Devin Ebanks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Holiday, Pelicans, Lakers

August 18th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday might wear protective goggles next season after undergoing eye surgery four months ago, according to John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune. Holiday fractured the orbital wall around his right eye in late March after colliding with Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis. Holiday is participating in voluntary workouts with teammates in Los Angeles without any medical restrictions, Reid continues. “I’m able to do anything I want,” Holiday told Reid. “It’s been great that I can do things with no restrictions but at the same time I’m being smart with the stuff that I’m doing.”

In other news around the league:

Pelicans owner Tom Benson has requested a 45-day extension to finalize a legal settlement agreement involving his estranged heirs’ interest in the team, Katherine Sayre of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports. Benson sued last year to remove shares in the NFL Saints and Pelicans out of trust funds for his daughter and two grandchildren after deciding to instead to give control over the teams to his wife, Gayle Benson, Sayre continues. A confidential settlement was reached in June, Sayre adds.
Lakers forward Larry Nance, Jr. is “close to completely healed” from a right wrist sprain, Mike Trudell of TWCSportsNet tweets. Nance Jr. been shooting at the team’s practice facility, Trudell adds. He suffered the injury while playing a Summer League game last month.
Former Lakers small forward Devin Ebanks has signed with Reales de La Vega in the Dominican Republic, Sportando.com tweets. Ebanks played in Puerto Rico last season. The 26-year-old Ebanks played three seasons for the Lakers, appearing in 63 games, but hasn’t played an NBA game since 2012/13.

Devin Ebanks Meeting With Sixers

January 7th, 2014 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Devin Ebanks, who is currently playing for the Texas Legends, has a meeting lined up with the Sixers at the D-League Showcase in Reno, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Ebanks looks like the early favorite to be the first call-up from the Reno event.

Ebanks, 24, spent three seasons with the Lakers before signing with the Mavericks this offseason. The 6’9″ swingman was released by Dallas prior to the regular season, but has excelled for the Mavs’ D-League affiliate in 15 games so far, averaging 24.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG.

If the Sixers intend to sign Ebanks, the team will have to open up a roster spot first. With today’s contract guarantee deadline looming, Philadelphia is carrying a full 15-man roster, but could waive one of five non-guaranteed contracts in order to create space. Still, there’s no indication yet that the team’s interest in Ebanks extends beyond the reported meeting.

Pelicans Might Trade Rights To Pierre Jackson

December 28th, 2013 at 3:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

The latest piece from Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio focuses on collegians, D-Leaguers and overseas players drawing heavy attention from NBA scouts, including Chris Wright, Devin Ebanks and Dylon Cormier, but it also delivers news on a player whose rights belong to an NBA team. The Pelicans are willing to trade Pierre Jackson, the 42nd pick in the draft this past June, for “future considerations” and perhaps cash. It’s not clear exactly what those future considerations would entail.

New Orleans acquired Jackson’s NBA rights from the Sixers as part of this summer’s trade for Jrue Holiday. The Las Vegas native signed this summer with ASVEL Villeurbanne of France, a team in which Tony Parker is a part-owner, but in September he parted ways with the club. Jackson wound up entering the D-League draft, and the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Trail Blazers, picked him fourth overall. Still, neither the Blazers nor any NBA team aside from the Pelicans are allowed to sign him to an NBA contract.

Jackson, a 5’10” point guard from Baylor, is coming off a 41-point performance and averaging 29.0 points per game, and while his 4.8 turnovers per contest outnumber his 4.7 assists average, he’s perhaps the most “dynamic” player in the D-League, Amico writes. He’s nonetheless in a tough spot unless the Pelicans decide to sign him or trade his rights to a team that’s willing to give up assets in a trade for the chance to bring him aboard.

Western Notes: Brown, Green, Morey, Ebanks

October 26th, 2013 at 4:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

Shannon Brown remains on the Wizards roster for now following last night’s trade, though the team is expected to let him go. He isn’t a lock to clear waivers, but if he does, HoopsWorld’s Steve Kyler hears he’d like to sign with the Lakers (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that several teams are interested, and Brown has yet to make up his mind. Fellow ESPN.com scribe Ramona Shelburne isn’t sure the Lakers will be too inclined to pick up Brown, since they already have 15 players under contract (Twitter link). Here’s more from the West:

After being bounced among seven NBA teams and two international stops by age 27, Gerald Green is OK with waiting for his turn to get minutes in the Suns‘ rotation, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Green, who came to Phoenix in the Luis Scola deal, is one of three small forwards on the team, but he should see more time at two-guard now that Brown is elsewhere.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey paid no attention to rumors that his job was on the line in recent years, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. “I heard second hand those rumblings, and it never made sense to me,” Morey said. “Maybe because I knew Mr. Alexander had a lot of faith in what we were doing and was really an architect in a lot of the strategy, so we were executing on a plan and the owner knew it. I think that, yeah, if we hadn’t been able to turn the corner like we hoped, then at some point he probably says, ‘Hey, I’ve got to change horses,’ and that’s fine. That’s his right. I wouldn’t have been bothered. But he had a lot of belief in us, and I don’t forget that.”
Former Lakers forward Devin Ebanks was among the players the Mavs cut this week, and he has committed to play with the the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of Dallas, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (Twitter link).
Bob Myers was an agent before he became GM of the Warriors, and that experience shows in his masterful negotiations on extensions for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Curry, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. We had plenty more on Bogut’s extension in a post earlier today.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Mavs Waive Balkman, Ebanks, Kennedy, Melo

October 22nd, 2013 at 5:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:02pm: The Mavs have waived Renaldo Balkman, Devin Ebanks, D.J. Kennedy and Fab Melo, the team announced via press release. The move makes official the news about Balkman that he himself revealed earlier today, and leaves Mickey McConnell as the team’s only camp invitee left. McConnell, a 24-year-old guard, was the only player without NBA experience that Dallas brought to camp, but it appears as though he might have made the strongest impression. Still, it seems unlikely he’ll remain with the club through the end of the week, since the Mavs would have to cut someone on a fully guaranteed deal to keep him.

It’s the second time in two months that Melo has hit waivers, after the Grizzlies let him go in late August. That was shortly after Memphis acquired him from the Celtics, and it appears the NBA career of the center whom Boston drafted 22nd overall in 2012 is in jeopardy. Ebanks turned down a $650K offer from China to sign with the Mavs, so perhaps he’ll head overseas, if the Chinese club is still interested. An Italian team had interest in Kennedy before he indicated he would prefer to sign in the NBA, so he could be headed for international ball, too.

Balkman admits his violent incident while playing in the Philippines last year could make some front offices squeamish, but his camp stint with the Mavs, where coach Rick Carlisle counted him as a welcome presence, could help his chances of returning to the NBA at some point. All four players the Mavs waived today were on non-guaranteed deals, so the team isn’t on the hook for any of their salaries.

4:57pm: Renaldo Balkman has told Puerto Rican radio station TAB Deportes 101.3 that the Mavs have let him go (Twitter link; translation via Sportando). The team has yet to officially announce the move, but the subtraction would be no surprise, since he’s one of five players with non-guaranteed deals on the Mavs, who have 15 others on fully guaranteed contracts, as our roster counts show.

Western Notes: Jazz, Gortat, Bogut, Ebanks

October 14th, 2013 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Trey Burke is set to have surgery on his broken right finger tomorrow, and Jody Genessy of the Deseret News hears from the rookie’s agent that the injury could sideline Burke for more than eight weeks. It’s bad news for the Jazz, who don’t have a ton of point guard depth, but the team isn’t rushing to find a replacement, and is still in info-gathering mode, according to Genessy (via Twitter).

One option that doesn’t appear to be on the table for Utah is bringing over second-round pick Raul Neto. According to GM Dennis Lindsey, via Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune, Neto’s team in Spain (Lagun Aro) is in a similar building process to the Jazz, so Utah wouldn’t try to lure away one of its best players (Twitter links).

Here’s more on the Jazz and a few other Western teams:

Luhm adds in another tweet that Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said today there are a couple of free agents who are looking for more than what the club is willing to pay.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic spoke to Marcin Gortat about entering a contract year and the possibility of remaining with the Suns long-term.
Andrew Bogut reiterated to Sam Amick of USA Today that he likes playing for the Warriors and wants to stay in Golden State beyond this season, but noted that Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry probably felt the same way before they signed elsewhere. In other words, Bogut hopes to remain with the Warriors, but recognizes anything could happen next summer in free agency.
On the heels of a report indicating Corey Maggette figures to retire if he’s waived by the Spurs, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld notes (via Twitter) that the veteran has long been interested in an executive job. Maggette participated in the NBPA’s Leadership Development Program, which prepares players for front office roles.
The NBA announced today that Devin Ebanks has been suspended two games for pleading nolo contendere to driving under the influence of alcohol. Ebanks is currently trying to earn a spot on the Mavericks‘ regular-season roster — he was already a long shot, but his suspension certainly doesn’t help his chances.

Southwest Rumors: Ebanks, Rockets, Brewer

September 13th, 2013 at 8:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

None of the teams in the Southwest Division took a significant step backward this summer, and the Rockets and Pelicans could be among the league's most improved teams in 2013/14. The division already boasts the defending Western Conference champion Spurs, as well as the Grizzlies, who totaled a franchise-record 56 wins last year. Here's the latest from the division that could well be the NBA's best:

Devin Ebanks turned down a $650K offer from a team in China to sign with the Mavericks today, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who confirms that Dallas is giving the former Laker only a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal for training camp.
Ebanks would be willing to play for the D-League's Texas Legends, the Mavs' affiliate, if he doesn't make the opening night roster for the big club, Charania adds.
The Dwight Howard signing turned the Rockets into contenders and shifted their attention from young players to veterans like Ronnie Brewer, who tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that the on-court role he can play for the team is what persuaded him to sign. Brewer only has a partial guarantee on his deal, and Mark Deeks of ShamSports reveals tonight that it's for $100K (Twitter link).

Mavericks Sign Devin Ebanks

September 13th, 2013 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have signed Devin Ebanks, the team announced today in a press release. The signing brings the team's roster count to 19 players, including 15 with guaranteed contracts.

Ebanks had reportedly been drawing interest from the Magic and Hawks as well as the Mavs, with all three teams seemingly prepared to invite him to training camp. The 23-year-old indicated on Twitter earlier this week that he was headed to Orlando, but it seems that visit was just for a workout, rather than to sign with the Magic.

In three NBA seasons with the Lakers, Ebanks has appeared in 63 overall contests, averaging 3.6 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 11.3 minutes per game. When he first hit free agency in 2012, L.A. made a qualifying offer, which Ebanks accepted, but the team didn't tender him a QO this time around, making the 6'9" forward an unrestricted free agent.

In addition the 15 players the Mavs have on guaranteed contracts, Fab Melo, D.J. Kennedy, and Mickey McConnell are also ticketed for training camp, seemingly on non-guaranteed deals. For Ebanks or one of the other camp invitees to earn a roster spot, the club would have to trade or release one of its guaranteed players.

Odds & Ends: Deng, Bulls, Ebanks, Redick

September 10th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Considering it's still early September, it's been a relatively eventful day when it comes to NBA news. The Bulls and Luol Deng have reportedly stalled on contract extension talks, the Mavericks have invited 2012 first-rounder Fab Melo to camp, and the Pacers have officially signed Darnell Jackson. Not to mention LeBron James shared a few thoughts on his free agency, which may be a rare occurrence this season.

Here are a few more of the day's miscellaneous stories:

Although Deng appears ticketed for unrestricted free agency next summer, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune notes that extension talks between Deng and the Bulls looked bleak in 2008 as well, but the two sides worked out a deal. While that doesn't mean it'll happen again, it also means negotiations shouldn't necessarily be considered over, says Johnson (Twitter links).
Devin Ebanks tweeted earlier today that he's en route to Orlando, which is notable, since the free agent forward has received a camp invite from the Magic, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets. For now, Ebanks, who has also drawn interest from the Mavericks and Hawks, is just in town to work out for the Magic, a source tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link).
In a piece for The Score, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com explains why certain lesser-known players can't be traded without their approval, while superstars like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul don't have no-trade clauses. By Deeks' count, 18 players can't be traded without their approval this season.
Zach Lowe has published another interesting column for Grantland, making the case for why the NBA should consider reducing games from 48 minutes to 40. The chain reaction from such a move could have an effect on max contracts and the way teams use their cap space, as Lowe explains.
New Clipper J.J. Redick is looking forward to playing for a contending team again, as Eric Patten writes at Clippers.com.

Magic, Mavs, Hawks Eyeing Devin Ebanks

September 4th, 2013 at 6:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy reported more than a month ago that four clubs had interest in former Laker Devin Ebanks, and while three of them appear to have dropped out of the running, two more have joined the pursuit. The Magic, Mavericks and Hawks have expressed interest in Ebanks, Kennedy tweets this evening. Atlanta is the only team repeated from the late July report that also named the Bucks and Bobcats.

Ebanks has spent his entire three-year career with the Lakers, who drafted him 43rd overall in 2010. The team initially gave him a two-year contract, so he was up for restricted free agency last summer and wound up signing his qualifying offer. The Lakers decided against extending a QO this time around, making him an unrestricted free agent. The team hasn't been linked to him since, so it appears he won't be back in purple and gold.

The former West Virginia Mountaineer enjoyed his best pro season in 2011/12, when he began the year as the starting small forward for the Lakers. That assignment didn't last, and he's otherwise struggled to find playing time, averaging 11.3 minutes per game for his career. Still, he's only appeared in nine D-League contests, and the Lakers didn't assign him to the L.A. D-Fenders, their affiliate, at all last season.

The Mavs have 15 players, all of whom are on guaranteed contracts, while the Hawks and Magic have fewer than 15 guaranteed deals, as our roster counts show. That may give Atlanta and Orlando an edge for the David Bauman client.