Brandon Jennings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Jennings, Randle, Noah, Porzingis

October 9th, 2016 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Brandon Jennings is taking advantage of his preseason opportunity to start for the Knicks, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. With Derrick Rose taking care of legal obligations, Jennings registered four points, five assists and four rebounds in 14 minutes Saturday as New York topped Brooklyn. Jennings, who signed a one-year, $5MM deal over the summer, has slimmed down to 175 pounds and hopes to get the Knicks playing at a faster tempo. He says he finally feels fully recovered from the Achilles tear he suffered in January of 2015. “I feel great. I feel faster. I hope I look faster,” he said. “… I just feel like myself again.”

There’s more this morning out of New York:

Chasson Randle continued his bid for a roster spot Saturday with 14 points, two assists and three steals in 21 minutes, Begley writes in the same story. The point guard out of Stanford signed with the Knicks this summer after spending a season in the Czech Republic. He faces an uphill battle to make a team that already has 15 guaranteed contracts, but he has a strong supporter in teammate Carmelo Anthony. “I love him. I just love his poise out there, the way he controls the game, controls the basketball,” Anthony said. “He can push the pace. He can slow it down. I think you guys would love him too the more that you see him play.”
The Knicks expect to be without Rose and Joakim Noah for another week, according to Howie Kussoy and Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Rose remains tied up with his civil trial in Los Angeles, while Noah is nursing a sore left hamstring. Coach Jeff Hornacek said the absence of the team’s most imporant offseason additions has made the preseason difficult, but he plans to be careful with Noah. “Sometimes, players like Jo, he’s like, ‘Man, I want to get out there,’” Hornacek said. “He was out there at shootaround, saying, ‘I want to play,’ but we’re just trying to be cautious with him. … When he feels 100 percent he’ll go to it. Since we don’t have a game after Monday for a while it’s more than likely he’ll probably miss that one, too.”
Kristaps Porzingis said a new shoe deal that could pay more than his NBA contract hasn’t been finalized, relays Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Porzingis signed with Adidas for a reported $3MM to $6MM, although Nike, his current endorser, will get a chance to match the offer. It would be the biggest shoe contract in NBA history for a European player. “That doesn’t mean I’m a better player than Dirk Nowitzki, they just see me as somebody that’s good off the court, see me with kids and that kind of stuff,” Porzingis said. “And they see that potential in me that one day I can be that good. It’s in my hands now to prove that I am what they believe I can be.”

Brandon Jennings Plans On Staying With Knicks

October 5th, 2016 at 10:37pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Brandon Jennings has only played one preseason game with New York, yet the point guard feels the team is a great fit long-term. “I plan on staying,” Jennings said on his Twitter feed. “[There’s] nothing like being a Knick, I feel the energy already!” (note: Jennings has since deleted the tweet).

The 27-year-old signed a one year, $5MM deal with the Knicks during a busy offseason for the franchise. New York’s plan was to have an experience point guard lead the second unit and be able to step into the starting lineup in the event that Derrick Rose would suffer another injury. Rose is currently healthy, but he’ll be absent from the team to defend himself in his civil trail, so Jennings may get an opportunity to play with the starters this preseason. Jennings, like Rose, will be a free agent next summer and if Jennings plays well this season, he could land himself a salary that’s in line with other starting point guards at the end of the year.

Jennings was drafted by the Bucks with No. 10 overall pick in the 2009 draft. After his rookie campaign, it appeared he was on his way to stardom and there was a case to be made that he was the best guard in his rookie class, one that included Stephen Curry, James Harden and Tyreke Evans. However, his next six seasons didn’t look as promising and when Jennings became an unrestricted free agent over the summer for the first time in his career, there weren’t many suitors lining up for his services.

Jennings was recovering from a torn Achilles injury last season, but he appears to be fully healthy entering this season. He scored seven points and dished out four assists in Tuesday’s preseason game.

Atlantic Notes: Noel, Sixers, Jennings, Rozier

September 19th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

After passing along a few items from out of the Atlantic division on Sunday afternoon, we’ve got a few more notes to round up this morning, so let’s dive in…

Nerlens Noel remains a trade candidate for the Sixers, but if the 22-year-old remains in Philadelphia for the final year of his rookie contract, head coach Brett Brown wants to see him emulate another big man who just parlayed a breakout contract year into a big new contract: Bismack Biyombo. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer details, Brown compared Noel to Biyombo and Hall-of-Fame center Dikembe Mutombo, praising his physical gifts. “Do your job and we will help you,” Brown said. “The league will reward that. The 76ers will reward that. He will be rewarded for playing like that.”
Given the massive rebuild undertaken by the franchise, Brett Brown‘s record during his first three seasons with the Sixers can’t really be held against him. However, with excitement and expectations increasing in Philadelphia, the job Brown does with this year’s roster may go a long way to determining whether he’ll be the team’s long-term coach, suggests Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News.
Having signed a one-year deal with the Knicks this summer, Brandon Jennings recently said on The Stashed’s 33rd & 7th podcast with Anthony Donahue that he’s “more hungry than ever” to prove what he can do on the court (link via Ian Begley of ESPN.com).
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com identifies Terry Rozier as a Celtics player worth keeping an eye on in camp. Rozier is one of 16 players with guaranteed contracts heading into camp, and Blakely thinks Rozier may be a potential trade candidate if the C’s don’t plan on having him get regular playing time this season.

Knicks Notes: Early, Rose, Jennings

September 12th, 2016 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have yet to make a final decision on whether or not to bring Cleanthony Early to training camp, an NBA source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. The 25-year-old remains on the free agent market, while New York still has room on its offseason roster to bring him back.

Phil Jackson admitted last month that his biggest regret since arriving in New York was passing on Jae Crowder in a trade with the Mavericks, opting for a second-round pick instead. That pick became Early, so presumably the Zen Master would like to give the Wichita State product every opportunity to carve out a role with the Knicks.

Here’s more out of New York:

Within his scouting report and analysis of the Knicks’ roster, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton (Insider-only link) notes that the team made a significant gamble this offseason on the health of players like Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Brandon Jennings. Pelton also suggests that it might make sense to use Jennings when Rose and Carmelo Anthony aren’t on the floor, since Jennings tends to be better at creating shots than making them.
The Knicks’ ability to make room for a maximum-salary free agent in 2017 will hinge largely on what happens this year with Rose and Jennings, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. As Begley observes, the cap holds for Rose and Jennings will exceed $30MM, so the team will have to make important decisions on whether to re-sign or renounce the duo.
Be sure to check out our salary cap breakdown for the Knicks to get an idea of how the team is using its cap space for the 2016/17 league year.

New York Notes: Holiday, Knicks, Booker, Nets

September 3rd, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Headed to his fifth team in four years, Justin Holiday wants to show the Knicks that he’s more than a throw-in from the Derrick Rose trade, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Holiday, a 6’6″ shooting guard, divided last season between the Hawks and Bulls, moving in February after a three-team trade that also involved the Jazz. Holiday said he started to feel comfortable in Chicago after the deal, appearing in 27 games, starting four and averaging 6.5 points per night. However, the 27-year-old brother of the Pelicans’ Jrue Holiday found himself on the move again with the June trade to New York. “As far as talent goes, I think we’re one of the more talented team tins his league, especially in the East,” Holiday said of the Knicks. “Hopefully we do some stuff [the Warriors] did.’’ Holiday was a reserve on the Golden State team that won the NBA title in 2015.

There’s more NBA news tonight out of New York:

The Knicks may not live up to Rose’s “super team” designation, but they raised their talent level considerably this offseason, writes A.J. Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today. New York’s addition of Rose, Joakim Noah and Brandon Jennings makes the team interesting, but their collective injury history limits the Knicks’ offseason grade to a B-minus.
The Nets are counting on Trevor Booker to help replace the production lost when Thaddeus Young was traded to the Pacers, according to NetsDaily. Brooklyn signed the former Utah power forward to a two-year, $18.5MM deal shortly after free agency began. The 6’8″ Booker averaged 5.9 points and 5.7 rebounds with the Jazz last season, and he will be counted on to help improve the Nets’ interior defense.
The Nets might be in the worst position of any team in the league, writes Shaun Powell of NBA.com. Powell likes the additions of GM Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson, as well as some of the other offseason moves, but cautions that it will take a long time to change the situation in Brooklyn.

Eastern Notes: Mickey, Brown, Wall, Beal

August 31st, 2016 at 9:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Mickey‘s spot on the Celtics‘ roster seems safe even in a crowded training camp, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. With John Holland being waived today, Boston has 18 players on its roster, with 16 on fully guaranteed contracts. But the Celtics don’t seem likely to cut ties with Mickey after making a four-year commitment to him last offseason. After taking him in the second round of the 2015 draft, Boston gave Mickey a $5MM deal with a higher annual salary than first-round pick R.J. Hunter received. Mickey appeared in just 16 games for Boston as a rookie, spending most of the season with the team’s Maine affiliate in the D-League. He led the league in blocks with 4.4 per game and was a D-League All-Star. Blakely writes that the Celtics want to see more of Mickey at the NBA level before making a long-term decision.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

Celtics power forward Jaylen Brown was voted the most athletic rookie by his fellow Class of 2016 members, relays CSNNE. Brown, the third player taken in the June draft, topped an NBA.com poll with 38.7% of the votes, followed by the Clippers’ Brice Johnson with 16.1% and the Suns’ Marquese Chriss with 9.7%.
It’s healthy for John Wall and Bradley Beal to be open about their disagreements, contends Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. He believes the Wizards‘ backcourt tandem will improve their communication because they’re willing to speak publicly about the problem, which Bucher describes as both wanting to be the dominant personality on the team. Bucher doesn’t think there’s a need to trade either one because their skills are complementary.
The Knicks are gambling with their point guard position by bringing in two players with significant injury histories, writes Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. New York traded for Derrick Rose, whose 66 games last season were by far the most since tearing his ACL in the 2012 playoffs, and signed Brandon Jennings, who suffered an Achilles tear in January of 2014. Beer lists several unsigned players the Knicks should consider as insurance: Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Kirk Hinrich, Nate Robinson, Jordan Farmar, Andre Miller and Lance Stephenson.

Eastern Notes: Anthony, Wade, Meeks, Reed

July 20th, 2016 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Carmelo Anthony believes bad timing is all that prevented Dwyane Wade from joining him on the Knicks, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Wade sent shock waves throughout the NBA earlier this month when he agreed to leave the Heat and sign with the Bulls. Anthony says if Wade’s situation had become apparent earlier, the Knicks could have freed up the cap room to fit him on the roster. “There was a chance, definitely a chance,’’ Anthony said. “We would’ve had to pull a rabbit out of a hat in the 25th hour though. There was a chance. If it was two days earlier, we probably would’ve had Dwyane Wade.”

After signing free agent center Joakim Noah for $72MM over four years, New York had just enough cap room left to offer Wade the contract he wanted. However, it would have meant not signing Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings and renouncing the rights to Lance Thomas. Looking ahead, Anthony thinks the Knicks have the pieces in place to be major players in the 2017 free agent market.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

Newly acquired Magic shooting guard Jodie Meeks is out indefinitely after undergoing foot surgery Tuesday, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Meeks needed the procedure to stabilize the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, which he fractured early last season. Doctors offered little clue as to when Meeks might be able to play again. Orlando acquired him in a June 29th trade, sending a second-round pick to the Pistons in return.
Former Magic guard Devyn Marble is getting interest from teams in Europe and China, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Marble, who spent two years in Orlando, was traded to the Clippers last week and subsequently waived in a cost-cutting move.
After passing up better offers and signing with the Heat, Willie Reed believes he’s in a perfect situation, writes Shandel Richardson of The Sun-Sentinel. After going undrafted and playing in Spain and the D-League, Reed’s future now appears secure after joining Miami on a two-year veteran’s minimum deal. He is expected to back up newly re-signed center Hassan Whiteside. After two seasons on the Heat’s summer league team, Reed knew he wanted to play for Miami. “I wanted to be able to come to the Heat [this offseason],” Reed said. “I told my agent that if I was able to get a minimum deal with the Heat, I’d take it just because what they did for me.”

Knicks Notes: Thomas, Durant, Jackson, Jennings

July 9th, 2016 at 8:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lance Thomas decided to re-sign with the Knicks because he didn’t want to be known as a “loser” in New York, relays Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Thomas, a restricted free agent, agreed to a four-year deal worth about $27.3MM. The fifth-year combo forward was born in Brooklyn and was concerned about his legacy after the Knicks finished far out of the playoff race during his two seasons with the team. “I grew up a Knicks fan; this is the team I grew up watching,” Thomas said. “Me being from the area and planning on being in the area for the majority of my life, I didn’t want my legacy as a Knick to be a loser.”

There’s more news out of New York:

The Knicks were hoping to meet with Kevin Durant to establish a relationship in case he tried free agency again next summer, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Durant can still opt out of his new contract with the Warriors in 2017, but he indicated this week that he expects to stay in Golden State for a long time. New York wasn’t one of the five teams that Durant met with last weekend, but GM Steve Mills said he was encouraged by the process. “We knew KD wanted to pick a team that had a chance to win a championship this upcoming season,” Mills said. “We didn’t fit that bill. We know if he made a decision to do a 1-and-1, we would’ve had a meeting with him. The idea he did a 1-and-1 with Golden State, my assumption is he’ll stay there.”
“Super teams” like the one created with Durant’s move to the Warriors, are an inevitable consequence of the sudden rise in the salary cap, Knicks president Phil Jackson says in the same story. “That’s the way it’s going to be for a while — players allowed this to go forward instead of smoothing it, so there’s tons of money,” Jackson said. “There’s an opportunity to do major moves in the NBA.”
Jackson expects newly signed guard Brandon Jennings to be Sixth Man of the Year next season, Begley writes in a separate piece. Jennings, who spent this season with the Pistons and Magic, inked a one-year deal with the Knicks this week for $5MM. He doesn’t mind taking on a reserve role and said he will try to live up to Jackson’s expectations. “I’m definitely gonna embrace that role,” Jennings said. “I don’t see why I can’t be in that conversation, and I’m fine with it. I’m definitely fine with it.”

Eastern Rumors: Hawks, Millsap, Wade, Jennings

July 7th, 2016 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

In an interesting piece on the Hawks, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com explains that Atlanta’s original offseason plan was to re-sign Al Horford to pair him with Dwight Howard, and to move Paul Millsap in exchange for young players and/or draft assets. That plan ultimately fell apart, but before it did, the Hawks spoke to the Nuggets, Suns, Raptors, and Rockets about a Millsap deal, according to Lowe, who adds that Denver had been ready to move a “players-and-picks package” led by Kenneth Faried.

Before the Hawks could move Millsap though, the team needed to be sure it could re-sign Horford, and when the longtime Hawk chose the Celtics instead, Atlanta decided to hang onto Millsap. Per Lowe, there was some debate about how much the Hawks offered and how much Horford demanded, but the gap between the two sides may have only been about $5MM in total.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Hornets general manager Rich Cho confirmed that his team, which officially acquired Marco Belinelli in a trade today, tried to sign the Italian sharpshooter in free agency a year ago (Twitter link via Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer).
During Dwyane Wade‘s free agency saga, Heat president Pat Riley never called Wade directly, per Ethan Skolnick of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel notes (via Twitter), Riley and Wade had a meeting after last season ended, but it was owner Micky Arison who was in touch with the former Finals MVP during this past week’s negotiations.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Brandon Jennings was seeking a one-year contract from the Knicks in the hopes of proving himself and boosting his stock for 2017’s free agent period. New York, which wanted to maintain cap room for ’17, was happy to oblige.
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders spoke to Courtney Lee about the veteran shooting guard’s decision to sign with the Knicks, and being recruited by Joakim Noah.

Knicks Sign Brandon Jennings

July 4th, 2016 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 1:07pm: The Knicks have officially signed Jennings, the team announced today (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 3:28pm: It’ll be a one-year, $5MM deal for Jennings and the Knicks, according to Goodwill (Twitter link). That could be a nice value pickup for New York if the former 10th overall pick can stay on the court in 2016/17.

3:19pm: Veteran guard Brandon Jennings has become the latest notable free agent to strike a deal with the Knicks, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to terms. ESPN’s Marc Stein first reported (via Twitter) that the Knicks were on the verge of reaching an agreement with Jennings.

It has been a busy offseason so far for the Knicks, who kicked things off in June by acquiring Derrick Rose in a five-year player trade with the Bulls. The team has since reached agreements with Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee on four-year deals that will pay them $72MM and $48MM, respectively.

Based on those deals, the Knicks weren’t expected to have a whole lot of money left to go shopping for a backup point guard, so landing Jennings could be a coup for the team, assuming there are no other moving pieces in play. We’ll have to wait for the full terms of the deal to surface before we can evaluate it, but if he’s healthy, Jennings is capable of backing up Rose and scoring points off the bench.

Jennings, 26, has been plagued by injuries over the last two years, having missed about half the season in both 2014/15 and 2015/16. He also saw his minutes and his production take a huge hit last season in both Detroit and Orlando. He averaged just 6.9 PPG for the season, after never having scored less than 15.4 PPG in any of his six previous seasons.

As is the case with Rose and Noah, the Knicks are presumably counting on Jennings to return to health and to look a little more like his old self going forward.

The Knicks figure to have renounce the rights to one or two of the free agents they’d wanted to re-sign in order to make room for Jennings. Derrick Williams, Langston Galloway, and Lance Thomas are candidates to be let go, with Williams likely heading that list.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.