Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Sanchez, Hornets, Anthony

February 10th, 2015 at 6:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Orlando Sanchez remains with the D-League affiliate of the Knicks and continues to seek an NBA contract, agent Brian J. Bass tells Hoops Rumors (Twitter link), even though the owner of Cangrejeros de Santurce, a Puerto Rican team, says Sanchez has signed with his club, as Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays in a pair of tweets.

Here’s more from the East:

The Celtics have recalled guard Andre Dawkins from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. Dawkins has appeared in seven games for the Red Claws this season, and he is averaging 16.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 36.3 minutes per game.
Hawks coach and acting GM Mike Budenholzer indicated that dealing Adreian Payne to the Wolves was about creating roster flexibility, and that the trade should be taken on its own merit, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter links). Budenholzer also said that no other trades are imminent, Vivlamore adds.
Hornets GM Rich Cho said that he doesn’t think that Charlotte “gave up a ton” to acquire Troy Daniels and Mo Williams from the Timberwolves, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer tweets. The Hornets shipped Gary Neal and the Heat’s 2019 second-round pick to Minnesota to complete the trade.
Cho also indicated that the Hornets would continue to be active up until the trade deadline, but that there was no specific need that the team would try and address, Bonnell adds (Twitter link).
Carmelo Anthony said that the chances of him undergoing surgery during the season on his injured knee are growing increasingly likely, Keith Schlosser of SNY.tv writes. The Knicks’ star also relayed that the procedure would keep him out a minimum of two months, which would likely sideline ‘Melo for the remainder of the season, Schlosser adds.

Ray Allen Rumors: Monday

February 9th, 2015 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ray Allen plans a decision about his NBA future after this week’s All-Star break, as Brian Windhorst wrote this morning and as we passed along earlier. That time frame, while not quite specific, has nonetheless led to another batch of Allen-related news, so we’ll round it all up here, with any additional updates added to the top throughout the day:

5:59pm update:

The Warriors haven’t heard anything new from Allen or his representatives for weeks, Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group tweets.
The Warriors remain interested and they intend on keeping their last roster spot open until he makes a decision, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link)

2:02pm update:

Nearly every playoff-bound team has reached out to Allen, including clubs without open roster spots, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The Warriors plan to follow up with Allen and his reps, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, adding that nothing has changed from the team’s perspective (Twitter link). GM Bob Myers said in December that he’d reached out to Allen’s camp, though Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group indicated last month that the team had abandoned the idea. Windhorst nonetheless wrote in his story this morning that Golden State has kept in touch with the Jim Tanner client.
Sources close to Allen emphasized to Kennedy the sharpshooter’s long-held stance that he hasn’t decided whether he’ll play at all, and the 39-year-old has yet to tell even his own reps whether he plans to return to the NBA, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington (Twitter links).

Pacific Notes: Allen, Warriors, Thomas, Corbin

February 9th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors are among a group of several teams that have remained in contact with Ray Allen, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Golden State appeared to have dropped out of the Allen sweepstakes after GM Bob Myers said in December that they had reached out to him, but the Warriors are still in the mix, according to Windhorst, who adds that they felt they were close to a deal with him earlier this season. The Wizards, Cavs, Spurs, Heat and Hawks are others who’ve kept in touch with the all-time leading three-point shot-maker, Windhorst writes, adding that Allen plans to make a decision on his future after All-Star Weekend. There’s more on the Warriors amid the latest from around the Pacific Division:

Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk indicated that the team is hesitant to make even the slightest of moves between now and the trade deadline, as Matt Steinmetz of 95.7 The Game observes after Schlenk spoke with Steinmetz and John Dickinson on “The NBA Show.” “We’ve been good for the past couple years,” Schlenk said. Maybe not championship quality but we’ve been playoff caliber. I tell [GM] Bob [Myers] all the time ‘Our job now is not to screw it up.’ When you’re sitting with the record we have, and the year we’ve had, you’d like to tinker but you don’t want to mess it up. Chemistry is such a big thing, and our group of guys has such great chemistry. We’d hate to do a move just to do a move and have it mess up our chemistry. I don’t know we’ll do anything. We’re certainly active. … But at the same time, we’ve got to be cautious as well.”
Isaiah Thomas has chosen Excel Sports Management’s Sam Goldfeder as his new agent, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (on Twitter). The Suns guard dropped Andy Miller of ASM Sports earlier this season.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports and Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee share the sentiment that the Kings should show Tyrone Corbin respect by coming to a speedy resolution on his future (Twitter links). Sacramento is deep into talks with George Karl after GM Pete D’Alessandro earlier said that Corbin would remain the team’s head coach until season’s end.

Heat Re-Sign Tyler Johnson For Season

February 8th, 2015 at 2:26pm CST by ChrisCrouse

2:26pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

12:07pm: Johnson’s deal will be a two year contract, Charania reports (Twitter link).

8:43am: The Heat will re-sign Tyler Johnson for the remainder of the season, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Johnson signed his first 10-day deal with the team on January 12th and his second 10-day contract expired Saturday night.

Charania adds that multiple teams were prepared to engage in contract negotiations with the Pedro Power client if he would fail to reach an agreement with Miami. To date, Johnson is averaging 7.5 points and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 50.0% from the field during his six games playing for the team, including an 18 point performance against the Spurs on Friday night. The Heat could certainly use all the offense they can get, as they rank 29th in the league in scoring, averaging 92.4 points per game.

Miami now has a full 15-man roster. The Heat previously expressed their desire to keep an open roster spot in order to maintain flexibility. With Dwyane Wade‘s injury and the team losing five of its last six games, it appears flexibility has become a secondary concern.

Spurs Ink Reggie Williams To 2nd 10-Day Deal

February 8th, 2015 at 9:45am CST by Eddie Scarito

9:45am: The signing is official, according to the team’s twitter feed.

FRIDAY, 10:53pm: The Spurs intend to sign Reggie Williams to a second 10-day contract, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Williams’ initial 10-day deal expires tonight. If the swingman is indeed re-signed, then he will continue to occupy San Antonio’s 15th and final roster spot.

The 28-year-old was with the Heat on a training camp deal, but he failed to make the opening night roster and then caught on with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, last month. When initially inked by San Antonio, Williams had taken the place of JaMychal Green, with whom the Spurs failed to reach agreement on a new deal after his initial 10-day arrangement had expired.

In just two appearances for the Spurs this season, Williams has averaged 1.0 point in 4.0 minutes of action per contest. His career numbers through five seasons in the NBA are 8.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG. Williams’ career slash line is .459/.368/.745.

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Magic, Whiteside

February 7th, 2015 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks have been among the NBA’s best stories this year, but Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders warns that salary considerations might tear the team apart this summer. Atlanta set the groundwork for its current success in the summer of 2013 when it signed Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll and Pero Antic to two-year contracts. All three will expire this summer, and because they are only two-year deals, the Hawks will have Early Bird Rights — not full Bird Rights — on each player. That means Atlanta can only offer four-year deals at most, instead of five years. Also, Duncan notes the offers will be limited to the higher of 175% of their current salaries or the Estimated Average Player Salary, which he expects to be around $5.7MM next season.

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

Gregg Popovich downplays the notion that the Hawks are the “Spurs of the East” and tells Shaun Powell of NBA.com that former San Antonio assistant Mike Budenholzer has built a winner in Atlanta through intelligence and desire. “It’s not like he’s going to institute something new,” Popovich said. “Like, this is a new pick and roll defense that nobody has ever seen before. That’s not what wins and loses games. What wins is consistency and competitiveness. He understands all of that.”
The Magic should pursue Billy Donovan as their next coach, argues Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel. The University of Florida coach was hired by Orlando in 2007 before changing his mind and electing to stay in the college ranks. Bianchi contends the Magic should let bygones be bygones, and cites statements from Donovan indicating he would be willing to leave Gainesville. Bianchi writes that any move should wait until after the season to see if high-profile coaches like the Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau become available.
As the Heat’s Hassan Whiteside continues his string of double-doubles, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra tells Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune that “open-mindedness” brought the big man to Miami. The Heat signed Whiteside in November, four days after he was released by the Grizzlies. “We were open-minded to him, and he was open-minded to us and our culture,” Spoelstra said. “It was good timing for both sides: We needed a big body and he needed a place that values what he does.”

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Crawford, Heat, Hornets

February 7th, 2015 at 4:44pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hawks have taken the league by storm this season and they can thank the Spurs for giving them the blueprint for success, writes Paul Newberry of the Associated Press. Atlanta, like San Antonio, created a team-first atmosphere in which ball movement is one of the major focuses. Point guard Jeff Teague has bought into the team’s philosophy. “I’m enjoying every minute of it,” said Teague. “We’re so unselfish. We don’t care about glory or accolades. It’s just a joy to play on a team like that.” The Hawks have won 35 out of their last 38 games and own a record of 42-9, which is the best in the entire league.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Heat are struggling on offense this season but the team continues to pass on adding proven scorers, like Jordan Crawford, to the roster, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Crawford, who averaged 12.2 points per game during his time in the NBA, would give the team a much needed scoring option off the bench, but concerns about the 26-year-old’s maturity have turned Miami away. The Heat are scoring 92.4 point per game this season, which is second worst in the league.
Although the Heat have lost five out of their last six games and own a record of 21-29, which is good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference, the team remains committed to making the postseason, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “Everybody can see the potential of our young group, and they’re getting great opportunities to play, for something, for the playoffs, with our veteran core,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. If Miami finds itself outside the playoff picture, the team has motivation to lose more games because its first-round draft pick will go to the Sixers if it doesn’t fall within the top 10. The Heat have the 12th worst record in the league, as our reverse order standings show, making it unlikely that they keep their pick if they remain in this position at the end of the season.
The Hornets continue to push for a playoff berth and veteran Jason Maxiell has been key to the team’s success during Kemba Walker‘s absence, writes Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer. Maxiell signed with Charlotte for the veteran’s minimum about a month before the start of the season and the 32-year-old has served as a mentor for the 10th youngest team in the league. The Hornets are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 22-27.

Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 2/1/15-2/7/15

February 7th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Eddie Scarito

In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have added a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:

“With Hassan Whiteside tearing it up in Miami, do the Heat still look to try and acquire Brook Lopez?” — Robert R.

Well Robert, first off, there has been conflicting information regarding the Heat’s interest in trading for Lopez. Pat Riley had come out last week and denied reports of a proposed deal that would have sent Chris Andersen, Norris Cole and Josh McRoberts to the Nets for Lopez. Granted, Riley publicly denying a trade proposal doesn’t mean it didn’t occur, and both Cole and McRoberts have been mentioned as trade candidates, so there is probably some level of truth to Miami taking a shot at Lopez.

As for Whiteside, he is certainly making a name for himself lately, and he’s become the main reason to watch the Heat play this season. I’m still not 100% sold on Whiteside being a long-term dominant big man in the league. His sample size this season is far too small to accurately predict his future performance, and it seems unlikely that he would be able to maintain the same energy and momentum that he is currently providing. But Whiteside is certainly stating his case to factor into the Heat’s future plans with performances like his 24 point, 20 rebound explosion versus Minnesota on Wednesday night.

But if the price was reasonable, then sure, I could see the Heat pulling the trigger on a deal to nab Lopez. But with Whiteside performing as well as he is, and his non-guaranteed salary for 2015/16 only $981,348, it would be unlikely that Miami would still actively pursue Lopez. I like what Lopez can bring to a team, but his limited defense, ball-stopping ways on offense, and his injury history make Lopez too big a risk at this point. Plus, there’s no guarantee that he would remain with the Heat past this season if they acquired him. Lopez hasn’t publicly stated his intentions regarding his $16,744,218 player option for 2015/16. If I’m the Heat, I avoid Lopez and stick with Whiteside. But keep in mind that Whiteside could be rather expensive to keep after next season when he hits free agency. As thankful as he may be to the Heat for giving him the opportunity to show his stuff, I would be very surprised if he gave Miami a discount on his next deal. Whiteside’s path to the NBA is a true journeyman’s tale, and he’ll likely look to cash in big when he has the opportunity.

“The Suns seem to have taken a step back since last season. Do they hold onto their three point guards (Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas, and Goran Dragic)? If not, who is the most likely to be traded?” — Bradley

Technically, the Suns have four point guards on their roster. Don’t forget about Tyler Ennis, whose potential I’m still rather high on. But on to your question. I don’t see Phoenix moving Thomas, Dragic, or Bledsoe before the deadline. Phoenix seems to be rather fond of its three point guard set, and there isn’t a major demand for big money point men currently. There are a number of teams in need of help at the one spot right now thanks to injuries, but I don’t see any of them making a serious play for Phoenix’s guys. Most of the teams needing a floor general are seeking backup-type players on team-friendly contracts, which doesn’t quite describe the Suns’ trio.

However, the one major caveat here is if GM Ryan McDonough gets the sense that Dragic isn’t going to re-sign with the team, then it’s entirely possible that he gets moved for the right return. There will be quite a few teams that will take a run at signing Dragic this summer, and since he can also play shooting guard full-time, that increases the potential market for the player. My gut feeling is that Phoenix will hold onto him, as well as Thomas and Bledsoe, for the remainder of the season. I do believe that the Suns will try and make some significant changes this offseason, and I can’t shake the feeling that Dragic will head elsewhere this summer. But for now, unless McDonough is blown away by an offer, which would likely require a star-caliber player to be included, I don’t see Phoenix making a major deal in the next two weeks.

“Where does Greg Monroe end up next season? Any chance he could return to Detroit?” — Kyle M.

There’s always a chance that Monroe could return to Detroit, but it’s unlikely. If he wanted to remain in Motown he would have simply signed an extension with the team instead of playing for Detroit’s $5.48MM qualifying offer and risking an injury that could harm his future earnings. With the team’s improved play since jettisoning Josh Smith, things may have changed, but I still don’t see Monroe wearing a Pistons jersey next season.

As for where Monroe is likely to end up, my money is on him going to the Knicks. New York will have plenty of cap space to throw around, and Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge are unlikely to leave their current teams, which will leave Phil Jackson desperate to make an impact move with his wealth of available cap space. Monroe would immediately upgrade the Knicks’ roster, as well as be a nice complement to Carmelo Anthony. Plus, the Knicks are one of the teams likely to overpay for Monroe, which never hurts a franchise’s chances of landing a player. If New York doesn’t nab Monroe, my second choice for his destination would be the Rockets.

“The East seems to be wide open right now as far as the playoffs are concerned. Which Eastern Conference team do you think will make the biggest splash on the trade market before the deadline?” — Zeke

This has been an odd season in relation to roster moves thus far, which makes the next two weeks extremely difficult to predict. With the East as open as it is regarding the playoffs, there should be quite a few teams that will be looking to add an impact player or two before the deadline with the hopes of snagging a playoff spot. The two Eastern Conference teams that are poised to have the biggest potential impact on the trade front are Brooklyn and Charlotte.

The Hornets will still likely look to trade Lance Stephenson, and I believe they will do everything within their power to cut ties with the mercurial swingman. The problem for Charlotte is that teams around the league are leery about adding Stephenson to their respective locker rooms, which is something that the Hornets should have considered prior to signing him. Sometimes you get exactly what you expect, and Stephenson has lived up to the reputation he made for himself in Indiana thus far. On the right team, Stephenson could be the missing piece for a playoff run. But only a team with a strong locker room could maximize what Stephenson has to offer, while avoiding the pitfalls his attitude and personality bring with him.

But it’s the Nets who could make the biggest splash prior to the deadline. With the team reportedly looking to deal Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Lopez, that is a significant amount of talent and salary in play. While it’s doubtful that Brooklyn would nab a true star player in return, dealing any one of those players would not only change the identity of the Nets. Each of those players, if healthy, could be game-changing acquisitions for teams willing to take on cap hits of that magnitude.

That’s all the space that I have for this week. Thanks to all those who sent in their questions. I’ll be back next Saturday to answer a whole new batch. So fire away and keep filling up my inbox with your inquiries.

Southeast Notes: Vaughn, Heat, Walker

February 6th, 2015 at 8:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

A number of coaches around the NBA have taken issue with the way in which the Magic fired former coach Jacque Vaughn, Chris Mannix of SI.com writes. Said one NBA coach, “We get hired to eventually get fired. But what they did to Jacque was disrespectful.” The main complaint about the team’s handling of Vaughn relates to how the franchise left Vaughn to face a daily barrage of questions regarding his job status instead of either simply pulling the plug on him sooner, or giving Vaughn a public endorsement to ease the media scrutiny, Mannix adds.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Heat team president Pat Riley and his staff want to bolster their roster at the deadline but lack the assets to make a deal, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. Still, that would seem to indicate that the club doesn’t intend to be a seller, though that is merely my speculation.
Kemba Walker is expected to miss approximately five more weeks while recovering from knee surgery, but the Hornets‘ point guard says that he won’t rush his recovery and risk re-injuring himself, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “Right now I’m taking things slow. I want to be 100% when I come back,” Walker said. “I started riding the bike two days ago. As the weeks go by, I’ll do more and more.”
After enduring the previous two rebuilding seasons, Magic GM Rob Hennigan and CEO Alex Martins both expected greater improvement and player progress than the team displayed this season, which is what ultimately led to Vaughn being fired, John Denton of NBA.com writes. “We went into the season wanting to see some progress and see some growth and we just didn’t feel like we were seeing the kind of growth that we wanted to see,’’ said Hennigan. “That led us to this point. We find ourselves in a little bit of a rut right now. We’ll call it what it is, but I’ll always say that it’s a road bump and not a road block. We will get through this, but it doesn’t make it any easier when you have to make the type of decision that we made the other day.’’

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Notes: George, Cavs, Tolliver

February 5th, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Paul George would like to be back by March, a timeframe that Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird hinted at earlier this week, but George indicated that it’s nonetheless unlikely as he spoke today with reporters, including Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (three Twitter links). He’s targeting March 1st to be back in full practices with the team and said that if Indiana still has a shot at the playoffs later this season, it’d help sway him to return if he’s on the fence, as Buckner notes (three Twitter links). The Pacers are three and a half games out of the playoffs, but they’d have to pass four teams to get there. Here’s more on their Central Division rivals:

Executives around the league wondered if teams in the East would more aggressively try to make deals that would help them fill the void atop the conference as the Cavaliers failed to live up to expectations earlier this season, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com hears. Now, with the Cavs having won 11 in a row and the trade deadline two weeks away, Berger wonders if those teams will abandon that strategy. The Pacers are nonetheless in “win-now mode,” Bird said this week.
The Cavs have assigned Joe Harris to the D-League, the team announced. It’s D-League stint No. 5 for the 33rd overall pick in the 2014 draft, and all of those assignments have taken place since January 20th.
Anthony Tolliver fondly recalled his time with the Warriors when MLive’s Brendan Savage asked the well-traveled eighth-year NBA veteran to name his favorite stop aside from the Pistons, with whom he’s under team control through next season. Tolliver also said that Miami, where he played for the Heat during the 2009 preseason, is his favorite NBA city, responding to another question from Savage.