Nate Robinson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Waive Nate Robinson In Buyout Deal

January 15th, 2015 at 6:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

6:43pm: The Celtics have officially waived Robinson, the team has announced.

THURSDAY, 3:40pm: Boston has placed Robinson on waivers, according to Shams Charania of RealGM, though the team has yet to make any official announcement (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 9:09am: The Celtics and trade acquisition Nate Robinson have completed a deal on a buyout that will allow the guard to hit free agency, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link). Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported that Boston intended to reach a buyout with Robinson soon after the swap. The guard is making nearly $2.107MM this season on an expiring contract, but it’s not immediately clear how much he’s giving up.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports suggested the Clippers as a possible suitor for Robinson should he clear waivers, noting that the Clips had spoken with the Nuggets about trading for Robinson before the Celtics traded for him. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com identified the Cavs as a potential team in the mix for Robinson, too.

Boston has reportedly been trying to clear room on its roster for a pair of expiring contracts to accommodate the team’s deal to send Austin Rivers to the Clippers. The C’s have been carrying 15 players, so dropping Robinson would open up one spot, and dealing Rivers away would allow them to take back a pair of players.

The 30-year-old Robinson, who went to the 2010 Finals with the Celtics during his first stint with the team, wouldn’t have been a strong fit with the rebuilding program that’s since taken hold in Boston. He’s averaging career lows in points and minutes per game so far, though he’s played in 33 of Denver 37 games so far and started once in place of Ty Lawson.

Northwest Notes: Nelson, Robinson, Saunders

January 14th, 2015 at 10:37am CST by Chuck Myron

This season’s first 50-point scoring performance came from an unlikely source, as Mo Williams dropped 52 on the Pacers to help the Timberwolves to a rare victory Tuesday. The 32-year-old who’s on a one-year deal is still averaging only 12.4 points per game, even with the 52 taken into account. While we wait to see if Williams can stay hot and boost his stock, here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

The Nuggets gave Jameer Nelson assurances about minutes and style of play to help him overcome his initial hesitation to head to Denver, TNT’s David Aldridge reports (on Twitter). The Celtics shipped Nelson to the Nuggets late Tuesday in exchange for Nate Robinson.
Robinson had tired of his sharply limited playing time prior to the trade and was at times a distracting force in the locker room for the Nuggets, according to Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post. The guard, who’s reportedly reached a buyout deal with Boston, is seeking a chance to showcase his talent as he approaches free agency this summer and would prefer to sign with a contender, Dempsey writes.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor hasn’t spoken with Flip Saunders about whether Saunders will coach the team again next season, as Taylor tells Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Saunders and Taylor reached a deal that’s “open-ended” in terms of length this past offseason when Saunders, who also serves as the team’s president of basketball operations, agreed to coach the team.
Taylor recently rebuffed interest from a suitor looking to buy the Wolves, as he also tells Walters (Twitter link).
The Oklahoman’s Jenni Carlson, Darnell Mayberry, Anthony Slater and Berry Tramel speculate on the future of Reggie Jackson, possible deadline moves for the Thunder, and more.

Nuggets Discuss Potential Randy Foye Trades

January 13th, 2015 at 11:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nuggets are engaged in trade talks regarding Randy Foye, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes at the bottom of a story about today’s Celtics-Nuggets trade. Windhorst echoes a Monday report from ESPN colleague Ramona Shelburne indicating that the team is fielding multiple inquiries about Arron Afflalo.

Foye hasn’t played since November 23rd as he recovers from a torn ligament in his right quadricep. The 31-year-old is making $3MM this season, but he’s on a de facto expiring contract, since his $3.135MM salary for 2015/16 is non-guaranteed. The Celtics have been seeking expiring deals from the Clippers in return for Austin Rivers, though it would seem that if Boston had interest in Foye, the Celtics and Nuggets would have made him part of an expanded Robinson-Nelson swap.

Denver has been active of late, receiving a pair of first-round picks in last week’s deal that sent Timofey Mozgov to the Cavs and shipping Nate Robinson to Boston for Jameer Nelson earlier Tuesday evening. The Nuggets are also making a hard push to trade Wilson Chandler, as TNT’s David Aldridge reported early Tuesday. The acquisition of Nelson appears to be a move with an eye on the present, in contrast to the future-focused Mozgov deal. The Nuggets are just 17-20, but they have won four in a row and are just two games in the loss column behind the Suns, who occupy the final playoff position in the Western Conference. Nelson will presumably move into the backup point guard role that Robinson had occupied and that Foye would man at times if he were healthy. Robinson is reportedly expected to reach a buyout deal with the Celtics, and Windhorst suggests that the Cavs are among the teams interested in him should he hit free agency.

Celtics Acquire Nate Robinson

January 13th, 2015 at 8:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

8:18pm: The trade is official, both the Celtics and the Nuggets have announced. Judging by Denver GM Tim Connelly‘s statement in the press release, the Nuggets intend to keep Nelson. “We are excited to add a player of Jameer’s caliber to our roster,” said Connelly. “We have no doubt that his experience and veteran leadership will be of value to our team.”

5:05pm: The Celtics are close to acquiring guard Nate Robinson from the Nuggets, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Boston will be sending Jameer Nelson to Denver in return, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Nelson had been acquired from Dallas in the deal for Rajon Rondo, but didn’t fit into Boston’s long-term plans. Robinson is expected to reach a buyout arrangement with the Celtics, Spears adds (Twitter links). The Nuggets will not be sending any draft picks to the Celtics in this deal, Spears also notes.

Robinson, the diminutive point guard out of Washington University, is a potential candidate to be signed by the Clippers if he is released, Wojnarowski tweets. Denver had discussed a deal with Los Angeles for Robinson in recent weeks, though no arrangement could be agreed upon, Wojnarowski notes. Robinson is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and is making $2,106,720 this season.

The Clippers had also been reported to be in pursuit of new Celtic Austin Rivers and continue to try to acquire him even in the wake of this deal for Boston, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Los Angeles has reportedly engaged in talks to send out Jordan Farmar, so a separate deal for Rivers could still be possible. The Clippers are also looking to unload Reggie Bullock to clear cap space under their hard cap, Pincus reports (Twitter link).

In 33 games for the Nuggets this season, Robinson has averaged 5.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 14.1 minutes per contest. His career numbers over nine seasons in the league are 11.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 3.0 APG. His career slash line is .424/.360/.796.

Nelson, 32, was also reportedly in talks to reach a buyout arrangement with he Celtics, since he was unhappy with his playing time since arriving in Beantown. In 680 career games Nelson has averaged 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. His slash line is .439/.372/.816.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Northwest Notes: Christon, Durant, Wolves

September 29th, 2014 at 7:05pm CST by Cray Allred

The preseason roster the Thunder released today doesn’t include Semaj Christon‘s name on it, so presumably the 55th overall pick from June’s draft won’t be joining the team this year. Oklahoma City acquired the rights to the former Xavier point guard in a draft-night trade with the Hornets, who’d obtained his rights from the Heat in a trade earlier that same evening. Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Kevin Durant opened up to Sam Amick of USA Today about his looming free agency in two years. “It’s not a surprise [that people ask him about it] because everybody wants to know,” Durant said. “But I’m taking it day by day with the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s my main concern. And whatever the future holds, I don’t know, because I can’t tell you the future…I like the direction we’re going in, and that’s not just a cliché [expletive] answer. That’s real.” Durant also spoke highly of GM Sam Presti, who is optimistic about Durant’s future. “We know it’s there, and we are looking forward to it—the opportunity to re-sign a legacy player,” said Presti.
Nate Robinson told reporters including Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post that he’d like to remain with the Nuggets beyond this year, the last on his contract with Denver. “I’m too old to be moving around too much more,” Robinson said. “The city is great, the fans are great and this team is awesome. I would love to be here if they would love to have me.”
Wolves coach and president Flip Saunders deflected questions about the team’s extension talks with Ricky Rubio at the team media day, as did the point guard himself, reports Andy Greder of St. Paul Pioneer Press. “He has a contract right now,” said Saunders. “The future, as I’ve said about all [rookie scale extension candidates], they go through the process. Some get signed and some don’t. But I think it’s been very evident that Ricky is important to our team.”
Wolves GM Milt Newton has no worries about getting along with Saunders, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. With Saunders focusing on the hardwood, Newton says the “day-to-day grind” of being a GM will be squarely on his shoulders.

Chuck Myron and Zach Links contributed to this post.

Nate Robinson Opts In For 2014/15

June 23rd, 2014 at 10:03am CST by Chuck Myron

JUNE 23RD: Robinson has officially opted in to remain with the Nuggets, the team announced.

JUNE 22ND: No surprise here: Robinson’s agent Aaron Goodwin tells Sam Amick of USA Today (on Twitter) that his client will exercise his $2.1MM player option for next season with the Nuggets.

MARCH 6TH: Injured Nuggets guard Nate Robinson will exercise his player option to return to the team next season, according to Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post. The move is not at all surprising, since the left ACL tear he suffered in January knocked him out for the rest of this season. Robinson tells Dempsey he’ll be ready for training camp in the fall.

The Aaron Goodwin client will make $2,106,720 next season, and that salary will push Denver’s guaranteed commitments for 2014/15 to nearly $61.156MM. Darrell Arthur has given early indications that he’ll exercise his player option, too, and the more than $3.457MM coming to him would almost assuredly push the Nuggets over the salary cap for next season.

Robinson averaged 10.4 points in 19.7 minutes per game over 44 contests in his debut season with the Nuggets. The ninth-year veteran shot 37.7% from three-point range, slightly better than his career average of 36.4%.

And-Ones: Austin, Melo, Celtics, Cavs

June 22nd, 2014 at 10:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Isaiah Austin‘s decision to jump to the NBA was questioned by scouts but strangely enough, it’s the NBA’s medical tests that may have saved his life, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Earlier today we learned that the Baylor center won’t be able to play in the NBA after being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. Here’s more from around the league..

Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) expects Carmelo Anthony to take a pay cut regardless of where he lands, even if it’s a return to the Knicks. To Beck, it’s not a matter of if, but how much Melo is willing to lop off.
Beck (Twitter links) doesn’t see a sign-and-trade as being all that likely for the Knicks if Melo leaves. The Knicks would be interested in expiring deals and draft picks, but it’s hard to see them taking on any salary commitments beyond 2014/15 that would handcuff their flexibility.
Celtics assistant Ron Adams is heading west to join the Warriors‘ staff, writes Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe.
The Cavs‘ hire of David Blatt as head coach might seem like a bit of a gamble, but Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio is all for it. Vinny Del Negro wouldn’t have been a bad hire for Cleveland, but Blatt represents a bold, out-of-the-box choice for the club.
The Pacers will work out Mike Moser, Roscoe Smith, Eric Moreland, Tyler Stone, David Stockton, and Nick Kellogg on Monday, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.

Western Notes: Hollins, Nuggets, Butler

May 11th, 2014 at 11:04am CST by Eddie Scarito

Lionel Hollins will interview with the Warriors for their head coaching position, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The interview will take place at the Chicago pre-draft combine that starts Thursday, according to the article. This confirms an earlier report made by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Nate Robinson Out For Season

January 31st, 2014 at 9:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Nuggets guard Nate Robinson underwent surgery for a torn ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post (via Twitter). The diminutive guard suffered a left knee injury during Wednesday’s game against the Bobcats and was forced to exit early, but the injury wasn’t known to be quite this severe.

The Nuggets’ backcourt is now in disarray with Robinson done for the year, Ty Lawson sidelined thanks to shoulder trouble, and Andre Miller stuck in limbo. With Danilo Gallinari also done for the year, it’s hard to see the .500 Nuggets living up to the expectations set out for them at the beginning of the season.

With their backcourt seriously thinned out, it’ll be interesting to see how the Nuggets approach the trade deadline. At the very least, it would be surprising if Denver didn’t scope out the free agent market for a guard in the coming days.

Odds & Ends: Stern, Nuggets, Marshall

January 31st, 2014 at 4:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Agent David Falk believes outgoing commissioner David Stern has set the league up for long-lasting labor peace, as he tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

“I think the TV revenues are going to grow dramatically in the next agreement,” Falk said. “And it’s so damaging to the business of the NBA to shut it down. Personally, I think it was irresponsible for Billy [Hunter] to have allowed it to be shut down twice. The players lost $1.25 billion that they’ll never make up and they got nothing for it. And why would the owners shut it down? To get 5 percent more? The potential for where the league should be at the end of the current agreement is so high — if it’s done properly — that to be greedy to try to steal a few percent is foolish.”

Falk also told Berger that Stern said he envisioned drastic changes to the schedule and starting up a separate, NBA-caliber league in Europe or Asia when he took over as commissioner 30 years ago. None of that happened, of course, but Stern did get around to plenty during his tenure, which ends today. Here’s more from the league he helped mold:

The Nuggets aren’t sure Nate Robinson will play again this season because of an ACL injury, notes Terry Frei of the Denver Post, who believes the team should turn to Andre Miller in his absense. The Nuggets are considering that, but it’s still unlikely that Miller will suit up for Denver again, writes fellow Post scribe Chris Dempsey.
Kendall Marshall uses slights that date back to his recruitment to the University of North Carolina as motivation, and he finds it odd that so many were quick to label his NBA career a bust, as the Lakers point guard tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “I’m 22 years old. I’m still evolving as a player,” Marshall said. “Look at a guy like Ty Lawson – he’s 26 and he’s still getting better. So much of this is about opportunity.”
Scouts tell Chad Ford of ESPN.com that they continue to rank Marcus Smart as a better point guard prospect than Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis, but Ennis is nonetheless a fast riser, as Ford and Kevin Pelton examine in an Insider-only piece.