A.J. Hammons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/13/16

November 13th, 2016 at 10:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Sunday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Mavericks have recalled rookie center A.J. Hammons from the Texas Legends, the team announced today in a press release. Hammons has appeared in three games for Dallas and has nine points.
The Spurs sent Davis Bertans, Bryn Forbes and Dejounte Murray to their Austin affiliate in time for the team’s season opener today. Bertans has appeared in seven games with the Spurs, Forbes has been in six games and Murray has played in five games.
The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from their affiliate in Long Island, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. He has appeared in three games for Brooklyn with two points and six rebounds.
The Rockets sent rookie Kyle Wiltjer to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. He has seen just six minutes of action in three games with Houston.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/12/16

November 12th, 2016 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA, with the D-League’s regular season underway:

10:51pm:

The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet from Raptors 905, the team tweeted.

2:46pm:

The Thunder recalled forward Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue, they announced via press release. Huestis played 31 minutes in the Blue’s opener on Friday night, notching eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes against the Maine Red Claws.
The Mavericks assigned rookie center A.J. Hammons to the Texas Legends, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. The 7-footer has seen spot duty in three games with Dallas. The second-round pick will be available for the Legends’ season opener Saturday night against the Red Claws.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/7/16

November 7th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are today’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA

10:00pm:

The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from the Long Island Nets, according to a press release issued by the team. Brooklyn sent the 21-year-old forward to the D-League earlier today, as noted below.

2:46pm:

After assigning them to the Austin Spurs on Sunday, the Spurs have recalled Bryn Forbes, Danny Green and Dejounte Murray today, the club announced in a press release. Green appears to be on the verge of returning from the quad injury that has sidelined him so far this season.
The Knicks assigned Willy Hernangomez, Maurice Ndour, and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate today, allowing the trio to practice with the Westchester Knicks, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). They’re expected to be back with New York tomorrow.
The Mavericks assigned A.J. Hammons to the Texas Legends today, then recalled him a few hours later, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (Twitter links).
Former first-round pick Bruno Caboclo was sent to the Raptors 905 by the Raptors today, according to Toronto’s D-League affiliate (via Twitter). Caboclo has yet to appear in an NBA game this season, so the Raptors have been getting him work with their D-League squad when possible.
The Nets assigned Chris McCullough to their D-League team, the Long Island Nets, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Mavs Notes: Williams, Harris, Hammons, Brussino

September 11th, 2016 at 12:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks point guard Deron Williams has received medical clearance to participate in the start of training camp, tweets Mike Fisher of radio station 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. Williams underwent surgery for a sports hernia shortly after Dallas was knocked out of the playoffs and took three months off from playing basketball. He appeared in 65 games for the Mavericks last season, averaging 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per night. Dallas will open camp September 26th.

There’s more news today out of Dallas:

The health news isn’t as good for Mavericks guard Devin Harris, according to Tim MacMahon on ESPN Now. Harris is still recovering from offseason toe surgery and expects to be limited for at least the first week of camp. The 33-year-old had operations on his left big toe and left thumb after last season ended. Harris is entering his final season with a fully guaranteed contract.
Rookie center A.J. Hammons may see his chance for playing time increase as the season wears on, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. A second-round pick out of Purdue, Hammons will enter camp behind Andrew Bogut, Salah Mejri and Dwight Powell on the depth chart. But Bogut’s long injury history may create opportunities at the position later in the year. The 24-year-old Hammons averaged 15.2 points, 8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game during his senior season at Purdue.
Argentinian Nicolas Brussino is a worthwhile gamble for the Mavericks, Sefko writes in a separate piece. The 23-year-old swingman signed with Dallas in July for a $100,000 guarantee. He has a reputation as a decent shooter and rebounder, but Sefko states that he will have to prove in camp that he can handle the NBA game.

Southwest Notes: Moore, Dawson, Harden, Mavs

August 24th, 2016 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

E’Twaun Moore, who was one of the first players to commit when free agency began July 1st, chose the Pelicans because he wanted a team where he could make a difference, relays Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. After being with three teams in his first five seasons, the combo guard now has the security of a four-year, $34MM contract with New Orleans. “I definitely wanted to play more minutes and make an impact, helping my team win,” Moore said. “And they’re a team that is, of course, going in a positive direction. They’re a team that’s trying to win. They have a good group of guys; they made the playoffs two years ago and I think they would have made it last year if it weren’t for all the injuries. I think we can get back into playoff contention and that’s another reason I signed.” Moore has a chance to compete for a starting job in the Pelicans’ backcourt with Eric Gordon gone to Houston.

There’s more tonight from the Southwest Division:

Shawn Dawson understands the odds as he competes for a roster spot with the Pelicans, tweets Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate. The Israeli swingman accepted a camp invitation from New Orleans earlier this month. “They explained the whole situation,” he said. “I know that it’s a tough situation to get a contract when there’s 15 guaranteed already, but things happen. I believe in myself and I feel they like me. I know that they like me.”
After signing a $118MM extension with the Rockets this summer, James Harden has organized a players-only minicamp for next week, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. It’s the second year for the camp, and teammate Corey Brewer said it’s a sign that Harden has accepted the role of team leader. “He’s the franchise player,” Brewer said. “He signed the extension. So it’s his team, and he’s doing all the right things to do what we need to do to have a chance to win championships.”
The Mavericks concentrated on youth during the offseason, notes The Vertical’s Bobby Marks. After age seemed to be a problem in the playoff loss to the Thunder, Dallas brought in Harrison Barnes [24], Seth Curry [25], Quincy Acy [25] and A.J. Hammons [23] to join Dwight Powell [25] and Justin Anderson [22].

Mavericks Rumors: Williams, Cuban, Hammons

July 23rd, 2016 at 4:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Point guard Deron Williams is confident he’ll be healthy when training camp opens, he told NBCDFW.com. Williams underwent sports hernia surgery shortly after the Mavs were bounced in the first round of the playoffs. “It’s healing pretty well, I’m doing a lot of work on and off the court. I haven’t got the full-go clearance yet but that’s coming soon,” Williams said. “I’ll be ready to go definitely by the time training camp rolls around.” Williams re-signed with Dallas this month on a one-year, $10MM contract, though he was hoping for multi-year deal. “Would have liked a little longer deal but I’m back for one year and hopefully can build on last year and improve,” he added in the interview.

In other news involving the Mavericks:

Owner Mark Cuban offered Dallas as a possible destination for this season’s All-Star Game after the NBA removed the event from Charlotte, he said in a radio interview with 105.3FM The Fan’s Ben and Skin Show. Cuban doesn’t expect the league to choose Dallas but he supports the league’s decision to switch the venue in reaction to a controversial North Carolina law. “When it came up, I told (commissioner) Adam Silver Dallas is ready, willing and able to host if they decide to move,” Cuban said. “But honestly I haven’t heard anything back from him on that, so most likely it won’t happen. … I think it’s the right move. I know it’s controversial and I know you can’t make everybody happy but I think it’s the right move.” New Orleans has emerged as the likely destination for the All-Star Game.
The Mavs made a smart move by drafting big man A.J. Hammons in the second round, Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News opines. Hammons was productive while playing in a major conference and brings youth, size, defense and rim protection, all areas of need for the club. With the trade acquisition of veteran center Andrew Bogut, the team can afford to develop Hammons at a slower pace, Gosselin adds.

A.J. Hammons Signs With Mavericks

July 8th, 2016 at 3:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 8th, 3:31pm: The signing is official, Dallas announced via press release.

JULY 6th, 5:32pm: The Mavericks have signed second-round pick A.J. Hammons to a guaranteed three-year rookie deal, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. The 7-footer out of Purdue was taken with the 46th pick in last month’s draft.

Hammons, a 280-pound center, was Dallas’ only selection this year. He had a productive senior season with the Boilermakers, averaging 15.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and putting up a 31.3 player efficiency rating.

He will be part of the Mavericks’ summer league team in Las Vegas, beginning this weekend.

Southeast Notes: Winslow, Durant, Hornets

June 15th, 2016 at 8:13pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Heat swingman Justise Winslow just completed his rookie campaign and hopes to develop into a player who the franchise can build around, Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald relays. “Yeah, definitely. Growing up, that was something I always wanted,” Winslow responded when asked if he wants to be the face of the franchise. “And being part of an organization that over the past 10, 13 years has sort of been built around one guy, it’s just something to look forward to. I know there’s a lot of work to be done. I’m not sure what team it will be with, hopefully with Miami, but eventually I would want to be a franchise guy, a leader on a team and the guy that the organization kind of builds around.”

Here’s the latest from the Southeast Division:

The Heat held a free agent mini-camp this week and attendees included Rodney McGruder, Quinton Upshur, Brandan Kearney, Juwan Howard Jr., Jabril Trawick, Okaro White, Xavier Gibson, Kevin Tumba, Kenny Gabriel and Norvel Pelle, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald notes.
While the notion is certainly a long-shot, Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel makes the case for why Kevin Durant should sign with the Magic if he departs Oklahoma City as a free agent this offseason. The scribe cites the lack of media pressure, the presence of GM Rob Hennigan, who Durant is familiar with from their time together with the Thunder, new coach Frank Vogel and the team’s wealth of cap space as reasons the Slim Reaper should give serious consideration to joining Orlando.
The Hornets have workouts set for Thursday with Isaiah Cousins (Oklahoma), Anthony Gill (Virginia), A.J. Hammons (Purdue), Codi Miller-McIntyre (Wake Forest), Chinanu Onuaku (Louisville) and Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), the team announced.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Raptors, Embiid, Kuzmic

June 14th, 2016 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The ESPN analytics department has used its NBA draft projection model to evaluate this year’s class, and found that the average draft grade for the top 50 college prospects this year is the highest it has been since the model began tracking in 2001. As Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes, that high average grade for the top 50 NCAA prospects suggests that this is a deep class, which is good news for a team like the Celtics — Boston holds eight of the 60 picks in the 2016 draft. The C’s surely won’t keep all those picks, but if there are still plenty of prospects drawing interest in the second round, it should increase the trade value of those selections.

Armed with those eight picks, the Celtics figure to strongly consider draft-and-stash prospects, a scenario that Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com examines. As Petraglia details, Austin Ainge is open to the idea of drafting a prospect who will continue to play overseas rather than coming to the NBA immediately.

“[Draft-and-stash talks] will be finalized kind of after you draft a kid, sit down and determine a plan of action, but those discussions go on all the time, year-round, contract situations, age, different levels of maturity and in the players’ game, all those come into play,” said the Celtics director of player personnel. “It’s a partnership with the player, his representatives and the team to try to make the best decisions for him.”

Here’s more from out of the Atlantic:

The Raptors, who hold a pair of first-round picks, have been busy working out prospects. According to the team (Twitter links), Julian Jacobs (USC), Rasheed Sulaimon (Maryland), Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Justin Edwards (Kansas State), Brice Johnson (UNC), and Jalen Reynolds (Xavier) worked out for Toronto on Monday, with David Walker (Northeastern), Michael Gbinije (Syracuse), Alex Poythress (Kentucky), Troy Williams (Indiana), Daniel Ochefu (Villanova), and A.J. Hammons (Purdue) working out for the club today.
Joel Embiid won’t be playing for the 76ers‘ summer league team this year, but Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer was impressed with how the oft-injured big man looked during a workout on Monday.
Ognjen Kuzmic, a former Warriors second-round pick who played 37 games with the club from 2013 to 2015, has agreed to play for the Knicks at the Orlando Summer League, his agent tells international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link).

Eastern Draft Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Pistons

June 13th, 2016 at 10:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LSU forward Ben Simmons may not work out for the Sixers or any other team prior to the draft, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Media Network reports. Philadelphia, which has the top pick, is trying to get Simmons in for a workout, Pompey continues. Simmons is expected to be the Sixers’ choice over Duke forward Brandon Ingram. “It’s not a red flag,” Sixers president of basketball operation Bryan Colangelo told Pompey. “Everybody deals with the draft process differently.” The Sixers did not work out Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid or Jahlil Okafor before selecting them in the last three drafts, Pompey notes.

In other draft developments around the Eastern Conference:

The Sixers will bring in California small forward Jaylen Brown for a workout on Tuesday afternoon, the team announced via press release. Brown could be a darkhorse candidate for the top pick in the draft. He could also be an option if Philadelphia trades down in the lottery, or if they package their two late first rounders to acquire another lottery selection. He’s ranked No. 8 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board and No. 5 by Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony. The Sixers will bring in six second-round hopefuls earlier in the day, including Iowa State forward Georges Niang, Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff, UC Santa Barbara guard Michael Bryson, Iona guard A.J. English, Mississippi forward Tomasz Gielo and Dayton swingman Dyshawn Pierre.
The Celtics worked out two projected lottery picks on Monday, Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield and Washington power forward Marquese Chriss, ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman tweets. The workouts were held in California, Goodman adds. Ford slots Hield at No. 7 and Chriss at No. 6 on his Big Board, while Hield is rated No. 7 and Chriss is ranked No. 11 by Givony. The Celtics have three first-rounders, including the No. 3 pick.
The Pistons worked out six players on Monday, the most prominent being Notre Dame point guard Demetrius Jackson, according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News (Twitter links). The Pistons, who hold the No. 18 pick, need a backup point gaurd and Jackson is ranked No. 26 by Ford and No. 16 by Givony. Washington point guard Andrew Andrews and a quartet of big men — Greece native Georgios Papagiannis, Clemson’s Landry Nnoko, Purdue’s A.J. Hammons and Maryland’s Diamond Stone — also participated in the workout, Beard adds.
Marquette power forward Henry Ellenson will meet with the Bucks on Tuesday, Gery Woelfel of Woelfelspressbox.com reports. The Bucks have the No. 10 pick and the 7’0” Ellenson is rated No. 11 by Ford and No. 13 by Givony.