Nemanja Nedovic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Durant, Nedovic, Warriors

May 31st, 2016 at 2:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kevin Durant, fresh off the Thunder being eliminated by Golden State in the playoffs, said it was too soon for him to start thinking about where he will be playing next season, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays. “I mean, we just lost like 30 minutes ago, so I haven’t even thought about it,” Durant, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, said. “I’m just embracing my teammates and just reflecting on the season. I’ll think about that stuff, I don’t know when. But we just lost an hour ago, 30 minutes ago, so I don’t know.”

“There’s no moral victories in our locker room after the game,” a frustrated Durant continued. “We’re all upset. We wanted to get a chance to play for a championship in the Finals, so that hurts. But when you sit down and look back at what happened throughout the season, you can be proud of not just the players, but everybody in the organization, from the top to the bottom, people that you guys don’t know or ever see contribute to what we bring out on the court. That’s just pride, effort, passion, love for the game. Pure love for the game every single night, and that comes from just walking into our practice facility every single day and feeling those vibes and feeling that energy from everyone. I’m just proud of what we’ve all been through this season. We stuck together and we sacrificed for each other. That’s just what makes this game so special.”

Here’s the latest from out West:

Former Warriors point guard Nemanja Nedovic inked a two-year contract extension to remain with the Spanish club Unicaja Malaga, the team announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). The 24-year-old former first-rounder last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 campaign. Nedovic had given up $599,760 of his $1.104MM guaranteed salary in a buyout deal to secure his release from Golden State after he had grown unhappy with his lack of playing time.
Golden State has been rumored to be “significant” frontrunners for Durant should he leave the Thunder this summer, and current Warriors forward Andre Iguodala noted that it would be entertaining to play alongside the “Slim Reaper,” Jimmy Durkin of The Mercury News relays. “He made some really tough shots, which is what I expected,” Iguodala said of Durant. “He’s a fighter and competitor and fought to the end. It must be fun playing with a guy like that. Unless I’m not playing with him.” Of course, the rub for Iguodala is that it would be extremely difficult for the team to retain him and his 2016/17 salary of $11,131,368 and sign Durant to a max deal. This is regardless of whether or not Golden State retains restricted free agents Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli, though keeping both would make adding Durant virtually impossible without some significant corresponding roster moves.
Speculating on Durant’s impending free agency, ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links) noted that many league insiders predict the forward will ink a two-year deal to remain with the Thunder that includes an opt-out after the first season. The scribe lists the Wizards, Heat, Celtics, Rockets, Knicks, Lakers, Spurs and Warriors as the teams expected to make the most aggressive pitches for Durant this summer.

And-Ones: NBPA, Hackett, Whittington

July 16th, 2015 at 10:41pm CST by Eddie Scarito

NBPA head Michele Roberts released a statement today in response to commissioner Adam Silver’s recent comments where he indicated that several NBA teams were still losing money despite the salary givebacks and enhanced revenue sharing agreed upon in the last CBA (h/t RealGM). “Under the CBA, we do not have a gross compensation system. The players’ 50% share is calculated net of a substantial amount of expenses and deductions,” Roberts said. “New and renovated arenas around the league have proven to be revenue drivers, profit centers, and franchise valuation boosters. That has been the case over the past few years in Orlando, Brooklyn, and New York, to name a few. In some instances, owners receive arena revenues that are not included in BRI. Many teams also receive generous arena subsidies, loans and other incentives from state and local governments as part of their arena deals.”

Roberts concluded by adding, “Virtually every business metric demonstrates that our business is healthy. Gate receipts, merchandise sales and TV ratings are all at an all-time high. Franchise values have risen exponentially in recent years, and the NBA has enjoyed high single digit revenue growth since 2010/11.”

Here’s more from around the league:

A league source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that there are approximately 10 NBA teams that are currently losing money.
Terdema Ussery, a finalist for the union executive director position that went to Roberts, is leaving his position as president and CEO of the Mavericks effective August 30th, the team announced via press release. He’ll join Under Armour, the Mavs said.
Former Georgetown forward Greg Whittington has three partially guaranteed deals on the table from NBA squads, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. The undrafted 22-year-old has averaged 15.7 points per game during Las Vegas Summer League play, Charania notes.
Shooting guard Daniel Hackett, who worked out for the Knicks, has officially signed with Olympiacos of Greece, the team announced (translation by Enea Trapani of Sportando).
Austin Rivers‘ two-year deal with the Clippers will pay him $3.1MM for next season, $3.3MM for the 2016/17 campaign, and the guard has a player option included in his contract for the final season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The deal that Nemanja Bjelica inked with the Timberwolves will pay him $3.95MM for the 2015/16 season, $3.8MM the following year, $3.95MM during the 2017/18 campaign, and all three seasons are fully guaranteed, Pincus relays (on Twitter).

Pacific Notes: Nedovic, Lakers, Williams

November 29th, 2014 at 11:06am CST by Eddie Scarito

Nemanja Nedovic gave up $599,760 of his $1.104MM guaranteed salary in an apparent buyout deal to secure his release from the Warriors, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Golden State’s cap hit this season for Nedovic will be $504,240, notes Pincus. Nedovic was waived by the Warriors earlier this month and then inked a deal with Valencia of Spain.

Here’s more from out west:

With the Lakers roster currently at the league-maximum 15 players, GM Mitch Kupchak would need to waive a player prior to adding another healthy body long-term, something he is more likely to do via trade than signing a free agent, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “We would have to find a better player than who is on our roster now since you have to cut somebody,” said Kupchak. “I’m not sure those players exist as free agents. When we get something closer to the trade deadline, there might be something there.” The Lakers have applied for a 16th roster spot, but that’s only a temporary measure. NBA has granted the Lakers two disabled player exceptions for the season-ending injuries to Julius Randle and Steve Nash, and they’re looking to receive a third for Xavier Henry.
Matt Peterson, Ben York, and Greg Esposito of NBA.com looked back and debated which trades, draft picks, and free agent signings have worked out the best for the Suns.
The increase in Derrick Williams‘ playing time recently could mean that the Kings are showcasing the forward to increase his trade value, Rui Williams of Cowbell Kingdom opines. Williams’ minutes have increased over the last five contests from 5.5 per game to 19.2. The Kings scribe points out that a similar situation occurred last season with Luc Mbah a Moute, who was subsequently dealt to Minnesota for Williams.

Warriors Notes: Nedovic, Jackson, D-League

November 14th, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Golden State has an open roster spot, but it doesn’t appear as though the Warriors are in a rush to fill it. They avoided what would have been a three-game losing streak with Thursday’s win over the Nets, yet six of their next eight games are on the road, including four in the Eastern Time Zone. While we wait to see if the team calls for reinforcements during that stretch, here more from by the Bay:

The Warriors waived Nemanja Nedovic this week in part because they wanted to reap savings on his roughly $1.104MM guaranteed salary for this season, according to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, which suggests Golden State had set-off rights in mind. Those rights would allow the Warriors to avoid paying one half the difference between Nedovic’s new salary with Valencia of Spain and $816,482, which is the NBA minimum salary for a one-year veteran. It’s still unclear how much Nedovic will make on his Spanish deal.
Mark Jackson‘s tenure as Warriors coach ended acrimoniously this spring, but co-owner Joe Lacob doesn’t regret having hired him in 2011, as Lacob tells Bay Area News Group columnist Marcus Thompson. “Mark Jackson was a great hire,” Lacob said. “I know it’s hard for people to understand how we can change coaches when a coach won 51 games. But you have to look at it from our perspective: he did his job. I’m proud of the fact that we had Mark Jackson as a coach. And I like Mark Jackson, as a person and as a coach. It’s just that I felt, we felt, we needed to go to the next stage, and we felt if we do it in a different way, it would be better.”
Justin Holiday and Ognjen Kuzmic are headed on D-League assignment, the Warriors announced. Golden State frequently sent Kuzmic to the Santa Cruz Warriors last year, when he appeared in 28 D-League games and only 20 NBA contests.

Nemanja Nedovic Signs With Valencia

November 14th, 2014 at 8:06am CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 8:06am: The deal is official, the team announced (Twitter link). The pact runs through June 2016, according to the club. It’s unclear whether there are any NBA escape clauses involved.

THURSDAY, 5:01pm: Nemanja Nedovic has cleared waivers after being released by the Warriors and has signed a deal with Valencia of Spain, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the deal have not been released. Nedovic was also reportedly being pursued by Efes, Laboral Kuxta, and Fenerbahce Ulker.

Valencia had shown interest in Nedovic prior to his release from Golden State after the Warriors had declined his rookie scale team option for 2015/16. Golden State is still on the hook for Nedovic’s 2014/15 guaranteed salary, worth more than $1.1MM, though set-off rights could allow the Warriors to reduce that amount, depending on how much Nedovic makes in Europe this season.

Nedovic, 23, appeared in 24 games with the Warriors last season as a rookie, averaging 1.1 points in 5.9 minutes per contest. He didn’t see any regular season action this year after averaging 9.2 points, 2.6 assists and in 15.9 minutes in the preseason.

Latest On Nemanja Nedovic

November 13th, 2014 at 9:52am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 9:52am: The GM of Turkey’s Fenerbahce Ulker met with Nedovic’s camp, Pick tweets, casting another European team in the race for the ex-Warrior who’ll come off waivers today unless an NBA team submits a claim.

WEDNESDAY, 11:51am: Spain’s Laboral Kuxta is also among the interested teams, though Valencia is the front-runner, writes Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net.

10:07am: Efes is heavily pursuing Nedovic, a source tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link).

9:51am: Nemanja Nedovic has struck a deal with Valencia of Spain contingent on him clearing NBA waivers after the Warriors released him Tuesday, a source tells Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. Marc Stein of ESPN.com confirms that a deal with Valencia is in place (Twitter link), but Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net cautions that Anadolu Efes of Turkey would have the edge for the 23-year-old point guard if the team made a push to sign him.

The Misko Raznatovic client asked the Warriors to waive him so that he could seek more playing time with a team in Europe, Stein tweets, and Nedovic’s camp has been letting NBA teams know that he intends to play overseas for the near future, as the ESPN scribe also notes. Raznatovic told Ivan Bogunović of Mondo.rs in Nedovic’s native Serbia that Nedovic is headed to a Euroleague team, though he didn’t specify whether it would be Valencia, Efes, or another club (translation via Carchia). Nedovic told Novosti.rs, another Serbian outlet, that he still harbors NBA dreams but that he’s heading to Europe because his priority is to go where he can find playing time (translation via Carchia). Nedovic didn’t appear in any regular season games with the Warriors this season.

Valencia appeared to have interest in Nedovic prior to his release from the Warriors, who signaled that the 23-year-old wasn’t in their long-term plans when they declined his rookie scale team option for 2015/16 before last month’s deadline to pick it up. Golden State will nonetheless be on the hook for his 2014/15 guaranteed salary, worth more than $1.1MM, as long as he clears waivers. Set-off rights could allow the Warriors to reduce that amount, depending on how much Nedovic makes in Europe this year.

Warriors Waive Nemanja Nedovic

November 11th, 2014 at 4:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors have waived guard Nemanja Nedovic, the team announced via a press release. This comes on the heels of a report from Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group that relayed the team was in talks with Nedovic about a way to allow him to move on from the team. According to Leung, the Warriors were interested in a buyout or possible trade rather than an outright release. It is not yet clear if the two sides reached an agreement on a buyout prior to Nedovic being waived.

Unless Nedovic is claimed off waivers, which is unlikely, Golden State is on the hook for Nedovic’s $1.1MM salary for this season, and this move reduces the team’s roster count to 14 players. It was apparent that the point guard wasn’t in their long-term plans after the team declined to pick up their third-year team option for Nedovic last month. For his part, Nedovic has seemingly been the subject of attention from overseas. Valencia of Spain has targeted Nedovic as a replacement for Dwight Buycks, who reached a buyout arrangement with the Spanish club last week, according to PlazaDeportiva.com (Translation via HoopsHype).

Nedovic, 23, appeared in 24 games with the Warriors last season as a rookie, averaging 1.1 points in 5.9 minutes per contest. He hasn’t seen any regular season action this year after averaging 9.2 points, 2.6 assists and in 15.9 minutes in the preseason.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Warriors Pick Up Barnes Option, Decline Nedovic

October 30th, 2014 at 6:39pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Warriors have exercised their fourth-year team option for Harrison Barnes, the team has announced in a press release. The team also intends to decline their third-year option for Nemanja Nedovic, the press release noted. With Golden State also picking up their team option for Festus Ezeli earlier today, the Warriors now have an estimated $62MM in guaranteed salary commitments for the 2015/16 season. That figure doesn’t include Klay Thompson, who is currently in talks with the team regarding a contract extension.

The 22-year-old Barnes has appeared in 160 games, including 106 as a starter, in his three seasons in Golden State. He has averaged 9.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.3 APG, and his career slash line is .418/.349/.737. Barnes, who was selected with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft, was a First Team All-Rookie selection in 2012/13.

Nedovic, 23, appeared in 24 games with the Warriors last season as a rookie, averaging 1.1 points in 5.9 minutes per contest. It’s not a surprise that Golden State would decline their option on Nedovic, seeing as he is currently buried on the depth chart as the fourth point guard.

Warriors Unlikely To Pick Up Nedovic’s Option

October 29th, 2014 at 10:39am CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors are “leaning strongly” toward declining their team option for 2015/16 on Nemanja Nedovic, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. The option is worth nearly $1.152MM, as our Rookie Scale Team Option Tracker shows. That’s not much in the grand scheme of Golden State’s payroll, but the team is poised to have trouble avoiding the tax for 2015/16, as I outlined earlier.

Nedovic put up 1.1 points in just 5.9 minutes per game as a rookie last season, and he was an afterthought even though Golden State struggled to find a backup to Stephen Curry at the point. The Warriors signed Shaun Livingston this summer to a three year contract worth about $16.631MM in large measure to fill the backup point guard role, helping cloud the future of Nedovic, who was the 30th overall pick in 2013.

The Warriors will have about $58.1MM in commitments for next season once they pick up Festus Ezeli‘s option, as they reportedly will do, and presumably they’ll do the same with Harrison Barnes, adding about another $3.873MM. Those option pickups plus the max deal for Klay Thompson that the shooting guard is looking for would put the Warriors at roughly $77MM for eight players next season, not counting a nearly $1.271MM player option for Brandon Rush. That would put the team over the tax based on this year’s threshold, but it’s unclear where that tax line will be next year. Co-owner Joe Lacob reportedly has no desire to pay the tax at this point even though he’s spoken in the past of a willingness to do so.

Western Notes: Nedovic, Gasol, Faried

October 8th, 2014 at 5:56pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nemanja Nedovic said that the Warriors haven’t given him any indication on whether or not the team’s third-year option on his contract will be picked up, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. Golden State has until October 31st to decide on Nedovic’s option.

Here’s more from out west:

Pau Gasol doesn’t have fond memories of being a free agent this past summer, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Talking about the process that led him to sign with the Bulls, Gasol said, “It was a difficult decision; it was a difficult process to go through and I don’t wish to go through it again because it was just very stressful. My phone was blowing up. It got to points in the day where I just didn’t want to be by my phone so I just put it away. I don’t know who called at those times. I tried to return the calls and the messages as much as I could, because I was trying to be respectful and appreciative of the people that had interest in me. I did not expect nor anticipate that it was going to be that hectic and that stressful. So first it was hard for me to make the decision to move on from the team that I’ve been a part of and been through so much with – the Lakers. Then, after that, it was, ‘Okay, where do I want to play?’”
The Kings have hired David Arseneault Jr. as head coach of the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento’s D-League affiliate, the team announced via a press release. Arseneault was previously working as an assistant at Grinnell College, a Division III program. The Kings presumably hired him to implement and teach Grinnell’s high-scoring offensive system, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports notes.
One of the big worries with signing players to big dollar contracts is if the pressure to live up to the numbers will hamper the player. Kenneth Faried isn’t letting his new windfall from the Nuggets affect him, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. When asked if he was feeling added weight because of the contract extension, Faried said, “No, I really don’t care. There’s no pressure, it’s just money. It’s not a big deal. I love the game so I’m going to continue to play the game like I’ve been playing. My mind has been at ease and I’ve been grinding.”