James Ennis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Sign James Ennis To Two-Year Deal

July 13th, 2016 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 13TH, 4:58pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

JULY 3RD, 1:10am: The Grizzlies have reached an agreement with free agent small forward James Ennis on a two-year, $6MM contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). It’ll be a fully guaranteed deal, according to Charania.

Ennis, who turned 26 on Friday, was eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but the Pelicans opted not to issue him a qualifying offer, despite his strong finish to the season. In nine games for New Orleans down the stretch, Ennis averaged 15.9 PPG, with an impressive .500/.480/.792 shooting line. He put up 29 and 28 points in his final two games of the year.

A second-round pick in 2013, Ennis made his NBA debut in 2014, and was a part-time player for the Heat in that 2014/15 season. His production in Miami, and in a 10-game stint in Memphis last season, was far more modest than those numbers he put up for the Pelicans.

The Pelicans, Mavericks, Clippers, Warriors, and Hawks were reportedly among the other teams to inquire on Ennis this week. But he’ll join the Grizzlies, who have already committed more than $250MM to Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons in free agency, as our tracker shows.

Free Agent Rumors: Howard, Lee, Waiters

July 1st, 2016 at 4:33pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dwight Howard‘s meeting with the Hawks has concluded and a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Atlanta was “impressive.” Howard will still listen to the Celtics’ pitch, as well as speak with other teams, and a decision is expected to be made within the the next day.

Here’s more from around the league:

Minnesota GM Scott Layden has reached out to Courtney Lee, but no offer has been made yet, Darren Wolfson of ESPN.com tweets. In addition to the Wolves, Lee has received interest from the Knicks, Kings, Nets and Hawks, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Kennedy adds that Atlanta’s interest in Lee is contingent on Kent Bazemore‘s decision to stay or leave in free agency.
Dion Waiters will have a face-to-face meeting with the Kings this weekend, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Pompey adds that the Sixers would like their own meeting with the shooting guard.
James Ennis has received calls from the Pelicans, Mavericks, Clippers, Warriors and Hawks, according to Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link).
Nick Minnerath is receiving interest from the Nets, Lakers, Wizards, Pelicans and Mavericks, tweets international journalist David Pick. Minnerath last played in the D-League for the Canton Charge.

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.

Pelicans Sign James Ennis For Season

April 9th, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 3:33pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

MONDAY, 9:53am: The Pelicans are expected to sign James Ennis for the rest of the season after his 10-day contract expires, reports John Reid of The Times Picayune (Twitter link). That contract is up after Friday’s game against the Lakers. New Orleans is also reportedly poised to sign Jordan Hamilton until season’s end, with his 10-day deal having expired overnight. The moves will presumably come via the hardship provision, as the injury-racked Pelicans had 18 players, three above the regular season limit, until Hamilton’s 10-day ran out. The hardship prevents the team from tacking a non-guaranteed salary for next season onto the deal, so these will likely be true rest-of-season arrangements.

Ennis has played a prominent role for the Pelicans in three games so far, averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.7 turnovers in 27.7 minutes per contest. Hot shooting has been a part of that, as he’s gone 8 for 15 from 3-point range. His 83 total minutes have already exceeded the 47 he saw between the Heat and Grizzlies earlier this season, though Memphis gave him extensive time with its D-League team. In any case, Ennis is showing some of the promise that made him the 50th overall pick in the 2013 draft, albeit in a small sample size.

The Pelicans have some exception money remaining, but presumably Ennis will receive the prorated minimum salary, which would give him $24,855. The rest-of-season deal will cover only three games, but it’ll have some lasting value for New Orleans, since it gives the team the chance to make him a restricted free agent and match offers for him this summer. The Pelicans would have to make him a qualifying offer worth $1,080,431 in order to do so.

And-Ones: Peters, Frazier, Hamilton

April 7th, 2016 at 10:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Valparaiso junior power forward Alec Peters intends to enter the 2016 NBA draft, the university announced. He doesn’t intend to hire an agent, according to the press release, so that will allow him to return to college ball if he withdraws prior to the May 25th deadline. Peters is the No. 34 ranked junior by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and he averaged 18.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 35 contests on the season.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Pelicans consider it a priority to hang on to Tim Frazier and James Ennis this summer, as Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate hears (Twitter links). New Orleans can make both restricted free agents this offseason with qualifying offers. New Orleans is poised to ink Ennis for the remainder of the season once his 10-day contract expires on Friday.
Vanderbilt first-round prospect Wade Baldwin is giving consideration to hiring Priority Sports to represent him, international journalist David Pick tweets. Baldwin is the 16th-best prospect according to Givony, and he’s No. 22 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
Connecticut sophomore small forward Daniel Hamilton intends to hire an agent, which would eliminate the opportunity for him to withdraw from the draft and return to NCAA play for another season, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter). That’s a change from earlier, when UConn’s official announcement said Hamilton didn’t intend to secure representation.
Hawaii junior combo guard Aaron Valdes intends to declare for the 2016 NBA draft, Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com tweets. The junior isn’t a projected 2016 selection according to Givony.
Projected lottery pick Jamal Murray is leaning toward hiring Excel Sports Management to represent him, Pick relays (on Twitter). The Kentucky freshman point guard is currently ranked No. 6 overall by Givony and is slotted No. 4 by Ford.
Boise State junior combo forward James Webb III has hired agent Charles Briscoe of Briscoe Sports Management to represent him, eliminating the possibility of him returning to school for his senior campaign, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Webb is a contender to become a second-round pick, ranking 69th in Ford’s listings and 81st on Givony’s board.

Southwest Notes: Harden, Durant, Howard, Spurs

April 3rd, 2016 at 11:52am CST by Arthur Hill

James Harden will play a key role in the Rockets‘ efforts to bring Kevin Durant to Houston, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Many teams will be chasing Durant in free agency, but the Rockets have several selling points. In addition to reuniting with his friend and former Thunder teammate, Durant will have the chance to go a state with no income tax and a large city with vast marketing opportunities. Watkins says the Rockets have talked to Harden about recruiting Durant and he has agreed to do his part. “In order to put yourself as an elite team, you always got to have talent, right?” Harden said. “You always got to get better and find ways to improve.” Houston will have plenty of cap space if Dwight Howard opts out as expected.

There’s more news from the Southwest Division:

Howard’s role in the Rockets‘ offense continues to decline, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Howard has averaged 9.3 points on 5.8 field goal attempts over Houston’s last 12 games. It’s a significant dropoff from earlier in the season and has led many to speculate that the 30-year-old center will seek a new team in free agency. “His impact can be felt more and should be felt more,” said interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “… We have to get him the ball in his spots and he has to finish when he gets there.”
Free agent addition LaMarcus Aldridge has teamed with Kawhi Leonard to become the nucleus of a record-setting Spurs team, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. The two All-Stars have eased the burden on the aging Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. San Antonio picked up a franchise record 64th win Saturday and is two victories away from posting the first perfect home record in league history. “There’s not much we’re allowed to care about,” Danny Green said. “… Being healthy and winning games in the playoffs – those are the things we care about.”
James Ennis had little time to prepare for his first game with the Pelicans after being called up from the D-League this week, relays Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. “He just got here to the arena about 20 minutes ago,” coach Alvin Gentry said before Wednesday’s contest with the Spurs. “We’ll give him a quick overview of what we try to do, but he’ll definitely be in the game tonight.”

Pelicans Sign James Ennis To 10-Day Contract

March 30th, 2016 at 2:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:05pm: The signing is official, the team announced. The contract will cover six games, against the Spurs, Nuggets, Nets, Sixers, Celtics and Lakers.

1:31pm: The NBA has indeed given the Pelicans another hardship provision for an 18th roster spot, as Jim Eichenhofer of the team’s website confirms. Eichenhofer doesn’t mention Ennis but suggests the team may make a signing as soon as today. New Orleans has a two-day window from the time the league grants the provision to use it.

8:47am: The Pelicans will sign former Heat and Grizzlies swingman James Ennis, sources tell Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate (Twitter links). The move appears to be a signal that the NBA has given New Orleans another hardship exception for an extra roster spot. Seven Pelicans are out for the season with injuries, including Jrue Holiday and Alonzo Gee, whose season-ending maladies the team announced Tuesday. The Pelicans already have 17 players under contract, two over the normal limit.

Memphis waived Ennis on March 2nd to make room on its roster for Ryan Hollins, and somewhat curiously, the Grizzlies and Ennis haven’t circled back to each other even as the team has made a flurry of moves and received multiple hardship exceptions amid a rash of injuries similar to the trouble the Pelicans have gone through. The Grizzlies nonetheless seemed to have little use for the 25-year-old who was the 50th overall pick in 2013, sending him on eight D-League assignments and only putting him on the floor in 10 games at the NBA level.

Ennis began the season with the Heat, for whom he saw much more playing time before they shipped him out in November via the Mario Chalmers trade. The Heat never sent Ennis to the D-League once they signed him in 2014, and he averaged 5.0 points in 17.0 minutes per game across 62 appearances for Miami last season.

He’ll see $49,709 on his 10-day contract with New Orleans and add to a shrinking reserve of healthy Pelicans. Dante Cunningham, Omer Asik, Luke Babbitt, Toney Douglas, Tim Frazier, Jordan Hamilton, Kendrick Perkins and Alexis Ajinca are the only New Orleans players without some sort of ailment, The Advocate’s Brett Dawson notes (Twitter link).

Heat Rumors: Whiteside, Ennis, Stokes, Dragic

March 5th, 2016 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hassan Whiteside may face a choice this summer between money and winning, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat center figures to get a maximum offer from someone, especially with the rising salary cap, but it may not be Miami. Winderman notes the Heat are accustomed to getting hometown discounts from players who want to be part of the franchise tradition and like the idea of being in South Florida. Whiteside said it may be tempting to be the star of another team, but that won’t affect his decision when free agency arrives. “I feel like a lot of people want to be that,” he said. “But I want to win more than anything. I don’t really want to be the face of a losing franchise. You want to be a face of a winning program. And it’s always easier to get people to come to Miami.”

There’s more news out of Miami:

James Ennis and Jarnell Stokes are on the open market, but league rules keep them off-limits to Miami, Winderman writes in the same piece. Teams are prohibited from reacquiring players that they’ve traded away for a full calendar year or the time their contracts would have expired. The Heat traded Ennis to Memphis on November 10th and dealt Stokes to New Orleans on February 18th. Both are now free agents. Ennis and Stokes can play with the Heat’s summer league team, but neither can sign with Miami until the anniversaries of their respective trades. Stokes is currently with Miami’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls.
A year after being traded to Miami, point guard Goran Dragic is playing at a more comfortable pace, Winderman writes in a separate story. Coach Erik Spoelstra changed the team’s philosophy after the All-Star break, telling players to run up court and start the offense more quickly. That benefits Dragic, who has always preferred an up-tempo approach. “He’s feeling more comfortable with organization, with the team, with his teammates, the style of play, when to attack,” Spoelstra said. “He’s gaining confidence because he knows his teammates want him to be aggressive.”
Joe Johnson was immediately impressed with the way his new teammates play defense, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “It’s great they’re defensive minded,” said Johnson, who signed with Miami a week ago. “You don’t see that in young ages. They know and understand to be on the court, they’ve got to make an impact somewhere.”

Grizzlies Waive James Ennis

March 2nd, 2016 at 1:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies have waived James Ennis, the team announced via press release. The move appears to be a precursor to a deal for the rest of the season with Ryan Hollins, who’s set to sign, according to Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. It’s tough luck for Ennis, the 50th pick in the 2013 draft, who won’t be able to participate in the playoffs for another team this season but would have been eligible for the postseason had his release come as late as Tuesday night.

Cutting Ennis gives Memphis an open spot beneath the 15-man roster limit. His deal is for the minimum salary this season and next, with no guarantee on his pay for next season, so Memphis is poised to eat only about $200K if he clears waivers. It’s a three-year contract he signed in the summer of 2014 with Miami, so only teams with trade exceptions or cap room can claim him, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link).

Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal wrote earlier this week that he believed Ennis would be the likeliest to go if the team wanted to sign someone, so today’s news proves him right. The 25-year-old Ennis totaled only 40 minutes spread over 10 appearances with the Grizzlies in the months since Memphis acquired him in the Mario Chalmers trade. He went on eight separate trips to the D-League in the meantime, racking up 16.7 points in 33.1 minutes per contest over 15 D-League games.

Ennis and agent Scott Nichols twice worked out amended terms with the Heat that helped him stay under contract prior to the trade. The changes pushed back the dates upon which salary guarantees would kick in for this season, but Ennis avoided getting cut before the end of January 7th, which locked in his full $845,059 salary.

And-Ones: Johnson, Celtics, Pelicans, Lee

February 18th, 2016 at 12:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers think would-be post-buyout target Joe Johnson wants to stay in Brooklyn and that he’ll seek to sign an extension with the Nets, a source told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. People around Johnson say he won’t take a buyout, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

There’s more from around the basketball world as the trade deadline approaches:

The Celtics are willing to trade the unprotected 2016 first-round pick they have coming their way from the Nets if it would shake Blake Griffin loose from the Clippers, sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. However, Boston wouldn’t deal the pick for either Kevin Love or Al Horford, Bulpett hears.
The Pelicans shopped Eric Gordon and Omer Asik, but they haven’t found much interest, sources tell John Reid of The Times Picayune. New Orleans reportedly offered Gordon and Alonzo Gee to the Kings for Rudy Gay earlier this season, and the Pelicans apparently had talks with the Cavs that involved Asik after making him available in December.
The Grizzlies shipped $542,714 cash to the Hornets as part of the Courtney Lee trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals.
Jameer Nelson is running out of alternatives to season-ending surgery on a severely sprained left wrist, but he’ll continue to try to play for the time being after receiving an injection meant to ease the pain he’s feeling, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post details. He missed the Nuggets‘ last six games before the All-Star break.
The Bulls were interested in Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer earlier this season, but the Rockets rebuffed their entreaties, reports Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com (Twitter link).
The Pistons would love to make one more move before the trade deadline, GM Jeff Bower said today in an appearance on WDFN-AM radio, notes Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). The team is reportedly scanning the market for veteran guards, but Bower said the Pistons are looking at the options available at every position and added that coach/executive Stan Van Gundy has confidence in Steve Blake as the team’s backup point guard, Beard also relays (on Twitter).
The Grizzlies recalled James Ennis from the team’s D-League affiliate in Iowa, the team announced today. Ennis has appeared in 15 games with the Energy, averaging 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per night. He has played in 10 games for Memphis, averaging 1.3 points in 3.6 minutes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.