Brad Wanamaker Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Wanamaker, Jeanne, Crawford, G League

June 19th, 2018 at 7:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics are giving strong consideration to signing Euroleague star Brad Wanamaker, international basketball journalist David Pick tweets. Wanamaker, the MVP of the Turkish finals with Fenerbahce, is a 28-year-old, 6’4” shooting guard who went undrafted in 2011. He has spent most of his pro career overseas, though he had a stint in 2012 with the G League’s Austin Toros. The Magic, Nets, Sixers and Heat have also expressed interest in him, according to Pick. However, Wanamaker has a $3.8MM contract with Barcelona that runs through 2020, so he may stay in Europe, Pick adds in another tweet.

In other news on the domestic and international front:

Jonathan Jeanne, who was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, has been cleared by his doctor to play, his agent told Sportando. Jeanne, a 7’1” center from France, was considered a potential first-round prospect before the diagnosis was made last June. He went undrafted and now will explore all international possibilities, Sportando adds.
Veteran guard Jamal Crawford is looking for the best fit in free agency after deciding to opt out, he told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Crawford insisted he wasn’t unhappy with the Timberwolves, despite leaving $4.5MM on the table. “For me, it’s just fit. I don’t think anything’s wrong (in Minnesota),” Crawford told Krawczynski. “There’s nothing wrong that’s not wrong anywhere else. It’s the NBA. Everybody’s not going to get along every second. That’s not realistic.”
The G League Expansion Draft will be held August 22, tweets 2 Ways & 10 Days. The only team utilizing the draft is the Capital City Go-Go, the new affiliate of the Wizards.
How does a swap of Chander Parsons and the Grizzlies’ picks at No. 4 and No. 32 for the Clippers’ lottery picks at No. 12 and No. 13 plus Danilo Gallinari sound? ESPN’s Insiders throws out a number of trade scenarios heading into the draft.
Longtime NBA coach Larry Brown officially signed his contract to coach Fiat Torino in Italy, Sportando relays.

And-Ones: Early, Wanamaker, Munford, Bond

September 10th, 2017 at 1:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

An apparent dispute over his diet has led to Cleanthony Early being stripped of his $150K deal with AEK Athens. International writer David Pick cited “disciplinary reasons” for the Greek club terminating the contract that Early agreed to last week (Twitter link). The Knicks fan site, Posting and Toasting, part of SB Nation, fleshed out the story with a few now-deleted screen shots of messages between Early and a team official. Early is a vegan and claims he couldn’t find the food he needs close to Athens. He added that he lost seven pounds since coming to Greece and told the team to release him if there wasn’t a way to solve the problem.

There’s more basketball news from around the world:

Brad Wanamaker, who was hoping to get an offer this summer from the Pelicans or Celtics, has accepted a deal with Fenerbahce in Turkey, according to Sportando (Twitter link).
After two successful G League seasons, Xavier Munford is hoping a team will give him an invitation to training camp, writes Chris Reichert of 2 Ways and 10 Days. The 25-year-old point guard, who was part of the gold-medal-winning Team USA squad at AmeriCup, played briefly for the Grizzlies at the end of the 2015/16 season and was in training camp with the Clippers last year.
Jaylen Bond, who spent last season with the Westchester Knicks in the G League, has signed with Flexx Pistoia in Italy, Reichert relays (Twitter link).
Kevin Jones, who has spent the past three seasons overseas but was involved in a G League trade in March, is in advanced talks with Crvena Zvezda in Serbia, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Jones’ only NBA experience came in 2012/13 with the Cavaliers.

Northwest Notes: Anthony, Georges-Hunt, Christon

August 12th, 2017 at 10:48am CST by Austin Kent

While the Rockets remain Carmelo Anthony‘s supposed primary destination, the Trail Blazers have done well to establish themselves as a suitable alternative, Cody Sharrett of the team’s official site writes.

Sharrett cites comments made by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski in a recent radio interview (~25:00 mark), suggesting the Trail Blazers could, theoretically at least, be a good landing spot for the veteran.

“The [Trail Blazers] are an interesting team in this because C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard have done a really good of recruiting Carmelo,” Wojnarowkski said. “They’ve been on him.”

The scribe notes that Anthony’s feelings about McCollum, Lillard or the Trail Blazers are ultimately inconsequential if the club can’t put together a package of assets that appeals to the Knicks.

“But if they could, then the [Trail Blazers] are a sleeper team in this to get Carmelo to waive his no-trade because I’m told they’ve piqued Carmelo’s interest at the very least,” Wojnarowski added.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Thunder are said to have had talks with undrafted free agent Brad Wanamaker, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports. The 28-year-old guard is currently under contract with David Blatt‘s Turkish league club.
Recently signed Timberwolves guard Marcus Georges-Hunt has the same contract as if he were claimed off of waivers, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets. Georges-Hunt was waived by the Magic on July 31. It’s a possibility that he sticks on the roster through to the regular season.
Sportswriters that cover the Thunder are torn as to whether or not Semaj Christon will remain with the team come opening day. Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman, who says ‘Nay’, thinks Christon will be the odd man out after the club re-committed to Nick Collison.

International Notes: Lessort, McRae, Garino, Cook

August 9th, 2017 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the Sixers‘ second-round picks in 2017, French forward Mathias Lessort, has bought himself out of his deal with Bamberg and is negotiating with Red Star Belgrade, tweets international basketball reporter David Pick. Lessort is expected to play at least one more season – and perhaps more – overseas before heading to Philadelphia.

Here are a few more international items of interest:

As we noted earlier today, Spanish team Baskonia was pursuing C.J. Wilcox before he agreed to a two-way contract with Portland. According to Chema de Lucas of Gigantes.com (Twitter link; translation via Sportando), Baskonia is also eyeing Jordan McRae, who played 37 games last season for the Cavaliers.
Recently waived by the Magic, Argentinian swingman Patricio Garino is drawing interest from Italian team Pallacanestro Reggiana, per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who passes along a report out of Italy.
Former NBA shooting guard Daequan Cook, who appeared in 328 games for the Heat, Thunder, Bulls, and Rockets, has a new deal with Ironi Nes Ziona in Israel, the team has confirmed (via Twitter). The 30-year-old has spent the last several years overseas, having last played in the NBA during the 2012/13 season.
All-EuroLeague guard Brad Wanamaker is nearing an agreement with Turkish club Fenerbahce, according to team president Aziz Yildirim, who says his club will land Wanamaker if the former Pitt standout doesn’t sign an NBA deal. Sportando has the details.

And-Ones: JVG, Award Votes, Singleton, Wanamaker

June 27th, 2017 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

After a decade of rumors about his possible return to the sidelines, ABC and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy has finally landed a new coaching gig — but it’s not an NBA job. As Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical details, Van Gundy has agreed to coach USA Basketball as Team USA attempts to qualify for the 2019 World Cup.

Last month, we heard that the Team USA roster for the World Cup qualifiers wouldn’t feature NBA players. Instead, USA Basketball will put together a squad primarily made up of G League players. Wojnarowski notes that the roster may also include Americans playing in international leagues. Assuming Team USA qualifies for the 2019 World Cup, which shouldn’t be an issue, NBA players figure to take it from there, while Gregg Popovich will take over for Van Gundy as the club’s coach.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The NBA has published the full voting results for all of its 2016/17 awards, so if you’re dying to know who gave Isaiah Thomas his only All-Defensive vote, you can find out right here.
EuroLeague star Chris Singleton has interviews lined up with two NBA teams, and is poised to opt out of his contract with Panathinaikos if he receives an NBA opportunity, tweets international reporter David Pick. However, Singleton’s teammate Kenny Gabriel will remain with Panathinaikos, having opted to pass on a non-guaranteed NBA offer, per Pick (Twitter link).
Pick also provides an update on Brad Wanamaker, reporting (via Twitter) that Brad Wanamaker is putting Euroleague offers on hold in the hopes of securing an NBA deal with the Pelicans or Celtics. Wanamaker, who played for Turkey’s Darussafaka last season, was voted to 2016/17’s All-EuroLeague team.
Bobby Marks of The Vertical identifies his top 20 free agents for 2017, with a pair of Warriors topping the list.

Western Notes: Wolves, Thunder, Mavs, Spurs, Suns

June 20th, 2017 at 11:07pm CST by Joshua Fischman

On Tuesday, the Timberwolves signed a three-year contract with Fitbit to display the company’s logo on a jersey patch, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. The team will also explore ways the wearable technology can help players, employees and fans track their health and fitness during practices, games and everyday activities.

“This is going to change the way teams evaluate these types of deals and relationships going forward,” Timberwolves CEO Ethan Casson said. “This is different than anything I’ve seen before.”

The Timberwolves were among five teams bidding for Fitbit’s business.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Frank Mason (Kansas) had a solo workout with the Thunder on Tuesday, his second workout with the team, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (link via Twitter). Sacramento and Orlando also saw Mason twice, per Fischer.
The Thunder also brought in guard Brad Wanamaker for a workout, tweets international basketball journalist, David Pick. Wanamaker was voted All-EuroLeague as a member of Turkish team Darussafaka under David Blatt this past season.
The Mavericks have a lot of decisions to make this summer and their decision to either select a point guard on Thursday or pursue one in free agency could change their entire offseason strategy, The Dallas Morning News’ Eddie Sefko writes.
Veteran Italian coach Ettore Messina will sign a new two-year contract to remain with the Spurs‘ coaching staff, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
The Grizzlies do not have a first or second round pick in the draft — for the first time in franchise history — but general manager Chris Wallace is working around the clock to see if any sensible deals come up, NBA.com’s Michael Wallace writes.
Suns GM Ryan McDonough said this week that off-court issues will not factor into the team’s selection with the fourth overall pick, per AZCentral’s Doug Haller. That suggests that the team figures to seriously consider Josh Jackson if he’s available at No. 4.

Mark Suleymanov contributed to this post.

And-Ones: James, 2003 Draft, Wanamaker

June 8th, 2017 at 11:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Many have compared Kevin Durant‘s decision to join Golden State to LeBron James‘ move to Miami back in 2010, but LBJ doesn’t see it as the same situation, as Steven Ruiz of USA Today relays.

“I don’t think our careers are the same, as far as changing teams,” James said. “Their team was already kind of put together. And you just implement a guy who’s ready to sacrifice – a great talent, a guy who’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win. But that team, they already knew what they were all about, and he just had to come in and do what he had to do. And that’s what he’s been doing.

“For me, when I left [Cleveland] to go to Miami, we had to build something. We brought in eight or nine guys, and we had to build something. And when I came back [to Cleveland] we had to build something again.”

Ten players were already on the Warriors roster when Durant arrived in town compared to just two—Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem—on the Heat when James came to South Beach.

Here’s more from around the league:

Former Cavaliers GM Jim Paxson admits that he made moves during the 2002/03 season with the 2003 draft in mind, as he tells Sam Smith of NBA.com. “That season before [in 2002] we traded Andre Miller to the Clippers because he was up for that rookie extension for Darius Miles and some parts,” Paxson recalled. “I told ownership even though there is no guarantee [for the top pick], we need to take one more step back because this [2003] draft is going to be special [Paxson said their draft order was LeBron, Carmelo and then Bosh]. Andre was good enough to keep us in the 27 to 31-win range, which would take you out of that top three to four picks. We tied with Denver [for the most lottery balls] when we won the last game of the season. Then we got lucky to get the No. 1.”
Paxson added that he knew right away he had to surround James with shooting, Smith passes along in the same piece. The Cavaliers took Jason Kapono in the second-round of the 2003 draft.
Dan Fegan denies any ties to the new Dynasty Sports Group agency that was founded by former ISE agent Aylton Tesch, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Daily. Tesch left ISE shortly after the company fired Fegan.
CSKA Moscow plans to pursue Brad Wanamaker, who played collegiate ball at the University of Pittsburgh before flourishing in Europe, in the event that Milos Teodosic leaves for the NBA, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Kobe, Ball, Wanamaker, GM Meetings

May 11th, 2017 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Isaiah Thomas revealed earlier in the postseason that he has been communicating with Kobe Bryant before and after every playoff game, but Thomas is just one current NBA player who has been in touch with Bryant. As Jackie MacMullan of ESPN details, Bryant said he also talks regularly to players like Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.

“I’m around for all the guys,” Bryant told MacMullan. “Anybody can reach out. It’s an open book.”

While Kobe may be willing to give advice and guidance to current players, don’t expect LaVar Ball to call up the future Hall-of-Famer anytime soon. Despite wanting his son Lonzo Ball to land with the Lakers, the elder Ball didn’t sound eager to reach out to one of the best players in Laker history.

“I don’t need no advice from Kobe Bryant,” LaVar Ball said during an appearance on ESPN Radio 710 L.A. “I don’t need advice from Kobe Bryant. Zo’s got to play his game. … If they’re at practice and he sees something and Lonzo listens to him or whatever, he’s good. … But it’s just not, ‘OK, I’m talking to Kobe, so now I’m going to be good.’ If Kobe sees something that Zo is doing, then go from there. But I’m not trying to pattern after nobody.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

All-Euroleague guard Brad Wanamaker is receiving “serious” NBA interest and could make the leap from Europe to North America this summer, tweets international basketball reporter David Pick. Wanamaker, palying for David Blatt’s Darussafaka Dogus team in Turkey, averaged a team-high 16.7 PPG in 34 Euroleague games this season.
Two topics under discussion at this week’s general manager meetings in Chicago involved the trade deadline date and the buyout/waiver process, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Wojnarowski first reported last month that changes may be coming to the buyout/waiver process.
Should the draft lottery happen before the draft combine? Should the draft come before free agency? Tom Ziller of SBNation.com wonders if the NBA’s offseason schedule needs to be re-adjusted.
Josh Martin of Bleacher Report identifies several free agents that NBA teams would be wise to avoid this summer, and his list features a handful of big-name players.

International Notes: Boozer, Teodosic, Hollins

March 17th, 2017 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

Could a return to the NBA be in the cards for Carlos Boozer? According to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter), the veteran big man is playing his way into contention for an NBA job. Boozer, who signed a deal last summer to play in China for the 2016/17 season, is a member of the Guangdong Southern Tigers, who are currently just one win away from a spot in the Chinese Basketball Association Finals.

Booazer, who is playing on a team with other former NBA players Donald Sloan and Yi Jianlian, has averaged 17.7 PPG and 10.6 RPG in 45 games for the Tigers this season. Still, it’s hard to imagine a current NBA contender clamoring to sign him when the CBA season ends, unless one of those teams suffers a frontcourt injury or two down the stretch.

Here are a few more updates and notes from international basketball leagues:

Nets general manager Sean Marks is headed overseas to scout a game between CSKA Moscow and Darussafaka Dogus on March 22, according to international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Standout CSKA guard Milos Teodosic, who has expressed a desire to make the leap to the NBA later this year, is one player Marks will likely have his eye on in that matchup.
Pick also notes (via Twitter) that former Pittsburgh guard Brad Wanamaker, who is currently playing for Darussafaka Dogus, has an NBA out in his deal. Wanamaker tells Pick that he met with Brett Brown last summer and was “real close” to signing with the Sixers.
Former NBA center Ryan Hollins, who was recently cut by CB Gran Canaria in Spain, is headed to Italy after agreeing to terms with Fiat Torino, a source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. If Hollins remains overseas for the rest of this season, it will be the first year he hasn’t played an NBA game since he entered the league as a second-round pick in 2006.
After receiving a pair of 10-day contracts from the Hornets earlier this year, rookie center Mike Tobey returned to the team’s D-League affiliate. However, Tobey has now left the Greensboro Swarm and signed with Valencia in Spain, as Chris Reichert of The Step Back tweets.