Ersan Ilyasova Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Notes: Noel, Simmons, LeBron, Ilyasova

November 5th, 2016 at 1:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors’ reported interest in Nerlens Noel could revive a deal that was discussed over the summer, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia and Toronto were discussing an offseason trade revolving around Noel and Raptors swingman Terrence Ross. Noel is considered expendable because the Sixers have a wealth of quality young big men, and the team didn’t try very hard to reach a rookie contract extension with him before Monday’s deadline. Toronto may be in the market for help at power forward after offseason acquisition Jared Sullinger suffered a foot injury that will keep him out until January. Noel has already started rehabilitation after undergoing surgery October 26th for inflamed tissue above his left knee. He is expected to be out for three to five weeks.

There’s more news from Philadelphia:

Even though he’s 6’10”, rookie Ben Simmons will eventually become the Sixers’ point guard, according to Nick Metallinos of ESPN.com. Simmons is sidelined with a Jones fracture in his right foot, but coach Brett Brown plans to help him transform to the new position when he is cleared to return. “That type of breakaway speed at 6’10, 245 pounds. He is an elite athlete,” Brown said. “Apart from the skill package that he most definitely has, I feel like that’s one of the foundations of a lot of the great players.”
Cavaliers star LeBron James sees a bright future for Simmons, relays Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. Simmons spent part of the summer working out with James, Dwyane Wade and Richard Jefferson and made a strong impression on the NBA veterans. “We all went through the workouts and he went better as the days went on,” James said. “That lets you know that he’s there to work and wants to get better and he wants to train with some of the guys he feels like he wants to work out to get better. It’s great to have him in the gym. It’s great to just be around him. He’s a great kid. Things will work out good for him.”
The Sixers’ trade for Ersan Ilyasova is a step toward the positional balancing that Brown has been talking about since last season, writes Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I just think that the skill package that [Ilyasova] has is similar in many ways to Dario [Saric] and the skill package that [Joel Embiid] has and Jahlil [Okafor] has are similar to each other,” Brown said. “I just think that it’s clear what their strengths are and the offense should reflect that. I think that those are also our best scorers. As you design your offense and you go to your strengths, I’m looking at those guys.”

Sixers Notes: Ilyasova, Embiid, Okafor, Brown

November 2nd, 2016 at 10:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being traded four times since June of 2015, Ersan Ilyasova believes he might finally be with the right organization, relays Brian Seltzer of NBA.com. The Turkish power forward had just left the practice court in Oklahoma City on Tuesday when he was informed that he had been dealt to Philadelphia in exchange for Jerami Grant. He got a late flight to meet his new team in Charlotte and was in uniform for tonight’s game against the Hornets. “As soon as I start kind of thinking about it, I think it’s a really good situation,” Ilyasova said. “This team is building, they’ve got a lot of pieces, obviously, and being part of it is a huge thing.”

There’s more news tonight out of Philadelphia:

Sixers coach Brett Brown has been limited in the amount of time he can play big men Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor together because both are on minute restrictions, notes ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. Embiid is playing his first NBA games after missing two seasons with a twice-broken foot, and Okafor is being brought along slowly after knee surgery in March. Brown realizes the situation is temporary, but said it can be complicated to get Embiid and Okafor on the floor together. “You just feel like it is cookie-cutter stuff,” he said. “It is a very rigid road map and that is OK. Nobody is crying about it. It is a challenge.”
Embiid made a quick impression on Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing, who serves as an assistant with the Hornets, posts Tom Haberstroh on ESPN Now. After watching Embiid on film, Ewing exlaimed to head coach Steve Clifford, “Woah. This guy? He might be the most talented center in the game.”
Despite their wealth of young talent, the Sixers are still making familiar mistakes that cost them games, writes Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The latest example came Tuesday when Philadelphia let a big lead slip away in a loss to Orlando. “Every time you lose a close game, you wonder what you would do differently,” Brown said. “… I understand that we’re all looking at how do you close that game out, and I think that, even with a healthy group, the difference probably is that you have Ben Simmons with the ball, and I’m sure that Joel Embiid is right in that mix.”

Eastern Notes: Olynyk, Bradley, Stuckey

November 1st, 2016 at 7:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics center Kelly Olynyk will be out of action a while longer as he makes his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald relays. “I think we’re going to have to give it a few more weeks, get it as strong as you can and feel like you’re comfortable and ready to play and can take anything that’s thrown at you,” said Olynyk, who underwent the procedure on his shoulder May 16th. “I think that’s probably what it’ll be. It’s when you feel ready to play, man. When you feel strong, feel confident, feel like you’re coming in to help the team.”

In other Boston injury news, guard Avery Bradley was forced to sit out practice today with a sore right shoulder and is scheduled to be examined by the team doctor, Marc D’Amico of NBA.com relays. Coach Brad Stevens downplayed Bradley’s shoulder woes, but there is some cause for concern given that he has been experiencing consistent pain in his shooting shoulder — a shoulder that has been surgically repaired in the past, D’Amico notes.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Sixers coach Brett Brown says the team is considered starting Ersan Ilyasova at power forward instead of Dario Saric, who was “thrown into the starting lineup” due to injuries, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (via Twitter). Ilyasova was acquired from the Thunder earlier today.
The Pacers will be without guard Rodney Stuckey for awhile, with coach Nate McMillan announcing the player will be out of action for several weeks with an injured hamstring. The silver lining of this cloud is that an MRI showed there was no tear, which would have kept Stuckey in street clothes for a far longer duration.
Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net runs down some free agents to keep an eye on in case the Cavaliers decide they need more depth at point guard behind Kyrie Irving.
Brandon Jennings, who is now a member of the Knicks after signing with them this summer, said he knew his time with the Pistons was limited as soon as Detroit acquired Reggie Jackson, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I knew it was over once they got Reggie Jackson,’’ Jennings said. “Just the fact my Achilles injury — nobody knew what to expect from me, how long it would take to come back. Achilles injuries are career-ending injuries. I already knew what time it was.’’ The Pistons traded Jennings to the Magic prior to last season’s trade deadline in the Tobias Harris deal.

Thunder Acquire Jerami Grant From Sixers

November 1st, 2016 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

3:28pm: Both teams have issued press release confirming the deal. The Thunder’s announcement indicates that the team has gained a trade exception, as noted below, so for now OKC won’t renounce that TPE to gain cap room.

2:57pm: The first-round pick heading to Philadelphia in the swap will be top-20 protected, and will turn into two second-rounders if it doesn’t fall in that 21-30 range, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. The Thunder already have a first-rounder going to Utah in 2018, so the pick involved in the deal with the Sixers will be a 2020 selection, as Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tweets. If the Sixers don’t get a first-rounder, they’d get their pair of second-rounders in 2022 and 2023, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).

2:43pm: The future pick the Sixers are receiving from the Thunder will be a first-rounder, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (via Twitter). However, Zillgitt adds that the pick will have multiple protections, and Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets that it may be a “fake first” of sorts. The Sixers hope to receive the first-rounder from the Thunder in 2020, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Meanwhile, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link) says Philadelphia plans to keep Ilyasova rather than waiving him to open up a roster spot.

2:23pm: The Sixers and Thunder have completed a trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links), who reports that Ersan Ilyasova is heading to Philadelphia along with a conditional future draft pick. Oklahoma City will receive Jerami Grant in return.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Thunder have been pursuing a potential trade involving Grant for “several months.” The 22-year-old, a second-round pick back in 2014, spent the last two seasons with Philadelphia. In 144 total contests for the franchise, he averaged 8.2 PPG and 3.9 RPG, shooting just 39.4% from the floor. While Grant has shown some promise, the Sixers had a crowded frontcourt, making him somewhat expendable.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, will land Ilyasova, a stretch four who could add some much-needed outside shooting to the Sixers’ roster. The Turkish big man was one of three players Oklahoma City received from the Magic in exchange for Serge Ibaka this summer, along with Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Ilyasova was the least-important piece in that deal, but has been a solid scorer and rebounder over the course of his NBA career, putting up 10.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and a .369 3PT% in 530 career contests with the Bucks, Pistons, Magic, and Thunder.

The Sixers’ huge chunk of cap room will come in handy when completing this move. The club is well below the salary floor, entering the day with only about $70MM in 2016/17 salary on its books. Ilyasova ($8.4MM) makes significantly more money than Grant ($980K), so Philadelphia will take on some salary in the deal, which likely explains why the Thunder are surrendering a draft pick in the swap.

Additionally, Grant – unlike Ilyasova – is under team control beyond this season. The young forward is earning the minimum salary this season and has a team option on his contract for the 2017/18 worth the minimum as well.

The Thunder entered the day ever so slightly over the cap, so they’ll have some flexibility after completing the deal — the team could technically remain an over-the-cap club, with a traded player exception worth Ilyasova’s salary. However, if OKC wants to forfeit that TPE, the team would have more than $7MM in cap room at its disposal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Western Rumors: Thunder, Young, Booker, Nuggets

October 10th, 2016 at 10:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rookie Domantas Sabonis appears to be the early leader for the Thunder’s starting power forward position over veteran Ersan Ilyasova, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman reports. Sabonis passed and shot the ball well in the Thunder’s preseason games in Spain last week, Horne continues. He’s also shown unusual maturity for his age, Horne adds. “In terms of defensively where he’s supposed to be, remembering plays, doing his job, being in the right spots, the right positions, (being) a competitive guy, he’s reliable,” coach Billy Donovan told Horne. “Really reliable.”

In other news around the Western Conference:

Lakers swingman Nick Young appreciates the way new coach Luke Walton has delivered his message of getting Young to improve defensively, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Young often bristled at the way former coach Byron Scott criticized him publicly, Medina notes, but Walton has tried a more positive approach. “You have a coach that is telling you to shoot the ball and has confidence in you,” Young told Medina. “All he wants you to do is play defense and do whatever you want on offense. That gives yourself a lot of confidence.”
Suns coach Earl Watson believes shooting guard Devin Booker is a star in the making, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic relays. Booker lit up the Trail Blazers for 34 points in three quarters this preseason and Watson marvels at his scoring ability, Coro continues. “He scored every way possible, so you like everything that he did,” Watson told Coro. “You can tell 19 years of age and his maturity and patience in the half-court and the way he can score is very unique. I’m not sure there’s a lot of people his age or a lot of people in the NBA who can do that.”
Jusuf Nurkic has been so impressive this preseason that he is practically forcing Nuggets coach Michael Malone to name him the opening-night starter at center, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Nurkic has played with determination in the preseason, Dempsey notes, while averaging 18.0 points and 13.3 rebounds. If Nurkic continues to play this way, Malone’s biggest decision will be to choose between Nikola Jokic and Kenneth Faried as the starting power forward, Dempsey adds.

Thunder Considering Pursuit Of Al Horford

June 30th, 2016 at 7:35am CST by Luke Adams

If the Thunder re-sign Kevin Durant, adding him back to their current roster, the team won’t have any cap space to use for 2016/17. However, that isn’t stopping Oklahoma City from considering a run at another one of the top free agents on the market. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, the Thunder have been making calls around the NBA looking to clear cap room, and rival executives believe the club is intent on pursuing Al Horford to go along with Durant.

As Windhorst details, the Thunder have made calls exploring the possibility of sending players like Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler to teams with the cap room necessary to absorb their salaries. The team could also save nearly $11.8MM in 2016/17 salary by cutting Ersan Ilyasova and Anthony Morrow, whose salaries aren’t guaranteed yet. Of course, if the Thunder want to avoid guaranteeing Ilyasova’s salary, that will require a quick decision — his $8.4MM becomes guaranteed tomorrow.

Even if the Thunder kept Ilyasova, they could clear plenty of salary by dealing Kanter and Singler, and waiving Morrow — that would move nearly $25.5MM off the team’s books. Remove Dion Waiters‘ qualifying offer and that would leave Oklahoma City with only about $46.6MM in team salary. Both Durant and Horford are eligible to earn maximum salaries of about $26.6MM, so depending on where the salary cap lands, some additional maneuvering may be required to make a Horford signing a reality for the Thunder, unless he and/or Durant were willing to take less than the max.

Horford’s interest level in the Thunder isn’t entirely clear, but he has a connection to head coach Billy Donovan, having played for him as a Florida Gator, and the two men remain close, according to Windhorst.

Although adding Horford would require several steps, and may be a long shot for the Thunder, the fact that the team is exploring such a possibility could be a selling point for Durant. Oklahoma City is set to sit down with its superstar forward today, and while the two sides technically aren’t permitted to discuss contract terms until July, the Thunder could present the Horford plan to Durant as one of several avenues to improving the roster. Playing for a perennial championship contender is a top priority for Durant, so OKC’s pitch figures to center on how the team can remain in contention for a title for years to come.

As for Horford, he’ll have a ton of suitors outside of the Thunder. The Hawks will work hard to re-sign him, and the Lakers, Rockets, Magic, Pistons, Wizards, Celtics, Heat, and Nets are among the other teams expected to have some interest. A Wednesday report suggested that Atlanta is hesitant to offer Horford a five-year deal, and if the team maintains that stance, it could risk losing him.

Thunder To Guarantee Ersan Ilyasova’s Salary

June 24th, 2016 at 7:22am CST by Luke Adams

As part of the package they received in exchange for Serge Ibaka on Thursday night, the Thunder acquired stretch four Ersan Ilyasova, whose contract is mostly non-guaranteed for the 2016/17 season. Although Oklahoma City could save $8MM by cutting Ilyasova before July 1st, leaving just $400K on the cap, the team likes him and intends to guarantee his full $8.4MM salary, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Thunder trade Serge Ibaka to Magic]

General manager Sam Presti confirmed as much when he spoke to reporters after the draft, pointing out that Ilyasova led the league in charges taken last season, tweets Slater. In 74 contests last season for the Pistons and Magic, Ilyasova also chipped in 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.1% on three-point attempts.

While the Thunder will rely on all three players – Ilyasova, Victor Oladipo, and No. 11 pick Domantas Sabonis – to help fill the void left by Ibaka’s departure, Ilyasova is perhaps the player most ready-made to step in for the departing OKC big man, at least on offense. He lacks Ibaka’s athleticism and ability to protect the rim, but Ilyasova is a frontcourt player who can stretch the floor, giving Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook room to operate.

With Oklahoma City poised to keep Ilyasova, Thursday night’s trade actually added a few million dollars in salary to the team’s books for 2016/17. Ibaka will earn $12,250,000 next season, while Ilyasova, Oladipo, and Sabonis will combine to make $17,393,160, assuming the rookie signs for his full 120% scale amount. In the long term though, OKC may find it more affordable to keep its new players – especially Sabonis – than it would have been to re-sign Ibaka, who is headed for a big payday in 2017.

Thunder Trade Serge Ibaka To Magic

June 24th, 2016 at 12:48am CST by Arthur Hill

Oklahoma City has traded power forward Serge Ibaka to Orlando, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The Thunder received Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis, the 11th overall pick, in return (Twitter link). Both teams have formally confirmed the deal.

Ibaka had spent his entire seven-year career with OKC after being drafted 24th in 2008. The 26-year-old has one season left on his contract at $12.25MM. He appeared in 78 games for Oklahoma City this season, averaging 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. The Thunder reportedly have been gauging the trade market for Ibaka in advance of the draft.

Oladipo, 24, will be eligible for a contract extension next month for the first time in his NBA career. He is scheduled to make about $6.55MM next season in the final year of his rookie deal. The combo guard averaged 16.0 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Magic in 2015/16 while shooting .438 from the field.

Ilyasova, 29, has an $8.4MM contract for next season, but only $400K of that is guaranteed. He split this season between the Pistons and Magic, averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 74 games.

Earlier in the evening, the Raptors offered their No. 9 pick to the Thunder for Ibaka, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, but Oklahoma City turned down the deal. Toronto is searching for a replacement for 35-year-old Luis Scola, who started 76 games this season. Scola will be a free agent after earning $3MM during 2015/16. Toronto wound up keeping the ninth pick and taking center Jakob Poetl out of Utah.

Eastern Notes: Rose, Knicks, Durant, Magic

June 23rd, 2016 at 3:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls missing the playoffs this season signaled to the front office that it was time to try a new approach, which led Chicago to trade Derrick Rose to the Knicks, Sam Smith of Bulls.com relays. “We had this window of opportunity,” GM Gar Forman said at a press conference Wednesday. “Obviously, injuries played a part where we couldn’t reach our ultimate goal to be a championship team. But we thought we had a window to compete at a high level. But through injuries and age… we felt that window was coming to a close.

“A year ago you could start to see signs it was coming to a close,” Forman added. “But we didn’t have a lot of [financial] flexibility and we wanted to give the group as it was another year to see where we could go. We also talked about putting together a plan moving forward. We feel we need to get younger, get more athletic; obviously, we need to find players who will fit the style of play [Bulls coach] Fred [Hoiberg] wants to play and fit the players we have on our team. In making this trade, we feel it’s the first step in that direction.”

Here’s more from the East:

Knicks team president Phil Jackson informed Rose that the team intends to go after unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant as soon as the free agent signing period opens in July, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. Jackson hopes he can sell Durant on the idea of joining Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis in New York, Isola adds.
Marc Berman of The New York Post breaks down the five most pressing issues facing the Knicks following the Rose trade.
One potential scenario that will be considered by the Magic this evening is packaging the No. 11 overall pick along with the non-guaranteed contract of Ersan Ilyasova in exchange for a veteran player from a team looking to shed salary, John Denton of NBA.com writes. “The positive thing is that we have players that the league values,’’ said GM Rob Hennigan, who noted he’s received several trade inquiries from other teams. “This time of year, especially, you’re always having conversations, always listening and always trying to explore ways to improve your team. We’ve had several conversations and we’ll continue to have those conversations [Wednesday] and [Thursday].’’
Hennigan did note that the Magic would prefer to retain the No. 11 pick and add a player who could join the rotation immediately, rather than deal it away, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel relays. “I think the preference would be someone who can contribute,” Hennigan said. “But with where we’re picking, we may have to lean more toward picking the best player on the board as we try to balance those two things. But the preference would be to find someone who can help us immediately.“

Central Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Harris, Lue, Vogel

April 30th, 2016 at 2:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope may think twice before committing to a contract extension with the Pistons, according to David Mayo of MLive. The third-year shooting guard will be eligible for an extension this offseason, but he may try to increase his value with another productive season and then take his chances as a restricted free agent next summer. “I think what’s important is we’ll have to have discussions and see what’s important to Kentavious and have a sense of where they’re at with the whole thing,” said GM Jeff Bower. “It’s something that doesn’t have to take place. But what does have to take place is an understanding of what’s important, what time frames are important, how he understands his place and role here.” Caldwell-Pope started all 76 games he played this season, averaging 14.3 points per night.

There’s more on the Central Division:

Replacing Ersan Ilyasova with Tobias Harris in a February trade helped the Pistons reach the playoffs, Mayo writes in a separate piece. Ilyasova tended to slow down the offense, while Harris displayed a willingness to pass, shoot, drive, rebound and do anything the team needed from him. Detroit’s offensive rating improved nearly three points per 100 possessions after Harris arrived. Mayo adds that the Pistons will emphasize shooting as they search the free agent market for backups at the point guard and power forward positions.
Tyronn Lue hasn’t signed a new contract since taking over as the Cavaliers‘ head coach in January, but he’s not interested in any of the open positions around the league, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Lue was the league’s highest-paid assistant, with a four-year deal he signed in 2014 worth $6.5MM. After replacing David Blatt, Lue reached a verbal agreement worth $3MM prorated for his time as head coach this season and another $3MM for next year, along with a team option for 2017/18 at $3.5MM with a buyout. An unidentified source told ESPN the Cavs will live up to the offer and plan to finalize the deal with Lue this summer.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel is used to the level of criticism he received after the Game 5 loss to Toronto, which included calls for his firing on social media, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. “I don’t take it personally,” Vogel said after the Indiana blew out the Raptors in Game 6. “I hear everything. I don’t take anything personal. The passion the fans have? It isn’t as strong as mine.”