Kevin Martin Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Collison, Martin, Davis, Beasley

March 5th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

His partnership with Rajon Rondo may be temporary, but Kings point guard Darren Collison is trying to make it work, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento brought in Rondo on a one-year contract and anointed him the starting point guard. Collison has adapted his game and is getting increased minutes in the shooting guard role. “If I couldn’t start for teams, it probably wouldn’t matter as much,” he said. “Winning is still the No. 1 goal, if I had a list, and I’ll go from there. The way I’ve been playing the last couple of years, obviously starting is very fun to me.” While the Kings aren’t sure if Rondo will be back next season, they don’t have to worry about Collison. He is signed for 2016/17 at $5,229,454.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

Kevin Martin was one of the last remaining links to the competitive Wolves teams of two seasons ago, writes Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. Martin, who was waived this week in a buyout agreement and is waiting to sign with the Spurs, was a key component on the 2013/14 squad that still had Kevin Love and a mix of veterans such as Ronny Turiaf, Chase Budinger, Corey Brewer, J.J. Barea and Dante Cunningham.
After watching the Pelicans suffer through a disastrous, injury-filled season, Anthony Davis is determined to prevent it from carrying over into next year, tweets Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate. “You try to establish a culture that you want to have around the locker room, around this organization,” Davis said. “You set it now, to finish out the rest of the games.”
The Rockets believe Michael Beasley matured while playing in China and is better able to handle the NBA lifestyle, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “Our intel – and our intel in China we feel is as good or better as any team’s – is he is someone focused on his career,” said Rockets GM Daryl Morey. “I can’t speak to the past. I can say that based on our intel he is someone just focused on career and family at this point.” (Twitter link). Beasley received a two-year deal at the minimum, but next season is non-guaranteed, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Houston will be $200K under the hard cap after signing Andrew Goudelock, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.
The Rockets recalled Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell and K.J. McDaniels from their D-League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, the team announced today.

Financial Impact Of Deadline, Buyouts: Northwest

March 4th, 2016 at 2:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

The effects of the trade deadline and buyout season are still being felt around the NBA as teams negotiate with new free agents and fill open roster spots. Hoops Rumors will be taking a team-by-team look at the financial ramifications of all the movement. We began earlier with looks at the Southwest, Pacific and Central divisions, and we’ll continue with the Central Division:

Jazz

Utah’s parade of 10-day contracts appears to be over thanks to the deadline trade that filled the team’s open roster spot and netted the Jazz’s starting point guard for the past five games. The team used its cap space to add Shelvin Mack as part of a three-team swap that only cost the Jazz a second-round pick. The deal also brought the team above the $63MM salary floor, thanks to Mack’s $2,433,333 pay. The Jazz overshot the minimum team salary, adding $1,817,873 more than they had to, but the move entailed no long-term sacrifice, as Mack’s contract is non-guaranteed for next season, and it appears, given Mack’s prominent role in Utah, that the trade has been worth the extra expenditure so far.

Nuggets

Denver has been opening its checkbook in an apparent effort to address injury concerns, though the team’s trade deadline swap also reaped a pair of second-round picks. That move involved the absorption of Steve Novak‘s $3,750,001 salary and D.J. Augustin‘s $3MM pay in exchange only for the $3.135MM that Randy Foye makes. The buyout with Novak saved $396,242, and the Thunder gave the Nuggets $1.16MM in cash, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, but the trade still cost Denver $2,058,759, a relatively heavy price considering the team’s faint playoff hopes. Augustin went into the role of backup point guard amid concern that Jameer Nelson would miss the rest of the season, and Nelson still hasn’t played, so the deal has come in handy in that regard.

The Nuggets used their disabled player exception for Wilson Chandler‘s season-ending injury to accommodate the uneven exchange of salaries, applying it to Novak and his larger salary so that they could create a $135K trade exception for the difference between the salaries for Foye and Augustin, though the trade exception is so tiny that it’s virtually useless. Similarly, Axel Toupane‘s $30,888 10-day contract is but a pin prick of an expenditure in the wake of another injury, one that threatens to end the season for Danilo Gallinari. The Nuggets spent more when they gave JaKarr Sampson a prorated minimum-salary contract worth $258,489 for the rest of the season. That deal also includes a non-guaranteed minimum salary for next season. Denver neither gave up nor acquired any salary that’s guaranteed beyond the end of this season, so none of Denver’s deadline or buyout season moves necessarily have bearing on the team’s ledger for next year.

Thunder

Oklahoma City took advantage of a rare opportunity to save money and exchange two players who were out of the rotation for one who’s in it. The same $3,218,759 that represents Denver’s cost of its trade with the Thunder is the amount of Oklahoma City’s savings in raw salary, though it’s actually a windfall of significantly more for taxpaying OKC. The Thunder’s tax bill dropped a projected $7,148,705 because of the trade, and they also scored a trade exception for Novak’s $3,750,001 salary. The swap also created an open roster spot, and GM Sam Presti hinted at a willingness to use it on a signing, but so far, that hasn’t happened.

Timberwolves

It seemed for months as though the Wolves and Kevin Martin were headed for a parting of ways, though they stuck together just about as long as they possibly could. Minnesota didn’t trade Martin at last month’s deadline and the sides didn’t reach a buyout deal until the night of March 1st, the final hours before the point at which Martin would lose eligibility to appear in the postseason with another team. The financial sacrifice involved for Martin explains why. He resisted making any promise to turn down his $7,377,500 player option for next season before the deadline, reportedly dissuading would-be trade partners, but he agreed to sacrifice exactly half of the option and $352,750 of this season’s salary as part of his buyout, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Thus, Martin gave up a total of $4,041,500, more than anyone else in the period since the trade deadline. The Wolves are left with $3,688,750 for Martin next season, and they have a few days’ grace to decide whether to use the stretch provision to spread that evenly over the next three years or pay it all at once in 2016/17. Early indications are that Minnesota won’t stretch the salary, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. The Wolves also took $256,333 off their obligation to Andre Miller in his buyout, dropping their payroll to less than $1MM over the salary cap. They rolled some of that savings into a 10-day contract for Greg Smith that costs $55,722.

Trail Blazers

The Blazers predictably used their ample cap space as a depository for salary that other teams wanted to move off, taking on Anderson Varejao and Brian Roberts in a pair of trades. Look for the moves to continue, since the team is still $513,142 shy of the salary floor. The addition of Varejao in a deal that otherwise involved only draft picks added $10,256,800 to this season’s ledger, though the Cavs will pay a majority of that, including the exercised trade kicker included in that figure. Portland made use of the stretch provision to spread his salary for next season, which was almost entirely guaranteed, over the next five years at equal payments of $1,984,005, though the Cavs paid a portion of those amounts, too, because of the trade kicker. The acquisition of Roberts is much simpler since he’s on an expiring contract, but again, the Blazers don’t have to shell out for the majority of his $2,854,940 salary because he already received most of his paychecks from the Heat. Portland gave up $75K in cash to Miami as part of the Roberts deal, but the team would have had to pay that money anyway to reach the salary floor.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Texas Notes: Miller, Ginobili, Parsons, Lawson

March 2nd, 2016 at 12:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Spurs coach/president Gregg Popovich had no shortage of praise for new addition Andre Miller, who signed Monday with San Antonio following his buyout from the Timberwolves, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News relays. Miller is just as glad to be with the Spurs as Popovich is to have him, McDonald notes.

“He’s one of those players you look at and say, ‘Boy, I could figure out how to fit him in,’” Popovich said. “He has been such a great player for several teams, and he does the same thing (everywhere). He’s just a pro, the consummate pro.”

See more on the Spurs amid news from the Texas triangle:

Manu Ginobili is progressing much more quickly in his recovery from a testicular injury than the Spurs thought he would, Popovich said Tuesday, as Express-News scribe Melissa Rohlin chronicles. The Spurs expected Ginobili would miss at least a month when they announced that he underwent surgery February 4th, but Tony Parker hinted Tuesday that Ginobili could return next week. It’s unclear what that means for the team’s reported pursuit of fellow wing player Kevin Martin.
Chandler Parsons thinks he’s playing the best basketball of his career, and it’s clear that he’s moved past the early-season struggles he went through as he recovered from a knee injury that prematurely ended his playoff run last spring, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News examines. Parsons is set to turn down his player option this summer and entertain an aggressive pitch from the Magic, as well as interest from the Rockets, Heat, Lakers, Nets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Nuggets and possibly Thunder, but the Mavs remain the favorites for him, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reported Tuesday.
Ty Lawson‘s failure to produce for the Rockets was a product of lost confidence, people around the team told Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Houston waived Lawson in a buyout deal Tuesday.

Wolves Waive Kevin Martin In Buyout Deal

March 1st, 2016 at 11:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

11:28pm: The Wolves have waived Martin, the team announced (Twitter link). Presumably, the official transaction took place before the 11pm Central time deadline, as previous reports indicated it would.

11:11pm: Some pessimism exists about the Mavs’ chances at Martin once he clears waivers, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

10:38pm: The Timberwolves and shooting guard Kevin Martin have come to an agreement on a buyout deal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The move comes prior to the 11pm Central time deadline, so Martin will be eligible for the playoffs with any postseason-bound team he might sign with before the end of the regular season. It’s not immediately clear just how much salary the shooting guard gave up to secure his release. Martin is scheduled to earn $7.085MM this season with a $7,377,500 player option for next year. The move will give Minnesota a roster count of 13 players, two under the league maximum.

Martin was available for a trade prior to the February trade deadline, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press first reported, but potential suitors were apparently reluctant to take him on without knowing what he’d do about his player option for 2016/17. GM Milt Newton said after the deadline passed without a Martin trade that a buyout discussion would probably take place between Martin and the team in the near future, and that’s apparently come to fruition.

The veteran scorer shouldn’t be out of work for long with a number of teams reportedly showing interest. The Mavericks, Cavaliers, Hawks, Heat, Rockets and Thunder are all potential suitors for the shooting guard, though the Spurs are reportedly the favorites to sign him, as Stein reported last week. The Spurs remain in front, with the Mavs, Rockets and Hawks in pursuit, according to Stein’s latest dispatch (Twitter link). San Antonio currently has the league maximum of 15 players on its roster, so a corresponding move would be required if the team inks Martin.

The 33-year-old has appeared in 39 games for Minnesota this season, including 12 starts. Martin is averaging 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.4 minutes of action per appearance. His career numbers through 698 games are 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists to go with a shooting line of .438/.385/.870.

Wolves, Kevin Martin On Track For Buyout

March 1st, 2016 at 9:48pm CST by Eddie Scarito

TUESDAY, 9:48pm: The two sides are expected to reach an agreement on a buyout prior to the midnight deadline this evening, Stein tweets.

SATURDAY, 2:10pm: The Spurs are emerging as the favorite to sign Martin if a buyout deal is reached, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

FRIDAY, 3:47pm: The Rockets would also be interested if Martin shakes free from Minnesota, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).

9:56pm: The Mavericks are interested in Martin if a buyout is arranged, but the shooting guard is more likely to sign with a contender, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays (ESPN NOW link). The ESPN scribe’s source also relayed that the Cavs, Hawks, Heat and Thunder are all potential suitors for the shooting guard depending on where Joe Johnson lands.

THURSDAY, 9:22pm: The Timberwolves and Kevin Martin are engaged in advanced discussions regarding a potential buyout arrangement, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Minnesota reached a buyout arrangement with veteran point guard Andre Miller earlier today and it would appear that Martin is the next veteran the team will set free so that he may catch on with a playoff-bound club.

Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune relayed earlier today that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor would be open to discussing a buyout with the veteran shooting guard, but Martin’s side would have to initiate such talks. Martin is earning $7.085MM this season with a $7,377,500 player option for next year. To be playoff eligible for another team Martin would need to hit waivers no later than Tuesday.

It was widely reported that Martin was available for a trade before last week’s deadline, but potential suitors were apparently reluctant to take him on without knowing what he’d do about his player option for 2016/17. GM Milt Newton said after the deadline passed without a Martin trade that a buyout discussion would probably take place between Martin and the team in the near future, which has apparently come to pass. Several teams were linked to Martin before the deadline, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron noted in his trade candidate piece, including the Bucks, who reportedly made a run at him as the deadline neared.

The 33-year-old has appeared in 39 games for Minnesota this season, including 12 starts. Martin is averaging 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.4 minutes of action per appearance. His career numbers through 698 games are 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists to go along with a shooting line of .438/.385/.870.

Heat Rumors: Copeland, Johnson, Green, Whiteside

February 28th, 2016 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

After signing Joe Johnson on Saturday, the Heat still may need another move to challenge the top teams in the East, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Miami remains in need of shooters and has another roster spot open, although luxury tax concerns may prevent the Heat from signing anyone else. If they do decide to fill the opening, Winderman tabs Chris Copeland, who was waived this week by the Magic, as a possibility. Another is Kevin Martin if he gets bought out by the Wolves before Tuesday. The columnist also says Miami could use another point guard to protect against injury to Goran Dragic.

There’s more this morning from South Beach:

Saturday’s loss to the Celtics pointed out how much the Heat need a player like Johnson, Winderman writes in a separate story. Miami made just 1 of 13 shots from 3-point range while falling to a rival in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Dragic expects Johnson to make the Heat more dangerous from the perimeter. “He can shoot the ball,” Dragic said. “He can take it off the dribble, and he makes good passes. And of course, he’s a clutch guy. He can make shots at the end. To have that guy … it’s going to be awesome.”
Gerald Green is most likely to lose playing time because of the Johnson addition, writes Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Green has been shut out in his last three games and is shooting just 39% from the field for the season. “My strength is scoring,” he said. “That’s always been my strength. When I’m not able to go on my strengths, I’ve gotta figure out other ways to be effective.” Green is on a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal with the Heat and will be a free agent this summer.
Dwyane Wade is making a pitch for Miami to keep free agent Hassan Whiteside, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Wade had high praise for Whiteside after the center posted 13 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks in Saturday’s game. “Hopefully one day I can look back at a Hall of Fame career and say I was there for the beginning of it,” Wade said. “He has an immense amount of talent. Since the break, he’s been playing a dominant big man game and we love it.”

Southwest Notes: Lee, Pachulia, Stephenson, Miller

February 27th, 2016 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The addition of David Lee could cut into the playing time of Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Lee signed with Dallas as a free agent Monday after agreeing to a buyout with the Celtics, and he’s been productive, posting a 14-point, 14-rebound performance on Friday. Meanwhile, Pachulia’s numbers are declining. He’s shooting just 35.8% from the floor in February, while averaging 6.2 points and 9.7 rebounds. “One of the reasons we wanted to bring Lee on board was we wanted to alleviate a few of his [Pachulia’s] minutes,” said coach Rick Carlisle. “We’ll look at trying to keep everybody as fresh as possible. The thing about Zaza is he’s been a real important chemistry guy for us all year long. I think he’s ready.” Pachulia is making $5.2MM this season in the final year of his contract.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

Although the Rockets have an open roster spot, it’s unlikely that shooting guard Kevin Martin will come to Houston, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Martin is a candidate for a buyout with the Wolves before Tuesday, but the Spurs are considered to be the front-runner to sign him. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the Rockets are looking at options to fill the open spot and could sign someone currently playing overseas (Twitter link).
The Grizzlies‘ Lance Stephenson blames an inability to “fit in” for his failures with the Hornets and Clippers, writes Peter Edmiston in The Commercial Appeal. Memphis has a team option on Stephenson’s contract and can bring him back for another season at $9.405MM. “I’ve definitely got something to prove,” Stephenson said. “I just want to get back to my old self, get back to playing in a rotation and helping my teammates win. God is good, so wherever He guides me, I’m going to try my best to figure it out.”
The expected addition of point guard Andre Miller gives the Spurs the two oldest players in the league, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. At 39, Miller is the oldest, 37 days older than center Tim Duncan.

Northwest Notes: Martin, Sampson, Thunder

February 27th, 2016 at 10:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wolves will probably reach a buyout agreement with shooting guard Kevin Martin before Tuesday, according to Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. The Spurs were reported earlier today as the front-runner to land Martin if a buyout occurs. However, San Antonio already has a full roster and is expected to sign point guard Andre Miller, who was waived by Minnesota on Thursday, so it’s uncertain how that will affect their pursuit of Martin.

The Wolves already have one open roster spot with the loss of Miller. It’s not cleaer whether he or Martin will be replaced, but coach Sam Mitchell said injuries to Nemanja Bjelica, Kevin Garnett and Nikola Pekovic have created a need for an extra big man.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Getting used to the altitude is the biggest adjustment for JaKarr Sampson as he settles in with the Nuggets, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The Nuggets signed Sampson on Monday after Philadelphia waived him to make room for Joel Anthony in a three-way trade with the Pistons and Rockets that was later voided. “I’m blessed to be here,” Sampson said. “I think it’s a great situation for me. There’s a lot of young talent here. They are a great, young team. I feel like it’s a real good situation for me.”
Sampson could find himself in the starting lineup in the wake of Danilo Gallinari‘s ankle injury, Dempsey writes in a separate story. That’s a possibility if coach Michael Malone wants to keep his bench rotation intact. Otherwise, Will Barton could get the starting nod.
The Thunder recalled forwards Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary from Oklahoma City Blue of the D-League, the team announced today. Huestis has played 16 games for the Blue, averaging 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds. McGary has appeared in 15 games for the D-League team, averaging 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds.
Former Blazer Tim Frazier has joined the D-League’s Maine Red Claws as a returning player, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. Portland waived Frazier on February 18th when it traded for Anderson Varejao, though Varejao was subsequently waived as well.

Timberwolves, Andre Miller Likely To Work Buyout

February 25th, 2016 at 12:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:38pm: Miller and the Wolves are already finalizing a buyout deal, agent Andy Miller tells Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

12:35pm: Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor indicated that he’ll probably reach a buyout agreement with Andre Miller that would allow the 39-year-old point guard to appear in the postseason with another team, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Taylor added that while he’s open to a buyout with Kevin Martin, Martin’s side would have to initiate those talks, as Zgoda details. Miller is on a one-year deal for the minimum salary, while Martin is making $7.085MM this season with a $7,377,500 player option for next year. Both would have to hit waivers no later than Tuesday to remain playoff-eligible for other teams.

Taylor said he’s willing to work with Miller’s camp, pegging him as more likely to end up with a buyout than fellow veteran Tayshaun Prince, with whom the owner said he has yet to engage in any buyout talks, Zgoda writes. Prince, 35, has played a prominent role, appearing in the starting lineup for 44 of his 56 appearances, including Wednesday’s game against Toronto. Interim coach Sam Mitchell has used Miller only off the bench and in just 26 games. Mitchell has given rookie point guard Tyus Jones an increased role of late, and Miller hasn’t played in any of Minnesota’s last four games, Zgoda notes.

Martin has played in each of those four games after sitting for the previous nine, and while he’s still averaging double-figure points, at 10.6 in 21.4 minutes per contest, it was no secret that he was available for a trade before last week’s deadline. Would-be suitors were apparently reluctant to take him on without knowing what he’d do about his player option. GM Milt Newton said after the deadline passed without a Martin trade that a buyout discussion would probably take place between Martin and the team in the near future, but Taylor told Zgoda that Newton hasn’t called agent Dan Fegan to start any such conversation.

Several teams were linked to Martin before the deadline, as I noted in his trade candidate piece, and that includes the Bucks, who reportedly made a run at him as the clock ticked down. At least one team asked the Wolves about Miller as the deadline approached, though it’s unclear which team that was.

Mavs Notes: Lee, Jenkins, Matthews

February 22nd, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

David Lee expects to gain a rotation spot with the Mavericks but didn’t ask for any promises before joining the club on Monday, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports. Lee officially signed with Dallas on Monday after being released by the Celtics last week as part of a buyout agreement. While the veteran big man only requested an “opportunity,” he clearly doesn’t want to get buried on the bench, as he did in Boston. “I look forward to being able to help us on the glass and offensively and defensively fitting in with a team that’s already done pretty well this season,” Lee told MacMahon. “Really, I don’t believe much in them promising me a number on minutes. This is something that I’m coming in here and expect to earn playing time by playing well and helping the team get wins.” Lee was informed by coach Rick Carlisle that he will receive the bulk of his minutes backing up center Zaza Pachulia.

In other news concerning the Mavs:

Carlisle wants the team to re-sign shooting guard John Jenkins sometime in the future, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. Jenkins, who signed a three-year deal prior to this season with only a first-year guarantee, was released on Monday to make room for Lee. Jenkins had earned a lot of respect inside the locker room, Sneed adds, but got caught in a numbers crunch.
Wesley Matthews continues to struggle with his shooting and it’s fair to wonder whether the club should have handed the former Trail Blazers shooting guard a four-year, $70MM contract, MacMahon examines in a separate story. While owner Mark Cuban recently proclaimed that the club didn’t sign Matthews for this season, he has shown no progress in his first season since recovering from a left Achilles tendon tear. Matthews is averaging just 10.7 points since the New Year while shooting 37.4% from the field and 30.5% on 3-point tries, MacMahon points out. If Dallas doesn’t start getting better production from its highest-paid player, it has virtually no chance of winning a playoff round and could even slide out of the postseason picture, MacMahon adds.
The Mavs are still looking to add another shooter, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News hears. They could be interested in two-guards Joe Johnson or Kevin Martin if either reaches a buyout agreement and gets released, though Sefko has doubts whether the Mavs would cut into Matthews’ minutes by signing Martin.