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Pelicans Notes: Alvarado, Nance, Zion, Big Three

September 29th, 2023 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and forward/center Larry Nance Jr. won’t be able to participate in training camp next week, the team announced in a press release on Thursday.

According to the team, Alvarado is expected to resume basketball activities in approximately two or three weeks after spraining his right ankle during an offseason workout. Alvarado’s ankle injury was reported earlier this month.

As for Nance, he received a biologic injection to stimulate the healing process in his left ankle, according to the Pelicans. Nance, who missed the final game of New Orleans’ 2022/23 season (a play-in loss to the Thunder), is expected to make a full recovery before the ’23/24 season begins, per the team, and should also return to basketball activities in two or three weeks.

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

  • Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com explores what the Pelicans should expect from Zion Williamson in 2023/24, citing multiple sources who say the former No. 1 overall pick was playing pickup games with teammates earlier this month and that he has been working with trainers this summer to get his lower body ready for the 82-game season.
  • Lopez also writes that some people around the Pelicans organization are hoping that the embarrassment from being at the center of some off-court drama this summer will provide extra motivation for Williamson to have a big year on the court.
  • Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum have only been on the court for 172 minutes together as Pelicans. William Guillory of The Athletic considers what the club should expect from its big three, assuming they stay healthy.
  • The odds of Giannis Antetokounmpo remaining with the Bucks beyond his current contract look better following the club’s trade for Damian Lillard. However, if things go south in Milwaukee, the Pelicans stand to benefit, notes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. As a result of 2020’s Jrue Holiday trade, the Bucks still owe the Pelicans first-round pick swaps in 2024 and 2026, along with an unprotected first-rounder in 2027. New Orleans would also get Milwaukee’s 2025 first-rounder if it lands in the top four, which is a long shot.
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Pelicans Sign, Waive Devin Cannady

September 29th, 2023 at 7:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans signed and then waived free agent guard Devin Cannady, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.

Will Guillory of The Athletic first reported that New Orleans would be signing Cannady, noting (via Twitter) that the 27-year-old wouldn’t be participating in training camp due to a previous commitment to USA Basketball.

Cannady, 27, appeared in 13 NBA regular season games as a member of the Magic from 2021-22, averaging 6.5 points in 16.8 minutes per night with a shooting line of .361/.396/.786.

Since going undrafted out of Princeton in 2019, he has primarily played in the G League, spending time with the Long Island Nets, Lakeland Magic, and South Bay Lakers. He helped lead Lakeland to an NBAGL title in 2021, earning a G League Finals MVP award.

Appearing in a total of 48 regular season and Showcase Cup contests for South Bay last season, Cannady averaged 12.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 30.1 minutes per game. His shooting line was .412/.360/.881.

The fact that New Orleans cut Cannady so quickly after signing him signals that he likely received an Exhibit 10 contract, which will make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with the Pelicans’ G League team, the Birmingham Squadron. However, his returning rights are still held by South Bay for now, so the Squadron will need to make a trade to acquire them.

The Pelicans also officially signed Kaiser Gates to his two-way contract, per RealGM’s transaction log. Gates’ agreement with the club was reported last week.

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Jrue Holiday Rumors: Heat, Pacers, Knicks, Celtics, More

September 28th, 2023 at 7:29pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers, Clippers, Heat, Celtics, Bulls and Sixers are among the teams Jrue Holiday would be interested in joining, a league source tells Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

That said, unless the Trail Blazers are willing to hold onto Holiday for at least a few months, you can scratch the Lakers from the list of possible suitors. They obviously aren’t trading LeBron James for Holiday, and the other players they could theoretically use to match salaries aren’t trade-eligible until December or January.

The Blazers are expected to prioritize young players and draft assets in exchange for Holiday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (YouTube link).

Holiday is expected to draw interest from a variety of teams, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link). The Heat could be among that group, but Portland “had no major interest in any individual Miami player or draft asset, and limited interest in whatever combination Miami might cobble” during negotiations for Damian Lillard, Lowe reports.

According to Chiang and Jackson, the Heat haven’t ruled out making an aggressive push for Holiday, but they didn’t do it immediately on Thursday. Miami isn’t expected to pursue James Harden, and has yet to express interest in Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who is reportedly on the trading block after failing to reach an extension, a source tells Chiang and Jackson. Free agent guard Goran Dragic is interested in returning to the Heat, but that interest doesn’t appear to be mutual, per The Herald’s duo.

Sources tell Lowe the Pacers and Knicks are expected to have a level of interest in Holiday, though it’s unclear how seriously they’ll pursue the defensive stalwart. While Lowe believes Holiday could be a good fit with both clubs, he wonders if Indiana will decide it’s too early to make a win-now move.

Boston was previously cited as a possible suitor, but multiple sources tell Brian Robb of MassLive that the Celtics will likely be outbid and aren’t expected to land Holiday. Still, the team has long been interested in the veteran guard — Boston tried to acquire Holiday a few years ago before he was traded to Milwaukee, a source tells Robb.

Here are a few more notes related to Holiday, who was sent to the Blazers from the Bucks as part of yesterday’s Lillard blockbuster:

  • Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t have a direct impact on the Lillard deal, Wojnarowski noted in the same segment. “Directly, (Antetokounmpo) literally played no role,” Wojnarowski said. “In fact, (GM) Jon Horst did not bring this trade idea or sign off on it to Giannis Antetokounmpo because Jrue Holiday was involved. And the relationship there and the reverence that this organization and these players have for Holiday. He did not want to put that to Giannis Antetokounmpo and have him have that on his conscience necessarily that he might sign off or not sign off on it.” However, as Wojnarowski observes, Antetokounmpo putting pressure on the organization by saying winning more championships was the most important thing in his career certainly played a significant indirect factor in Milwaukee trading for Lillard.
  • In addition to the previously mentioned teams that might pursue Holiday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link) believes the Pelicans, Kings and Warriors would also benefit from the All-Star guard’s services. Over at The Athletic, John Hollinger lists the Heat, Clippers and Celtics as logical destinations for Holiday.
  • Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star considers the pros and cons of the Pacers pursuing Holiday. As Dopirak writes, head coach Rick Carlisle heaped praise on the five-time All-Defensive member during the 2022/23 season. “I’d like to somebody to name five other basketball players that are better than Jrue Holiday at the entire game,” Carlisle said. “Guy’s an amazing player, both sides of the ball. His scoring tonight was at another level obviously, but defensively, he can guard anybody. Just a nod of respect to him. He’s a guy that too often is overlooked as a truly, truly great player.” Still, Dopirak thinks it’s probably too early for Indiana to go after a 33-year-old veteran like Holiday, who can be a free agent in 2024 if he declines his player option.
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Inside The Damian Lillard Trade

September 28th, 2023 at 9:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Damian Lillard had become more involved with the Trail Blazers over the past two weeks and was preparing to attend training camp with the team if he didn’t get the trade he requested, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

After nearly three months of waiting, that deal came together on Wednesday, sending Lillard to the Bucks in a three-way trade that also involved the Suns. Lillard hadn’t been reconciling with Portland, the authors add, but he was working out at the team facility and interacting with coaches and teammates to show that he was willing to remain patient as the Blazers’ front office tried to find a trade.

Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, informed general manager Joe Cronin early in September that Lillard was open to participating in camp if a deal didn’t happen before then, sources tell Charania and Amick, and Lillard told team officials that he would be “fully present” for the start of the season while trade talks continued.

However, the authors’ sources say Cronin didn’t want the distraction of having Lillard on the roster when camp began and preferred to get a deal out of the way before Monday’s media day. He viewed the Lillard situation as “a cloud over the organization” and wanted the team to be able to focus on the season ahead without having to worry about Lillard’s future.

Charania and Amick provide more inside information about Wednesday’s blockbuster:

  • When Lillard made his trade request on July 1, he told team officials he only wanted to go to Miami and was expecting to be rewarded for his years of loyalty to the organization. Charania and Amick confirm the Blazers and Heat talked several times in July, but the negotiations never became “substantive,” according to the authors’ sources. Portland asked for Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo in its first call, and Miami eventually decided that Cronin wasn’t serious about working out a deal with them.
  • Sources tell Charania and Amick that in July and August, the Heat were willing to part with three first-round picks, multiple second-rounders and pick swaps, along with Nikola Jovic in a proposal that would have sent Tyler Herro to a third team. However, the Blazers weren’t interested and the relationship between Portland and Miami started to become contentious. It’s worth noting that Miami didn’t technically have three tradable first-round picks available due to an obligation to the Thunder and the Stepien rule.
  • Cronin began serious trade discussions around the league on September 18 and found interest from the Bucks, Celtics, Pelicans, Raptors, Timberwolves and Bulls. All those teams wanted to acquire Lillard, but they were concerned about Portland’s asking price and whether they would have enough talent left on their roster after a deal to compete for a title.
  • Tensions reached a point where Cronin stopped responding to Goodwin in mid-September, sources tell Charania and Amick, and Goodwin began to explore other options that might appeal to Lillard. He was willing to consider the Bucks and Nets, and Goodwin communicated his interest to both those teams. The Raptors also had serious interest, but Lillard’s reluctance to play there was an obstacle until the end, the authors note.
  • The authors’ sources say the Suns started discussing the framework of a Deandre Ayton–Jusuf Nurkic trade in mid-July, but the Blazers wanted to make sure they could avoid the luxury tax when Lillard was eventually dealt. Phoenix would likely have been part of any deal with the Bucks, Nets or Heat, Charania and Amick add.
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Matt Ryan Worked Out For Pelicans

September 26th, 2023 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Although Matt Ryan is signing a new two-way contract with the Timberwolves, he’s not necessarily guaranteed to keep that roster spot into the regular season, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Ryan will compete for a two-way spot with Minnesota’s other camp invitees. Krawczynski adds (via Twitter) that the sharpshooter worked out for the Pelicans last week before agreeing to re-sign with the Wolves.
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Pelicans To Sign Kaiser Gates To Two-Way Contract

September 22nd, 2023 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have reached an agreement to sign free agent forward Kaiser Gates to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Gates, who went undrafted out of Xavier in 2018, spent one season (2021/22) in Israel with Hapoel Jerusalem but has otherwise been playing in the G League since going pro, enjoying stints with Windy City, Maine, and Long Island.

In 40 total appearances in the NBAGL regular season and Showcase Cup for the Long Island Nets last season, the 26-year-old averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .473/.468/.674.

The Pelicans still have several openings on their 21-man offseason roster and had been the only NBA team with multiple two-way slots available, so they won’t need to make a corresponding move to clear room for Gates.

Once Gates’ deal is official, New Orleans will be able to add one more two-way player to join him and Dereon Seabron. Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link) says he’d be surprised if rookie big man Liam Robbins – who reached a deal with the Pelicans in June – doesn’t end up filling that opening.

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Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Southwest Division

September 22nd, 2023 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster right now, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re continuing our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Southwest Division. Let’s dive in…

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks spend much of the early part of the offseason on the hunt for a reliable veteran center, having been linked to players like Deandre Ayton and Clint Capela. They’d probably still welcome a trade for a big man if one falls into their laps, but if not, they seem likely to open the season with a full 15-man roster that features their current 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Morris.

Dallas’ Exhibit 10 camp invitees, including Brown, Walker, and Wieskamp, could end up vying to earn the team’s final two-way contract.

Houston Rockets

It’s extremely unlikely that Porter will play another game for the Rockets — the question is whether he’ll be traded, released, or simply sent home for the start of the season.

Whether or not Porter remains on the roster, Houston is in position to add one more player to its 15-man squad before opening night, since grouping Marjanovic and Holiday with the 12 players with guaranteed salaries would leave one opening.

Memphis Grizzlies

Five games into Morant’s suspension, the Grizzlies will be able to move him to the suspended list and open up an extra roster spot. However, that won’t be possible at the start of the season, so Memphis will have to trade or waive two of its 17 players with guaranteed contracts by opening night. Christopher and Todd appear to be the most at risk, especially if no trade opportunities arise.

New Orleans Pelicans

Alvarado is a lock to make the roster, of course, which would give the Pelicans 14 players on standard contracts. New Orleans is a little over the tax and would rather duck below that line (perhaps by trading Lewis) than go further above it, so I wouldn’t expect the team to add a 15th man for opening night unless it can make a cost-cutting trade.

The Pelicans’ primary offseason goal could be finding a pair of players who will join Seabron on two-way deals. Jemison, Jones, Nolley, and Robbins haven’t been officially signed yet, but they could all be contenders for one of those spots.

San Antonio Spurs

Like Memphis, San Antonio will have to trade or release two players with guaranteed salaries before the season begins. A report last week suggested that the Spurs probably won’t make any more cuts before training camp begins, with all 17 of those players on guaranteed deals given the opportunity to make a strong impression at camp.

Of course, some roster spots are more secure than others. Osman, Bullock, McDermott, and perhaps Bassey could be trade candidates, while Birch and Graham will have little trade value and might be the odd men out if San Antonio decides to simply waive two players. The Spurs already removed one veteran on an expiring contract from their roster when they cut Cameron Payne earlier this month.

Previously:

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Damian Lillard Notes: Heat, Pelicans, Raptors

September 20th, 2023 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have remained reluctant to engage in serious talks with the Heat about Damian Lillard, a source tells Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on Tuesday that the two sides haven’t really had trade conversations since July, since Portland’s best hope of getting Miami to increase its offer is to find another team willing to make a serious play for the point guard.

“(The Heat) want Damian Lillard,” Wojnarowski said, per Jackson and Chiang. “They just want him for as little as they’re going to have to give up. They’re essentially daring Portland to go out into the marketplace, which Portland is doing, and see if they can find better. … The goal isn’t to just get Damian Lillard. It’s to get Damian Lillard for as little as you have to give up to be able to still have the ability to put a team around Jimmy Butler, Lillard, Bam Adebayo in Miami.”

While the Heat are reluctant to bid against themselves, other interested teams are wary of giving up significant assets for a player whose preference is to end up in Miami.

“I think there are teams that will trade for him,” Wojnarowski said. “But it’s a little bit of a negotiating crutch where you tell Portland, ‘Hey, I’m not offering you everything we might because we’re taking risk here.’ He has said he only wants to play in Miami. That kind of dulls the offers a little bit.”

Here’s more on Lillard:

  • Discussing the Lillard situation in the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Zach Lowe said that some executives around the league have speculated that the Pelicans, who have a handful of extra draft assets, could be a suitor for the Blazers star. However, his colleague Andrew Lopez is skeptical. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they were involved, but as a third or fourth team,” Lopez said of New Orleans. “That would be, I think, the extent that they would try to get involved in a Damian Lillard trade.”
  • Later in the same podcast, Lowe said that non-Heat teams with interest in Lillard are concerned that they could be used as a “way station” between Portland and Miami if they acquire Dame and things don’t get off to a good start. In other words, that club could soon find itself in the same situation as the Blazers are now, with Lillard wanting out and once again pushing for a trade to the Heat.
  • On Tuesday’s episode of the Locked On NBA podcast, Matt Moore of Action Network said that a handful of Eastern Conference teams, including the Raptors, have “kicked the tires” on the possibility of acquiring Lillard (Twitter video link). As Moore explains, that doesn’t necessarily mean those clubs have been negotiating with the Blazers — it has been more about touching base with Lillard’s camp to gauge just how opposed he is to landing somewhere besides Miami.
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Pelicans’ Griffin: Player Health Has Been Offseason Focus

September 20th, 2023 at 7:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans were vying for the top seed in the Western Conference during the first half of the 2022/23 campaign before injuries to forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram derailed their season, which ended in a play-in tournament loss.

New Orleans didn’t make major changes to its roster this offseason, but head of basketball operations David Griffin said on Tuesday that the team didn’t want to just sit back and hope for better health luck going forward. Instead, the Pelicans proactively explored new strategies to try to keep their players off the injured list.

“What we tried to do this offseason was not sit there and say, ‘Wow, if we could just be healthy, we could be really good,'” Griffin said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “Because hope is not a plan. But Mrs. (Gayle) Benson (the Pelicans’ team owner) gave us the financial bandwidth to address this in different ways. We came at it from the medical side. We did some very different things there.”

As Clark has previously reported, New Orleans’ sports and performance team will no longer be led by Aaron Nelson, who was let go this summer. The Pelicans have yet to formally announce the changes made to that team. However, according to Clark, Griffin said on Tuesday that the club has hired a physical therapist and that several players have stayed in town during the offseason to focus on entering the season in the best possible condition.

“I can tell you Zion Williamson has been in our gym more than he has in his entire career in the offseason,” Griffin said. “He has been in New Orleans virtually all offseason, which is different.”

Williamson has spoken this summer about dedicating more time and effort to his conditioning and maintaining healthy eating habits. Griffin’s comments on Tuesday suggested that he noticed a change in the commitment level of the former No. 1 overall pick.

“For us, we have certainly learned over the years what we think works and doesn’t work. But a huge part of that is incumbent on him. A huge part of that is, ‘Is he willing to do what it takes to be successful?’” Griffin said. “I think oftentimes, the people you put around a player are judged for their lack of effectiveness when in reality not everyone is giving the same amount. He has reached a point where he recognizes that and is embracing doing his part.”

As Clark observes, Williamson and Ingram have played just 93 games together since they became teammates in 2019, including only 12 last season. Significantly increasing that number in 2023/24 may be the key to contention for the Pelicans.

“We know we have a group that is talented enough,” Griffin said. “We have a group that has the ability. That has the bones of being a good team. What we also know is we haven’t found a way to put it all together. I think what we need to do is continue to work towards that. And if we get to a point where we’re not going to be able to move forward with the group we have, I feel like we are really blessed from an ownership standpoint. There won’t be an impediment to making us better.”

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