JaVale McGee Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Notes: Roster, McGee, Jordan

July 26th, 2015 at 4:26pm CST by ChrisCrouse

It’s been an active weekend for the Mavs. On Friday, the team signed John Jenkins and Jarrid Famous. The team reached an agreement with Samuel Dalembert as well as Arizona product Brandon Ashley on Saturday and earlier today, Dallas agreed to terms with Jamil Wilson.

Here’s more from Dallas:

The Mavs have not ruled out signing JaVale McGee, provided he is healthy, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
Dallas missed out on signing DeAndre Jordan and Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders believes the team is better off in the long-term not having to commit $80MM to the big man. Hamilton believes that part of what makes Jordan so efficient is having Chris Paul on the floor with him. Dallas could not provide a point guard of his caliber and therefore, Jordan wouldn’t have been as effective in Dallas.
Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders breaks down the Western Conference and believes the Mavs shouldn’t count on making the playoffs. Davis cites the roster turnover and uncertainty surrounding the team’s rotation as reason for the pessimism.

Pacific Notes: McGee, Crawford, Hibbert, Cousins

July 4th, 2015 at 3:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers plans to talk to free agent center JaVale McGee today, reports Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo Sports. L.A. is seeking a replacement for DeAndre Jordan, who announced Friday that he will sign a four-year deal with the Mavericks. The Clippers have approximately $2.2MM in exception space available over the league minimum salary of $1.4MM, according to Wojnarowski. McGee, 27, has been a free agent since being waived by the Sixers in March.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

The Clippers may try to trade Jamal Crawford in their quest for a new center, according to speculation from one executive who spoke with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Crawford will make $5.675MM next season.
It’s unlikely that the Clippers can swing a three-team deal to land Roy Hibbert, according to Broderick Turner and Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. There have been discussions about a trade that would send a newly signed Jordan to Dallas, a newly signed Monta Ellis to the Pacers and Hibbert to Los Angeles. However, it seems unlikely that Dallas would agree to help a potential rival for a playoff spot.
The Lakers haven’t tried to reopen trade talks for Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. He notes that Sacramento isn’t interested in dealing Cousins, despite reported discussions between the teams last month.
The Kings‘ reported interest in Denver guard Ty Lawson was exaggerated, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Trade rumors surrounding Lawson have intensified since the Nuggets drafted Emmanuel Mudiay. Free agent point guard Rajon Rondo announced Friday that he intends to sign with Sacramento.

And-Ones: Batum, Warriors, Sixers, Clippers

June 25th, 2015 at 5:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Timberwolves will be on the clock just one hour from now. While we wait with eager anticipation, here’s the latest from around the league:

The Pistons expressed interest in Nicolas Batum before he was shipped from the Blazers to the Hornets, a person with knowledge of the team’s inner workings told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Therefore, Ellis expects that Detroit will target a small forward in the mold of Batum in the draft.
While the Warriors would like to move up from No. 30 in the first round, that doesn’t seem likely right now, David Aldridge of TNT tweets.
Tom Moore of Calkins Media (on Twitter) hears that the players union didn’t like the Sixers trading for JaVale McGee at the deadline. That acquisition cost existing Sixers players money since the team had needed to spend more in order to reach the NBA salary floor. The players association is reportedly probing the moves the Sixers have made of late for possible circumvention of collective bargaining agreement tenets.
The Clippers still attempting to purchase a first-round pick, as Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (on Twitter) hears.
Brandon Jennings expects he’ll be ready for training camp after having suffered a season-ending torn Achilles this past January, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

Kings Have Strong Interest In JaVale McGee

June 23rd, 2015 at 11:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With star center DeMarcus Cousins potentially heading out of Sacramento via a trade, the Kings have expressed strong interest in free agent big man JaVale McGee, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). McGee previously played for Kings head coach George Karl in Denver, so there is obviously some familiarity between the two sides. There have also been reports of mutual interest between McGee and the Celtics, so the Kings may have some competition for the seven-footer’s services. The Mavs also apparently had serious interest in McGee this spring but later dropped out, and he was also linked to the Rockets, Raptors and Heat.

I would speculate that the Kings could have interest in inking McGee even if Cousins remains with the team. Cousins has indicated his desire to be used at power forward more often, and Sacramento was indeed interested in acquiring a rim-protecting big man at the trade deadline this year. McGee, when he’s healthy and motivated, can certainly be an asset on the defensive end, though he has been plagued by maturity issues throughout his career. It’s unclear just how much the veteran would be seeking on a new contract, and for what length. A sticking point in his negotiations with the Celtics back in March was McGee’s insistence on a player option for 2015/16, though he later backed off of that request, but no deal was ever struck. He could be worth taking a flier on for Sacramento on a short-term, non-guaranteed minimum salary arrangement. It wouldn’t be entirely shocking to see McGee settle for the minimum, since Philadelphia’s obligated to pay $12MM to McGee next season after waiving him shortly after the trade deadline without agreeing to any sort of buyout arrangement.

The 27-year-old put up career lows this past campaign in several categories, including his 11.1 minutes per game across 23 appearances split between Denver and Philadelphia as he struggled to regain his health after missing all but five games during the 2013/14 season with a stress fracture in his left leg. His career numbers through 382 contests are 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. McGee’s career shooting numbers are .540/.200/.587.

Interest Remains Between Celtics, JaVale McGee

May 20th, 2015 at 2:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

The notion of JaVale McGee and the Celtics circling back to negotiate a deal this summer isn’t out of the question after the sides failed to close on a contract in early March, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Boston wouldn’t be able to sign him until after the July Moratorium, and it would be surprising if the Celtics prioritized him, but it appears as though there’s an opportunity for the 7-footer to return to the NBA after he went unsigned following his release from the Sixers.

Blakely suggests that a two-year deal with a player option for 2016/17 would be in order, though it’s not entirely clear if that’s merely speculation. Negotiations between the Celtics and the B.J. Armstrong client this past season reportedly fell apart over McGee’s insistence on a player option for 2015/16, though weeks later the center backed off the idea that he had to have a player option wherever he signed.

The Celtics have only about $40.4MM committed for next season, so they can open significant cap room, though doing so would wipe out the team’s copious trade exceptions. Still, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see McGee settle for the minimum, since Philadelphia’s obligated to $12MM for McGee next season after waiving him shortly after the trade deadline without striking any sort of buyout arrangement.

The Mavs apparently had serious interest in McGee this spring but later dropped out, and he was also linked to the Rockets, Raptors and Heat. The Sixers acquired him along with a protected first-round pick from the Nuggets at the deadline. The 27-year-old put up career lows this season in several categories, including his 11.1 minutes per game across 23 appearances split between Denver and Philadelphia as he struggled to regain his health after missing all but five games last season with a stress fracture in his left leg.

JaVale McGee Backs Off Player Option Demand

March 23rd, 2015 at 12:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

JaVale McGee now prefers a deal that carries only through the end of the season, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, who writes in his weekly power rankings. That indicates a turnabout from earlier this month, when he was reportedly seeking a player option for 2015/16 on any deal. That was apparently at the root of failed negotiations with the Celtics, who wanted a team option. Most of the contending teams reportedly inquired about the B.J. Armstrong client earlier this month, and, as Spears reports today, McGee still wants to play for a postseason contender.

It’s unclear if the lack of an insistence on a player option will spark a renewed interest, as chatter about the 27-year-old has slowed considerably after a brief period in which he seemed a prime target following his release from the Sixers. The Mavs were “seriously interested” a few weeks ago, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported then, but Spears reported last week that they were no longer in pursuit. The Rockets, Raptors and Heat also appeared to be teams in the mix for McGee at the time of the strong interest from Dallas, but even at that point, there was “no way” the Raptors would cross the tax line to sign him, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.

While Houston, Miami and Toronto likely wouldn’t go over the tax threshold for this season with a multiyear arrangement for the minimum salary, a one-year deal reduces McGee’s cost if he signs for the minimum. That’s because the league would cover the difference between the two-year veteran’s minimum and the minimum for a six-year veteran like McGee if the contract only covered a single season. It would mean a savings of $32,533 for this season for a team that signs him to a one-year minimum deal instead of a two-year minimum deal, and it would come with the cost certainty of knowing that McGee couldn’t force the team to pay him a salary for next season, too.

Mavs Drop Out Of Running For JaVale McGee

March 16th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavs are no longer interested in signing JaVale McGee, and they aren’t seeking any other upgrades to their roster, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, who writes amid his weekly power rankings. They join the Warriors among the teams who have apparently grown chilly on the idea of signing the free agent center after he and the Celtics failed to reach a deal earlier this month. Dallas reportedly had serious interest in McGee as of a couple of weeks ago.

McGee has been a free agent after securing his release from the Sixers, who acquired him in a deadline-day trade with the Nuggets. There’s little financial pressure for McGee to find a deal, since the B.J. Armstrong client didn’t have to give up any of his $11.25MM salary for this year or his $12MM salary for 2015/16 to part ways with Philly. The Mavs already have 15 players on their roster, as our roster counts show, so there’s financial disincentive for Dallas to make a move. The Mavs were reportedly the front-runners for Jermaine O’Neal earlier this season before he called a halt to his comeback efforts, while Dallas also apparently had cautious interest in Larry Sanders.

The Rockets, Raptors and Heat were still interested in signing McGee as of 10 days ago, Spears reported then. The center has reportedly been seeking a player option for 2015/16 in his next contract, a demand that apparently helped unravel the would-be deal with Boston.

Atlantic Notes: Richardson, Randolph, Johnson

March 9th, 2015 at 3:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

Division titles matter little for the playoffs, but there’s a distinct chance the Atlantic crown plays a significant role in the first-round matchups this year. The champion of each division is guaranteed a top four seed, though first-round home-court advantage is not a given, so division titlists are in essence guaranteed only a top five position. Usually, the leader of each division is within the top five teams in their respective conferences, but the Raptors, sitting atop the Atlantic, are only four and a half games clear of the Bucks for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, and Toronto has been slumping. Still, even if the Raptors do finish sixth or worse in the East, they’ll still be in the No. 4 versus No. 5 matchup in the playoffs as long as they win the division. Here’s more from the Atlantic:

The idea of re-signing Jason Richardson was off the table for the Sixers until he returned last month from a more than two-year injury-induced absence, but now Philly is at least considering it, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Sixers coach Brett Brown doesn’t see a reason why the 34-year-old couldn’t play for another couple of seasons, Pompey notes. Richardson, who’s in the final season of his contract, would like to remain with Philadelphia rather than chase a ring elsewhere and said that if he were to go to a title-contender, he’d want more than a bit role, as Pompey relays.
The Celtics scheduled a meeting with reserve power forward Shavlik Randolph when they appeared close to signing JaVale McGee, but that meeting was scuttled when McGee and the C’s failed to agree to terms, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. That led Bulpett to speculate that Randolph was the likely roster casualty if McGee had signed.
Amir Johnson‘s declining numbers and expiring contract make it seem decreasingly likely that he’ll remain with the Raptors for next season, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post.

Warriors Not Interested In JaVale McGee

March 8th, 2015 at 7:09pm CST by Zachary Links

It remains to be seen where JaVale McGee will land, but it apparently won’t be in Golden State. A Warriors source told Tim Kawakami of The Mercury News (Twitter links) that the team continues to have very little interest in signing the big man. The W’s entertained the thought at one point but have since moved on.

The Warriors told McGee that they’d think about signing him and after some deliberation, they arrived at a point where they had “very limited interest.” McGee, of course, was waived by the 76ers just prior to the deadline for playoff eligibility. McGee, a B.J. Armstrong client, fielded interest from a number of clubs at that point, but wound up on the verge of a deal with the Celtics. That union surprised many and a double swerve was thrown everyone’s way when the prospective deal was called off. The C’s wanted McGee’s 2015/16 season to be a team option while his camp wanted a player option.

Now, McGee remains on the open market with one less suitor now that Golden State is likely to take a pass. Things are also “dead” between the 27-year-old and Boston and will not be revived. Still, the Mavericks, Rockets, Raptors, and Heat are among the playoff-bound/hopeful teams in the hunt to sign him.

The athletic big man appeared in just seven contests for the Sixers after being acquired from Denver, averaging 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per contest. In 382 career games McGee has averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.

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