Derrick Williams

Lowe’s Latest: Lopez, Biyombo, Davis

April 7th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Chuck Myron

Most executives around the league expect Brook Lopez to turn down his player option for next season, worth more than $16.744MM, writes Grantland’s Zach Lowe. That’s on the heels of his surge over the past month, as he averaged 20.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game in March, and he’s upped those numbers to 22.8 PPG and 9.8 RPG so far in April. Lowe wrote in December that most execs thought Lopez would pick up the option, so it seems his hot streak has changed thinking around the league. Still, Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck wrote just a week after Lowe’s report in December that he had heard from many executives who expected even then that Lopez would opt out. The Nets center said a few weeks ago that he hadn’t thought about what to do with the option, so there’s some mystery here. Lowe has more rumors from his latest column, which focuses on players with decent chances of becoming this year’s version of what DeMarre Carroll was in 2013, when he signed a two-year, $5MM pact that wound up a bargain deal for the Hawks.

Bismack Biyombo will almost certainly see the value of his qualifying offer from the Hornets shrink from more than $5.194MM to nearly $4.046MM thanks to the starter criteria that he has virtually no chance of meeting. Executives are “nearly unanimous” that he wouldn’t command annual salaries of that nearly $5.2MM amount in free agency this summer, according to Lowe, though while most people believe a team could snag him for about $4MM a year, no one is sure about that, Lowe adds.
Ed Davis rejected a multiyear contract offer from the Grizzlies this past summer, several league sources tell Lowe. He instead signed with the Lakers on a two-year deal for the minimum salary with a player option that he’s said he plans to decline in search of a long-term deal this summer. Davis turned down a rookie scale extension in the fall of 2013 that would have given him annual salaries of $5-6MM beginning this season, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reported this past October.
Derrick Williams doesn’t intrigue front offices as much as he did a year ago, Lowe writes. He, too, is in line for a reduced qualifying offer from the Kings for failing to meet the starter criteria.
Lowe identifies the Spurs as a team to watch on Mirza Teletovic, though it’s unclear if that’s just speculation. The Nets can match offers if they extend a qualifying offer of more than $4.21MM.

Kings Interested In Jackson, Jerebko, Nuggets

February 13th, 2015 at 10:30am CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings have turned their focus to trades this week now that George Karl has agreed to take over as coach, and they’ve spoken with the Nuggets and held preliminary talks with the Thunder about Reggie Jackson and Pistons about Jonas Jerebko, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Deveney’s report suggests the Kings and Nuggets have talked about Arron Afflalo and Wilson Chandler, which, in the case of Afflalo, would affirm a report from earlier this week via Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Sacramento is shopping Nik Stauskas, Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson, Deveney writes, which jibes with a report from Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders on Williams but changes the narrative on Stauskas and Thompson, whom the team previously seemed only to have made available.

In any case, the Nuggets would like athletic players who fit Karl’s up-tempo style, and have been “as active as anyone” and are “pushing hard” to do a deal, one GM tells Deveney. Specifically, the Kings continue to seek an upgrade at power forward who can shoot from the outside, and they’d also like to add more shooting at other positions, Deveney writes. The Sporting News scribe speculates that the team might have interest in Ersan Ilyasova and suggests the Bucks would like to deal the stretch four, given his deal, which gives him $7.9MM this season, another $7.9MM next year, and is partially guaranteed for $400K the following season.

Denver is reportedly seeking first-round picks for Afflalo and Chandler, though Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote Thursday that the Nuggets are apparently looking for a better return for Chandler than for Afflalo and that some believe Chandler is one of the few Nuggets the team isn’t shopping. The two have similar salaries for this season and next, but while Afflalo has a player option on his $7.5MM for 2015/16, Chandler’s nearly $7.172MM for next year is only partially guaranteed for $2MM.

Stein’s report also noted that GMs around the league believe Jackson is one of the three biggest names likely to be dealt before the deadline, and the Heat have apparently joined the Knicks among the teams with interest. The Pistons would like to deal Jerebko for a point guard, as Deveney wrote recently, but the Heat’s insistence that Detroit take Danny Granger after the Pistons offered Jerebko for Norris Cole stopped a potential deal there, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Stauskas, the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft, is seeing only 13.6 minutes per game this season behind Ben McLemore, a lottery pick from 2013. Thompson is the incumbent starter at power forward for Sacramento, but he’s struggled to live up to a deal that pays him between $6MM and $7MM each season through 2016/17, when his salary is partially guaranteed for $2.65MM. He doesn’t fit the mold of the stretch four the Kings want, as Deveney points out.

Kings Shop Derrick Williams

January 28th, 2015 at 8:47am CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings are shopping former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams, league sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The fourth-year power forward is putting up career lows in several categories this season as his minutes have sunk below 20 per game for the first time. Williams was reportedly part of Sacramento’s discussions with the Nets last month regarding Deron Williams and was apparently in the earliest proposals the Kings made to the Pistons this summer for Josh Smith.

The 23-year-old is on an expiring contract with a salary of more than $6.331MM this year and is eligible for restricted free agency this coming summer. His draft slot calls for a qualifying offer of more than $8.262MM, but because he’s unlikely to meet the starter criteria, the value of that qualifying offer is instead in line to be slightly less than $4.046MM. That’d make it easier for whichever team holds him at season’s end to retain the right to match offers for him this summer, though it wouldn’t be a shock if that team declines to tender the qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

It was somewhat surprising to see the Timberwolves decide last year to pick up Williams’ team option for this season, and precisely a month after doing so, Minnesota traded him to the Kings straight up for Luc Mbah a Moute. Sacramento has been active in the year and a half since owner Vivek Ranadive and GM Pete D’Alessandro took charge, as Kennedy notes, though Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee recently pegged Ramon Sessions as the King most likely to be traded. Charlotte reportedly has Sessions on its radar, while Sacramento recently made Nik Stauskas available, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported.

Just which teams the Kings have called about Williams is unclear. Sacramento has shown a willingness to try to win quickly and make a playoff push this season, but the team doesn’t have a reasonable shot at the postseason at this point as it sits eight and a half games back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Kings have a chance to open some cap room this summer, with about $55.3MM in commitments against a projected $66.5MM salary cap. Taking back salary from a trade partner who values Williams for his expiring contract would compromise Sacramento’s flexibility for the summer ahead.

Kings Willing To Trade Nik Stauskas

January 15th, 2015 at 3:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Sacramento desperately wanting to upgrade its frontcourt, the Kings are now willing to discuss including their 2014 first round pick Nik Stauskas in a trade, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports. Sacramento wants to pair star center DeMarcus Cousins alongside a frontline player who would complement his skills, Berger notes. The team is seeking either a stretch four or an above-the-rim defender in any deal involving Stauskas, Berger adds.

The Kings have fielded numerous calls about the 21-year-old, who has seen limited playing time in his rookie season thanks to the improving play of the Kings’ 2013 first-rounder, Ben McLemore, Berger reports. Sacramento has thus far declined to deal Stauskas, whom the team selected with the No. 8 overall pick last June. The Nets were reportedly requesting the rookie out of Michigan during their trade talks involving Deron Williams possibly heading west to join Sacramento, but were rebuffed.

Sacramento has forwards Derrick Williams and Reggie Evans, both of whom are on expiring deals, to include in any trade, notes Berger, though there has been no indication that the Kings wish to deal either player just yet. Including either player could allow Sacramento to acquire a player whose salary is in the $10MM-$11MM range, the CBS Sports scribe adds. Jason Thompson is also available to be had in any deal, though Berger notes that any trade involving Thompson is likely to be a separate transaction. The Kings also desire to obtain a wing defender, but that is currently a secondary priority.

In 38 appearances this season, Stauskas is averaging 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 14.1 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers are .331/.272/.815.

Nets, Kings Discuss Deron Williams Deal

December 30th, 2014 at 11:55am CST by Chuck Myron

DECEMBER 30TH: The Nets also expressed interest in acquiring Nik Stauskas as part of a deal, but the Kings were reluctant to give him up, reports Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.

2:27pm: The talks aren’t completely dead, Broussard cautions in a full story, and a source tells the ESPN scribe that he expects the teams to continue their conversation until the February 19th trade deadline.

DECEMBER 23RD, 10:57am: The conversation between the Kings and Nets is “virtually dead,” since Plumlee, and not Williams, was Sacramento’s primary target and Brooklyn is unwilling to give up Plumlee, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

DECEMBER 20TH, 8:24pm: Talks aren’t ongoing for now, according to Alex Raskin of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link). The Kings made the initial inquiry, according to Raskin and Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game (Twitter link). Still, the discussion is liable to pick back up, since the Nets are listening to all offers, Raskin tweets, adding that Brooklyn considers none of its players untradeable, an assertion that would seem to conflict with the other reports indicating that Plumlee is off-limits. Sources “emphatically” told Tim Bontemps of the New York Post that Plumlee isn’t going anywhere, however.

5:49pm: The Nets and Kings are in trade talks about Deron Williams, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who cautions that no deal is imminent. A source confirms the talks to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, who nonetheless hears that the sides aren’t at all close to a deal that this point (Twitter link). The discussion involves Darren Collison, Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson from Sacramento’s side, according to Wojnarowski. The Kings would like for Mason Plumlee to be a part of any transaction, and that’s a stumbling block from the Nets’ perspective, Wojnarowski adds. Plumlee is virtually untouchable as far as Brooklyn is concerned, Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck tweets, and the same is true of Sergey Karasev and Bojan Bogdanovic, as NetsDaily’s Robert Windrem hears (Twitter link). The Kings are high on Collison and hesitant to give him up, but the Nets want to have a point guard to replace Williams should they give him up, as the Yahoo scribe details.

The relationship between Deron Williams and the Nets has chilled over the past two years, and there’s mutual appeal to parting ways, sources tell Wojnarowski. Conversely, Williams and Kings coach Tyrone Corbin have a relationship that’s persisted since their years together in Utah, where Corbin was an assistant coach while Williams played with the Jazz. The Kings are thrilled with Collison so far this season, Wojnarowski writes. Still, they’ve poked around for an upgrade at point guard since signing Collison over the summer, having asked the Timberwolves about Ricky Rubio before Rubio signed his extension with Minnesota in October, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). The Kings maintained interest in Rajon Rondo, though the Celtics’ demands for him were reportedly too high for Sacramento’s liking.

The Nets have had talks about moving Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson of late as they appear ready to make major changes. They also looked into the idea of trading for Lance Stephenson and spoke to Boston about Rondo before he went to the Mavs, according to earlier reports.

Deron Williams’ salary of more than $19.754MM for this season and the two additional years that remain on his contract make him tough to move, especially considering the decline in his performance since he signed the maximum-salary deal as the marquee free agent in the 2012 market. He averaged 20.1 points and 8.7 assists the season before he signed the max contract and is putting up 15.6 PPG and 6.8 APG this season. Those numbers are similar to the 15.6 PPG and 6.1 APG that Collison is putting up for the Kings this year, as Windrem notes (on Twitter). Collison makes about $4.798MM this season, less than Derrick Williams and his salary of more than $6.331MM and Thompson, who’s getting almost $6.038MM.

Josh Smith Rumors: Heat, Clippers, Lakers

December 22nd, 2014 at 10:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy pulled a stunner today, waiving Josh Smith. Reports quickly identified the Clippers, Mavs and Kings as suitors for Smith in free agency once he clears waivers, as expected, and more clubs are lining up for a chance to obtain him on the cheap. There’s plenty of news rolling in related to Detroit’s bold move and what happens next with the tweener forward, and we’ll pass along the latest in this thread, with any additional updates posted on top:

The Heat have formally applied for a disabled player exception from the league after losing Josh McRoberts for the year, reports Marc Stein of ESPN. While the exception, which would be worth $2.653MM, hasn’t been granted yet, the Heat are hopeful they’ll have it before Smith makes his decision (Twitter links here).

9:46pm update:

The Clippers will have interest in Smith if he clears waivers, ESPN’s Arash Markazi hears from multiple team sources. Markazi adds that the team can only offer Smith the veteran’s minimum and would likely cut Jared Cunningham to make room on its roster. Cunningham’s contract becomes guaranteed on January 10th and he is likely to be released before then either way, per Markazi.

8:51pm update:

Should Smith clear waivers, the Lakers will have a significant financial advantage over most of his other suitors, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. The disabled player exception they received from Steve Nash‘s season-ending injury allows the Lakers spend up to $4.85MM on a single player, per Pincus, which is more than twice what most other teams can offer. Pincus adds that the Lakers should have the cap space next summer to re-sign Smith.

7:14pm updates:

There is a strong belief among Rockets players, even beyond Howard, that they’ll convince Smith to sign in Houston, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said that Smith “fits the profile of the type of guys we love to bring in,” reports Bryan Gutierrez of Mavs Outsider. Cuban added that the Mavs would use Smith more down low than on the wing should they add him, per Gutierrez (Twitter links).
While it’s hardly a surprise, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that the Sixers, flush in cap space, have zero interest in claiming Smith off waivers (via Twitter).

4:05pm update:

The Grizzlies have expressed interest in Smith, too, Grantland’s Zach Lowe hears, acknowledging that it’s nonetheless a long shot for him to wind up in Memphis (Twitter link). The Grizzlies couldn’t pay him any more than the minimum.

3:49pm update:

The Lakers would like Smith to play for them, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), but they wouldn’t fall into the category of a playoff-bound team, the only sort that Smith is reportedly considering (below).

1:55pm update:

Teams that aren’t headed for the playoffs are out of the running for Smith, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. That stance would appear to damage the chances of the Kings most of all among the clubs that reports have so far linked to the forward.

1:40pm update:

Smith was “fixated” on finding a way to join the Rockets before he signed with Detroit in 2013, according to Wojnarowski, who writes in a full piece.

1:05pm updates:

The Heat are in the running for Smith, Stein reports (on Twitter). Miami has only the minimum to give.
Houston will allow Smith to choose whether he wants a one-year or two-year deal, Amick hears (Twitter link). The biannual exception limits contracts to no more than two seasons, and the Rockets are without a way to sign him to a longer deal.

12:39pm update:

The Rockets are taking an aggressive stance in their pursuit of Smith, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). They attempted to trade for him but couldn’t find a workable salary match that didn’t involved Howard or James Harden, Wojnarowski adds in a second tweet.

12:28pm updates:

Houston will offer Smith its $2.077MM biannual exception, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The Rockets are optimistic about their chances to land Smith, given their status as a contender, the opportunity to offer him a large on-court role, and their financial advantage of having the biannual while others are limited to the minimum salary, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
No one has been a bigger fan of Smith in recent months than Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, according to Stein (Twitter link).

12:17pm updates:

The Clippers would like to research the matter more thoroughly before committing to a pursuit of Smith, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). Though Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears the Clippers are indeed interested, coach/executive Doc Rivers said he doesn’t know quite yet what his team will do, as he told reporters, including Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
The Rockets do have interest in signing Smith, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link). Stein reported earlier that Houston, which has the $2.077MM biannual exception to spend, was still thinking about whether it wanted to go after Smith, who’s a friend of Dwight Howard‘s. Howard has said in the past that he and Smith have had conversations about playing together again as they did when they were AAU teammates, notes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
The Kings were the only team to express interest in trading for Smith as the Pistons sought to move him in recent weeks, Stein tweets. The Pistons refused to part with draft picks in any deal or take on burdensome contracts in return, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Derrick Williams was alongside Jason Thompson in the Kings‘ earliest trade proposals to the Pistons regarding Smith over the summer, and Carl Landry later replaced Williams in those offers, according to Stein (on Twitter). Van Gundy turned them down because he wanted to coach Smith before cutting ties, Stein adds (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: Nedovic, Lakers, Williams

November 29th, 2014 at 11:06am CST by Eddie Scarito

Nemanja Nedovic gave up $599,760 of his $1.104MM guaranteed salary in an apparent buyout deal to secure his release from the Warriors, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Golden State’s cap hit this season for Nedovic will be $504,240, notes Pincus. Nedovic was waived by the Warriors earlier this month and then inked a deal with Valencia of Spain.

Here’s more from out west:

With the Lakers roster currently at the league-maximum 15 players, GM Mitch Kupchak would need to waive a player prior to adding another healthy body long-term, something he is more likely to do via trade than signing a free agent, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “We would have to find a better player than who is on our roster now since you have to cut somebody,” said Kupchak. “I’m not sure those players exist as free agents. When we get something closer to the trade deadline, there might be something there.” The Lakers have applied for a 16th roster spot, but that’s only a temporary measure. NBA has granted the Lakers two disabled player exceptions for the season-ending injuries to Julius Randle and Steve Nash, and they’re looking to receive a third for Xavier Henry.
Matt Peterson, Ben York, and Greg Esposito of NBA.com looked back and debated which trades, draft picks, and free agent signings have worked out the best for the Suns.
The increase in Derrick Williams‘ playing time recently could mean that the Kings are showcasing the forward to increase his trade value, Rui Williams of Cowbell Kingdom opines. Williams’ minutes have increased over the last five contests from 5.5 per game to 19.2. The Kings scribe points out that a similar situation occurred last season with Luc Mbah a Moute, who was subsequently dealt to Minnesota for Williams.

Latest On Josh Smith

July 22nd, 2014 at 8:21am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 8:21am: The Smith talks were serious between the Kings and Pistons, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe, contradicting part of Wojnarowski’s report. Lowe also suggests there’s a decent chance that they pick up again at some point.

MONDAY, 1:05pm: Van Gundy has told Smith that reports about trade talk with the Kings have been inaccurate and assured him that he’ll begin this coming season with the Pistons, barring an unexpected turn of events, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Kings had called about Smith, but Detroit never heard an offer it liked, and the discussion never reached a serious stage, sources tell Wojnarowski. Smith likes the idea of remaining with the Pistons, Wojnarowski also hears.

SATURDAY, 2:49pm: A source tells Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that there are “no legs” to reports suggesting that the Kings and Pistons are discussing a deal involving Smith.

THURSDAY, 8:59am: The idea of a Smith deal didn’t intrigue Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro, tweets Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News, who says it seems like coach Mike Malone is the catalyst for the talks. Stein noted Malone’s fondness for defense in story, one in which Stein also points to Smith’s defensive capabilities as one of the reasons the Kings are pursuing him. Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy didn’t give Smith any promise that he wouldn’t trade him when they met recently, but while Van Gundy is open to trading the forward, he wants value in return, Goodwill also tweets.

8:14am: The Pistons and Kings are once more discussing trade scenarios involving Josh Smith and are on the hunt for a third team to make a deal work, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Sacramento remains interested in the 28-year-old forward, as the Kings brass is fond of his defensive capabilities and intrigued by the idea of acquiring a player of his talent without giving up a piece of the team’s core, Stein hears.

The teams reportedly had talks last month before the Pistons put a stop to them, and the framework involved then would have seen Jason Thompson and either Derrick Williams or Jason Terry off to Detroit, Stein adds. It’s unclear whether any of that trio are subjects of the latest conversations, but Terry is seemingly agitating for an exit for Sacramento, having spoken of his fondness for the Mavericks and criticized Kings teammates DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay in a recent interview. The Kings would rather trade Terry than let him buy his way out of his contract, according to Stein.

Smith signed a four-year, $54MM contract with the Pistons a year ago, but the team’s decision to line him up next to Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond was ill-fated, and it’s left the club with a dilemma involving Monroe’s restricted free agency. The Pistons had serious talks with the Blazers about a sign-and-trade that would have sent Monroe to Portland, but the Blazers dropped out of the running for Monroe when they struck a deal with free agent Chris Kaman, Stein reports.

Smith has appeal to the Kings based on his relationship with Rajon Rondo, whom the team has long coveted, as Stein points out. Smith would love to play with Rondo, having called him “my best friend” in an interview this spring in which Smith said he and Rondo have had multiple conversations about the possibility of becoming teammates. The Celtics point guard is poised to become a free agent next summer.

Pistons End Josh Smith Talks With Kings

June 24th, 2014 at 4:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:19pm: The talks are “dead,” a source tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, who hears the Pistons put an end to them this morning (Twitter link).

2:29pm: The Pistons and Kings have spoken about a trade that would ship Josh Smith to Sacramento, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. One version would involve Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson heading to Detroit, while Jason Terry is a part of other scenarios, Stein adds (Twitter links). No deal is imminent, but Stein suggests that Sacramento has Rajon Rondo in mind as it pursues a deal for Smith, who’s friends with the Celtics point guard (Twitter link).

Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy expressed confidence this afternoon in the team’s direction regarding soon-to-be restricted free agent Greg Monroe, and a trade of Smith would help resolve the Pistons’ shooting deficiencies if Monroe remains. The new deal at or near the max that Monroe and agent David Falk are likely to command this summer would mean Monroe would join Smith on lucrative long-term contracts that would make it difficult for the Pistons to make changes along the front line without parting with Andre Drummond.

The Kings under GM Pete D’Alessandro have been perhaps the most aggressive team on the trade market, and a deal involving either Williams or Terry would represent a quick flip of players he acquired via trades just this past season. Thompson was frequently in trade rumors toward the deadline, but talks involving the Cavs never came to fruition.

Sacramento appears focused for now on proposals for the No. 8 pick, according to Stein (on Twitter), who echoes an earlier report that the team is more likely to trade it than keep it. The Kings apparently have three deals in the works involving that selection, and the Bulls and Hawks have been linked to the pick.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Suns, Brown, Kings

January 4th, 2014 at 10:28pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

The Warriors have let the WNBA know that they’re interested in taking over a franchise, a day after the Los Angeles Sparks’ ownership ceased operations, writes Michelle Smith of ESPNW. “Our ownership group has maintained their interest in operating a WNBA team in the Bay Area since acquiring the Warriors three years ago,” Warriors team spokesman Raymond Ridder said. “We’ve had exploratory conversations relating to this topic with the WNBA on several occasions since 2010, including most recently regarding the Los Angeles franchise. At this point, our dialogue remains in the exploratory stage as we evaluate the complexities of any such acquisition now or in the future.”

A few other notes around the Pacific Division.

The Suns, rookie GM Ryan McDonough, and Coach of the Month Jeff Hornacek are exceeding expectations, writes Jan Hubbard of Sheridan Hoops. While many thought the Suns would be one of the teams tanking for the first overall draft pick, it appears the Suns will now pursue rebuilding through other means. Hubbard believes the Suns will be able to continue being successful this season without hurting their chances at being successful in the near future. Hubbard believes the Suns holding six first-round picks and max cap space will allow them to successfully rebuild in the near future.
Former Lakers and Suns player Shannon Brown is continuing to talk to NBA teams but according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo, he is becoming more engaged with offers in China. (Twitter Link) Brown hasn’t played in the NBA this season since being traded in October from the Suns to the Wizards and then waived shortly thereafter.
The Kings have recalled Hamady N’Diaye from their D-League affiliate after assigning him yesterday. This is the second time the Kings have sent N’Diaye to the D-League for only a day. N’Diaye has appeared in 14 games for the Kings this season, averaging 5.3 minutes in those appearances.
Although it appeared all was going well for Derrick Williams during the seven games he started for the Kings, things have gone downhill since he has been sent to the bench. Williams started the seven games following his trade from the Timberwolves but was benched shortly after the Kings acquired Rudy Gay from the Raptors. According to James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom, Kings’ coach Michael Malone thinks Williams has been the player affected the most by the Gay trade. Malone has informed Williams, though, to keep his head up and that there is currently no pressure on him.

Zach Links and Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

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