Jordan McLaughlin Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agency Rumors: DeRozan, Bulls, Wizards, McLaughlin, Rose, Heat

August 3rd, 2021 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

A sign-and-trade deal that sends DeMar DeRozan to the Bulls remains a possibility for the veteran free agent wing, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Chicago has previously been mentioned as a possible suitor for DeRozan, and Stein’s report suggests the team remains interested even after reaching agreements with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.

A Monday report from Brian Windhorst of ESPN suggested that a double sign-and-trade sending DeRozan to the Bulls and Lauri Markkanen to the Spurs could be one possibility that the two sides would explore. Chicago also expiring contracts belonging to Thaddeus Young ($14.19MM) and Al-Farouq Aminu ($10.18MM), both of which would theoretically make for good salary-matching pieces.

Here are a few more rumors related to free agency:

As Spencer Dinwiddie and the Wizards continue to work toward a possible agreement that would land the point guard in D.C., Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report says (via Twitter) that Washington has begun exploring the possibility of trading Chandler Hutchison and a second-round pick as part of a potential sign-and-trade deal for Dinwiddie.
Jordan McLaughlin and his camp are optimistic about reaching a new multiyear contract agreement with the Timberwolves, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link). McLaughlin, a restricted free agent, met face-to-face with the Wolves when free agency opened on Monday, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
The Knicks are expected to re-sign Derrick Rose using his Early Bird rights, which means they can keep his smaller cap hold on their books for now and then eventually go over the cap to complete his deal, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper estimates that New York could still have upwards of $9MM in cap room to work with, or even more if the team waives Luca Vildoza‘s non-guaranteed salary.
The Heat had interest in Rudy Gay, but weren’t going to match Utah’s two-year, $12MM offer, preferring to commit most of their mid-level to a strong defensive player in P.J. Tucker, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan McLaughlin Get QOs From Wolves

July 31st, 2021 at 6:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves have made qualifying offers to Jarred Vanderbilt and Jordan McLaughlin, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Both players will be restricted heading into free agency.

Minnesota has full Bird rights on Vanderbilt and Early Bird rights on McLaughlin, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The Wolves are currently $7.9MM away from the luxury tax, including a first-round hold for Leandro Bolmaro, who may join the team next season.

Vanderbilt, a 22-year-old power forward, is coming off his most productive NBA season, averaging 5.4 points and 5.8 rebounds while starting 30 of the 64 games that he played. He was acquired from the Nuggets in a four-team trade in February of 2020.

McLaughlin, a 25-year-old point guard, appeared in 51 games this season, averaging 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per night. He has been a two-way player for the Wolves the past two years.

Two-Way Players Making Bids For Promotions

February 1st, 2021 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Players on two-way contracts are free to appear in NBA games, but there are limitations on the amount of time they can spend with their respective NBA teams. Even in 2020/21, with those restrictions loosened a little, each two-way player can only appear in 50 of his team’s 72 games, assuming he signed before the season began.

While 50 games should be more than enough for most teams to get through the season without maxing out the eligibility of their two-way players, some have emerged as regular rotation pieces for their respective clubs and are likely to reach the 50-game mark before season’s end, barring an injury.

In order to remove those restrictions, a team has to promote a two-way player to its 15-man roster, either converting him to a rest-of-season, minimum-salary contract or negotiating a new multiyear deal.

While it’s a little early in the 2020/21 season to determine which two-way players will ultimately end up being promoted to 15-man rosters, a handful of players on two-way deals have made strong cases for standard contracts in the early going.

Here are some of the top candidates to receive promotions among this year’s two-way players:

Jordan McLaughlin (Timberwolves)

McLaughlin spent the 2019/20 season on a two-way contract with the Timberwolves and played well enough to earn a standard deal in the offseason, having averaged 7.6 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game with a .489/.382/.667 shooting line in 30 contests (19.7 MPG).

A restricted free agent, McLaughlin reportedly received a multiyear contract offer from Minnesota, but it would’ve been a team-friendly deal that included multiple non-guaranteed years. The 24-year-old opted to bet on himself instead, playing another year on a two-way contract and hoping for a better opportunity when he returns to the free agent market in the summer of 2021.

We’ll have to wait to see whether or not that was the right call, but so far it doesn’t look like last season was a fluke. With D’Angelo Russell, Ricky Rubio, and Anthony Edwards in the picture, there are fewer backcourt minutes to go around, but McLaughlin has played well in a limited role, with 5.5 PPG, 4.1 APG, and .455/.375/.800 shooting in 17.2 MPG (11 games).

Garrison Mathews (Wizards)

Like McLaughlin, Mathews was on a two-way contract last season and played well, but ended up having to take another two-way deal. He’s once again proving that he deserves consideration for a promotion, with 8.9 PPG and 1.4 SPG on .429/.405/.889 shooting through 10 games (19.7 MPG).

Unfortunately for Mathews, the Wizards currently have a full 15-man roster made up of mostly non-expendable players. If the team cuts recent signee Alex Len at some point or makes a trades that opens up a roster spot, that could create an opportunity for Mathews.

Yuta Watanabe (Raptors)

Invited to training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract alongside other NBA veterans like Henry Ellenson and Alize Johnson in the fall, Watanabe played his way onto the 17-man regular season roster, with the Raptors converting his non-guaranteed camp deal into a two-way contract at the end of the preseason.

Since then, Watanabe who spent the last two years on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies, has gradually been making a case for more playing time. His box-score numbers (3.9 PPG and 3.4 RPG) are modest, but he’s been hot from three-point range so far, knocking down 12-of-25 attempts (48.0%) and is providing energy and defensive itensity off the bench.

In Toronto’s last five games, Watanabe has been one of the team’s most-used bench players, logging 18.8 minutes per game and bumping his averages to 8.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG.

Since releasing Len, the Raptors have been holding an open spot on their 15-man roster. If that spot doesn’t get filled in a trade at some point in the coming weeks, Watanabe looks like the best bet to fill it before the end of the season.

Others to watch:

Jordan Bone (Magic)
Mason Jones (Rockets)
Reggie Perry (Nets)
Max Strus (Heat)
Gabe Vincent (Heat)

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Western Notes: Clarkson, Green, Kings, McLaughlin

January 2nd, 2021 at 3:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson has been fined $25K by the league for making contact with a game official, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. The incident occurred during the second quarter of Utah’s loss to the Suns on Thursday. Clarkson, one of the top reserves in the league, re-signed with the Jazz on a four-year deal in November.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Draymond Green‘s season debut with the Warriors didn’t go smoothly, Nick Friedell of ESPN notes. Green didn’t make a basket in 18 minutes and failed to have a significant impact on the defensive end. He missed most of training camp, all three preseason games and the first four regular-season games due to COVID-19 protocols and a foot injury. “Draymond just looks like he’s getting his wind,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He looked like a guy who missed training camp and has been working his way to get onto the floor. It looked like an exhibition-style game for him; and that’s not a criticism, it’s just where he is physically.”
Until rookie Tyrese Haliburton suffered a wrist injury, the Kings had seemingly settled on a closing group of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Haliburton, Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic. “With that group, you know the shot can come from anywhere,” Fox said. “You have multiple guys on the court who can make shots, get in the paint, get to the free throw line and things like that.”
Guard Jordan McLaughlin waited until the deadline to sign his qualifying offer from the Timberwolves and he doesn’t regret that decision, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. McLaughlin signed his two-way contract on December 17, which delayed his season debut as he cleared COVID-19 protocols. “It was definitely tough,” McLaughlin said. “I’m a team guy, and I want to be with the team and do everything I can, but me and my agency, we had to figure out what was best for my case and scenario.”

Jordan McLaughlin To Return To Timberwolves

December 17th, 2020 at 7:46pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Timberwolves are bringing back restricted free agent point guard Jordan McLaughlin on another two-way contract, per Shams Charania of the Athletic (via Twitter). Today was the deadline for him to accept his qualifying offer, which is equivalent to a two-way deal.

McLaughlin’s play as a rookie on a two-way deal during the 2019/20 season could have qualified him for a promotion to a standard deal this season, but Charania notes that McLaughlin opted to bet on himself and reach restricted free agency again in 2021.

In 19.7 MPG across his 30 games with the Timberwolves, the 5’11” McLaughlin averaged 7.6 PPG and 4.2 APG on .489/.382/.667 shooting last year. He previously spent the 2018/19 season with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets after going undrafted out of USC in 2018.

In 2019/20, McLaughlin also played 23 games for Minnesota’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. McLaughlin averaged 16.7 PPG, 6.1 APG, 4.5 RPG, and 2.3 SPG on .502/.352/.750 shooting in 31.4 MPG for Iowa.

According to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), McLaughlin could have made more money in the immediate future by agreeing to a standard contract, which the Timberwolves had offered. However, it would’ve been a team-friendly multiyear deal with non-guaranteed years and/or a team option.

Having accepted another two-way contract, McLaughlin will be eligible next summer for a qualifying offer that will be equivalent to a partially guaranteed one-year deal.

McLaughlin had been the final restricted free agent on the 2020 market, so only unrestricted FAs remain unsigned.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Northwest Notes: McLaughlin, Harris, Barton, Lillard

December 17th, 2020 at 4:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The deadline for restricted free agents to accept a qualifying offer typically falls on October 1, but due to the NBA’s revamped calendar for 2020/21, that deadline has moved to today, says Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). That means that Jordan McLaughlin, the last remaining RFA in the league, will no longer be able to accept his QO after today unless the Timberwolves extend that deadline.

McLaughlin’s qualifying offer is for a two-way deal, but he’s not expected to accept it, according to Wolfson (Twitter links), who says that the second-year guard could sign a standard contract today if he wanted to. The Timberwolves are willing to promote McLaughlin to the 15-man roster, but want to do so on their terms, so the two sides continue to negotiate a new agreement, Wolfson adds (Twitter links).

If the Timberwolves don’t extend the deadline for McLaughlin to accept his qualifying offer, he’ll remain a restricted free agent, but without that QO as a fallback option. The deadline for him to sign an offer sheet with another team would typically be on March 1, but figures to be pushed back to April this season.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast today that the Nuggets tried to trade Gary Harris to “several different places” during the offseason (hat tip to RealGM). It doesn’t come as a real surprise that Harris was shopped, though it was likely more about his contract than his on-court value — his $19.6MM cap hit made him a logical salary-matching piece in any offer for an impact player, and we know Denver at least pursued Jrue Holiday.
After stating earlier this month that he believes he’s a “clear-cut” starter, Nuggets wing Will Barton came off the bench in his preseason debut on Wednesday. After the game though, he reiterated that he’s not ready to embrace a sixth-man role, according to Kendra Andrews of The Athletic. “I am a starter,” Barton said. “I have no plans on being a sixth man. I have no desire to be that.”
Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard believes he can be a viable candidate for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award in 2020/21, as Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com writes. “I feel like I’ve had a few MVP-level seasons, I just think with those seasons, you’ve got to be winning,” Lillard said. “I think the two years that we were a three-seed back-to-back years, I thought I had big years, it was just that guys on one and two seed teams had big years as well. That was that. But I feel like if we’re a winning team and we’re in that top two, top three, then I think it’s definitely a real possibility.”

Northwest Notes: McLaughlin, Jackson, Pokusevski, Bogdanovic

December 7th, 2020 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders said today that the team hopes to add another point guard to its depth chart behind D’Angelo Russell and Ricky Rubio, tweets Jon Krawczysnki of The Athletic.

While Saunders didn’t explicitly name him as the player the Wolves want to bring aboard, restricted free agent Jordan McLaughlin is the most obvious candidate for that role, Krawczynski notes. McLaughlin, who was on a two-way contract with Minnesota last season, is the only RFA who has yet to secure a new deal for 2020/21.

The qualifying offer McLaughlin received from the Wolves last month is for another two-way deal, but he and the team are likely trying to negotiate a standard contract that would give him a spot on Minnesota’s 15-man roster for the regular season.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Frank Jackson‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Thunder has a partial guarantee worth $250K for 2020/21, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. The second year of Jackson’s new deal is non-guaranteed.
Several reports leading up to the 2020 draft linked Aleksej Pokusevski to the Thunder, but the Serbian forward was still surprised to be drafted by Oklahoma City at No. 17, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “Before the draft we didn’t have any contacts,” Pokusevski said. “I didn’t talk to anyone. I was shocked that I was chosen at No. 17 and drafted to OKC. I was shocked. I didn’t know that it was going to happen, and I was very happy about it.”
Jazz forward Joe Ingles is looking forward to playing with center Derrick Favors again, writes Aaron Falk of UtahJazz.com. “He’s obviously a guy I feel super comfortable playing with,” Ingles said of Favors, noting that the two veterans played a lot of minutes together during the big man’s previous stint in Utah.
Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist) practiced in full this week and looks to be on track to play in the team’s regular season opener, says Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Northwest Notes: McLaughlin, Nuggets, Diallo, Clarkson

December 3rd, 2020 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

While there are still a handful of interesting names on the list of available free agents, only one of those players is a restricted free agent. Jordan McLaughlin, who finished the 2019/20 season on a two-way deal with the Timberwolves, is the lone player left on the market of the 31 who initially received qualifying offers in November.

It seems likely that McLaughlin will still end up with the Timberwolves, since most teams are prepared to start training camp and aren’t looking to sign an RFA to an offer sheet. However, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that the team and McLaughlin still seem to be “a bit apart” on a new deal. As a result, the 24-year-old guard has yet to report to the team’s facility for camp.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

When Jerami Grant left Denver for Detroit last month, reports indicated that the Nuggets had expected to re-sign the forward and were caught off guard when he chose the Pistons. The Nuggets’ president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, confirmed as much this week, telling reporters that “it was a bit surprising and disappointing” that the team couldn’t get a deal done with Grant (Twitter link via Kendra Andrews of The Athletic).
Newly-signed Nuggets big man Isaiah Hartenstein said he chose to join Denver because he’ll get an opportunity to have an immediate role on a contending team, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post.
After a whirlwind offseason of roster moves in Oklahoma City, 2018 second-round pick Hamidou Diallo suddenly finds himself as the Thunder‘s longest-tenured player, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman.
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson spent less than a full season in Utah before committing to a four-year contract with the team this fall. As Aaron Falk of UtahJazz.com writes, Clarkson’s brief stay in Utah convinced him a long-term deal was the right move. “It’s crazy how fast I connected with these guys and this group,” Clarkson said. “… The guys have been great. The relationship with Coach (Quin Snyder). Overall, just the fit. The city has been great to me as well. I’m just feeling comfortable, peace of mind.”

Free Agency Rumors: Bogdanovic, McLaughlin, Baynes, More

November 23rd, 2020 at 11:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings will have to make a decision on Bogdan Bogdanovic‘s offer sheet with the Hawks on Tuesday, and as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes, there are pros and cons the team must consider as it weighs its options.

Matching Bogdanovic’s four-year, $72MM offer sheet would mean not losing him for nothing, and the contract doesn’t look particularly onerous — it’s unlikely that it will become an albatross within the next year. Bogdanovic would have veto power on any trade for the next year if Sacramento matches his offer, and the deal includes a 15% trade kicker, but there’s a good chance the club could eventually move him for positive value.

Still, while the Kings had originally budgeted for a $15-18MM annual salary for Bogdanovic under former GM Vlade Divac, per Anderson, the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the salary cap coming in $6MM lower than anticipated may make the team nervous about a long-term deal at the upper end of that range.

Additionally, sources have suggested to Anderson that Bogdanovic would prefer a change of scenery and that the swingman feels he has been “de-prioritized” by the Kings. Sacramento already may have to deal with one disgruntled wing in Buddy Hield — carrying two of them, and having them eat into each other’s minutes, may not be an ideal situation for the club.

Here are a few more notes and rumors related to free agency:

The Timberwolves and restricted free agent guard Jordan McLaughlin are engaged in ongoing talks about a new contract, a source tells Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. McLaughlin was on a two-way deal last season as a rookie, but is due for a promotion to a standard contract after averaging 7.6 PPG and 4.2 APG on .489/.382/.667 shooting in 30 games (19.7 MPG).
Before he committed to the Raptors, free agent center Aron Baynes gave serious consideration to joining the Warriors, a league source tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Alex Len, another center who agreed to a deal with Toronto, generated interest from the Lakers, Sixers, Bucks, and Kings during free agency, according to Scotto. The Raptors used their mid-level exception to give Len slightly more than his minimum salary.
The Hawks and Pistons were among the teams that expressed interest in Damyean Dotson before the free agent guard committed to Cleveland, reports Scotto. Dotson’s two-year, $4MM deal with the Cavaliers is worth more than the minimum and the club is still weighing whether to use its mid-level exception or bi-annual exception to complete the signing, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Wolves Pull QO For Kelan Martin

November 22nd, 2020 at 5:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have rescinded their two-way qualifying offer for wing Kelan Martin, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move makes him an unrestricted free agent.

Martin emerged as a rotation player in Minnesota last season, averaging 6.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 31 games (16.0 MPG), though he struggled with his shot (.392 FG%, .260 FT%).

Although the Wolves liked him enough to initially make him a restricted free agent, there likely wouldn’t have been enough minutes to go around for him next season, given the team’s wing depth, tweets Krawczynski.

The Wolves still have a qualifying offer out to their other two-way free agent, Jordan McLaughlin.