Moses Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Trade Josh Richardson To Celtics

July 31st, 2021 at 12:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 31: The Celtics will send Moses Brown – recently acquired from Oklahoma City – to Dallas in the deal for Richardson, tweets Charania. A simple one-for-one swap, the trade is now official, according to an announcement from the Mavs.

JULY 30: The Mavericks are finalizing a trade that would send swingman Josh Richardson to the Celtics, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Richardson will exercise his $11.6MM option in order to make the deal happen, Charania adds.

The Celtics are using a $11.05MM trade exception acquire in the Gordon Hayward sign-and-trade last year in order to make the deal, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Richardson made $10.86MM this past season, so Boston will finalize the deal on Saturday before the league calendar flips. The Mavericks will generate a trade exception worth the same amount.

Dallas could have up to $34MM in cap room entering free agency, though creating that much space would require renouncing Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s cap hold, Marks adds.

Richardson averaged 12.1 PPG and 2.6 APG in 59 regular-season games with Dallas this past season, including 56 starts. He’s a career 35.8% 3-point shooter and 83.2% free throw shooter with the reputation of being a quality perimeter defender.

The Celtics also agreed to a three-way deal on Friday in which they shipped big man Tristan Thompson to the Kings and acquired guard Kris Dunn from the Hawks. However, Dunn could be moved as part of another trade, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Celtics Trade Kemba Walker To Thunder

June 18th, 2021 at 11:20am CST by Arthur Hill

11:20am: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Thunder and Celtics.

The second-round pick the Thunder will receive in 2025 will be the most favorable of the Celtics’ and Grizzlies’ picks, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman tweets.

The second-rounder that Boston will get in 2023 will be the least favorable of the following three picks that OKC controls:

The Thunder’s own second-rounder.
The Wizards’ second-rounder.
The most favorable of the Mavericks’ and Heat’s second-rounders.

Boston agreed to give Brown a $500K guarantee for next season as part of the deal, according to Marks (Twitter link). The Celtics also generated a $6.88MM trade exception.

8:20am: The Celtics will send point guard Kemba Walker and a pair of draft picks to the Thunder in exchange for Al Horford, Moses Brown, and a future pick, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Boston has been looking for a taker for the veteran guard, who has been injured for much of the two years he spent with the team. A recent report said former president of basketball operations Danny Ainge started shopping Walker after the Celtics were knocked out of the playoffs last summer.

The main incentive for Boston was to get rid of Walker’s contract, which pays him close to $74MM over the next two seasons. He was considered an important addition when he signed a free agent deal with the Celtics two years ago, but a lingering knee injury limited his effectiveness. The 31-year-old missed 29 games this season and averaged 19.3 PPG, his worst scoring numbers in six years, while shooting just 42% from the field.

Walker’s contract includes a 15% trade bonus that will be voided, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). He would have received an additional $3.2MM if the trade had occurred after the league’s new calendar year starts on August 6.

The Thunder will receive the Celtics’ first-round pick this year, which is slotted at No. 16, along with a second-rounder in 2025. Boston will get OKC’s second-round selection in 2023. The Thunder now have three first-round picks in this year’s draft and five of the top 36 choices.

Horford returns to the Celtics two years after leaving for the Sixers in free agency. He spent one year in Philadelphia before being traded to Oklahoma City last December in a cost-cutting move. Horford never found a role on the rebuilding Thunder and played just 28 games before being shut down in late March after the trade deadline passed.

The 35-year-old big man was still effective when he played, averaging 14.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per night, and should be a welcome addition to the Celtics’ frontcourt. He will make $27MM next season and $26.5MM in 2022/23, but only $14.5MM of that year’s salary is guaranteed. Boston will save about $20MM for next season with the trade, Marks adds, and that figure could rise to $32MM for 2022/23 if Horford is waived before the season starts (Twitter link).

Brown, a 21-year-old center, showed a lot of promise in his second NBA season, starting 32 of the 43 games he played and averaging 8.6 PPG and 8.9 RPG per night. He is under contract through 2023/24, but no money is guaranteed beyond this season.

Today’s trade marks the first major deal for former coach Brad Stevens since he became the Celtics’ president of basketball operations two weeks ago. Wojnarowski notes that it involves Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who has been a friend of Stevens dating back to when he coached at Butler (Twitter link). Woj adds that it’s unusual for trades to take place before the pre-draft combine, but both sides were happy with what they got.

Northwest Notes: Porter, Brown, Jerome, Russell

April 4th, 2021 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. has become a much different player in his second NBA season, writes Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Post. A year ago, there were concerns about Porter’s effort, especially on defense, as well as his tendency to rely too much on the three-point shot. But now his game is flourishing and he has won the full trust of the coaching staff. The concerns about his back that made him available with the 14th pick in the 2018 draft appear to be gone as well.

“(Porter) is getting so much more comfortable,” Nuggets guard Will Barton said. “He knows that he’s going to play and he knows that we count on him. You’ve seen him grow on the other side of the ball. It’s a nice thing to see, especially for a guy with his talent. When he’s stepping up and playing defense, it’s only going to open up his game more and open up our team’s game. He’s just becoming a heck of a player. You can just see his IQ growing with each game and each possession. It’s a pleasure to see, man. I’m very excited for him and his future.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Moses Brown has been one of this season’s most pleasant surprises, writes Nick Gallo of OKCThunder.com. After earning First Team and All-Defensive Team honors in the G League, the 21-year-old center has continued that level of play with the Thunder, averaging 11.5 points and 11.8 rebounds since being added to the rotation after the All-Star break. “I’m just a player that plays hard and does everything that is asked of me to do. I’m very into the game,” Brown said. “This is what I love to do. I can’t really see myself doing anything else. Not saying that I can’t, but I just don’t want to.”
Teams are starting to notice how dangerous Thunder guard Ty Jerome is as a three-point shooter, states Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Jerome has been limited to 16 games after suffering a high ankle sprain in the preseason, but he’s shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc.
The Timberwolves haven’t set a timetable for D’Angelo Russell to return from knee surgery, but there are indications it might happen this week, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Russell underwent an arthroscopic procedure in mid-February and was projected to miss four to six weeks. Minnesota may need him to replace Malik Beasley, who strained a hamstring Friday night. “It’s more minor than it is significant,” coach Chris Finch said, “but these things are tricky with hamstrings.”

Northwest Notes: M. Brown, Muscala, Blazers, Beasley, Nuggets

March 29th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Moses Brown‘s new contract with the Thunder is a four-year deal worth $6.8MM, according to Royce Young of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the second and third years are non-guaranteed. There’s a fourth-year team option for 2023/24, Young adds.

If Brown keeps playing like he has in his last four games (14.3 PPG, 16.8 RPG), that deal could wind up being a major bargain for the Thunder. However, one aspect of it is relatively player-friendly — as Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), Brown’s rest-of-season salary of $1.25MM is about $750K than he would have earned if he received the prorated minimum.

Because Oklahoma City remains about $4MM below the minimum salary floor, per Marks, there was no reason for the team not to go above the 2020/21 minimum for Brown. The Thunder’s cap situation also provides little incentive to try to save money by buying out any of their current veterans, so it makes sense that Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman is reporting that a buyout with Mike Muscala is “unlikely to happen.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

After trading for Norman Powell at last week’s trade deadline, Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey told Jason Quick of The Athletic that the team had to “shake things up” since “things were starting to look stale.” According to Quick, Portland – with two open roster spots after the trade – will likely peruse the buyout market in search of another wing or guard who could play back-of-the-rotation minutes.
Having completed the 12-game suspension he received following his February legal sentencing, Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley said he thinks he’s in a better place. “I feel like my life is where it needs to be,” Beasley said, according to Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. “I got a chance to work on myself on and off the court. I learned from my mistakes, and I’m ready to move on for it.”
After making his Nuggets debut in a blowout win over Atlanta on Sunday, Aaron Gordon liked what he saw, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN details. “I see no limits for this team,” Denver’s newest forward said. “It looks like we have all the pieces that we need. We have the depth. It’s like we are covered in a lot of different spots offensively, defensively. As long as we are all working together, there’s no stopping us.”

Thunder Notes: Brown, Dort, Hall, Horford

March 28th, 2021 at 7:34pm CST by JD Shaw

Thunder center Moses Brown made franchise history with his performance against the Celtics on Saturday, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes.

Brown, 21, finished with 21 points and an astounding 23 rebounds in a losing effort. He recorded the team’s fastest double-double ever (eight minutes, 11 seconds), along with a franchise-record 19 rebounds at halftime.

“He’s got a nose for it and he’s got a motor,” coach Mark Daigneault said of Brown’s impressive rebounding, as relayed by Mussatto. “That’s probably the thing that’s a separator for him. There’s a lot of 7-footers in the NBA, but it’s a small group of people that are his size that play as hard as he does. I think the rebounding is probably a symptom of that.”

Brown also saw his play rewarded with a contract conversion on Sunday, signing a multi-year deal with the team.

There’s more from Oklahoma City tonight:

Luguentz Dort suffered a concussion in the team’s game against Boston and has been placed in the league’s designated protocol, the club announced today. Dort tallied 10 points, two rebounds and 16 minutes in the contest.
Two-way player Josh Hall will be “squarely in the mix” for the team going forward, Daigneault said, as relayed by Mussatto (Twitter link). Hall has been dealing with knee soreness, but the 20-year-old received over 20 minutes of action on Saturday.
As we relayed on Saturday, the Thunder will be shutting down veteran big man Al Horford for the rest of the season. ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link) takes a dive into what’s remaining in Horford’s contract, noting that his salary is guaranteed next season and partially guaranteed the following.

Thunder Sign Moses Brown To Multi-Year Contract

March 28th, 2021 at 5:29pm CST by JD Shaw

The Thunder have signed center Moses Brown to a multi-year contract, converting his deal from a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.

Brown, 21, most recently tallied 21 points and 23 rebounds in the team’s loss to Boston on Saturday, displaying serious flashes of potential. The 7’2″ big man went undrafted in 2019 and has spent most of the 2020/21 season in the G League.

Brown, who received All-NBA G League First Team honors, averaged 18.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 26.4 minutes in 14 games with the OKC Blue. He’s appeared in 16 games with the Thunder this season and has emerged as a valuable young prospect for the club as it shifts its attention toward the future.

In addition to Brown, Oklahoma City owns an abundance of draft assets and contains a young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort and others.

NBA G League Announces 2020/21 All-NBAGL Teams

March 23rd, 2021 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

After being named the G League’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year on Monday, Delaware Blue Coats forward Paul Reed – who is on a two-way contract with the Sixers – headlines the All-NBA G League First Team, as the league announced today in a press release.

Reed was joined on the All-NBAGL first team by MVP runner-up Kevin Porter Jr. of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, as well as Oklahoma City Blue big man Moses Brown, Lakeland Magic forward Mamadi Diakite, and Westchester Knicks guard Jared Harper. All of those players are currently on either standard NBA contracts or two-way deals.

That’s a common theme for this year’s All-NBAGL teams. The majority of the 15 players named to the three squads are either currently under contract with NBA teams or have past NBA experience.

The complete list of the 2020/21 All-NBA G League teams, along with the All-Rookie and All-Defensive squads, is below. Players currently on NBA contracts are noted with an asterisk (*), while those on two-way contracts are noted with a caret (^).

All-NBAGL First Team:

Paul Reed (Delaware Blue Coats) ^
Kevin Porter Jr. (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) *
Moses Brown (Oklahoma City Blue) ^
Mamadi Diakite (Lakeland Magic) ^
Jared Harper (Westchester Knicks) ^

All-NBAGL Second Team:

Oshae Brissett (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)
Henry Ellenson (Raptors 905)
Malachi Flynn (Raptors 905) *
Alize Johnson (Raptors 905) *
- Note: Johnson is currently on a 10-day contract.
Brodric Thomas (Canton Charge) ^

All-NBAGL Third Team:

Tyler Cook (Iowa Wolves) *
- Note: Cook is currently on a 10-day contract.
Tre Jones (Austin Spurs) *
Jordan Poole (Santa Cruz Warriors) *
Robert Woodard II (Austin Spurs) *
Jarrod Uthoff (Erie BayHawks)

NBAGL All-Rookie Team:

Paul Reed (Delaware Blue Coats) ^
Mamadi Diakite (Lakeland Magic) ^
Malachi Flynn (Raptors 905) *
Brodric Thomas (Canton Charge) ^
KJ Martin (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) *

NBAGL All-Defensive Team:

Paul Reed (Delaware Blue Coats) ^
Moses Brown (Oklahoma City Blue) ^
Mamadi Diakite (Lakeland Magic) ^
Tahjere McCall (Lakeland Magic)
Gary Payton II (Raptors 905)

Of the 18 players who earned a spot on one of the G League’s All-NBAGL, All-Rookie, or All-Defensive teams this year, only four – Brissett, Uthoff, McCall, and Payton – haven’t been on some form of standard, two-way, or 10-day NBA contract since the ’20/21 season began. All four of them have previous NBA experience.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Northwest Notes: Muscala, MPJ, Lillard, Blazers, Wolves

March 12th, 2021 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward/center Mike Muscala has been a regular, reliable rotation player for the Thunder so far this season, averaging a career-high 9.7 points per game to go along with 3.8 RPG and a .368 3PT% in 34 games (18.6 MPG). However, he received a DNP-CD in the team’s first game of the second half, with youngsters Aleksej Pokusevski and Moses Brown inserted into the rotation following their time in the G League.

“It took Mike out of the rotation, but Mike’s a pro and he’ll stay ready,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “Those conversations with Mike are easy, and he makes it easy because of how professional he is.”

It was just one game, but both Pokusevski (14 points, eight rebounds) and Brown (eight points, 12 rebounds) looked good, and there’s no reason to expect the rebuilding Thunder to dial back their young players’ minutes the rest of the way. A playoff team may have more use for a low-cost bench player like Muscala, so he’ll be worth keeping an eye on as the March 25 trade deadline nears.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. will be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2021 offseason, and ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link) says he’d be shocked if Porter’s representatives don’t open negotiations with a “max or nothing” stance. That looming payday is one reason why Denver may be wary of taking on much long-term salary in trades, Lowe notes.
Despite Damian Lillard‘s repeated insistence that he wants to spend the rest of his career in Portland – and the contract extensions he has signed to back up that stance – it sometimes seems as if everyone wants him to seek a title elsewhere, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who explores why that’s the case and what a title with the Trail Blazers would mean for Lillard and the franchise.
In his list of players returning from injuries who could impact the playoff race, Matt Eppers of USA Today has Trail Blazers teammates CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic sharing the top spot. Neither play was active on Thursday, but they’re both believed to be close to returning.
After a dismal first half, the Timberwolves got off to a promising start in the second half, with young building blocks Jaden McDaniels and Jaylen Nowell playing key roles in head coach Chris Finch’s first win on Thursday, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

G League Assignments: Pokusevski, Oturu, Magnay, Azubuike, Forrest

February 2nd, 2021 at 7:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Thunder rookie big man Aleksej Pokusevski has averaged 17.4 minutes per game in 17 appearances but he’s headed to Orlando to join the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. The 17th overall pick, who played 20 minutes in a blowout loss to Houston on Monday, is shooting just 24.7% from the field and the team wants him to develop his offensive game.

Guard Ty Jerome and two-way players Moses Brown and Josh Hall are also going to Orlando. “A lot of time and effort has gone into deciding who to send and when to send them,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “We felt like sending the four of them together, all for different reasons developmentally, was the best decision.”

We have more G League transactions from Western Conference clubs:

The Clippers assigned rookie big man Daniel Oturu to the Agua Caliente Clippers, according the RealGM transactions log. Oturu has appeared in 10 NBA games this season but has only averaged 4.2 MPG. He’s only gotten on the court once since January 22 and the organization wants Oturu to get some extended playing time during the bubble season in Orlando.
The Pelicans have transferred two-way player Will Magnay to the Erie BayHawks, the Pelicans’ PR department tweets. The 22-year-old rookie power forward out of Tulsa, who played in Australia last season, has not appeared in a game this season.
The Jazz duo of rookie center Udoka Azubuike and Trent Forrest are joining the Salt Lake City Stars, the G League team tweets. Azubuike, the team’s first-round pick out of Kansas, has made 12 limited appearances this season. Forrest, an undrafted guard out of Florida State, has played in two NBA games.

Thunder Sign Moses Brown To Two-Way Deal

December 9th, 2020 at 10:11am CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 9: Brown’s deal with the Thunder is now official, the team announced in a press release.

Oklahoma City is currently carrying 17 players on standard contracts and a pair (Brown and Josh Hall) on two-way deals.

NOVEMBER 22: Former Trail Blazers center Moses Brown will sign a two-way contract with the Thunder, according to Adam Zagoria of Forbes. The deal was confirmed by his agent, Gary Mo Moore.

Brown spent one year with Portland on a two-way deal and appeared in nine NBA games, playing 33 total minutes. He averaged 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game with the Texas Legends in the G League. Brown didn’t rejoin the Blazers for the NBA’s restart in Orlando.

“I think that Moses in the last nine weeks has grown in leaps and bounds,” Moore said. “He’s gotten so much better in all phases of his game and in his life, and I think he’s going to be a tremendously surprise great addition to the league. I think the Oklahoma City Thunder have gotten a real quality player and he’s more ready now than (before).”