Harrison Barnes Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Wade, Bosh, Williams, Magic

March 6th, 2016 at 6:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dwyane Wade will be a free agent for the second straight year, but there’s virtually no chance he will leave Miami, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Wade is proud of spending his entire 13-year NBA career in one city and persevering through the ups and downs. “It’s not that common in today’s game, but, yeah, you feel very prideful,” Wade said. “It hasn’t all been great, but you continue to stick with it, you continue to fight with it. I’ve been here, good or bad, the Miami Heat stays relevant.” Wade cashed in last summer, earning the highest salary of his career when he re-signed with the Heat for one year at $20MM. He stands to increase that figure this year with the expected jump in the salary cap.

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

Chris Bosh has been working out with Heat staff members rather than his teammates, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. “Not necessarily with the team. But, yeah, he’ll work out with the staff,” said coach Erik Spoelstra. “He’s staying engaged and he’s in great spirits. And that never surprised me with C.B.” Miami is trying to assess Bosh’s chances of returning to action this season after reportedly suffering a blood clot in his calf. The team hasn’t confirmed his condition and is simply putting him on the inactive list without explanation.
The Hornets‘ Marvin Williams is posting some career-high numbers in his 11th season, notes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Williams is having his best season in rebounding and 3-point shooting, and at 10.9 points per game, he has his highest scoring average in seven years. Those figures should be attractive on the open market this summer, as Williams is wrapping up the final season of a two-year, $14MM contract. “One thing my father always taught me is hard work pays off,” Willliams said. “I worked extremely hard this summer and I feel like I’m benefitting from that. It’s helping me and it’s helping our team.”
The Magic could strengthen their presentation to this summer’s free agents with a berth in the playoffs, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando is expected to be aggressive in the free agent market, and Schmitz lists Al Horford, Mike Conley, DeMar DeRozan, Bradley Beal, Nicolas Batum, Chandler Parsons, Ryan Anderson and Harrison Barnes as possible targets.

Southwest Notes: Howard, Thornton, Dekker

February 28th, 2016 at 5:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks have no interest in signing Rockets center Dwight Howard if he opts out this summer, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Sefko touched on two other free agent centers, stating that Dallas is concerned about “off-court issues” involving Miami’s Hassan Whiteside, while Atlanta’s Al Horford would be a nice fit between Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons. In a question-and-answer session, Sefko also said the Mavericks may pursue Harrison Barnes if Parsons opts out, but he believes Barnes will stay with the Warriors.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Former Rockets guard Marcus Thornton cleared waivers this afternoon, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston released Thornton on Friday after he was sent to Detroit in a deal at the deadline that was later voided because of health concerns involving Donatas Motiejunas. Despite trading for Thornton, the Pistons don’t have any interest in signing him.
The Rockets have recalled rookie combo forward Sam Dekker from their D-League affiliate, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston made Dekker the 18th overall pick in last summer’s draft, but he has only appeared in three games for the Rockets because of back surgery. A Wisconsin native, Dekker was called up just in time for the team’s trip to Milwaukee on Monday. “That’s just how it worked out,” he said. “… Now I get to go home, see my family. … I’m sure there will be a lot of Badger fans in Bradley Center tomorrow.”
The versatility of Lance Stephenson, who was acquired in a draft day trade with the Clippers, has helped the Grizzlies deal with the loss of Marc Gasol, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. There were concerns that Memphis might collapse after Gasol’s broken foot, but the team was averaging 108.6 points in five games without their center before Saturday’s loss at Phoenix. “It’s a whole new identity for us with different groups, different guys,” coach Dave Joerger said. “I’m trying to play Lance at four different positions. Matt Barnes is playing two different positions, sometimes three. We can struggle defensively, but we’ll just keep working at it.”

And-Ones: Durant, Cap, Beasley, Agents

February 23rd, 2016 at 12:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

Some within the Warriors brass aren’t entirely sold on the idea of making significant changes to bring aboard Kevin Durant this summer, reports Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The team’s primary scenario would involve sign-and-trades that send Harrison Barnes out and Durant in, but that’s a long shot because of all the variables involved, Lowe writes. Signing Durant outright would come at the cost of Barnes and at least two of Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli in cap-clearing moves, Lowe surmises, adding that the team worries it might have to give up as many as two first-round picks to entice other teams to take salary off their hands. The Warriors are reportedly well out in front as Durant’s top choice should he leave the Thunder, but he’s offered few hints about what he’ll do in free agency. He and Russell Westbrook have minor disagreements about who gets the ball, but no personal tension exists between then, Lowe hears. See more from around the NBA:

The league’s official cap projection for next season has grown to $90MM, up slightly from $89MM, sources tell Lowe for the same piece. Some apparently see it creeping into the $92-$95MM range.
Former No. 2 overall pick Michael Beasley is drawing the eye of multiple NBA teams, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Beasley can return stateside now that Shandong, the Chinese team he signed with this past summer, is out of the Chinese Basketball Association playoffs. The combo forward averaged 31.9 points in 36.5 minutes per game with 37.1% 3-point shooting against relatively weak competition this season.
The players union’s executive committee unanimously approved stiffer enforcement of a rule banning agents from representing both coaches and players, a practice that’s been commonplace in spite of regulations against it, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. A grace period runs through August 22nd before the new policy kicks in, and violators face fines up to $100K after that, Berger notes. Agencies, but not individual agents, are still allowed to work with both coaches and players, as long as they make those relationships known to the players they represent, according to Berger.
The union also passed other rules for agents, including increased dues and requirements that agents pass a written test on the collective bargaining agreement and maintain at least one NBA client over a period of five years, as Berger rounds up in the same piece.

And-Ones: Gasol, Barnes, Garnett, Horford

February 3rd, 2016 at 2:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

Two executives from other teams aren’t sold on the idea that the Bulls are done gauging the trade market for Pau Gasol in the wake of injuries to Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, who adds that the Bulls want to re-sign Gasol this summer but at a limited price. Gasol said today that he doesn’t view a trade as likely but wouldn’t be completely shocked if the Bulls dealt him, adding that he wished he had a no-trade clause in his contract, notes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (ESPN Now link). Gasol also expressed a desire for a no-trade provision in his next contract, which he could only get if he signs with the Grizzlies or Lakers or re-signs with the Bulls on a one-year deal. Formal no-trade clauses are only available to veterans of eight or more years (Gasol qualifies there) who sign with teams they’ve spent at least four seasons with. Gasol is in just year No. 2 with Chicago, but anyone who re-signs with his team on a one-year deal, or a two-year deal with a player option, can veto trades. See more from around the league:

Harrison Barnes has fans within the Timberwolves organization, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities says in a podcast, though it’s not entirely certain that Minnesota will pursue the soon-to-be restricted free agent. Barnes engendered an “undercurrent of disenchantment” within the Warriors when he stayed for as long as he did with a sprained ankle that prompted him to miss 16 games this season, as Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com reported earlier. Wolves GM Milt Newton has no guarantee of running the team’s front office beyond this season after inheriting the authority from the late Flip Saunders.
Kevin Garnett is “no lock” to play next season, as many people close to him aren’t sure whether or not he intends to do so, Wolfson says in the same podcast. In July, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune raised the specter of Garnett moving into a front office position with the Timberwolves next season if he’s not healthy enough to play. Garnett, who turns 40 in May, has appeared in 38 of Minnesota’s 50 games this year and is set to make $8MM in 2016/17 on the two-year contract he signed this past summer.
Soon-to-be free agent Al Horford said he feels like Atlanta is home and added that he isn’t focused on trade talk as the February 18th deadline looms, observes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That echoes the mostly glowing remarks Horford made about Atlanta and the Hawks organization to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, and though the Hawks want to-resign him, it’s unclear whether they’re willing to shell out the max contract he’ll be seeking, according to Spears. Horford also said to Spears that other cities probably offer more business and marketing opportunities than Atlanta does, and the Hawks are expected to listen to offers for Horford out of concern that he might walk in free agency this summer, Spears reports.

Pacific Notes: Durant, Barnes, Scott, Jefferson

February 3rd, 2016 at 9:28am CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors are “the leaders in the clubhouse” for Kevin Durant, an NBA GM recently said to Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago (Twitter link), a comment that echoes the Tuesday report from Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports that Golden State would be Durant’s preferred choice if he leaves the Thunder. Wojnarowski heard that Durant isn’t leaning one way or another toward leaving Oklahoma City, but Goodwill’s report doesn’t indicate that Durant’s preference for the Warriors is contingent on a decision about the Thunder first. See more from Golden State amid news from the Pacific Division:

An “undercurrent of disenchantment” existed within the Warriors organization about the length of time it took for Harrison Barnes to return from a sprained ankle earlier this season, according to Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com. Barnes, who missed 16 games with the injury, hasn’t shown enough to prove he’s worthy of a massive contract in restricted free agency this summer, Poole contends. The uncertainty over his future makes it easier to see why the Warriors drafted combo forward Kevon Looney last year, as Poole explains.
The second half of the season is essentially a referendum whether the Lakers retain Byron Scott for next year, sources close to the organization tell Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, who adds that Scott would help his cause if the team becomes more competitive and if the young players on the Lakers show signs of development. A lot of people around the league expect the Lakers will move on from Scott this summer, but the team says he’s definitely sticking around to the end of the season and will undergo an evaluation after that, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News said on NBA TV this week, as Harrison Faigen of SB Nation’s Silver Screen & Roll transcribes.
Power forward Cory Jefferson has returned to the Suns D-League affiliate following the expiration of his 10-day contract with Phoenix this past weekend, notes Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter links).
The Suns have formally hired NBA coaching veteran Bob Hill as an assistant coach, the team announced. Wojnarowski reported Monday that the move would take place.

And-Ones: Gallinari, Barnes, Johnson

February 2nd, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes has heard the rumors regarding Golden State being the favorites to land Kevin Durant if he were to depart the Thunder as a free agent this summer, but he isn’t fazed by the rumblings, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle writes. “Oh man, that’s part of the business,” Barnes said. “He’s a great player. If that’s the move they want to make, you know, hopefully, it works out. It’s always something, right?” The first summer, it was Dwight Howard. The next summer, it was Kevin Love. Every single year, there’s always been somebody who the Warriors wanted or somebody who wanted to come here. That’s part of the business. That stuff happens. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, great. At the end of the day, I’ll still get the chance to be in the NBA and still get to play.”

Here’s the latest from around the league:

Danilo Gallinari became eligible for a trade today, six months after he signed his renegotiation-and-extension with the Nuggets, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports notes (Twitter link). Players who sign extensions that exceed the limits placed on extend-and-trade transactions can’t be traded for six months, and Gallinari fell into that category.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised injured point guard Tyler Johnson for his toughness, and indicated that the team had explored numerous alternatives to surgery for the young player, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “He took it as far as a human being could possibly take it,” Spoelstra said. “And he’s been dealing with his shoulder for a long time, even since college. But last year, this summer, we’ve tried every solution other than surgery. We pushed everything as far as you possibly could. His level of toughness and commitment was to do everything done to this point, but the human body can only go so far. So it was just no other course of action once it got to this point.” Johnson, set for restricted free agency at season’s end, is expected to miss at least two months of action after undergoing surgery this week.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Rondo, Butler, Barnes, Ezeli

January 11th, 2016 at 5:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Rajon Rondo has earned the complete trust of DeMarcus Cousins, which is no easy task, TNT’s David Aldridge writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Rondo, who’s on a one-year, $9.5MM contract, is “the most unselfish player I’ve ever played with,” Cousins told Aldridge. Rondo said to Aldridge that he signed with the Kings in part to mentor the center, adding that he’s wanted to play with Cousins for the past four or five years. It’s all cast against the backdrop of a Sacramento team that’s just two games out of a playoff spot, and the presence of Caron Butler has had much to do with the team’s improvement, Rondo contends. The Kings reportedly promised to trade Butler last month, but he’s still with the team. See more from the Pacific Division:

Warriors assistant GM Kirk Lacob, the son of co-owner Joe Lacob, hinted at the team’s willingness to pay whatever it takes to re-sign Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli in restricted free agency this summer as he spoke in a recent radio appearance on 95.7 FM The Game’s “NBA This Week” show. Host Matt Steinmetz has the transcription. “Both those guys are a part of the core,” Lacob said in part. “Hopefully we’ll have this team for a number of years to come. If it costs a lot of money, it’s going to cost a lot of money. It probably will. A lot of our players have come up in free agency the last year or two and if they continue to perform we’re going to continue to pay them. We’re 34-2 [now 35-2], we’re trying to get a second championship here. There’s a lot of room for improvement of course, but there’s a lot of power to continuity.”
Numbers suggest that Julius Randle is on track to have a career similar to that of Drew Gooden, a sign that he’s not on the path to stardom the Lakers hoped for him, writes Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com in an Insider-only piece co-authored with Chad Ford. D’Angelo Russell is the only one among the Lakers’ young players who has a strong chance to become an above-average starter, Pelton contends.
The Lakers have recalled Tarik Black and Ryan Kelly from the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). They went down to the D-Fenders together on Friday. Black averaged 11.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in two D-League games this weekend, while Kelly posted averages of 26.0 points and 6.5 boards a night.

Warriors Notes: Rush, Barnes, Mitchell

December 11th, 2015 at 7:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite Harrison Barnes and the Warriors not coming to terms on an extension prior to the deadline, Andrew Bogut believes the forward will remain with the team for the long-term, and thinks that the franchise values keeping its core together, Sam Amick of USA Today relays. Discussing Barnes’ contract situation, Bogut told Amick, “Within our group, it hasn’t been a huge distraction. Obviously you want every player to get their max worth. A career is very short, and obviously you want to make it while you can. Harrison is going to be a very rich man regardless of what direction that all goes.”

“These situations [with this kind of collective group] don’t come up very often, so when they’re available you want to milk them for as long as you can,” Bogut continued. “I think our owners and our GM [Bob Myers] understand that, that if you can keep this team together for another four or five years you try everything in your power to do that, rather than trying to all of a sudden put on an ‘I’m smarter than everyone and we’re going to make this big move,’ when it’s really not needed…I don’t think Harrison is going to go anywhere. I think he’s just obviously going to lift his value a little bit more with the new [salary] cap and all that going in.”

Here’s more from Golden State:

Brandon Rush said he didn’t really feel a part of last season’s championship team, as he averaged only 8.2 minutes per game across 33 appearances, but his minutes are up this year and he’s one of several on the Warriors bench playing about as efficiently as they ever have, observes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Rush, who’s already made seven starts this season, is in the last season of his contract.
Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson says there’s no reason for him to be upset, even as the Warriors team he coached as recently as 2013/14 reaches new heights, notes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. Still, he remains proud of what he accomplished. “I took over a job in Golden State with a bad culture, guys that said they wanted to win, but didn’t want to win,” Jackson said, according to Leung.
Tony Mitchell, who was with the Warriors during the preseason, has signed with the Venezuelan team Cocodrilos de Caracas, the club announced (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Mitchell was with the Pistons for a season and a half until a trade last December sent to the Suns, who waived him shortly thereafter.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Warriors Notes: Barnes, Green, Curry

December 6th, 2015 at 6:40pm CST by Will Joseph

With the salary cap’s expected rise, a maximum contract for Harrison Barnes could begin with a first year salary in the range of $22MM and there will be plenty of teams competing for his services based on his potential, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders writes. Barnes is set to be a restricted free agent this summer. Hamilton compares Barnes’ situation to that of Reggie Jackson, who was viewed as an expendable piece of the Thunder and then became a cornerstone for the Pistons, who re-signed him to a five-year, $80MM maximum contract. Hamilton’s point is that several teams will pay to find out just how good Barnes can be.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

There is no debating Stephen Curry‘s worth to Golden State, but Draymond Green has elevated the Warriors from a championship team to a potentially all-time great team, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group argues. Green is not a big-time scorer, but he is effective because of his wide-ranging his abilities, Thompson writes, and he is a key part of the team’s small-ball defensive philosophy. The Warriors re-signed Green to a five-year, $85MM deal in the summer and he has rewarded them by significantly improving his game, Thompson adds.
Curry’s offseason workout regimen with trainer Brandon Payne has paid dividends this season, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group details. Of course, Curry has long since moved past the ankle issues that influenced the negotiations when he inked a four-year $44MM extension in the fall of 2012. Curry has been able to produce better numbers this season with improved strength, balance and speed, Leung writes.

And-Ones: Kaminsky, Draft, Warriors

November 29th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Hornets owner Michael Jordan liked the experience Frank Kaminsky received as a four-year player at Wisconsin and the team has been satisfied with the rookie’s progress so far, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel relays.

“After summer league, you could see what he could become,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “Particularly on the defensive end, he’s made such great strides. I think Michael’s big point about him is that so much of the draft now are guys that are freshmen. Frankly, when you’re watching a lot of the college tape, the difficult challenge of the draft is they’re good players, but even on their college teams they’re the third or fourth-best guy.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

LSU freshman Ben Simmons, a point forward, who is listed at 6’10″ and 225 pounds, is already gaining traction as a favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 Draft, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. Simmons, who is projected to play small forward in the NBA, is averaging 16.2 points, 14.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks through his first five games this season, as Kennedy notes.
Harrison Barnes will be out at least one week after spraining his left ankle, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group details. The Warriors determined Barnes did not suffer a fracture, Leung adds.
Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, whom the Pistons exercised their team option on for the 2016/17 season last month, continues to earn major minutes because of his defensive ability, David Mayo of MLive.com writes.