Alexis Ajinca Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Announce Brian Keefe’s New Coaching Staff

July 10th, 2024 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

While Brian Keefe isn’t technically among this offseason’s new head coaches – he took over Washington’s job midway through the 2023/24 campaign when Wes Unseld Jr. transitioned to a front office role – the Wizards have revamped his coaching staff heading into Keefe’s first full season at the helm.

According to a press release from the team, veteran assistant David Vanterpool is the only member of last season’s staff who is returning for 2024/25. The new additions, some of whom were previously reported, are as follows:

Adam Caporn, a former G League head coach for the Long Island Nets who spent the past three seasons as an assistant in Brooklyn.
J.J. Outlaw, an assistant coach with the Cavaliers for the past five seasons who also had stints with the Lakers and Grizzlies.
Brian Randle, who spent last season as a Pistons assistant and previously worked for the Suns (as an assistant) and Timberwolves (as a player development coach).
T.J. Sorrentine, a longtime assistant coach at Brown University.
Alexis Ajinca, a seven-year NBA veteran who also played professionally in France and transitioned into coaching in 2023 as an assistant for the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate.

Joseph Blair, James Posey, and Mike Miller (the former Knicks coach, not the former Heat champion) are among the notable assistants who were let go by the Wizards when the club cleaned house back in April.

Alexis Ajinca Announces Retirement

November 26th, 2021 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA center Alexis Ajinca has formally announced his retirement as a player, publishing a tweet today confirming the decision.

Ajinca, 33, was the 20th overall pick in the 2008 draft. The 7’2″ Frenchman began his NBA career in Charlotte before making stops in Dallas, Toronto, and New Orleans over the course of seven seasons. He last appeared in the NBA in 2017 with the Pelicans and also played professionally in France from 2006-08, 2011-13, and 2018-19.

In 293 total NBA regular season games, Ajinca averaged 5.3 PPG and 3.9 RPG with a .503 FG% in 13.3 minutes per contest. His best years came in New Orleans, where he was a rotation regular from 2013-17, appearing in 222 games and starting 70 of them. His lone playoff appearance came with the Pelicans in 2015.

In France, Ajinca won the French Cup in 2007 and was named to the LNB Pro A All-Star team in 2013. He was also a member of the France team that won gold in the 2013 FIBA EuroBasket championship.

And-Ones: G League, T. Robinson, Hawes, Ajinca

March 17th, 2019 at 8:56am CST by Arthur Hill

More G League players than ever are either leaving their teams for personal reasons or being “removed from a team,” writes Adam Johnson of 2 Ways and 10 Days. Terrence Jones, who recently completed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Rockets, is the latest example, as Johnson tweets that he has been removed from the active roster of the Erie BayHawks.

Jeff Ledbetter, Lavoy Allen, Jarnell Stokes, Raphiael Putney, Quincy Acy, DeAndre Liggins and Chris McCullough have also left their G League teams this season for various reasons. Some ultimately returned, but Johnson sees the pattern as an issue for the league. He notes the stress involved in being so close to the big leagues can make players react poorly if they have a bad game in front of NBA scouts.

Johnson urges new G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim to expand the availability of mental health services available to players and encourage more discussion on the topic, just like the NBA did after revelations from Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan.

There’s more NBA-related news to pass along:

Former NBA forward Thomas Robinson, who signed a G League contract this week, has been claimed on waivers by the Celtics‘ affiliate in Maine, Johnson tweets. The league mistakenly awarded Robinson to the Red Claws a day early, as players must spend at least 48 hours on waivers unless they are claimed by the team with the top waiver spot. Robinson prefers to go to Maine, and Johnson states that still appears to be his destination (Twitter link). The fifth player selected in the 2012 draft, Robinson played for six NBA teams in five seasons.
Spencer Hawes has been impressive in the G League and is “on the radar” for an NBA call-up, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Playing for the Lakers‘ affiliate, Hawes had a 29-point game last night and is shooting 59% from 3-point range.
A few unlikely teams appear to have done very well at the trade deadline, according to Matt John of Basketball Insiders. Many observers thought the Clippers were giving up on this season when they traded away leading scorer Tobias Harris, but they got a nice collection of young talent and future assets in return and acquired Ivica Zubac from the Lakers in a separate deal. The Clippers have solidified a playoff spot at 40-30 and appear in stronger position to make an offseason run at Kawhi Leonard. The Pistons only made minor moves, John adds, but trading away Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock created more playing time for Luke Kennard and Wayne Ellington, who have helped Detroit to a 10-4 record since the deadline. The Grizzlies have been playing better since unloading Marc Gasol, JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple. Avery Bradley and Jonas Valanciunas have been standouts in Memphis and have increased the chances that the Grizzlies will convey their first-round pick to the Celtics this year rather than having to worry about it in the future.
Italian club Grison Bon Reggio Emilia has expressed interest in former NBA center Alexis Ajinca, who left his French team last week, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Alexis Ajinca Leaves French Team

March 8th, 2019 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

NBA veteran Alexis Ajinca has parted ways with his ASVEL Basket team in France, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The team released a statement calling it “an amicable separation that is in everyone’s best interests and will allow Alexis to pursue other jobs.”

The 30-year-old center returned to France in December after spending eight years in the NBA, including the past five with the Pelicans. Ajinca sat out the entire 2017/18 season because of a knee injury, then was traded in October to the Clippers, who waived him on the same day.

Ajinca averaged 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 293 NBA games, playing mostly as a reserve. There’s no word on what his next move might be, but he would be playoff-eligible if he returns to the NBA before the end of the season.

Alexis Ajinca To Play In France

December 28th, 2018 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA big man Alexis Ajinca is headed overseas, with French team ASVEL Basket announcing today in a press release that it has reached an agreement to sign Ajinca (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).

Ajinca, the 20th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, has appeared in 293 total regular season games, averaging 5.3 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 13.3 minutes per contest.

Frequently slowed by health problems throughout his career, Ajinca spent the last several years with the Pelicans, but missed the entire 2017/18 season with a knee injury. He was subsequently traded to the Clippers in an offseason deal for Wesley Johnson, then was waived by Los Angeles, making him a free agent.

Ajinca’s new deal with ASVEL – the French team run by veteran NBA point guard Tony Parker – represents a homecoming for the 30-year-old. Ajinca was born in France and spent the early years of his professional career playing there. He also had a stint in his home country from 2011 to 2013, when he played for Strasbourg.

International Notes: Lawson, Barbosa, Neal, Ajinca

December 17th, 2018 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA guard Ty Lawson, who spent last season in China before signing with the Wizards for their brief playoff run, is headed back overseas to his old team, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. As Carchia relays, Lawson has re-signed with the Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association, replacing another former NBA guard, Andrew Goudelock. Goudelock is out for the season with a knee injury.

In 46 contests in China last season, Lawson averaged 25.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 2.2 SPG, shooting 40.1% on three-point attempts. Although he parlayed that performance into a spot on a playoff roster upon returning to the NBA, the 31-year-old didn’t end up on a regular season roster for the 2018/19 NBA season. China’s season ends before the NBA league year does, so we’ll see if Lawson can once again find an NBA home once his overseas deal expires.

Here are a few more notes on former NBA players joining new teams or drawing interest internationally:

Brazilian guard Leandro Barbosa is continuing his playing career in his home country, with Minas Tenis Clube recently announcing the signing of Barbosa. The 36-year-old spent most of his lengthy NBA career with Phoenix.
Former Spurs guard Gary Neal, who also spent time with five other NBA clubs, has officially signed with Turkish club Banvit, the team announced in a press release (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Neal last appeared in the NBA during the 2016/17 season, when he played two games for Atlanta.
Former NBA guard Manny Harris is also playing in Turkey, as Carchia notes. Harris, who appeared in 93 NBA games for the Cavaliers, Lakers, and Mavericks, has officially joined Turkish club Bahcesehir (Twitter link).
Veteran NBA big man Alexis Ajinca, who was cut in October after being traded to the Clippers, is a candidate to play for ASVEL in France in the new year. Carchia hears that Ajinca has been telling people he’ll join ASVEL and relays a report from Le Progress that also links Ajinca to the French team.

Clippers Trade Wesley Johnson To Pelicans, Cut Two Players

October 15th, 2018 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

4:11pm: The Clippers have officially announced their trade with the Pelicans and confirmed that they’ve waived both Ajinca and Evans. L.A. is now in compliance with the regular season roster limit.

2:19pm: The Clippers and Pelicans have reached a trade agreement that will send Alexis Ajinca to Los Angeles and Wesley Johnson to New Orleans, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Marc Stein of The New York Times first reported (via Twitter) that the two teams were in advanced discussions on a swap involving Ajinca and Johnson.

From the Clippers’ perspective, the trade will simply be about saving a little money before they make their final roster cuts. Ajinca ($5.29MM) earns a more modest 2018/19 salary than Johnson ($6.13MM) and both players are on expiring deals.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Clippers will waive Ajinca after acquiring him. 2017 second-round pick Jawun Evans will be Los Angeles’ other cut, Wojnarowski adds. That means that non-guaranteed players Patrick Beverley and Tyrone Wallace will both open the regular season on the Clips’ roster.

There are some teams that like Evans, according to Keith Smith of RealGM.com (Twitter link), but those clubs opted not to trade for the second-year guard, who could draw interest on waivers or as a free agent if he goes unclaimed.

As for the Pelicans, they weren’t expecting to get much out of Ajinca, who missed the entire 2017/18 season with knee issues and still hadn’t been cleared for contact at the start of training camp. By swapping him for Johnson, New Orleans will add some veteran depth at a position of need, without sacrificing future cap flexibility.

Johnson, 31, was the fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft, but has never been more than a role player at the NBA level. Last season, the 6’7″ wing averaged 5.4 PPG and 2.9 RPG with a .408/.339/.741 shooting line and solid defense in 74 games (40 starts) for the Clippers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pelicans Notes: Jackson, Bluiett, Payton, Trades

July 8th, 2018 at 5:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans guard Frank Jackson sprained his left ankle during summer-league action and will be out 2-4 weeks, according to Scott Kushner of the Baton Rouge Advocate. It’s another injury setback for Jackson, an early second-round pick last June. He has yet to appear in an NBA game after undergoing three right foot surgeries. Jackson will make a guaranteed $1.38MM next season.

In other developments involving the Pelicans:

Rookie swingman Trevon Bluiett has shown a good shooting stroke in summer-league play, William Guillory of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Bluiett scored a combined 50 points on the team’s first two games while making 67% of his 3-point attempts (12-for-18). The Xavier product went undrafted and is trying to earn a roster spot. “He can really shoot, and I like all the shots he’s taking,” assistant coach Kevin Hanson told Guillory. “That’s the biggest thing: he’s got to be concerned about his shot selection. But he’s been good.”
Playing for his hometown team was an easy decision for point guard Elfrid Payton, Guillory writes in a separate story. Payton, the former Magic and Suns point man, signed a modest one-year, $2.7MM free agent deal to join a playoff contender. “The losing he went through was something different for him,” his college coach Bob Marlin told Guillory. “It’s hard when you’re a competitor and you get to a situation where you lose 50 or 60 games in a year and you’re not used to that.”
The team is likely to make a trade in the coming weeks, according to Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune. The current roster is solid but not enough to concern the top teams in the West, Duncan continues. The Pelicans would like to rid themselves of a bad contract (Alexis Ajinca, Solomon Hill) and improve the rotation, something that will aid their desire to retain Anthony Davis beyond the next two seasons, Duncan adds.

Injury Notes: Ajinca, Neto, Ross, Morris, Williams

March 27th, 2018 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A lost season for Alexis Ajinca went from bad to worse this week, as the Pelicans big man underwent surgery on his left patellar tendon, according to the team (Twitter link). The procedure was successful and Ajinca is on track to recover in four to six months, which would allow him to return for the start of the 2018/19 season. However, it must have been a frustrating development for Ajinca, who underwent the same procedure on his right patellar tendon in December.

Here are a few more injury updates from across the NBA:

Jazz point guard Raul Neto remains sidelined with a left wrist fracture and will be re-evaluated one week from today, the Jazz announced in a press release. Dante Exum‘s return and solid play have allowed Utah to cope with Neto’s absence without any major trouble.
Injured Magic swingman Terrence Ross continues to recover from a bone bruise he suffered around the All-Star break, and may not make it back onto the court before season’s end. According to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), head coach Frank Vogel said today that it’s probably unlikely that Ross plays another game this season.
Already hit hard by the injury bug, the Celtics saw Marcus Morris leave Monday’s game in the fourth quarter due to a sprained right ankle. As an ESPN report details, X-rays came back negative, so Morris may not be looking at an extended absence — that would be a relief for the C’s, who could use some good injury news.
After missing nearly the entire 2017/18 season with a knee injury, Suns big man Alan Williams returned to action on Monday night, putting up three points and five rebounds in 16 minutes. Williams has a non-guaranteed $5.52MM salary for 2018/19, so team management will want to take a close look at him down the stretch this season.

Trade Rumors: Mavs, Holiday, Lakers, Celtics

February 8th, 2018 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have received some trade offers, but those proposals haven’t featured great draft-pick incentives, a league source tells Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Dallas is willing to use its leftover cap space to take on a contract or two, but the Mavs would require a draft pick valuable enough to make it worth their while.

According to Sefko, the Mavericks have also found that there’s a trade market for center Salah Mejri, who is facing restricted free agency this summer. However, teams haven’t been willing to offer more than a very low second-round pick.

Here are a few more trade rumors from across the NBA:

Sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Bulls wing Justin Holiday has received serious interest. Holiday is one of several veterans Chicago will consider dealing, along with Robin Lopez and Jerian Grant.
The Lakers are using Larry Nance Jr. as a potential sweetener when they discuss Jordan Clarkson trade scenarios, tweets Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders initially suggested last month that Nance could be attached to another player to help L.A. clear salary. Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN examines how Nance and his Lakers teammates are handling the ongoing trade rumors.
The Celtics seem to be “on the periphery” of the Tyreke Evans trade discussions, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald, who hears that the Grizzlies have better offers for Evans. However, one GM tells Bulpett that Boston appears to be “lying in wait” in the event that more active talks stall.
Dante Cunningham and Alexis Ajinca looks like the Pelicans‘ primary trade candidates today, sources tell Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link). Cunningham has the ability to veto trades and Ajinca is out for the season, so neither player has a ton of value.