Gary Neal Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Wizards, Neal, Anderson, Hawks

July 12th, 2016 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Udonis Haslem is returning to the Heat for his 14th season, but for the first time, he won’t be joined by longtime teammate Dwyane Wade. Speaking to reporters today on a conference call, Haslem expressed optimism about the new-look Heat, but also conveyed some disappointment over Wade’s deal with the Bulls, as Anthony Chiang of The Palm Beach Post details. “I don’t know if there’s anything I could have done or should have done,” Haslem said of Wade’s departure. “I felt like it could have been avoided but for whatever reason it just wasn’t.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

There were some players and coaches for the Wizards last season who viewed Gary Neal as “selfish,” and as someone who was most concerned about his own stats, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. On his Facebook page this week, Neal posted some of those stats as he attempted to make a case for why he should be in line for a free-agency payday.
Although the Wizards had been expected to meet with Alan Anderson over the weekend, that meeting still hadn’t happened as of Monday afternoon, tweets Michael. However, Anderson remains in the picture for Washington, per the CSN scribe.
The Hawks initially didn’t have interest in acquiring Jarrett Jack when the Nets made him available via trade. However, Atlanta eventually signed him as a free agent, and Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains why the team changed its course on Jack.
Heading into free agency, Marvin Williams told his agent that he was comfortable in Charlotte, and that if the Hornets made a competitive offer, he was “highly predisposed to re-sign,” writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Williams ultimately struck a four-year, $54.5MM deal with the team.

And-Ones: Felder, Thibodeau, Neal

April 9th, 2016 at 10:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kay Felder has decided to hire Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier of the Athlete Management Group and remain in the draft, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. The junior out of Oakland is the 47th best prospect, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express ranks him as the 70th best prospect.

Here’s more from around the league:

Hornets coach Steve Clifford believes Tom Thibodeau will return to the league next season, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. “I know he misses [it],” Clifford said.
Gary Neal is on track to start resuming basketball activities in June after undergoing surgery this week to repair a torn hip labrum suffered in December while he was a member of the Wizards, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). Neal, 31, was waived by Washington in March in order to clear a roster spot for the signing of Marcus Thornton. The point guard played well for the Wizards prior to his injury, knocking down 41.0% of his 3-point attempts as he averaged 9.8 points in 20.2 minutes per game across 40 appearances.
JaKarr Sampson has played well since signing with the Nuggets and he is focusing on improving in different areas of his game, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “My first year in the league I was just focused on defense,” Sampson said. “Now, my offensive side is coming out and I’m making progress. It’s showing.”

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Wizards Release Gary Neal

March 9th, 2016 at 1:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:44pm: The move is official, the team announced.

11:12am: The Wizards are in the process of waiving Gary Neal, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The combo guard has been dealing with a leg injury affecting his right quadriceps and hip that’s expected to keep him out for a few more weeks, Stein notes (ESPN Now link), and he hasn’t appeared in a game since February 6th. Neal, who’s on a one-year contract worth $2.139MM, is one of 15 players currently with Washington, so the move will give the team the roster flexibility necessary to accommodate its reported deal with Marcus Thornton.

Washington signed Neal using the biannual exception this past summer after holding interest that reportedly dated back to last year’s buyout market. He shot well when healthy this season, knocking down 41.0% of his 3-point attempts as he averaged 9.8 points in 20.2 minutes per game across 40 appearances. However, the Wizards have an immediate need at two guard as Bradley Beal fights through a short-term hip injury, so it appears the team simply isn’t willing to wait for Neal to return to action.

Neal’s full salary will stick on Washington’s books if he clears waivers, though the team has already given him the majority of his salary and owes him just a few more paychecks at this point in the season. Portland ostensibly has motivation to add someone to reach the salary floor, but the Blazers are less than $1MM from that figure and wouldn’t necessarily benefit financially from claiming Neal.

Unless Neal re-signs with the Wizards, a prospect that seems unlikely, he won’t be eligible for the playoffs, since he’ll be hitting waivers after March 1st.

Southwest Notes: Ellis, Randolph, Neal

December 17th, 2015 at 10:31am CST by Chuck Myron

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said the decision not to make an offer to Monta Ellis over the summer came down to a desire to clear cap space, not because of Ellis’ age (he turned 30 in October) or any thought that he was in decline, writes Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

“We love Monta as a person, his family. It was one of the times where I went back and forth a lot,” Cuban said. “Not just on the basketball side but on the family side. His wife [plans to attend] law school. His wife has an amazing future as a lawyer and it was hard. That’s the down side of this business.”

Ellis instead signed with the Pacers, though he’s still feeling the effects of offseason surgery, as Buckner also reports and as we passed along earlier. See more from the Southwest Division:

Zach Randolph, now coming off the bench for the Grizzlies, tells Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com that he’s on board with his reduced role, and Randolph agrees with Jackson’s assertion that a dead-eye shooter in the mold of J.J. Redick is the missing element on the Memphis roster.
Gary Neal roots for the Spurs whenever he’s not playing them and has plenty of admiration for the team with which he spent his first three NBA seasons, notes Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. Neal is on a one-year, $2.139MM contract with the Wizards.
The Mavs‘ inability to trade a first-round pick for any draft prior to 2018 and the lack of value their expiring contracts have in a market full of teams with cap flexibility for 2016 make it difficult to envision Dallas pulling off any swap that significantly upgrades the roster this season, contends Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Wizards, Hornets

December 13th, 2015 at 1:46pm CST by Will Joseph

Former Heat point guard Mario Chalmers, in his first extensive interview since the trade that sent him to the Grizzlies, told Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald that the reason why he is having success with his new team is because he is being utilized as more of a scorer instead of a facilitator. Chalmers is averaging 9.5 points per game this season, which is better than his career average of 8.9 points per game. Interestingly, Chalmers said he was not provided a reason from Miami about why he was traded. The move allowed the Heat to shed salary.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Gary Neal, whom the Wizards signed to a one-year deal in July, has filled the role of capable bench scorer, which is what Washington hoped for in inking the veteran point guard, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post writes. Neal’s contract, which is worth $2.1MM, fit into both the Wizards’ short-term plans and long-term flexibility, Castillo adds. The move has paid off with Neal averaging 10.6 points per game.
After being traded to the Hornets from the Blazers, Nicolas Batum is playing the best basketball of his career, Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com details. Batum’s all-around game has been so strong this season, Celtics coach Brad Stevens thinks the small forward has a good shot to make the All-Star team, as Toscano adds.
Speaking of Batum, taking chances on him, Jeremy Lamb and Spencer Hawes — who were each at uncertain points of their respective careers — in trades during the summer has made the Hornets dramatically better offensively, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer explains. In obtaining the players, the Hornets added size and versatility, Bonnell adds. “We made a concerted effort to improve offensively, improve our versatility and find more skilled players,” Hornets GM Rich Cho said. “I knew Nic from [working in] Portland; we knew Spencer had tremendous basketball IQ and could shoot the ball and spread the floor. Jeremy was someone we pursued for a long time. We liked him in college and saw him play a lot of games in the NBA and the D-League.”

Southeast Notes: Splitter, Neal, Batum, Ennis

October 1st, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Tiago Splitter admits that he was disappointed when he was traded to the Hawks in a move designed to clear salary cap room, writes Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. The Spurs needed the cap space the trade provided to sign LaMarcus Aldridge, whom Splitter believes makes San Antonio the team to beat in the West, Greene adds. “It’s a great squad,” Splitter said of his former team. “On paper they are the favorites to win the title. They have David West. They have LaMarcus Aldridge. Of course, Tim Duncan. Just a great frontcourt over there. They are a very talented team. Of course you have to see how things work out for them on the practical side of the game, but on the interior they have a great team.”

The big man said that his attitude regarding being dealt changed when he realized he’d be playing for coach Mike Budenholzer, a former assistant with the Spurs, Greene adds. “It’s nice to be in an environment where you already know the coach,” Splitter said. “I didn’t know the players before I got here but as soon as I got traded Bud told me that I was going to be in a great situation with great teammates. He gave me a lot of confidence that this team is going to be great once again. I don’t think a [learning curve] is going to be a problem. When I’ve talked to Bud so far I’ve seen that he has his own tricks and personality in the system, but it’s the same system we ran in San Antonio.”

Here’s the latest out of the Southeast Division:

With the Wizards expected to utilize smaller lineups this season, Gary Neal‘s three-point shooting skills should play a big part in the team’s new offense, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic writes. “The way the NBA is changing and evolving right now, how everybody is going to the four out, one in, the ball movement, not holding the ball, getting away from the isolation play, coach [Randy] Wittman is trying to teach that,” Neal said. “That offense is kind of new to him also. He went to a little bit of that against the Hawks in the playoffs and by playing Paul Pierce at the four he kind of liked that. So he was thinking about that throughout the whole summer. He’s teaching it to us. It’s new to us. Everybody’s learning. We should be alright.“
Nicolas Batum will take on a much greater role with the Hornets than he had during his time in Portland, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “Nic has always been third or fourth option,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “Now he’s going to be second or first option.”
Heat forward James Ennis said that the tendinitis that he was experiencing in his knees led to his poor showing in summer league play this year, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “I was down on myself because I expected more from me,” Ennis told Jackson. “I’m really hard on myself. But I looked at it and said, ‘You’re injured.’ I was playing at 65%. I did a lot of treatment. My knee is a lot better. You’ll see it in the preseason.” Ennis, who has a non-guaranteed salary, is fighting for a regular season roster spot.

Wizards Sign Gary Neal

July 9th, 2015 at 12:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 9TH, 12:39pm: The deal is official, the Wizards announced.

“Gary is a proven veteran who will bring us perimeter shooting and experience,“ GM Ernie Grunfeld said. “Adding him to our rotation makes our backcourt rotation deeper and more versatile.“

JULY 3RD, 2:21pm: The Wizards will sign Gary Neal for one year and $2.1MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Washington will use its biannual exception, worth $2.139MM, to accommodate the contract, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). That leaves the $5.464MM mid-level exception for reported target David West, Wojnarowski notes (on Twitter).

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities raised the possibility of a sign-and-trade deal that would preserve Washington’s biannual when he reported interest in Neal from the Bulls, but it looks at this point that it’ll be a straight signing. The David Bauman client drew the eye of the Wizards this past season, when they would have had interest in signing him if he had engineered a buyout from the Timberwolves, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reported then.

Washington appealed to the guard based on its proximity to his hometown in Baltimore and the presence of starters John Wall and Bradley Beal, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets. His deal is a slight pay drop from the two-year, $6.5MM deal he signed in 2013, even though his scoring was up from his time with the Spurs.

Bulls Interested In Gary Neal

June 29th, 2015 at 12:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls are among multiple Eastern Conference playoff teams interested in Gary Neal, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter). The soon-to-be free agent guard won’t return to the Timberwolves, though he won’t take any meetings with prospective suitors, Wolfson also tweets as he raises the possibility of a sign-and-trade.

A sign-and-trade would be tricky for the Bulls, who can’t take on any player in such a way if they’re to exceed the tax apron, a line $4MM above the tax threshold, at any point in 2015/16. The Bulls have about $63MM in guaranteed salary for next season, including Kirk Hinrich, who opted in today, but not including an expected max deal for Jimmy Butler or any sort of contract for Mike Dunleavy. Thus, Chicago seems poised to exceed the projected $81.6MM tax line, if not the apron.

Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported in March that the Wolves would be interested in re-signing the late-blooming five-year veteran who turns 31 in October, but apparently that won’t be happening. Neal seemed eager to leave Minnesota around the trade deadline, shortly after the Wolves acquired him from the Hornets. The Bulls, as well as the Hawks and Wizards, all Eastern Conference playoff teams, reportedly had interest in him around that time.

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Heat, Draft, Magic

May 29th, 2015 at 3:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks aren’t quite sure what went wrong in the conference finals, where the Cavs dismantled them in four games, but coach and acting GM Mike Budenholzer tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe that he wants continuity to be a major part of the team’s improvement. Atlanta is apparently sold on its chances to re-sign Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll, but Lowe isn’t so sure the Hawks can afford them both. “You can bet” that Atlanta’s front office would consider a sign-and-trade deal involving Millsap and fellow free agent Greg Monroe, Lowe writes, adding that rival executives get the sense that Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is eager to climb up the standings next season. Shams Charania of RealGM reported back in December that Atlanta planned to pursue Monroe. There’s more on the Hawks amid the latest from the Southeast Division:

Lowe, in the same piece, identifies Gary Neal as a “name to watch” for the Hawks in the event the team goes under the cap and has the $2.814MM room exception to spend, though that’s likely just an educated guess. Neal, who finished up the season with the Timberwolves, used to play under Budenholzer, then a Spurs assistant coach, in San Antonio.
Small forwards Justise Winslow from Duke and Stanley Johnson from Arizona as well as former Washington center Robert Upshaw were among the players the Heat interviewed at the combine this month, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel notes. Heat personnel were also in attendance at an agent-run workout involving Johnson and Kansas small forward Kelly Oubre, while Florida big man Chris Walker and shooting guard Michael Frazier are expected to work out later for Miami, Winderman adds.
Florida Gulf Coast point guard Brett Comer worked out with the Heat earlier this week, as he told Seth Soffian of The News-Press.
The Magic reportedly expect to hire Scott Skiles, but Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel believes a relatively unappealing Magic roster and Tom Thibodeau‘s failure to get along with Bulls management make it tough to envision Thibs in Orlando even if Skiles doesn’t end up in the job.

Northwest Notes: Hunt, Neal, Gasol, Tomic

March 16th, 2015 at 10:48am CST by Chuck Myron

The Trail Blazers have never won a Northwest Division title, but they’re seemingly destined to do so this year, since they’re up nine games in the loss column on the Thunder with less than a month to go in the regular season. The last time Portland won a division title, in 1999, the team was in the Pacific Division. Here’s the latest on the teams looking up at the Blazers in the standings:

Nuggets players, and Kenneth Faried in particular, are ecstatic about interim coach Melvin Hunt and would unanimously vote to remove the interim tag from his title, observes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. However, owner Stan Kroenke is still dissatisfied with a team far from playoff contention, Dempsey also notes.
Timberwolves guard Gary Neal doesn’t regret chasing the money and leaving the Spurs to sign a two-year, $6.5MM deal in 2013 in part because he saw DeJuan Blair go from a starter to signing a minimum-salary contract in short order, as Neal tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Neal will be a free agent again at season’s end.
Kevin Durant has posited that Oklahoma City’s lack of “orchestras and plays” dissuaded Pau Gasol from signing with the Thunder this past summer, but Gasol said this weekend that such cultural attractions weren’t a factor, according to The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry. The Bulls big man instead said it was a matter of on-court fit that led him to choose Chicago, as Mayberry relays.
Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic believes the offseason ahead is his last legitimate opportunity to join the NBA, and while he acknowledged that he’s in talks about a new deal with his Spanish team, he won’t rule out a jump to Utah. The 7’2″ center made his remarks to Jesús Pérez Ramos of Mundo Deportivo (translation via HoopsHype). FC Barcelona has a team option on the 28-year-old for next season, but the Jazz are reportedly willing to pay to buy Tomic out of his contract.