guys that had been around and got a pretty early indication from Fred that he was happy where he was,” Myers said. “We weren’t the first team to kind of at least put a phone call in. Mine was much more informal from our side just because I have a previous relationship with him so it wasn’t anything formal. I got the sense he’s very happy where he is.”

Western Notes: Boozer, Exum, Spurs, Jones

October 8th, 2014 at 10:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Carlos Boozer is looking to revitalize his career with the Lakers, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “Chicago’s in the rear view, they’re off and running, we’re off and running, so that’s all behind us,” Boozer said. “But moving forward, I just love what I’m doing here in LA.” Boozer is playing for his next contract this season and has an opportunity to put up decent numbers on a marginally talented Los Angles team, which could help him secure a larger free agent deal next summer.

Here’s more from where the sun sets:

Dante Exum‘s journey to the NBA began last year during Nike’s Hoops Summit, Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. Speaking about the first time he saw Exum, Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey said, “Really, it was my first exposure and it allowed me to go back and take a deeper look. At the Hoops Summit, he played more of a two-guard or a wing spot. Really coming out of that week, I didn’t know that he was the passer he is. It took some more research to realize that he had very good vision for an 18-year-old. But we were impressed by his length, his speed and maybe even most importantly, his makeup.”
In their season preview for the Spurs, the crew at HoopsHype predicts that San Antonio will finish first in the Southwest Division and third overall in the west.
Despite being in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, Dahntay Jones appreciates the opportunity that the Jazz have given him, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune relays. “I’m here to work,” Jones said. “I’m here to defend, and bring leadership. I’m here to keep the ball moving and to make sure guys are talking on defense and to be a part of this developing team.“
The Grizzlies have hired Elliot Perry as Director of Player Support, the team has announced.
Teams can improve their rosters each season through trades and free agency, but franchises also can get better from within. Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM looks at some players in the Southwest division who could take their games to the next level this season, including Kawhi Leonard, Terrence Jones, and Jae Crowder.

Jamaal Franklin Signs To Play In China

October 8th, 2014 at 8:50am CST by Chuck Myron

Former Grizzlies shooting guard Jamaal Franklin has signed a two-month deal with the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association, as he tells Mark Zeigler of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Chema de Lucas of Gigantes del Basket was the first to report that the 41st overall pick from 2013 was headed to China (Twitter link; translation via HoopsHype). Franklin will serve as a replacement for Jonathan Gibson, an injured Lions guard. It’s unclear just how much Franklin will make as part of the arrangement.

Franklin, 23, worked out for the Spurs shortly after the Grizzlies waived him at the end of August, and it appears as though he auditioned for the Wizards, too. The Brian Elfus client indicated to Zeigler that he had opportunities to join an NBA team for camp on a non-guaranteed deal but decided against doing so for financial reasons. Franklin saw limited action this past season with Memphis, racking up nearly three times as many total minutes on D-League assignment as he saw in the NBA. He averaged 1.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game across 21 NBA appearances. Still, he displayed a better long-range shooting stroke than he demonstrated in college at San Diego State, nailing 38.2% of his three-point attempts in the NBA and the D-League combined.

Memphis used the stretch provision to reduce Franklin’s guaranteed minimum salary for this season to just $163,296. Since the value of his Chinese deal is unknown, it’s not clear whether it’ll be enough to trigger the right of set-off to further reduce the amount the Grizzlies owe him.