Eric Maynor Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Conley, Jazz, Collison, Thunder, Wolves

August 10th, 2021 at 1:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Now that Mike Conley‘s contract situation is worked out, he’s focused on helping the Jazz win a championship, writes John Coon of The Associated Press. Conley received interest from multiple teams before agreeing to a three-year, $68MM contract to stay in Utah.

“Last year had a disappointing end to it,” he said. “But all the strides we’ve made along the way allow us to come into this season still chasing that championship — that ultimate goal. And it’s something that’s truly attainable. Something we can grasp. We’re right there. We’re knocking on the door.”

Conley also addressed the hamstring issue that caused him to miss five of the six games in the second-round series with the Clippers, saying he’s making progress toward a full recovery.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz haven’t historically been a popular destination for free agents, but that may be changing after the team’s success last season, per Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. In addition to keeping Conley, Utah was able to sign veteran free agents Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside. “A lot of really, really good teams were coming after me and wanted me to be there but I think this team was the team that had the most need for what I can do,” Gay said in his introductory press conference. “The culture, the ownership group is great, coach Quin (Snyder) is great. They really sold me on it.”
The Thunder announced in a press release on Tuesday that Nick Collison has been hired to the team’s front office, having been named a special assistant to general manager Sam Presti. According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link), Eric Maynor is also moving from the OKC Blue staff to the Thunder as a player development coach, while Anthony Morrow has been hired as a lifestyle services and engagement associate.
The $27.5MM+ trade exception the Thunder created in last fall’s Steven Adams trade has now expired. As Bobby Marks of ESPN (Instagram video) observes, it’s not a big loss for Oklahoma City, since the team can still create up to $32MM in cap room by renouncing the rest of its exceptions if it so chooses.
Incoming Timberwolves owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore continue to do the media rounds, speaking to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic about how their partnership with Glen Taylor will work for the next couple years, and talking to Shams Charania of Stadium (video link) about their commitment to Minnesota.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Thunder Notes: CP3, Roberson, Maynor, KD

September 26th, 2019 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked today about how the team might approach a potential trade for Chris Paul, Thunder general manager Sam Presti declined to get into specifics, as Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman relays.

“Those are all case-by-case things,” Presti told reporters. “We’re not really focused on the hypotheticals.”

While there are whispers that Paul may want to join a contender rather than the spend the entire 2019/20 season in Oklahoma City, Presti said the veteran point guard is a “hooper” and “competitor” who just wants to play basketball. “I think this is a tremendous opportunity for both of us,” the Thunder’s GM said.

Here’s more out of OKC:

Andre Roberson, who hasn’t played in an NBA game since January 2018 due to leg injuries, is expected to be ready to go for training camp, Presti confirmed today, per Eric Horne of The Oklahoman. “We’re hopeful he’ll be seeing some preseason action as it gets closer,” Presti said. “We’ll obviously manage him closely because he hasn’t played competitive basketball in a while. He’s worked hard to get there.”
The Thunder have hired former point guard Eric Maynor as an assistant coach for their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, Presti announced today (link via Lee of The Oklahoman). Maynor, who played for the Thunder between 2009-13, also spent multiple seasons overseas, which Presti believes “gave him a totally different perspective on the game.”
Responding today to critical comments made by Kevin Durant about the way he was treated by the Thunder and fans after he left OKC in 2016, Presti took the high road, telling reporters, “I have nothing but positive things to say about him and his tenure here” (link via Horne of The Oklahoman).
According to Royce Young of ESPN.com, Presti pushed back against Doc Rivers‘ recent assertion that the Clippers knew the Thunder were looking to “break up their team” before they negotiated a trade for Paul George. “We all know that players like Paul George and Russell Westbrook are extremely hard to acquire in cities, in the smaller cities in the league, and when you have those players, you try to do everything you can to retain them,” Presti said. “… I think the thought pattern just doesn’t really line up if you just look at it logically. Probably that type of thing would have been done much earlier and it wouldn’t have resulted from a trade request from one of your best players.”
The Oklahoman’s basketball writers discussed a handful of Thunder-related topics in a roundtable, including whether Billy Donovan is on the hot seat, what the Thunder could realistically expect to acquire in a Chris Paul trade, and more.

And-Ones: 2019 Draft, Maynor, Team USA

November 21st, 2017 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of last week’s report suggesting that the NBA and players’ union are exploring the possibility of altering the league’s one-and-done rule for college prospects, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer spoke to five NBA team executives about the issue. According to O’Connor, all five of those execs expect the NBA to allow high-schoolers to enter the draft pool by 2019.

“Sooner than later,” one executive said. “Everyone’s on the same page.”

If that turns out to be the case, the 2019 NBA draft may be the most fascinating one in years. Not only could top high-school prospects potentially enter the mix, but it will also be the first year that the NBA’s new lottery rules take effect.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA point guard Eric Maynor, a 2009 first-round pick, has signed a new contract with Orlandina Basket in Italy, as Nicola Lupo of Sportando relays. Maynor, who has played for Italian and Russian teams since 2015, appeared in 267 total NBA regular season games, primarily with the Thunder.
In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton breaks down the latest transactions and injuries from around the NBA, examining the effect of Mike Conley‘s Achilles issue, D’Angelo Russell‘s knee surgery, the Robert Covington extension, and much more.
G League forward Jonathan Holmes, who was in camp with the Celtics this fall, has left the Maine Red Claws to join Team USA for this month’s World Cup qualifiers, tweets Chris Reichert of Two Ways & 10 Days. According to the official announcement from USA Basketball, Holmes is replacing Jarell Eddie, who is battling back spasms.

Eastern Notes: Bargnani, Micic, Sloan, Porter

July 26th, 2016 at 7:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former fixture on the injury reports of both the Knicks and the Nets, Andrea Bargnani, has inked a deal to play overseas in Spain with Baskonia, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). The agreement is for two years and contains opt outs for both sides, the report notes. Bargnani also reportedly drew interest from Turkey’s Darussafaka Dogus, who are now being coached by David Blatt. The 30-year-old made 46 appearances for Brooklyn last season and averaged 6.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per outing.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Sixers draft-and-stash pick Vasilije Micic has signed a one-year deal with Tofas Bursa to play overseas in Turkey, Carchia also reports (on Twitter). The 22-year-old point guard was the No. 52 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Another former Nets player is headed overseas, with Donald Sloan inking a one-year deal worth approximately $2.5MM-$2.8MM with Guangdong of The Chinese Basketball Association, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Sloan will have the opportunity to sign with an NBA club once the Chinese season concludes in late March/early April of 2017.
The Wizards aren’t expected to ink forward Otto Porter to an extension this fall, preferring instead to see how he develops this season before committing to him for the long-term, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com writes.
Former NBA player Eric Maynor, who missed the entire 2015/16 campaign with a torn ACL, has signed with the Italian club Varese, international journalist David Pick relays (via Twitter). Maynor last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 season when he split time between the Sixers and the Wizards.
The Celtics remain a team on the rise, with a deep roster and talented coach in Brad Stevens, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes, noting that the future is bright in Beantown in his look at the strengths of the team.

International Notes: Beaubois, Maynor, Claver

July 20th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

Former Mavericks guard Rodrigue Beaubois, who appeared in 182 games for Dallas between 2009 and 2013, has been linked back to the Mavs multiple times this offseason. However, Beaubois continues to draw international interest as well. According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Baskonia, a Spanish team, has interest in the 28-year-old free agent, as reported by multiple international outlets. It sounds as if Beaubois would like to return to the NBA, but he’s no lock for a roster spot in Dallas, so he’ll have to decide whether he wants to fight for an NBA job or continue to play a major role for an overseas club.

Here are a few more international items of interest:

Former Thunder point guard Eric Maynor is in “advanced talks” for a return to Italy’s Pallacanestro Varese, a team he played for in 2015, per Carchia. Maynor, who also spent time with the Jazz, Blazers, Wizards, and Sixers during his time in the NBA, is coming off a major knee injury.
Serbia’s KK Crvena Zvezda has officially announced the signing of former Warriors big man Ognjen Kuzmic to a three-year deal, as Carchia details. A second-round pick in 2012, Kuzmic previously appeared in 37 games for Golden State and had “solid interest” from the Warriors this offseason, per international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link)
Former Iona guard A.J. English, who worked out for at least a dozen NBA teams this spring, has signed with Enel Brindisi in Italy, as Carchia passes along. English went undrafted last month after averaging 22.6 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 5.0 RPG in his senior season at Iona.
A source tells Pick (Twitter link) that ex-Blazers forward Victor Claver is finalizing a deal with Barcelona that will lock him up through 2019. The Spaniard was a first-round pick in 2009, but never carved out a significant role with Portland after the team brought him stateside in 2012.

Eric Maynor Signs To Play In Italy

January 14th, 2015 at 8:09am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 8:09am: The deal is official, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia on Twitter). It covers the rest of the season.

MONDAY, 9:05am: Five-year NBA veteran Eric Maynor has agreed to play for OpenJobMetis Varese of Italy, the Italian publication La Prealpina reports (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Maynor resisted the idea of going to the D-League, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com hears (Twitter link), and he’s instead heading overseas to recharge a career in which he was once one of the NBA’s most prominent backup point guards. The terms of the Andrew Vye client‘s Italian deal are unknown.

The 27-year-old Maynor reportedly worked out for the Pelicans earlier this season, but he hasn’t played since the Sixers waived him this past March. He signed a two-year deal worth nearly $4.123MM in the summer of 2013 with the Wizards, but he fell out of the rotation and Washington sent him to Philly in a trade deadline deal nearly a year ago. The Sixers ate the guaranteed salary on both seasons of his contract when they let him go, but they could be in line to recover a small fraction of that money via set-off rights depending on the size of his deal in Italy.

Maynor had been a vital bench player for the Thunder when he tore his right ACL three years ago this month, and Reggie Jackson seized that role in his absence. Oklahoma City traded Maynor to Portland a little more than a year after the injury, and after the Blazers declined to make the former 20th overall pick a qualifying offer, he inked with the Wizards.

Pelicans In Advanced Talks With Gal Mekel

December 4th, 2014 at 2:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:39pm: The Pelicans are working on securing a visa for Mekel, and the team thinks it will be able to do so, tweets Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune.

2:24pm: The Pelicans are in “advanced discussions” with free agent point guard Gal Mekel, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The club has identified the former Maverick as its primary target after working out other point guards, including Diante Garrett and Eric Maynor, Stein adds in a second tweet. No visa issues are expected for Mekel this time after such problems scuttled a deal he had in place to join the Pacers last month, since the Pelicans aren’t under a time crunch to sign him, as the Pacers were with a hardship exception that was expiring, Stein also reports (Twitter link).

New Orleans has an open roster spot after waiving Patric Young and Darius Miller on Sunday and inking Dante Cunningham earlier this afternoon. GM Dell Demps and his staff have reportedly been aggressive in trade talk as the December 15th trade-eligibility date for most offseason signees nears, but it appears their first priority is to scour the market for free agents who can add depth. Mekel played sparingly in his first season with the Mavs, but the Thunder liked him, and the Lakers recently auditioned him along with several other players.

Mekel, now 26, joined the Mavs in 2013 after putting up 13.3 points, 5.4 assists and 2.5 turnovers in 32.3 minutes per game during 2012/13 for Maccabi Haifa in his native Israel. He inked a fully guaranteed three-year contract for the minimum salary to come stateside, but Dallas ate the salaries for the final two years to instead sign J.J. Barea shortly after opening night.

Sixers Waive Eric Maynor

March 17th, 2014 at 10:31am CST by Zachary Links

MONDAY, 10:31am: The Sixers announced that Maynor has been waived.

SUNDAY, 4:38pm: The Sixers have waived guard Eric Maynor, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). The move will make room for the incoming James Nunnally, who was just signed to a 10-day earlier today.

The Sixers acquired the former VCU hero from the Wizards in a three-team deal on February 20th. In that deal, which shipped Andre Miller to the Wizards and Jan Vesely to the Nuggets, Philly received the Nuggets’ 2016 second-round pick and the Pelicans’ 2015 second-round selection in exchange for absorbing Maynor’s contract. The Sixers will still owe Maynor $2.1MM on his player option for 2014/15 after severing ties.

In eight games for the Sixers this season, Maynor averaged 3.8 PPG in 14 minutes per contest.

Wizards Notes: Maynor, Davis, Jamison

February 21st, 2014 at 7:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Wizards saw trading Eric Maynor as an “imperative,” a source tells J. Michael of CSNWashington. That’s a strong indictment of his play, since Michael notes that Maynor didn’t cause trouble in the locker room. Maynor was never the team’s first choice last summer when they were seeking a backup for John Wall, he was just the first to accept their offer, writes Michael. Now that Andre Miller is on the roster, the team believes they have found the right player for them.

Wizards Acquire Andre Miller In Three-Team Deal

February 20th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Wizards have acquired disgruntled Nuggets guard Andre Miller in a three-team trade involving the Sixers. Washington gets Miller, the Nuggets receive Jan Vesely, and Philly receives Eric Maynor plus two second-round picks. The Sixers will receive the Nuggets’ 2016 second-round pick and the Pelicans’ 2015 second-round selection. NBA: Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets

Miller, 37, is earning a $5MM salary and makes $4.625MM next year in the final year of his deal, but that’s only partially guaranteed for $2MM as long as he’s waived before July. Before his clash with Denver coach Brian Shaw, Miller was averaging 5.9 PPG and 3.3 APG in 19 minutes per contest. Heading into this season, Miller boasted career averages of 13.8 PPG and 7.1 APG in 33.4 minutes per game.

Maynor, the former VCU hero, now joins his fifth team in four years. Washington inked the guard to a two-year deal worth the bi-annual exception with a player option for year two over the summer.

Vesely, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 draft, has averaged just 3.5 PPG and 3.4 RPG over the course of his NBA career. Washington declined its $4.2MM option on the big man for the 2014/15 season so he’ll be a free agent after the season is through.

The future-minded 76ers now have a whopping nine second round picks in the second round of this year’s draft.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter) first reported that Miller was Washington-bound. Additional details came from CBSSports.com’s Ken Berger and Sam Amick of USA Today (both links go to Twitter).