Jodie Meeks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Anthony, Wade, Meeks, Reed

July 20th, 2016 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Carmelo Anthony believes bad timing is all that prevented Dwyane Wade from joining him on the Knicks, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Wade sent shock waves throughout the NBA earlier this month when he agreed to leave the Heat and sign with the Bulls. Anthony says if Wade’s situation had become apparent earlier, the Knicks could have freed up the cap room to fit him on the roster. “There was a chance, definitely a chance,’’ Anthony said. “We would’ve had to pull a rabbit out of a hat in the 25th hour though. There was a chance. If it was two days earlier, we probably would’ve had Dwyane Wade.”

After signing free agent center Joakim Noah for $72MM over four years, New York had just enough cap room left to offer Wade the contract he wanted. However, it would have meant not signing Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings and renouncing the rights to Lance Thomas. Looking ahead, Anthony thinks the Knicks have the pieces in place to be major players in the 2017 free agent market.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

Newly acquired Magic shooting guard Jodie Meeks is out indefinitely after undergoing foot surgery Tuesday, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Meeks needed the procedure to stabilize the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, which he fractured early last season. Doctors offered little clue as to when Meeks might be able to play again. Orlando acquired him in a June 29th trade, sending a second-round pick to the Pistons in return.
Former Magic guard Devyn Marble is getting interest from teams in Europe and China, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Marble, who spent two years in Orlando, was traded to the Clippers last week and subsequently waived in a cost-cutting move.
After passing up better offers and signing with the Heat, Willie Reed believes he’s in a perfect situation, writes Shandel Richardson of The Sun-Sentinel. After going undrafted and playing in Spain and the D-League, Reed’s future now appears secure after joining Miami on a two-year veteran’s minimum deal. He is expected to back up newly re-signed center Hassan Whiteside. After two seasons on the Heat’s summer league team, Reed knew he wanted to play for Miami. “I wanted to be able to come to the Heat [this offseason],” Reed said. “I told my agent that if I was able to get a minimum deal with the Heat, I’d take it just because what they did for me.”

Magic Acquire Jodie Meeks From Pistons

June 29th, 2016 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Raj Mehta/USA TODAY Sports Images

4:18pm: The Pistons have announced via press release that the trade is official.

2:25pm: The second-rounder headed to Detroit in the proposed deal will be a 2019 pick, according to Charania.

1:00pm: Within his full report on the proposed deal, Charania writes that the Magic would simply absorb Meeks into their cap room without sending out another player in return. The Pistons would receive a conditional second-round pick, and would also gain a trade exception worth Meeks’ salary — the exact amount of that exception would depend on whether the deal is finalized in June or July.

Of course, if Detroit’s total team salary – including cap holds and exceptions – slips below the salary-cap threshold in the new league year, the club would lose that trade exception.

12:50pm: The Pistons are nearing an agreement on a trade that would send veteran guard Jodie Meeks to the Magic, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). It’s not clear yet what Detroit will receive in return for Meeks.

We heard around the time of the draft that the Pistons were shopping Meeks in the hopes of finding him a new home. Given how available he was, the return for Meeks likely won’t be significant, but we’ll have to wait to see whether Orlando is sending back salary in return, or whether the Pistons will simply shed some salary while picking up a draft pick or the rights to an overseas player.

Signing Meeks was one of Stan Van Gundy’s first moves as the Pistons’ president of basketball operations during the 2014 offseason, but the move hasn’t worked out, due in large part to Meeks’ health issues. The Kentucky product has missed 101 regular season games due to various injuries since arriving in Detroit.

In 63 total games over the last two years, including just three in 2015/16, Meeks averaged 10.9 points and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 35.3% from three-point range. The 28-year-old has one season and $6.54MM left on his contract — if he’s healthy in 2016/17, that’s a decent price for a veteran shooter, considering the sort of big-money deals we expect to see handed out in free agency this summer.

Pistons Shopping Jodie Meeks

June 24th, 2016 at 8:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons are continuing to shop Jodie Meeks in an attempt to find him a new team, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Keith Langlois of NBA.com reported last month that odds were 50-50 whether the team was going to keep the shooting guard on the roster.

Adding Meeks was one of Stan Van Gundy’s first moves as the team’s president of basketball operations during the 2014 offseason, but the signing just hasn’t worked out. The Kentucky product has missed 101 regular season games due to various injuries since coming to Detroit.

In the 63 games that Meeks was able to play, he averaged 10.9 points and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 35.3% from downtown. Meeks’ availability on the trade market is likely due to a combination of his lack of durability, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s emergence as a legitimate two-way player, and Van Gundy’s propensity to play shorter rotations. The 28-year-old has one season and $6.54MM left on his contract.

Eastern Notes: Beal, Knicks, Antetokounmpo

May 23rd, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shooting guard Bradley Beal believes he’s worthy of a max deal as he heads into restricted free agency this summer, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports. Beal will sign an offer sheet from a suitor willing to pay that price if the Wizards don’t make a max offer when free agency begins in July, he told Castillo in a phone interview. “I feel like I’m a max player and that’s what I’m looking for,” he said. “If Washington can’t meet that requirement then I may be thinking elsewhere. I’m pretty sure that they probably won’t [let me go].” Beal declined a contract extension prior to the beginning of this past season and doesn’t believe his injury history will affect his bargaining power, Castillo adds. “The injury thing, that’s behind me,” Beal said. “I’m moving forward. I’m past it.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Jerry Sichting, Jeff Hornacek’s offensive assistant with the Suns, could land an assistant coaching job with the Knicks under Hornacek, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Sichting was let go against Hornacek’s wishes last season while Corey Gaines, another former Hornacek assistant who was not retained by the Suns after the season, is also a candidate to join Hornacek’s staff, Berman continues. Hornacek is not expected to retain ex-coach Derek Fisher’s hires of former Thunder assistants Brian Keefe, Joshua Longstaff and David Bliss.
Power forward Anthony Tolliver, center Joel Anthony and point guards Steve Blake and Lorenzo Brown are unlikely to return next season, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com in his roster review. It’s 50-50 whether the team will bring back oft-injured shooting guard Jodie Meeks and third-string point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Langlois continues. Meeks could be tossed into a trade, while the club has a mid-July deadline to decide whether to guarantee Dinwiddie’s contract for next season, Langlois adds.
Power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to play for the Greek National Team in the Olympic Qualifier at Turin, Italy, Sportando reports via Eurohoops. “I want to play for the national team. The Bucks know it,” he said to Eurohoops. “We have not talked yet for this matter. Even if they are negative, I would try to convince them to let me play.”

Central Notes: Meeks, Antetokounmpo, Plumlee

March 21st, 2016 at 5:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jodie Meeks probably won’t return to the court before the end of the season, Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy acknowledged today, according to Aaron McMann of MLive. Meeks hasn’t played since October, and though it appeared recently that he would make his debut, a shoulder injury he suffered in practice last week has made that possibility remote, as McMann details. Meeks had come almost all the way back after suffering a broken foot in the team’s second game of the season. The Pistons activated him for games on March 12th and 14th, though he didn’t see any action in those contests, McMann points out. Van Gundy didn’t have plans to use Meeks in the rotation anyway, so his continued absence shouldn’t be a killer for Detroit, which is just percentage points behind Chicago for the last playoff spot. See more from the Central Division:

The development of a midrange game and a corner 3-point shot is what stands between Giannis Antetokounmpo and an All-Star selection, GM John Hammond contends to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. Hammond also told Varlas he sees the former 15th overall pick as a forward, not point guard, the position the team has him playing extensively down the stretch. Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd was reluctant to go with John Henson and Miles Plumlee on the floor together much of the season, but as the season winds down and the coach has become open to experiments, he’s liked what he’s seen with both Henson and Plumlee in the game, observes Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Plumlee, the subject of trade rumors last month, is set for restricted free agency this summer, while Henson is poised to start drawing from the four-year extension he signed in the fall.
Soon-to-be free agent Solomon Hill distinguished himself as one of Indiana’s best defenders battling Paul George in practice this season, and that’s led Pacers coach Frank Vogel to give Hill a place in the rotation, as Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star details. The Pacers declined their rookie scale team option on him for next season, so they can’t re-sign him to a contract that would pay him more for 2016/17 than $2,306,019, the value of the option.

And-Ones: Lakers, Kilpatrick, Meeks

March 14th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Point guard D’Angelo Russell has star potential, but rival executives have doubts about power forward Julius Randle’s ceiling, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports. Polling a dozen front office executives, Berger found that Russell is the more highly regarded of the Lakers’ duo. Randle, their 2014 lottery pick, is viewed more as a piece to the puzzle or an energy guy, Berger continues. It’s conceivable the Lakers deal one or both for a proven star, Berger adds, but a lot of the their decision-making this offseason is contingent on whether they keep their lottery pick. They must convey their pick to the Sixers if they fall out of the top three.

Nets shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick, who has signed two 10-day contracts, hopes he can stick around for the remainder of the season and beyond, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes. Kilpatrick is averaging 13.6 points in his last five games with the club. “I’ve been living out of a suitcase I would say for the past six months. It’s crazy, man,” Kilpatrick told Mazzeo. “That’s why when you ask, ‘Do I want to be here?’ Like, I’m tired of living out of a suitcase.”
Shooting guard Jodie Meeks is back in uniform but will have a tough time cracking the Pistons rotation, according to David Mayo of MLive. Meeks broke his right foot in the team’s home opener and required a lengthy recovery. Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy prefers to utilize no more than nine players, and swingman Stanley Johnson and power forward Anthony Tolliver have recently returned to the rotation after recovering from injuries. “I can’t control that,” Meeks told Mayo. “So whenever my number’s called, I’ll be ready.”
The Celtics recalled rookie power forward Jordan Mickey from their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team tweets. Mickey has made 11 appearances with Boston this season.
The Thunder assigned small forward Josh Huestis to their D-League team, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the Thunder’s website. Huestis has already started 19 games for the Blue this season, averaging 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per contest.

Central Notes: Pistons, Lawson, Budinger, Butler

March 5th, 2016 at 1:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Terrence Jones and Meyers Leonard would be attractive free agent options for the Pistons in their search for a backup power forward, according to David Mayo of MLive. Both will enter restricted free agency this summer, which means the Rockets and Blazers can match any offers they get. Mayo notes the teams may want compensation for letting Jones or Leonard go, which could tempt the Pistons to give up a first-round draft pick, something they were willing to do to get Donatas Motiejunas from Houston last month before that deal was voided. Mayo suggests keeping Anthony Tolliver might be the best strategy now that Tobias Harris is on board as the starting power forward. Tolliver is making $3MM in the final season of his contract and is averaging 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in nearly 20 minutes per night.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

The Pacers expect to finalize a deal with free agent point guard Ty Lawson on Sunday or Monday, tweets Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. Lawson is still working out in Houston after the Rockets waived him Tuesday in a buyout agreement.
Chase Budinger‘s brief stay in Indiana was a “dud,” Buckner tweeted after the Pacers waived the seventh-year small forward today. She also laments last summer’s trade that sent Damjan Rudez to the Wolves in exchange for Budinger, saying the Pacers gave up a badly needed 3-point shooter (Twitter link). She credits Budinger for being “a pro” during his time in Indiana, though he never fully understood what the organization expected from him (Twitter link).
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg says shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who has been out of action since February 5th with a sprained knee, is “ready to go” for tonight’s game, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Combo forward Nikola Mirotic, who had acute appendicitis and underwent surgery January 27th, is “close,” Hoiberg adds (Twitter link). Injured center Joakim Noah won’t play anytime soon, but he’ll rejoin the team for “leadership,” tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
The Pistons have shooting guard Jodie Meeks, who hasn’t played since suffering a right foot injury October 29th, listed as questionable for tonight’s game, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

Central Notes: Meeks, Love, Christmas

February 2nd, 2016 at 3:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons have been linked to soon-to-be free agents Ryan Anderson and Al Horford as well as trade candidate Markieff Morris, but they’re satisfied with incumbent power forwards Ersan Ilyasova and Anthony Tolliver, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. That doesn’t mean they won’t seek an upgrade in the offseason, when Tolliver’s contract expires, but GM Jeff Bower made it clear to Ellis why the team is in no rush to make a deal now.

“That upheaval creates upheaval throughout the locker room,” Bower said. “When you do make changes like that, you’d like to think you’re doing it for more than just minor, insignificant shuffling. Sometimes you need a major shakeup, but usually when those scenarios exist, you have a group you don’t think is functioning well and you don’t see a long-term lifespan with them.”

See more on the Pistons amid the latest from around the Central Division:

Jodie Meeks will face limitations for the rest of this month after encountering a setback in his recovery from the broken foot he suffered at the start of the season, and he’s unlikely to play much this season, Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy told reporters, including Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter links). “For practical matters, it’s really hard to see him being able to get back and make much of a contribution this year,” Van Gundy said.
David Blatt didn’t prioritize making Kevin Love comfortable in the Cavaliers offense, but in Tyronn Lue‘s brief time as Blatt’s replacement, Love already looks more comfortable than he’s ever been since joining Cleveland before last season, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Pacers have assigned Rakeem Christmas to the D-League, the team announced. The 36th overall pick from the 2015 draft has spent the vast majority of the season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and he’s still yet to play in an NBA regular season game.

Central Rumors: Cavs, Meeks, Vasquez

February 1st, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

All-Star small forward LeBron James, point guard Kyrie Irving and power forward Kevin Love admitted fault of their own even as they laid out expectations for their teammates during a sometimes contentious players-only meeting the Cavs had in the immediate wake of David Blatt’s firing, as reported by Dave McMenamin, Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Accountability and double standards were key issues in the meeting that GM David Griffin asked reserve shooting guard James Jones to organize, as McMenamin, Windhorst and Lowe detail. The net effect appears to have been positive, based on the team’s 4-1 record since and the input a pair of sources gave the ESPN scribes.

In other news around the Central Division:

Pistons shooting guard Jodie Meeks has suffered a setback during his rehab from a broken right foot, David Mayo of MLive.com tweets. Meeks met Monday with surgeon Martin O’Malley, who determined that the foot had not fully healed, Mayo continues. Meeks must stop practicing, which he began doing last week, and he also has to cut his rehab activity, Mayo adds. Meeks was expected to miss 12-16 weeks after he was injured during the team’s home opener but the club was hopeful of getting him back by the All-Star break.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, who is also the team’s president of basketball operations, doubts he would trade for a player that becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season, Rod Beard of the Detroit News reports. Detroit has been linked to Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson, who is in his walk year, but Van Gundy doesn’t want to mortgage the future for a player who might depart after this season. “I’m not willing to yield an asset right now — even for a guy I really like — if he’s unrestricted and we could lose him in the summer for nothing,” Van Gundy told the team’s beat reporters. “That would be a step back in our building, even if it’s a minor one. We’re not going to give up a pick for a guy. If we were going to make a trade, it would be a for a guy who’s still got contract time left after next year, that we know we’d have.”
Bucks point guard Greivis Vasquez expects to play again this season, Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Vasquez, who underwent right ankle injury in mid-December, is not close to returning but Vasquez remains optimistic, as he told Gardner. “I didn’t play the way I wanted to, but I needed to get healthy,” he said. “I know I’m going to come back before the season is over. Hopefully, we rack up a few wins and I can help.”

And-Ones: Matthews, Colangelo, D-League

December 9th, 2015 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mavericks swingman Wesley Matthews is still working his way back from the Achilles tear he suffered last season while a member of the Blazers, but the franchise has confidence that he’ll be a better player than ever once he finds his rhythm, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post writes. “He’s had a rough go here, and the important thing is we all kept encouraging him,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We have a great deal of belief in him. What he’s doing is extremely difficult, coming back from that injury in this timetable. It’s hard, you know? Hard things are hard. It’s just the truth. And along the way, there’s going to be some nights like this, and there’s going to be some nights like the other night, and he just has to keep staying the course and seeing the light. Because, at the end of this process, he’s going to be a better player than he was when he went down last March. I’m not only confident of it, I’m certain of it.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy noted that injured guards Brandon Jennings and Jodie Meeks may benefit from a D-League assignment prior to rejoining the team, David Mayo of MLive writes. “I think it helps with the conditioning because the only way to get in basketball shape is to play basketball,” Van Gundy told Mayo. “We play so many games that practice time is limited, and practice time isn’t that long. Your chance to go get 35 minutes a game, and really get your conditioning back, would be to do something like that. But again, our guys are a little different because they’re veteran guys. It would have to be something they’re willing to do and we haven’t broached that subject yet.“
The Celtics have recalled power forward Jordan Mickey from their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This was Mickey’s fifth stint with the Red Claws this season.
Jim Boeheim, who is a member of Team USA’s coaching staff as well as head coach at Syracuse University, doesn’t believe that Jerry Colangelo would have accepted his new position with the Sixers unless he was going to have total control over the front office, Jake Fischer of SI Now tweets.
There are several NBA coaches whose jobs are currently in jeopardy, including Lionel Hollins (Nets), George Karl (Kings), Dave Joerger (Grizzlies), and Alvin Gentry (Pelicans), notes Fran Blinebury of NBA.com in his rundown of head men who he opines are on the hot seat.