Isaiah Canaan Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Likely To Waive Guard

February 27th, 2017 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Early indications are that the Bulls will release one of their guards to address the logjam at the point guard position, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). As Johnson notes, making a move by March 1 (Wednesday) would allow that player to retain his playoff eligibility for another club.

While it’s not clear yet which player the Bulls will waive, Johnson tweets that Michael Carter-Williams and Isaiah Canaan are candidates. Both players are essentially on expiring contracts — Carter-Williams will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer, while Canaan only has a small partial guarantee ($200K) on his salary for 2017/18.

Rajon Rondo is also on an expiring deal of sorts, as his $13.4MM salary for next season is only guaranteed for $3MM until June 30. However, GM Gar Forman has said Rondo will finish the season with the Bulls. As Johnson notes, Rondo is also a decent fit with the club’s second unit and his contract could be a trade chip around the time of the draft.

The Bulls were already fairly deep at point guard prior to the trade deadline, with Carter-Williams, Canaan, Rondo, and Jerian Grant among their options. Chicago added Cameron Payne to that mix last week in a trade with the Thunder, and given how much the team gave up to land Payne, he’ll likely be given an opportunity to play significant minutes down the stretch.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Okafor, Ainge, Lopez, Hawks

February 23rd, 2017 at 3:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before making today’s deal with Oklahoma City, the Bulls tried to obtain point guard Patrick Beverley from the Rockets, tweets Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago. Chicago reached out to Houston on Wednesday with an offer of Taj Gibson and Isaiah Canaan in exchange for Beverley, but the Rockets turned it down.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference on an active deadline day:

The Sixers didn’t trade center Jahlil Okafor, but it wasn’t because they didn’t try, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). He says Philadelphia made a strong effort to unload Okafor but was unable to find equal value so close to the deadline.
The Celtics were rumored to be seeking Jimmy Butler and Paul George, but decided to stand pat. GM Danny Ainge explained the conservative approach to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). “We had a lot of conversations,” Ainge said. “There were things we could do to improve our team, but nothing that was good enough to do.” The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski claims that Boston was willing to make both of the Nets‘ first-round picks available (Twitter link).
Nets GM Sean Marks didn’t indicate if he tried to trade Brook Lopez, tweets Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. “Brook’s here and we’re happy he’s here,” Marks said when asked about the veteran center. “He’s been the face of this franchise for a long time.”
After shipping Mike Scott to the Suns, the Hawks have two open roster spots, notes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Twitter link). The team will focus on the buyout market and possibly D-League callups.

Eastern Notes: Vucevic, Mirotic, Canaan, Pistons

November 27th, 2016 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Magic coach Frank Vogel shook up the starting lineup tonight with D.J. Augustin, Bismack Biyombo and Aaron Gordon replacing Elfrid Payton, Nikola Vucevic and Jeff Green, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. The change was prompted by a three-game losing streak, but not much improved with an eight-point loss to the Bucks.

Vucevic promised to keep a professional attitude about the move, but he clearly isn’t endorsing it. “I spoke to Frank about it last night, and obviously I wasn’t happy with the decision they made,” the sixth-year center said to Zach Oliver of OPP Magic Blog. “I didn’t think there was a reason for me to go to the bench, but it’s coach’s decision. All I can do is control what I can control, which is when I’m on the court play to the best of my ability and help the team win. Stay professional and whatever is going on, I’ll keep giving my best and give them my full effort.”

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic hopes to stay in the NBA rather than return to Europe after his contract expires at the end of this season, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. The former Real Madrid star is wrapping up a three-year, $16.6MM deal. He calls Chicago “a great city” and says he wants to continue to take on the challenges that the NBA presents. “I think [the NBA] is the best place I can grow as a player,” Mirotic said. “I was very comfortable in Madrid. … That was a perfect place to stay and be in a comfort zone, to sign another five years. But that’s not who I am. I like the challenges. … And I came here to prove that I’m ready.”
A season and a half in Philadelphia has helped Bulls guard Isaiah Canaan appreciate the chance to be on a winning team, writes Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly. Canaan signed with Chicago over the summer after the Sixers declined to submit a qualifying offer. “I say it was a blessing for the opportunity, just to prove I can help a team out and show what I can bring,” Canaan said. “It was a humbling experience for me just to have to go through something like that and learn not to take anything for granted.”
A June meeting at a Tigers game between Pistons owner Tom Gores and the Ilitch family, which owns the Red Wings, led to the Pistons’ move downtown next season, relays Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press.

Bulls Notes: Wade, Canaan, Valentine

October 14th, 2016 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

After spending his first 13 NBA seasons in Miami, Dwyane Wade made the move to Chicago this offseason, signing a two-year deal with the Bulls. However, it certainly wasn’t the first time the 12-time All-Star considered joining his hometown team. As Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com details, Wade admitted this week that he nearly signed with the Bulls in 2010, but ultimately remained in Miami when it became clear that Chicago could only add two players out of the Wade/LeBron James/Chris Bosh trio.

“I mean, this is a place I wanted to play,” Wade said of Chicago. “It was a place LeBron also loved. We loved the city of Chicago. It’s a great market as well. Obviously, the sunny sun of Miami is great too. We had two great choices. It pretty much boiled down to what we felt we could build. … Chicago was very tempting from a standpoint of what they had on the roster when it came to young talent. But when it came to the point Miami was able to get three players, that changed the whole dynamic of the summer.”

With Wade now less than two weeks away from making his regular-season debut as a Bull, let’s check in on a few more notes on the former Finals MVP and his new team…

While his experience in Miami perhaps colors his views on the issue, Wade also said this week that he believes super-teams are “great” for the NBA, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. “At the end of the day, whether you dislike the Heat or you loved the Heat, you was tuning in to watch the Heat, right?” Wade said. “Same thing with Golden State.”
Most teams view a championship as the perennial goal, but Wade is being a little more pragmatic about the Bulls’ goals this season, Goodwill writes in another CSNChicago.com piece. “When you’re coming off a season where as an organization you don’t make the playoffs, your goal can’t be winning a championship,” Wade said. “It would be unrealistic to say, ‘Oh, we want to win a championship.’ Of course we do. But it’s so many steps before you get to that.”
Wade and Rajon Rondo were the Bulls’ most notable free agent additions this summer, but they weren’t the only guards signed by the team. K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune takes a closer look at free agent signee Isaiah Canaan, who is trying to adjust his game to better suit the club.
Bulls will incorporate yet another new guard this season, in Denzel Valentine, and Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders says that the first-round rookie is an ideal fit for the team.

Contract Details: Gee, Frazier, M. Miller, Canaan

July 26th, 2016 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

When the Pelicans re-signed Alonzo Gee, it appeared that they gave him a minimum-salary deal, which would have been worth $1,315,448. However, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter), Gee’s one-year deal is actually worth $1.4MM. It’s a curious move for New Orleans, one with no obvious explanation — a minimum-salary pact for Gee would have only cost the Pelicans a cap hit of about $980K, so the $85K pay bump for the veteran forward actually costs the team over $400K.

Gee had previously declined a player option for the 2016/17 season with the Pelicans. If he had exercised that option, he would have earned $1,379,400 for the upcoming year, so perhaps New Orleans agreed to give him a slight raise to allow him to save face on that decision.

Here are several more contract details on recently-signed contracts, via Pincus:

The Pelicans used a portion of their room exception to complete Tim Frazier‘s two-year, $4.09MM deal, tweets Pincus. The signing leaves New Orleans with $808K still available on that room exception. Pincus also notes that the Pelicans renounced Frazier’s qualifying offer before re-signing him, technically making him an unrestricted free agent, rather than an RFA.
When Terrence Jones agreed to sign with the Pelicans, it was expected to be a minimum-salary deal unless the club could create more cap room to give him some extra money. That didn’t end up happening, so Jones got the minimum, says Pincus (via Twitter).
Initially reported to be worth $5MM over two years, Mike Miller‘s two-year pact with the Nuggets is actually for $7MM, according to Pincus (via Twitter). However, the second year is fully non-guaranteed.
Brandon Paul received a two-year, minimum-salary contract from the Sixers that includes a $155K guarantee in year one, per Pincus (Twitter links). Philadelphia holds a team option on year two, which will be non-guaranteed even if the team picks up that option.
Pincus provides details on a couple more minimum-salary contracts with partial guarantees, reporting (via Twitter) that D.J. Stephens got $35K from the Grizzlies, while Isaiah Canaan will have a $200K guarantee from the Bulls for 2017/18 — Canaan’s 2016/17 salary is fully guaranteed.

Central Notes: Lawson, Bird, McDermott

July 20th, 2016 at 6:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ty Lawson feels “overlooked” in free agency and tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated the team that signs him is going to get a significant bargain. Lawson says he never really felt comfortable with the Rockets or Pacers last season after being traded away from Denver during the summer. Lawson quickly lost his starting spot in Houston and averaged 5.8 points and 3.4 assists over 53 games. The Pacers picked him up after the Rockets waived him, and he saw just 18.1 minutes per night in 13 games with Indiana. Lawson, whose reputation has suffered after four DUI arrests and a stint in rehab, says he managed to stay clean last season and is ready to prove that he is still an elite player. “It would be big to be back to my old self again,” he said. “Also, it’s not for just me, it’s for my parents. They have had a hard time seeing what I’ve been going through. I know they hear the little comments at NBA games. To make them proud again would mean the world to me.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird has done almost a complete roster rebuild in three seasons, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. Paul George is the only player left from the team that reached the Eastern Conference finals in back-to-back seasons. Bird’s latest move came when he signed ex-Bull Aaron Brooks to serve as a backup to recently acquired point guard Jeff Teague. In addition to the roster turnover, Bird made a coaching chance this summer, firing Frank Vogel and replacing him with Nate McMillan.
Doug McDermott thinks Dwyane Wade is just what the Bulls needed to become a contender in the East again, relays Sam Smith of Bulls.com. McDermott, who is coming off a breakthrough second season in the NBA, is part of the select squad that is practicing this week with the U.S. Olympic team. He bristles at the suggestion that Chicago doesn’t have enough outside shooting with Wade expected to start next to Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler. “People have been questioning bringing in D. Wade and Rondo, saying they don’t fit [coach Fred Hoiberg‘s] style,” McDermott said. “But we have four or five guys coming off the bench who really do fit Fred’s style and we can gel with those other guys, the superstars. You know Fred will make it work; he’s a brilliant offensive mind and we’re figuring it out defensively as we go along.”

Bulls Sign Isaiah Canaan

July 20th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 20: The Bulls have formally announced their deal with Canaan. “We are excited to add Isaiah to our group,” GM Gar Forman said in a statement. “We feel his ability to knock down perimeter shots will be an asset to our team.”

JULY 12: The Bulls have reached a contract agreement with free agent Isaiah Canaan, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (via Twitter). It will be a two-year pact worth $2.2MM, Scotto notes, though it is unclear how much, if any, guaranteed money will be included.

Canaan become an unrestricted free agent this offseason after the Sixers declined to tender him a qualifying offer worth $1,215,696. Canaan was just two starts and 34 minutes away from triggering the starter criteria this past season, but as a result of a torn left labrum he failed to log the necessary numbers. The qualifying offer needed to make him a restricted free agent this offseason would have jumped to $2,725,003, had he met the criteria.

The 25-year-old appeared in 77 games this past season, including 39 as a starter, averaging 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 25.5 minutes per outing while shooting .360/.363/.833 from the field.

And-Ones: Raduljica, Canaan, Udrih, Bogut

July 13th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Serbian big man Miroslav Raduljica turned down a minimum salary offer from the Wizards and is headed back overseas instead, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). The 28-year-old has inked a a two-year deal with Olimpia Milano in Italy, Pick notes. Raduljica last appeared in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign, playing in five games for the Timberwolves and averaging 1.6 points and 1.0 rebound in 4.6 minutes per game. His shooting line was .375/.000/1.000.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Warriors gave Andrew Bogut the choice of being traded to the Mavs and the Rockets, with the big man ultimately deciding to go to Dallas, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) relays. The Sixers also expressed interest, but Golden State wanted to deal Bogut to a team with more realistic playoff hopes than Philly, the scribe adds.
The Wizards have invited forward Michael Eric to training camp, but that offer doesn’t include any salary, merely a shot at making the roster, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com relays (Twitter links). The 28-year-old spent last season with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ D-League affiliate.
Isaiah Canaan, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Bulls, is thrilled to be joining the team and the opportunity it will provide, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “I’m just looking forward to another great opportunity,” Canaan said. “They got good veterans on the team with D-Wade [Dwyane Wade], Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler. So I’m looking forward to getting into the gym with them guys. It’s an up-and-coming team. They got Wade. Everybody knows how he is, a great all-star, been around the league for a while. And he’s back home with an up-and-coming talent like Jimmy Butler. It can’t get no better than that.”
The Heat are still engaged in contract discussions with point guard Beno Udrih, according to his agent, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The possibility exists that Udrih could rejoin the team at the league minimum, but the veteran hasn’t made up his mind about what he wants to do, Jackson adds.

Qualifying Offers: Sullinger, Daniels, Barnes

June 29th, 2016 at 9:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

If an NBA team wishes to ensure a player who is eligible for restricted free agency actually becomes one, that team must issue a qualifying offer before the new league year begins on July 1st. Clubs are gradually making those qualifying-offer decisions official, with the latest round of offers noted below:

The Warriors submitted qualifying offers to Harrison Barnes ($5,194,227) and Festus Ezeli ($3,013,123), making both restricted free agents, the team announced via press release.
The Kings have submitted a qualifying offer for combo guard Seth Curry, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (via Twitter). Curry’s offer is worth $1,215,696, with the 25-year-old having earned $947,276 for his 44 appearances this past season.
The Celtics submitted qualifying offers to frontcourt mates Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald tweets. Sullinger’s offer is worth $4,433,683, while Zeller’s comes in at $3,695,169.
The Hornets officially announced today that a qualifying offer worth $1,215,696 was submitted for shooting guard Troy Daniels, making him a restricted free agent.
The Raptors submitted a qualifying offer to Nando De Colo in order to retain his rights, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star tweets. De Colo isn’t likely headed stateside anytime soon, having signed a three-year contract extension with CSKA Moscow earlier this month. The cap hold for the 29-year-old is $1,901,900.
The Grizzlies submitted a qualifying offer to guard Nick Calathes, as the RealGM transactions log shows. The 27-year-old, who is under contract from the Greek club Panathinaikos, last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign. The move by Memphis was merely a procedural one in order to retain Calathes’ rights.
The Nets have submitted a qualifying offer worth $1,180,431 to Markel Brown, making him a restricted free agent, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com tweets. Brooklyn declined to submit a qualifying offer worth $1,215,696 to Willie Reed, making him an unrestricted free agent, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
The Warriors declined to submit a qualifying offer worth $1,180,431 to James McAdoo and the player will now become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group tweets. The team also passed on submitting a qualifying offer worth $1,215,696 to Ian Clark, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle tweets.
The Pelicans won’t tender a qualifying to James Ennis ($1,180,431), but remain interested in re-signing him if the price were reasonable, Scott Kushner of The Advocate tweets.
The Sixers declined to submit a qualifying offer to Isaiah Canaan ($1,215,696), making him an unrestricted free agent, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Noel, Anthony, Canaan

April 8th, 2016 at 8:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nerlens Noel will be eligible to ink a rookie scale extension this summer and judging by comments made by Bryan Colangelo, who will reportedly be named as the Sixers new GM, the odds are good that Philadelphia will likely be amenable doing a deal with the big man before the October 31st deadline, Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine notes (Twitter link). When discussing the extension he had signed DeMar DeRozan to when he was GM of the Raptors, Colangelo said, “I had learned from a previous experience that not signing a key player to an eligible extension can come back to bite you, as family, friends and agents feel it’s a sign of disrespect or a lack of belief toward the player. The rules of restricted free agency still give you the upper hand, but the damage can sometimes be too deep to overcome in a healthy way.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers point guard Isaiah Canaan will miss the remainder of the season with a torn left labrum, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com relays. Canaan was just two starts and 34 minutes away from triggering the starter criteria, but as a result of his injury, the qualifying offer needed to make him a restricted free agent this offseason will remain at $1,215,696 instead of the $2,725,003 he would have been in line for had he met the criteria, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors broke down earlier.
Former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie never thought that the franchise needed to defend its rebuilding plan to outsiders, believing that doing so would show other organizations the light, which would in turn invite mimicry, Tom Ziller of SB Nation writes.
Carmelo Anthony is adamant about being part of the Knicks‘ free agent recruiting efforts this summer after being excluded from the process by team president Phil Jackson last offseason, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. The Post scribe also notes that if New York strikes out in free agency this summer, all bets are off regarding Anthony’s willingness to remain with the team through another season of rebuilding.
The Celtics have recalled power forward Jordan Mickey and swingman James Young from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. There will be no more treks to Maine on the season for the pair since the Red Claws have been eliminated from the D-League playoffs, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter).