Darren Collison Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: James, Collison, Labissiere

June 17th, 2017 at 9:23am CST by marksuleymanov

After LeBron James and the Cavaliers lost to the Warriors in the NBA Finals, talk of Akron, Ohio, native leaving Cleveland for a second time in free agency after next season has grown. Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical has mentioned on his podcast that King James is interested in heading out west to join either the Lakers of Clippers.

Joining either team presents a unique set of obstacles and Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus examined which team makes for sense for the three-time NBA champion. Suiting up for the Lakers seems more viable financially as Pincus notes the team can make a series of moves to come up with James’ $35.7 million maximum salary. Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov — if there’s no trade interest — could be waived and have their combined $69.5 MM salary stretched out over five years at $13.9 million per season.

The Clippers, however, would have a tougher time financially, especially if the team retains Chris Paul and Blake Griffin this offseason. Paul, Griffin, James, and DeAndre Jordan represent a fierce group of talent but to make that foursome work financially, everyone involved would likely need to agree to reduced salaries. Either way, James possibly leaving Cleveland will involve a lot of hurdles that could stall or fully prevent a move out west.

Here are some additional tidbits out of the Pacific Division:

Darren Collison is a free agent this offseason and the Kings‘ decisions in the NBA Draft with fifth and 10th overall picks will determine his future, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee writes. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has been on five teams and demonstrated his capabilities of being a productive player but the Kings — who are looking for point guard help in the draft — may head in a different direction.
In a separate Sacramento Bee piece, Jason Jones believes that the Kings should not take Skal Labissiere‘s strong numbers last season as a guarantee that the team is set at power forward. If an upgrade presents itself in the draft, Jones recommends that Sacramento pursue all available options.

Poll: Best Unrestricted Free Agent Point Guard

May 27th, 2017 at 1:32pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Among unrestricted free agents this offseason, point guard is easily the deepest position. Stephen Curry, Kyle Lowry, George Hill, Jeff Teague, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick Rose headline this group. Deron Williams, Darren Collison, and Patty Mills are also unrestricted free agents. In all, there are 28 unrestricted free agent point guards this offseason.

Two-time MVP Curry has scarcely been mentioned as an unrestricted free agent because most take for granted that he will return to the Warriors to dominate the NBA with the likes of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green for years to come.

Probably the second best player in this group, Lowry, will be coming off a breakout season, but he is 31 years old, has a long history of playoff struggles, and the Raptors would need to offer him a 5-year max contract. Still, Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combine for one of the most lethal backcourts in the league, and it is difficult to imagine Toronto not laying out the red carpet for its star point guard’s return.

After seven seasons with the Hawks, Teague played in all 82 games for the Pacers, averaging 15.3 PPG, 7.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG.

Although limited to 49 games due to injury in his first campaign with the Jazz, Hill averaged a career-high 16.9 PPG to go with an impressive slash line of .477/.403/.801.

Holiday shot a career-high 45.4% from the floor for the Pelicans, posting 15.4 PPG, 7.3 APG, and 1.5 SPG.

Rose, a former MVP, averaged 18.0 PPG and 4.4 APG, while shooting a stellar 47.1% in 64 games in his first season with the Knicks.

Without further ado, here’s today’s poll question: Beyond Curry and Lowry, who among this group would be most helpful for a team to sign and suit up as their starting point guard next season? Don’t limit yourself to a click of a button. Do you believe someone in the group is better than each of the available options? Are we underrating someone’s potential? Let us know in the comment section below. We look forward to your insight!

Kings Notes: Draft, Bogdanovic, Labissiere

April 27th, 2017 at 9:00am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Kings must establish a long-term answer at the point guard position, Bobby Marks of The Vertical contends. There will be plenty of options on the free agent market, including Darren Collison and Ty Lawson, who both started at least 20 games for the club this past season. However, Marks believes the team should look to the draft to find a playmaker at the position.

The Kings’ first-round pick is currently slotted in the eighth spot in the upcoming draft. They have only a 2.5% chance of moving into the top-3 since the Sixers will likely swap first-rounders with them should their pick come in higher than Philadelphia’s, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors details. Sacramento will also receive the Pelicans’ pick should it fall outside the top-3 (96% chance) as a result of the DeMarcus Cousins trade.

Here’s more from Sacramento:

The franchise must be patient as it rebuilds post-Cousins, Marks argues in the same piece. For quite some time, Sacramento had a short-term goal of making the postseason, something that led it to chase after veterans in free agency and not take a long-term view when building the roster. Sacramento will likely have cap space for the third straight offseason and Marks cautions that the team should refrain from adding any long-term money to the books in order to maintain future flexibility since the organization will most likely not be in a position to contend during the 2017/18 season.
Benedict Tagle of NBA.com examines the game of Kings’ draft-and-stash prospect Bogdan Bogdanovic. GM Vlade Divac previously said the organization wants him to come stateside this offseason. “We would love to have him here. We have his rights, and this summer we’ll talk about it,” Divac said.
Skal Labissiere broke out toward the end of the season and his former college coach credits the Kings for putting the 21-year-old in a position to succeed, as James Ham of Comcast Sportsnet relays. “I look at Skal and the progress – I give Sac credit,” Kentucky coach John Calipari. “These guys are working with him. He’s playing more confident. They’re putting him in positions he can have success. I didn’t do as good a job as they did.”

Pacific Notes: Barnes, Iguodala, Kings

April 16th, 2017 at 2:24pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Matt Barnes will not play for the Warriors in today’s playoff game against the Blazers, CBS Sports relays. Barnes, who was signed by the team earlier this season in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s knee injury, is dealing with a sprained right foot.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Andre Iguodala is staying with Landmark Sports, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Iguodala was previously represented by Rob Pelinka, who left the agency to become the Lakers’ GM. The Sixth Man of the Year candidate made slightly over $11.13MM for the Warriors this season in the last year of his contract.
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee wonders if the Kings will be patient enough to build something sustainable. Jones believes the team needs to give its young talent time to develop, something that will require the ownership to have more patience than they’ve shown in the past.
The Kings could draft a point guard and re-sign either Ty Lawson or Darren Collison to mentor the young prospect, Jones contends in a separate piece. Sacramento has plenty of cap room this summer and Jones believes it could mean a lucrative contract for one of its veteran point guards.

Kings Notes: Point Guards, Bogdanovic, Gay

April 15th, 2017 at 3:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

GM Vlade Divac said it’s “too early to say” whether or not the Kings will try to bring back Darren Collison or Ty Lawson next year, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. Jones adds that the team is stocked at many positions, but point guard is not of them.

Lawson had an uninspiring season in Sacramento, scoring 9.9 points per game while dishing out 4.9 assists per night. He made 24 starts for the club. Collison was suspended for the first eight games of the season because of domestic battery charges. He ended up playing in 68 contests for the Kings, averaging 13.2 points, 4.6 assists, and a steal per game. Both veterans will be unrestricted free agents this summer.

Here’s more from Sacramento:

Divac said Bogdan Bogdanovic, whose rights were acquired by the Kings in a 2016 draft night trade, is a “natural shooting guard” and added that the team wants him to come stateside, Jones relays in the same piece. “We would love to have him here. We have his rights, and this summer we’ll talk about it,” Divac said.
The Kings added an assistant GM last offseason and they remain open to expanding the front office even further, Jones adds in the same piece. “We’re open, always, to improve,” Divac said. “The team, the front office, everything is always open for improvement. I’m very happy and confident in what we have right now, but we should be open if something can make you better.”
Both Divac and coach Dave Joerger would like Rudy Gay to return to the Kings next season, Sean Cunningham of ABC10 tweets. Gay can become a free agent this summer by turning down a player option in his contract, but he remains undecided on whether or not he will do so.

Trade Rumors: C. Lee, Clippers, Pacers, Jazz, Kings

February 23rd, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we heard that the Clippers recently showed interest in Courtney Lee, and according to Ian Begley and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, the Clips and Knicks continue to talk. New York has been seeking draft picks in discussions on Lee and other players, and the Clippers don’t have any immediate first-rounders to offer, as Begley notes. So if the Knicks want to send Lee to Los Angeles, they may have to settle for a player or get a third team involved.

Here are more of the latest trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Pacers have been talking to teams about possible trades that would allow them to clear roster spots, tweets ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. As Windhorst notes, teams suspect that might be related to their talks with the Celtics regarding Paul George. Of course, Indiana may also just be doing due diligence as well in case Boston ups its offer — the Pacers wouldn’t want to be stuck having to waive useful players to make a deal work.
The Jazz don’t appear likely at this point to make a deal, says Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (via Twitter). TNT’s David Aldridge notes (via Twitter) that Utah could still make a move for Deron Williams, but if Williams isn’t dealt, the veteran point guard won’t ask for a buyout from the Mavericks.
The Kings continue to mull their options, but don’t appear to be moving forward with talks for players like Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo for now, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post (Twitter link), who adds that Sacramento’s asking prices may be too high. If those prices come down, things could change.
The Wizards continue to work the phones, but aren’t overly optimistic about getting another deal done by the deadline, tweets Bontemps.
The market for Iman Shumpert appears to be cooling as the deadline approaches, per Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter link). Amico says that teams are asking for a draft pick from the Cavaliers, and Cleveland doesn’t have many picks left.

Trade Rumors: Muhammad, Raptors, Collison, Mavs

February 23rd, 2017 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves are “determined” to move Shabazz Muhammad today and hope to land a draft pick in return, reports TNT’s David Aldridge (via Twitter). One report earlier today suggested that Minnesota might attach Muhammad to Ricky Rubio, but Aldridge is unsure if Muhammad would be included in a potential Rubio/Derrick Rose swap.

Here are more trade rumors from around the NBA:

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) has heard that Raptors players would like to see the team acquire Suns forward P.J. Tucker, in the hopes of getting someone capable of defending LeBron James in the postseason.
Darren Collison, who is on an expiring contract, is drawing interest from many teams, but the Kings are holding firm on their asking price of a first-round pick, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. An earlier report identified the Bucks as a potential Collison suitor, but Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link) says Milwaukee hasn’t engaged in talks with the Kings.
Now that they’ve found a taker for Andrew Bogut, the Mavericks have shifted their focus to a possible Deron Williams deal, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
The Wizards are exploring the market for a possible deal for a point guard, sources tell Kyler (Twitter link).
The Warriors aren’t active today, and figure to focus on the buyout market if they want to bolster their bench, according to Kyler (Twitter link).

Deveney’s Latest: Tucker, Favors, Gallinari, Anthony

February 23rd, 2017 at 9:49am CST by Dana Gauruder

P.J. Tucker‘s expiring, affordable contract makes him the player most likely to be dealt before today’s trade deadline, according to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. The Suns are holding out for a first-round pick for the veteran small forward, even if it’s a future first-rounder that they can use down the road as an asset, Deveney continues. The Jazz, Celtics, Clippers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Hawks and Bulls have all shown interest in Tucker, giving the Suns hope they can get a first-round pick for him, Deveney adds.

Deveney touched on a number of other players who could be wearing a different uniform by the end of the day:

Luxury-tax concerns have the Jazz exploring the market for power forward Derrick Favors. Rudy Gobert‘s extension kicks in next season and Utah is hopeful of re-signing Gordon Hayward in the likelihood he opts out of the final year of his current contract this summer. That makes Favors expendable but his nagging knee injury has tempered the market for him.
Danilo Gallinari is drawing more interest on the market than fellow Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler. Denver is seeking a first-rounder for either player but Gallinari’s ability to opt out of his contract after the season makes it more difficult for the Nuggets to get value for him.
Carmelo Anthony is likely to stay put unless Knicks president Phil Jackson can revive talks with the Clippers. Jackson is also trying to deal free agents he signed last summer — Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah — for draft picks.
The Hawks, Hornets and Bucks have shown interest in point guard Darren Collison as the Kings continue their latest rebuild in the wake of the DeMarcus Cousins blockbuster.
The Bulls, Pacers and possibly the Mavericks are still in play as potential suitors for Sixers power forward Jahlil Okafor but Philadelphia is not determined to move him unless it gets the right package.
The Mavericks are hopeful of getting a first-rounder for either Andrew Bogut or Deron Williams but may be willing to settle for a couple of second-rounders.

Trade Rumors: Knicks, C. Lee, Raptors, Collison

February 22nd, 2017 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

As of this afternoon, Carmelo Anthony still hasn’t been approached by Knicks management about any trade scenarios, and reiterated that he expects to remain in New York through the deadline, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com. However, even if Anthony stays put, the Knicks could look to move a veteran player or two. Derrick Rose‘s name has surfaced in several rumors this week, and Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders makes a case for why New York should send him to the Timberwolves for Ricky Rubio. Elsewhere at Basketball Insiders, Steve Kyler reports that veteran guard Courtney Lee is believed to be available.

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

The Raptors remain in the market for a big small forward or a wing who can shoot, sources tell Josh Lewenberg of TSN 1050 (Twitter link). Lewenberg suggests that Toronto could dangle Jared Sullinger‘s expiring contract, a point guard, and a draft pick as the team searches for a deal.
In the wake of the DeMarcus Cousins trade, Kings point guard Darren Collison told reporters that he has spoken to Vlade Divac and the Sacramento GM said there are no plans to trade Collison (video link via ABC10). Given how Divac and the Kings dealt with Cousins, it’s probably fair to take those assurances with a grain of salt.
Speaking of that Cousins deal, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post provides some additional details on the first-round pick sent to the Kings in the swap. According to Bontemps (Twitter link), if the Pelicans keep the top-three protected pick in 2017, it will become protected only for the No. 1 overall pick in 2018.

Kings Target More Young Players, Picks At Deadline

February 20th, 2017 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

1:50pm: A source has told Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the Kings don’t have plans to trade Collison. Of course, Sacramento also insisted for most of the season that it had no plans to trade Cousins, so it’s fair to be wary, particularly since there doesn’t seem to be much reason for the club to hang onto the veteran point guard.

7:37am: Having agreed to trade DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans, the Kings likely aren’t done dealing, reports Chris Mannix of The Vertical. According to Mannix, Sacramento will be targeting additional draft picks and players on rookie contracts before Thursday’s trade deadline, with players like Darren Collison, Ben McLemore, and Arron Afflalo available.

The Cousins trade agreement signaled that a full-fledged rebuild is underway in Sacramento, so it makes sense that players like Collison, McLemore, and Afflalo would be expendable — all three could become free agents this summer. Collison, in particular, is ticketed for unrestricted free agency and should draw some interest from teams in need of point guard help. His salary ($5.229MM) is modest, and his numbers this season (13.7 PPG, 4.2 APG, .421 3PT%) have been solid. Per Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (via Twitter), executives around the league believe Collison will “definitely” be traded.

Afflalo and McLemore were said to be available a month ago, so little has changed on that front. Reports last fall suggested that Sacramento’s new coaching staff had connected with McLemore and were excited to see how he performed this season, but his playing time has been inconsistent and he hasn’t taken a real step forward in 2016/17. The former seventh overall pick, who is averaging a career-low 18.1 MPG, is eligible for restricted free agency in July.

As for Afflalo, he hasn’t exactly thrived in Sacramento this season, averaging just 7.8 PPG and shooting 42.9% in part-time action for the Kings. While those marks are well below his career averages, Afflalo has been as effective as ever from three-point range (39.0%), and his contract is manageable — he’s making $12.5MM annually this year and next year, but next season’s salary is only guaranteed for $1.5MM, so his deal could be viewed as an expiring contract of sorts.

If Sacramento goes into fire sale mode, other vets like Kosta Koufos, Anthony Tolliver, Matt Barnes, and Tyreke Evans could also be available, though that’s just my speculation.