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Central Notes: Pacers, Bell, Bulls

October 19th, 2017 at 4:28pm CST by Austin Kent

The Pacers have made a concerted effort to play a faster tempo and managed to do just that thanks to their new-look backcourt spearheaded by Victor Oladipo. As Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes, Indiana managed to up their pace eventually outrunning their opening day opponent altogether.

While Oladipo led the squad in scoring with 22 points in Indiana’s first game, he wasn’t the only guard to post an impressive stat line. Veteran Darren Collison added 21 and 11 of his own while reserve guard Cory Joseph – plucked from the Raptors this offseason – put in 11 points and 4 assists of his own for the victorious Pacers.

“[Pacers coach] Nate MacMillan’s done an unbelievable job of letting us take the onus as point guards and kind of let us run the show,” Collison said. “He was a point guard himself. He knows what it’s like to let us see the game, instead of micromanaging every single play. If we can play like that, call a guard game, play with one another, we’ll be alright.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Bulls have gotten flak for, among other things, selling second-round pick Jordan Bell to the Warriors. Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score tweets that VP of basketball operations John Paxson said that he was “building up equity” with ownership when he sold the No. 38 pick to Golden State for $3.5MM.
  • After a down year besieged by injuries in 2016/17, Reggie Jackson has recovered and returned to the court for the Pistons. He’s “only going to get better as time goes on” head coach Stan Van Gundy told the media, Brendan Savage of MLive included.
  • The Bulls are looking to regroup after a fight in practice set the team into chaos before the season even began. Sam Smith of the team’s official website offers an inside account of what happened and what comes next.
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Pacers Rumors: Joseph, Seraphin, Final Roster Spot

July 17th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have already expressed their desire to re-sign Cory Joseph to a long-term deal, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star reports. Indiana reached an agreement to acquire Joseph from the Raptors in a sign-and-trade swap involving swingman C.J. Miles. Joseph will make $7.63MM next season and can opt out of the final year of his contract next summer, which would leave $7.95MM on table.  ‘The great thing is we were able to obtain him and now we’ll start the relationship,” team president Kevin Pritchard said. “We want to reset our culture. … We’ll have the opportunity to early renegotiate as well.” The team believes Joseph can be the long-term solution at point guard, though the team also signed Darren Collison as a free agent, Taylor adds. Joseph averaged 12.2 points and five assists in 22 games when Kyle Lowry was injured last season.

  • Pritchard indicated the Pacers have 14 guaranteed contracts, which apparently means they will guaranteed Kevin Seraphin‘s contract for next season, Taylor tweets. The team has until Aug. 1st to decide whether to guarantee Seraphin’s $1,974,159 salary.  The power forward appeared in 49 games with Indiana last season, averaging 4.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 11.4 MPG.
  • Pritchard hinted that three players will compete for the 15th and last roster spot, Taylor reports in a separate tweet. Pritchard said there would be 17 players on the training camp roster and the final spot would be determined in camp.
  • Joseph is focused on improving his 3-point shooting, according to Mark Montieth of Pacers.com. He made 35.6% of his long-range attempts last season but his career average is 31.7%. “I’m working on it every day,” he told Montieth. “Right now, that’s my next step, to get that better. I’ll continue to work on it and get better at it.”
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Raptors, Pacers Finalize Cory Joseph Trade

July 14th, 2017 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have officially sent Cory Joseph to the Pacers in a trade, the team announced today in a press release. In exchange for Joseph, Toronto acquired the draft rights to forward Emir Preldzic.Cory Joseph vertical

“We are very excited to acquire Cory,” Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in his team’s announcement of the trade. “He has been on our radar for a while. With Darren Collison and Cory we have two solid, veteran point guards who fit our culture of playing hard and unselfish.”

Joseph was previously reported to be part of a swap that would send Miles to the Raptors in a sign-and-trade. However, Miles’ three-year contract was set to include a player option, and the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits third-year options on contracts completed in sign-and-trade deals.

As such, the Raptors will trade Joseph and sign Miles in separate transactions. Toronto will sign Miles using the mid-level exception, which starts at $8.406MM. By splitting up the transactions, the Raptors will no longer be able to retain that MLE for another signing, but they’ll pick up another traded player exception instead. After getting a $11.8MM TPE in their DeMarre Carroll deal with the Nets, the Raptors will create a trade exception worth Joseph’s salary ($7.63MM) in today’s swap.

Moving Joseph to Indiana before signing Miles will help the Raptors stay out of luxury tax territory for now. Joseph, who turns 26 next month, played in 80 games for the Raptors last season, averaging 9.3 PPG and 3.3 APG. He’ll team with the newly-signed Collison as Indiana looks to replace Jeff Teague at the point guard position.

Joseph’s contract includes a player option worth $7.945MM for 2018/19, so he could hit the free agent market a year from now if he has a solid season with the Pacers.

As for Preldzic, the 29-year-old forward was the 57th overall pick in the 2009 draft and has remained overseas since then. At this point, he seems unlikely to make the jump stateside, so his NBA rights were likely just included in the deal because each team has to send out something in a trade. This is the fourth time Preldzic’s rights have been traded since he was drafted.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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C.J. Miles Headed To Toronto In Sign-And-Trade

July 9th, 2017 at 12:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Washington WizardsThe Pacers and Raptors have agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that will send free agent C.J. Miles to Toronto, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. Miles will sign a three-year deal with the Raptors worth about $25MM that contains a player option for the final season.

The trade cannot be completed until Toronto moves some salary by sending DeMarre Carroll to Brooklyn, Wojnarowski notes (Twitter link). That deal is contingent on the Wizards matching the Nets’ offer sheet to Otto Porter, which they have announced they will do. However, provisions for Porter’s physical could delay the matching process to as late as Wednesday.

The Miles trade will send point guard Cory Joseph to Indiana in return, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).

Joseph, who turns 26 next month, played in 80 games for the Raptors last season, averaging 9.3 points and 3.3 assists, mostly as a combo guard off the bench. He will make $7.66MM next season and has a player option worth $8MM for 2018/19. He’ll team with newly-signed Darren Collison as Indiana looks to replace Jeff Teague at the point guard position.

Miles, a 30-year-old swingman, will serve as a replacement for Carroll and provide Toronto with some additional outside shooting. A 12-year veteran, Miles is coming off another productive season — in 76 games, he averaged 10.7 points and 3.0 rebounds, and shot a career-best 41.3% on three-pointers. He will be getting a raise from the $4.58MM he made last season.

The Raptors will be hard-capped at $125.266MM for the 2017/18 league year as a result of acquiring a player in a sign-and-trade deal, and may also have to rely on a pair of youngsters – Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet – as the backup point guards behind Kyle Lowry.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Raptors, Pacers Discuss Cory Joseph Trade

July 2nd, 2017 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

11:19am: The Raptors are seeking draft-pick compensation in exchange for Joseph in talks with the Pacers, writes Scotto in his full report for Basketball Insiders. With Ibaka returning to Toronto and Lowry a good bet to follow suit, the club is looking to clear salary.

10:13am: The Raptors and Pacers are engaged in discussions on Joseph, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com confirms (via Twitter).

9:53am: The Raptors have had discussions about a trade that would send point guard Cory Joseph to Indiana, reports Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Based on the wording of Scotto’s report, it’s possible those discussions are simply internal ones for the Raptors, but I would imagine both teams have been involved in the talks.

Joseph, who will turn 26 next month, has played for the Raptors since 2015 after spending the first four years of his NBA career in San Antonio. He has steadily increased his production along with his playing time in each of his NBA seasons, averaging new career bests in PPG (9.3) and APG (3.3) with a .452/.356/.770 shooting line last season. Primarily a backup for Kyle Lowry in Toronto, Joseph stepped into the starting lineup down the stretch when Lowry was sidelined with a wrist injury.

If the Raptors are willing to consider moving Joseph, it may be a sign that the team believes Lowry will return. We heard on Saturday night that there’s a “growing sense” among NBA executives that the star point guard will remain in Toronto. If the Raps end up re-signing Lowry and trading Joseph, the team would likely lean on youngsters Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet as its backups at the point.

As for the Pacers, they’re in the market for point guard help after losing Jeff Teague, who has committed to sign with the Timberwolves. One report this weekend suggested Indiana is targeting players who haven’t necessarily reached their full potential with their current teams — Joseph, who has been solid but unspectacular for the Spurs and Raptors, may fit that bill.

Joseph, who will earn $7.63MM in 2017/18, has one guaranteed year left on his deal, with a $7.945MM player option for 2018/19. Moving his contract could help Toronto avoid going way over the tax line if the club reaches new deals with Lowry and Serge Ibaka.

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Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nets, Joseph, Knicks

May 9th, 2017 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The latest piece from TNT’s David Aldridge of NBA.com is ostensibly about the Celtics/Wizards series, but the story also looks ahead to the coming offseason, particularly with respect to Boston’s plans. According to Aldridge, many people around the NBA believe that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was – and still is – “determined” to keep the Nets‘ 2017 first-round pick, which could give him the opportunity to draft a top point guard prospect.

We’ll see if Ainge remains as determined to keep that pick if it doesn’t land in the top two, or if it becomes trade bait at that point. But drafting Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball would give the Celtics a strong insurance policy in the event that the team wavers on committing to Isaiah Thomas for the long term.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the Atlantic…

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Atlantic Notes: Nets, Ibaka, Bradley

March 14th, 2017 at 5:20pm CST by Austin Kent

Despite the fact that the Nets mortgaged their future for a shot at short-term success back in 2013, the franchise has shown flashes of promise throughout a long rebuild. Buddy Grizzard of Basketball Insiders recently wrote about the years-long process, pointing out that for all the up-hill challenges the club’s general managers have faced, they’ve done a decent job drafting young talent.

When the club first moved to from New Jersey to Brooklyn, first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018 were all sent to Boston in exchange for a package surrounding Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Suffice it to say, the bold gamble didn’t pay off for the franchise but the organization is making the most out of the scant cards they dealt themselves.

Grizzard mentions former general manager Billy King‘s selection of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in the 2015 draft as an intriguing aspect of the current roster, as well as current general manager Sean Marks‘ decision to nab Caris LeVert at No. 20 in 2016.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

  • After missing 18 games with an Achilles injury, Avery Bradley had been on a minute restriction for the Celtics. As of March 12th the limitations are no longer, says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England.
  • Say what you will about Cory Joseph backing up the injured Kyle Lowry, but one thing the reserve hasn’t been able to replicate is Lowry’s three-point shooting. “We’re more of a spread-it team,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said Monday night, per Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “Cory’s an attack guy, but he’s going into where everybody else is. It’s not that Cory’s doing something wrong; that’s just his game. When Kyle’s in there, he can space out and be one of the (pass) receivers out there.”
  • When the Raptors acquired Serge Ibaka, they added a rare force capable of impacting a basketball game without scoring a point, Ryan Wolstat of the National Post writes. Ibaka did just that on Monday night, finishing with a plus-18 rating despite not scoring a single basket.

 

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Trade Notes: Warriors, Gibson, Raptors, Okafor

February 15th, 2017 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors haven’t been involved in many trade rumors in recent weeks, which makes sense, since it’s hard to find many areas the team needs to improve. According to Anthony Slater of The San Jose Mercury News, general manager Bob Myers intends to keep an eye out for possible deals, but is happy to stand pat if nothing materializes.

“We don’t want to disrupt what we have,” the Warriors GM said. “Doesn’t mean we won’t answer the phone, doesn’t mean we won’t explore possibilities. But reality is, we like who we have and, even if we didn’t, our options are somewhat limited. Utah has our first (round pick) this year from the (Andre) Iguodala transaction back in 2013. So we’ll see what happens. If we end up not doing anything, that would be a fine outcome as well.”

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

  • Before the Raptors traded for Serge Ibaka on Tuesday, the team had been engaged in discussions with the Bulls about Taj Gibson. According to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com, Terrence Ross wasn’t believed to be a part of those talks, though the two sides were discussing a package that included a first-round pick. Having sent Ross and a first-rounder to Orlando, the Raps are now almost certainly out on Gibson, though the veteran power forward acknowledges there will likely be more chatter up until next Thursday.
  • Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun wonders if the Raptors are considering a follow-up move after trading for Ibaka. As Wolstat points out, Toronto will have a crowded frontcourt when Patrick Patterson gets healthy, and Cory Joseph might be expendable if the club has confidence in its other point guard options behind Kyle Lowry.
  • Having been pulled from the Sixers‘ lineup for the last two games, Jahlil Okafor admits he thought there was a “good chance” he’d be traded to another team by now, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer details. However, he’s ready to focus on his return to the court tonight in Boston.
  • A handful of ESPN insiders, including Kevin Pelton and Amin Elhassen (Insider link), examine the Pacific division and make a few suggestions for what sort of deals the Clippers, Kings, Lakers, Suns, and Warriors should consider.
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Atlantic Notes: Lowry, Nogueira, Anthony

December 24th, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Austin Kent

Zach Lowe thinks that the Sixers will absolutely make a run at pending free agent Kyle Lowry this summer. The ESPN journalist spoke on his The Lowe Post podcast with Brian Windhorst Thursday, citing several reasons why the franchise could pursue the veteran Raptors point guard.

Lowry is from Philadelphia, Lowe mentions, and has played under ex-Raptors executive Bryan Colangelo previously. On top of that, the Sixers will have an exorbitant amount of cap space and could benefit from the services of a point guard should they ultimately decide to utilize Ben Simmons in ways other than as a traditional playmaker.

Worth noting is that Windhorst believes Cory Joseph to be a suitable replacement for the 30-year-old point guard while Lowe believes that such a drop off would be too much for the Raptors.

Also in the Atlantic Division:

 

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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/19/16

December 19th, 2016 at 9:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

9:51pm:

  • The Warriors have recalled Damian Jones from their D-League affiliate, says the team in a press release. The center posted 17 points and nine rebounds in his lone game with the Santa Cruz Warriors Sunday night.

3:20pm:

  • The Raptors have sent Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet back the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Neither player has seen much action this season for Toronto, but with Cory Joseph and Delon Wright on the shelf, VanVleet was Kyle Lowry‘s backup on Sunday and played a career-high 23 minutes.
  • The Jazz have recalled rookie forward Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars, according to a team release. During his most recent game with Utah’s D-League affiliate over the weekend, Bolomboy helped lead the team to a win with 28 points and 19 rebounds.
  • The Magic have recalled C.J. Wilcox and Stephen Zimmerman from their D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Both players were sent down on December 15.
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