New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Stock Watch: Southwest Division

February 12th, 2021 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Throughout the season, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents this off-season. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the Southwest Division:

Lonzo Ball, Pelicans, 23, PG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $33.5MM deal in 2017

Ball’s status has been a hot topic around the league. He’s a prime trade candidate as New Orleans ponders whether it wants to commit long-term to the second overall pick of the 2017 draft. The Pelicans would have to extend a $14.36MM qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent if they don’t deal him.

On the plus side, Ball’s recent play has pumped up his value. Prior to his quiet 12-point performance on Friday, he was averaging 17.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 4.3 APG in February while making 51.2% of his 3-point tries. Moreover, he’s kept his turnovers down. The Bulls have been linked to Ball for weeks and perhaps his recent play will convince them he’s the answer to their point guard conundrum.

Trey Lyles, Spurs, 25, PF (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $11MM deal in 2019

Lyles has been a disappointment since the Jazz made him a lottery pick in 2015. This season has been particularly trying for the Kentucky product. After starting regularly last season, Lyles has only seen spot duty in his walk year. With LaMarcus Aldridge out, Lyles scored a season-high 15 points in a blowout loss to Golden State on Tuesday. That was his first double-digit output this season, as he’s only averaging 12.0 MPG. Lyles doesn’t stand out in any one area and he’ll be looking at modest offers this summer.

Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks, 28, SG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $70.95MM deal in 2017

The Mavericks have been a disappointment but Hardaway has fulfilled his role, averaging 17.2 PPG in 31.1 MPG. He’s turned into a consistent 40% shooter from long range and that skill will serve him well as he enters unrestricted free agency. It will be interesting to see how much teams value Hardaway’s overall game and if he can get similar money to what the Knicks offered him as a restricted free agent in 2017. But it’s a shooter’s league and Hardaway is a proven starting wing. At 28, he’ll likely receive some quality multi-year offers.

DeMarcus Cousins, Rockets, 30, C (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2.33MM deal in 2020

The former perennial All-Star signed a veteran’s minimum deal with Houston to try to rebuild his value. He’ll get ample playing time in the next few weeks with Christian Wood sidelined by an ankle sprain. However, knee and Achilles injuries have robbed Cousins of his explosion. He can still occasionally post some big numbers (28 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Dallas last month) but he can’t deliver those big stat lines on a consistent basis. He can do better than veteran minimum deals in the future, barring another major injury, but he’s not the force he was early in his career with the Kings.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pelicans Increasing Smoothie King Center Attendance To 1,900

February 11th, 2021 at 5:43pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After starting the NBA season by allowing 800 fans inside their home arena, the Smoothie King Center, the Pelicans bumped that total up to 1,440 on January 29. They will be increasing their fan capacity again starting next week, to 1,900 fans, starting February 17 against the Trail Blazers, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

Lonzo Ball Meets Starter Criteria

February 11th, 2021 at 8:10am CST by Luke Adams

Having started his 21st game of the season on Wednesday night, Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball has now met the “starter criteria,” which will have a significant impact on the value of his qualifying offer this offseason.

The starter criteria applies to players who will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end. Typically, a player is required to average 41 starts during the two seasons prior to his free agency to meet the criteria, but that threshold has been adjusted and varies from player to player this year, since each of the last two NBA seasons have been shortened.

In Ball’s case, the Pelicans played 64 games prior to the hiatus last season and will play 72 this season, for a total of 136. He needed to start half of them (34 per year, or 68 in total) to meet the starter criteria. After starting 47 of those pre-hiatus contests a year ago, he now has 21 starts this season.

In order to make a player a restricted free agent, a team must extend him a qualifying offer, which is essentially a guaranteed one-year contract offer that gives the team the right of first refusal on a rival offer sheet. Meeting the starter criteria makes a player eligible for a larger qualifying offer than he would have been if he’d fallen short of that criteria.

That difference is especially important for Ball, whose qualifying offer would only have been worth about $7MM if he hadn’t reached the starter criteria. Now, his QO – assuming he receives one – will be worth $14.36MM.

Ball has been the subject of some recent trade rumors, so there’s no guarantee that he’ll still be a Pelican when he reaches free agency later this year. However, he has played some of his best basketball as of late, averaging 17.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 4.8 APG on .476/.484/.909 shooting in his last eight games. If he continues to produce at that level, his team at season’s end – whether it’s New Orleans or another franchise – likely won’t bat an eye at issuing that $14MM+ QO.

Ball is the third RFA-to-be to meet the starter criteria this season, joining Devonte’ Graham and Duncan Robinson.

Trade Chatter Slows; Marshall Sent To G League

February 10th, 2021 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

While it may be tempting to continue revamping their roster around cornerstone players Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans have now won six of eight games and no longer look like a team on the verge of a fire sale, writes Scott Kushner of NOLA.com.

“I said to guys when all that was going on that it’s natural,” Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “You’re losing games so people are going to say, ‘Oh shoot, they’re going to blow it up.’ And the rumors are going to start. If we were winning then, like we have in the last seven, then the rumors go away. Because people will think you are happy with your team.”

Multiple reports in late January indicated that the Pelicans were exploring the possibility of moving Lonzo Ball, J.J. Redick, and/or Eric Bledsoe. Those rumors have died down as of late, though that doesn’t mean those players are off the trade block, as Kushner notes. This season’s trade deadline is still six weeks away, so there’s plenty of time for New Orleans to consider whether dealing one or more of those veteran guards makes sense.

The Pelicans have transferred two-way player Naji Marshall to the Erie BayHawks, the team announced today (via Twitter). Marshall will join fellow two-way player Will Magnay on New Orleans’ G League squad.

Forbes Releases 2021 NBA Franchise Valuations

February 10th, 2021 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

It has been an up-and-down 12 months for the NBA, which had to pause its operations for several months when its players first began testing positive for the coronavirus last March. Although the league was eventually able to play the 2020 postseason and is in the midst of its (slightly-abridged) 2020/21 regular season, fans still haven’t been able to return to arenas in many NBA cities, putting a major dent in projected revenues for the coming year.

Despite the financial challenges faced by many of the NBA’s teams, the overall value of those franchises continues to increase, according to a report from Kurt Badenhausen and Mike Ozanian of Forbes. While it’s the most modest year-over-year rise since 2010, Forbes estimates that average team values are up by about 4% from 2020.

The Knicks have become the first franchise to earn a $5 billion valuation from Forbes, with a league-high 9% increase in their value since last February. The Warriors, meanwhile, also saw their value rise by 9%, according to Forbes, surpassing the Lakers for the No. 2 spot on the annual report. The league-wide average of $2.2 billion per team in 2021 is a new record for Forbes’ valuations.

Forbes’ valuations are slightly more conservative than the ones issued by sports-business outlet Sportico last month — Sportico’s report featured an average team value of nearly $2.4 billion, with the Knicks, Warriors, and Lakers all surpassing the $5 billion threshold.

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

New York Knicks: $5 billion
Golden State Warriors: $4.7 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $4.6 billion
Chicago Bulls: $3.3 billion
Boston Celtics: $3.2 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $2.75 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $2.65 billion
Houston Rockets: $2.5 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $2.45 billion
Toronto Raptors: $2.15 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $2.075 billion
Miami Heat: $2 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $1.9 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $1.85 billion
Sacramento Kings: $1.825 billion
Washington Wizards: $1.8 billion
Phoenix Suns: $1.7 billion
Utah Jazz: $1.66 billion
Denver Nuggets: $1.65 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $1.625 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $1.575 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $1.56 billion
Indiana Pacers: $1.55 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $1.52 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $1.5 billion
Orlando Magic: $1.46 billion
Detroit Pistons: $1.45 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $1.4 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $1.35 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $1.3 billion

While most franchise values increased, that wasn’t the case across the board. The Thunder, Hawks, Hornets, Pistons, Pelicans, and Grizzlies all maintained the same value that they had in 2020. No teams decreased in value, however.

The Jazz had the biggest rise in the bottom half of this list, moving from 21st in 2020’s rankings to 18th this year. That’s because the team was actually sold to a new majority owner in recent months, with Ryan Smith assuming control of the franchise at its new $1.66 billion valuation.

As that Jazz example shows, the actual amount a team is sold for often exceeds Forbes’ valuation, so these figures should just be viewed as estimates.

Bulls Could Make Sense As Trade Partner For Ball

February 9th, 2021 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

With multiple reports indicating that the Bulls could be a landing spot for Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball, Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype explains why a trade sending him to Chicago would make sense for both Ball and the Bulls.

Pelicans Continue Emphasizing Importance Of Trust

February 7th, 2021 at 8:45pm CST by JD Shaw

The Pelicans have emphasized the meaning of “trust” in recent games, Christian Clark of Nola.com writes. New Orleans is on a three-game winning streak, and Stan Van Gundy, Zion Williamson, and others pointed to that as one reason why. “It’s just coming together and telling each other we trust each other to make the right play,” Williamson said. “Ultimately, I think it’s just trust with us.”

As Lonzo Goes, So Do The Pelicans

February 4th, 2021 at 9:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The offensive output of Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball on a given night this season often dictates the team’s overall performance, according to Scott Kushner of the Times-Picayune. The Pelicans are 5-1 when Ball scores at least 16 points in a game. When he scores fewer than 16 points, New Orleans sports a 2-9 record.

“It’s absolutely huge,” Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy said of Ball’s contribution to the club. “I mean he’s got the ball in his hands, controlling the action. When he’s taking care of the ball, making good decisions, and, obviously, knocking down shots, our offense is going to be a lot better.”

Kira Lewis Jr. Carving Out PT For Pelicans

February 3rd, 2021 at 6:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rookie Pelicans point guard Kira Lewis Jr. has carved out further playing time with New Orleans, per Scott Kushner of the Times-Picayune. “He’s just so young,” head coach Stan Van Gundy said of the 19-year-old rookie, the No. 13 draft pick out of Alabama in 2020. “But he does so many good things. Trying to figure out how we throw him into that rotation is something we are definitely thinking about.”

Van Gundy expounded on his interest in exploring more time on the court for Lewis as the Pelicans’ 2020/21 season progresses: “Does that mean every single night? Does it mean 20 minutes a game? Does it mean 12 minutes a game? I can’t give you a definitive on that yet. But I do think I want him to play.”

G League Assignments: Pokusevski, Oturu, Magnay, Azubuike, Forrest

February 2nd, 2021 at 7:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Thunder rookie big man Aleksej Pokusevski has averaged 17.4 minutes per game in 17 appearances but he’s headed to Orlando to join the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. The 17th overall pick, who played 20 minutes in a blowout loss to Houston on Monday, is shooting just 24.7% from the field and the team wants him to develop his offensive game.

Guard Ty Jerome and two-way players Moses Brown and Josh Hall are also going to Orlando. “A lot of time and effort has gone into deciding who to send and when to send them,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “We felt like sending the four of them together, all for different reasons developmentally, was the best decision.”

We have more G League transactions from Western Conference clubs:

The Clippers assigned rookie big man Daniel Oturu to the Agua Caliente Clippers, according the RealGM transactions log. Oturu has appeared in 10 NBA games this season but has only averaged 4.2 MPG. He’s only gotten on the court once since January 22 and the organization wants Oturu to get some extended playing time during the bubble season in Orlando.
The Pelicans have transferred two-way player Will Magnay to the Erie BayHawks, the Pelicans’ PR department tweets. The 22-year-old rookie power forward out of Tulsa, who played in Australia last season, has not appeared in a game this season.
The Jazz duo of rookie center Udoka Azubuike and Trent Forrest are joining the Salt Lake City Stars, the G League team tweets. Azubuike, the team’s first-round pick out of Kansas, has made 12 limited appearances this season. Forrest, an undrafted guard out of Florida State, has played in two NBA games.