James Johnson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Notes: Johnson, Team Meeting, Haliburton, Nembhard

December 16th, 2023 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

James Johnson never considered retirement, even as he went through free agency without an offer and started the season without a team, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Johnson’s patience was rewarded on Friday when he signed a one-year deal with the Pacers. Teammates were thrilled to welcome back the 36-year-old forward, who was a valuable contributor for Indiana last season even though he only appeared in 18 games.

“Just the professionalism,” T.J. McConnell said. “You don’t play 15 years in this league without being a great basketball player, but the professionalism you show day in and day out and how you go about things on and off the court is what he brings. He’s big at teaching the young guys. Not many people in this league are as good of people as him and we definitely missed him.”

Coach Rick Carlisle told Dopirak that the Pacers have been considering a move with Johnson for at least two weeks. Carlisle and other team officials traveled to Johnson’s Miami home on December 1 when Indiana was in town for a pair of games.

“He helped us so much last year,” Carlisle said. “This year we started with 15 guys. When Daniel Theis moved on to the Clippers in the buyout situation, it opened up a spot. You see if the need for the spot and if anything else is going to happen. But we talked to him on the Friday between games, had a really good meeting with him and told him it was very much under consideration.”

There’s more on the Pacers:

In a separate story, Dopirak examines why Indiana often comes up short against the league’s worst teams, including Friday’s loss at Washington. There was a team meeting earlier this week about potential trap games, but the Pacers failed to heed the warning as they were badly outplayed by the Wizards, who were on a six-game losing streak coming into Friday. “It’s just the characteristics of a young group,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “Playing to your competition. Every team in the NBA is good, but there’s some games we’re going to look back and say, ‘Damn, we probably should’ve got that one.’ We’ve gotta grow up as a group at some point. It starts with us as players, us as a first group and me as a leader. We’ve just gotta be better.”
Haliburton is listed as questionable for tonight’s game at Minnesota with a left knee bruise he suffered Friday, Dopirak tweets. “I’m fine, I’m just banged up a little bit,” Haliburton said. “There was a little wet spot on the floor. I landed on my hip, that’s fine, but me and Bilal (Coulibaly) went knee to knee, so just a little sore right now.”
Andrew Nembhard feels like he “dodged a bullet” with the right knee bone bruise he suffered in the in-season tournament semifinals, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (subscriber only). Nembhard is considered week-to-week and he’s thankful that the injury wasn’t worse.

Central Notes: Cavs, Mitchell, DeRozan, Pacers, Johnson, Bucks

December 15th, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

After the Cavaliers‘ 51-win 2022/23 season came to a disappointing end with an unceremonious exit in the first round of the playoffs, that momentum appears to have carried over to this fall, with the team off to a 13-12 start. However, speaking to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, star guard Donovan Mitchell rejects the idea that the postseason letdown in the spring left a lasting mark on the team.

“I think we came back motivated,” he said. “We’ve got guys who came back ready to go. I think it motivated us, but, you know, it’s not showing it. That’s the tough part. But I’m not deflated. We’ve got to figure this thing out. That’s it. That’s all you can really do. Find ways. That’s it. It’s tough obviously, you know, winning a few, losing a few, but we’re not going to quit. We’re going to keep going.”

Mitchell also said that he believes the Cavaliers have the pieces to be a contender and that it’s just a matter of getting everyone on the same page. But Mitchell’s conversation with Bulpett occurred on Thursday, and the challenge facing the team got a lot tougher on Friday, when word broke that both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley will be sidelined until well into the new year due to injuries.

Earlier today, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that the Cavaliers had shown no inclination to make Mitchell available via trade despite the “mounting interest” of rival teams. It’s unlikely that stance has changed in the past few hours, in spite of the Garland and Mobley news, but it’ll certainly be worth keeping a close eye on how the situation in Cleveland plays out in the coming weeks to see how the club responds.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan is “deeply valued internally,” according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, who says the organization appreciates the veteran not just for his skills on the court but for his leadership off of it. The team has similar feelings about Alex Caruso, Johnson adds.
A recent report indicated that the Bulls and DeRozan are far apart in extension talks and suggested that the forward is a trade candidate in the final year of his contract. For what it’s worth though, DeRozan has expressed a desire to stay where he is. “Chicago is Chicago to me,” he told Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “I love it here. Obviously it’s a place I want to be in my career. None of that has changed. I don’t have no other type of doubts or feelings or suggestions to be elsewhere. That don’t cross my mind.”
Following a run to the play-in tournament final, Tyrese Haliburton spoke about his hope that seeing how the Pacers play will make impact players want to join him in Indiana. With that in mind, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star considers what sort of moves the Pacers could make by February’s deadline and what their best trade assets might be.
James Johnson‘s new one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Pacers is non-guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Johnson will receive his full salary ($2,241,188) if he remains under contract beyond January 7.
The chippy, hard-fought nature of Wednesday’s victory over the division-rival Pacers, which culminated in an argument over the game ball, may have helped the Bucks build a stronger bond, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. “When stuff happens, whether it’s extremely serious or it’s small, any time you can get into something and you can look over and see people got your back and they’re with you, it changes things,” Damian Lillard said. “… I think (Wednesday), for our team, it was just a step in that direction where we kind of — we were with each other, so I’m not saying that’s going to make us the world’s greatest, but it was a step in the right direction.”

Pacers Sign James Johnson To One-Year Deal

December 15th, 2023 at 11:57am CST by Rory Maher

DECEMBER 15: The Pacers have officially signed Johnson, the team announced today in a press release.

DECEMBER 14: The Pacers are signing free agent forward James Johnson to a one-year contract, agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), the Pacers had an open roster spot after reaching a buyout agreement last month with Daniel Theis, so no corresponding move will be necessary to add Johnson.

Johnson, 36, has played for 10 different teams and is now in his 15th NBA season. He spent the 2022/23 campaign with Indiana, appearing in 18 games while averaging 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per contest. Johnson was waived in February as part of the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade (due to a roster crunch), but the Pacers re-signed him a few days later.

The timing of the move is interesting and perhaps not a coincidence. The Pacers and Bucks had a postgame altercation over the game ball on Wednesday night after a chippy contest between the two Central Division teams. Johnson is known for being one of the toughest players in the league, and head coach Rick Carlisle praised his veteran leadership last season.

“Very important for us,” Carlisle said. “… He’s contributed so much to our situation just in terms of setting examples, mentoring, being very positive, being very truthful. He has a really strong reputation in this league as a great competitors, as a very tough guy. Those kinds of things. He’s been a difference maker so it’s great to have him back on board.”

Indiana’s roster will be full once the move is official.

Pacers’ Pritchard Won’t Commit To Hield Extension Offer

April 11th, 2023 at 9:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard is noncommittal about offering wing Buddy Hield an extension, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star.

Hield is entering the final year of his four-year, $94MM contract. The cap hit on his contract for 2023/24 is approximately $19.3MM. The Pacers will have to decide whether to pursue an extension, trade him or allow his free agency to play out next summer.

“He’s under contract for another year, so we don’t have to early extend,” Pritchard said. “We could. … I think we’ve got to define his role next year. If we can get a role where he’s comfortable and we’re comfortable, then I’m not opposed to it. I’m not saying we’re going to do it for sure, but I’m not opposed to it.”

Hield had a solid season, averaging 16.8 points per game while making 42.5% of his 3-pointers and 51.8% of his 2-pointers. He’s also a positive locker room influence and is close with franchise player Tyrese Haliburton, which could increase the possibility of an extension.

“I love Buddy,” Pritchard said. “There’s some things he does that are not on the court. He keeps practice light.”

Pritchard also touched a couple of other major topics regarding offseason plans:

Indiana will hold five draft picks in June, including three first-rounders. The Pacers will also have approximately $25MM in cap space. Pritchard said he’ll be open to wheeling and dealing to improve the roster. “I think there’s some opportunities for us to look at our draft picks and cap space and maybe put a bunch together and make big packages and go after some players,” he said. “I can’t say for sure that’s gonna get done. But I want to be really creative with how we go after the right players.”
Regarding the team’s three free agents — forwards Oshae Brissett and James Johnson, and guard George Hill — Pritchard’s interest in re-signing them hinges on what happens during the draft and the early days of free agency. “Those are guys we’ll be looking at, but with all these draft picks and cap space, they’re not July 1 deals, they’re July 10,” Pritchard said. “I’m not trying to cop out on the question. I just don’t think we get to that decision tree until later on. I don’t want to hurt or help them or give them false hope or tell them no.”

Eastern Notes: Wiseman, Johnson, Bouyea, Hart

February 14th, 2023 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

James Wiseman practiced with the Pistons for the first time on Tuesday since he was traded by Golden State. Wiseman is eager to jump start his career with a rebuilding team, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.

“I’m embracing all of the opportunities here,” said Wiseman, who could make his Pistons debut on Wednesday. “It’s a new start for me, I’m embracing it. I’m super excited.”

We have more Eastern Conference news:

James Johnson re-signed with the Pacers after they waived him and coach Rick Carlisle is thrilled to have the veteran forward back on the 15-man roster, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star writes. “Very important for us,” Carlisle said. “Glad that we could get it worked out. He’s contributed so much to our situation just in terms of setting examples, mentoring, being very positive, being very truthful. He has a really strong reputation in this league as a great competitors, as a very tough guy. Those kinds of things. He’s been a difference maker so it’s great to have him back on board.”
Jamaree Bouyea, who is playing on a 10-day contract, logged 28 minutes off the bench in the Heat’s 112-108 loss to the Nuggets on Monday. Miami will have to decide after the All-Star break whether to offer him another 10-day — or give him a two-way slot if the team elevates Orlando Robinson to the 15-man roster. “I feel like if we keep him around, he’ll continue to show he can really play basketball,” Bam Adebayo told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Josh Hart has made a strong impression with the Knicks since he was acquired from Portland. Coach Tom Thibodeau said he wanted Hart on his side for a long time, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post. “I know the teams that I’ve been with since he’s been in the league, we’ve always had interest in him,” Thibodeau said. “If you coach against or you play against him, those are the types of guys that you respect. You respect a fierce competitor. Obviously, he’s got great talent. He wouldn’t be here without great talent. But his competitive spirit is special.”

Pacers Re-Sign James Johnson

February 13th, 2023 at 3:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pacers have re-signed James Johnson, the team announced in a press release. Johnson’s contract covers the rest of the 2022/23 season, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), so he will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Indiana waived the veteran forward as part of the four-team blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix. The fact that the Pacers decided to bring him back isn’t a surprise, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reported a few days ago that Johnson was expected to re-sign with Indiana after clearing waivers.

Johnson, 35, is a well-traveled veteran — the Pacers are his 10th NBA team in 14 seasons. He hasn’t seen much on-court action this season, appearing in just 12 games for a total of 98 minutes, but the Pacers value his leadership in the locker room.

Eastern Notes: Korkmaz, McDaniels, Johnson, LeVert, Reddish, Celtics

February 10th, 2023 at 10:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey confirmed that Furkan Korkmaz requested a trade and said he tried find a new home for the sixth-year wing, Derek Bodner of The Daily Six tweets.

“Look, he’s a very good player,” the Sixers’ top exec said. “I think he would be in the rotation of many teams in the league, so we were hoping to help him out. He’s been a great partner with the organization.”

Morey added that Korkmaz has a “great attitude.” The Sixers did swing a deal for the Hornets’ Jalen McDaniels, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Philadelphia would like to retain him, Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice relays. “I think he’s got starter potential. We’d like to obviously have him have a great run, help us win a championship this year, and then re-sign him,” Morey said Friday.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

James Johnson was waived by the Pacers due to a roster crunch in the aftermath of the Kevin Durant multi-team blockbuster. However, Indiana plans to bring back the forward if he clears waivers, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Johnson, who appeared in 12 games this season, attended the Pacers’ game on Friday.
Caris LeVert was relieved he wasn’t dealt by the Cavaliers, he told Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Just a feeling of relief,” he said. “Relief that nothing happened and I’m going to be here, having an opportunity to finish out the season and finish it out with this group. We have been playing great basketball. I think we’re all glad that the group stayed together and we’re excited to make this final push. Can’t wait to see how far we can go.” LeVert is headed to free agency after the season.
Cam Reddish fell out of the Knicks’ rotation well before he was dealt to the Trail Blazers this week. New York coach Tom Thibodeau said the “change” may be good for the young forward’s career, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. “I don’t know if it didn’t work,” he said. “I just think there were some good moments, some moments that probably could’ve been better and that’s part of the league. Sometimes you need a change.”
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said he wasn’t close to making another deal after acquiring Mike Muscala from the Thunder, implying that they weren’t really interested in making another move, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets.

Kevin Durant Trade Officially Completed As Four-Team Deal

February 9th, 2023 at 5:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Durant has officially been traded from Brooklyn to Phoenix, according to press releases from the Suns and Nets.

The blockbuster trade has been combined with the three-team trade agreement involving the Bucks, Nets, and Pacers that sends Jae Crowder to Milwaukee, turning the two deals into a single four-team transaction.

It breaks down as follows:

Suns acquire Durant and T.J. Warren.
Nets acquire Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, the Suns’ 2023 first-round pick (unprotected), the Suns’ 2025 first-round pick (unprotected), the Suns’ 2027 first-round pick (unprotected), the Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (unprotected), the right to swap first-round picks with the Suns in 2028, the Bucks’ 2028 second-round pick, the Bucks’ 2029 second-round pick, and the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet (from Pacers).
Bucks acquire Crowder.
Pacers acquire Jordan Nwora, George Hill, Serge Ibaka, either the Bucks’ 2023 second-round pick or the least favorable of the Cavaliers’ and Warriors’ 2023 second-round picks (whichever is most favorable), the Bucks’ 2024 second-round pick, their own 2025 second-round pick (from Bucks; it was traded away in a prior deal), and cash (from Nets).

“Today is a transformative day for this organization,” new Suns owner Mat Ishbia said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome Kevin and T.J. to the Valley as we build a championship culture both on and off the court.

“Not only is Kevin one of the greatest and most accomplished players in the history of the sport, but his character also embodies the world class commitment to excellence we are instilling across every facet of this organization. T.J. is a natural leader whose work ethic and commitment to getting better every day make him an important addition to the team as he returns to the Valley. Phoenix will be one of the best organizations in all of sports and we are so excited to start our journey with this incredibly dynamic team.”

Nets general manager Sean Marks offered a statement of his own in Brooklyn’s press release:

“After thorough evaluation of the best path forward, we believe making this trade now positions the franchise for long-term success. Mikal and Cam are elite, ascending, versatile wings, plus the draft capital provides us additional avenues to continue to acquire talent. We remain steadfast in our commitment to building the team Brooklyn deserves. We are excited to welcome Mikal, Cam and their families to Brooklyn and thank Kevin for the moments and memories he delivered our fanbase.”

As expected, the Pacers waived Goga Bitadze and Terry Taylor to accommodate their new additions. The team also waived veteran forward James Johnson, per a press release. All three players will become unrestricted free agents if they clear waivers this weekend. Indiana will also cut Ibaka, as we previously relayed.

Because they no longer have to take on Crowder’s salary, the Nets will create a trade exception worth $18MM+ for Durant instead of $8MM, notes Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

For more details on the trade, be sure to read our previous stories breaking down the Durant and Crowder trades.

Pacers Guarantee Contracts For Brissett, Johnson

January 7th, 2023 at 12:45pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pacers have officially guaranteed the salaries of forwards Oshae Brissett and James Johnson for the remainder of the 2022/23 season, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).

Indiana is well below the league’s salary cap “floor,” so there was little reason to believe the team would release either player. Today is the deadline to waive players on non-guaranteed deals before their salaries become fully guaranteed for the rest of the season.

Brissett, 24, has been a rotation regular for the Pacers, averaging 5.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG while shooting 37.0% from three-point range in 35 games (15.7 MPG). He has spent the last three seasons with Indiana after playing for Toronto, his hometown, as a rookie in ’19/20.

Johnson, 35, is a well-traveled veteran — the Pacers are his 10th team in 14 NBA seasons. He has only made nine appearances this season for an average of 7.9 minutes per contest, but clearly the club values his locker-room presence.

Brissett will carry a $1,846,738 cap hit, which is just above Johnson’s minimum-salary cap hit of $1,836,090. Both players will be unrestricted free agents in the summer.

Central Notes: White, P. Williams, Mobley, Bucks, More

October 18th, 2022 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls guard Coby White, the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft, was eligible for a rookie scale extension up until Monday’s deadline, but he never really thought he’d sign a new deal this year, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago.

“No, no. I didn’t,” White said on Tuesday. “I wasn’t really focused on that. Just play this year out. I put in a lot of work this summer, so let my work show, and take it from there.”

White also dismissed the idea that entering a contract year and playing for his next contract will provide any extra motivation this season: “Nah, I love playing basketball. That’s all the motivation I need. I love playing, I love hooping. I’ve had motivation my whole life. I ain’t gonna change nothing now.”

In other Bulls news, the team’s 2020 lottery pick, Patrick Williams, will open the season as the starting power forward, head coach Billy Donovan confirmed today (Twitter link via Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic). Williams came off the bench in multiple preseason games as Javonte Green shone, but Green will be part of the second unit to open the season.

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Cavaliers feel as if Evan Mobley has Hall of Fame potential and believe his development is the key to whether the team can become a legitimate championship contender, Chris Fedor writes in an excellent article for Cleveland.com. “Evan needs to be in a position where people look at us and say, ‘Evan is their best player,'” assistant coach Greg Buckner said. “It can’t be, ‘Donovan (Mitchell) is their best player, Darius (Garland) is their best player or J.A. (Jarrett Allen) is their best player.’ It has to be Evan.” That view is shared by head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, according to assistant coach Luke Walton. “J.B. talks about it all the time with us: We need Evan to be one of the best players in this league, if not the best player in this league, if we’re gonna win championships,” Walton said. “That’s our mission coming from J.B. — help him get to that level.”
Hoops Rumors has confirmed that Didi Louzada is eligible to become an affiliate player for the Cleveland Charge after signing a two-way contract (rather than an Exhibit 10 deal) with the Cavaliers on Monday and being waived shortly thereafter. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype first reported the Cavs’ plan to secure Louzada’s G League rights.
With Khris Middleton and Joe Ingles already ruled out for the start of the season, the Bucks will also be without Pat Connaughton for a few weeks, prompting Eric Nehm of The Athletic to explore how the team will deal with all its injury absences. As Nehm details, George Hill, Jevon Carter, and Wesley Matthews all figure to play increased roles, with young wings Jordan Nwora and MarJon Beauchamp potentially seeing action too.
Pacers forward James Johnson was happy to earn the team’s final roster spot, beating out Langston Galloway and Deividas Sirvydis. However, as Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files relays, Johnson knows that he can’t get comfortable yet, since his contract still isn’t fully guaranteed for the season. “It’s an honor for this spot, but at the end of the day I’m still vulnerable,” he said.