Greivis Vasquez Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Greivis Vasquez To Miss Three Months?

December 15th, 2015 at 10:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Greivis Vasquez underwent surgery today to remove a bone spur and loose bodies from his right ankle, the Bucks announced. Milwaukee hasn’t officially announced a timetable for Vasquez’s return, but coach Jason Kidd indicated that the veteran would be out of commission for at least three to four months, the Associated Press relays. Milwaukee currently possesses the league maximum of 15 players on its roster, meaning a corresponding move would need to be made in order to add backcourt depth, if the team so desired.

Kidd hasn’t shut the door on Vasquez returning to the court this season, saying, “He’s going to compete, hurt or healthy. He tried and did everything he could, but it just didn’t work out, so the next step was to have surgery. The next step for him is to have a speedy recovery, get ready for free agency and then go from there. We’re not going to rule him out for the season, but we’ll see.”

The 28-year-old is earning $6.6MM this year and is due to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. In 16 appearances for the Bucks in 2015/16, Vasquez is averaging 7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 22.6 minutes per contest. His slash line is .348/.259/.880.

Central Notes: Vasquez, Love, Budinger

November 10th, 2015 at 1:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greivis Vasquez is just 4 for 29 from behind the 3-point line thus far this season, but the Bucks aren’t fretting about the offseason trade acquisition, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“He’s a vet. He understands he’s got to shoot his way through this. His teammates are telling him to keep shooting,” Kidd said. “If it helps him, I ended my career without making a shot. Hopefully that makes him feel better.”

Kidd was making a self-deprecating reference to his 0 for 17 performance in the final 10 games of his career. With the Bucks possessing a 4-3 record and apparently in a jovial mood, they aren’t the only ones with a relatively carefree attitude to start the season. See more from the Central Division:

Kevin Love is carrying a looser demeanor and he and LeBron James seemingly have a much more open dialogue than they did last season, observes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Love, despite rumors that he would bolt, was the first of the major Cavs free agents to recommit to the team this past summer, as I noted when I examined the team’s offseason accomplishments earlier today.
Chase Budinger, a summer trade pickup, was struggling to find his role on the Pacers leading up to Monday’s game, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star examines, and coach Frank Vogel absorbs responsibility for it. “I haven’t really called Chase’s number very much at all,” Vogel said. “I told him a couple days ago that’s on me. I got to make sure we’re taking advantage of his skill set more.”
The Bulls received approval from the village board in suburban Hoffman Estates, Illinois for their plan to place a one-to-one D-League affiliate there starting next season, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The lease agreement for the team to use the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates isn’t final, but it’s expected to become so, according to Johnson, who adds that the Bulls have called a press conference for Wednesday. Presumably, a formal announcement about the D-League team will take place at that point.

Atlantic Rumors: Raptors, Knicks, Celtics

November 1st, 2015 at 7:00pm CST by Will Joseph

Greivis Vasquez said getting traded to the Bucks from the Raptors was hard for him, but he anticipated such a move after the way Toronto’s season ended, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relays (All Twitter links). “It was going to be either me or Lou, and it was both,” Vasquez added in reference to Lou Williams‘ departure from the team.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks picked Jimmer Fredette in Saturday’s D-League draft mostly to bring in fans, considering Fredette is a product of Glens Falls, and not strictly as a developmental move, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports.
David Lee and Amir Johnson seem like good fits on the Celtics because they both bring experience, success and a blue-collar brand of basketball to the team CSNNE.com’s A. Sherrod Blakely writes. The Celtics have a young team and that youth will benefit from the experienced tandem of Lee and Johnson, Blakely adds.
Tyler Zeller is working to improve his perimeter shooting skills, Blakely writes in separate story. It was previously reported that the Celtics are interested in rookie scale extensions for Zeller only if he consents to a decidedly team-friendly deal. The extension window closes Monday.
Italian coach Andrea Mazzon is now an assistant for the Sixers‘ D-League affiliate, the team announced. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando originally reported that Mazzon joined the affiliate in an important role.

Atlantic Notes: Isiah, King, Sixers, Raptors

October 21st, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Knicks owner James Dolan doesn’t hide his affection for Isiah Thomas, but he can’t envision a scenario in which he ever hires him for the Knicks again, telling Bryant Gumbel of HBO’s Real Sports that he doesn’t think fans in New York would give him a fair chance, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News relays (Twitter link). Thomas, to whom Gumbel also spoke, ruled out coaching the Knicks again, but didn’t say he wouldn’t seek a front office position with the team, Bondy notes. See more from around the Atlantic Division:

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov complimented the job performance of GM Billy King in an interview with NetsDaily, but he wouldn’t address the matter of whether he’ll give King an extension. King is in the final year of his deal and conflicting reports emerged in May about whether he and the team were close to an extension.
Brett Brown has said the Sixers plan to keep only three point guards for opening night, but with top options Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall injured and T.J. McConnell closing in on a regular season spot, Brown suggests the team could keep more because of their ability to slide to shooting guard, observes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “You know you look at [Scottie] Wilbekin … and say he’s a two-guard,” Brown said. “He can shoot, and that’s true. I can look at Isaiah [Canaan] and say he’s not always a point guard. Let him go be, pick him, Lou Williams. He’s a barrel-chested scorer.”
The Raptors had mixed results with two point guards on the floor at the same time last season, but with Cory Joseph having replaced Williams and Greivis Vasquez, coach Dwane Casey is more optimistic about such lineups, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca examines. “The problem last year going small wasn’t Kyle [Lowry], it was the other small guys with him,” Casey said. “Now we have speed and quickness with Kyle, we have toughness with Kyle defensively so you don’t get burned as much defensively when you do go small.”

Central Notes: Johnson, Anthony, Vasquez, Bulls

June 27th, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

It was Stanley Johnson’s extreme confidence that inspired Detroit to draft him over Justise Winslow, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. “The more we talked to people, we became very confident that this is a guy who’s driven to being great — not just talking about it, but will put in the work to do it,” said Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy. “We really wanted his mentality as much as anything. I think he’s a very confident — maybe cocky, but physical [player].” The Pistons believe Johnson is versatile enough to guard four positions in the NBA, and Van Gundy said he was the draft’s best rebounder at small forward. Detroit also likes Johnson’s improvement as a shooter and his ability to get to the line.

There’s much more from the Central Division:

The Pistons would like to bring back free unrestricted agent center Joel Anthony, Ellis writes in the same story. Van Gundy sees the 32-year-old as an elder statesman who can be valuable in tutoring younger players. “Obviously we can’t negotiate with him yet, we can’t talk money,” Van Gundy said. “I talked to him [Friday]. Again, we’ve told him consistently we would like to have him back.”
Bucks GM John Hammond promised to “create some happiness” for newly acquired Greivis Vasquez, writes Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee swung a draft-day deal that brought Vasquez from Toronto in exchange for the 46th pick in Thursday’s draft and a protected first-rounder in 2017. “He’s an energetic guy, got a lot of personality, brings a lot of moxie to the court and to our team,” Hammond said. “As a player, he’s a guy with great vision. You need guys that can pass and catch to play the game, and that’s what Greivis does.” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said Vasquez has the flexibility to play alongside point guard Michael Carter-Williams or serve as his backup. Vasquez will make $6.6MM next season and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The Bulls are comfortable with being a tax team next season, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Chicago has only crossed the tax line once in its history.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Sullinger, Tokoto

June 27th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Members of the Knicks’ front office were involved in trade discussions with the Magic, Suns, and Celtics in the hours leading up to Thursday night’s NBA Draft, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Boston discussed a package that included multiple draft picks and Jared Sullinger with New York, and Phoenix also spoke with members of the Knicks about a trade involving Eric Bledsoe in the hours leading up to the draft, Begley adds. Team president Phil Jackson said the Knicks had talked to teams about potential offers but all the offers were contingent on which players were selected ahead of them, the ESPN scribe notes. “Those things fell the way they did. We had what we wanted and we went with it,” Jackson said.

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Knicks coach Derek Fisher indicated that finding frontcourt help will be a priority once the free agent signing period begins, Begley also relays. “I don’t think it’s any secret we need to get some size up front, and I think that’ll be a big focus for us,” Fisher said. Potential targets include DeAndre Jordan, David West, Omer Asik, Greg Monroe, and Marc Gasol, Begley adds.
In addition to a pair of second round draft picks, the Nets also sent $880K to the Hornets as part of the deal to acquire the rights to Argentinian small forward Juan Vaulet, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily tweets. Brooklyn doesn’t intend for Vaulet to play in the NBA next season, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
According to multiple sources, the Sixers nabbed North Carolina swingman J.P. Tokoto with the No. 58 overall pick with the understanding that he would either play in the D-League or overseas next season, Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers reports (Twitter links). Tokoto will have the chance to compete for a roster spot, but told Philly he would be open to being stashed during the 2015/16 campaign, Fischer adds.
The Greivis Vasquez trade allowed the Raptors to generate a $6.4MM trade exception, since they gave him up without taking back any salary in return, notes Pincus (on Twitter), though with Toronto possessing only about $42.4MM in guaranteed salary for next season, it seems there’s a fair chance they’ll dip under the cap after the July Moratorium and renounce the exception.
The Nets could have created a $1,357,080 trade exception for Mason Plumlee if they decided to use their $2,339,131 Kevin Garnett trade exception to absorb Steve Blake, as Pincus presumes they’ve done (Twitter link). That would knock the Garnett exception down to $982,051. Alternatively, they could have taken Blake into the $3,326,235 Andrei Kirilenko exception and reduced its value to $1,969,155, a move the Nets might have preferred because the Kirilenko exception expires more than two months sooner than the Garnett exception does. The trade meanwhile allowed the Blazers to create an exception worth the $719,920 difference between the salaries of Blake and Plumlee, though that exception would vanish if they go under the cap, as they may well do if LaMarcus Aldridge ends up elsewhere.
The tiny $355,016 leftover portion of the trade exception that the Knicks generated in last year’s Tyson Chandler trade has expired. New York used the bulk of what was once a $3,637,073 exception to acquire Alexey Shved at the trade deadline. The Tim Hardaway Jr. trade afforded the Knicks the chance to create a new $1,250,640 exception for his salary, as we noted, though that will disappear if the Knicks dip below the cap next month, as expected.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Raptors Trade Greivis Vasquez To Bucks

June 25th, 2015 at 11:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

11:26pm: The deal is official, the Bucks announced.

8:05pm: The Bucks have agreed to a deal with the Raptors that will send Greivis Vasquez to Milwaukee, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reported the sides were close. The Raptors will get the Clippers’ 2017 first-round pick, one that Los Angeles had previously traded to Milwaukee, and the 46th pick in tonight’s draft, Stein adds (Twitter link).

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri seemingly comes away with a coup, netting a lottery-protected first-rounder for his backup point guard. Vasquez goes into the mix with Michael Carter-Williams at the point in Milwaukee. He’s set to make $6.6MM next season in the last year of a two-year, $13MM pact he signed last summer.

Milwaukee’s guaranteed salary for next season will vault to about $41.6MM as a result of the swap, with another $4.25MM perhaps to come if Jared Dudley opts in. That doesn’t count the cap hold for the No. 17 pick. Still, the Bucks will likely have close to max-level cap room to go after reported targets Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler while keeping Khris Middleton‘s small $2.725MM cap hold on the books before attempting to sign him to a more lucrative pact.

The Raptors also have the ability to chase major targets with only about $42MM in guaranteed salary for next season. Still, they won’t have the ability to use Vasquez, Kevin Durant‘s high school teammate, to recruit the former MVP when he hits free agency next summer.

Rockets, Wolves Interested In Greivis Vasquez?

June 22nd, 2015 at 12:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:19pm: Wolfson clarifies that he has no sense that the Raptors are interested in Bennett (Twitter link).

11:40am: Greivis Vasquez said in a press conference in his native Venezuela today that he’s heard the Timberwolves and Rockets like him and that while he’d prefer to remain in Toronto, he’s preparing to become a starting point guard if the Raptors trade him, as Basket Vinotinto relays in Spanish (Twitter links; hat tip to Sporando’s Emiliano Carchia). Vasquez is to make $6.6MM next season, the final of a two-year deal he signed last summer to serve as Kyle Lowry‘s backup.

The Rockets are reportedly planning a push to sign restricted free agent point guard Patrick Beverley, though they’d have a hole to fill at the position if he signs elsewhere and Houston doesn’t match. Statements from Ricky Rubio and Flip Saunders have seemed to tamp down rumors suggesting that either he, the team, or both have interest in trading him. Presuming Rubio stays in Minnesota, Vasquez would project as a backup there. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities suggests the Wolves would indeed have interest in trading for Vasquez, though Wolfson hears mixed word on whether Toronto would want former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, a Canadian, whose salary would fit for a potential trade (Twitter link).

Houston can offer the Raptors cap relief in the form of Kostas Papanikolaou‘s non-guaranteed salary if the team picks up his team option. Vasquez has spent one full season as a starter, in 2012/13 with New Orleans, and he averaged 9.0 assists per game that year.

Greivis Vasquez Re-Signs With Raptors

July 17th, 2014 at 11:32am CST by Cray Allred

JULY 17TH: Vasquez has officially signed his new deal, the team announced in a press release.

“Greivis’ passion for the Raptors and Toronto is wonderful,” GM Masai Ujiri said in the team’s statement. “He is a versatile player who provides us with energy and depth.”

JULY 9TH: Greivis Vasquez has agreed to a deal with the Raptors, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The point guard will sign the two-year, $13MM contract with Toronto once the league moratorium has passed. The deal includes no options, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

The move will end Vasquez’s restricted free agency following Toronto’s choice to extend a qualifying offer over a week ago. Vasquez was being sought after by the Bucks, but was reportedly close to re-signing with the Raptors before Milwaukee’s efforts could gain steam. Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Suns speculates that the agreement could have been delayed by a failed attempt on the part of the 27-year-old’s agent, Arn Tellem, to gain a third year on the contract (on Twitter).

Vasquez will return to back up Kyle Lowry, whom Toronto reached a four-year agreement with already. An average salary of $6.5MM is high for a second string guard, but the length of the contract gives the team flexibility and a reliable insurance option should the oft-injured Lowry run into any health trouble. Vasquez excelled as a backup last season, posting a career-high per-36-minute scoring average while maintaining a solid 6.2 assists-per-36-minute rate.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eastern Notes: Anthony, Bucks, Meeks

July 6th, 2014 at 12:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Lakers interest in Carmelo Anthony could possibly help the Bulls acquire the free agent forward, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Johnson opines that the presence of a third serious contender could make the Knicks more amenable to a sign-and-trade deal for Anthony if they are unable to re-sign him.