Aaron Brooks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: J.R. Smith, Brooks, Pistons

September 22nd, 2016 at 3:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers‘ mini-camp has gotten underway in California, with coaches and players in attendance, but one member of last year’s championship roster is noticeably absent, as Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com details. Head coach Tyronn Lue tells Vardon that the team misses J.R. Smith, who remains unsigned.

“I mean, you can feel it,” Lue said. “J.R., he’s the heart and soul of [the Cavaliers]. Usually when it’s anything involving the team, J.R. would be there and would be right in the middle of it. You’d hear him laughing or if it’s work, he’d be out there giving it his all. It’s hard.”

As we heard earlier this week, Smith isn’t in California with the rest of the Cavaliers, since contract talks between the two sides remain at an impasse. According to Vardon, it seems unlikely that Smith and the Cavs will reach a deal by the time the team meets the media on Monday for the start of training camp.

Here’s more from across the Central division:

Explaining why he chose to sign with the Pacers in free agency, Aaron Brooks suggests to Jim Ayello of The Indianapolis Star that he thinks the team’s roster is “loaded,” and that at this stage in his career he wants to play on “a team that’s winning games.” Brooks also knows his role in Indiana and believes he’ll be a an ideal fit off the bench behind starting point guard Jeff Teague.
As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes, 14 of the Pistons‘ 15 regular-season roster spots appear set, with just one up for grabs. That last opening figures to come down to Ray McCallum vs. Lorenzo Brown for the No. 3 point guard job. Langlois speaks to both players about the possible opportunity ahead of them as they compete for that roster spot.
In a separate piece for Pistons.com, Langlois fields Pistons-related questions from readers, discussing a possible extension for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, why Detroit chose Ish Smith as its backup point guard, and how the team’s roster might change over the next 12 months.

Pacers Sign Aaron Brooks

July 21st, 2016 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 21ST: The deal is official, the team announced via Twitter.

JULY 18TH: More than a week after reporting that the Pacers and Aaron Brooks were in “advanced discussions” on a one-year contract, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets that the two sides have reached an agreement. According to Charania, it’ll be a one-year, $2.5MM deal for Brooks in Indiana.

A well-traveled NBA veteran, Brooks will be joining his sixth team, having already spent time with the Rockets, Suns, Kings, Nuggets, and Bulls. Most recently, the 31-year-old played 69 games for Chicago last season, averaging 7.1 PPG and 2.6 APG in a backup role.

In Indiana, Brooks will be a part of a revamped point guard depth chart, with Jeff Teague expected to be the starter. The Pacers acquired Teague in a three-way trade earlier this month that sent George Hill to the Jazz, and they don’t appear anxious to re-sign last season’s backup, Ty Lawson.

Despite an active offseason that has seen the club acquire Thaddeus Young and sign Al Jefferson, the Pacers remain under the cap, so they should be able to finalize the signing of Brooks using cap room, rather than any sort of exception.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Butler, Monroe, Brooks, Felder

July 19th, 2016 at 9:16am CST by ChrisCrouse

Jimmy Butler indicated that he has been in contact with Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade and he believes the trio can make it work on the Bulls, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune passes along in a series of tweets. “Everybody has to sacrifice a little something. We all just to win. They have done it. I want to do it,” Butler said. “But I’m not going to take a step backward because I have new players on my team. I’m going to still be aggressive.” Butler added that expects the pair of veteran guards to hold him accountable on and off the court.

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

Butler is aware of the trade rumors surrounding him, but he remains focused on elevating his game, as Johnson tweets. “Whoever I play for is gonna get my best effort. If it’s the Bulls, which I think it will be, I’m coming at everybody,” Butler said.
With Bucks center Miles Plumlee locked up to a new four-year deal, Greg Monroe remains available in trade talks, says ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links). Stein suggests that Monroe and Kings forward Rudy Gay are two of the NBA’s most prominent veterans known to be on the trade block.
The Pacers hope newly signed point guard Aaron Brooks will be a more effective passer than Ty Lawson was off the bench, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star writes. The arrival of Brooks gives the team 16 players under contract and Taylor believes Shayne Whittington, whose contract won’t become fully guaranteed until August 1, is the player most likely to be waived.
Kay Felder had an impressive Summer League and Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders believes the No. 54 overall pick has a real shot at making the Cavs‘ roster. Felder averaged 15.3 points and 3.9 assists over seven games this summer.
Keith Langlois of NBA.com examines how the Pistons were able to revamp their collection of small forwards over the last 13 months. The team drafted Stanley Johnson in the 2015 draft and acquired Marcus Morris last offseason before trading for Tobias Harris this past season.

Pacers May Sign Aaron Brooks

July 10th, 2016 at 8:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Aaron Brooks is in “advanced discussions” on a one-year contract with the Pacers, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. Brooks, 31, has spent the last two seasons with the Bulls.

Brooks appeared in 69 games this season, all as a reserve. He averaged 7.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per night while shooting 36% from 3-point range.

If the Pacers sign Brooks, he will likely be used as a backup to Jeff Teague, who was acquired from the Hawks in a three-team trade last month.

Bulls Notes: Hoiberg, Brooks, Noah

December 16th, 2015 at 8:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls are still struggling to find their identity under new coach Fred Hoiberg, but the Chicago front office remains confident that Hoiberg is the right man for the job, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com writes. Power forward Taj Gibson recalled a similar situation when former coach Tom Thibodeau was hired, Friedell adds. “It didn’t come quick,” Gibson said. “But then he just started cracking the whip and everybody got in to follow suit. And then everybody just followed his lead and we just developed a killer mentality just following his lead. I think Fred’s doing a good job. We just have to play harder for him.”

Regarding the team’s early season struggles, center Joakim Noah told Friedell, “You don’t want to be on a team when you feel like we’re not giving max effort. But I think it’s a little deeper than that. But we just got to stick together and find a way as a team. It’s not about pointing fingers at anybody, it’s about jelling as a unit. Not letting frustration get in the way, not letting adversity get in the way. It’s a lot easier said than done. So I think that as a team we have to stick together through that adversity. I think sometimes we let that adversity get the best of us.”

Here’s more from the Windy City:

Aaron Brooks didn’t expect to re-sign with the Bulls this past offseason because he believed that the team was planning to use the No. 22 overall pick this past June on a point guard, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune relays. The team had every intention of snagging a point guard in the 2015 NBA draft but changed course when power forward Bobby Portis was still available when the Bulls were set to make their selection, Johnson notes.
In response to a reader question regarding Noah’s future in Chicago, Johnson opined that if Chicago’s offer is competitive with others in the free agent marketplace, then he expects the big man to re-sign with the team. Johnson did offer a caveat, speculating that if another team offers him a larger role or a significantly higher salary, it would make Noah’s decision extremely difficult, especially given his desire to play more than he has thus far this season.

Central Notes: Kaun, Dunleavy, Brooks

July 18th, 2015 at 2:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavaliers invited draft-and-stash center Sasha Kaun to join GM David Griffin and other team personnel in Las Vegas this weekend to discuss the possibility of Kaun signing with the franchise and joining the NBA this coming season, Joe Vardon of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. While Cleveland is interested in having the big Russian join its roster, the Cavs’ salary cap situation limits how much they can offer Kaun, a sum which certainly wouldn’t equal the $2.9MM annual salary he earns playing for CSKA Moscow, Vardon adds. For Kaun, the money disparity isn’t a dealbreaker, with Kaun telling Vardon, “That’s probably something that shouldn’t be a problem. Hopefully coming to this team, it will give us an opportunity to win, and winning is more important to me than money. I don’t think I want to do it [play basketball] because of the money. Just play basketball and enjoy it and play with some really great players. That’s the more important thing.”

Griffin confirmed the Cavs’ interest in the 30-year-old big man, saying, “We would love to have him if something could be worked out.” The GM also acknowledged the challenge in signing Kaun due to budgetary constraints, Vardon notes. “It’s difficult because he’s coming off making an incredibly large amount of money and he is literally a first-team, all-Euroleague-caliber center, and it’s a difficult proposition to come to a team like ours for the type of money we have to offer,” Griffin continued.

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

Mike Dunleavy‘s three-year deal with the Bulls will pay him $4.5MM for the 2015/16 campaign, $4,837,500 in 2016/17, both seasons being fully-guaranteed, and $5.175MM the final season, which is partially guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The Bulls‘ one year pact with Aaron Brooks will see him earn $2.25MM this coming season, and it gives him the power to veto trades, Pincus notes (on Twitter).
Aron Baynes will earn $6.5MM in each of the three seasons covered in his deal with the Pistons, with the final year being a player option, Pincus tweets.
Brazilian big man Cristiano Felicio‘s contract with the Bulls is for two years, and he will earn $525,093 in 2015/16 and $874,636 the following season, according to Pincus.

Bulls Sign Aaron Brooks

July 14th, 2015 at 5:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 14TH, 5:26pm: The deal is official, the Bulls announced in a press release.

JULY 9TH, 10:47am: The deal won’t be for the minimum, but instead for slightly more than $2MM, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Chicago will use a portion of its $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception, Johnson adds.

JULY 7TH, 1:08pm: The Bulls will re-sign Aaron Brooks for one year at the minimum salary, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Brooks could have signed for 20% more than the minimum via Non-Bird rights, but Chicago gets a break as its poised to pay the tax thanks in large measure to its deals with Jimmy Butler and Mike Dunleavy.

The 30-year-old Brooks served as Chicago’s primary backup point guard this past season, even starting 21 games, but little chatter surrounded his free agency, surprisingly, as his sparse rumors page shows. The Bulls thus keep their primary backcourt contributors in house, with Derrick Rose and Tony Snell under contract, Butler having agreed to re-sign and Kirk Hinrich having opted in.

Butler, a seven-year veteran, will nonetheless see a slight raise, from $1,145,685 to $1,270,964. The Bulls need only pay $947,276, the equivalent of the two-year veteran’s minimum, with the league picking up the rest. The disadvantage of the one-year deal is that Chicago can’t trade him without his consent, as he’d lose his Early Bird rights if he were traded, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Marble, Dragic, Brooks

March 4th, 2015 at 5:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Devyn Marble has suffered a detached retina in his left eye and is expected to miss four to six weeks of action, the Magic announced in a press release. The rookie has appeared in 16 games for Orlando, averaging 2.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 13.0 minutes per contest. Marble has also appeared in six games for the Erie BayHawks, the Magic’s D-League affiliate, logging 13.0 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 30.3 minutes per night.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Heat have assigned Zoran Dragic to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be Dragic’s first trek of the season to the D-League.
The play of offseason signee Aaron Brooks will be vital for the Bulls with all of the backcourt injuries the team has endured this season, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com writes. “I shouldn’t overlook him,” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. “He had a tough matchup and I thought he hit big shots for us. He’s a big shot maker in the fourth quarter. We’re asking him to do a lot and I think he’s more than capable.”
Khris Middleton is providing the Bucks with a level of stability at shooting guard that the team has lacked for some time, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Middleton has become an important part of the team’s future and Milwaukee would like to re-sign him this summer when he will become a restricted free agent, Gardner notes.

And-Ones: Pistons, Heslip, Clippers, Bulls, Cavs

December 29th, 2014 at 1:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons coach president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy made it a priority to dedicate an unusual amount of manpower to pro scouting, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com details. The ability to prepare has Van Gundy more comfortable about the team’s prospects in free agency this coming summer as opposed to this past offseason, when he was new on the job, Langlois notes.

“You don’t want to make a mistake in the draft, but the way it’s set up now, if you make a mistake in the draft at least it’s low cost,” Van Gundy said. If you’re going to go out and spend $14MM a year, $15MM a year on a guy and you make a mistake, now you’re really hurting. So I just want to weight [pro scouting] a little bit more.”

It’ll be interesting to see how that emphasis plays out with the Pistons poised for a high draft pick in 2015. Here’s more from around the league.

Timberwolves camp cut and D-League leading scorer Brady Heslip will sign with Banvit of Turkey, a source tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Heslip, who’s been playing for Sacramento’s affiliate, had drawn interest from the Clippers, according to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (on Twitter). The Kings were reportedly giving him strong consideration for a spot on their NBA roster before they fired coach Michael Malone.
Clippers players aren’t getting along, a source close to the team tells TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. The Clips, who have title aspirations, are 20-11 and in sixth place in the Western Conference.
Tom Thibodeau pushed the Bulls to sign Aaron Brooks this past summer as he worried that Derrick Rose would struggle at the start of the season, Aldridge writes in the same piece. Rose hasn’t quite looked his former MVP self, averaging 18.1 points and 4.8 assists and missing 10 of the team’s 30 games, while Brooks has performed capably as a backup, putting up 11.3 PPG and 3.3 APG in 20.3 minutes per night.
There’s little doubt around the league that David Blatt can coach, but the question was always about whether the Cavs would accept his coaching, and it appears they haven’t been doing so, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com believes (All Twitter links). Stein wonders whether the players, and LeBron James in particular, have given Blatt a fair chance.

Eastern Notes: Brooks, Dellavedova, Powell

November 9th, 2014 at 8:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bulls guard Aaron Brooks credits coach Tom Thibodeau with rebuilding the confidence that once made him the NBA’s Most Improved Player, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Thibodeau quickly became a fan of the 6’0″ guard after he signed a one year deal with the Bulls in the offseason for $915,243. “I came in here lacking confidence,” Brooks admitted. “Even when I doubted myself, he was there to tell me, ‘You know what? I’ve watched you play, you’ve done well’ and just to keep working hard. It’s been a breath of fresh air for me.” Brooks earned the Most Improved Player award with the Rockets during the 2009/10 season, but has since bounced around the league, playing for the Suns, Kings, Rockets again and Nuggets before signing with Chicago.

Here’s more from the east:

Matthew Dellavedova has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee and is expected to miss four to six weeks of action, the Cavs announced in a press release. The backup point guard is averaging 2.7 points and 2.3 assists in three appearances.
Celtics forward Dwight Powell has been assigned to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League, the team has announced. The rookie has yet to make a regular season appearance after averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game in six preseason appearances.
The Pacers are doing their best to remain positive despite a spate of injuries affecting their top seven players, according to Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. “It’s almost comical,” point guard Donald Sloan said. “Just how it’s happening. It seems game by game, it’s something. Same story.” The latest victim is center Roy Hibbert, who is day-to-day after leaving Saturday’s loss to the Wizards with a bruised left knee. The spiral for the 1-6 Pacers, who were the East’s top seed last season, began when Paul George suffered a broken leg in August during an exhibition game with the USA Men’s National Team.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.