Bobby Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Gordon, Frazier, Rockets

December 16th, 2016 at 11:19pm CST by Austin Kent

Eric Gordon is enjoying one of the most productive seasons of his nine-year career and while he may not top some of the scoring outputs he registered with the Pelicans and Clippers now that he’s been slotted in as the sixth man of his new club, he’s playing a vital role on a Rockets team in contention for the Western Conference title.

On Friday, Gordon matched up against the Pelicans with whom he played five seasons. Prior to the meeting he was up front and honest about his displeasure in New Orleans, citing roster instability as one of the biggest problems.

”I’m not really worried about what’s going on down there,” the Pelicans guard told John Reid of The Times-Picayune, “but I just know my role changed year by year. We really had only one good year (2013/14), it’s just been tough.'”

Also on the Southwest Division front:

If there is one individual who has benefited from this week’s Donatas Motiejunas drama, it’s Bobby Brown. The veteran is eager to pick up where he left off with the Rockets prior to being waived ahead of the Motiejunas contract drama, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Prior to being cut initially, Brown had seen minimal action in just five games this year, but his depth of international experience could give head coach Mike D’Antoni roster flexibility as the season progresses.
Speaking of Motiejunas, the big man left the Toyota Center on Saturday expecting to rejoin the Rockets but that never came to be. Speaking to Feigen, D’Antoni called the 26-year-old a “piece that could have been helpful [from a team standpoint].”
Too often the victims of unfortunate injuries, the Pelicans got a taste of the opposite Friday. Despite being initially ruled out for seven to 10 days, per ESPN’s Justin Verrier, backup point guard Tim Frazier opted to return early. According to Jennifer Hale of Fox Sports, Frazier decided to suit up in front of his hometown fans on Friday night and play through a wrist sprain.

Rockets Release Motiejunas, Sign Bobby Brown

December 16th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Dana Gauruder

FRIDAY, 11:00am: Brown has officially been re-signed, according to a tweet from the Rockets.

THURSDAY, 6:34pm: In a somewhat unexpected move, the Rockets have released forward Donatas Motiejunas, the team announced on its website. Motiejunas will enter the market as an unrestricted free agent.

This provides a surprise ending to a long saga that began when Motiejunas became a restricted free agent this past summer. Motiejunas had agreed to a four-year, $35MM deal with the Rockets after Houston matched an offer sheet from the Nets. He was set to make $8.3MM this season.

When the Rockets first matched the Nets’ offer sheet and Motiejunas failed to report to the team, the two sides scrapped his four-year sheet and negotiated a similar new deal, according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania.

The Rockets will sign guard Bobby Brown with the opening on their roster, Charania reports.

League representatives were contacted last week regarding Motiejunas’ situation, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reported earlier this week. He appeared to have a new four-year deal in place on Friday, then was sent home before the team’s game on Saturday after taking a physical. At the time, Rockets officials offered few public comments on that decision.

Motiejunas was traded to the Pistons in February, only to have that deal voided when Detroit’s medical staff expressed concerns over his surgically repaired back. He passed a physical with the Nets before signing the offer sheet, according to Feigen. Motiejunas, who had been the lone restricted free agent on the market until he signed that sheet, was limited to 37 games last season after the surgery.

Motiejunas cannot sign with the Nets at the present time, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets. But that could change as the NBA reviews the unusual situation, Zillgitt adds.

Brown, 32, was waived by the Rockets earlier this month when they match Motiejunas’ offer sheet. He has appeared in six games with Houston after being out of the league since the 2009/10 season.

Rockets Notes: Motiejunas, D’Antoni, Brown

December 5th, 2016 at 8:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni plans to give Donatas Motiejunas minutes at both center and power forward now that the team has matched his offer sheet, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “It’s great,” D’Antoni said. “Looking forward to having him in here and getting him going. He’ll be a nice addition, a nice boost.” Owner Leslie Alexander also complimented Motiejunas, relays Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston, saying, “There aren’t many seven-foot players who have the skills that D-Mo possesses. He sees the court very well. He’s a terrific passer and works hard to improve his game.” (Twitter link)

There’s more tonight out of Houston:

The official release time for Bobby Brown, who was waived to open a roster spot for Motiejunas, will determine how much he collects in salary, posts Calvin Watkins on ESPN Now. If Brown was let go before 5 p.m. Eastern, he will receive $253,759 and will clear waivers Wednesday. If it was any later, Brown will get $259,536 and will clear waivers Thursday.
The 32-year-old Brown handled the news of his release like a seasoned professional, Berman tweets. Brown, who earned a roster spot in Houston after being out of the league since the 2009/10 season, appeared in six games with the Rockets and scored two points. “They explained the whole situation as far as D-Mo,” Brown said. “It’s not difficult at all. I’ve been through it before. I’m older. I understand the business side now on how things go.”
Adding Motiejunas brings the Rockets’ team salary to the $103MM mark, Watkins tweets. Houston has moved up to 10th in the league in payroll, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical (Twitter link).

Rockets Match Donatas Motiejunas’ Offer Sheet

December 5th, 2016 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

4:18pm: The Rockets will create an opening on their 15-man roster for Motiejunas by waiving Bobby Brown, per Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. The move doesn’t come as a surprise, since Brown’s contract was the only fully non-guaranteed deal on Houston’s books.

Watkins adds that Motiejunas will have to pass a physical before he officially rejoins the Rockets. The veteran forward underwent a medical examination with the Nets when he visited the team last week, so the physical isn’t expected to be an issue, despite concerns about his back.

Meanwhile, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link), now that Houston has matched, Motiejunas’ deal is believed to be worth $31MM over four years. An earlier report suggested that the Nets’ offer featured $1MM annually in likely incentives, so perhaps those incentives are considered unlikely for the Rockets, in which case they won’t initially count against the cap.

3:58pm: The Rockets have matched the four-year, $35MM+ offer sheet Donatas Motiejunas signed with the Nets on Friday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Houston will have to clear a spot on its 15-man roster to make the move official and formally bring Motiejunas back into the fold.

For Brooklyn, the offer sheet for Motiejunas represented the third time this year that the team had made an effort to land a restricted free agent from another club. However, as with the case when they inked Allen Crabbe (Trail Blazers) and Tyler Johnson (Heat) to lucrative four-year offer sheets, the Nets were stymied in their attempt to add young talent when the player’s original team matched the offer.

Motiejunas, the NBA’s last unsigned RFA of 2016, received a qualifying offer worth about $4.4MM from the Rockets back in June. However, the 26-year-old didn’t reach an agreement with Houston or sign an offer sheet with a rival suitor during the offseason, and that qualifying offer expired in October. Still, the Rockets maintained the right of first refusal on the big man, giving GM Daryl Morey the opportunity to match Brooklyn’s offer.

The four-year deal Motiejunas signed on Friday with the Nets has a reported base value of about $35MM, and features $500K annually in unlikely incentives, for a full value of $37MM. The contract only includes $5MM in guaranteed money for now, but Motiejunas will reportedly have the rest of his $8.5MM first-year salary guaranteed in January, and his $9MM salary for 2017/18 will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through March 1. In other words, he’ll receive at least $17.5MM or so in guarantees unless he’s waived within the next three months.

The Rockets’ last offer to Motiejunas in November was said to be a two-year proposal worth about $7MM guaranteed in year one. The second-year salary on that offer was non-guaranteed. Houston will now have Motiejunas under contract for four years rather than two, at a slightly higher rate, though the final two years of the new deal will remain non-guaranteed until July 2018 and July 2019, respectively.

While the Nets used their cap room to make Motiejunas an offer, the Rockets will retain him using their Bird Rights. Houston entered the day just slightly over the $94MM salary cap, so the deal figures to increase 2016/17 team salary to over $100MM. The club will still be comfortably below the tax line, which is in the $113MM range.

Although Motiejunas struggled to stay healthy last season and his production took a significant hit, he looked like a player on the rise in 2014/15, when he averaged 12.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG to go along with a .504 FG% and a .368 3PT%. He has been plagued by back troubles in recent years, creating some long-term uncertainty about his health and limiting his market. The Rockets were said to have concerns about how his back will hold up in the long term.

For now though, Motiejunas looks like a good fit for Mike D’Antoni‘s system, and once he gets up to speed, he’ll likely assume a role as the club’s backup power forward behind Ryan Anderson. The former 20th overall pick may also see some time at center in smaller lineups, and his return could have an impact on Sam Dekker‘s and Montrezl Harrell‘s minutes.

Assuming the Rockets don’t make a surprise cut between now and March, Motiejunas will remain with the team throughout the 2016/17 season, since he’s not eligible to be traded. Free agents can’t be dealt for three months after signing contracts, which means Motiejunas won’t be trade-eligible until March 5 — that date falls after this season’s February 23 trade deadline.

The Rockets previously agreed to trade Motiejunas to the Pistons at the 2015/16 trade deadline, but that deal fell through due to concerns about the seven-footer’s back.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockets’ Gary Payton II Gets Guaranteed Salary

September 28th, 2016 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

At this time of year, most players who sign contracts with the NBA teams will settle for non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deals, unless they’re notable free agents like J.R. Smith or Donatas Motiejunas, who simply haven’t reached common ground with their current teams yet. However, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), undrafted free agent Gary Payton II got a fully guaranteed salary from the Rockets on his new deal with the team.

Payton’s contract is believed to be for two years, and it’s not clear whether both years are guaranteed or just his 2016/17 salary. Either way, it gives the Rockets a 15th guaranteed salary for this season, even before taking into account Motiejunas, who remains a restricted free agent and is expected to return to the Rockets eventually.

Of course, Payton’s guaranteed salary doesn’t preclude the team from re-signing Motiejunas. But if that happens, it will leave the club with 16 fully guaranteed players, with at least one of them needing to be traded or waived before the regular season gets underway. That should make training camp and the preseason more interesting in Houston, even for players whose roster spots had appeared reasonably secure.

Rockets Sign Four Players, Finalize Camp Roster

September 23rd, 2016 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 23: Nearly three months after agreeing to terms with Payton, Taylor, and Wiltjer, the Rockets have officially signed them, announcing the moves today in a press release. The team also confirmed the previously-reported signing of Bobby Brown, formally announcing its 18-man roster for training camp.

While the deals for the three undrafted rookies were initially reported to be three-year agreements, the Rockets have since used up their cap room, limiting the team to two-year, minimum-salary pacts. Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reported this week that two-year contracts were likely for all four players.

JUNE 24: The Rockets drafted two players in the second round on Thursday night, and supplemented their rookie class shortly after the draft ended by agreeing to terms with three free agents who went undrafted.

Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com first reported (via Twitter) that Houston had agreed to a three-year deal with former Oregon State guard Gary Payton II, with Shams Charania of The Vertical reporting (via Twitter) that former Texas guard Isaiah Taylor had also agreed to a partially-guaranteed contract with the Rockets.

Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (via Twitter) confirms those two deals, and adds former Gonzaga forward Kyle Wiltjer to the list of Rockets’ signees. All three players will ink three-year contracts that feature team options, according to Feigen.

Payton, Taylor, Wiltjer were all viewed as top-75 prospects by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, who ranked them 48th, 67th, and 75th, respectively, in his top 100. There’s no guarantee any of them will earn spots on the Houston’s regular-season roster for 2016/17, but whether or not they make the cut, they could end up spending some time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ D-League affiliate.

Exact terms of the three deals aren’t known, and they haven’t been officially finalized yet, but I’d expect minimum-salary pacts, with most – or all – of the guaranteed money coming in the first year.

Rockets Rumors: Harden, Motiejunas, Contracts

September 22nd, 2016 at 5:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Franchise player James Harden believes the Rockets have already shown better chemistry as they head into training camp on Saturday, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Harden admits that many of the team’s problems last season could be blamed on a lack of harmony but that has changed, Feigen continues. “We’re doing something I haven’t (experienced) since I’ve been here in Houston,” Harden told Feigen. “Just trying to shake things up, just trying to make sure we really know each other in and out on and off the court. I think that will translate to a better team.” That improved camraderie was evident in mini-camps and workouts that Harden organized, Feigen adds. Along with team bonding, Harden has been focused on avoiding a repeat of last season, when the Rockets went .500 and were knocked out in the opening round of the playoffs after reaching the Western Conference Finals the previous season. “I’ve been training all summer,” Harden said. “Last season wasn’t great at all. It was very disappointing. I don’t want to let that happen two years in a row. I’ve been in the gym working out to get my mind, body and soul right.”

In other developments regarding the Rockets:

Harden says that signing restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas is “very important,” Feigen relays in a tweet. There’s not much going regarding the impasse between the Rockets and Motiejunas, a source told Feigen (Twitter link). The power forward has not received a serious offer from the club, according to his agent, B.J. Armstrong. Motiejunas does not want to sign the $3.4MM qualifying offer the Rockets have made. The Pistons rescinded a deal with the Rockets at the trade deadline in February when Motiejunas failed a physical because of lingering back problems.
The team plans to sign point guards Gary Payton II, Isaiah Taylor and Bobby Brown and power forward Kyle Wiltjer on Thursday or Friday, Feigen added in the same tweet regarding the lack of progress with Motiejunas’ contract talks. Those contracts are likely to to be two-year deals, according to Feigen. Payton II, Taylor and Wiltjer are undrafted rookies who agreed to deals shortly after the draft. Brown, who hasn’t played in the NBA since 2010, agreed in July to attend the Rockets’ camp.

Western Notes: Rockets, Brown, Abrines, Suns

July 23rd, 2016 at 10:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon are gambles for the Rockets, but they’re probably risks worth taking, writes Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders. Both players are sharpshooters who should fit well into new coach Mike D’Antoni’s system, but both have an extensive history of injuries. Anderson missed a significant stretch last season with an MCL sprain in Feburary, and had a season-ending neck injury in 2014. Gordon has been through a long string of injuries that have limited him to an average of 53 games per season over the past four years. Assuming they are reasonably healthy next season, Blancarte expects them to be valuable additions because of their ability to stretch the defense and Gordon’s talent for driving to the basket.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

High-scoring European player Bobby Brown will attend training camp with the Rockets on a non-guaranteed deal, tweets international journalist David Pick. Brown spent time with the Kings, Clippers, Hornets and Wolves from 2008-10.
The signing of Alex Abrines has helped the Thunder begin to lift the dark cloud caused by Kevin Durant‘s departure, writes Bery Tramel of The Oklahoman. Abrines will give Oklahoma City a 3-point threat and may take Dion Waiters‘ spot as a reserve guard behind Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo. The biggest question on the European star is whether he can defend well enough to earn significant playing time.
The Suns‘ collection of young players has produced renewed optimism in Phoenix, according to Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic. Part of the confidence came from GM Ryan McDonough’s draft-night deal with the Kings that gave Phoenix Marquese Chriss along with Dragan Bender. In addition, McDonough likes the commitment he is seeing from his veterans this summer. “I think we’ve seen a powerful change over the past few months in terms of players buying in,” he said. “Our guys like being around each other. They like being in Phoenix. A lot of our core players have basically made Phoenix their home and stick around all summer. It’s 115 degrees and those guys could be anywhere in the world. They choose to stay in Phoenix. And that says something.”

Free Agency Notes: Blazers, Harkless, Rockets

July 19th, 2016 at 2:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Brooklyn and Philadelphia have frequently been linked to Dion Waiters this offseason, and the Thunder made it easier to sign him by rescinding his qualifying offer on Monday and making him an unrestricted free agent. However, Net Income of NetsDaily is unconvinced that the Nets have real interest in Waiters, pointing out that the team wants to maintain cap room and was in no hurry to sign him to an offer sheet after missing out on Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe.

Here’s more on free agency from around the NBA:

With Waiters’ QO off the board, Maurice Harkless is now one of just three restricted free agents still available, along with Tyler Zeller and Donatas Motiejunas. However, Harkless and the Trail Blazers are no closer to reaching a deal, agent Happy Walters tells Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. According to Walters, via Quick, a few other teams have shown interest in Harkless, but the RFA forward wants to return to Portland. The agent acknowledged there’s a chance Harkless will ultimately sign his QO and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Former NBA guard Bobby Brown, who has spent the last several seasons playing overseas, has been training this summer with James Harden and the Rockets, and there’s mutual interest between Houston and Brown in a vet-camp deal, per international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link).
Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com takes an in-depth look at the Rockets‘ summer so far, outlining how Houston ended up landing a day-one meeting with Kent Bazemore, how close the team was to landing Bazemore, and the role Harden played in recruiting Eric Gordon.

Western Notes: Conley, Bogdanovic, Jazz Arena

June 14th, 2016 at 8:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

There is growing concern in the Grizzlies‘ front office that point guard Mike Conley might leave the team in free agency this summer, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. The 28-year-old will be the top point guard on the market after spending nine years in Memphis. Begley says Grizzlies part-owner Justin Timberlake will appear in a video presentation trying to convince Conley to remain with the team. Begley presents the item as possible good news for the Knicks, but it’s equally positive for all the teams planning to pursue Conley, and very negative for Memphis, which is hoping to keep the core of its perennial playoff team together. The Grizzlies still have the advantage of being able to offer Conley a five-year contract worth about $124MM, while other teams are limited to four years in the neighborhood of $92MM.

There’s more news from the Western Conference:

The Suns will negotiate with 2014 first-round pick Bogdan Bogdanovic now that his Turkish League season is over, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. This is the last season that Bogdanovic would be required to sign a rookie contract that would give him a salary of about $5.7MM over four years. If he waits until next offseason, Bogdanovic is free to negotiate any amount, starting with his draft year’s rookie salary scale.
A request for $22.7MM in public funding for renovations to Utah’s Vivant Arena was approved today by the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City, writes Jasen Lee of The Deseret News. The money, which will be awarded though tax increment financing over the next 25 years, makes up 18% of the total cost of the proposed $125MM project. It will include safety and security improvements, heating and air conditioning upgrades, a new solar panel system and plaza, concession, seating and premium suite improvements.
The Mavericks are planning a free agent camp June 22nd with Arnett Moultrie, Bobby Brown, Dominic McGuire and Nick Minnerath among the players invited, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who played two games for the Knicks this season, also received an invitation but has not confirmed that he will attend the camp (Twitter link).
The Spurs will hold a free agent camp Wednesday, Kennedy tweets, with Chris Copeland, Adonis Thomas, Victor Rudd, Scott Suggs, J.J. O’Brien and Darius Adams among those expected to attend.
The Timberwolves have had workouts for several veteran free agents, including Jimmer Fredette, Phil Pressey, Marquis Teague, Ryan Boatright, Mike James, Ra’shad James, Mark Lyons and Aaron Craft, tweets international journalist David Pick.