Kevin Porter Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Unsure When Kevin Porter Jr. Will Report To Camp

December 6th, 2020 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Cavaliers forward Kevin Porter Jr. continues to work through his legal issues and there’s not a definite date for him to join the team for training camp, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Porter was arrested last month after a single-car accident in which police allegedly found a .45-caliber handgun and suspected marijuana in his vehicle. A judge dismissed the marijuana charge Wednesday, and a grand jury will determine what to do with the gun charge.

The Cavaliers are working with Porter, his agents and the league to try to resolve the matter and are hoping he will eventually be able to return with a clean record. However, there’s no way to know when that might happen. The organization is committed to helping Porter get through this incident, Fedor adds.

“We’re in the human being business. And no matter what our ups and downs are, our responsibility is to look out for one another and take care of one another and try to help one another as best we possibly can. And we’ll continue to do that,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “So we won’t give up on anybody. We’ll continue to give people the best opportunity to make themselves into the best version of themselves that we possibly can until you leave that door, and then even then we’ll maintain relationships with you and try to help you if we ever possibly can. But we’re all in on all of our guys. And that won’t change.”

Porter, 20, was the last pick of the first round in the 2019 draft. He showed flashes of promise during his rookie season, averaging 10.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 50 games.

The Cavs also started camp without JaVale McGee, Matt Mooney and Levi Randolph, Fedor adds. McGee, who was acquired in a trade with the Lakers, is expected to join the team soon and Bickerstaff believes he will be able to contribute right away.

“JaVale is a guy who has helped teams win titles and protects the paint and I think he benefits our young guys in a major way,” Bickerstaff said. “His ability to protect them on the defensive end of the floor and then his ability to roll to the rim, I think he fits. Obviously Dre (Andre Drummond) can do those things as well so we think it’s a really, really good pairing.

Randolph played in the AmeriCup Qualifying tournament and didn’t sign with Cleveland until Tuesday. New NBA guidelines require anyone with a new contract on December 1 or later to undergo separate COVID-19 testing protocols before being cleared for workouts. Fedor states that his restrictions could be lifted in a few days. Mooney, who inked a two-way contract, may join the team today.

Kevin Porter Jr. Arrested On Firearms Charge

November 15th, 2020 at 11:52am CST by Arthur Hill

11:52am: The Cavaliers have released a statement on Porter’s arrest: “We are aware of the situation involving Kevin Porter Jr. and are in the process of gathering information. We have spoken with Kevin and will continue to address this privately with him as the related process evolves.”

11:01am: Cavaliers swingman Kevin Porter Jr. faces charges of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle after being arrested early Sunday morning, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Porter was booked around 7:30am and released three hours later on $4K bond. Further details about the incident were not available.

The team is aware of the arrest, but wants to get more details before issuing a formal statement, Fedor adds.

Porter, 20, was a first-round pick in 2019. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 50 games as a rookie and is considered part of the Cavaliers’ foundation for the future. He posted a troubling message on social media last month, but the team determined the matter wasn’t serious and he was warned not to do it again.

Eastern Notes: Dinwiddie, Anthony, K. Porter, Beal

October 16th, 2020 at 8:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving returning to action next season, Spencer Dinwiddie sees himself in a Draymond Green-style role with the Nets. The combo guard made that comment on ESPN’s The Jump (hat tip to NetsDaily.com).

“Obviously, we don’t know who’s going to start, who’s coming off the bench, That’s with KD and Kyrie excluded, of course,” he said. “But really with all of this being formed, I view myself if we’re going with the Golden State model as the Draymond Green, the glue. Sometimes, I get 10 boards, sometimes, I get 10 assists. Sometimes, I score a little bit more because obviously, we have a super dynamic point guard. We also have the greatest scorer of all-time.”

Dinwiddie will make approximately $11.5MM next season and holds a $12.3MM option on his 2021/22 contract.

We have more from the around the Eastern Conference:

Carmelo Anthony is working out in New York City and it’s not far-fetched to think the free agent forward will sign up for a second stint with the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. The possibility of Anthony coming back to New York would increase if it trades for Chris Paul, Berman continues. Knicks president Leon Rose, Anthony’s former rep, is open to an Anthony reunion even without a Paul deal, Berman adds.
Cavaliers second-year swingman Kevin Porter Jr. posted a troubling message on social media, but he’s fine, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Porter raised concerns with a since-deleted message of “You ever wish to see the end of your time?” However, a source told Fedor that Porter was OK and has been warned by the front office about posting similar messages in the future.
Bradley Beal is coveted by many teams but he wouldn’t mind finishing his career with the Wizards, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype relays. Beal made that statement on the “On the Road with Buck & Phil” podcast. “That would mean the world, man. I’m a loyal guy. I want to be here,” he said. “I’m here. I’ve signed my extension. And that will mean the world to me. That honestly would you know, being able to finish your career in one place? You know, you don’t see that in today’s game.”

Cavs Rumors: Draft, Porter, Sexton, Defense, Drummond

September 25th, 2020 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers‘ last couple drafts have been fairly guard-heavy, with Collin Sexton joining the team in 2018 and Darius Garland becoming a Cav in 2019. However, general manager Koby Altman suggested today that the club isn’t ruling out the possibility of adding another backcourt piece with the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“We’re going to take the best talent,” Altman said. “We like where we are at — No. 5. We’re going to get a really good player.”

Although Altman’s comments suggest another guard is in play, Fedor believes the club is much more likely to take a wing or a big man.

Sources tell Cleveland.com that the Cavs’ top tier consists of LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, and Anthony Edwards, in some order. Assuming those three players are off the board at No. 5, Tyrese Haliburton or Killian Hayes would be the best guard available, and the team is unlikely to view either of those players as definitively better than the backcourt options already on the roster, says Fedor.

Here’s more on the Cavaliers:

The Cavs are extremely high on 2019 first-rounder Kevin Porter Jr., according to Fedor, who hears that the former USC wing is at “at the top of Cleveland’s young player hierarchy.” The organization has been so averse to the idea of moving Porter that rival teams won’t even ask about him in trade talks anymore, Fedor adds.
Cleveland also remains “all-in” on Collin Sexton, viewing him as one of their leaders and hardest-working players, says Fedor.
Altman said on Friday that one of the Cavs’ offseason goals is to improve on defense and that the front office is considering how best to do that. “Whether that be adding personnel there, or internally, schematically, we know we need to look ourselves in the mirror and get better on that end,” Altman said, per Fedor. “… It’s not going to happen all at once. We’re not going to go from (30th) in the league to top five, but we need to see steady growth on that side of the ball. And I think the guys realize that and we need to hold them more accountable and do it that way. But ourselves as a front office, does that mean we need better personnel on that side of the ball or different pieces to help some of our guys? We’re looking at (that).”
While Andre Drummond isn’t attending the Cavs’ in-market mini-camp due to a personal matter, the club has stayed in frequent contact with him and isn’t concerned about his absence, according to Fedor. Altman said today that he doesn’t know whether Drummond will pick up his 2020/21 player option, though I’d be shocked if he opts out. A source confirmed to Fedor that Drummond is “highly likely” to exercise that $28.75MM option.
In case you missed it, Altman also said today that there’s mutual interest in a new deal between the Cavs and Tristan Thompson.

Cavaliers Notes: Bickerstaff, Osman, Porter, Gottlieb

March 28th, 2020 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff believes finishing the season would be important to his young team, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs still own the worst record in the East at 19-46, but they went 5-6 after Bickerstaff replaced John Beilein as head coach last month, including wins over the Nuggets, Heat and Sixers.

“I would hope to play the final 17 games, to be honest with you,” he said. “Where we are and how important that is to us as a team in building and the taste it can leave as we go into what would have been a summer break — guys wanting to go out, work, prepare and get better because they start to see some things heading in the right direction. That momentum I think was going to be and would be important for us.

“The toughest thing in this league is learning how to win and we were starting to get to the point in fourth quarters. So, for us as a group, that’s meaningful. Obviously the league will do what it deems best for the entire league and our fans, but for us, I would love to have those games.”

Bickerstaff adds that he hasn’t been tested for the coronavirus and all his players remain healthy. Cleveland hosted Utah on March 2, nine days before a positive test by Jazz center Rudy Gobert sparked the shutdown of the league.

There’s more from Cleveland:

Small forward may be the primary position the Cavaliers try to upgrade during the offseason, Fedor predicts in a separate piece. Cedi Osman, the starter for the past two years, might be better off as a reserve, Fedor suggests. First-round pick Dylan Windler wasn’t able to play at all because of injuries and will be starting from scratch next season. Kevin Porter Jr. could be the most talented member of Cleveland’s young core, but many in the organization view him as a shooting guard.
Three-point shooting and passing are also areas that need improvement, Fedor adds. Center Tristan Thompson leads the team from beyond the arc at 39.1%, while Matthew Dellavedova is clearly the best passer in the organization.
It didn’t take long for Lindsay Gottlieb to win the respect of the players in her first season as an assistant coach, Fedor notes in another story. Andre Drummond connected with her right away after being acquired from the Pistons. “I immediately gravitated towards her and have ever since,” Drummond said. “I always preach positivity. She sees that. Any time she sees me get down on myself, she always comes over and gives me a pat on the leg and tells me to stay positive and I will be fine.”

Central Notes: Brogdon, Porter Jr., McRae, Mokoka

March 5th, 2020 at 10:05pm CST by Jovan Alford

When the Pacers play the Bulls on Friday night, they could be without a few notable players, including Malcolm Brogdon.

Brogdon is dealing with a left hip injury that limited him to only 11 minutes of game action on Wednesday night against the Bucks. The former Rookie of the Year award winner got an MRI and did not practice on Thursday, according to J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star.

In 48 games this season, Brogdon is averaging 16.3 PPG, 7.1 APG, and 4.7 RPG. He is also shooting 43.9% from the field and a career-low 31.3% from three-point range.

Along with Brogdon, T.J. Warren, Doug McDermott, and JaKarr Sampson are all questionable for tomorrow’s contest.

Here’s more from out of the Central:

The Cavaliers announced on Thursday that rookie Kevin Porter Jr. was placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol after suffering a head injury on Wednesday night against the Celtics. His status to return is unclear. The late first-round pick is averaging 10 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.2 APG this season.
Who is Adam Mokoka? If you asked Bulls fans earlier this season, they might not be able to answer that question. Fast-forward to March, and the 21-year-old is starting to carve out a role for himself with Chicago. Mark Schanowski of NBC Sports Chicago looks at the road the Bulls’ two-player has taken from his early playing days in France, Serbia, and now Chicago.
With the Pistons potentially gearing up for a rebuild, newly-acquired guard Jordan McRae will get an opportunity to show Detroit’s front-office brass that he’s a keeper, writes Ron Beard of the Detroit News. McRae scored 15 points in his debut on Wednesday night against the Thunder.

Cavaliers Notes: Porter Jr., Johnson, Avdija

February 25th, 2020 at 6:25pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Cavaliers have had a rough season, with a coaching change and struggles in their young frontcourt among the issues. However, they may have stumbled onto something special in their 2019 No. 30 overall pick.

“There’s no one on the [Cavaliers] with real All-Star potential,” a former scout told Hoops Rumors. “If you told me one player will take his game to that level, I’d bet on Kevin Porter Jr.”

Porter was expected to go much higher in the 2019 draft but the Cavaliers happily scooped him up with the last of their three selections in the first round. KPJ has appeared in 45 games for Cleveland this season, assuming a scorer/facilitator role off the bench.

The Cavaliers’ new coach J.B. Bickerstaff has impressed since taking over the role and he has the organization’s full support, as many believe in his ability to develop the young talent on the roster, which includes Porter.

Here’s more from Cleveland:

The Cavs had interest in coach Avery Johnson prior to inking John Beilein to a contract this past offseason, as I relayed on Heavy.com. Johnson previously played in the NBA in addition to coaching for the Nets and Mavs.
Bickerstaff believes the future is bright with Porter and No. 4 overall pick Darius Garland on the team, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said. “I think the sky’s the limit for both of them,” Bickerstaff said.
GM Koby Altman is traveling overseas to scout draft prospect Deni Avdija, Fedor relays in a separate piece. Avdija, who is a 6’9″ wing playing in Israel, could be one of the top picks in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Cavs Notes: Porter, Nance, Love, Exum

January 6th, 2020 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers rookie Kevin Porter Jr. has been diagnosed with a left knee sprain and will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, the team announced today (via Twitter). Porter’s injury occurred during the third quarter of Sunday’s home loss to Minnesota.

While Porter will be sidelined for multiple weeks, the news wasn’t as bad as it could have been for the Cavs. A source told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com before Porter underwent an MRI that the club was “bracing for some real time off.”

As Fedor notes in a separate article at Cleveland.com, the second half of the season figures to be mostly about player development for the lottery-bound Cavaliers, and Porter had emerged this season as one of the organization’s most promising young prospects. If his knee injury had been more severe, it might have cost him most or all of the rest of his rookie season. While it appears that won’t be the case, teammates like John Henson were worried when they saw Porter go down.

“It kind of hurt my heart a little bit,” Henson said. “Young guys, this is the year for them. Especially them just learning the game and he was progressing. At this stage of the season he was looking like the steal of the draft.”

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

The Cavaliers are also without big man Larry Nance Jr., having announced on Friday in a press release that he’d be on the shelf for about one or two weeks with left knee soreness.
Kevin Love won’t be disciplined by the Cavaliers for his outburst during Saturday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. We described that on-court incident in a Sunday story.
As a result of last month’s trade with Utah, John Beilein has the opportunity to coach Dante Exum six years after he tried to recruit the Australian guard to come to Michigan, notes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “It was only a couple of phone calls,” Beilein said of his recruitment efforts. “I never could get the time right, you know, calling Australia. So we kept playing voicemail tag… I don’t think he was ever thinking, ‘NBA or Michigan?’ But we were one of the people that called him. I’m sure North Carolina was recruiting him, as well.” Exum ultimately opted not to play college ball, entering the 2014 NBA draft and going fifth overall.

Central Notes: Porter Jr., Oladipo, Green, Forman

December 27th, 2019 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

One of the big reasons why the Cavaliers made the Jordan Clarkson trade was to open up minutes for rookie Kevin Porter Jr., according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The team was aware that Clarkson would likely leave as an unrestricted free agent over the summer, while Porter is one of the team’s building blocks, Fedor continues. Teammates, coaches and members of the front office have raved about Porter’s talent for months, Fedor adds, and by moving Clarkson there’s more playing time available for the 30th overall pick in the draft.

We have more from the Central Division:

While ESPN reported that Victor Oladipo is aiming to return in late January or early February, Pacers coach Nate McMillan insists no timetable has been set for his star guard’s return, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star relays. Oladipo continues to work his way back from a serious quad injury suffered last season.“No. We haven’t come up with a date,” McMillan said. “I saw that report. We haven’t come up with a timeline for him to return.”
Veteran forward Jeff Green could fill a need for the Bulls, according to Michael Walton of NBC Sports Chicago. They are dealing with injuries at the small forward spot and Green, who was waived by Utah earlier this week, could help in that area. Otto Porter Jr.‘s foot ailment seems to be a long-term issue, Walton notes. The Bulls would have to open up a roster spot to sign Green since they’re currently at the maximum level.
Gar Forman’s draft record with the Bulls has been solid but unspectacular over the past four years with the club in rebuild mode, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times opines. Forman’s best pick was selecting Lauri Markkanen in the 2017 draft, Cowley notes.

Cavs Rumors: Love, Trade Options, Porter

December 12th, 2019 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers may have a difficult time trading Kevin Love this season for a couple reasons, as Jason Lloyd of The Athletic explains. For one, Love has a massive contract that will pay him more than $91MM over the next three seasons, not counting his $29MM cap hit for 2019/20.

Additionally, there may be a significant divide between what the Cavaliers want for Love vs. what other teams are willing to offer. A source with knowledge of the situation tells Lloyd that Cleveland is seeking a first-round pick. However, some potential trade partners want to acquire a first-rounder themselves for absorbing the final three-and-a-half years of Love’s contract.

One league executive believes the Cavs may eventually get the first-round pick they want in a Love trade, but it depends how much salary they’ll be willing to take back, Lloyd writes. It doesn’t help the Cavs’ case that there aren’t many truly toxic multiyear contracts left on teams’ books around the NBA that they could absorb.

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

Following up on Love, Lloyd acknowledges that the five-time All-Star has been the subject of trade rumors for years, but says this time feels “a little more real.”
Here’s how Love responded when asked by Lloyd if he re-upped with Cleveland because the team was willing to pay him more money than he could’ve received in free agency: “Maybe more years. And honestly it was like the last one I signed. I could’ve done a one-plus-one and waited, and got $40MM more. But I think I felt comfortable here, I didn’t know what the future was going to hold, but they believed in me after my first year after I got hurt and they believed in me then. And it’s really hard to say no when the money is right there. From a strictly financial standpoint, if it’s right there in front of you, you’re like, ‘S–t.'”
The Cavaliers had made it known that they’re ready to discuss trades, according to Lloyd, who hears from one source that the team has made “basically everyone but Darius [Garland]” available. The Cavs’ veterans on expiring contracts are the club’s most logical trade chips, but Lloyd is unconvinced that any of those players will be worth a first-round pick on the trade market.
According to Lloyd, the Cavs have been “quietly impressed” with what they’ve seen so far from No. 30 overall pick Kevin Porter Jr. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com took a closer look at Porter after the rookie scored a career-high 24 points vs. Houston on Wednesday, writing that the 19-year-old has been the “brightest light in a gloomy season” for the franchise.