Kendall Marshall Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Notes: Scott, Kelly, Henry, Johnson

July 15th, 2014 at 10:43pm CST by Ryan Raroque

There are a few notable links to pass along regarding the Lakers tonight, and you can find them below:

Medina also confirms the earlier report that Scott will be interviewing with Kupchak and Buss tomorrow. Their meeting will likely involve discussions about the team’s personnel following their recent roster moves, although no offers or contract negotiations regarding the head coaching job are expected yet (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

GM Mitch Kupchack and Jim Buss will meet with Byron Scott tomorrow, sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). As we noted last month, Scott appears to be the leading candidate to be the team’s next head coach.
Ryan Kelly is expected to reach a deal with the team soon, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Medina adds that while the Lakers like Xavier Henry, no deal is imminent. As for Wesley Johnson, it appears unlikely that he’ll be kept.
In another piece, Medina writes that it isn’t clear if they’ll make a bid for recently-amnestied forward Carlos Boozer. He also says that the team is expected to sign 2014 second-round pick Jordan Clarkson soon.
If L.A. does plan to go after Boozer, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times explains how L.A. can clear some cap room to make a more competitive bid during the waiver period.

Lakers Rumors: Gasol, D’Antoni, Kobe, Draft

April 18th, 2014 at 2:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak spoke to reporters today after the team completed the last of its exit interviews with players, and he reiterated the team’s significant interest in re-signing Pau Gasol, as Mark T. Willard of ESPN LA 710 radio notes via Twitter.

“When you look at the free agents on the board, there’s probably not a player better than Pau Gasol,” he said.

That’s quite a stretch, as Gasol doesn’t appear in our 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings, which go 10 deep. We have plenty more on the Lakers, courtesy of Dave McMenamin and Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, and Mike Trudell of Lakers.com. All links go to their Twitter accounts, unless otherwise noted.

Mike D’Antoni said he’s optimistic about returning, referencing his contract, which runs through 2015/16 with a team option in the final season. “Yeah. I’ve got one or two years left, depending on how you look at it. And I’m their coach,” D’Antoni said.
Kupchak praised the job D’Antoni did this past season. “Under the circumstances, I’m not sure anybody could have done a better job than he did,” Kupchak said. The GM said he’s not concerned about what Kobe Bryant thinks of the coach, and says Gasol’s opinion doesn’t have any bearing, either.
Gasol said yesterday that style of play will weigh into his decision about where to sign, indicating his frustration with D’Antoni’s small-ball attack, but the coach is confident that he and the big man can continue to work together.
Kupchak thinks Bryant could play beyond 2015/16, the final season of his two-year extension.
The Lakers reportedly plan to keep Kendall Marshall, whose contract is non-guaranteed for next season, and though it seems he’d probably make more on the open market, he said today he hopes the Lakers keep him. Kupchak said the team is “optimistic” about him going forward, but the GM nonetheless plans to address the point guard position in the offseason.
Kupchak doesn’t regret staying above the tax threshold this season.
The GM acknowledged that the Lakers might trade their first-round pick, though by rule they can’t do it until after the draft, since they’ve already traded their 2015 first-rounder.

Pacific Rumors: Thomas, Jackson, Marshall

March 31st, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

There will be something on the line for every team in the Pacific Division over the final two weeks or so remaining in the regular season. The Clippers have an outside chance at catching the Thunder for the second seed in the Western Conference, while the Warriors and Suns are fighting for one of the final playoff spots and the Kings and Lakers are jockeying for draft lottery position. Plenty of intrigue will carry over into the offseason, as we detail:

Isaiah Thomas let his affection for the Lakers be known recently, but the soon-to-be restricted free agent tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that he’d prefer to remain with the Kings. The Kings would like to keep him, since they’ve concluded that Thomas, DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay can form the core of a quality team, Jones writes. “I definitely want to be around when it does turn around,” Thomas said. “I was drafted here. I’ve been welcomed with open arms by the Sacramento community. It just feels like a second home. I can’t control it, though. At the same time, I’m going to do whatever’s possible to be around. That’s all I can do.”
Regardless of what happens between Mark Jackson and the Warriors, the former Knicks point guard won’t have the chance to return to New York, as Knicks team president Phil Jackson wouldn’t hire him, tweets Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob will be the sole decision-maker regarding the coach’s future with Golden State, Kawakami adds (Twitter link).
Kendall Marshall still holds a grudge against the Suns for trading him just one season after they took him 13th overall in 2012, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The Lakers plan to retain Marshall on his non-guaranteed contract next season, as we noted earlier.

Lakers Plan To Keep Nash, Marshall

March 31st, 2014 at 12:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers have plenty of time before they’ll be under pressure to make a decision about retaining Steve Nash and Kendall Marshall for next season, but for now the team plans on keeping both point guards, reports Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. There’s been lots of speculation, some of it coming from Nash himself, that the Lakers would waive the 40-year-old this summer and use the stretch provision, but the Lakers instead envision taking the full $9.701MM cap hit next season for his 2014/15 salary. Marshall’s minimum salary contract is non-guaranteed for next season.

The deadline for the Lakers to use the stretch provision on Nash is August 31st, so if they wind up with a chance to sign a desirable free agent and need extra cap space to accommodate such a deal, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them reverse course with Nash. Still, it appears that for now, Nash is on track to continue his career with the Lakers. He’s admitted he’s sticking around in part because he doesn’t want to forfeit his salary, though he would still earn the money even if he walked away. Nash’s salary is guaranteed and he’s already played in his 10th game this season, washing away the chance of a medical retirement.

It’s no surprise that the team wants to keep Marshall, who’s blossomed since the team signed him in December. The 13th overall pick in the 2012 draft spent most of the first two months of this season out of the NBA, but he’s since averaged 8.9 assists and just 2.8 turnovers in 29.4 minutes per game for the Lakers.

Nash and Marshall are two of just five Lakers on the roster with contracts that run through next season. Coach Mike D’Antoni is also under contract for 2014/15, but there’s less certainty surrounding the team’s plans with him. The Lakers nonetheless won’t let his fate linger, as they’ll decide soon after the end of the regular season whether to retain him, Bresnahan writes.

Several Midseason Signees On Multiyear Deals

January 27th, 2014 at 1:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

This time of year, most of the contracts that NBA teams hand out are of the 10-day variety. None of this season’s 10-day signees have deals for the rest of the season yet, though some of them likely will after the expiration of their second 10-day contracts with their respective teams.

Still, there are several midseason signees on non-10-day deals who remain under contract, and the majority of of their teams included extra, non-guaranteed seasons on their deals when they were signed. Many of those contract details weren’t reported at the time, but thanks to Basketball Insiders, ShamSports, and Storytellers Contracts, we know which teams have given themselves an extra bit of leverage and which haven’t, as explained below. All are making the minimum salary:

Diante Garrett, Jazz (signed November 13th): Garrett is on the fringe of the rotation at 14.4 minutes per game, and Utah tacked a pair of non-guaranteed seasons onto his contract, which runs through 2015/16.
Elliot Williams, Sixers (signed November 20th): Like Garrett, he’s on the periphery as a contributor, notching 13.8 MPG, and the Sixers, as is their wont, gave him a four-year non-guaranteed contract.
Chris Douglas-Roberts, Bobcats (signed December 11th): The fifth-year veteran is only signed for this season, but he figures to be a mainstay this year with Jeff Taylor out for the season, even though Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has returned from his injury.
D.J. Augustin, Bulls (signed December 13th): The injury-ridded Bulls are giving Augustin 30.4 MPG, and without much room under the salary cap, they probably couldn’t afford to let him and his guaranteed contract go and sign another player. His deal runs only through this season.
James Johnson, Grizzlies (signed December 16th): The former 16th overall pick has been a revelation for Memphis, which is giving him 22.9 MPG as he solidifies the team’s bench. The Grizzlies may regret only signing him for this season.
Kendall Marshall, Lakers (signed December 20th): Since moving into the starting lineup for his fifth game with the Lakers, the 2012 lottery pick is averaging 12.1 points and a whopping 11.4 assists in 38.7 MPG, resurrecting his career. It seems a strong bet the team will keep him next year, since his contract includes a non-guaranteed season for 2014/15.
Alexis Ajinca, Pelicans (signed December 20th): The center’s contract is fully guaranteed for next season, so he’ll be around New Orleans for a while. He’s started seven times despite seeing just 13.9 MPG as the Pelicans reportedly shop for another big man.
Jeremy Tyler, Knicks (signed December 31st): The player the Knicks cut J.R. Smith‘s brother to accommodate has barely seen the floor more than Smith did in his time with New York, notching just 7.0 MPG. His contract includes a non-guaranteed season for 2014/15.
Hedo Turkoglu, Clippers (signed January 16th): Freed from Orlando, Turkoglu is averaging 11.2 MPG in L.A. as he attempts to knock the rust off, having played in just 17 games over the past two seasons. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end, since the Clips only signed him for this year.

Honorable mention: Malcolm Thomas, Spurs/Jazz (signed December 3rd) — An injury to Kawhi Leonard forced Thomas off the Spurs roster, but the contract he signed with San Antonio is still valid, since the Jazz claimed him off waivers this weekend. The deal includes a non-guaranteed season for 2014/15.

D-League Notes: Kadji, Bennett, Marshall, Harris

January 24th, 2014 at 6:40pm CST by Charlie Adams

A couple of former D-League players inked 10-day contracts earlier today: Dewayne Dedmon officially signed his second such pact this season with the Sixers, and Othyus Jeffers jumped on board with the Spurs to help provide some depth off the bench while the squad deals with an injury to Kawhi Leonard. Here are a few more D-League-related tidbits:

Undrafted free agent Kenny Kadji has been acquired by the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, hears Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Kadji spent his training camp playing with the Cavaliers, but he failed to make the opening day roster. The big man out of Miami is still free to sign with any NBA team.
Cavaliers coach Mike Brown told reporters, including Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer, that Anthony Bennett won’t be heading to the D-League any time soon. Bennett hasn’t played in the Cavs’ last five contests and has struggled throughout his rookie season after being selected first overall in last summer’s draft.
Kendall Marshall is unsure if he will be a member of the Lakers after this season, but he credits the D-League for keeping him in shape and helping him land a spot in Los Angeles (Twitter links via Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders). Marshall signed a deal to play for LA through the remainder of year after a rash of injuries in the club’s backcourt left them without much depth.
Another tweet from Kyler reveals that Manny Harris praised the D-League for helping him display his skills and eventually get a 10-day deal with the Lakers. Harris, like Marshall, is also unsure of his future in Lakerland, but it was revealed last night that he might be soon receiving another 10-day contract offer from the team.

Kupchak On Bryant, Gasol, Free Agency, Draft

January 11th, 2014 at 6:34pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

Earlier today, Lakers’ General Manager Mitch Kupchak spoke to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com regarding questions every Lakers fan has seemed to ask so far this season. It is a great read for anyone interested in the direction the Lakers are headed in the near future. Here are a few takeaways from the discussion.

It was no coincidence at the beginning of this season that the Lakers’ payroll aligned to only have Steve Nash under contract beyond this season. Kupchak and the Lakers made a conscious decision to plan their roster this way so they could take a fresh look at everyone on their roster. Kupchak’s didn’t want to fall in the same trap as other championship teams who sign star players a few years beyond their prime. Although extending Kobe Bryant was a diversion from this plan, Kupchak believes the Lakers still have plenty of flexibility to sign a max contract free agent each of the next two summers.
Which free agent the Lakers pursue is still up in the air because according to Kupchak, the league is “too competitive” to plan for one player’s contract actions. Kupchak did hint however that if the 2014 free agent market doesn’t turn out like he hopes the Lakers may not sign a maximum contract player this summer and instead wait until the 2015 or 2016 free agent markets.
Looking at the young players on the team, Kupchak credited his familiarity with watching the college careers of Xavier Henry and Kendall Marshall as selling points in signing both of them this season. For Nick Young, it was the conversations between his agent, Mark Bartelstein, and Kupchak that sold Young on the Lakers as a place he could thrive with playing time and style of play. Kupchak would like to continue giving Young playing time as he hopes Nick will opt in to his player option this summer and become “a Laker for a long time”.
On an older player on the roster, Pau Gasol, Kupchak thinks he is having a great year given the circumstances. Gasol never planned to return from major surgery to a Lakers lineup sans Bryant, Steve Nash, and Steve Blake but has handled it well according to Kupchak. Regarding Gasol’s upcoming free agency, Kupchak knows Pau will have other offers but thinks if all things remain constant, Gasol would “love to continue to play here, and we’d love to have him here”. He also believes Gasol is bound for the Hall of Fame.
On the luxury tax, Kupchak said the “ownership here has never been afraid to be in the tax.” He also agreed with Trudell that the luxury tax is a major factor to be aware of but for the Lakers it is not a black and white line they aren’t allowed to cross.
Regarding next summer’s draft, Kupchak thinks the first 10 players drafted will be as “good as [he’s] seen in a long time”. Kupchak also noted he prepares for every draft so that he could make every pick, 1 through 60.

Players Whose Contracts Will Be Guaranteed

January 7th, 2014 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined earlier today, players on non-guaranteed contracts who aren’t released by 4:00pm central time will have their full 2013/14 salaries guaranteed. We’ll be keeping tabs in this post on players who have been informed they’ll remain on their respective teams’ rosters, with new updates added to the top of the list throughout the afternoon:

Barring an unexpected development, the Pacers will guarantee Rasual Butler‘s contract today, tweets Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star.

Earlier updates:

The Timberwolves don’t intend to make any roster moves today, which means the contracts for A.J. Price and Robbie Hummel should become guaranteed, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
As anticipated, the Lakers plan to keep Ryan Kelly, Xavier Henry, and Kendall Marshall, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (via Twitter).
Ronnie Brewer‘s contract will be guaranteed for the remainder of the season by the Rockets, says Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
The Bobcats will retain Jeff Adrien beyond today, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports (via Twitter) that Chris Douglas-Roberts‘ contract will become guaranteed, as the Bobcats won’t cut him today.
Kent Bazemore is also safe, with the Warriors informing him he’ll remain on the roster, tweets Haynes.
The Spurs have informed Malcolm Thomas that he won’t be waived, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Lakers Rumors: Bynum, Gasol, Marshall

January 4th, 2014 at 1:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs are zeroing in on the Lakers as a potential trade partner for an Andrew Bynum deal, but it doesn’t appear as though the Lakers seem eager to play along. They believe there are ways of avoiding the luxury tax that don’t involve unloading Pau Gasol, and according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, they feel like it’s increasingly unlikely they’ll find middle ground with Cleveland (Twitter link). Here’s the latest from Lakerland as the team surveys its position:

“Marshall Madness,” has lifted the Lakers, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. D-League pickup Kendall Marshall wasn’t seeing much playing time in his first five games on the roster, but injuries to Xavier Henry and Jordan Farmar forced coach Mike D’Antoni to call his number. Since then, he’s responded quite well and showed the kind of potential that made him a lottery pick just a couple of years ago. The point guard racked up 20 points and 15 assists in the Lakers’ 110-99 win over the Jazz on Friday.
Marshall took notice when the Jazz cut Jamaal Tinsley and replaced him with Diante Garrett. “I know that the Jazz let go of a guard earlier this year and I didn’t get a call, so I kind of felt a certain way about that,” Marshall said, according to Bill Oram of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
Six-year NBA veteran and former Laker Von Wafer is headed to the D-League, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Wafer last played in the NBA D-League in 2006, when the Lakers assigned him to the Fort Worth Flyers. He most recently played for the Shanghai Sharks, and averaged 27.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in five games. The 28-year-old will likely play during the NBA D-League Showcase, which is scheduled to begin Sunday.
Pau-Orthez of France announced the signing of Eric Boateng, who spent camp with the Lakers this fall (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The 28-year-old center had been playing with La Union in Argentina, Carchia notes.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Lakers Rumors: Lopez, Gasol, Marshall

December 30th, 2013 at 9:14am CST by Luke Adams

An injury-plagued Lakers team suffered its fifth consecutive loss yesterday, and it was a bad one. The club fell 111-104 at home against the Sixers, who had lost nine of their previous 10 games and hadn’t won the road in nearly two months. The defeat dropped the Lakers to 13-18, good for 13th in the West, but the schedule at least offers a little hope — L.A.’s next two contests are at the Staples Center vs. the 6-24 Bucks and the 9-24 Jazz. Here’s more on the Lakers:

According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, the Lakers approached the Nets earlier in the month to see if Brooklyn had any interest in a swap centered around Pau Gasol and Brook Lopez. The exploratory talks, which happened before Lopez’s injury, didn’t go anywhere, as the Nets balked at the idea. However, Stein points out that it’s still noteworthy, since it shows the Lakers might be willing to trade for players whose contracts extend beyond even 2015, which would represent a shift in their philosophy.
At the same time, Stein cautions that determining how serious the Lakers were about Lopez is tricky, since the team was known to be gauging Pau’s trade value earlier in the season, before pulling him off the market.
In a piece for the Los Angeles Times, Eric Pincus examines the upcoming contract decisions for the Lakers, who have four players on non-guaranteed deals: Shawne Williams, Xavier Henry, Ryan Kelly, and Kendall Marshall. Williams and Henry, who have each started several games, appear safe, and Mike D’Antoni is a fan of Kelly, but Marshall may have reason to worry about his job security, Pincus writes. The 2012 lottery pick is on a two-year non-guaranteed contract which could be worth nearly $1.5MM in total if he sticks around.
D’Antoni on Marshall: “He’s trying to find his way in the league. We hope that maybe garbage time in our favor or something would happen that we get a look at him, but I can’t grasp for straws.”