K.J. McDaniels Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Simmons, Carroll

September 22nd, 2017 at 9:13pm CST by Austin Kent

The Raptors have four players on non-guaranteed deals effectively auditioning for the final two guaranteed slots on their roster, Josh Lewenberg of TSN writes. Given the number of veterans the team lost over the offseason, the individuals who end up in the 14th and 15th spots on the squad could actually see meaningful minutes in 2017/18.

Among those battling for one of the final openings on the lone Canadian team’s roster is Canadian national team forward Kyle Wiltjer. Wiltjer didn’t make much of an impact on the playoff-bound Rockets last season but serves as a potent deep ball threat, not unlike outgoing Raptors forward Patrick Patterson.

Wiltjer will face stiff competition making the Raptors, especially from the versatile K.J. McDaniels who failed to stick with the Nets last season but has otherwise shown promise as an incredibly versatile, Swiss army knife of a forward.

Also vying for the final two spots will be Kennedy Meeks and Alfonzo McKinnie, the latter of whom Lewenberg mentions along with McDaniels to be the ones to watch as training camp begins and the Raptors inch closer to finalizing their roster.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers have been nothing but cool and confident when discussing the impact first-year forward Ben Simmons will have on the team this year, David Murphy of The Inquirer writes.
The Nets had a leadership void and offseason addition DeMarre Carroll swooped in to fill it. Brian Lewis of the New York Post how the exiled Raptors forward has thrived with his new organization.
Among the players Gordon Hayward was most looking forward to playing with when he signed the Celtics was Isaiah Thomas. The guard wrote about finding out that Thomas was dealt in a blog on his official website.

Raptors Sign K.J. McDaniels

August 22nd, 2017 at 11:23am CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 22: The Raptors have officially signed McDaniels, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 17: K.J. McDaniels will sign a one-year, partially guaranteed deal with Toronto, tweets Adrian Wojnarowki of ESPN.

He will join Alfonzo McKinnie, Kennedy Meeks and Kyle Wiltjer as training camp invitees with some guaranteed money, notes Josh Lewnberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link).

McDaniels, 24, finished last season with the Nets, who acquired him from the Rockets at the trade deadline. With expanded playing time in Brooklyn, he averaged 6.3 points and 2.6 rebounds over 20 games.

A second-round pick by the Sixers in 2014, McDaniels had a promising start to his career in Philadelphia before being traded to Houston in February of 2015. He was never able to crack the rotation with the Rockets and saw limited minutes before being dealt away.

Before adding McDaniels, Toronto had $116.6M in guaranteed salary committed to 13 players, along with $100K for McKinnie that counts against the cap, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Nets To Decline K.J. McDaniels’ Team Option

June 25th, 2017 at 11:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets intend to decline their team option on K.J. McDaniels, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). The move will ensure that McDaniels becomes a free agent on July 1.

The 32nd overall pick in the 2014 draft, McDaniels began his career with the Sixers but was acquired in a trade deadline deal in February 2015 by the Rockets. McDaniels remained in Houston until this year’s trade deadline, when the Rockets and Nets worked out a deal that sent him to Brooklyn.

For his career, McDaniels has averaged 5.3 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 148 regular season contests. Following his move from Houston to Brooklyn earlier this year, the 24-year-old played well in limited minutes, averaging 6.3 PPG and shooting 45.5% in 20 games (14.7 MPG). However, the Nets likely viewed his $3.477MM option as a little too pricey.

Team option decisions for 2017/18 can be found right here.

New York Notes: Rose, Jackson, Lin, McDaniels

March 19th, 2017 at 11:56am CST by Arthur Hill

NBA agents are forecasting a disappointing free agent market for Knicks guard Derrick Rose, with one calling him “the next [Rajon] Rondo,” relays Fred Kerber of The New York Post. New York is considered unlikely to try to re-sign Rose, who has been a disappointment since being acquired in a trade with the Bulls last summer. The unidentified agent who compared him to Rondo said Rose will probably get a short-term deal from a bad team worth about $15MM per year. Another expects him to take less money to join a better organization, probably $8MM to $10MM or $10MM to $12MM annually.

One positive for Rose this season has been health, as he has appeared in 60 of the Knicks’ 69 games and is on track for the most he has played since a devastating ACL tear in 2012. “I really believe I worked my butt off this summer to hold up,” Rose said. “I had aches and nagging injuries [in the past]. This year I didn’t have that. Every game, it’s a fatigue factor, but as far as how my body’s feeling, my body’s holding up pretty well.”

There’s more today out of the Big Apple:

Most of the current Knicks aren’t comfortable in the triangle offense and would like to see the team abandon it, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. They believe the tight spacing makes it difficult to drive to the basket and say the offense results in a lot of contested shots. If team president Phil Jackson insists on running the triangle, he might have to overhaul the roster to make it work. There are also concerns that the young players who are learning the triangle will have to make a huge adjustment when Jackson leaves.
The Nets are finally enjoying the benefits of teaming Jeremy Lin with Brook Lopez, relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn was expecting the combination to be the core of the team after signing Lin last July, but injuries wiped out a major part of his season. The Nets are 7-11 with Lopez and Lin in the lineup together, but just 6-44 otherwise. “That growth is absolutely there, and I think it’s going to get exponentially better,’’ Lopez said. “That’s team-wise as well. When you really look at our situation, I don’t think we’ve all been out there at the same time. We’ve got some new guys who are coming in. They don’t know all the plays, they’re just getting thrown in the fire in the heat of the moment, but they’re producing. That bodes well for our future.”
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson has been happy with the play of K.J. McDaniels, who was acquired from Houston at the deadline, tweets NetsDaily.com. “He’s given us some quality minutes,” Atkinson said. “He’s a smart player, he can stretch the floor. I like his IQ and spirit.”

Nets Notes: Lopez, Lin, Dinwiddie, Nicholson, McDaniels

February 24th, 2017 at 10:43pm CST by Milo Taibi

Nets GM Sean Marks spoke to the press about Brooklyn’s trade deadline activity. While the team held onto Brook Lopez and Trevor Booker (each of whom have another year left on their contract), Marks was involved in a few lower-profile transactions.

“We’re very familiar with Andrew [Nicholson]…he’s a system fit for us,” Marks said. “He’s a stellar young man and another guy with high character and that’s exactly we’re trying to do.”

The Nets acquired Nicholson along with a first-round pick and Marcus Thornton (who was subsequently waived) in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough. Bogdanovic performed well for the 9-47 Nets, but was a restricted free agent-to-be, and was dealt for an invaluable draft pick. Marks spoke about his team’s position in the upcoming draft.

“Now having two first round picks, it all helps,” Marks said. “It helps give us another vehicle where were can be systematic with the draft and see what happens. We obviously value the draft or we wouldn’t have done it. It’s about being strategic and having two picks now gives us an opportunity to move up with those picks, you can hold them where you are if your players are there at the time.”

Southwest Notes: Noel, Grizzlies, Rockets, Pelicans

February 24th, 2017 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

After acquiring Nerlens Noel from the Sixers on Thursday, Donnie Nelson repeatedly compared the young center to a former Dallas big man, suggesting that Noel has a lot in common with Tyson Chandler. Acknowledging that Andrew Bogut never really meshed well with the Mavericks‘ system and roster, Nelson expressed optimism about how Noel will fit, referring to the former Sixer as a “Tyson starter kit,” as Adam Grosbard of The Dallas Morning News writes.

“He gives us an element we haven’t had here since Tyson Chandler,” the Mavericks GM said. “Shot blocking, rebounding, energy, big steals guy as well. He’s able to get out in the court and guard the pick and roll, which is a big asset these days, to be able to keep the smaller guy in front of you. So it gives us a dimension that we haven’t had here in a long time so we’re really more than ecstatic and excited about him.”

Head coach Rick Carlisle was bullish on the acquisition as well, telling reporters that the Mavericks like Noel “a lot” and had been talking all season to the Sixers about a trade (Twitter link via Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com).

Here’s more from out of the Southwest division:

The Grizzlies had a quiet trade deadline, forgoing any trades in favor of re-signing Toney Douglas to a two-year deal. That’s fine with head coach David Fizdale, who told Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link) before the signing was official that locking up Douglas “is like a trade.”
The Rockets‘ trade of K.J. McDaniels was essentially a salary dump, so it comes as no surprise that the Nets gave the Rockets $75K just in the deal, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. That’s the least amount of cash a team can send in a trade.
It has been more than a year since Jarrett Jack appeared in an NBA game, so he’s excited about the “tremendous” opportunity he has in New Orleans, as William Guillory of The Times-Picayune details. Jack signed a 10-day contract today with the Pelicans.
After adding DeMarcus Cousins to their frontcourt, the Pelicans knew there wouldn’t be many minutes for Terrence Jones going forward, which is why they granted him his release on Thursday, per head coach Alvin Gentry (link via Guillory). “He wants to play,” Gentry said. “Obviously, he’s going to be a guy in a contract year and things like that, so we thought it was best to let him go.”

Nets Acquire K.J. McDaniels

February 23rd, 2017 at 6:33pm CST by ChrisCrouse

6:33pm: The Rockets will receive cash considerations, not a draft pick, from the Nets in exchange for McDaniels, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. The deal is now official.

3:57pm: The Nets will send a future draft choice – presumably a protected second-round pick – to the Rockets as part of the deal, according to a report from The Associated Press.

1:32pm: The Rockets have traded K.J. McDaniels to the Nets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links). The deal will save the Rockets roughly $3.3MM, which the team plans on using once the buyout market establishes itself.

Teams cannot take on a player/draft picks from another team without receiving some sort of compensation in return, per NBA rules. It’s likely that Houston will receive either a heavily protected second-round pick or the rights to a player currently playing abroad in the trade.

Brooklyn was about $13.5 under the salary cap after the Andrew Nicholson trade and it had an open roster spot after waiving Marcus Thornton on Wednesday. With McDaniels aboard, the Nets have 15 players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates.

McDaniels shined during his rookie season with the Sixers, but he hasn’t gotten consistent playing time since Philly traded him to Houston at the 2015 trade deadline. The Clemson University product saw 1352 minutes of action during his first half season in the league with the Sixers, but he only received a total of 447 minutes in the two years since.

Trade Rumors: Shumpert, Rockets, Wizards, Hawks

February 22nd, 2017 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Cavaliers have shown a willingness this season to move Iman Shumpert, the team has become a little more wary of a deal lately with J.R. Smith sidelined, per Marc Stein and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. The Rockets are interested in Shumpert, but don’t want to give up Patrick Beverley in a deal, as we heard this afternoon.

Despite Houston’s interest in Shumpert, a league source tells Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com that the Cavs don’t like what the Rockets are offering. According to Stein and Watkins, K.J. McDaniels is believed to be a part of Houston’s offer, though it’s not clear what other pieces the Rockets would put on the table.

While we wait to see if the Rockets and Cavs can move closer to a deal within the next 24 hours, let’s check in on a few more trade rumors and notes…

The Wizards aren’t just looking for a scorer, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com, who says (via Twitter) that the team is seeking another defender as well. Washington has been linked to P.J. Tucker, so the report makes sense. Michael adds (via Twitter) that it will be difficult to get someone one player capable of meeting both criteria, but the club appears willing to acquire a rental if it’s the right player.
In an interview with Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (video link), Hawks GM Wes Wilcox strongly reiterated that Paul Millsap isn’t going anywhere at the trade deadline, and will be the team’s top priority in free agency this summer. Wilcox also confirmed that Atlanta is approaching the deadline as a buyer.
Asked today about the Pistons‘ trade possibilites, head coach Stan Van Gundy said that the team hasn’t gone into trade discussions with a specific goal in mind. “We’ve been more open to listening and looking at things,” Van Gundy said, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). Reports have suggested that the Pistons have listened to inquiries on guys like Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, so the club isn’t closing the door on any possibilties.

Rockets Seeking Trade For Player Earning $10-12MM

February 22nd, 2017 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

11:31am: Iman Shumpert is one player who has drawn interest from the Rockets, league sources tell ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link). Shumpert is making a little under $10MM this year, and will earn a little over $10MM in 2017/18.

11:23am: The latest trade rumor involving the Rockets is both oddly specific and non-specific, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (via Twitter) that the club is looking to acquire a player earning a salary in the $10-12MM range. Houston is offering expiring contracts and cash savings to potential trade partners, according to Wojnarowski.

[RELATED: Rockets to acquire Lou Williams]

The Rockets’ six highest-paid players – all of whom are key rotation pieces – are on multiyear contracts, but players like K.J. McDaniels ($3.33MM), Nene ($2.898MM), and Tyler Ennis ($1.734MM) have no guaranteed money on their deals beyond this season, and could be among the pieces Houston would put on the table. Combining those three salaries would allow the Rockets to take back up to approximately $12MM.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that Houston already has nearly $88MM in guaranteed contracts on its books for the 2017/18 season, per Basketball Insiders. Acquiring a player earning $10-12MM for next season would take the team right up near the projected cap ($102MM), so GM Daryl Morey may be looking to use that room on a deadline acquisition instead of a summer free agent. If they were up against the cap, the Rockets would still have the mid-level exception to use in July to entice a free agent.

Having already struck a deal for Lou Williams, the Rockets will likely be focusing on adding a frontcourt player next. There’s no shortage of potential trade candidates in the $10-12MM range, but one potentially intriguing option would be Wilson Chandler.

Chandler is earning $11.233MM this season and $12MM+ next year, and was linked to the Rockets earlier this week. TNT’s David Aldridge tweeted last night that Denver remains on the lookout for a first-round pick and an expiring contract for Chandler or Danilo Gallinari, so perhaps there’s a fit there, though Houston is sending its 2017 first-rounder to the Lakers in the Williams deal.

Rockets Rumors: Dunleavy, Chalmers, Jack, Ibaka

February 8th, 2017 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

While some players around the NBA are lobbying their respective front offices for roster reinforcements, James Harden told reporters today that he’d be content with the Rockets standing pat at this month’s trade deadline.

“I love what we have, love it,” Harden said, per Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. “From top to bottom, we have depth. You can throw any guy in there and they know their role, that’s important. I’m going to ride with these guys for sure.”

Harden may be content with Houston’s current 15-man squad, but general manager Daryl Morey is always exploring ways to upgrade his roster, and figures to be busy over the next two weeks. Here’s more from Watkins on avenues the Rockets are exploring:

The Rockets engaged in serious talks with Atlanta about acquiring Mike Dunleavy, and while those discussions ultimately didn’t result in an agreement, the team remains on the lookout for another shooter, writes Watkins. K.J. McDaniels would have been part of the deal if the Rockets had worked something out for Dunleavy.
The Rockets would like to add another ball-handler to their roster to take some pressure off of Harden and Patrick Beverley. The club has looked at veteran free agents Mario Chalmers and Jarrett Jack to potentially fill that role, per Watkins.
According to Watkins, the Rockets have “some interest” in Serge Ibaka, who could provide rim protection, rebounding, and an outside shot, making him a good fit in Houston. The Magic’s asking price for Ibaka is believed to be quite high, however.
Given how well the club has played, Rockets officials think it will be tricky to make a deal that improves the roster without disrupting team chemistry, says Watkins. Morey has publicly expressed a similar sentiment.