Arron Afflalo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Notes: Trade Market, CP3, Rotation

January 24th, 2018 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Rockets had a big win over the Warriors on Saturday night, one January victory is a far cry from beating Golden State in a seven-game series in May. In order to give his team the best possible chance to knock off the defending champions, GM Daryl Morey figures to explore the trade market leading up to the deadline, so ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) surveyed some of Houston’s potential options.

As Marks details, James Harden, Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, and Clint Capela are considered part of the Rockets’ core and won’t go anywhere at the deadline. Several other veterans, including Trevor Ariza, P.J. Tucker, and Luc Mbah a Moute, are important pieces in the rotation and are also unlikely to be moved. Ryan Anderson‘s contract makes him a potential trade chip, but that’s more likely to happen in 2018/19 than in the next two weeks, in Marks’ view.

That leaves the Rockets, who have already traded their 2018 first-round pick, with few trade assets of note, as Marks acknowledges. The former Nets front office executive points to Mario Chalmers and Arron Afflalo as the sort of smaller-scale trade (or buyout) targets the Rockets could look into in the coming weeks.

Here’s more out of Houston:

In an in-depth Paul feature on SI.com, Lee Jenkins writes that Harden’s free agent pursuit of Paul last year began before the offseason started. According to Jenkins, Harden asked CP3 about his free agency plans during the 81st game of the regular season, when the Rockets faced the Clippers.
Within the same piece, Jenkins suggests that Paul insists he has no plans to become a coach once his playing career is over. While the cerebral point guard, who already serves as a sort of on-court coach, is viewed as a good fit for that sort of role, he’s not interested in the travel that comes along with it, says Jenkins.
With Harden, Paul, and the rest of the key Rockets players healthy – and Ariza and Gerald Green back from their two-game suspensions – Mike D’Antoni has more options at his disposal than he has all season. As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle details, D’Antoni views that as a “good problem” and may extend his rotation beyond his usual eight or nine players for the next little while.

NBA Suspends Arron Afflalo Two Games

January 18th, 2018 at 3:46pm CST by Austin Kent

The NBA has suspended Magic guard Arron Afflalo two games for his role in an altercation with Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets.

On Tuesday night, Afflalo got tangled up with the 29-year-old Wolves forward and ended up launching a wild haymaker that careened off the back of Bjelica’s head and neck. Bjelica put Afflalo in a headlock before the two were eventually separated.

The suspension, which will be in place for tonight’s Magic-Cavaliers game, targets Afflalo and not Bjelica presumably because Afflalo appeared to be the one to escalate the situation, while Bjelica looked content containing Afflalo and defusing the situation.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic, Wall, Morris

October 5th, 2017 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Given Pat Riley‘s history as a coach and executive overseeing star-studded rosters, it’s somewhat unusual that the Heat don’t currently have any players that have made an All-Star team. However, as he said this week during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Riley believes Miami has players that qualify as “stars,” even if they’ve never been recognized as All-Stars.

“I was asked this question earlier and I was a little bit taken aback by it, that, ‘How do you think you can win when you don’t have any All-Stars?'” the Heat president said, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “And when you think about All-Stars, there were 12 All-Stars last year in the Eastern Conference and there are 225 players in the Eastern Conference. So we had a lot of stars on our team last year, we had All-Stars on our team last year, they simply weren’t selected.”

Although Riley is happy with his current roster, he also made it clear that the Heat won’t hesitate to pursue superstar-caliber players should they become available: “When it comes to ‘one step away,’ where are we in the rebuilding process, we’re going to always chase the most talented players that we can that are superstars, that we feel have the ability to be a superstar, and to really carry a team when a team can’t carry itself.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast division:

After bouncing around from Denver to Portland to New York to Sacramento over the last several seasons, Arron Afflalo is happy to be back in Orlando. And, as Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes, his Magic teammates are happy to have him on the roster. “He’s a really great vet to have around,” Aaron Gordon said of Afflalo. “Not only is he extremely talented and a skilled basketball player . . . he’s very good in the locker room. He’s always positive. He’s always encouraging. He’s looking to get everybody involved.”
John Denton of NBA.com takes a closer look at new Magic swingman Jonathon Simmons, the club’s biggest free agent signing of the offseason.
Wizards head coach Scott Brooks believes John Wall can be in the MVP conversation this season, and Wall admits that he’s set the same goal for himself, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.
Wall and the Wizards are looking forward to getting Markieff Morris back with the team, though the veteran forward won’t be healthy to start the season. Hughes has the details in a separate article for NBC Sports Washington.

Arron Afflalo Signs One-Year Deal With Magic

July 27th, 2017 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 27, 11:03pm: The signing is official, according to a tweet from the team.

JULY 25, 4:10pm: The Magic have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent swingman Arron Afflalo, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link). Once the signing is official, Orlando looks to be capped out.

Although the Magic front office is under new management now, with Jeff Weltman and John Hammond running the show, the move represents a reunion for the two sides — Afflalo previously played for the franchise from 2012 to 2014.

The 31-year-old journeyman has played for six different franchises in ten seasons. His career slash line is .451/.386/.825, with his best scoring season coming as a member of the Magic in 2013/14. That season, Afflalo scored 18.2 PPG, while shooting 45.9% from the field. The former UCLA Bruin started all 73 games in which he played during that campaign. Over the course of Afflalo’s career, he has averaged 11.3 PPG and has started 534 of his 709 games played.

On Sunday, it was reported that the Magic were “on course” to sign Marreese Speights to a minimum salary contract. The signing has not yet been made official.

Free Agent Rumors: Afflalo, Timberwolves, Yanyuhang

July 9th, 2017 at 7:58pm CST by Austin Kent

Veteran swingman Arron Afflalo has remained on vine through the first week of free agency but TNTs David Aldridge suspects that he’ll be picked up soon.

The 31-year-old was waived by the Kings last month after putting up 8.4 points per game in his 10th pro season. In the right situation, Afflalo could be a valuable defensive presence out on the perimeter. In Sacramento he was an established, veteran piece on a team that hit the rebuild button part-way through the regular season.

Aldridge notes that the Timberwolves took a good look at him prior to signing Jamal Crawford, a testament to his value as a 3-and-D option for teams in win now mode.

There’s more free agency buzz from around the league:

The Timberwolves will look to add three more players before the end of the offseason, Jeff Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets. Most likely a pair of wings and a point guard.
Veteran Metta World Peace feels that he has a few more years left in the tank, David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders writes, noting that the forward views himself as a valuable teacher for the younger generation of NBA players.
A candidate for the Mavs‘ second two-way contract is Chinese league MVP Ding Yanyuhang, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. In May we wrote about Mavs president Donnie Nelson‘s interest in the international prospect.

Kings Release Arron Afflalo

June 23rd, 2017 at 3:55pm CST by Austin Kent

The Kings have released Arron Afflalo today, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. The guard had a contract guarantee that would have otherwise triggered today.

Afflalo had initially signed a two-year $25MM with the Kings last offseason but the second year, worth $12.5MM, would have only been guaranteed if he remained on the club’s roster through today.

Considering the different state that the franchise is in now versus last year, it’s no surprise that the team has decided to part ways with the veteran.

Per Bobby Marks of The Vertical, rather than pay the $12.5 that had been earmarked for the 2017/18 campaign, the Kings will instead stretch $1.5MM in payouts to Afflalo over the course of the next three seasons.

In 61 games for the Kings last year, including 45 starts, Afflalo put 8.4 points per game.

Pacific Notes: Iguodala, Kerr, Joerger, Rob Pelinka

March 13th, 2017 at 5:57pm CST by Milo Taibi

Andre Iguodala has been assessed a $10K fine for making “inappropriate comments” during a postgame interview, the league announced on its official website (link). Iguodala’s comments came after a 103-102 loss to Minnesota on Friday, when the 33-year-old was venting about not participating in a match-up with the Spurs. Steve Kerr had Iguodala’s back, claiming the 13-year vet likes to mess with the media.

“You guys just got Andre’d,” Kerr said to a group of reporters, including Chris Haynes of ESPN. “Andre is one of those guys who likes to stir the pot and has a lot of cryptic messaging at times. [He] jokes around. I didn’t take anything from it. It’s just Andre being Andre.”

Iguodala spoke with the press Monday, expressing regret for the impact of his comments.

“I feel like it’s the wrong time because it puts my team in that situation and coaching staff in that situation,” he told Ethan Strauss of ESPN. “I have a great relationship with Steve Kerr, and he knows that. Steve spoke to you guys about it, you know what I mean. Steve in his words, someone still may not believe him, but he and I are in a great place. We don’t even have to speak about it because he knew that in no way shape or form that I’m talking about him.”

Trade Rumors: Sixers, Bradley, Tucker, Bogut

February 23rd, 2017 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers are seeking deals for defensive-oriented guards capable of playing alongside Ben Simmons, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Philadelphia has targeted Celtics guard Avery Bradley, but hasn’t gained any traction.

With Marcus Smart playing well lately and Jaylen Brown viewed as a potential star by the Celtics, Bradley could be somewhat expendable in Boston, but Philadelphia and Boston aren’t necessarily a great match in such a trade. Both teams are loaded with future draft picks, which is likely what the Sixers would offer for Bradley — the Celtics don’t really need any more picks, unless they think they could use them in a package for a star.

Here’s more from around the NBA with the trade deadline less than a half-hour away:

At least three teams – the Pelicans, Cavaliers, and Celtics – have opted against meeting the Suns‘ asking price of a first-round pick for P.J. Tucker, reports John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link).
The Sixers don’t expect to flip Andrew Bogut in another trade before the deadline, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides will immediately begin buyout discussions.
At this point, the Nuggets don’t expect to make any moves before the deadline, sources tell Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post (Twitter link).
The Pacers are still trying to fortify their roster, and remain in talks with the Kings about Arron Afflalo, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

Trade Rumors: C. Lee, Clippers, Pacers, Jazz, Kings

February 23rd, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we heard that the Clippers recently showed interest in Courtney Lee, and according to Ian Begley and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, the Clips and Knicks continue to talk. New York has been seeking draft picks in discussions on Lee and other players, and the Clippers don’t have any immediate first-rounders to offer, as Begley notes. So if the Knicks want to send Lee to Los Angeles, they may have to settle for a player or get a third team involved.

Here are more of the latest trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Pacers have been talking to teams about possible trades that would allow them to clear roster spots, tweets ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. As Windhorst notes, teams suspect that might be related to their talks with the Celtics regarding Paul George. Of course, Indiana may also just be doing due diligence as well in case Boston ups its offer — the Pacers wouldn’t want to be stuck having to waive useful players to make a deal work.
The Jazz don’t appear likely at this point to make a deal, says Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (via Twitter). TNT’s David Aldridge notes (via Twitter) that Utah could still make a move for Deron Williams, but if Williams isn’t dealt, the veteran point guard won’t ask for a buyout from the Mavericks.
The Kings continue to mull their options, but don’t appear to be moving forward with talks for players like Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo for now, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post (Twitter link), who adds that Sacramento’s asking prices may be too high. If those prices come down, things could change.
The Wizards continue to work the phones, but aren’t overly optimistic about getting another deal done by the deadline, tweets Bontemps.
The market for Iman Shumpert appears to be cooling as the deadline approaches, per Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter link). Amico says that teams are asking for a draft pick from the Cavaliers, and Cleveland doesn’t have many picks left.

Trade Rumors: KCP, OKC, Afflalo, Knight, Ezeli

February 23rd, 2017 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

While the Pistons have been open to listening to inquiries on anyone, few – if any – players on their roster have received as much interest as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Speaking to reporters, including Rod Beard of The Detroit News, Stan Van Gundy confirmed that KCP’s future has been one of the main topics discussed as of late by the Pistons, who will have to make a big long-term commitment to the shooting guard this summer if they keep him.

“That’s something you have to make decisions about and deal with. I’m not getting into specifics at this point, but that has been a significant part of what we’ve talked about,” Van Gundy said of the RFA-to-be. “He was probably the most urgent decision because of that and the money coming and what it means in terms of the cap and the (luxury) tax. We’ve talked about it internally and we’ve talked about it with (team owner) Tom (Gores). We know exactly what’s coming and we’re making informed decisions.”

Here are several more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:

The Thunder are being aggressive as the trade deadline nears, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter links), who adds Doug McDermott to the list of players on Oklahoma City’s radar. OKC was linked to another Bulls forward – Taj Gibson – earlier today.
League executives believe the Kings will move Arron Afflalo today, says Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee adds (via Twitter) that Afflalo is more likely to be dealt than Ben McLemore, who has impressed some people within the organization lately. Afflalo has been linked to Indiana and Oklahoma City this week.
Brandon Knight wouldn’t mind a change of scenery, but the Suns have set their asking price too high in the past in talks with the Magic, Kings, Sixers, and Bulls, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. As Amick observes, it remains to be seen whether that will change today.
The Trail Blazers continue to try to find a taker for Festus Ezeli‘s contract, per ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Although Bucks general manager John Hammond likes to make trades, league executives say Milwaukee has been “low key” in trade talks this week, according to Jeff Zilgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).
The Cavaliers continue to work on deals that could fortify their roster, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team ultimately rely on the buyout market instead, tweets Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.