Hedo Turkoglu Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hedo Turkoglu Retires

November 13th, 2015 at 9:03am CST by Chuck Myron

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

9:03am: The Magic have confirmed Turkoglu’s retirement with a press release that includes a statement from their longtime player.

“I am very thankful and grateful for the opportunity to live out my dream and play in the NBA,” Turkoglu’s statement reads. “I will always remember my teammates, coaches, staff members and all of the fans who made my career so wonderful for myself and my family.”

8:00am: Free agent combo forward Hedo Turkoglu has decided to retire, according to Erce Esmer of Trendbasket.net in Turkoglu’s native Turkey (Twitter link). The 15-year NBA veteran hoped over the summer to continue his career in the league, but while Kings, with former teammate Vlade Divac running the front office, emerged as a possibility, no deal materialized for the 36-year-old Jim Tanner client. He’ll assume greater responsibilities with the Turkish basketball federation now that he’s stepping away from the court, Esmer says.

Turkoglu was a key complementary player on Sacramento’s title-contending teams in the early 2000s and again on the Dwight Howard-led Magic, with whom Turkoglu made his lone NBA Finals appearance in 2009. He made his mark as a strong outside shooter, nailing 38.4% of his career 3-point attempts, and as a passer, with his teams often using him as a point forward. His best statistical season came in 2007/08, when he posted 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 36.9 minutes per game for Orlando. All those numbers are career highs.

The former 16th overall pick is not far removed from his career-best season from behind the arc, as he shot 44.0% on 3-pointers for the Clippers in 2013/14. He was almost as accurate last season, at 43.2%, but he wasn’t in the rotation for the playoffs this past spring, and the Clippers made it a priority to retool their bench.

He was an instant contributor after the Kings drafted him in 2000, joining the rotation for 16.8 minutes per game as a rookie, but Sacramento traded him to the Spurs three years into his career. He spent one season in San Antonio before leaving as a free agent for Orlando, where joined Howard for his rookie year and the pair blossomed together. He left via sign-and-trade for the Raptors after the Magic’s 2009 Finals berth, but he struggled in Toronto, which traded him to the Suns in the summer of 2010, and the Magic swung a deal to reacquire him just 18 months after having parted ways with him. He spent an additional two-plus seasons in a Magic uniform before the team waived him in January 2014. That move allowed the Magic to pocket the savings on his partially guaranteed contract after he had played only 11 games the season before, thanks to injury and a 20-game suspension that resulted from a positive test for methenolone, a performance-enhancing drug.

He joined the Clippers at midseason in 2013/14 on a prorated minimum-salary deal, and signed another the following September to re-join the team for 2014/15. He made roughly $86MM for his NBA career, according to estimates compiled from Basketball-Reference and Basketball Insiders data.

What will your most enduring memory of Turkoglu be? Leave a comment to tell us.

Kings Notes: Cousins, Karl, Divac, Turkoglu

August 5th, 2015 at 12:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings have had an active offseason, striking deals with nine free agents and swinging a pair of trades that helped clear cap space. They signed another free agent, Luc Mbah a Moute, but voided his contract after a failed physical, a move that’s reportedly poised to draw a grievance from the players union. All of it pales in comparison to the tempest surrounding DeMarcus Cousins this summer, and we have more on that amid the latest from Sacramento:

Cousins is no stranger to communicating visually, as witnessed by the snake and grass emojis he posted via Twitter amid reports that George Karl wanted to trade him. The center seemingly conveyed different feelings Tuesday via Instagram, posting a photo that depicts him standing arm-in-arm with Karl and Kings vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac. Karl and Cousins apparently didn’t have any interaction for months before a brief meeting at summer league, when USA Today’s Sam Amick reported the existence of plans for a more extensive meeting. It would appear, by the looks of the photo, that the meeting has taken place, but a simple photo hardly means the tension that reportedly had Cousins wanting out has disappeared, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com.
Hedo Turkoglu isn’t thinking about playing overseas for now and would prefer to remain in the NBA, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Kings have emerged as a possibility for the Jim Tanner client, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last week, citing the presence of Divac, a former teammate and friend.
The Kings brought in noteworthy talent via free agency and Ben McLemore has the potential to take a leap forward, but the mix remains combustible, tempering all the reasons for optimism in Sacramento, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller opines.
What’s your take on the Kings offseason? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Kings Eye Hedo Turkoglu

July 31st, 2015 at 4:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings have emerged as a possibility for free agent Hedo Turkoglu, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Friend and former teammate Vlade Divac is in charge of Sacramento’s front office as vice president of basketball and franchise operations.

The 36-year-old who spent the past two seasons with the Clippers wouldn’t rule out retirement or playing overseas when he spoke about two months ago, but Wojnarowski indicates that the Jim Tanner client now wants to continue his NBA career. He averaged 3.7 points in 11.4 minutes per game across 64 appearances for the Clippers this past season, but he saw only 5.0 MPG in the playoffs, and it’s unclear if the Clips want the 15-year veteran back. Chatter has been scarce about NBA interest in Turkoglu this summer.

Sacramento has 14 fully guaranteed contracts, plus David Stockton on a non-guaranteed deal. The Kings preserved a measure of flexibility when they waived Eric Moreland earlier this week, in advance of Saturday, when his contract was to become fully guaranteed.

Pacific Notes: Payne, Kings, Turkoglu, Watson

June 3rd, 2015 at 12:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

Point guard Cameron Payne‘s draft stock is on the rise and he’ll have a solo workout next week with the Kings, who pick sixth, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star hears (Twitter link). Payne, who reportedly has a promise from a team, recently spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors about his experience at mid-major Murray State and his plans for the NBA. Centers Satnam Singh from IMG Academy and Stefan Nastic from Stanford and Cal power forward David Kravish will also work out for the Kings, the team announced. Their auditions will be Thursday. There’s more from Sacramento amid the latest on the Pacific Division:

Kings vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac believes that free agency will be more useful for the team than trades, the draft or the development of existing players will be, as Divac said Tuesday, according to Bill Herenda of CSN California (Twitter link).
Hedo Turkoglu wouldn’t rule out signing a new NBA contract, retirement or playing for Turkey’s Fenerbahce as he spoke about his plans for next season with the Turkish media outlet TRT Spor, as Ajans Basketbol transcribes and as Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia translates. Turkoglu’s deal with the Clippers expires this summer.
The Suns will hire Earl Watson as an assistant coach, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group (Twitter link). Watson spent this past season as a D-League assistant for the Spurs.
The Clippers have worked out Gonzaga point guard Byron Wesley, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
Cal State Fullerton guard Alex Harris was to have worked out for the Lakers but didn’t because of an illness, Pincus also relays via Twitter.

Contract Details: Barbosa, Turkoglu, Roberts Jr.

September 15th, 2014 at 9:50pm CST by Cray Allred

Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders is always diligent in keeping us informed of the nitty gritty details for all of the contracts around the league, and after his latest round of updates, he figures there are 493 contracts in place, 400 of which are guaranteed, and at least 43 of which will have to be cut before the regular season begins (Twitter links). We’ll link to his team salary sheets, noting specific player revelations where they apply:

Leandro Barbosa‘s one-year pact for the minimum with the Warriors is partially guaranteed at $150K.
Hedo Turkoglu‘s one-year minimum deal with the Clippers is fully guaranteed.
Ronald Roberts Jr.‘s deal with the Sixers is for four years at the minimum salary, including a team option for the final year. This season is partially guaranteed at $35K.
Chris Crawford‘s two-year contract with the Cavs is indeed for the minimum, with a partial guarantee of $20K this year, and a fully non-guaranteed 2015/16.
Jerome Jordan‘s camp deal with the Nets is for the minimum, as expected. The one-year agreement will become partially guaranteed at $150K if he remains with Brooklyn through October 25.
Dionte Christmas, Vernon Macklin, and Kevin Jones have identical one-year deals with the Pelicans, each of which are non-guaranteed.

Clippers Sign Hedo Turkoglu

September 12th, 2014 at 6:56pm CST by Cray Allred

6:56pm: Sources confirm to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com that the deal is a one-year arrangement at the veteran’s minimum.

6:31pm: The Clippers have announced the signing in a team release.

“We are happy to welcome Hedo back to the Clippers,” said Clippers president and head coach Doc Rivers. “Hedo is a versatile, veteran presence who contributed to the championship culture we are building in Los Angeles.”

5:38pm: Hedo Turkoglu‘s agency, Tandem Sports, tweeted their congratulations on his official signing with the Clippers (H/T J. Michael of CSNWashington.com). The deal hasn’t been announced by the team, but a contract has been in the works since late August.

The final salary agreement is yet to be reported, but the Clippers are among the teams only able to offer the minimum. The one-year, $1.4MM figure reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports when the two sides began nearing an agreement is in line with the minimum for a veteran of Turkoglu’s tenure. It will presumably be a guaranteed contract, which would likely put Los Angeles at 14 guaranteed roster spots, one short of the max to keep for the regular season.

The forward will play his fifteenth season for the Clippers in 2014/15, hoping to contribute more than he has in recent years. As a member of the Magic and Clippers for parts of the last two seasons, Turkoglu has scored less than 3.0 PPG and averaged at or below career lows in minutes, field goal percentage, and rebounds per contest. The veteran has career averages of 11.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.0 APG, and his 38.2% career three-point percentage is his most valuable skill at this point in his career.

Clippers, Hedo Turkoglu Nearing Agreement

September 5th, 2014 at 4:26pm CST by Zachary Links

SEPTEMBER 5TH, 4:26pm: A signing is on track to take place next week, tweets Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.

AUGUST 31ST, 8:57pm: The Clippers and Hedo Turkoglu are nearing agreement on a one-year, $1.4MM deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

Turkoglu didn’t play a major role in Los Angeles after getting his buyout for Orlando, but the Clippers are apparently appreciative of his veteran leadership and like what he can do in limited minutes. The 35-year-old averaged just 3.0 PPG in 10 minutes per contest across 38 games, not quite in line with his best work. For his career, the veteran has averaged 11.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.0 APG while nailing 38.2% of his shots from outside the arc.

It has been a busy end of August for the Clippers who extended coach/president Doc Rivers, shipped Jared Dudley to the Bucks, and subsequently waived the players acquired in the trade. The Clippers also re-signed Glen Davis, who, like Turkoglu, joined the club midseason.

Turkoglu will continue his career in 2014/15, but he certainly doesn’t need the money. According to Basketball-Reference, Turkoglu has banked roughly $90MM over the course of his career.

Clippers Sign Hedo Turkoglu, Release Wayns

January 16th, 2014 at 12:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:18pm: The Clippers have officially announced the deal. The team’s press release adds that the Clippers have released Maalik Wayns, terminating his 10-day contract, which had been set to expire Friday. The release also announces a second 10-day deal for Darius Morris, but it doesn’t mention the length of Turkoglu’s contract, almost certainly signifying that agent Jim Tanner has secured a deal for the rest of the season for Turkoglu, as had been expected.

THURSDAY, 11:34am: Turkoglu tweets that the deal is official, though there’s been no announcement from the team (hat tip to Sportando).

WEDNESDAY, 9:50pm: The Clippers are set to sign Hedo Turkoglu on Thursday, reports Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Turkoglu was to undergo a physical today, and the team appeared ready to bring him aboard pending the results, as Ismail Senol of NTV Spor in Turkey reported earlier today. The deal will cover the rest of the season, according to Senol.

“He’s another shooter,” Clippers boss Doc Rivers said, according to Markazi. “Sometimes you don’t bring a guy in because a guy is not doing something. You bring a guy in because he does something our other guys do as well. He’s another shooter and can space the floor. He’s very skilled. We would like to take advantage of that.”

Turkoglu, 34, comes to the Clippers after the Magic waived him earlier this month, saving half of his $12MM salary this season before it became fully guaranteed. The Clippers can only offer the minimum salary, but it doesn’t appear they had much competition for the Jim Tanner client. The Lakers and Hawks registered interest in the forward while he was still with the Magic, but the Lakers decided against pursuing him in free agency, and Atlanta hasn’t been connected with him recently either.

The Clippers won’t have to make a roster move if the deal goes down Thursday, since their 10-day deal with Darius Morris will expire overnight. Another roster spot will open with the expiration of their 10-day contract with Maalik Wayns on Friday night, and Rivers indicated the team is still looking for other free agents to add, notes Markazi, who mentions Lamar Odom as a possibility. The team apparently still has interest in Sasha Vujacic, as well.

Clippers Close To Deal With Hedo Turkoglu

January 15th, 2014 at 8:09am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 8:09am: The Clippers plan to sign Turkoglu for the rest of the season pending the results of his physical, reports Ismail Senol of NTV SPOR in Turkoglu’s native Turkey (Twitter link). The 34-year-old forward has been seeking more than a 10-day contract, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, so it appears he’s in line to get his wish.

TUESDAY, 1:23pm: Clippers boss Doc Rivers indicated today that he’d like to sign Hedo Turkoglu soon, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times notes via Twitter, and the move could come before they begin a road trip on Thursday, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Turkoglu impressed the team Friday during his audition, and shortly thereafter Rivers expressed interest in signing him, though at that point he didn’t give a timetable.

The team is at the 15-man roster limit with a pair of players on 10-day contracts. Their deal with Darius Morris is set to expire Wednesday night, and Maalik Wayns‘ pact expires Friday night. Teams can terminate 10-day deals at any time without owing any extra salary, so neither Morris nor Wayns is necessarily an obstacle to signing Turkoglu.

The Magic waived Turkoglu in advance of the leaguewide contract guarantee date, allowing them to save 50% of his $12MM contract. The 34-year-old is intent on reviving his NBA career with a contender, and while he drew interest from the Hawks and Lakers before the Magic waived him, the Lakers have since cooled on him, and lately there’s been no talk of him heading to Atlanta.

Western Rumors: Nuggets, Turkoglu, Spurs

January 10th, 2014 at 8:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

There’s a chance, albeit a slim one, that Andre Miller will return to the Nuggets’ lineup before the team finds a trade for him, a source tells Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. Miller has not rejoined the team since being suspended for a confrontation with coach Brian Shaw last week, and while the Nuggets continue to explore deals, they’ve been unsuccessful so far. One stumbling block has been the Kings‘ insistence on including Travis Outlaw in any such swap, as USA Today’s Sam Amick wrote earlier this evening. As we wait to find out when, or if, a Miller trade will happen, here’s more on the Nuggets and the rest of the Western Conference:

Hedo Turkoglu impressed during his workout with the Clippers today and the team is interested in signing him, Doc Rivers told reporters, including Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). Still, Rivers didn’t say when a signing might happen. Rivers is wary of change, as the coach also said in noting his reticence to consider Andrew Bynum, Markazi tweets.
Gregg Popovich explains that the “scary” effect midseason trades can have on team chemistry generally helps dissuade the Spurs from making such moves, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News observes. The Spurs are reportedly taking an “unusually aggressive” approach to trade talks this season.
The insurance on Danilo Gallinari‘s contract will pay the Nuggets 80% of his salary for any games he misses over the remainder of the season, Dempsey notes, amending his earlier report that said the insurance would cover 50%. The team will save about $99K per game.
Ricky Rubio was supposed to represent one of the Timberwolves’ notable draft successes in recent years, but his lack of development is making 2009’s haul, which included Jonny Flynn, look even worse, opines Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.