New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Joakim Noah Away From Knicks Until Further Notice

February 2nd, 2018 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 2, 11:02am: The Knicks have confirmed that Noah will remain away from the team “until further notice,” tweets Berman. The club referred to it as a mutual decision.

JANUARY 31, 11:28pm: The Knicks and Noah’s reps discussed his status on Wednesday, and the team won’t require him to report back before next Thursday’s trade deadline, says ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

New York’s front office continues to exhaust trade options for Noah, but the club is unwilling to attach valuable draft picks or young players to the center’s contract to attract interest, per Woj. If that stance doesn’t change, it’s hard to imagine the Knicks finding a taker, unless they’re willing to absorb another bad contract or two.

JANUARY 31, 8:45am: Joakim Noah remains away from the Knicks this week, and there’s a growing sense that he may not return to the club until after the February 8 trade deadline, if at all, according to reports from ESPN’s Ian Begley and Marc Berman of The New York Post.

As we’ve previously detailed, reported altercations between Noah and head coach Jeff Hornacek over the big man’s playing time led to the Knicks sending him away for what the team referred to as “personal reasons.” During Noah’s absence, New York’s front office has increased its efforts to find a trade partner willing to take on his sizable contract. The 32-year-old was previously expected to report back to the club later this week, but the fact that now he may not return before the deadline suggests those trade efforts are ongoing.

According to Berman, teams have been open to acquiring Noah if the Knicks include their 2018 first-rounder in a deal, but New York has been unwilling to put that pick on the table. If that stance doesn’t change and the team can’t find a suitable deal for Noah before the deadline, it’s unclear what the next steps are for the team and the player.

As Begley observes, it may not be productive to bring back a disgruntled, little-used veteran at a time when the Knicks are trying to build a positive culture and develop their young players. However, as both Berman and Begley note, the Knicks’ non-trade options for Noah are very limited.

Buyout discussions haven’t taken place, and the veteran center wouldn’t be eager to give back a significant chunk of money in a buyout anyway. Waiving Noah and stretching the final two years of his contract over five seasons is one possibility, but it would have a major impact on the Knicks’ salary cap projections through 2022/23, as we detailed last month. Cutting Noah outright and leaving his cap hits as is would also be an option for the team, albeit not a particularly appealing one.

Scotto’s Latest: Pelicans, Gordon, Carroll, Nuggets

February 2nd, 2018 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

Before sending Omer Asik to Chicago, the Pelicans explored trading the veteran center to a number of other teams, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic. League sources tells Scotto that the Hawks and Pelicans recently talked about a deal that would have sent Asik and a first-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova.

The Mavericks discussed a deal that would have seen them take on both Asik and Alexis Ajinca – along with a first-round pick – in exchange for Wesley Matthews, but Dallas was hesitant to take on two undesirable multiyear contracts, says Scotto.

Additionally, the Pelicans proposed a pair of trades to the Lakers, according to Scotto, who reports that one would have sent Asik and a first-round pick to L.A. for Jordan Clarkson, while the other would have sent Ajinca and a second-round pick to the Lakers for Julius Randle. That second deal could technically still happen, but I can’t imagine it would appeal to the Lakers.

Scotto’s piece for The Athletic is jam-packed with more noteworthy trade rumors, so let’s dive in and round up some highlights…

The Magic‘s front office has “left no stone unturned” as the team explores potential trades. Scotto hears that the club has even quietly gauged trade interest in Aaron Gordon, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. I imagine Orlando would require a pretty overwhelming offer to seriously consider moving Gordon.
Several teams have expressed interest in Nets forward DeMarre Carroll, according to Scotto, who identifies the Heat as one of those teams.
As we heard on Thursday, the Bulls are still very much open for business. Robin Lopez is a trade candidate, but Chicago wants a first-round pick in a deal for the veteran center, per Scotto.
Scotto names Malik Beasley, Kenneth Faried, and Emmanuel Mudiay as trade candidates for the Nuggets, noting that the team could be a suitor for Jazz guard Rodney Hood.
Hood isn’t the only Jazz guard who could be available at the deadline — Scotto hears that Utah has also explored the trade market for Ricky Rubio.
Several teams are monitoring Pistons forward Stanley Johnson. Scotto notes that Johnson was one player the Magic coveted when they discussed deals with Detroit earlier in the season, and adds that the Spurs have interest too.
Speaking of the Spurs, they’re one of the teams – as are the division-rival Mavericks – that has expressed interest in Knicks center Willy Hernangomez.
The Wizards are keeping an eye on the trade market and buyout market for a backup point guard, writes Scotto.
Fourth-year forward Noah Vonleh has been shopped by the Trail Blazers, according to Scotto. In addition to keeping tabs on DeAndre Jordan, Portland is also interested in acquiring a small forward.
Executives around the NBA believe that Raptors swingman Norman Powell could be a trade candidate during the offseason due to the emergence of rookie OG Anunoby.

New York Notes: Trade Deadline Plans, Future, Harris

February 1st, 2018 at 8:01pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Knicks have some decisions to make with the February 8 trade deadline approaching, but the team’s top priority is to become more athletic, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

This plan deviates from the mandate that was issued by former team president Phil Jackson. Under Jackson’s reign, the Knicks were focused on plucking players who fit the triangle offense; by Jackson’s own words, the club was focused less on individual athleticism and more on team-oriented players.

As Berman notes, none of the centers on New York’s roster (Enes Kanter, Kyle O’Quinn, Willy Hernangomez, and Joakim Noah) qualify as overly athletic. The Knicks are reportedly looking to unload Noah’s albatross contract and have received interest in O’Quinn and Hernangomez. While the team is technically in the playoff race, the direction under the team’s new ownership has been long-term development over quick fixes.

Check out other Knicks and Nets news below:

Speaking to Berman’s point, Newsday’s Al Iannazzone emphasized the Knicks’ inability to match up against younger, more athletic teams. A Celtics team that played four rookies and sat Kyrie Irving beat New York by 30 points. “We need everybody to play as hard as they can,” head coach Jeff Hornacek said. “We’re not the size and athleticism of a lot of these teams, so we’ve got to do that.”
The Knicks do not appear to be strong sellers or buyers as the deadline near, ESPN’s Ian Begley writes. New York has appealing assets (Courtney Lee, O’Quinn, Hernangomez), talented youngsters (Frank Ntilikina), and first-round picks. However, the club doesn’t want to sell off those picks or young assets to make a playoff push, and also doesn’t want to ditch its veterans and tank.
While the big news of the day was LeBron James potentially meeting with the Warriors in free agency, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News gives his take on why the Knicks need to maintain focus on their plan.
Joe Harris has been one of the few Nets whose name has floated in deadline trade talks, but sources, including Harris’ agent, tell Brian Lewis of the New York Post that Brooklyn is not shopping the sharpshooter. “[GM] Sean [Marks] is certainly not out looking to trade Joe. I know that,” said agent Mark Bartelstein. “If anybody offers the right package, of course it could happen; but nothing Sean has said has or intimated makes me feel like something going on.”

Porzingis Recruiting All-Stars?

January 31st, 2018 at 10:49pm CST by clarkcrum

Kristaps Porzingis is planning to use his first All-Star game appearance as a recruiting opportunity, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. One of his first targets? Team LeBron teammate Kyrie Irving, who is from the New York area and listed the Knicks as a preferred destination before being traded to Boston.
The Nets have benched veteran center Tyler Zeller in favor of youngsters Jahlil Okafor and Jarrett Allen, reports Brian Lewis of the New York Post. While head coach Kenny Atkinson wouldn’t confirm the move as permanent, Allen started in Zeller’s place in last night’s loss to the Knicks after Zeller had started 33 of the last 34 games.

Knicks Recall Damyean Dotson From G League

January 31st, 2018 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have recalled shooting guard Damyean Dotson from the G League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Dotson’s assignment with the Westchester Knicks was a brief one, as he was just sent to New York’s affiliate on Tuesday.

Ron Baker Out Indefinitely With Shoulder Injury

January 31st, 2018 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks guard Ron Baker has been diagnosed with a dislocated right shoulder and a torn labrum, the team announced today (via Twitter). Baker will be sidelined indefinitely.

The 2017/18 league year got off to a good start for Baker, who inked a two-year, $8.9MM deal with the Knicks in free agency. However, he has struggled mightily on the court, dealing with injuries throughout the season and failing to provide much value in the 29 games he has played. On the year, Baker is averaging 2.4 PPG and 1.6 APG in 13.3 minutes per contest, with a .339/.333/.769 shooting line.

Baker’s $4.54MM salary for 2018/19 isn’t yet guaranteed, but he has long been considered a lock to exercise his player option, and his latest injury should further cement that decision.

Most of Baker’s minutes this season have come at shooting guard, so it will be interesting to see how the Knicks address that spot if they decide to move starter Courtney Lee before next Thursday’s trade deadline. For now, Tim Hardaway and Damyean Dotson are candidates to play a few extra minutes at the two behind Lee, and New York may also use more lineups featuring multiple point guards.

Damyean Dotson Sent Back To Westchester

January 30th, 2018 at 9:42pm CST by Austin Kent

The Knicks have assigned rookie point guard Damyean Dotson to their G League affiliate in Westchester, the team’s public relations department tweeted.

Knicks Notes: Porzingis, Bradley, Jack

January 30th, 2018 at 4:58pm CST by Austin Kent

The Knicks have fallen out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture thanks to a recent slide but star forward Kristaps Porzingis would still prefer the team to make a push to sneak back in, Ian Begley of ESPN writes.

Porzingis, averaging 23.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in his third season, says that he’s eager to gain playoff experience but concedes that the team’s decision is out of his control.

“I don’t think it’s healthy for any player to have [tanking] in their minds,” Porzingis said. “Whatever happens, you give your all on the court and if it doesn’t work out and you can’t win games then something else good might happen and you have that. But as a player your mindset has to be going out and giving 110 percent and live with the results.”

There’s more out of the Big Apple today:

It appears as though the Knicks contacted the Pistons about Avery Bradley prior to his being sent to the Clippers, Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes.
There’s a case to be made for the Knicks offering Jarrett Jack to a contender at the deadline but the veteran point guard would rather remain with New York, a team he thinks can possibly claw back into the postseason picture, Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes.
The Knicks are looking for a way to clear their books of Joakim Noah‘s contract, especially after a heated exchange between the player and head coach Jeff Hornacek. Ian Begley and Bobby Marks of ESPN recently wrote about the options that New York actually has available to them.

Blake Griffin Roundup: Analysis, Reactions, Rumors

January 30th, 2018 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers and Pistons had discussed the idea of a Blake Griffin trade for about a week before finalizing an agreement on Monday, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. However, as O’Connor writes, the door opened on a potential Griffin trade back in 2016 after the big man punched a Clippers equipment manager. Doc Rivers had “casual conversations” with the Celtics about a possible Griffin deal in the summer of ’16, then listened last season when the Knicks reached out.

Now that the Clippers have moved on from Griffin, the franchise is “starting over,” but doesn’t plan on bottoming out, a GM tells O’Connor. Depending on what other moves the Clippers make before the trade deadline, pursuing a maximum-salary player this summer could be on the table, though 2019 currently looks like the more logical time for L.A. to go after one or two max guys. If the Clips want to create more flexibility for the summer of 2018, attaching a multiyear contract like Austin Rivers‘ or Danilo Gallinari‘s to Lou Williams‘ inexpensive expiring deal in a trade could be an option, O’Connor notes.

As for the Pistons, they may not be done dealing either. According to O’Connor, Detroit remains interested in Jazz swingman Rodney Hood, and could send out forward Stanley Johnson before the deadline.

As we wait to see how the Clippers and Pistons follow up on Monday’s mega-deal, let’s round up more reactions, rumors, and analysis related to 2018’s first NBA trade:

After initially responding to news of the trade on Monday night with a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air GIF, Griffin issued a more formal statement this morning, thanking Clippers fans and announcing that he’s ready to start “the next chapter” of his career in Detroit.
Although the sentiment around the NBA is that the Clippers made out well on Monday, Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports wonders if the Griffin trade will be the rare blockbuster that doesn’t end up helping either team. Mannix also hears that Clips ownership has no interest in a Sixers-esque tear-down and rebuild.
The Clippers weren’t trying to deceive Griffin when they made their over-the-top pitch to him in free agency seven months ago; if anything, they may have been trying to deceive themselves, writes Lee Jenkins of SI.com.
The Clippers are moving in the right direction after the Griffin trade, according to Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times, who calls the move a “gutsy admission of a mistake and a calculated gamble on the future.”
With the Cavaliers set to play the Pistons on Tuesday (the newcomers won’t be active), LeBron James said it was “unfortunate” for Griffin that he was traded by the Clippers, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “He spent his last nine years there,” James said. “He signed a multiyear deal there this summer, so that’s unfortunate. But that’s the business side of it. It’s both sides. It works both sides, though. It’s the business.”
Despite a new arena, attendance and enthusiasm has been modest in Detroit this season. That’s a key reason why the Pistons needed to swing for the fences and generate some buzz by acquiring a star like Griffin, argues Ansar Khan of MLive.com.
Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy has long been willing to push his chips into the middle of the table to land a star player, and finally got his chance to do so this week, says Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
We rounded up more initial reactions to the Griffin trade on Monday night.

Latest On Joakim Noah

January 29th, 2018 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

After a Friday report indicated that the Knicks were increasing their efforts to trade Joakim Noah, more details on the rift between Noah and the Knicks – as well as his absence from the team – surfaced today, with Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reporting that the front office is “exploring avenues” to part with the veteran center.

According to various reports, including one from Marc Stein of The New York Times, Noah expressed displeasure with his playing time and his role when he was removed from last Tuesday’s game against the Warriors, then had another heated exchange with head coach Jeff Hornacek during Wednesday’s practice in Denver. At that point, the Knicks granted Noah time away from the team for what was essentially meant to be a “cooling-off period,” writes Stein.

According to Ian Begley of ESPN, Noah is currently working out and is awaiting word from the Knicks on the next steps for rejoining the team. Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News suggests that Noah is waiting to hear if he should report back to the club at all, though there’s an expectation he’ll return — his contract will be very difficult to trade, and there’s little upside to waiving him at this point.

Here’s more on Noah:

There have been no discussions between Noah and the Knicks so far about a buyout, according to Begley, who hears from sources that the 32-year-old isn’t inclined to give up significant money to accommodate a buyout.
A source tells Bondy that the Cavaliers entertained the possibility of taking on Noah during the 2017 offseason as part of a Kyrie Irving trade. The kicker? Kristaps Porzingis would have needed to be included. The Knicks weren’t interested at the time, according to Bondy, and there’s no indication that the club would have any interest now in moving Noah by attaching him to Porzingis or another prime asset.
Noah’s frustration with his role (or lack thereof) isn’t new. According to Steve Aschburner of NBA.com (Twitter link), Noah told a confidante over a month ago that his playing time situation was stressful.
There’s a belief that there would still be a market for Noah if he’s eventually waived or bought out, writes Charania. I imagine the big man would have to settle for a minimum salary contract in that scenario.