D.J. Stephens Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Stephens, Prince, Pelicans

October 11th, 2014 at 8:17pm CST by Cray Allred

The Spurs narrowly defeated Istanbul Fenerbahce Ulker 96-90 in today’s preseason action, salvaging a split from their international stint after losing to Alba Berlin earlier in the week. Fans aren’t likely to worry about San Antonio’s exhibition struggles after their dominating Finals win last season. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:

While D.J. Stephens remains a longshot to make the Pelicans‘ regular season roster, coach Monty Williams tells John Reid of The Times Picayune that the forward is a “once in a generation” athlete who might get some preseason minutes to make a bigger impression apart from the layup line. “He’s trying to figure out how to go from playing [power forward] to playing a wing spot–that’s hard. He’s done a decent job,” said Williams. “He could get some time in the next week or so.”
The Grizzlies made multiple attempts to trade Tayshaun Prince this summer, reports Ronald Tillery of Commercial Appeal. His name was rumored to be on the block at the very beginning of the offseason, but there have been no rumblings for the veteran forward since. Prince tells Tillery that he’s not ready to concede his role, despite increasing belief around the league that his skills are fading fast.
John Zitzler of Basketball Insiders takes a look at the roster additions across the Southwest, giving the Pelicans high marks for acquiring Omer Asik and John Salmons.

Pelicans Sign D.J. Stephens For Camp

October 1st, 2014 at 1:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 1:14pm: The deal is official, the Pelicans announced via press release.

MONDAY, 8:27am: The Pelicans and former Bucks swingman D.J. Stephens have reached agreement on a deal for training camp, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). It’ll have to be a minimum-salary deal for the one-year veteran, since the sliver of the mid-level exception that New Orleans has left is only enough for the team to exceed the minimum for a rookie. It’s not clear whether there’s any guaranteed money involved.

The 23-year-old was set to work out for Utah earlier this month, but it appears he’ll wind up in New Orleans instead. Stephens appeared in three games for Milwaukee on a 10-day contract last spring, scoring seven points and grabbing five rebounds in a total of 15 minutes. He saw significantly more playing time overseas last season after going undrafted out of Memphis in 2013, averaging 8.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game in 25 combined games with Ilisiakos BC of Greece and Anadolu Efes of Turkey.

New Orleans had been carrying 18 players, so the addition of Stephens leaves room for one more player to join the team in advance of Tuesday’s start of camp. A dozen Pelicans have fully guaranteed deals and three more are on partially guaranteed arrangements, and the team has Dionte Christmas, Kevin Jones and Vernon Macklin on non-guaranteed pacts, making it tough to see a clear path to opening night for Stephens.

D.J. Stephens To Join Jazz For Camp?

September 12th, 2014 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:34pm: Stephens’ agent tells Sportando that there’s no deal, but that his client will meet with the Jazz as planned this weekend (Twitter link).

2:00pm: D.J. Stephens and the Jazz have struck a non-guaranteed deal that will bring the former Bucks swingman to training camp, Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi reports. The 23-year-old had been set to work out for the club this weekend, as Boston Globe correspondent Jake Fischer reported earlier today, but either the workout has already taken place or Utah simply decided it already knew enough about Stephens to bring him aboard.

Stephens doesn’t have much of an NBA track record, having appeared in three games for a total of 15 minutes while on a 10-day pact with Milwaukee this past season. That was his only regular season NBA action after he went undrafted out of Memphis, and since he didn’t go to camp with an NBA team last autumn or participate in summer league this year, his only other brush with the league came during summer league in 2013. That year he averaged 4.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per game over eight combined appearances with the summer league squads of the Heat and Mavs.

The APAA Sports Group client has unprecedented hops, as I noted earlier, and he made his mark as a defender in college, winning Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. He’ll join 18 others on the Jazz, and he’ll face long odds to last on the roster beyond the preseason, since 17 of his new teammates have at least some guaranteed money on their deals. Still, I had been somewhat dubious that his workout would lead to a camp invitation, so perhaps another surprise is in store.

Jazz To Work Out D.J. Stephens

September 12th, 2014 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Free agent swingman D.J. Stephens will work out for the Jazz this weekend, a source tells Boston Globe correspondent Jake Fischer (Twitter link). Stephens appeared in three games while on a 10-day contract with the Bucks this past season, though there’s been little chatter this summer about a return to the NBA for the 23-year-old who went undrafted out of Memphis in 2013.

Stephens spent most of last season playing in Greece and Turkey, averaging 8.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per contest over a combined 25 games overseas. His otherworldly jumping ability helped offset his relatively short 6’5″ stature as he went after those boards, and the 46-inch vertical leap he performed at the predraft combine in 2013 was the highest ever recorded at the showcase, as DraftExpress shows.

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey has cast a wide net in his player evaluations during his tenure with the club, so the chance that Stephens’ workout is a precursor to a deal isn’t quite as strong as it might be if he were auditioning for another NBA team. The Jazz are carrying 18 players, and 17 of them are known to have partially guaranteed salary, as our roster counts show, so Stephens has no easy path to the opening-night roster in Utah.

Central Rumors: Stephens, Hawes

April 8th, 2014 at 7:29pm CST by Cray Allred

The Cavs and Pistons both had their sights on a playoff berth heading into this season, and their failure to reach the postseason is even more disappointing considering the Eastern Conference’s overall weakness this year. The Pacers are the latest team to disappoint out of the Central, playing .500 ball since the All-Star break, and dropping to the second seed could prove costly if and when they try to advance past the Heat and into the Finals. Here’s more from the struggling division:

Former Bucks shooting guard D.J. Stephens will play with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes for the rest of the season, tweets Boston Globe correspondent Jake Fischer. Stephens joined Milwaukee on a 10-day contract last month.
Spencer Hawes has been a bright spot for the Cavs since coming over at the trade deadline, and he tells Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer that he could see himself back with Cleveland next year. “I like it here, I think it’s a good fit,” said Hawes, who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. “And when July comes you kind of see how the other side of the game, how that all fits together.”
For his part, Cavs coach Mike Brown tells Bob Finnan of The News-Herald that he likes the intensity that Hawes brings to the team. “I’d like all the guys back,” Brown said. “You know how that process goes.”

Bucks Won’t Re-Sign D.J. Stephens

April 4th, 2014 at 10:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bucks don’t intend to sign guard D.J. Stephens to a second 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). According to Charania, Stephens will explore both NBA and overseas options in looking for his next opportunity. He was signed to his initial 10-day deal on March 26th. This will leave the team with 14 players on its roster.

Stephens saw action in two games with the team, and averaged 3.5 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 7.0 minutes per game.

Prior to signing with the Bucks, in 18 games with Greek team Ilysiakos this season, Stephens averaged 9.9 PPG and 8.8 RPG.

Eastern Notes: Bayless, Celtics, Bucks, Bobcats

March 26th, 2014 at 1:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Barring a remarkable turn of events, the Eastern Conference playoff field is set, and the only realistic uncertainty that remains is about how the teams will be seeded. Tonight’s Pacers–Heat clash will say much about which team ends up with the top seed, as Indiana will be either three games ahead or just one game up on Miami depending on the outcome. While we look forward to that, here’s what’s happening off the court around the East:

Jerryd Bayless said a week after arriving in Boston via trade that he’d like to remain with the Celtics beyond this season, and he reiterated that this week to Gary Dzen of Boston.com. Bayless will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
In a wide-ranging talk with season ticket holders earlier this week, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said the team will target a rim protector in the draft, notes Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe.
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel suggests there’s a decent chance that either Tony Mitchell or Chris Wright will return to the Bucks soon, depending on the performance of the newly signed D.J. Stephens (Twitter link). All three have received 10-day contracts from the team this month, and Gardner says the team will probably sign one of them to a longer deal.
The Bobcats are expected to receive a league-high $20MM in revenue sharing, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reports, with several other small-market teams in line for about $15MM. The increase in revenue the Bobcats have drawn via sponsorships is one advantage of fielding a team that competes for one of the last playoff spots rather than bottoming out in pursuit of a high draft pick, as Lowe explains.
Bobcats owner Michael Jordan doesn’t talk much about the team publicly, but he’s been heavily engaged behind the scenes in collective bargaining and revenue sharing discussions, as commissioner Adam Silver tells DeAntae Prince of The Sporting News.

Bucks Sign D.J. Stephens To 10-Day Deal

March 26th, 2014 at 10:10am CST by Zachary Links

MARCH 26TH: The Bucks have officially signed Stephens, the team announced (Twitter link).

MARCH 24TH: Milwaukee is circling back around to Stephens now that their 10-day deal with Chris Wright has lapsed, as the Bucks will sign Stephens to a 10-day contract on Wednesday, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.

MARCH 14TH: The Bucks are set to sign former University of Memphis swingman D.J. Stephens to a 10-day deal, according to Greek site EBasket. Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (on Twitter) has confirmed the news. Stephens had interest from several clubs heading into last year’s draft but was not selected.

In 18 games with Greek team Ilysiakos this season, Stephens has averaged 9.9 PPG and 8.8 RPG. The 23-year-old averaged less than eight points and seven rebounds in his senior season at Memphis, but his highlight reel of blocks and eye-popping dunks had scouts drooling. At the pre-draft combine, Stephens registered a 46″ vertical leap, the highest ever recorded by the NBA. For reference, LeBron James and Michael Jordan have never recorded more than a 44″ vertical.

Odds & Ends: Rivers, Nuggets, Roc Nation

June 20th, 2013 at 8:29pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald refers to a source that says Doc Rivers had no intention of being a part of an eventual rebuilding process with the Celtics, and that the team knew he felt that way when he signed his latest contract. The same source also said that Rivers did not intitiate the process that led to talks between Boston and the Clippers, adding that he had been contemplating between returning to coach the Celtics and stepping away from the game before team brass asked him if he was interested in any of the coaching opportunities around the league.

According to Bulpett's source, Rivers then learned that the front office had already held preliminary discussions with the Clippers about making him available (by releasing him from his contract) and seeing what they could get in return. At that point, Rivers was reportedly intrigued at the prospect of moving west and allowed Danny Ainge to try to work out the best possible deal. In the meantime, the 51-year-old coach was given permission to see if he could reach a separate agreement with the Clippers, which he eventually did (most notably, it would allow him to have control over player personnel).

With the deal now slowed by the fact that the agreement doesn't exactly comply with the rules of the CBA, Bulpett writes that Rivers could choose to do television work for the next one to two years rather than decide between coaching the Celtics or stepping away from the game altogether – that is, if the deal with the Clippers falls through. Interestingly enough, on the notion that Rivers had once said he'd be willing to continue coaching in Boston during a rebuilding process, some sources have called it an obligatory statement that was meant to preserve the stability of the team at the time, all while the front office would work to find pieces to complement Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce accordingly.

As we gear up for the seventh and deciding game of the NBA Finals, here are more of tonight's miscellaneous notes from around the Association:

Mike Bratz, currently the director of player personnel for the Nuggets and former Kings backup point guard, has reached an agreement with Sacramento to become the team's assistant general manager (Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports).
Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that shortly after firing George Karl, the Nuggets had offered the Celtics a first round draft pick as compensation to pry Rivers out of his contract. Once Denver's offer was rebuffed by Danny Ainge, they quickly moved their focus onto Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins, who both are said to have made strong impressions on team president Josh Kroenke and general manager Tim Connelly. Sources have said that at the time Kroenke had made his bid for Rivers about ten days ago, Boston was not ready to start the process of letting Rivers leave, and the negotiations never went beyond one brief conversation between Kroenke and Ainge.
There has been growing confusion (as well as anger, in some cases) among outside agents about who exactly the Roc Nation Sports agency represents and which athletes are part of its partnership with CAA Sports, writes Liz Mullen of SportsBusinessDaily.com. Some agents have privately expressed anger that Roc Nation has been reported to represent athletes who are still clients of other firms.
Janis Carr of the OC Register writes that Dwight Howard is still undecided on his future (subscribers only).
Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News tweets that Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni will be continuing interviews to fill out the rest of his coaching staff through next week, and that much of it will depend on how the head coaching hires around the league turn out.
The city of Sacramento is being asked to write its first big check toward the development of a downtown sports arena, says Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. City development staff is expected to ask the council for $6.5MM in city funds, of which some will be used to hire a team of financial, design, and legal consultants. The team of consultants are said to be needed as the city begins negotiations on "definitive agreements" of an arena financing and construction plan with the private investment team that owns the Kings.
The Grizzlies should strongly consider selecting D.J. Stephens on draft night, opines Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Draft Notes: Cavs, Pistons, Thunder, Blazers

June 19th, 2013 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2013 NBA draft just eight days away, various outlets continue to update their mock drafts, with Chris Mannix of SI.com and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com the latest experts to provide new versions of their respective mocks. Mannix and Givony actually agree on the top four – Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore, Otto Porter, and Alex Len, respectively – but starting at No. 5, their first rounds diverge significantly. Here are more of today's draft-related updates:

Mannix's latest mock draft includes a number of interesting tidbits, including word that the Cavaliers continue to shop the first overall pick, but "have completely overvalued it," according to one executive.
We already passed along one notable update from Chad Ford's latest chat at ESPN.com, but the entire chat was full of interesting answers, as Ford addressed nearly every first-round pick.
C.J. McCollum and Michael Carter-Williams worked out with the Pistons today, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
If Carter-Williams falls to No. 12, he'd be an ideal fit for the Thunder, says David Thorpe of ESPN.com (Insider-only link).
The Trail Blazers worked out Mason Plumlee, Archie Goodwin, Myck Kabongo, Phil Pressey, E.J. Singler, and Dewayne Dedmon today, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).
The Grizzlies, who hold three second-round picks, will work out Erick Green, Elias Harris, Brandon Davies, Jason Jones, D.J. Stephens, and Mareks Mejeris tomorrow, the team announced in a release.
James Ennis was among the players who worked out for the Clippers today, according to the team's official site.