Derrick Rose

Wizards Interested In Derrick Rose

Another team said to be interested in potentially signing newly-waived point guard Derrick Rose is the Wizards, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. According to Wojnarowski, the Wizards may feel that Rose could help fill the hole caused by the injury to John Wall, who will remain out several more weeks while he rehabs his knee following surgery.

Rose will remain on waivers until Monday afternoon, and the Wizards could put in a waiver claim for Rose’s minimum salary contract before then. But, as Bobby Marks of ESPN details, Washington may be wise to wait until Rose becomes a free agent before acquiring him, as putting in a waiver claim would cost the Wizards $2.4MM in tax penalties, while a rest-of-season contract would only increase the tax by $800K.

In any event, the Wizards appear to have some competition for Rose’s services. As we relayed earlier this week, the Timberwolves and Rose’s former coach, Tom Thibodeau, are in the mix to sign Rose as well — Marc Stein of The New York Times is now reporting that Minnesota may look to make a waiver claim.

Rose, still only 29, has had a once-promising career devastated by injuries. The former MVP played only 19.3 minutes per game for the Cavaliers this season, a career-low by far, and has now been both traded and released in the last few days.

2017/18 Buyout Market Summary

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, much attention is being paid to what is expected to be several weeks of busy buyout market activity. The last day that a player can be waived from their current team and still be eligible to play in the postseason with a new team is March 1.

Below are a series of lists breaking down the veterans who have already been bought out – or simply waived – by their respective teams since the trade deadline, along with those who are expected to be, and several more who really ought to be considered possible buyout candidates even if no reports have come out explicitly stating as much.

As the weeks unfold, we may see new names surface as buyout candidates, in such cases (and whenever a player is formally bought out) we’ll update the list.

Potential buyout candidates:

Expected to be bought out or released:

  • None

Veterans who have been bought out or released:

2018 Free Agent Stock Watch: Utah Jazz

The Jazz have done an admirable job turning what appeared to be a lost season into a competitive campaign. Thanks in no small part to the emergence of super rookie Donovan Mitchell, the future is as bright if not brighter than it was in Utah prior to Gordon Hayward‘s departure.

The Jazz sit within reach of the Western Conference playoff picture and just added one of the league’s best bargain small forwards for good measure. Given that the club’s books are in good shape for a potential playoff squad – they have just $89MM committed for next season – a smart offseason could get them close to where they left off in 2016/17.

Dante Exum, PG, 22 (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $16.3MM deal in 2014
It’s hard not to be bearish on the former lottery pick considering that he’s missed all or most of two of his four professional seasons with injuries. Still just 22 years old, however, it’s likely that the restricted free agent will intrigue at least one other team around the Association. The Jazz don’t have much reason to match a lofty deal if he lands one but they may be receptive to an affordable, short-term reunion to see if they can get a better idea of what his actual ceiling is. Much of Exum’s value will be shaped by how he looks when he comes back from his shoulder injury in mid-to-late March.

Derrick Favors, C, 26 (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $47MM deal in 2014Derrick Favors vertical (Getty -- no attribution required)
Favors went from being one of the game’s intriguing young big men to a bit player on a Jazz team that emerged as a surprise contender in the Western Conference. This season, the club has seen more out of the 26-year-old than it has in years, thanks largely in part to Rudy Gobert‘s two long-term absences. It may be inevitable that Favors isn’t a good fit next to Gobert but until head coach Quin Snyder exhausts each and every possibility for incorporating both, Favors could actually be a bargain this summer considering how drastically the narrative around him has changed. Favors isn’t a franchise cornerstone as the contract extension he inked in 2013 implied but he’s an above average starter that, in today’s climate, deserves eight digits.

Raul Neto, PG, 26 (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $3.4MM deal in 2015
The Jazz have incorporated Neto into their rotation this season and gotten modest production in return. While it’s hard to imagine they’ll face much competition from other teams when he hits restricted free agency, it’s conceivable to picture him back in Utah as a cheap third stringer. Don’t expect the club to compromise its roster or cap flexibility in order to retain him but he’s a solid option with which to round out the roster.

Derrick Rose, PG, 29 (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2.1MM deal in 2017
The Jazz are expected to give Rose a buyout after acquiring him in the Rodney Hood deal at the trade deadline. Even if the club had no intention of buying him out though, it’s slim to none that he’d land back in Utah given their depth at the point and the culture already in place within the organization. Can the banged up husk of a former MVP attract attention on the open market? Yes, of course, but the guard’s inconsistent motivation to even continue playing at all will be the limiting factor.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cavs Acquire Rodney Hood, George Hill In Three-Team Trade

7:57pm: The trade is official, according to press releases from the Jazz and Cavaliers. The terms of the deal are as follows:"<strong

1:41pm: ESPN’s Brian Windhorst adds more details on this complex three-team deal, tweeting that the Kings will receive $2.1MM from the Cavs and $1.1MM from the Jazz. Utah will have the option of swapping second-round picks in 2024 with the Cavs. Cleveland also acquired the draft rights to Arturas Gudaitis from the Kings and surrendered the draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis.

12:03pm: A busy day in Cleveland continues, as the Cavaliers have agreed to acquire Rodney Hood from the Jazz in a three-team trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). The Cavs will also receive George Hill from Sacramento in the deal, with the Jazz acquiring Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose.

The Kings will get Joe Johnson and Iman Shumpert, per Woj (Twitter link). TNT’s David Aldridge tweets that Sacramento will also acquire a future draft pick and cash considerations, with Sam Amick of USA Today providing some details (via Twitter), reporting that the pick will be Miami’s 2020 second-rounder from Cleveland. The Kings will also get a little over $3MM in cash, Amick adds.

The move, which comes on the heels of the Cavs reaching a deal with the Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr., further reshapes a Cleveland roster that will look a whole lot different by the end of the day than it did at the start of it.

By surrendering Crowder, Rose, and Shumpert in exchange for Hood and Hill, the Cavaliers will take on about $4MM in extra salary, and far more than that in projected tax payments. However, the cost of the deal may be worth it for the on-court impact, as Crowder, Rose, and Shumpert have all underperformed and/or battled injuries this season.

Hood will give the Cavs a young, perimeter scorer who has fought through some injuries of his own, but has enjoyed a career year when he’s been on the court. In 39 games, the 25-year-old has averaged 16.8 PPG on .424/.389/.876 shooting. As for Hill, the veteran point guard has struggled mightily in Sacramento this season, but has historically been a good shooter (.454/.384/.800 career shooting line) and a solid defender. His ability to play off the ball should make him a good fit to play alongside LeBron James.

Hood will be a restricted free agent this summer, while Hill remains under contract for two more years beyond this one. He’ll earn $19MM in 2018/19, and has a $18MM salary in 2019/20 that only features a very small partial guarantee.

From Utah’s perspective, the trade will allow them to get out from under Johnson’s $10.5MM salary — the veteran forward was viewed as a buyout candidate if he had remained on the roster through the deadline, and will likely remain a buyout candidate in Sacramento. The Jazz had to give up Hood as part of the deal, but he had been mentioned frequently in trade rumors in recent weeks and no longer appeared to be part of the club’s long-term plans.

In exchange, Utah will acquire Crowder, who has a reputation as a solid three-and-D wing on a team-friendly contract despite his struggles this season, and Rose, who may not be in the team’s plans. Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets that the Jazz will likely release Rose.

As for the Kings, they’ll get out from under Hill’s expensive multiyear deal, acquiring Johnson’s expiring contract as well as Shumpert, who has a $10.3MM+ player option for next season. The deal creates nearly $9MM in 2018/19 cap flexibility for the Kings, and also nets them that aforementioned 2020 pick and some cash. Sacramento had committed to playing its young players over its veterans down the stretch this season, so Hill’s playing time had been sporadic.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Rumors: Warriors Needs, Mason, Ball, Hill

The Warriors’ top need is a shooting wing off the bench, and their most likely targets are Marco Belinelli of the Hawks and Tyreke Evans of the Grizzlies, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic opines. Patrick McCaw is the player Golden State will most likely move in order to get a wing who also has size and passing ability, Kawakami continues. Belinelli is on an expiring deal and Atlanta would have to believe in McCaw’s long-term ability enough to also take back Nick Young, Kawakami speculates. Evans would also be a rental and Golden State would probably have to pair McCaw with a first-round pick to get him, Kawakami adds.

In other developments around the Western Conference:

  • Kings point guard Frank Mason will not play until after the All-Star break, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports. The rookie out of Kansas suffered a heel injury on December 31st. Mason, chosen with the 34th overall pick last June, has appeared in 29 games, averaging 7.6 PPG and 2.9 APG.
  • Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball was unable to ramp up his workouts last week without experiencing soreness in his sprained left knee, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register reports. His workouts never progressed to lateral movement or running close to full speed, Oram continues. Ball has missed the last 10 games.
  • The Kings were close to dealing point guard George Hill to the Cavaliers but they won’t mind if he’s still on the roster beyond the trade deadline, Jones writes in a separate piece. Sacramento would have received Channing Frye and Iman Shumpert, and perhaps Derrick Rose, in return. The Kings would have to clear roster space to make that deal but their primary goals must be collecting picks, acquiring young talent and retaining financial flexibility, Jones continues. Hill has also endeared himself to the front office and the team’s young core despite losing his starting job, Jones adds.
  • Trade rumors are weighing heavily on the minds of Clippers players, Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register relays. Coach Doc Rivers admits that trade talk has been a distraction. “Sometimes you go talk to a guy and the guy says, ‘Oh, I’m good,’ and that could mean he’s not good or good,” Rivers told Teaford. “You’ve got to read that. Sometimes it’s clear as day. I can tell you I’ve seen that over the last three or four days from a couple guys, and it’s obviously weighing on them.”

George Hill Trade Between Cavs, Kings Not Imminent

Despite multiple reports earlier this week suggesting that momentum was building toward a trade that would send George Hill to Cleveland, the Cavaliers and Kings are further apart than initially believed, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. According to Vardon, there are still “significant hurdles” to clear before a deal can be completed.

Reports on Tuesday indicated that the Cavs and Kings were making progress on a trade that would include Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye, and perhaps Derrick Rose and/or a second-round pick. However, one source tells Vardon that the two teams were speaking “conceptually” and weren’t on the verge of pulling the trigger. Another of Vardon’s sources said that the Cavs wanted to change the parameters of a potential deal.

As I noted on Tuesday, a deal involving Hill, Shumpert, Frye, and Rose would make sense for both clubs. Shumpert, Frye, and Rose have a combined cap hit of $19.23MM this season, which nearly matches Hill’s $20MM cap charge. Both Frye and Rose are on expiring contracts, which would appeal to the rebuilding Kings, who would subsequently be on the hook for Shumpert’s $11MM player option for 2018/19 instead of Hill’s fully guaranteed $19MM salary. The Cavs, meanwhile, would add a veteran guard who has had a down year but would be a good fit in their rotation if he can recapture his previous form.

The Cavs still have two weeks until the February 8 trade deadline, so there’s plenty of time to work out the specifics on a trade for Hill. If the two teams can’t reach an agreement and the Kings don’t find another taker for the veteran guard, a buyout isn’t out of the question, according to Vardon, who writes that Sacramento is ready to move on from Hill.

As they weigh the merits of a deal, the Cavs are also making changes to their lineup in the hopes of busting out of their current slump. Head coach Tyronn Lue said today that Tristan Thompson will replace Jae Crowder in the club’s starting lineup, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

Cavs, Kings Continue To Discuss George Hill

4:05pm: The Kings would receive some sort of draft compensation from the Cavs in the proposed deal for Hill, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. Meanwhile, Frye would likely become a buyout candidate if he’s dealt to Sacramento, Stein adds.

If a deal happens and the Kings and Cavs agree on a second-round pick rather than a first-rounder, it would have to change hands sometime down the road — Cleveland has traded its next three second-round selections, though the club does hold Miami’s 2020 second-rounder.

3:32pm: The Cavaliers’ reported interest in Kings guard George Hill is “real,” according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who tweets that the Cavs appear more open to taking on money beyond 2017/18 than they were two months ago. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Cleveland and Sacramento continue to talk about a possible deal involving Hill, with Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye among the probable outgoing pieces for the Cavs.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link) also hears that Cleveland has made legit progress in talks on Hill, suggesting today during an appearance on The Jump that the two teams are “way down the road” on a potential trade. It’s at the “one-yard line,” according to Windhorst.

Of course, the last time we heard that sort of NFL-inspired metaphor applied to NBA trade talks was in an offseason report suggesting that the Rockets were getting close to acquiring Carmelo Anthony — obviously, that swap didn’t pan out. Still, it appears that the Cavs are in position to potentially pull the trigger on a deal for Hill before the February 8 deadline, if they so choose.

Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) hears that the Kings – who have a full 15-man roster – are looking to move a player or two to clear the roster space necessary to complete an unbalanced trade. According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, a deal for Hill could include Derrick Rose in addition to Shumpert and Frye, in which case Sacramento would need to open up two roster spots.

A trade along those lines would make sense for both clubs. Shumpert, Frye, and Rose have a combined cap hit of $19.23MM this season, which nearly matches Hill’s $20MM cap charge. Both Frye and Rose are on expiring contracts, which would appeal to the rebuilding Kings, who would subsequently be on the hook for Shumpert’s $11MM player option for 2018/19 instead of Hill’s fully guaranteed $19MM salary. The Cavs, meanwhile, would add a reliable veteran guard who has had a down year but would be a very good fit in their rotation if he can recapture his previous form.

Derrick Rose Set To Return Tonight

For the first time in 31 games, Derrick Rose will suit up for the Cavaliers, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. The 29-year-old guard, however, will be on a minute restriction when the team faces off against the Magic.

Head coach Tyronn Lue has said that Rose will come off the bench in his return. In seven early-season starts for the Cavs prior to the bone spur and ankle injury that sidelined him for two months, Rose put up 14.3 points and 1.7 assists per game.

His addition back into the rotation could bump Cedi Osman out of consistent playing time. We also wrote earlier this month that Rose’s return could reduce Dwyane Wade‘s minutes.

Rose’s ankle injury was the latest in a famously long line of health woes. That, of course, contributed to the period of uncertainty in late November when Rose was said to be contemplating his future in basketball.

James Harden, Derrick Rose On Track To Return Thursday

A former MVP and a former MVP runner-up are on track to return to their respective teams’ lineups on Thursday, according to reports.

The Rockets are planning to have James Harden, who has yet to appear in a game since the calendar turned to 2018, back on the court on Thursday, league sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN. While Harden is still listed as questionable for that contest against Minnesota, he’s expected to play as long as he doesn’t have any hamstring-related setbacks in practice before then, MacMahon says.

Of course, in order to play for the Rockets on Thursday night, Harden will also have to avoid a suspension stemming from a postgame incident in Los Angeles on Monday night. The NBA will likely announce disciplinary measures today or tomorrow for multiple players involved in that situation. The league’s investigation is said to be focusing on Trevor Ariza as an instigator, but Harden and other Rockets could also be penalized.

Meanwhile, point guard Derrick Rose is expected to return for the Cavaliers on Thursday night against the Magic, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Rose participated in practice and a scrimmage today, and said he believes he’ll be “a go” vs. the Magic.

A left ankle injury has sidelined Rose for most of his first season in Cleveland, keeping him out of action for longer than initially anticipated — he hasn’t played since November 7. The latest injury in a long line of health problems for Rose had the former MVP evaluating his NBA future away from the Cavs in the fall. However, he ultimately decided to report back to the team and continue his career.

With Isaiah Thomas back for Cleveland, it’s not clear yet how Rose will fit into the team’s rotation.

Cavs Notes: Rose, Shumpert, Thomas, Thompson

Neither Derrick Rose nor Iman Shumpert has appeared in a game for the Cavaliers since November, and it sounds like both players will remain sidelined for at least a little longer.

While there was an expectation that Rose may return to action for the Cavaliers during their current road trip, that won’t happen after all, head coach Tyronn Lue said today. As Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes, it sounds like Shumpert’s return isn’t imminent either.

“We thought he was (closer),” Lue said of Shumpert, who is recovering from a knee injury. “He had some soreness in his foot or whatever.”

As the club waits for its injured players to get healthy, here are a few more notes out of Cleveland: