Isaiah Thomas Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Thomas, McGee, Valanciunas

March 6th, 2015 at 10:22pm CST by Will Joseph

Isaiah Thomas, who has thrived since being acquired by the Celtics in a February trade, will continue to come off the bench because Boston coach Brad Stevens is more concerned with how his team finishes games, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. Thomas, who was named Eastern Conference player of the week last week and who has three years and approximately $19.76MM remaining on his contract after this season, prefers to be a starter but his approach remains the same, Blakely added.

“The biggest thing is, he wants to start because he has a lot of pride and works really hard,” Stevens said. “Starting is not the end-all, be-all. And being a part of a team and being a really important part of a team and for a guy with that talent being on the floor at the end of the game, certainly is important. It [starting] may be something he wishes he would do, but I don’t think there’s any question he knows what we think of him. We’ll go from there.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Free agent JaVale McGee has all the physical tools to succeed, but he’s barely played in two years and it’s never been clear if he understands basketball, opines Zach Lowe of Grantland (via Twitter). McGee was on the verge of a deal with the Celtics on Thursday before a dispute over whether the second year of a deal would be a team option or a player option derailed things.
Jonas Valanciunas, whom the Raptors reportedly mulled trading before the deadline, should be Toronto’s go-to scorer in the final quarter of games, opines Eric Koreen of the National Post. The franchise needs to begin transitioning toward featuring the big man more if it hopes to advance in the playoffs, Koreen adds.
Citing the turnaround seasons the Cavs and Hawks are experiencing, Knicks coach Derek Fisher believes his club will be different next season because it will likely have a top-5 draft pick and plenty of cap room, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “Teams that feel like maybe they’re one step away or one piece away, they’ll make a move in the summer,” Fisher said. “We have money to spend and we’re heading for a pretty high [draft] pick so we’re expecting to be different as well.”

Zach Links contributed to this post

And-Ones: Thomas, Mudiay, Nets

March 2nd, 2015 at 6:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Isaiah Thomas was stunned when the Suns dealt him right before the trade deadline but he wasn’t surprised the Celtics wanted him, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports. Thomas, who has three years and approximately $19.76MM remaining on his contract after this season, expected Goran Dragic to be traded but thought he’d remain with the club that acquired him in a sign-and-trade deal with the Kings last summer, according to Kennedy’s story. Boston’s Danny Ainge was the first GM to contact Thomas when the free agency period began in July and had been intrigued by Thomas’ skills since Thomas was a college prospect, Thomas told Kennedy. Thomas, who was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday, is excited about his role with the Celtics and hopes to remain with the team in the long term, Kennedy adds.

In other news around the league:

Marquee draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay is once more playing with China’s Guangdong Southern Tigers months after it appeared his overseas stint was at an end, as Nick Bedard of Basketball Buddha notes. Mudiay is the No. 2 ranked prospect in Eddie Scarito’s Hoops Rumors Prospect Power Rankings, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him third and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has the point guard fourth.
Mirza Teletovic, a restricted free agent after the season, wants to remain with the Nets, Alex Raskin of the Wall Street Journal tweets. Teletovic is out for the season after he was diagnosed with multiple blood clots in his lungs in January. Teletovic was averaging 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 40 games this season before the diagnosis.
The Hawks recalled Mike Muscala from the D-League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced on Monday, Muscala, who appeared in six games with the Mad Ants, is averaging 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 20 games with Atlanta this season and gives the club some frontcourt depth.
The Sixers wanted to give JaVale McGee an opportunity to finish out the season with a playoff team, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said to Mannix it was “the right thing to do.” Several playoff teams are interested in McGee, who was acquired by the Sixers in a trade last month.

Suns Rumors: Dragic, Knight, Granger

March 2nd, 2015 at 11:46am CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns traded a conditional first-round pick for backup big man Brandan Wright in January, but the Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas deadline-day trades seemed to represent a different philosophical tack. GM Ryan McDonough told TNT’s David Aldridge recently that there is little use for the team to sacrifice the future for the present, as Aldridge writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.

“I think we’re realistic about where we are in the league, especially in the Western Conference,” McDonough said. “We could have done things to load up. Giving away picks or taking on contracts may have given us a short-term bump but it wouldn’t have helped us toward our goal of building a championship contending team.”

While we wait to see if the organization shifts back toward win-now mode in the summer, here’s more from the Valley of the Sun:

Dragic expressed regret today for his remarks shortly before the trade deadline in which he said he didn’t trust the Suns front office, notes Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. The new Heat point guard said he felt he was “too harsh” and should have shown more restraint, and he expressed his gratitude toward Suns owner Robert Sarver. McDonough also used the term “harsh” to describe the comments he and president of basketball operations Lon Babby made after the deal that sent Dragic, who has planned to opt out and hit free agency this summer, to Miami.
Still, Dragic rejects the notion that he’s selfish, as McDonough and Babby seemed to imply he was, according to Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. “It’s hard, but I know it’s not true,” Dragic said, as Lieser notes in his piece. “That’s their opinion. I cannot do nothing else. Everybody has their own opinon. It’s a, how you say, free country. Everybody can speak freely and it is what it is.”
The Suns thought after Dragic met with Sarver not long ago that Dragic had committed to staying with them long-term if they traded Thomas, a source tells Aldridge. That predated Dragic’s “harsh” comments prior to the deadline.
The trade that sent Brandon Knight to the Suns took Knight by surprise and, at first, made him angry, as he tells Aldridge. “Initially, I was,” Knight said. “Initially, after the trade, you’re kind of upset. But for me, I look at the bright side of things. The Suns gave up a lot to get me. So it’s someone that wanted me. A system where I can flourish offensively. And we’ve got a lot of young talent. So I take the bright side of things.”
Danny Granger and the Suns had discussed the idea of a buyout, but they missed Sunday’s deadline for Granger to hit waivers and remain playoff-eligible for other teams. Still, McDonough told Aldridge on Sunday that Phoenix was “keeping an open mind” regarding the forward’s future with the team.

Atlantic Notes: Carter-Williams, Anthony, Nets

February 25th, 2015 at 8:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Michael Carter-Williams believes that Sixers coach Brett Brown did not approve of the trade that sent the point guard to the Bucks, according to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. The 2013/14 Rookie of the Year award winner felt it was solely a front office decision by GM Sam Hinkie, the story continued. “I think the ultimate thing that it comes down to is coach Brown coaches and Sam does the moves,” Carter-Williams said. “I think that’s what it comes down to and I think that’s the agreement and that’s all I really know. I think that if it was up to coach Brown, I don’t think I would have been moved, to be honest.” Carter-Williams was still surprised because he felt he was in the team’s long-term plans along with lottery picks Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, Cooney added in a tweet.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Derrick Rose‘s injury history was a major reason why Carmelo Anthony chose to stay with the Knicks rather than signing with the Bulls when he was an unrestricted free agent last summer, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Anthony, who is out for the season with a knee injury, told friends last summer that there was no guarantee he would win a championship in Chicago because of Rose’s recurring health issues, according to Berman. Rose could miss the remainder of the season after suffering another knee injury.
Kevin Garnett mentioned the uncertain ownership situation surrounding the Nets when he spoke about his decision to waive his no-trade clause and join the Timberwolves, notes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
Isaiah Thomas could be the long-term answer for the Celtics as their starting point guard, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com speculates. Thomas, who was traded by the Suns to Boston last week, has three years left on his contract and it could be more sensible to have him start alongside Avery Bradley and move rookie Marcus Smart to a sixth-man role, Forsberg adds.
Knicks coach Derek Fisher is having a hard time adjusting to being a first-year coach of one of the league’s worst teams after playing for winning teams throughout his career, according to Fred Kerber of the New York Post. “I’m not comparing this to any other time in my basketball career. This is the first time I’ve been in this position,” Fisher said to Knicks beat reporters.

Pacific Notes: Thomas, Warriors, Green, Karl

February 24th, 2015 at 12:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Isaiah Thomas insists he didn’t verbally push the Suns to deal him to the Celtics last week, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald relays. Suns GM Ryan McDonough said Thomas’ desire to start was the catalyst for last week’s swap, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

“They said that? I did want to start, who doesn’t?” Thomas said. “I don’t get that. I was a team player, didn’t complain about anything. The guys who complain, you see it in the media. I didn’t say anything. For the most part, it was good. When we did play together it was positive and it worked, but it’s tough to do when you have three talented point guards who need the ball to be effective. It’s three point guards that want the ball.”

Thomas qualified that remark, saying that he would have liked to have played more, according to Coro. He called the Phoenix backcourt “a tough situation” that’s “not what I expected” in November, but later made comments indicating he was pleased with the setup. Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob reiterated that he’s willing to pay the luxury tax next season, telling Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard that the team has no choice but to do so barring “some massive deal.” “[GM] Bob [Myers] keeps saying I must have the only owner in the NBA who says, ‘Stop worrying about the luxury tax,’” Lacob said. “Even today I said, ‘I don’t care about the luxury tax.’ I don’t want to make decisions based on the luxury tax. We want to get better. Our job is to get better. Secondarily, we’ll worry about the money.”
Lacob wouldn’t address soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green directly but said to Ballard, “It would take a lot to not sign our core players. Does that answer your question?”
George Karl said he spoke with Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro about the idea of adding a point guard but added that he’d prefer not to make any more changes, observes Matt Kawahara of The Sacramento Bee. Darren Collison has missed the last six games with a right hip flexor strain and doesn’t appear on his way back anytime soon, so Karl has turned to Andre Miller and is giving him a much greater role than he had with the Wizards, as Kawahara examines.
Karl’s reps impressed upon the Kings during negotiations earlier this month that the coach would likely have other opportunities in the offseason, putting pressure on Sacramento to hire him as soon as possible, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.

Atlantic Notes: McGee, ‘Melo, Thomas, Brown

February 23rd, 2015 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers don’t want a buyout with JaVale McGee, and he doesn’t want one either, notes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Still, coach Brett Brown indicated that the center has to prove his worth.

“We are coming into this whole thing with an open mind,” Brown said. “He is around a bunch of genuine people, coaches that care. That will give him every chance to keep moving and to be as good as he can be. And if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But it’s not going to be on us.”

McGee, who’s making $23.25MM combined this year and next, has four points and five rebounds in 24 total minutes across two games with the Sixers so far. Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

The reason that Phil Jackson estimates that Carmelo Anthony will be out of action for four to six months instead of the eight-week timetable Anthony mentioned previously is because of a partial tear in Anthony’s left patellar tendon, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks star played with that tear most of the season, according to Berman.
The first call Danny Ainge placed to a free agent this past July was to Isaiah Thomas, Ainge told reporters, including Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Of course, the Celtics lost out on Thomas this summer but wound up with him via Thursday’s trade with the Suns.
Lionel Hollins has consistently expressed enthusiasm about rookie Markel Brown in spite of his lack of playing time for the Nets, but now injuries to others and a stylistic shift have Brown seeing more minutes, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post examines. The shooting guard drafted 44th overall this past June is without guaranteed salary for next season.

Atlantic Notes: Mudiay, Young, Thomas

February 21st, 2015 at 2:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former Sixers and current SMU coach Larry Brown said that Philadelphia has taken a strong liking to Emmanuel Mudiay, who is expected to be a top 3 pick in this year’s draft, Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “[Michael Carter-Williams] was rookie of the year and I know they have been interested in Emmanuel, and I thought, man, that is a backcourt made in heaven because they are both long and athletic,” Brown said. “I want to help in any way I can because I am sure it is obvious [Mudiay] is on their radar, and when the time comes I know the kid as well as anybody and would be happy to help.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Nets GM Billy King told reporters that Brooklyn will do its best to retain newly acquired forward Thaddeus Young, who can opt out of his deal this offseason, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com tweets.
It was Carter-Williams’ poor outside shooting that led the Sixers to trade him, Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “Shooting is an important part of the game, increasingly so,” GM Sam Hinkie said. “We talk a lot about the way teams are build. When you watch games in June, there are a lot of three’s being shot and a lot of games being won in the balance of makes and misses. All the best teams are really strong behind the line.“
The Knicks‘ failure to make an impact deal prior to Thursday’s deadline makes team president Phil Jackson‘s offseason trade of Tyson Chandler appear much more damaging to New York, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. The big man could likely have been used to pry Reggie Jackson away from the Thunder, Isola opines.
The Celtics now have excellent depth in their backcourt thanks to the trade for Isaiah Thomas, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. Discussing how Thomas would fit in with Boston, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said, “In time I think those things will be worked out. Isaiah is a guy that can play with either one of them [Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart] and actually with Marcus’ defensive abilities you could play all three of them together. But I think that he is a primary scorer at the point guard position but he’s a terrific passer and Avery and Marcus are fantastic defenders. I think we got three terrific guards now.”

And-Ones: Bucks, Mekel, Bargnani

February 19th, 2015 at 11:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bucks rejected an offer from the Suns that would have sent Goran Dragic to Milwaukee for Brandon Knight, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, adding that Michael Carter-Williams and Tyler Ennis, whom Milwaukee acquired instead of Dragic, were who they wanted all along. Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times disputes that Milwaukee ever turned down a Dragic proposal, however (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the league:

Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if Peyton Siva is being overshadowed with the Erie BayHawks this season. Seth Curry has gotten most of the attention on the team, but Siva is still having a relatively strong campaign in his own right.
Danny Granger says he wanted to rejoin the Pacers when he was a free agent this summer but couldn’t afford to wait for them to decide what to do with Lance Stephenson, as Granger tells Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com (Twitter link).
Unless an NBA offer materializes in the next few days, Gal Mekel is going to play in Europe, David Pick of Eurobasket.com tweets. The point guard has reportedly passed on numerous overseas offers after being released by the Pelicans back in December.
Knicks team president Phil Jackson said there are no immediate plans to reach a buyout arrangement with Andrea Bargnani, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “It’s debatable,’’ Jackson said regarding a buyout. “Now that we have a gap in scoring, this is a guy that is a natural scorer. I think the coaching staff would like to have him on the court and be competitive with his scoring capabilities. Without Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, we are going to need some scorers out there. And we would like to give him a forum. I am not going to hold it against him if he wasn’t here for the first 40-something games.’’
The Sixers almost wound up with Isaiah Thomas in their three-team deal with the Bucks and Suns, but they let the Suns send him to the Celtics in a separate transaction instead, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Zach Links and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Celtics Acquire Isaiah Thomas

February 19th, 2015 at 9:49pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics have acquired point guard Isaiah Thomas from the Suns, Boston and Phoenix have announced in a press release. In return for its diminutive guard, Phoenix received Marcus Thornton and the Cavaliers’ 2016 first round draft pick, which is top-10 protected. “Isaiah is a dynamic offensive player whose scoring and playmaking abilities add to an already well-rounded backcourt with Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. “We are excited to welcome Isaiah to the Celtics family.”

Thomas, 26, has appeared in 46 contests for the Suns this season and is averaging 15.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steal in 25.7 minutes per game. He is averaging 15.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.0 steal in 28.5 minutes per game for his career. Thomas’ career slash line is .444/.365/.860.

The 27-year-old Thornton has made 39 appearances for the Celtics this season. He is averaging 8.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per contest. Thornton’s career NBA numbers are 12.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. His career shooting statistics are .430/.365/.828.

Suns Acquire Brandon Knight

February 19th, 2015 at 9:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

9:16pm: The trade is official, the Suns have announced. In addition to Knight, Phoenix receives Marshall, who will be waived, from the Bucks. Milwaukee gets Ennis and Plumlee from the Suns, and Carter-Williams from Philadelphia, and the Sixers garner the Lakers’ top-5 protected 2015 first-round pick from Phoenix. By the looks of it, the component involving the Celtics will go as a separate transaction.

4:31pm: Phoenix will waive Marshall, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Coro sums up Phoenix’s side of the deal. It’s Knight, Thornton, Marshall and the Cavs’ top-10 protected 2016 first-round pick, which Cleveland had owed to the Jazz (Twitter links). The Suns are sending Ennis and Plumlee to the Bucks, Thomas to the Celtics, and the Lakers’ top-five protected 2015 first-round pick to the Sixers, Coro tweets.

4:10pm: Kendall Marshall, who’s out for the season, is headed to the Suns in the deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). It’s undecided whether the Suns will keep him or waive him, Charania adds.

2:30pm: The Celtics will send Marcus Thornton to the Suns and the Cavaliers’ first round pick in 2016 to the Suns, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

2:25pm: The breakdown, according to Stein (on Twitter) is as follows: Knight will go to the Suns. Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis, and Miles Plumlee will go to the Bucks. The Celtics will acquire Isaiah Thomas. Meanwhile, the 76ers will acquire draft picks.

The Sixers will get the Suns’ protected first round pick via the Lakers, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (on Twitter).

2:15pm: Thomas is headed to the Celtics, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, in what essentially functions as a four-way deal with the Bucks, Suns and Sixers (Twitter link).

2:00pm: The Bucks are trading Brandon Knight to the Suns, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). There are conflicting reports regarding other details Michael Carter-Williams and Tyler Ennis are going to the Bucks, and Isaiah Thomas and picks go to the Sixers (Twitter link), according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, while Wojnarowski has Thomas heading from Phoenix to the Celtics (Twitter link). Miles Plumlee is also headed to Milwaukee, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Sixers are getting the Lakers’ protected first-round pick that they owed to the Suns, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.