Al Horford Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Al Horford Changes Agents As Free Agency Looms

October 19th, 2015 at 1:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Al Horford has hired BDA Sports founder Bill Duffy as his agent with free agency looming next summer, dropping the Wasserman Media Group, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link). Horford had been with Arn Tellem at Wasserman before Tellem left for an executive position within the Pistons organization, and the Hawks big man had more recently been with Wasserman agents B.J. Armstrong and Jason Glushon. Horford’s contract is up at the end of the season, and he sits at No. 6 on the latest Hoops Rumors 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings.

Duffy represents Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Danny Green and Rajon Rondo, among NBA other clients. Green scored a new four-year, $40MM deal with the Spurs this summer. Duffy also signed Jahlil Okafor, this year’s No. 3 overall draft pick.

The defection of Horford is another loss for Wasserman, which saw LaMarcus Aldridge leave this summer, though he’d already signed for the max with the Spurs by the time he changed agents. Joe Johnson, a former teammate of Horford’s who’s also poised to hit free agency next summer, left Wasserman, too. Aldridge and Johnson signed with Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management.

Do you think Horford will sign a max deal next summer? Leave a comment to tell us.

Southeast Rumors: Wizards, Lamb, Hawks

October 12th, 2015 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

John Wall believes the Wizards will be able to play with a faster tempo now that aging small forward Paul Pierce has joined the Clippers, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports in his weekly column. The Wizards’ floor leader feels that with Otto Porter at that spot in place of Pierce, the club will be able to rely much more on its transition game. “We kind of wanted to be a halfcourt team because he couldn’t get up and down the floor,” Wall told Aldridge. “He’s not the young Paul any more. And he helped us out a lot in so many other ways, making big shots and being a leader. But now it’s going to be an opportunity to let Otto exhale, running the floor, being able to create off the dribble, him slashing to the basket, and just anybody that comes into that position.” The Wizards were just 16th in pace last season but coach Randy Wittman wants more possessions, Aldridge adds. “If you have the ball, and you have an open shot, you’re shooting it,” Wittman said to Aldridge. “If you don’t, you’ve either got to pass, or dribble penetration. You can’t hold it and dribble and dribble.”

In other news around the Southeast Division:

Shooting guard Jeremy Lamb has the most upside among the Hornets’ offseason acquisitions, Ken Berger of CBS Sports opines. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist likely out for the season, Lamb could be a starter on the wing alongside small forward Nicolas Batum. But Lamb either has to display an improved jump shot or develop his drive game and get to the paint in order to take full advantage of the opportunity, Berger continues. The Hornets’ front office tried to acquire Lamb long before he was finally made available by the Thunder, Berger adds. Lamb was dealt in June to Charlotte for Luke Ridnour and a protected second rounder.
The Hawks are experimenting with a big lineup of Tiago Splitter at center, Al Horford at power forward and Paul Millsap at small forward but the results have been mixed thus far, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “Obviously, we have a lot of good big guys,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told Vivlamore. “We are trying to figure out a way to play them together.” The Hawks were 28th in the NBA in rebounds last season and the big lineup could help improve that figure, Vivlamore adds.
The Magic have not found any superstars with their recent lottery picks but they could all contribute the team’s revival, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Mike Budenholzer on Horford, Scott, Personnel

September 26th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

President of basketball operations/coach Mike Budenholzer recently sat down with Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to discuss the state of the Hawks.

The entire piece is worth a read, but we’ll pass along a few highlights here:

On Al Horford not wanting to negotiate during season, so his impending free agency doesn’t become a distraction to the team:

“Al is the kind of player that we value, very much respect and want to continue to keep him and build with him. We respect how he’s handled these questions so far. As the season goes on, he’s such a professional and wants to put the team first and keep the focus there. That’s part of the reason he’s somebody you want to keep going forward.”

On Mike Scott, who faces up to 25 years in prison on a pair of felony drug charges:

“Mike has been in the gym every day working unbelievably hard. His focus and diligence has been great. He and I have had a lot of good conversations. It’s a legal process, so I can’t comment on any of that, but his mental focus and preparedness for the season is in a really good place.”

On the changes to the basketball operations department:

“We feel great about the group that we’ve added. It’s like we always said, everything is done in a collaborative way, a collaborative fashion. To bring in guys with different skills and different backgrounds and different perspectives, and all of them incredibly intelligent and all good people. They understand the kind of players we want to have and the kind of people we want to have in the organization and the culture we are building. I think it was a really, really good summer. Going forward, we are better staffed, better prepared, to operate in a more efficient, more eyes on people, more good people with good ideas. The more of that you have, the better chance you have of making good decisions on players, on all the different things that happen during the season or even during a day.”

Southeast Notes: Kidd-Gilchrist, Horford, Deng

August 25th, 2015 at 10:07am CST by Chuck Myron

People around the league applaud what the Hornets are getting out of the extension deal Charlotte has reportedly struck with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe hears (All six Twitter links right here). The starting salary should be roughly in line with his cap hold for next summer, which would have been $12,662,808, so the Hornets aren’t truly compromising their cap flexibility, Lowe points out. The deal is not without its potential pitfalls, given his lack of outside shooting and elite ball-handling, so it will challenge the Hornets to surround him with others who can fill in the gaps, but it’s nonetheless a risk worth taking, given the work ethic of the former No. 2 overall pick. He’s capable of moving to power forward, giving him more versatility than Tony Allen, a player to whom Kidd-Gilchrist is often compared, Lowe adds. See more from around the Southeast Division:

The Hawks arguably took a step back this summer, having lost DeMarre Carroll to the Raptors, but Al Horford, set for free agency next summer, is pleased with the team’s offseason, especially the trade acquisition of Tiago Splitter, as Horford tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And also guys like Tim Hardaway. I feel like he has a lot of potential,” Horford said. “Once he figures everything out, I think he is going to be really good for us. It’s excited to have those guys. And even some of the younger guys. Justin Holiday and Edy Tavares, I’m excited to have both of them too. We know they will have to work but I’m sure they’ll have an opportunity to play at some point. I’m excited. Obviously with DeMarre being gone, we are going to need some other guys to step in and try to help alleviate everything that DeMarre did for us.”
The Heat clearly like No. 10 overall pick Justise Winslow, but he probably won’t perform well enough as a rookie to make Luol Deng expendable between now and the trade deadline, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel argues in a mailbag column.
We rounded up plenty more on the Heat right here.

And-Ones: NBPA, Horford, Hawks

August 23rd, 2015 at 11:50am CST by ChrisCrouse

The National Basketball Player Association (NBPA) wants the money that teams receive from the government to construct new arenas to be included in the calculation of Basketball Related Income (BRI), Apratim Ghosh of USA Today writes. The Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for a roughly 50/50 split of all BRI between team owners and players, but the public funding owners receive is not currently included in that calculation.

“Under the CBA, we do not have a gross compensation system,” Executive Director of the NBPA Michele Roberts said. “The players’ 50% share is calculated net of a substantial amount of expenses and deductions. New and renovated arenas around the league have proven to be revenue drivers, profit centers and franchise-valuation boosters. That has been the case over the past few years in Orlando, Brooklyn and New York, to name a few. In some instances, owners receive arena revenues not included in BRI.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Hawks center Al Horford believes the Thunder’s roster offers his former coach, Billy Donovan, a great opportunity to succeed at he NBA level, as he tells Jeremy Woo of SI.com. “I think it’s gonna be a perfect fit. Obviously, so many talented players there, but just the way he wants to play, how he wants to get up and down the floor, that’s the perfect scenario with the type of players there,” Horford said. The Florida product will be a free agent after the 2015/16 season.
In the same interview, Horford touched upon the significance of re-signing teammate Paul Millsap in addition to some of the other offseason moves that Atlanta made. It was very important.I think that was the priority for us, to make sure we brought Paul back. Being able to add Tiago Splitter and Tim Hardaway, really was big. Unfortunately, we lost DeMarre [Carroll]; he’s such a great player, but it was the type of thing he couldn’t turn down, and it’s what’s best for him and his family,” the big man said. “I honestly thought there was a chance we’d be able to keep them both [ Carroll and Millsap]. But it just didn’t work out that way. I’m happy for DeMarre, but I’m happy for us, being able to keep Paul, he’s such an important part of what we do. Just his versatility. He makes the game easier for all of us.”

And-Ones: Turner, Vandeweghe, Horford

August 18th, 2015 at 10:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hawks big man Al Horford is entering the final season of his current deal and will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. But Horford’s eye is on the coming season, and he won’t discuss his future until next summer, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays. “My focus right now is to get better individually and help our team be the best team that we can be,” Horford said. “I have the same mindset and that is to help our team win and put us in a good position and try to be better. As far as the contract stuff, I’m going to wait until the season is over. I’m not going to let that linger and be a distraction. The focus is to be on the Hawks, on our team and getting better. Once the season ends, we’ll be able to sit down and talk and figure out all of that.”

Here’s more from around the league:

The NBA officially announced today that Kiki Vandeweghe has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations for the league, a move that had seemed likely for months. He moves up from vice president of basketball ops and replaces the retiring Rod Thorn. Vandeweghe’s new position puts him in charge of player discipline, among other duties. “Kiki is one of the sharpest basketball minds in the NBA,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “In addition to his storied UCLA and NBA playing career plus his extensive experience as a general manager, coach, and TV analyst, he has most recently helped drive innovations in analytics that are reshaping the league in areas such as scheduling, game statistics, and player health.”
Myles Turner has transformed from an injured high school junior who was an afterthought to college recruiters into a candidate to start at center for the Pacers this season, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders details. This year’s No. 11 overall pick performed well at summer league, leading to some thought of him as a Rookie of the Year contender, but coach Frank Vogel has reminded the big man not to get carried away, as Turner tells Kennedy.
The Rockets have officially hired Matt Brase as the coach of Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced (via Twitter). Brase replaces former coach Nevada Smith, who spent two seasons with the Vipers and compiled an overall record of 60-46, including a mark of 27-23 last season.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Horford, Williams

February 16th, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by ChrisCrouse

It’s doubtful that the Knicks will be able to trade Jose Calderon or Andrea Bargnani, but a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that a smaller deal could happen. Calderon, who Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors examined as a trade candidate, is making slightly less than $7.1MM this season and is owed more than $15.1MM over the remaining two years of his deal. Bargnani, whom Eddie believes is unlikely to be traded, is set to make $11.5 this season, which is the last year of his current contract.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Al Horford said that he doesn’t know whether the Hawks should reinstate GM Danny Ferry from his indefinite absence, and Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald takes it as a signal that Horford isn’t warm to the idea of Ferry returning.
Mo Williams had a trade kicker in his deal, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), so he went from making $3.75MM to just under $3.97MM. The Timberwolves paid the difference, though the new number counts on Charlotte’s cap.
Tim Frazier, whose 10-day contract with the Sixers has expired, will return to the Maine Red Claws, the D-League affiliate of the Celtics, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. The point guard appeared in three games with Philadelphia, averaging five points, 4.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game.
Kyle Lowry has blossomed into a star in Toronto but the point guard was skeptical at first when he was acquired by the Raptors, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “Well no, honestly I didn’t think [this is where everything would work out],” Lowry said of Toronto. “But with all the hard work I put in and the commitment they made to me, everything just kind of came into fruition and it worked out.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post

Draft Rumors: Okafor, Wolves, Knicks, Sixers

February 5th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Every team with which Chad Ford of ESPN.com has spoken has Jahlil Okafor atop its draft board, as Ford writes in an Insider-only piece, and that includes the Timberwolves, who have the pole position for the No. 1 overall pick, as our Reverse Standings show. That’s even despite the presence of Gorgui Dieng, whom Ford says the team is high on, and Nikola Pekovic, who’s making about $12MM each season through 2017/18. The ESPN.com draft guru runs down how Okafor would fit with each of the teams in line for a lottery pick, and he tosses in some noteworthy rumors as he does so. We’ll hit the highlights here:

The Knicks like Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell in addition to Okafor, Ford writes, adding that the Jazz are Russell fans, too.
Philadelphia would draft Okafor in spite of the presence of Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, Ford hears. The Sixers aren’t sold that either Noel or Embiid will become an elite player, Ford also hears, as he writes in his chat with readers.
Mudiay is No. 2 behind Okafor as far as the Lakers are concerned, but it’s not close, as Ford says he’s been told.
The Magic won’t hesitate to draft Okafor and believe he has the superstar potential that their other players don’t, Ford hears.
Al Horford would “love to move to power forward,” Ford writes, suggesting that the Hawks, who have the rights to take Brooklyn’s pick, would grab Okafor if given the chance.
Ford speculates that the Pistons are the team in line for a lottery pick that’s least likely to draft Okafor, believing he’d be a poor fit alongside Andre Drummond.

And-Ones: Cavs, Prince, Ferry, Draft, Taylor

January 13th, 2015 at 11:31am CST by Chuck Myron

David Blatt believes his comment questioning whether Kevin Love is a max player was “misunderstood or misconstrued” by many, but Love says he and the Cavs coach are on the same page, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group relays.

“Kevin Love for me is a player of the highest order,” Blatt said. “Whether you want to define that by max contract or any other thing, he’s one of the best players in the NBA and that’s the way we value him.”

Love can hit free agency this summer if he turns down his player option, but tonight he’ll hit the floor against the Suns and seek to help Cleveland avoid dipping below .500. There’s more on the Cavs amid the latest from around the league:

The Cavs would be interested in Tayshaun Prince if he and the Celtics strike a buyout deal, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Cleveland apparently had interest in trading for Prince prior to Monday’s swap that sent him to Boston. Prince and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge are set to discuss the forward’s situation, and a buyout is on the table, as Chris Mannix of SI.com reported Monday.
Al Horford would welcome Hawks GM Danny Ferry back from his leave of absence, as the center tells Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). Ferry has appeared unlikely to return in the wake of racially charged comments he made about Luol Deng.
Fringe first-round draft prospect Chris McCullough will miss the rest of the season for Syracuse after tearing the ACL in his right knee, the school announced Monday (Twitter link). The freshman power forward is No. 29 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress prospect rankings and comes in 31st with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. NBA teams saw him as a long-term project even before the injury, Givony tweets.
Russia’s Dynamo Moscow has let go of former Nets point guard Tyshawn Taylor, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Taylor appeared in 23 games for Brooklyn last season, making three starts, but has been out of the NBA since the Pelicans waived him shortly after the Nets traded him to New Orleans nearly a year ago.

Southeast Notes: Stephenson, Jordan, Hawks

December 3rd, 2014 at 4:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hornets‘ Lance Stephenson has made an issue about not getting the ball at the end of games, to which head coach Steve Clifford has responded, “To be truthful, Lance has never been a closer. That would be a new role for him,” Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. Clifford went on to say that Stephenson is “not a star,” something that Charlotte has discovered rather quickly after signing him to a three-year, $27MM contract this past summer, notes Haberstroh. But Stevenson also isn’t being paid like a star player, and can come off of the Hornets’ books in 2016 when Charlotte can decline his team option for $9.4MM, unless he is dealt prior to then, Haberstroh adds.

Here’s the latest out of the Southeast Division:

Michael Jordan is finding his role as the team owner of the Hornets a humbling experience, especially this season with the team underachieving mightily thus far, Michael Wallace of ESPN.com writes. Jordan does believe that he has grown as an executive since his time with the Wizards, notes Wallace. “I’ve always considered myself a very successful owner that tries to make sound decisions,” Jordan said. “And when you make bad decisions, you learn from that and move forward. I think I’m better in that sense. I’ve experienced all of the different valleys and lows of ownership and successful business. If that constitutes me being a better owner, then I guess I am.”
The Hawks‘ Al Horford and Paul Millsap are still trying to develop their on-court chemistry despite this being their second season together on Atlanta’s roster, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. This is thanks to Horford only logging 29 games last season before a torn pectoral muscle ended his 2013/14 campaign, Vivlamore adds.
With LeBron James gone and the added title expectations removed along with him, the Heat‘s season thus far feels far more “normal” to Dwyane Wade, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. Miami is also waiting for all its injured players to return to see just what kind of team it actually possesses prior to making any new roster moves, notes Zillgitt.