Joe Ingles Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Among Teams Eyeing Joe Ingles

September 2nd, 2014 at 3:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:23pm: Ingles is likely to receive a guaranteed salary from the NBA team that ends up with him, Stein writes in his full story. Marc Gasol, a marquee name among potential 2015 free agents, is widely known to admire Ingles, Stein notes.

2:59pm: The Grizzlies are again in the hunt for Ingles, Stein reports (Twitter link). Ingles turned down a two-year offer from Memphis last year, as we noted below.

TUESDAY, 2:13pm: Ingles is a “virtual lock” to sign with an NBA team for the coming season, as seven or eight teams are in pursuit, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Sixers still appear to be one of them, but Ingles is unlikely to sign with Philadelphia, Stein adds (on Twitter).

MONDAY, 1:26pm: Australian small forward Joe Ingles has fielded interest from the Sixers, sources tell Sporando’s Orazio Cauchi (Twitter link). David Pick of Eurobasket.com reported this weekend that multiple NBA teams were eyeing the 26-year-old, so it looks like Philadelphia has some competition.

The Grizzlies, Hawks and Jazz were reportedly interested in Ingles as of March, when Pick wrote that he was thinking about making the jump to the NBA this summer. Ingles rejected a two-year offer from Memphis last year, around the same time that the Pacers, Bucks and Clippers also seemingly had their eyes on the veteran of international play. NBA teams passed on him in the 2009 draft, and his pro numbers haven’t been impressive. Ingles averaged just 6.0 points in 21.2 minutes per game for Maccabi Tel Aviv this past season, but he’s been a more significant part of the offense for the Australian national team in the FIBA World Cup this week, notching 14.5 PPG in 26.5 MPG.

The Sixers have no shortage of cap flexibility to outbid other NBA suitors and float an offer large enough to pry Ingles from overseas. They also have plenty of roster space. They’re carrying only eight guaranteed deals, as our roster counts show. Philadelphia can also provide Ingles with a familiar presence in coach Brett Brown, who coached him on the Australian national team in the 2012 Olympics, as Paul Garcia of Project Spurs notes (on Twitter).

And-Ones: Allen, Thabeet, Arroyo, Ingles

September 2nd, 2014 at 3:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Only a half dozen second-round picks from this June are without deals to play in the NBA, overseas or the D-League, as our log of this year’s draft pick signings shows, and Friday looms as a key date for them. That’s the last day their NBA teams have to make a required one-year tender for the minimum salary without losing their rights to them. Such glorified training camp invitations might not be ideal for draftees who’d hoped to establish more solid footing in the NBA, but if any are at an impasse in negotiations, the deadline could be a tipping point. While we wait to see how that plays out, here’s the latest from around the league:

Ray Allen has fielded recruiting calls from LeBron James and others, as the sharpshooter tells Don Amore of The Hartford Courant, but Allen cites a desire to stay around his family as he continues to insist that there’s a strong chance he’s played his last game. “I don’t want to go into a situation where I don’t understand the coaching, don’t understand the direction of the team,” Allen said. “My family is very important in making the decision. Right now, there is nothing that I need to do. If I ultimately decide this will be it for me, I’m content with that.”
Hasheem Thabeet remains on the Sixers roster, so it appears they’ve guaranteed his salary for the coming season. Monday was the last day they could waive him without owing him his $1.25MM pay for 2014/15, as Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman confirmed. Philadelphia was reportedly likely to waive him in advance of that deadline.
NBA teams would have to buy Carlos Arroyo out of his deal with Galatasaray in Turkey to bring him stateside for this season, and while he’d consider returning to the Association, no one from the NBA has shown serious interest, as he tells HoopsHype’s David Alarcon.
The widespread NBA interest in Joe Ingles is surprising, observes David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). The Australian small forward was having a tough time generating interest from European teams before this week’s strong FIBA World Cup showing, according to Pick.

And-Ones: Wiggins, Dragic, Ingles

August 30th, 2014 at 10:33pm CST by Cray Allred

While a dark cloud hung over the Wolves franchise from the moment Kevin Love made it known he was prepared to move on, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press reports that the team’s fan base has been energized by the package Minnesota received in the Love trade. The Wolves just set a team record for most season-ticket packages sold in a week, after netting Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, and Thaddeus Young in the franchise-altering move. Here’s more from Minnesota and the rest of the league:

Wiggins tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune that he is happy to have been traded to the Wolves, where he will be thrust into a much bigger role than he would have carved out with the superstar-heavy Cavs.“I wanted to go to a place where I’m pushed to do a lot and become a special piece for the team. It’ll help me reach my potential,” said Wiggins. “I said I wanted to play for a team that wanted me, and now I’m here and I feel nothing but love.”
The Pacers are one of the teams interested in Zoran Dragic, reports Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. The younger brother of Goran Dragic is under contract in Spain. It is unclear if the guard is poised to exercise any sort of escape clause that would allow him to come stateside, although he’s reportedly eager to someday play in the Association.
Joe Ingles is generating interest from multiple NBA teams, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. Pick says the Australian wing, who spent last season with Maccabi Tel Aviv, will need to perform well at the FIBA World Cup to get a shot.

Western Notes: Randolph, Sterling, Jazz

June 24th, 2014 at 8:10pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com explains the odd circumstance concerning Zach Randolph‘s player option with the Grizzlies next season. According to the current CBA, a player cannot earn less money in a player option year relative to how much he made in the previous season. As it currently stands, Randolph will make $16.5MM if he decided to opt in for 2014/15, which is considerably lower than the $17.8MM he made in 2013/14.

Tim Duncan had a similar issue in his contract with the Spurs, as his player option for the upcoming year was initially less than what he made this past season. While Duncan’s contract was ultimately modified to address the error, Randolph’s remains unchanged simply because the contract had been signed too long ago, Deeks hears. Randolph and Memphis reportedly are moving toward a multi-year deal, but if he opts in and the deal winds up coming in the form of an extension, Randolph’s missing money will come into play.

Here are more noteworthy links to pass along tonight:

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge said that the terms of the Sterling family trust may give Donald Sterling little room to challenge the finding that he is mentally incapable of continuing as co-owner of the Clippers, writes James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times. This would appear to give Shelly Sterling the advantage in her case to affirm both her control of the trust and sale of the team.
The Jazz announced the additions of Brad Jones, Antonio Lang, Alex Jensen, Mike Wells, and Johnnie Bryant to Quin Snyder’s coaching staff. Jones will be Snyder’s lead assistant, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).
Maccabi Tel Aviv has opted out of its contract with Joe Ingles, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Back in March, we passed along that Ingles was considering a move to the NBA this summer. The Grizzlies and Jazz were among the Western Conference teams reported to have interest in the Australian-born forward.

Grizzlies, Hawks, Jazz Interested In Joe Ingles

March 10th, 2014 at 3:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies, Hawks and Jazz are interested in point forward Joe Ingles, who is considering exercising an NBA escape clause in his deal with an Israeli team this summer, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (All Twitter links). The 6’8″ 26-year-old rejected a two-year offer from Memphis last summer, Pick tweets. The Pacers, Bucks and Clippers also reportedly had interest at that time.

“I’m definitely thinking about the NBA,” Ingles told Pick (Twitter link). “Every year I don’t go, it closes the door a little more.”

The native of Australia added that he’s not yet ready to shift his focus from helping Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Euroleague, as Pick also tweets. Despite all the intrigue from NBA clubs, his numbers in Israel aren’t eye-popping. He’s averaging 8.1 points, 3.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game this year, though he is shooting 39.1% from three-point range. He put up similar stats in his previous two seasons playing in the Spanish ACB league.

He went undrafted in 2009, so he’s free to sign with any NBA team once his escape clause kicks in at season’s end.

FA Updates: Evans, Josh Smith, Pekovic, Clark

July 3rd, 2013 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Tyreke Evans has been one of the most intriguing stories in free agency so far, with the Pelicans having extended a four-year, $44MM offer to the 23-year-old. Still, Evans has yet to agree to sign that offer, and there's no guarantee he'll do so, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The situation remains fluid, and Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) believes if the Kings make Evans a comparable offer, he'd prefer to sign it and stay in Sacramento.

Let's round up a few more of today's free agent updates….

As they continue to explore the possibility of making a big splash, the Warriors are trying to set up a meeting with Josh Smith, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Sulia). However, Smith doesn't seem as interested in the Warriors, who Thompson says "aren't going to jump as high as others to get him."
Don't expect a whole lot of movement in talks for Nikola Pekovic until after Dwight Howard makes his decision, says Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News says (via Twitter) the Cavaliers are being extremely aggressive in their pursuit of Earl Clark, meeting with him yesterday and again today, though no offer has been extended yet.
Dorell Wright met with the Thunder yesterday and was presented with one- and two-year contract offers, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, adding that Wright received a similar proposal from the Trail Blazers. The Spurs, Grizzlies, and Mavericks also have interest in Wright, says Spears (via Twitter).
Australian forward Joe Ingles is drawing interest from four NBA teams, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com, listing the Pacers, Grizzlies, Bucks, and Clippers as possible suitors for the 25-year-old.

Southwest Rumors: Hollins, White, Ingles

February 8th, 2013 at 7:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

Four of the five Southwest Division teams are in action tonight, including the Rockets, who have a key clash with the Blazers, the team sitting just one game behind them for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Rockets could be getting a boost from one of their lottery picks soon, as we examine along with other news from the Southwest:

The Associated Press provides more of Hollins' comments, noting that the coach would have preferred the Grizzlies keep their core together (link via HoopsWorld). Ron Higgins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal adds even more. "Was I disappointed? Of course I was disappointed. … But that doesn’t mean I love Rudy Gay more than I love Zach Randolph. It doesn’t mean that I can’t go on without Rudy Gay."

Earlier updates:

Royce White has passed a physical with the Rockets, and everything is set for him to join the team's D-League affiliate next week, reports Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. White said there's no timetable for how long he'll stay with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but added that he believes the Rockets want to make it a short stint.
In a series of dispatches on his Twitter account, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal shared remarks from Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, who insists he's on board with the front office and wants to return to coach the team next season. "I hope everything I say isn't taken as I hate management," said Hollins, who made earlier comments that appeared to indicate he opposed the Rudy Gay deal. "Am I emotional about the trade? Yes. But it is the business of basketball and i understand it."
Australian big man Joe Ingles, currently playing in Spain, drew interest from the Grizzlies in the wake of last month's three-for-one trade. While a signing didn't materialize, the 25-year-old has long dreamed of joining the NBA, as HoopsHype's Jorge Sierra examines. Ingles' deal with FC Barcelona is up at the end of the season.

Grizzlies Considering West, Walker, Others

January 23rd, 2013 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 8:07am: Chris Vernon adds yet another name to the list of possibilities for the Grizzlies, tweeting that the club is thinking about signing Josh Childress. Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal also adds (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies' interest in Vujacic is real, and that he'd be given a guarantee if it made financial sense to buy out his contract overseas.

TUESDAY, 7:28pm: Michael Redd has also been mentioned as a possibility, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.

12:38pm: Samardo Samuels is also under consideration for the Grizzlies, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).

10:33am: In addition to West and Walker, the Grizzlies are also considering Eddie House, Micah Downs, and Joe Ingles, tweets Vernon.

9:39am: Vernon clarifies in a second tweet that there was a misunderstanding between him and his source, and that the Grizzlies are only considering West and Walker, rather than definitely intending to sign them.

9:11am: Because the Grizzlies had already been carrying the minimum 13 players on their roster, their three-for-one trade with the Cavaliers will leave them two players short of the minimum. To fill out the roster, Memphis is expected to sign Delonte West and Bill Walker, reports Chris Vernon of 92.9FM ESPN in Memphis (Twitter link).

According to Vernon, the Grizzlies will also sign Sasha Vujacic, though we heard back in August that Vujacic's contract in Turkey wouldn't let him return to the NBA this season, so it's unclear if that has changed. According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter) and Istanbul-based reporter Ismail Senol (via Twitter), Vujacic won't be leaving Turkey's Anadolu Efes. If they add West and Walker, the Grizzlies would have reached the 13-man minimum, so there'd be no need to immediately add a 14th player anyway.

West, 29, was in camp with the Mavericks this year on a guaranteed minimum-salary contract, but fell out of favor with the team and was released just before the regular season got underway. He had a productive year in Dallas in 2011/12 though, posting a career-high 15.3 PER in 44 games, including 33 starts. Walker, meanwhile, spent most of last season with the Knicks before being released just before the playoffs. The 25-year-old averaged 5.9 PPG in 32 contests for New York in '11/12.

Even if the Grizzlies sign a pair of players to rest-of-season deals, the team shouldn't have to worry about going back over the tax threshold. In each instance, Memphis would only be on the hook for a pro-rated portion of the minimum salary, an amount small enough that the Grizz would remain under the tax line.

Latest On Joe Ingles

August 15th, 2012 at 6:01pm CST by Michael Pina

Fresh off a solid Olympic performance in London, Australian forward Joe Ingles is drawing interest from several NBA teams, writes The Sydney Morning Herald's Adrian Warren. The 24-year-old forward will play out his upcoming season with Barcelona, but afterwards will likely make a leap to the NBA.

In a tweet, ESPN Radio's Darren Wolfson suggests one solid fit might be the Timberwolves. Minnesota's general manager, David Kahn, has reportedly spoken with Ingles' agent. The 6'8" Ingles showed a complete offensive repetoire in the Olympics, averaging 15 PPG, 5 RPG, and 4 APG throughout the tournament.