Keith Appling Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Rumors: Skiles, Hezonja, Fournier, Appling

September 26th, 2015 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The month between the start of training camp and the start of the regular season will be crucial for new Magic coach Scott Skiles, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Skiles, who held his first full practice today, needs to change the team’s mindset, improve a defense that ranked 25th last season and establish a new identity, among other priorities, Robbins writes. Two of the main objectives will be to work in second-year player Aaron Gordon, who is limited at the start of training camp by a fractured jaw, and to help rookie swingman Mario Hezonja get comfortable with the NBA game.

There’s more news out of Orlando:

Hiring Skiles to take over a team with a young, talented nucleus has some in Orlando dreaming of the playoffs, Robbins writes in a separate story. The author notes Skiles’ track record of turning teams around quickly. In his first full season as the Bulls’ coach in 2004/05, the won-loss record improved by 24 games. When he took over the Bucks in 2008/09, their record improved by eight games in the first season and another 12 in the second season. “Our goal is to make the playoffs, and our expectation is that we’ll compete for a playoff spot throughout the entire season,” said GM Rob Hennigan. “It’s important for us to be playing games that matter at the end of the season.”
Evan Fournier is hoping for an extension, Robbins tweets, with Fournier saying it would be “awesome” if it happens before the November 2nd deadline. Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors examined Fournier’s extension candidacy earlier this month.
Hezonja was called the team’s best new addition by Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders in the site’s season preview of the Magic. The Croatian star, who was taken fifth overall in this year’s draft, impressed the coaching staff with his performance during summer league. Taylor said the rookie has shown an ability to pass, drive, hit open three-pointers and throw down some “highlight-reel dunks.”
Keith Appling‘s two-year minimum deal comes with a $100K guarantee, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.

Magic Sign Keith Appling

September 24th, 2015 at 4:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 24TH, 4:17pm: The signing is official, the Magic announced in a press release.

JULY 20TH, 2:51pm: The Magic and Keith Appling have agreed to a partially guaranteed two-year deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The point guard from Michigan State played summer league ball with the Magic earlier this month. Orlando has its $2.814MM room exception to spend, but it seems more likely that this will be a minimum-salary contract.

The Thunder reportedly met with him a couple of weeks ago. Appling was with the Lakers during the preseason last fall after having gone undrafted in 2014. He spent much of the season with the Lakers D-League affiliate before a trade sent him to the Magic’s D-League team. He averaged 10.5 points, 3.9 assists and 1.9 turnovers in 24.4 minutes per game across 38 total D-League appearances. The 23-year-old displayed more scoring prowess in summer league this year, posting 15.6 PPG in 26.3 MPG over five games.

The existence of a partial guarantee in his deal doesn’t necessarily mean he has a better shot to make the Magic’s opening night roster. Orlando reportedly gave Peyton Siva a partial guarantee in his deal last summer but viewed him as a D-League player. The Magic apparently used the partial guarantee as a way to gild his D-League salary and help keep him from signing overseas or ending up with another D-League team. NBA clubs can retain the D-League rights to as many as four of the players they waive at the end of training camp. Still, it appears he’ll have a chance to impress the Magic in NBA training camp and force his way onto the regular season roster.

What do you think Appling’s chances of making the opening night roster are? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Reactions To Shabazz Napier Trade

July 26th, 2015 at 7:13pm CST by Will Joseph

Earlier today, the Magic agreed to acquire Shabazz Napier from the Heat in exchange for a protected future second-round pick. The only way the Heat will get the Magic’s second-round pick in 2016 will be if Orlando finishes with one of the NBA’s five best records during the 2015-16 regular season. If the Magic’s second-round pick falls anywhere from 31st overall through 55th overall, the Magic would keep the pick. Miami wanted to deal Napier because of luxury tax concerns, according to previous reports. Napier is set to make about $1.3MM this season and has a team option on his salary for the 2016/17 season. Therefore, the reported deal will allow the Heat to create a trade exception worth $1,294,440, the precise value of Napier’s salary this season.

Here are some reactions from around the industry to the move:

Dealing Napier could be a sign that the Heat is keeping guard Mario Chalmers, who Miami has reportedly been shopping, Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald writes. It’s still very possible Miami trades Chalmers, however, Goodman adds, because he is owed $4.3MM next season.
With Napier gone, Heat fans will have one less reminder of LeBron James, Goodman adds in the same piece. James pushed for the team to draft Napier, who mostly struggled as a rookie. The fact Miami was willing to trade Napier to a division rival means that the team does not view the guard as much of a threat, Goodman concludes.
From the Magic’s point of view, the deal is a good one because there is no risk involved, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. The Magic benefit because they will acquire a young player with upside, Robbins adds.
In the same piece, Robbins points out that Napier’s arrival might very well be bad news for Keith Appling, who the Magic agreed to sign last week to a two-year deal that includes a small guarantee. The contract will give Appling a chance to participate in the Magic’s training camp, but Napier’s presence likely will make it difficult for Appling to make the regular-season roster, Robbins writes.
The trade has a lot to do with the Heat’s depth chart, considering Miami also has Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson as guards, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). The Heat could save more than $4MM with the deal, but that only would be the case if the team chooses to carry only 14 players, Winderman tweets.

Western Rumors: Durant, Cauley-Stein, Lee, Suns

July 8th, 2015 at 10:02am CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavericks believe they’re legitimate contenders for Kevin Durant next summer, buoyed as they are by their agreements to sign DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com. Of course, they’ll have plenty of competition, as many teams will no doubt line up for a chance at the player atop the 2016 free agent class. The Wizards have reportedly loomed as the top threat to the Thunder for the former MVP. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

One lottery team took Willie Cauley-Stein off its board completely over concerns about his surgically repaired left ankle, while another two teams cleared him, but “just barely,” according to Mannix, who writes in the same piece. The Kings drafted Cauley-Stein sixth overall.
The Warriors didn’t have any option of moving David Lee for no salary in return when they agreed to take on Gerald Wallace from the Celtics, according to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. The trade agreement nonetheless shrinks Golden State’s projected outlay from nearly $150MM in combined payroll and tax payments to about $128MM, Kawakami writes.
Suns coach Jeff Hornacek knows and likes Derrick Favors from his time as a Jazz assistant coach, but Utah is firm in its position to keep the power forward, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, suggesting that Phoenix is more likely to make a major addition via trade than free agency at this point. Speculation linking the Suns to Ryan Anderson doesn’t seem likely to bear fruit, Coro adds.
The Thunder met with free agent Keith Appling on Tuesday, a visit that could lead to a training camp invitation, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The former Michigan State point guard was with the Lakers for preseason this past fall.

Lakers Waive Keith Appling

October 20th, 2014 at 4:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:54pm: Appling suffered a shoulder subluxation while in camp with the Lakers and remains injured, so he’ll receive $6K from the Lakers under the stipulations of his Exhibit 9 contract, Pincus reports (Twitter links). He’d have drawn paychecks based on his entire minimum salary as long as he was hurt if the Lakers had signed him to a conventional contract.

4:48pm: The move is official, the team announced.

4:35pm: The Lakers are cutting Keith Appling, reports Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Pincus indicates that the team has already placed the point guard on waivers, though the team has yet to make an announcement. The 22-year-old’s contract is non-guaranteed, so it won’t cost the Lakers any dead money to part ways with him.

Appling went undrafted out of Michigan State this year and spent summer league with the Blazers before joining the purple-and-gold. He’s appeared in two preseason games for the Lakers but has totaled only two points and two assists in nearly 20 minutes. The 2010 McDonald’s All-American didn’t put up flashy numbers with the Spartans, either, but he was a mainstay of coach Tom Izzo‘s teams for four years.

The move would take the Lakers down to 17 players, 13 of whom have full guarantees. Ronnie Price appears a strong bet to make it to opening night on his non-guaranteed deal, leaving Jabari Brown, Wayne Ellington and Roscoe Smith to fight it out for the last spot, if the Lakers elect to carry the maximum 15 players to start the regular season.

And-Ones: Pistons, LeBron, Contract Details

September 25th, 2014 at 10:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons have a new direction as a franchise now that Stan Van Gundy has taken over as team president and head coach. In their season preview the crew at Basketball Insiders don’t see the team becoming contenders just yet, and their predictions have Detroit finishing either third or fourth in the Central Division.

Here’s more from around the league:

Nuggets signees Joe Alexander and Marcus Williams, new Lakers Keith Appling, Jabari Brown, Roscoe Smith and Jeremy Tyler, Heat additions Andre Dawkins and Shawn Jones, Wizards wing men Xavier Silas and Damion James, and Hasheem Thabeet of the Pistons are all on non-guaranteed one-year contracts for the minimum salary, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details (All four Twitter links here).
LeBron James might be gone from Miami, but he takes with him a number of lessons the Heat organization taught him about professionalism, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes. James is a much different person than when he was with the Cavs the first time, notes Windhorst, and the additions of Shawn Marion, Mike Miller, and James Jones are indications that Cleveland wants to bump up the work ethic and preparation habits of their younger players.
When asked about departed free agent Trevor Ariza, who left the Wizards to sign with the Rockets this summer, Marcin Gortat believed Ariza’s decision wasn’t about finances, tweets Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. Gortat said, “In my opinion I think he was trying to get back to the West. I don’t think it was about the money.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Keith Appling To Join Lakers For Camp

September 23rd, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 23RD: The signing is official, the team announced.

AUGUST 4TH: Undrafted point guard Keith Appling and the Lakers have reached agreement on a non-guaranteed deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The arrangement will give the former Michigan State Spartan a chance to make the team out of training camp.

The 6’1″ Appling was a mainstay for coach Tom Izzo during his four-year college career, averaging more than 30 minutes per game each season from his sophomore campaign forward, in spite of a lack of flashy numbers. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 assists and 2.1 turnovers per game this past season. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress listed him as the 76th-best draft prospect for this year, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked him 80th.

The Lakers had been carrying only 12 players with a contract or an agreement to sign, so it seems like the 22-year-old Appling, a Michael Silverman client, will have a reasonable chance to make the opening-night roster. That’s especially true given the dearth of point guards on the team, which has just Jeremy Lin and oft-injured 40-year-old Steve Nash to man the position.

Draft Notes: Tavares, Kings, Embiid

June 20th, 2014 at 9:13pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Be sure and spend Thursday night’s NBA Draft with us here at Hoops Rumors. Beginning at 6pm CDT, I will be hosting a live chat where I answer your questions, provide up-to-the-minute updates on all the picks, as well as weigh in with my thoughts and opinions on all the moves and selections. So save the date and join us for what is shaping up to be an exciting night.

Here’s the latest draft news and notes:

The extension that first-round draft prospect Walter Tavares signed with his team in Spain gives him greater flexibility to join the NBA this year, agent Andy Miller tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). That suggests that the club lowered the amount of his buyout clauses in exchange for securing him for more years should he remain overseas, though that’s just my speculation.
One of the biggest questions heading into draft night is where will Joel Embiid end up. Once a top-three lock, the news of him needing foot surgery has forced many a mock draft maker to revise their projections. One NBA GM who is picking in Top-10 said of Embiid: “My medical people told me flat-out not to take him,” reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
LaQuinton Ross, C.J. Fair, DeAndre Daniels, and JaKarr Sampson worked out for the Mavericks today, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Kings Assistant GM Mike Bratz called Nik Stauskas and Doug McDermott the best two shooters in the draft, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Sacramento currently holds the eighth pick in the draft, one slot ahead of the Hornets, who have been linked to McDermott in numerous mock drafts.
The Kings have workouts scheduled this Monday with Keith Appling, Deonte Burton, Mike Dixon Jr., DeAndre Kane, Jarred Shaw, and Aaric Murray, the team announced.
Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel lays out the case for why the Magic should avoid selecting Embiid in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
Markel Brown will work out for the Spurs on Saturday, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Bucks, Parker, Embiid, Hornets

June 16th, 2014 at 1:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bucks aren’t having any trouble getting a look at the top prospects. Milwaukee is reportedly set for a pair of workouts with Andrew Wiggins, and Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears that Jabari Parker will work out again for the club this week after having done so last week (Twitter link). Joel Embiid was already apparently slated to audition for the club, and GM John Hammond also met with the Kansas big man last week, Ford tweets. The Bucks appear to be the only team with which Wiggins, Parker, Embiid and Dante Exum have all agreed to visit and work out, Ford notes (Twitter link). Here’s more on the draft, now just 10 days away.

Jerami Grant, De’Mon Brooks, Josh Davis, Jarell Eddie and Mike Moser are among the draft prospects showing off for the Hornets today, the team announced via press release.
The Heat are auditioning Walter Tavares today, tweets Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.
Keith Appling, Dave Dudzinski, Markel Starks, Tyler Stone and Jermaine Marshall are showing off for the Celtics today, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com notes via Twitter. Marshall will also audition for the Cavs, Sportando reports (via Twitter).
Roscoe Smith has the Raptors and Mavs on his agenda, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv hears (Twitter link).
Richard Harris of NBADraft.net adds the Bulls to the list of teams for which Johnny O’Bryant III has worked out. O’Bryant also has auditions slated with the Rockets, Heat, Hornets, Bucks, Grizzlies, Raptors and Pistons, Harris reports.
Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic adds the Sixers, Mavs, Rockets and Heat to the list of teams that are getting a look at Jordan Bachynski (Twitter link).
Jahii Carson, Kendrick Perry, Earnest Ross and Alec Brown are all performing for the Rockets, Scotto tweets.
The Lakers are one of more than a dozen teams for which Ronald Roberts Jr. is working out, a source tells Zagoria (Twitter link).
The Warriors are auditioning Eric Moreland, Roberto Nelson and Travis Bader, according to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter links).

Draft Notes: Sykes, Canadian Players, Johnson

June 12th, 2014 at 7:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer examines the sudden influx of talent into the NBA from Canada. Bonnell notes that at least three Canadians will be selected in the first round of this year’s draft.

Here’s more news regarding the upcoming draft:

NBA.com released their prospect profile of Isaiah Sykes. Sykes, who averaged 17.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 3.5 APG this season, is projected as a possible second round pick this year.
Wheat Hotchkiss of NBA.com looks at the adversity that Keith Appling, Andre Dawkins, and Scottie Wilbekin have had to overcome, and the draft prospects for each player.
NBA.com published their prospect profile on Arizona’s Nick Johnson. Johnson, who averaged 16.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 2.8 APG last season is a projected second round pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
The Nuggets have workouts scheduled Friday with Johnson, Jerrelle Benimon, Sykes, and Brandon Jefferson the team announced via NBA.com.
On Friday, the Pacers are set to work out Davion Berry, DeAndre Daniels, Will Sheehey, Russ Smith, Xavier Thames, and Kendall Williams, the team announced via Twitter.
Walter Tavares worked out for the Pacers today, reports Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link).