Marcin Gortat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Notes: Frazier, Burke, Gortat, Tax

June 21st, 2017 at 9:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Finding a reliable backup for point guard John Wall and fortifying their bench are two of the Wizards’ top priorities heading into the offseason, and on Wednesday, the team made a move that may have checked both boxes. Washington sent the No. 52 overall pick to New Orleans in exchange for guard Tim Frazier, who saw plenty of action at the point for the Pelicans this season and will earn a modest $2MM salary in 2017/18.

While there’s no guarantee Frazier will be the answer as Wall’s backup, he’s a solid rotation player and the Wizards didn’t have to give up much to get him. According to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post, Frazier has been on the Wizards’ radar for some time, and the club also tried to acquire him at February’s trade deadline.

Here’s more out of Washington:

Trey Burke, who handled point guard duties for part of the 2016/17 season, is eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but the Wizards won’t tender Burke a qualifying offer, per J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. With no QO in hand, Burke will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
At season’s end, Marcin Gortat questioned his role in Washington and suggested he may seek a trade, but Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld sounds like he expects to retain the veteran center, according to Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “I’ve talked to March,” Grunfeld said. “March is with us. March, we’ve had him for four years. He’s averaged a double-double for four years. He’s been in the second round for three out of those four years and is a big part of what we’re doing. Everybody has frustration after a tough loss and a tough series. March is with us and he’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing.”
Grunfeld also acknowledged that the Wizards should be willing to go into the luxury tax territory this offseason, if necessary, Hughes writes in a separate CSNMidAtlantic.com story. “We’ll see how everything goes. If it’s the right player, I don’t think we have a problem going over,” Grunfeld said.
According to TNT’s David Aldridge and Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post (Twitter links), the Wizards are open to buying their way back into the second round of Thursday’s draft if the opportunity arises. Currently, the team has no picks.

Southeast Notes: Wall, Porter, Gortat, Waiters, Ball

May 16th, 2017 at 7:03pm CST by Joshua Fischman

During the Wizards‘ Game 7 loss to the Celtics, Washington’s bench was outscored 48 to 5. That glaring disparity was certainly not lost on John Wall, writes Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. In fact, Wall’s last words before leaving the court Monday night were, “Forty-eight to five,” which he then repeated before departing with, “Our bench had five points.”

Here’s more out of the Southeast:

Despite the immense disappointment Wizards players are feeling after their Game 7 defeat, players expressed confidence that the team can continue to compete at a high level if it can keep its best players together. Otto Porter, a restricted free agent this offseason, is considered by teammates Wall, Bradley Beal, and Markieff Morris to be a vital part of the team’s core, reports Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Morris tells Buckner that Porter is worth a max contract and he hopes that he gets it.
As reported earlier today, Marcin Gortat feels underappreciated by the Wizards and may request a trade. More details and quotes on Gortat’s feelings can be found via Candace Buckner of The Washington Post.
Impeding Heat free agent Dion Waiters said that the Heat do not need Lonzo Ball because they are covered at the point guard position with Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, and “other [players],” reports Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Waiters also offered advice for Ball: “He’s got to go somewhere where he’s able to play his game. He’s got to go somewhere where he’s able to make mistakes. Because I think in this game today, he’s got to be able to make mistakes and have a coach who allows you to make mistakes, and you can learn from it.”
Luke Babbitt‘s future with the Heat is written about by Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Winderman concludes that, while Babbitt likely will not be an offseason priority for the Heat, the team will consider him because of his Bird Rights and skill set.

Marcin Gortat May Seek Trade From Wizards

May 16th, 2017 at 12:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Wizards center Marcin Gortat plans to talk to his agent this summer to determine “if this is the right fit,” tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post.

Gortat claims he “did more sacrificing” than anyone and was underappreciated in his role with the team (Twitter link). He is also angry that Washington signed backup Ian Mahinmi to a longer contract than his last summer, saying, “I know how this business works.” (Twitter link)

Gortat still has two seasons and more than $26MM left on his current deal with the Wizards. This isn’t the first time he has been unhappy with his situation in Washington, as he frequently clashed with former coach Randy Wittman.

Southeast Notes: Battier, Beal, Ibaka, Ross, Mahinmi

February 17th, 2017 at 6:14pm CST by Milo Taibi

Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel wondered if Shane Battier, recently hired as the Heat‘s Director of Basketball Development and Analytics, will eventually assume leadership of the franchise from Pat Riley. For the interim, Winderman writes, Battier’s position will be the “first step” toward a post-Riley front office. Battier will work alongside Andy Elisburg and Nick Arison, executives with an advanced “business-of-basketball” acumen. While there is no reason to believe Riley is ready to step away from the game, Winderman could see Riley moving into a role similar to Jerry West’s with the Lakers; an executive board member who isn’t accountable for mundane, day-to-day front office operations.

Southeast Notes: Beal, Gortat, Hibbert

December 13th, 2016 at 7:02pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards have struggled this season and Bradley Beal believes he needs do his part in displaying leadership in order to turn the season around, David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. “It’s up to [John Wall] and I to do a better job of leading,” Beal said. “We have to show by example. It falls on us at the end of the day. The responsibility goes on us. We have to be able to pick up our teammates, pick up ourselves when we’re not having the game we want or each other’s not having a good game, we have to be there mentally and vocally to pick each other up.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Despite Washington’s struggles, it would not be wise to deal Wall, Aldridge contends in the same piece. Aldridge argues that if the Wizards trade anyone, it should be Marcin Gortat. The team handed Ian Mahinmi a four-year, $64MM contract— a deal worth more than Gortat’s— during the offseason and Aldridge speculates that the addition is something that bothers Gortat. The scribe believes that trading the 32-year-old for some reinforcements off the bench may be the best move for the franchise.
Roy Hibbert is enjoying his time playing for the Hornets and he doesn’t have an issue with coming off the bench for the team, as he tells Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. “Everything has been going well,” Hibbert said. “It’s a really good group of guys who want to win. It’s a good organization. Everybody is all about winning.”
Hibbert had some interesting comments on David West signing with the Warriors, Agness adds in the same piece. “It’s a good opportunity for him,” Hibbert said of West’s decision. “It’s a good team over there, obviously. He played for two good organizations, San Antonio – and he’s playing for a good one now.” West and Hibbert played four seasons together on the Pacers.

Southeast Notes: Wall, Mahinmi, Hornets

December 9th, 2016 at 9:12am CST by Arthur Hill

Ongoing chemistry issues in Washington could make John Wall a trade candidate, speculates Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. In a question-and-answer column, the Heat beat writer addresses a reader’s proposal of Wall and Otto Porter for Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow. Winderman cautions that the Wizards might put a greater value on Porter than Winslow, and notes that Miami doesn’t have many draft picks to offer because it still owes two to Phoenix in the deal to acquire Dragic. Even if that trade doesn’t happen, Winderman states that Wall seems unhappy in Washington even after a coaching change that replaced Randy Wittman with Scott Brooks. Wall blasted his teammates for a lack of effort Tuesday after he scored 52 points but the team still lost to Orlando.

There’s more this morning from the Southeast Division:

Wizards center Ian Mahinmi will undergo a second MRI on his right knee today, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Mahinmi has issues with both knees and has played just one game this season after signing a four-year, $64MM deal. He had surgery in the summer to fix torn cartilage in his left knee, then developed soreness that is believed to be tendinitis in his right knee after playing 14-minutes in his season debut. The lack of a serviceable backup has forced 32-year-old center Marcin Gortat to average a career-high 35.4 minutes per game, Michael notes.
A disparity in free throws is helping the Hornets overcome otherwise poor offensive numbers, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte ranks third in the league with 26.6 attempted foul shots per game and surrenders a league-best 18. That has helped to give the Hornets the league’s 11th best offense despite ranking 20th in field-goal percentage, 24th in free-throw percentage and 16th in 3-point percentage. “We’ve been good at not fouling every year,” said head coach Steve Clifford, “but this year we have more guys who are good at driving the ball.”

Southeast Notes: Gortat, Beal, Hornets

November 14th, 2016 at 8:55pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Marcin Gortat apologized to his team earlier today for his negative comments about the Wizards‘ bench unit. He and Scott Brooks addressed the team before practice with the coach stressing unity, Ava Wallace of The Washington Post relays. “I look at things from a whole, because this is how — when I played, I was a backup, and I didn’t like to be divided,” Brooks said. “We don’t have two teams here, we have one basketball team, and right now we’re not happy and content on being 2-7.” Gortat previously said that the team has “one of the worst benches in the league.”

Here’s more from Southeast Division:

Brooks added that Gortat’s comments will have no lingering effect on the team, Wallace writes in the same piece. “We all make mistakes at times, but we have to move on, and we will,” Brooks exclaimed. “We’re not happy, and that’s a good thing. If we were happy and we’re 2-7, I would be really concerned. And if we haven’t had good practices, I would be really concerned. But we’re not having any of that.”
Bradley Beal shed some light on his latest injury, as J. Michael of Comcast Sportnet relays. “Jumping doesn’t bother me. I can jump, shoot jumpers,” Beal said. “[Singly] jumping off this leg is a little difficult, hitting my stride. I have a long stride. Limits me a litte in that area. For the most part I’m able to do some [practice]. Not exactly 100 percent full speed.” Beal has missed the last two games for the Wizards because of tightness in his hamstring.
The Hornets‘ bench is full of new faces and despite some inconsistent play so far this season, the team believes its second unit can be a strength, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “I think early we’ve shown flashes of that good chemistry. That’s something we’ve got to build on in limited [practice] time,” Spencer Hawes said.

Community Shootaround: Washington Wizards

November 14th, 2016 at 7:31pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Marcin Gortat had some harsh words for the Wizards’ second unit following the team’s loss to the Bulls on Friday night. “We need energy. We need effort. We’ve got to make shots,” Gortat said (via Steve Aschburner of NBA.com). “I think there’s a lot of things we can do better. I think right now, as far as I know, I think we’ve got one of the worst benches in the league right now.”

The second unit was an area of concern heading into the season, as I detailed in the team’s Offseason In Review, and the reserves have justified the uneasiness. Journeyman Marcus Thornton has been the team’s best backcourt reserve, but that’s not a particularly impressive status, as he’s only sporting a player efficiency rating of 10.1. New addition Trey Burke hasn’t provided much of a spark. He only has 12 assists on the season and the team is being outscored by 57 points during the 125 minutes in which he was on the court.

Rookie Tomas Satoransky has been inconsistent and he’s only knocked down one of his eight heaves from behind the arc. Fellow rookie Sheldon McClellan had a solid game on Saturday and coach Scott Brooks should give him some more run as a result, but he’s not an electric play-maker who can jump-start this unit.

The problem is compounded by Bradley Beal, who was shooting an icy 29.4% from 3-point before missing the last couple games with a hamstring injury.

That leads us to tonight’s topic: Do the Wizards need to make a move in order to compete for a playoff spot?

Washington has disappointed so far this season, winning only two of its nine games. The franchise signed several big men this offseason and the signings point to a Gortat trade, as I speculated prior to the season. Should the Wizards deal Gortat for some backcourt help or should they make another move to help bolster the bench? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

Southeast Notes: Gortat, Howard, Magic, Walker

November 13th, 2016 at 10:19am CST by Arthur Hill

Wizards center Marcin Gortat has apologized for comments he made about the team’s bench players after Saturday’s loss to the Bulls. Asked about the reserve unit, Gortat said, “I think right now as far as I know I think we’ve got one of the worst bench in the league right now.” (Twitter link). Later in the night, Gortat tweeted, “Apologize for my frustration” next to a crying emoji. Washington’s bench was depleted Saturday because John Wall and Bradley Beal both missed the game, forcing Tomas Satoransky and Sheldon McClellan to start in their place. Still, it’s not the first time a Wizards star has taken a shot at the team’s reserves. Beal expressed similar frustrations last week.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

New Hawks center Dwight Howard says he already has a “great connection” with coach Mike Budenholzer, relays Chris Vivlamore of The Journal Constitution. Howard, who signed a three-year, $70.5MM deal to return to his hometown this summer, is averaging 15.2 points and 12.4 rebounds through the first nine games. “I love having him as a coach,” Howard said. “From the first time I met him until now, we’ve had a great connection. We want to continue that. I love how he holds me accountable every single day to be the guy for the team to lead them in the right direction. When I’m not doing the right things, he is on me. When I am doing the right things, he pushes me to do more. It’s just a great feeling.”
Several key personnel moves and a coaching change haven’t produced the results the Magic were looking for, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando is off to a 3-6 start after trading for Serge Ibaka, signing Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green and D.J. Augustin and bringing in Frank Vogel as coach. “Right now we shouldn’t be talking about chemistry because we’ve had enough time to figure that out,” Biyombo said. “Now it’s just about doing, getting out there and getting it down. … We’re taking some plays off, we’re playing some plays that we feel like, and this is a challenge for us.”
The steadily improving Kemba Walker has become one of the best point guards in the East, contends Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Walker may not make the All-Star team because the competition is so strong, but he has become the Hornets‘ best player, averaging 25.9 points and 5.6 assists per game. Walker is in the second season of a four-year, $48MM extension that he agreed to in 2014.

And-Ones: Silver, Wafer, Restricted Free Agents

July 31st, 2016 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

NBA commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t believe the one-and-one contracts that LeBron James and Kevin Durant have signed are good for the league, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The arrangements give the players one guaranteed season with the chance to opt out and sign a bigger deal the following year. Durant did it to gain the benefits of being a 10-year veteran when he hits free agency again next summer. James is also maximizing his earnings, while giving the Cavaliers incentive to put the best possible team around him each season.

“One of the unintended consequences I feel on behalf of the players is the fact that they end up putting themselves in this position where they’re taking enormous financial risk,” Silver said. “The system is designed for guys to enter into long term contracts, so, and you can only get so much insurance. So one of the unintended consequences is they take risk beyond what we would like to see them take.” After a month that saw several stars change teams, the commissioner said he would like to work with the union to modify the system to give franchises a better opportunity to keep their own players.

There’s more NBA-related news this morning:

Von Wafer, who last played in the NBA in 2012, is campaigning for another shot on social media, relays Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com. Wafer, who just turned 31, had short stints with the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, Blazers, Rockets, Celtics and Magic, but never lasted more than one season in any location. In a series of tweets, Wafer says he has a different mentality now and warns younger players not to follow his example.
Restricted free agency typically sours the relationship between players and their teams, writes Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. Because teams are reluctant to tie up cap space for three days while waiting to see if offer sheets are matched, restricted free agents are typically at the end of the line when it comes to getting paid. Also, they often build up resentment toward their original franchise if their offer sheets are matched. As examples, Lang cites Jeff Teague, Nicolas Batum, Paul Millsap, Eric Gordon, Roy Hibbert, Marcin Gortat and DeAndre Jordan.