C.J. Leslie Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Sign Tim Hardaway Jr., C.J. Leslie

July 10th, 2013 at 6:47pm CST by Luke Adams

6:47pm: Deeks corrects his earlier report, and confirms that Leslie's deal isn't fully guaranteed (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 6:01pm: Leslie's two-year deal is fully guaranteed for both seasons, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports, contradicting earlier word that the pact only included a partial guarantee.

MONDAY, 2:37pm: The Knicks have officially announced Hardaway's signing and also formally announced the signing of undrafted free agent C.J. Leslie (Twitter links). We had initially heard a day after the draft that the Knicks had agreed to sign Leslie, who will be in line for the rookie minimum. He'll also have a partial guarantee on his deal, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday.

2:05pm: The Knicks have reached a contract agreement with first-round pick Tim Hardaway Jr., agent Mark Bartelstein tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).

Hardaway was the 24th overall pick in last month's draft, meaning he was the first of this year's draftees with a rookie-scale amount below $1MM. Still, as our chart of rookie salaries shows, Hardaway will earn 120% of that $997,300 cap hold, good for a first-year salary worth close to $1.2MM.

Odds & Ends: Bell, Billups, Datome, Grizzlies

July 8th, 2013 at 10:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Knicks coach Mike Woodson is trying to convince Chauncey Billups to rejoin the club, sources tell Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). However, the veteran is unlikely to accept a minimum deal. The Knicks saw another one-guard target come off the board tonight when the Pistons agreed to a deal with Will Bynum. Here's tonight's look around the Association..

Raja Bell worked out for the Knicks today and stood out to the point where he could receive consideration for a roster spot, a league source told Shams Charania of RealGM. Bell, who sat out all of last year, shot well and outplayed New York’s incoming rookies in one-on-one drills.
Although an overseas report over the weekend suggested that the Grizzlies had made Italian forward Gigi Datome a contract offer, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says the two sides aren't close to a deal. Datome doesn't seem inclined to accept a one-year offer with his potential playing time in question, according to Tillery, who adds that he expects the Grizz to sign someone like Anthony Morrow (Twitter links).
After checking in with the T'Wolves, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) gets the sense that Metta World Peace isn't a fit in Minnesota. There's one caveat, however – Rick Adelman has yet to chime in and could conceivably fight for him. But right now, there's no interest there.
The representatives for free agent center Jason Collins have only had preliminary discussions with teams, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). It's still early for the reserve center market and Collins probably has to wait for the bigger fish to sign before he can.
C.J. Leslie's deal with the Knicks will be partially guaranteed until January 7th, even if he is cut or waived before that date and will be fully guaranteed after that date, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. New York signed the N.C. State product as an undrafted free agent. He was widely regarded as a mid-second round talent prior to draft night.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Nuggets, Leslie, Pressey, Daniels

June 28th, 2013 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2013 draft in the books, there are still plenty of intriguing prospects that were not among the 60 players who heard their names called on Thursday night. Many of those guys will be snapped up quickly for Summer League rosters, while others could sign outright with an NBA team.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported a handful of signings late last night, and it's my understanding that these are actual free-agent contracts rather than just Summer League invites, though that's not entirely clear. Either way, the agreements will provide these undrafted free agents a chance to audition for a possible NBA roster spot. Here's a recap:

Kennedy has corrected his earlier report (linked below), tweeting that Harris is simply playing for the Nuggets in Summer League action, and not signing with the team yet. I imagine that may be the case for Howell and some of the other players listed below as well, though it seems as if Covington, at least, will ink an actual contract with the Rockets. We'll likely have to wait until July for official word.

Earlier updates:

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports (via Twitter) that undrafted free agents Richard Howell and C.J. Harris will sign with the Nuggets. Again, players don't necessarily have to be under contract with a team to play for a Summer League squad, so Kennedy's wording suggests that Howell and Harris will ink deals to earn a pair of Denver's 20 summer roster spots, though that's not 100% certain.
Former N.C. State forward C.J. Leslie has reached an agreement on a deal with the Knicks, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Leslie had been ranked the 40th-best prospect available by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com and 41st by ESPN.com's Chad Ford.
Phil Pressey, a 5'11" point guard out of Missouri, has reached an agreement on a deal with the Celtics, tweets Wojnarowski. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reported last night that Boston figured to "immediately go after" Pressey once he went undrafted.
Former VCU guard Troy Daniels has agreed to a free agent deal with the Bobcats, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Daniels averaged 12.3 PPG and shot 40.3% on three-pointers in his final season with the Rams.
Rodney Williams, Ford's 80th overall prospect in this year's class, has agreed to a deal with the 76ers, tweets Wojnarowski. The 21-year-old forward is coming off four years at the University of Minnesota.
Robert Covington will sign a two-year, partially-guaranteed contract with the Rockets, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter). According to Givony's sources, the guarantee for the former Tennessee State forward will be "substantial" — likely around $150K.

Draft Notes: Cavs, Kings, McLemore, Karasev

June 27th, 2013 at 3:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's the latest news as we get set for the Draft to get underway from the Barclays Center..

The Cavs haven't found a taker for the No. 1 pick yet, but it's not for a lack of trying. One source tells Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (via Twitter) that they still haven't given up on finding a trade.
The Kings have been aggressive in trying to move up from No. 7 in the draft, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Their likely target is Kansas guard Ben McLemore.
The Kings could find a partner in the Suns who pick at No. 5 and are looking to drop back, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Sergey Karasev left private interviews in Russia confident that he'll be in the top 15 and hope that he'll be a top ten pick, a league source told Shams Charania of RealGM. Discussions with several teams continued even after the interviews and the Bucks’ apparent interest has fueled belief that the 19-year-old won’t last beyond No. 15.
The Knicks remain enamored with German guard Dennis Schroeder at No. 24 but they understand that he's unlikely to slip to them, Wojnarowski tweets. The Jazz like Schroeder (14, 21) and there's little chance that the Nets (22) and Pacers (23) let him reach the Knicks (link).
Teams are getting a clear message from the Wizards: they do not want to part with their No. 3 pick, tweets Berger.
More from Berger (link), who tweets that Miami guard Shane Larkin has attracted the interest of the Jazz at No. 14 and Milwaukee at No. 15.
After two workouts, N.C. State forward C.J. Leslie shut it down with teams and he's expected to be selected in the 30s, tweets Wojnarowski.

Draft Workout Updates: Friday

June 14th, 2013 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2013 draft less than two weeks away, the majority of the NBA's teams are continuing to bring in prospects to get a closer look at them. Here are the latest updates on draft workouts:

In addition to Michael Carter-Williams, who we heard about yesterday, Trey Burke and Alex Len also participated in the Pelicans' first draft workout today, tweets Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com.
The Pistons won't start working out players for the No. 8 pick until next week, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, who tweets that Mason Plumlee will work out for the club next Friday.
The six players scheduled to work out for the Nets on Monday include C.J. Leslie and Tony Mitchell, according to a team release.
Ray McCallum, Brandon Paul, Tony Snell, Nate Wolters, Jack Cooley, and Zeke Marshall worked out for the Trail Blazers today, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (Twitter link).
The Timberwolves will work out six players on Sunday, according to the team's PR Twitter account: Shabazz Muhammad, Archie Goodwin, Rodney Williams, James Ennis, Kyle Barone, and Jamelle Hagins (Twitter links).
Brandon Davies, Mike Muscala, Elijah Johnson, B.J. Young, Grant Jerrett, and Colton Iverson worked out for the Clippers today, tweets Clips reporter Madelyn Burke.
Jerrett and Davies are also among the players who will work out for the Jazz tomorrow, along with Snell, Gorgui Dieng, Jamaal Franklin, Isaiah Canaan, and Kelly Olynyk, among others (link via Utah's official site).

Eastern Notes: Rose, Bosh, Kidd

June 13th, 2013 at 9:38pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau appeared to be excited as he described the progress that Derrick Rose has made, saying that the superstar point guard's speed and explosiveness have come back to the point to where he's comfortable and confident (Jon Greenberg of ESPN Chicago):

"I worked him out about a week ago…Watching the way he's moving now, there's a confidence.(Reporters) may not have been able to see the total work he was putting in. But he was putting in an enormous amount of work each and every day. He just never got to the explosiveness he was comfortable with. I think he's there now. He feels great, and that's the most important thing."

Here are more miscellaneous notes out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Heat forward Chris Bosh downplayed the idea that he's bothered by talk about him being the most expendable of Miami's "Big Three," also mentioning that he wouldn't want to be the lead player on a team with a lesser situation (Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports).
Though Hall of Fame point guard Bob Cousy once doubled as a player-coach, don't expect Nets coach Jason Kidd to follow suit, as he told reporters that he has no intention of ever playing another minute (Marc Berman of the New York Post via Twitter).
Patrick Ewing, recently hired as an associate head coach for the Bobcats, thinks that it'll be a tough challenge for Kidd to make the transition from being an NBA player directly into becoming a head coach (Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York).
Former Knicks and Nets forward Shawne Williams looked good during a workout today and will audition for several NBA teams soon, tweets Hoopsworld's Alex Kennedy.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that while the presence of Dion Waiters on the Cavaliers may compound the team's interest in drafting Ben McLemore, the former Syracuse standout could thrive in a reserve role as a primary ball handler in the second unit.
Wheat Hotchkiss of NBA.com reviews today's draft workout hosted by the Pacers, which included Deshaun Thomas, Will Clyburn, Alex Oriakhi, James Southerland, and Troy Daniels. C.J. Leslie was present, but did not participate in the workout.

Draft Notes: Blazers, Nets, Hawks, Pacers

June 12th, 2013 at 8:30pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes regarding draft prospects and the various teams they're meeting with throughout the league.

Maryland center Alex Len reportedly worked out with the Trail Blazers last week, reports OregonLive.com's Sean Meagher. Standing seven feet tall, Len would provide Portland with stabilizing rim protection, something they sorely lacked last season.
The Nets worked out several wing players who've shined at making plays off the dribble, including Reggie Bullock, Tony Snell, and Archie Goodwin, according to the New York Post's Fred Kerber.
The Hawks are set to work out St. Joseph's C.J. Aiken, a 6'9" forward who's already worked out for several NBA teams and is projected to go undrafted, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Tyler Tynes.
According to an official release from the team, the Pacers will hold a work out for Iowa State's Will Clyburn, Virginia Commonwealth's Troy Daniels, North Carolina State's C.J. Leslie, Missouri's Alex Oriakhi, Syracuse's James Southerland, and Ohio State's DeShaun Thomas.
The Bucks will work out Tony Mitchell, James Ennis, Solomon Hill, Adonis Thomas, Trey McKinney Jones, and Steven Pledger, according to a tweet from the team's PR account.
The Timberwolves are scheduled to work out six players on Thursday, according to a tweet from the team's PR account.

Draft Updates: Saric, Cavs, McLemore, Workouts

June 7th, 2013 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday, ESPN.com's Chad Ford reported that Croatian forward Dario Saric was leaning toward withdrawing from this year's draft, a surprising stance given how much his stock has risen in recent weeks. Today, Michael McNamara of Bourbon Street Blues passes along an email he received from Saric's agent, Robert Jablan, which reads:

"We make decision this morning that we will withdraw Dario from the 2013 draft."

We have yet to hear officially that Saric has pulled his name out of this year's draft class, and it's possible something was lost in translation. But it certainly appears as if Saric is leaning in that direction. He still has 10 days to make a final decision, so while we wait for the official word on the potential lottery pick, let's check out a few more draft-related updates:

Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reports that the Cavaliers are "seriously dissecting" the possibility of drafting Ben McLemore first overall, though he cautions that the team is far from decided on what it'll do with the pick (Twitter links). I'd be surprised if Cleveland eventually decided on McLemore — it sounds to me as if the team is just covering all its bases.
The latest Insider-only blog from Ford at ESPN.com is full of good info, including updates on Saric, Nerlens Noel, Trey Burke, and a handful of other prospects.
Anthony Bennett is unable to work out due to a rotator cuff injury, but he will meet with the Wizards next week, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
Lorenzo Brown, Myck Kabongo, Allen Crabbe, Jeff Withey, and Mike Muscala will work out for the Knicks on Monday, according to the team's official PR Twitter feed.
The Suns' workout today included C.J. Leslie, Matthew Dellavedova, Ian Hummer, Korie Lucious, Rodney McGruder, and Phil Pressey, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
Michael Carter-Williams intends to visit the Magic soon for a meeting and workout, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
Larry Drew II, E.J. Singler, Ian Clark, Ed Daniel, Trevor Mbakwe and Glen Rice Jr. worked out for the Trail Blazers today, according to a tweet from Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, who also reports that Cody Zeller is having an individual workout with Portland today.

Prospect Profile: C.J. Leslie

April 23rd, 2013 at 6:39pm CST by Zachary Links

N.C. State junior C.J. Leslie is no stranger to NBA scouts, as he has been on the map for the past two years. However, it would appear that staying in school has hurt Leslie's stock and the forward finds himself almost universally rated as a second-round prospect in a draft class that is believed to be the weakest in years. Leslie isn't interested in trying to boost his stock with one more year in school as he announced earlier this month that he won't be returning to the Wolfpack.

So why are teams down on the 6'8" (or 6'9", depending on who you ask) forward? His physical talent and all-around athleticism aren't in question, but his upside and overall motivation to get better are. Passing up the opportunity to jump into the 2012 draft was supposed to give Leslie the opening to vault himself into the top 20 of this year's class, but his junior year fell flat in the eyes of most observers. Leslie's numbers went up a tick but a deeper look at his stat sheet shows that his production per 40 minutes have dipped somewhat. His sophomore year saw him average 19.8 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 2.2 BPG per 40 minutes. This past year, however, he averaged 17.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. That's not an alarming drop, but it's definitely not the step up that scouts were hoping to see.

On offense, his athletic ability is what sets him apart from many small forwards in his class. He has shown that he can beat just about any defender off of the dribble at the college level and his quick first step should serve him well in the pros. However, unlike most players at the three, he doesn't have a consistent outside jumper. His lack of a strong jump shot was always one of the big strikes against him and with three years to get it straight, he still hasn't been able to show that he can keep defenders honest. He also has to improve his ball-handling if he's truly going to take advantage of his ability to break towards the basket.

Leslie never showed himself to be a lockdown defender at N.C. State, but his athleticism leaves some to believe that he can become a disruptive player in the NBA. Armed with quickness and a wingspan of 7'2", it's not hard to see Leslie being able to clog up passing lanes and kickstart the offense in transition. Of course, he'll have to commit mentally to becoming a tougher defender if he wants to give opponents trouble and out-muscle them when necessary.

Some have wondered why Leslie would jump into the draft when his stock is at its low point, but it's not such a strange decision when you consider how strong the 2014 draft is expected to be. Leslie may not be able to work his way into the first 30 picks, but he could improve his draft stock enough to come off of the board early in the second round. As it stands, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has the forward going 34th overall (just ahead of teammate Lorenzo Brown) while Chad Ford has him rated 68th in this class, which leaves him as a fringe second round pick or potentially undrafted. In a group of players where athleticism is hard to find, I expect to see him come off the board in the early-to-mid portion of the second round.

C.J. Leslie To Enter Draft

April 1st, 2013 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 9:44pm: The school formally announced via Twitter that Leslie will enter the draft (hat tip to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer).

TUESDAY, 12:52pm: Shortly after we heard news that Lorenzo Brown is expected to formally declare his intent for the NBA draft later this week, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (via Twitter) that Brown's N.C. State teammate C.J. Leslie will enter the draft as well.

Like Brown, Leslie played well in what figures to be his final game with the Wolfpack, scoring 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the team's loss to Temple last Friday. For the season, the 6'8" forward averaged 15.1 PPG and 7.4 RPG.

A year after deciding to return to N.C. State for his junior year, Leslie may find that his draft stock has slipped slightly. When Leslie made his decision last April, he was ranked 28th and 34th respectively on Chad Ford's and Jonathan Givony's lists of prospects for 2012. Currently, the 21-year-old is ranked 35th by Ford and 43rd by Givony for 2013.