Luke Zeller Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns Release Luke Zeller

February 21st, 2013 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have released Luke Zeller to clear a roster spot for Marcus Morris, according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter). Zeller's minimum-salary deal was guaranteed for the rest of the season, so he'll still be paid the full amount and the Suns will still absorb the cap hit.

Releasing Zeller allows the Suns to regain some leverage in trade talks involving Jermaine O'Neal and Sebastian Telfair. Had Phoenix been forced to move one of those two players to clear a roster spot, the offers likely would have been very underwhelming.

Zeller, 25, appeared in 16 games for the Suns this season, averaging 1.2 PPG in very limited minutes.

Western Notes: Jordan, Lakers, Suns, Blazers

October 24th, 2012 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Back in August, when we asked Hoops Rumors readers for their Rookie of the Year pick, over 44% of about 1,050 voters selected Anthony Davis, making him the top choice by far. Davis is off to a promising start, averaging a double-double in five preseason games and making a strong impression on Hornets coach Monty Williams.

"He’s just a coach’s dream," Williams said, according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. "He handles the situations with wisdom that’s beyond his years. He listens, he’s humble, and yet he still has an edge…. He’s going to be pretty special if he continues to work and allow himself to be coached the way he has so far. He’s just an amazing kid."

Here are a few more of today's notes from around the Western Conference:

A number of recent reports have linked Jerome Jordan to teams in China, but for now Jordan is still hoping to make the Grizzlies' regular season roster, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "I know my agent has been talking to a bunch of teams. You know, as a worst-case scenario," Jordan said. "I don't know if there's a deal, per se, in China. But it's about making it in the NBA this year. I'm about trying to make it in the league and establish myself. I want to be around a long time."
The Lakers are expected to waive second-round pick Darius Johnson-Odom soon, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Making an educated guess, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic predicts that Luke Zeller and Diante Garrett will earn spots on the Suns, and explains his reasoning.
Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News wonders if two players under contract with the Spurs, Wesley Witherspoon and JaMychal Green, will be released soon to join San Antonio's D-League affiliate.
Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts says he expects to keep Nolan Smith as the team's backup point guard over Coby Karl, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets. Karl himself indicated this week that he's bracing for news of his release.
ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) wouldn't be surprised if the Blazers consider moving Wesley Matthews at this season's trade deadline.

Pacific Notes: Suns, D12, Paul, Lakers, Fredette

October 16th, 2012 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's head to the west coast and round up a few of Tuesday's items out of the Pacific Division….

After waiving Othyus Jeffers, the Suns have more difficult roster decisions ahead of them, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Among those is deciding which big man to keep from a group that includes Ike Diogu, Solomon Jones, and Luke Zeller.
Although it appears that the Lakers and Clippers are the overwhelming favorites to re-sign Dwight Howard and Chris Paul respectively next summer, the two stars could conceivably decide to team up on a team like the Hawks, says ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Insider link).
The Lakers likely wouldn't have Steve Nash, Jordan Hill, and others on this year's roster if it weren't for a handful of small trades in the past, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times explains.
Jimmer Fredette's stock has fallen since he was selected 10th overall in the 2011 draft, but he's showing promise this preseason for the Kings, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Sacramento has two more weeks to exercise its $2.44MM option on Fredette for 2013/14.

Suns To Sign Zeller, Jeffers, Garrett

October 1st, 2012 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

In addition to signing Solomon Jones for their training camp roster, the Suns will add a few more players to the mix to compete for a roster spot, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. According to Coro, Luke Zeller, Othyus Jeffers and Diante Garrett have also received training camp invites from the Suns.

Zeller, the older brother of Tyler Zeller and Cody Zeller, has played overseas and in the D-League since going undrafted out of Notre Dame in 2009. Coro views the big man's outside shooting ability as a skill that could give the 25-year-old a leg up on the battle for a roster spot.

Jeffers, 27, has appeared in 31 career NBA games for the Jazz, Spurs, and Wizards, and has exceled in the D-League in the past. He received a qualifying offer from the Wizards last offseason, but tore his ACL during July workouts, preventing his return to the NBA.

Garrett was ranked by ESPN.com's Chad Ford as the 61st-best player in the 2011 draft class, but went undrafted. The Suns have kept an eye on the point guard though, working him out prior to the 2011 draft, and giving him a spot on their summer league squad in Las Vegas this offseason.

With the new additions, the Suns are now carrying 17 players, though Channing Frye is expected to miss the entire season with a heart condition, leaving room for Zeller, Jeffers, and Garrett to compete for roster spots. Jones' and P.J. Tucker's contracts also aren't fully guaranteed, though I'd imagine they're stronger bets to make the team than the three new additions.