John Wall Rumors | Hoops Rumors

John Wall Believes He’s A Max-Salary Player

March 11th, 2013 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

John Wall still has a year remaining on his contract after this season, but he'll be eligible to sign a contract extension with the Wizards as of this July. In a conversation with Zach Lowe of Grantland, Wall says he hasn't started thinking about contract negotiations, but that he's enjoying playing in D.C. Asked if he felt like he was worthy of a maximum-salary extension, Wall replied, "I feel like I am. I do, definitely."

For a player who was selected first overall in the draft, the response isn't surprising. It also doesn't necessarily mean Wall will be demanding a max deal — like Josh Smith before him, the Wizards point guard was asked a question about his worth and answered it honestly. Whether or not the Wizards believe he's worth that amount will be the primary factor in the terms of Wall's next contract.

Wall, 22, is earning about $5.92MM this season and will make $7.46MM in 2013/14. If the Wizards choose to make him the team's designated player, like the Clippers did with Blake Griffin and the Rockets did with James Harden last offseason, Washington could extend his contract for five more years for any amount up to the max.

Odds & Ends: Dwight, Cavs, Blair, Wizards, Gordon

February 21st, 2013 at 1:41am CST by Chuck Myron

As the hours tick down to tomorrow's 2:00pm Central trade deadline, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News is already starting to look ahead to free agency, and he writes that the Cavaliers believe they could make a longshot bid to sign Dwight Howard. That one seems hard to believe, and even Lawrence intimates that it's a little far-fetched. Still, the Cavs were reportedly in the mix for Andrew Bynum last year, and they'll have plenty of cap space this summer, so I suppose it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

In the meantime, there's more on potential deadline deals, and here's the latest:

We've already heard that Danny Granger is staying put, and TNT's David Aldridge hears that's likely the case for Spurs big man DeJuan Blair, too (Twitter link).
An Eastern Conference executive tells Michael Lee of The Washington Post he believes there's "very little" the Wizards can get for Jordan Crawford.
The Wizards reportedly gave up on acquiring Josh Smith because they aren't willing to give up any of the players the Hawks would want in return, and HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy identifies John Wall, Bradley Beal and Nene as the three players the team wants to keep in any deal.
With a deadline trade to the Warriors unlikely and his knee still not 100%, it looks like Eric Gordon will stay put with the Warriors past the deadline, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times Picayune, who hears from a source who said "nobody wants" Gordon.
The Suns agreed to a deal to acquire Marcus Morris for a second-round pick tonight, but considered trading a first-round pick for Morris when the Rockets took him on draft night. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the details.
The Magic have been trying to unload Al Harrington's contract, but the power forward figures he's not going anywhere, since other teams are likely wary of his health, as John Denton of Magic.com tweets.
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times identifies Devin Harris as a trade candidate and tweets that the Wisconsin product would mind playing for the Bucks, though I think if he ends up in Milwaukee, it's more likely via free agency this summer than in a deadline deal.

Josh Smith Rumors: Tuesday

February 19th, 2013 at 11:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Last night, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that many teams around the NBA are convinced that the Hawks will move Josh Smith by Thursday's trade deadline. Stein cited the Celtics as one team with interest, but wrote that he couldn't see them giving up Paul Pierce in a deal for Smith. We'll likely hear a few more rumors and rumblings on Smith today, so we'll round all those up in one place, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The Nets' latest offer includes Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and either a first-round pick or the draft rights to Bojan Bogdanovic, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy says the strangest rumor he's heard involves Josh Smith and filler (possibly Zaza Pachulia) going to the Knicks for Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert.

Earlier updates:

ESPN's Chris Broussard tweets that although the Suns have been in touch with the Hawks regarding Smith, a deal is very unlikely.
The Hawks called the Clippers and asked about acquiring Eric Bledsoe in a Smith trade, but the conversation was short, according to Broussard, who says the Clips aren't really interested in Smith (Twitter link).
Broussard adds in a second tweet that Smith heading to the Suns in a package headlined by Marcin Gortat is "unlikely."
Most of the offers the Hawks have received so far for Smith have been underwhelming, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Several members of the Warriors organization tell Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (Sulia link) that they think Smith would be an ideal fit in Golden State. However, the club wouldn't want to give up Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes for a free-agent-to-be, so a trade is "improbable at best."

Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Gordon, Heat, Rose

February 14th, 2013 at 8:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Despite Mark Cuban's belief that adding an overpaid player with a massive contract would be a huge mistake considering the framework of the current CBA, Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas wonders if the Mavericks would explore trading for Hornets guard Eric Gordon as a possible fallback option if the team falls short in its effort to land Dwight Howard this summer. On another note, Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops explains why it would be wise for Dallas to deal Vince Carter and Shawn Marion for expiring contracts and draft picks now if they want to give themselves a legitimate chance at going after Howard, Chris Paul, or Andrew Bynum in upcoming free agency.

Here are more of this evening's odds and ends:

A report from ESPN (via the Associated Press) states that NBA Commissioner David Stern expects a concrete plan from Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson within the next two weeks regarding the Kings' future. Although the NBA Board of Governors does not meet until April 17-18, Stern believes that the official proposal could be made by March 1st "if (Mayor Johnson) follows through on what he's told us." He also put the kibosh on the idea of expansion and doesn't foresee a scenario where both Seattle and Sacramento wind up with teams.
With 15 guaranteed contracts and the team on a roll as of late, Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida figures that the Heat will be very quiet at the trade deadline next week (Twitter link).
Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago gets the sense that Bulls superstar Derrick Rose won't be returning this season.
Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside provides a rundown of the top available point guards in the D-League and organizes them in groups by what they specifically have to offer.
After suffering a torn ACL on Tuesday night, Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel figures to be on a six-to-eight month recovery. Once touted by some to be the number one overall pick in this June's draft, Noel has slid to number three in Chad Ford's ESPN rankings of the top 30 prospects (Insiders only). On a side note, Darren Rovell (also of ESPN) tweets that Noel has a $10MM insurance policy in the event that he suffers a career ending injury.
In a statement issued to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, David Falk (the former agent of Michael Jordan) apologized for his disparaging comments about John Wall and the Wizards recently.
There have been a flurry of reports today about Lakers owner Jerry Buss' bout with terminal cancer, which was first reported by Amber Goodhand of Radar Online this morning. In a statement issued by the team today, it was made clear that there is no intention of selling the team to an outside group and that the Buss family plans to keep ownership of the Lakers for many generations to come (Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News).

Odds & Ends: Seattle, Finley, Heisley, Arenas

January 17th, 2013 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing the media in London today, commissioner David Stern didn't share many new details about a possible sale of the Sacramento Kings, but he did confirm that the NBA hasn't been informed of any sale agreement with Chris Hansen's Seattle group, according to Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. As Stern watches the Knicks and Pistons play at the O2 Arena, let's round up a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

Following up on his piece yesterday in which he argued the NBA should give Seattle an expansion team rather than moving the Kings, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com addresses the arguments against expansion.
Michael Finley's agent has been in touch with 5-10 NBA teams that have expressed some level of interest in his client, Finley tells BasketUSA.com (link via Sportando). It's not clear how serious any of that interest is, but it seems Finley is still attempting to make an NBA comeback.
Although he says he hasn't had any conversations with team owners who may be interested in selling, former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has expressed some interest in buying another NBA team, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. "At least some people around the NBA know I am interested," Heisley said. "David Stern called me and asked if that was the case, and told him, 'Yeah.'"
Gilbert Arenas will explore his NBA options upon returning from China this season, but suggests that he may play in the CBA again next year, according to a Hupu.com report (translation via HoopsHype).
In their latest Insider-only draft preview piece on ESPN.com, Chad Ford and Jay Bilas discuss the current frontrunner to be picked first overall in June.
In another Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard talks to executives and scouts about John Wall's current stock.

Eastern Notes: Bucks, Nets, Cavs, Oden

January 13th, 2013 at 4:13pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the Eastern Conference on Sunday afternoon:

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey tells Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he is not surprised that Scott Skiles was fired by the Bucks, noting the heavy turnover among coaches in recent years.
Wes Szafran of the South Jersey Times writes that P.J. Carlesimo has done an excellent job since replacing Avery Johnson as head coach of the Nets.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert told fans to be patient with the team's rebuild in a recent television interview. Bob Finnan of the News-Herald has quotes.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer writes that Greg Oden deserves a chance to rehabilitate his NBA career, comparing his injury-plagued early years to those of former Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who was able to put together a productive NBA career.
Michael Lee of the Washington Post wonders if top overall draft picks are cursed, citing the recent injuries to John Wall and Kyrie Irving.
Ryan Anderson tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post that the Dwight Howard drama was a distraction for the Magic players last season.

Odds & Ends: LeBron, Wall, Pacers, Rose

January 11th, 2013 at 10:55pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:

Nuggets coach George Karl told Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida that he wouldn't be surprised to see LeBron James return to the Cavaliers in the future.
John Wall will return to action for the Wizards on Saturday.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star writes that chemistry has trumped star power for the Pacers this season.
Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune reports that Derrick Rose is not rushing his rehab from knee surgery and doesn't know when he will return to the Bulls.
Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune talks to Hawks teammates Devin Harris and Kyle Korver about their time playing for the Jazz.

Odds & Ends: Wall, Felton, Raptors, Harden

December 26th, 2012 at 11:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

A pair of teams at opposite ends of the standings received news about their point guards that conflicts with the way their seasons have gone so far. John Wall told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he's targeting sometime next month for his return to the Wizards from a left patella injury that's kept him out all season. Raymond Felton of the Knicks, meanwhile, told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link), that he'll likely have surgery on his broken right pinkie finger that will keep him out four to six weeks. While we don't normally cover injuries at Hoops Rumors, we do so when an absence could have an effect on personnel moves, and there's news on a couple more guys whose health could signal change.

Raptors officials said that center Jonas Valanciunas will miss the next four to six weeks with a broken ring finger on his right hand, as Doug Smith of the Toronto Star notes, which might complicate matters if the team intends to trade Andrea Bargnani anytime soon while remaining competitive this season. With Bargnani still recovering from a torn elbow ligament, Aaron Gray has become a starter.
Smith also writes that coach Dwane Casey has decided he'll keep Jose Calderon in the starting lineup even when Kyle Lowry returns from a torn right triceps muscle. Calderon has long been a trade candidate, but the team could dangle Lowry instead, as we heard earlier today.
The Timberwolves had contact with the Thunder about acquiring James Harden, but Minnesota was rebuffed, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. It's unclear how far talks got, but it's no surprise that the Wolves at least made an inquiry, as just about every team surely did this summer while Oklahoma City stared down the dilemma over whether to grant Harden an extension.
The numbers show top pick Anthony Davis has played more efficiently than any other 2012 lottery selection, and he credits some of that success to the mentorship of Ryan Anderson, as Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com tweets.

Latest On John Wall

December 17th, 2012 at 2:15pm CST by Sean Highkin

John Wall addressed media Monday after the Washington Wizards' morning practice in Miami. He revealed for the first time that he had a stress fracture in his knee in addition to cartelige problems. Amin Vafa of Bullets Forever has a full transcript of his comments, where he discussed his injury, rehab, and the state of the Wizards.

On whether he has a timetable to return:

No, no timetable. Basically, I just got to see how this shot goes, and see if I can get back to ramping it up without having any problems or pain or soreness.

On being cautious:

So, that's the 50-50 chance you got. I mean, you never know how it's going to go. You just hope it heals the right way, and I think I've been doing the right things I'm supposed to do: just rest, do my exercises, try to stay in shape as best as possible without going out there and injuring myself and hurting myself for the rest of my career. I want to be out there playing basketball with my teammates, but I just want to make sure I'm fully healthy.

On the Wizards' current struggles:

I still understand that things happen for a reason. I just feel like God is testing me to see how strong I am mentally, and it's tough for me because I want to be out there and play. It's tough watching basketball when you can't play. I don't really know what to say.

Odds & Ends: Knicks, Harden, Terry, Draft

December 12th, 2012 at 10:57pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday night:

Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com writes that Mike Woodson has been more successful at coaching Carmelo Anthony than Mike D'Antoni was.
James Harden was indifferent in his reaction to reports that the Wizards had rejected an offer from the Thunder to send him to Washington.
Jason Terry did not rule out a return to the Mavericks later in his career, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford took a variety of questions from fans relating to the 2013 NBA Draft in a live chat.
SNY.com's Adam Zagoria reports that Jabari Parker, the second-rated prospect of the 2014 Draft, is down to Duke and Michigan State in his choice of colleges.
Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports that John Wall will have his knee re-examined on Friday.
Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com writes that youth is not an excuse for the Cavs' poor play.
D.J. Augustin has been a disappointment since signing with the Pacers this summer.
Sean Michael Meager of the Oregonian has an interview with Trail Blazers rookie Will Barton about his recent D-League assignment and the adjustment from college to the NBA.
Brandon Jennings was perhaps the best player up for a rookie-scale extension who didn't get one, but he's drawing comparisons to Chris Paul and Mike Conley from Bucks coach Scott Skiles for his play this season, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel documents.
Stephen Curry is feeling happy with his level of play this season and is not disappointed with his contract extension, he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.