Colton Iverson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Colton Iverson Will Play In Israel

September 9th, 2016 at 10:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Colton Iverson, whose rights were renounced by the Celtics last month, will play in Israel next season, according to Sportando (Twitter link). The 7’0″ center has agreed to a contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Boston had owned the rights to Iverson since making him the No. 53 selection in the 2013 draft after buying the pick from the Pacers. Iverson played for the Celtics’ summer league team in July, but was given almost no chance of making the regular-season roster because Boston already has 16 players with guaranteed contracts.

Iverson, 27, had hoped to catch on with another NBA team before training camp, but apparently no invitation was forthcoming. He has spent the past three seasons with teams in Turkey and Spain.

Celtics Notes: Iverson, Zeller, Olynyk

August 25th, 2016 at 9:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have renounced their rights to center Colton Iverson, their 2013 second-round draft pick, a source told ESPN.com’s Chris Forsberg. The 27-year-old Iverson played for the Celtics’ summer-league team but had virtually no chance of making the roster this season with 19 players under contract, including 16 with guaranteed deals, Forsberg continues. By renouncing his rights, the Celtics are giving the 7-footer a chance to receive a training camp invite with another team that doesn’t have a frontcourt logjam and an overabundance of contracts, Forsberg adds. Iverson, who has played in Turkey and Spain the past three seasons, was the No. 53 overall selection in 2013 after the Celtics bought the pick from the Pacers.

In other news regarding the Celtics:

Center Tyler Zeller re-signed with the club for two years and $16MM this summer but his role is undefined, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com examines. Zeller’s ability to run the floor makes him a candidate to start at some point during the season but he’s not enough of an offensive threat to remain in the lineup, Blakely speculates. His playing time will fluctuate and there may be games where he doesn’t play at all, Blakely adds.
Big man Kelly Olynyk believes the club will miss swingman Evan Turner in a number of ways this season, Forsberg reports in a separate story. Turner, who signed a four-year contract with the Trail Blazers as a free agent this summer, was not only a rotation player but a strong influence in the locker room, according to Olynyk. “He’s somebody who really helps guys out. I think that his voice, that’s something that people respect,” Olynyk told Forsberg. “He just keeps it real, keeps it 100 (percent) every time you talk to him. You know what you’re getting from him.” The link to the interview can be found here.

Celtics Notes: Green, Iverson, Zeller, Thornton

July 30th, 2016 at 1:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics’ disappointment in James Young made the signing of Gerald Green necessary, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. In examining Boston’s offseason moves, Blakely sees Green as an “X-factor” who may not play a lot but could be the difference in four or five games next season. The veteran forward signed a one-year minimum deal with the Celtics last week. Blakely adds that team officials are impressed by the aggressiveness that No. 3 pick Jaylen Brown showed during summer league, where he averaged 10.2 free throws per game, and that second-rounders Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil are expected to spend most of 2016/17 in the D-League.

There’s more news out of Boston:

The Celtics haven’t discussed a contract for next season with Colton Iverson, tweets Jared Weiss of CLNS Radio in Boston. The rights to Iverson, who spent last season in Turkey, have belonged to Boston since a 2013 draft-night deal with Indiana. The seven-foot center reportedly believes he’s ready to try the NBA.
Tyler Zeller‘s new contract includes $8MM guaranteed for next season and a non-guaranteed $8MM for 2017/18, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Making the second year non-guaranteed rather than a team option gives the Celtics more flexibility if they decide to trade Zeller (Twitter link).
Marcus Thornton, a second-round pick by the Celtics in 2015, will play in Italy next season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 6’4″ guard played in Australia in 2015/16 and spent 12 games at the end of the season with Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine.

No Deal Yet For Celtics, Colton Iverson?

July 28th, 2016 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

10:19am: A source tells Jay King of MassLive.com that there is no agreement at this point between Iverson and the Celtics, despite the fact that the seven-footer wants a shot to play in the NBA.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Iverson and the C’s won’t eventually finalize a deal — Pick’s report didn’t materialize out of thin air, so it seems likely that the two sides are talking. We’ll pass along any updates as they become available.

8:51am: Three years after landing him on draft night, the Celtics have agreed to a deal with big man Colton Iverson, according to international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link). It’s not clear if there’s any guaranteed money included on Iverson’s deal, which will bring him to camp with the C’s.

Iverson, who played his college ball at Minnesota and Colorado State, was selected 53rd overall in the 2013 draft with a pick Boston acquired from Indiana in exchange for cash. Since then, Iverson has played overseas, spending time with various teams in Turkey and Spain. The 27-year-old played for Pinar Karsiyaka last season, averaging 11.4 PPG and 6.4 RPG in 33 Turkish League contests (21.2 MPG).

The timing of Iverson’s move is interesting, since the Celtics’ depth chart looks pretty crowded this season. Iverson will be the team’s 19th player under contract, not counting 2016 second-round pick Abdel Nader, who remains unsigned. Of those 19 players, 16 are believed to have guaranteed contracts for the coming season, while John Holland‘s deal is non-guaranteed and Ben Bentil received a partial guarantee.

With an uphill battle to make the regular-season roster, Iverson could end up being one of the players the Celtics cut in training camp and assign to their D-League affiliate in Maine.

Celtics Rumors: Sullinger, Iverson, Holmes, Smart

August 16th, 2015 at 2:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rookie scale extension candidate Jared Sullinger has dropped a noticeable amount of weight in preparation for next season, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The 6’9″ forward averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season, but he isn’t guaranteed playing time in the Celtics’ crowded frontcourt. He will have to compete with the newly acquired Amir Johnson and David Lee, along with holdovers Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller and Jonas Jerebko. It was reported in March that if Sullinger receives an extension, it could come with a weight clause.

There’s more news out of Boston:

Colton Iverson has officially signed with the Turkish team Pinar Karsiyaka, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The Colorado State product, whose rights were sent from Indiana to Boston in a 2013 draft-night trade, spent last season with Baskonia in Spain.
The Celtics had interest in inviting Texas forward Jonathan Holmes to training camp, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. However, because Boston had a wealth of forwards and too many guaranteed contracts, Holmes decided to pursue other options. He landed a partially guaranteed deal with the Lakers.
With about six weeks left until training camp, Marcus Smart is going through two-a-day exercises to try to rehab two dislocated fingers on his right hand, Washburn writes in the same piece. His agent says Smart is hoping to resume basketball activities within two weeks.

Celtics Rumors: Pressey, Faverani, Iverson, Allen

July 11th, 2015 at 6:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

Phil Pressey‘s plan to impress Celtics’ brass during summer league didn’t work out the way he hoped, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Pressey left Las Vegas before the team’s first game, and Murphy speculates that his time with the Celtics may be ending soon. Boston assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry said the organization never intended to use Pressey in summer league games. “With Marcus [Smart] playing, and just being able to get Terry [Rozier] a lot of reps in his first couple of games, try him out with a lot of reps at the one, we were able to see what we had, too,” Shrewsberry said. “Phil was there in case anything happened, to give us an extra body. Fortunately nothing happened.” The Celtics have a wealth of guards under contract, and Pressey may be the odd man out. His contract becomes guaranteed for $947,276 on Wednesday.

There’s more news from Boston this evening:

Vitor Faverani, who was waived by the Celtics in December, has reached a two-year agreement to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The 6’11” center will reportedly receive more than $669K per season. Faverani started eight games for the Celtics as a rookie in 2013/14, but a torn meniscus in his left knee cut his season short after 37 games. He was still on the roster early last season, but didn’t see any game action.
Colton Iverson, whose rights are owned by the Celtics, has signed with Pinar Karsiyaka of the Turkish Basketball League, Blakely writes in a separate story. The Pacers made Iverson the 53rd choice in the 2013 draft and immediately traded him to Boston for cash. He was expected to play for the Celtics’ summer league team, but left to pursue opportunities outside the United States. The Celtics are encouraging him to keep playing overseas to improve his game, according to Blakely.
Former Penn coach Jerome Allen will become an associate head coach with the Celtics, according to Garrett Miley of Cityofbasketballlove.com.

Atlantic Notes: Anderson, Iverson, Knicks

May 12th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Nets announced today that Alan Anderson underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle. The procedure was performed by Nets’ foot and ankle specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Anderson is expected to resume basketball-related activities in July, according to the official announcement. The 32-year-old reportedly intends to opt out of his player option worth $1,333,484, and GM Billy King has relayed that the team would like to re-sign the swingman.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Colton Iverson, the No. 53 overall pick in the 2013 draft whose rights are owned by the Celtics, hopes to finally make the team’s roster next season, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. “I just hope to be as aggressive as possible this summer and kinda show [the Celtics] what my role can be for this team,” Iverson said. “Show them that I am ready for this opportunity.” In 56 games this past season for Laboral Kuxta split between Liga ACB and Euroleague play, Iverson averaged 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds over 20.5 minutes per game.
Iverson also indicated that he felt that he could have helped the Celtics this past season with his rebounding and toughness, Forsberg adds. “I thought there may have been an opportunity for me, but at the same time, they are still building right now, and maybe that was not the right time,” said Iverson. “They are still rebuilding — they’ve communicated that with me — that they are trying to get their main components, their starting five solidified, then they’ll build their roster after that. It’s kind of a waiting game right now for me and them. I just hope that the rebuilding process is as strong as possible right now.”
Knicks president Phil Jackson has been vocal in his distaste for teams that rely on bombing away from beyond the three-point arc during the playoffs, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. New York had led the NBA in 3-point attempts during the 2012/13 campaign when it won 54 games, but fell the 21st this past season when the franchise only managed 17 wins.

Eastern Notes: Thompson, Iverson, Knicks

November 1st, 2014 at 8:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

Uncertainty over the future of the salary cap prevented Tristan Thompson from signing an extension with the Cavaliers, writes Terry Pluto of The Plain-Dealer. With a new TV contract taking effect during the summer of 2016, there are estimates that the cap could soar by 25%, dissuading players and teams from committing to long-term deals. Pluto notes that Thompson, represented by Rich Paul, who is also the agent for LeBron James, should have extra value because of the scarcity of quality big men. There’s more on the Cavs amid our look around the Eastern Conference:

Cavaliers coach David Blatt may be new to the NBA, but that didn’t stop him from tearing into his team following its opening-night loss to the Knicks, as Zach Harper of CBSSports,com details. “He got on us from the time we started our meeting to the time we left,” said Cavs star LeBron James. “And it’s great. For a team like us, we need that.” James said the first-year coach definitely got the players’ attention with his tirade.
The Celtics have to be encouraged by the play of former second-round pick Colton Iverson in the Euroleague, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of Celtics Insider. The 7-footer had 17 points and six rebounds and hit the game-winning basket for Kutxa Vitoria in a recent victory over Galatasaray Liv Hospital. “That’s my style of play,” Iverson said during his stint with the Celtics’ summer league team. “I’m always gonna be someone who is a pest to play against. I take pride in the way I play physical, and [being] a menace.” The Celtics acquired Iverson’s draft rights on draft night in 2013.
Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com blames a lack of talent, not the Knicks‘ new triangle offense, for the opening night blowout loss to the Bulls. O’Connor writes that even though the Knicks will be clearing a massive amount of cap room this summer, players such as LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol are unlikely to leave their current teams. O’Connor speculates that the Knicks could chase Rajon Rondo next summer, or endure another losing season and go after Kevin Durant in 2016.

Eastern Notes: Monroe, Harrington, George, C’s

August 12th, 2014 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The idea that Greg Monroe would take a max offer from the Pistons isn’t necessarily true, as Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said last month, according to Vincent Goodwill (Twitter link). A resolution to Monroe’s restricted free agency still seems a ways off, as we passed along earlier today. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Al Harrington hopes to sign with the Wizards after he returns from China, as he tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. He’ll make much more on his deal with China’s Fujian Sturgeons than he would have on an NBA minimum-salary contract, the forward also said in his conversation with Michael. The Wizards were unwilling to commit to re-signing Harrington before he inked the Chinese deal, Michael hears, though Washington was open to having him return as an assistant coach. Other NBA teams were interested in him as a player, Harrington said, but none of them were title contenders.
Pacers executive Larry Bird isn’t ruling out a return to action for Paul George at some point this season, even though the team is “sort of expecting him [to be] out all year,” as Bird said today to reporters, including Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). We rounded up more of Bird’s remarks right here.
Celtics draft-and-stash prospect Colton Iverson has signed with Laboral Kuxta of Spain, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). David Pick of Eurobasket.com first reported the agreement (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the 53rd overall pick from 2013, his agent tells Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com (Twitter link).
Celtics summer leaguer Dairis Bertans received invitations to training camp from NBA teams, but he’ll continue to play in Spain instead, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.
Ray Allen has expressed a wish in past years that he could wait until September to decide whether to play the following season, so his unwillingness to commit to a team for 2014/15 is no surprise, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in his mailbag column.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nets, Hollins, Nelson

July 1st, 2014 at 9:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Celtics 2013 second round pick Colton Iverson is back from Turkey and confident that he’ll make the C’s roster, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. “I knew when I got drafted last year that there was a pretty good chance I would have to go overseas,” said Iverson. “I was here working, trying to impress, and do everything possible to help the team. I knew there was a slim chance just with the roster. I think this year there is a little bit better chance and I know the opportunity is all mine for the taking. I think if I just come out and show what I can do in summer league and the next couple days here, I will really help myself. So I’m coming along with a different mindset that it’s mine for the taking and it’s all up to me.” Here’s more from around the NBA..

Everything is quiet on the Nets/Lionel Hollins front at the moment, but signs are pointing toward an agreement, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Brooklyn has no immediate plans to interview anyone else for the position.
Nets GM Billy King told WFAN that Jameer Nelson is “on the list” of potential free agents that Brooklyn could target, tweets Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record.
Mark Jackson was rumored to be a possible coaching candidate for the Nets, but he’s not under serious consideration now, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.
New Warriors guard Shaun Livingston told David Aldridge of NBA.com (on Twitter) that his departure from the Nets was a “long time coming” and admitted that the team’s limitations in how much money they could offer was a factor. He went on to say that Jason Kidd‘s bizarre exit from Brooklyn wasn’t a major factor from him but also “didn’t help matters” (link).
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com runs down five potential free agent targets for the Knicks, including Pau Gasol, Jordan Hill, and Andrew Bynum.