Justise Winslow Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Cherry, Pistons, Wittman

September 1st, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Unrestricted free agent Will Cherry has officially signed with the German club Alba Berlin, the team announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). International journalist David Pick first reported the team’s interest and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports was the first to relay that a signing was imminent. Cherry played in Lithuania last season after he was waived by the Cavaliers. The point guard saw action in eight games while with Cleveland and averaged 1.9 points, 1.0 assist and 0.8 steals in 8.6 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Stan Van Gundy wanted to hire a shooting coach for his first season with the Pistons, but he didn’t get around to it until this summer, when he brought on Dave Hopla, who’s wasted no time getting to work, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Hopla is working with extension candidate Andre Drummond and others and using analytics to enhance their strokes, as Langlois chronicles.
Justise Winslow, who was selected No. 10 overall by the Heat in this year’s draft, blew away team executives during the predraft interview process, Zach Lowe of Grantland relays. The swingman was projected by a number of mock drafts to be a potential top five selection, but he surprisingly fell to Miami with the final pick in the top 10 this past June.
The Wizards will have to make a tough decision regarding whether or not coach Randy Wittman is the right man to continue leading the franchise on the court, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic writes. Wittman, who owns a 137-158 record overall with Washington, is entering the second season of his three-year pact, and his contract is only partially guaranteed for the 2016/17 campaign, Michael notes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Smith, Magic, Anderson

July 19th, 2015 at 6:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

The second part of summer league for No. 10 overall pick Justise Winslow was full of more challenges than he might have expected, but the performance of Josh Richardson, whom the Heat drafted with their other pick, at No. 40, was more impressive than it figured to be, as Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel examines. Winderman, in a broad look at what Miami accomplished during summer league, writes that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Heat invited undrafted center Josh Smith to camp. Smith, from Georgetown, is not to be confused with the more well-known Clippers signee of the same name. Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

Jason Smith‘s salary on his new one-year deal with the Magic is $4.3MM, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders confirms (Twitter link). There had been conflicting reports about just how much the contract is worth.
The Magic were technically over the cap when they made the Maurice Harkless trade, so they ended up with a trade exception worth $2,894,059, equivalent to the salary that Harkless will make this coming season, Pincus also reports (Twitter link).
Alan Anderson‘s one-year, $4MM contract with the Wizards includes a 15% trade kicker, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Washington facilitated the signing via the mid-level exception, and since it’s worth more than $3.376MM, the Wizards are hard-capped at $88.74MM this season, Pincus notes.

Northwest Notes: Malone, Lillard, Harkless

July 17th, 2015 at 11:40am CST by Chuck Myron

Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn’t have too much to say about Ty Lawson, other than that he’s been in contact and that he still considers the point guard “part of the Denver Nugget family,” but Malone, in his conversation with Grantland’s Zach Lowe, provided a glimpse into Denver’s draft night war room.

“It’s very rare when you’re picking No. 7 to get the guy you target. I kid you not, when I got the job, [GM] Tim Connelly said, ‘Emmanuel Mudiay. That’s the guy,'” Malone said.

The team’s other target was Duke small forward Justise Winslow, Malone admitted to Lowe with hesitation. Winslow slipped to the Heat at No. 10. The coach also spoke with Lowe about his time hanging around the Timberwolves last season, and Malone “absolutely” had interest in becoming the head-coach-in-waiting under Flip Saunders in Minnesota, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. He would have considered such an opportunity over the Nuggets gig, Wolfson adds. Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

Damian Lillard is a fan of Portland’s trade acquisition of Maurice Harkless, GM Neil Olshey says, and it’s with Lillard in mind that the Blazers are going after players like the former Magic small forward, as The Oregonian’s Mike Richman chronicles. Lillard signed a five-year max extension this month. “When LaMarcus [Aldridge] warned us he wasn’t coming back we went full bore with guys on the same career arc as Damian Lillard,” Olshey said. “Damian’s our best player right now, he’s a two time All-Star. We’re going to bring in players that compliment his skill set, how we want to play and that can grow with him as he continues to improve.”
The Nuggets were reportedly one of three teams interested in signing Sergio Rodriguez, but it doesn’t look like he’ll leave Spain for the NBA again, as Real Madrid wants him to stay, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links). The contract reportedly contains an NBA buyout clause, but Real Madrid will fight to keep him, Pick says.
The precise value of Jameer Nelson‘s three-year contract with the Nuggets is $13,621,575, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
The cap hits in the four-year deal the Nuggets gave Nikola Jokic come to $5,551,000, and year four is a team option, Pincus also shows (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Seraphin, Watson, Winslow

July 4th, 2015 at 11:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Free agent Kevin Seraphin is getting interest from the Wizards, Lakers and Suns, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. Spears adds that the Spurs would also be interested in the forward’s services if they fail to land David West. Seraphin signed the qualifying offer from Washington last offseason, which allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

C.J. Watson will make $5MM in each of the next three seasons after reaching an agreement to sign with the Magic, but in the final season of the deal, only $1MM of his salary is guaranteed, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Watson is expected to lead the bench unit and be the primary backup to Elfrid Payton.
The Wizards had shown interest in Watson before he agreed to his deal with Orlando, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tweets.
The Knicks are getting a bargain in their agreement with Kyle O’Quinn, opines Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com. O’Quinn’s new contract is worth $16MM over the next four years. The statistician projected that the 25-year-old would get a contract of $27MM over three years.
The Heat reportedly turned down the Celtics’ proposal of four first-round picks and two second-rounders for the rights to Justise Winslow and Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel ponders whether the team made the right call by keeping the Duke product on its roster. The Celtics have a bounty of future first-rounders, as our Draft Pick Tracker page indicates. The exact draft picks that Boston was offering has not been disclosed, but with the Heat owing three of their future first round picks to the the Sixers and Suns, the team could have certainly used the extra assets. Given the situation, Winderman argues the rejection of the offer further proves how valuable Miami views Winslow.

Heat Sign Justise Winslow

July 3rd, 2015 at 10:49am CST by Chuck Myron

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The Heat have signed No. 10 overall pick Justise Winslow, the team announced, as Miami formally brings the Duke small forward that team president Pat Riley raved about onto the roster. Teams may officially sign first-round picks during the July Moratorium, as Miami is doing here, though most other moves must wait until Thursday, when the Moratorium is over.

Most teams hesitate to sign their first-rounders until after they’re done making free agent moves, so this news is further indication that the Heat are extreme long shots to land LaMarcus Aldridge, in spite of Riley’s meeting with the power forward Thursday. Still, the timing might just have to do with summer league, as Winslow put pen to paper before the team’s first summer league practice, notes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).

Winslow’s cap hold likely goes from slightly more than $2.068MM to nearly $2.482MM, assuming the Heat are giving him the standard 120% of the rookie scale. If that’s the case, he’ll be in line to make a total of $11,613,750 over the four-year rookie scale contract.

Winslow is a versatile player, though it’s possible he’ll end up a tweener, stuck between both forward positions, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors wrote in his prospect profile. Eddie had Winslow going at No. 5 in our final mock draft, so perhaps that positional concern played into his drop on draft night.

Southeast Rumors: Heat, Winslow, Harris, Brand

June 30th, 2015 at 2:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald (via Barry Jackson on Twitter) hears that the Celtics offered the Heat four first-round picks and two second-rounders for their No. 10 pick so that they could grab Justise Winslow. Instead, Miami stood pat and grabbed the Duke star, who many feel could wind up being the sleeper of the draft. Here’s more from the Southeast Division..

Magic forward Tobias Harris is looking for a max or near-max offer sheet since the salary cap is set to rise, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). If he gets a large enough offer, Kennedy adds, the Magic might not match. Harris, as expected, received a QO from Orlando earlier today.
The Hawks likely won’t re-sign Elton Brand, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Vivlamore anticipates that Mike Muscala, entering his third season, will have an increased role with Brand out of the picture.
More from Vivlamore, who tweets that the Hawks have announced that Kyle Korver will undergo surgery. The sharpshooter’s procedure will be done in New York by Dr. David Altchek.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan said it’s possible he will be “very active” in free agency, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Still, Robbins points out that Orlando is unlikely to jump into the mix for Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, or Kevin Love.
Janis Timma, whose NBA rights were traded to the Magic last week, has joined up with B.C. Zenit Saint Petersburg, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (on Twitter).
Mario Hezonja‘s buyout agreement calls for him to give $1.4MM to his former club, not ~$1.8MM as previously reported, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.net (on Twitter). In a chat with Robbins, agent Arn Tellem confirmed that the buyout for the Magic‘s top draft pick has been finalized.

Southeast Notes: Deng, Oubre, White, Eriksson

June 29th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

It’s still unclear what Luol Deng will do with his player option, worth nearly $10.152MM, with tonight’s deadline to decide looming, but the Heat absolutely wants him back, as team president Pat Riley made clear after the draft, notes Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post (Twitter link). That’s in spite of Miami’s selection of small forward Justise Winslow at No. 10. While we wait to see just what Deng will do, here’s more from around the Southeast:

GM Ernie Grunfeld didn’t think the Wizards would have the chance to trade up and nab Kelly Oubre until a day before the draft, and in so doing, Washington landed a player who has a relationship with D.C. native and 2016 free agent Kevin Durant, as Benjamin Standig of The Associated Press examines.
J. Michael of CSNWashington.com looks at the options the Wizards have if Paul Pierce, who’s opting out, doesn’t re-sign.
Forward Aaron White, whom the Wizards drafted 49th overall out of Iowa, will “definitely” play overseas this coming season, as Michael hears, but Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes that a decision has not yet been made. “Aaron will play Summer League with the Wizards and then we will evaluate if it is best to go overseas or not this season,” White’s agent, Chris Emens, wrote in an e-mail to Castillo. “Aaron is open to doing whatever the Wizards think is best for his development.”
The pair of players the Hawks drafted in the second-round Thursday will stay overseas, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Swedish shooting guard Marcus Eriksson, the 50th pick, and Greek forward Dimitrios Agravanis, pick No. 59, remain under contract with Barcelona of Spain and Olympiacos of Greece, respectively, according to Vivlamore.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel breaks down the new Magic assistant coaches whose hires the team officially announced Friday: former Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin, former Mavs assistant Monte Mathis, Mario Elie, who last was an NBA assistant with the Nets in 2012/13, and former Lakers D-League coach Conner Henry.

Central Notes: Johnson, Anthony, Vasquez, Bulls

June 27th, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

It was Stanley Johnson’s extreme confidence that inspired Detroit to draft him over Justise Winslow, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. “The more we talked to people, we became very confident that this is a guy who’s driven to being great — not just talking about it, but will put in the work to do it,” said Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy. “We really wanted his mentality as much as anything. I think he’s a very confident — maybe cocky, but physical [player].” The Pistons believe Johnson is versatile enough to guard four positions in the NBA, and Van Gundy said he was the draft’s best rebounder at small forward. Detroit also likes Johnson’s improvement as a shooter and his ability to get to the line.

There’s much more from the Central Division:

The Pistons would like to bring back free unrestricted agent center Joel Anthony, Ellis writes in the same story. Van Gundy sees the 32-year-old as an elder statesman who can be valuable in tutoring younger players. “Obviously we can’t negotiate with him yet, we can’t talk money,” Van Gundy said. “I talked to him [Friday]. Again, we’ve told him consistently we would like to have him back.”
Bucks GM John Hammond promised to “create some happiness” for newly acquired Greivis Vasquez, writes Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee swung a draft-day deal that brought Vasquez from Toronto in exchange for the 46th pick in Thursday’s draft and a protected first-rounder in 2017. “He’s an energetic guy, got a lot of personality, brings a lot of moxie to the court and to our team,” Hammond said. “As a player, he’s a guy with great vision. You need guys that can pass and catch to play the game, and that’s what Greivis does.” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said Vasquez has the flexibility to play alongside point guard Michael Carter-Williams or serve as his backup. Vasquez will make $6.6MM next season and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The Bulls are comfortable with being a tax team next season, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Chicago has only crossed the tax line once in its history.

Nuggets Rumors: Draft Deals, Winslow, Nori

June 22nd, 2015 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets might add another first-round pick via a trade, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post reports. The Nuggets have some movable pieces that could land them another pick later in the lottery after they select at No. 7, Dempsey continues. There’s a good chance the Nuggets will make at least one move this week, since GM Tim Connelly told Dempsey that he will be proactive during draft night. “We want to be aggressive,” Connelly said. “We’re looking at any and all scenarios, and we’ve already proactively made a lot of those calls. We’ll see what we can do to make it interesting and hopefully give Coach [Michael Malone] the best team possible.”

In other Nuggets news:

The club would have to create a space, probably through a trade, to fit in Justise Winslow if they draft him, Dempsey adds in a separate piece. The Duke swingman could play shooting guard at times but he’s a natural small forward, Dempsey continues. The team already has Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler at that spot. Winslow’s ability to run the floor and defend his position would make him a good fit with a defensive-minded coach like Malone, Dempsey concludes.
Tyus Jones’ workout with the Nuggets today will be his last before the draft, as he tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities as part of a larger Q&A session with the Minnesota native.
Malone will hire away assistant coach Micah Nori from the Kings, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets. Malone was fired as Sacramento’s head coach in December. Nori was previously an assistant with the Raptors, Aldridge adds.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Winslow, Knicks

June 20th, 2015 at 9:42pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers own the No. 3 selection in Thursday’s draft and Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor are expected to be off the board by the time Philly picks. Tom Moore of Calkins Media speculates what the team will do should either big man fall to them. If the draft goes as expected, the Sixers will most likely choose between D’Angelo Russell, Kristaps Porzingis and Emmanuel Mudiay, who I opined should be the selection in the franchise’s Offseason Outlook. Moore notes that the team could easily trade down in the draft or make some other unexpected move, citing GM Sam Hinkie‘s unconventional approach in the past.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division

The Sixers have worked out Justise Winslow, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The forward should be an impact defender for a team right away, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors explains in his Prospect Profile of the forward.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post examines the journey that Winslow has taken through high school and college to become a surefire lottery selection. Winslow is reportedly the “leader in the clubhouse” to be taken by the Knicks with their No. 4 overall pick. Scarito has Winslow going to New York in his latest Mock Draft.
The Knicks worked out Frank Kaminsky and Joshua Smith in addition to working out Trey Lyles and Kevon Looney yesterday, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).