Nik Stauskas Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Pistons Arena, Morris Twins, Wade

October 29th, 2016 at 2:48pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons are moving closer toward a move to downtown Detroit and the new Little Caesar’s Arena, team owner Tom Gores confirmed on Friday, Aaron McMann of MLive.com relays. Gores wouldn’t address specifics regarding the potential deal, but did note that it could happen as early as the 2017/18 season, McMann adds. “If we do it, it’s going to be soon,” Gores said. “I’ve always been relatively transparent with you guys, and we’re getting close. We’re getting close. Look, we’re serious. We’re serious about making this move. And I think we should take it in and enjoy the Palace. It’s been an historic arena.”

If the Pistons do make the move, they would share the arena with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. Both sides are researching what it would take to retro-fit the still-under-construction venue for basketball, and Pistons ownership is seeking space downtown for executive offices and a team practice facility, McMann writes. “There’s a lot going on down there,” Gores said of downtown Detroit. “If you look at it, you got the Tigers, the Red Wings, the Lions. There’s a lot going on down there. There’s a lot of activity.”

Here’s more from the East:

Wizards forward Markieff Morris and his twin brother, Marcus Morris, who is a member of the Pistons, are the subjects of a civil lawsuit in Arizona stemming from an alleged assault last year that has also garnered the pair criminal charges, Candace Buckner of The Washington Post reports. The criminal case is ongoing, with the next hearing scheduled for November 4th, Buckner notes.
The Bulls intend to juggle Dwyane Wade‘s minutes in an effort to strike a balance between keeping the veteran fresh, while also maximizing his production on a nightly basis, Mark Strotman of CSNChicago.com notes. “(Coach Fred Hoiberg) hasn’t said, ‘You’re going to play 30 minutes exactly,’” Wade said. “A lot of it is just, looking at preseason, I think I’m going to be around 30-32 minutes just by the substitution patterns that [Hoiberg] is thinking about for me. I’m good with it. We haven’t had a [direct] conversation, but we’re both cool with it. I’m not a kind of guy that wants to stay out for 10-12 minutes on the clock because I’m gonna get a little stiff. I’m also not a kind of guy that wants to go for 12 minutes straight, so I think he is learning me, and we stay in constant communication about when I’ve got a little break and I’m ready to go again.”
Despite coming out of college with the reputation as an outside shooter, Nik Stauskas aims to be seen as a well-rounded player, Brian Seltzer of NBA.com writes. When asked to describe himself, the Sixers guard told the scribe, “I consider myself gamer. I don’t think I’m an effective NBA player when I just stand and spot up and shoot threes. That’s really not my game. Although I feel like I can do that, it’s not something that I want to be doing, just standing out there. I feel I can be a lot more effective for this team doing other things.”

Sixers Exercise Options On Embiid, Okafor, Stauskas

October 26th, 2016 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have exercised their 2017/18 team options on the rookie contracts of Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Nik Stauskas, according to the RealGM.com transactions log. For Embiid and Stauskas, that means having their fourth-year options picked up. It’s a third-year option for Okafor.

While Embiid has missed his first two NBA seasons due to injuries, he’s set to finally make his regular-season debut, and the Sixers remain very excited about his long-term potential. The cost of his 2017/18 option is $6.1MM. He’ll be extension-eligible in 2017 and eligible for restricted free agency in 2018.

Okafor, meanwhile, is coming off a rookie season in which he averaged 17.5 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 53 contests. While Okafor’s offensive production was solid, he missed some time with injuries, didn’t mesh particularly well with Nerlens Noel, and needs to improve on the defensive end. Still, his $4.995MM salary for 2017/18 is extremely affordable.

As for Stauskas, his hold on a roster spot for 2016/17 appeared tenuous over the last few weeks, but now that he’s made the team, he’ll also have his $3.807MM salary for 2017/18 guaranteed. Given his struggles during his first two NBA seasons, that decision comes as a bit of a surprise. However, Philadelphia is well below the salary floor this year and only had about $20MM in guaranteed salary on its books for ’17/18 entering today, so it’s not as if the Sixers can’t afford to eat Stauskas’ salary if they decide to waive him.

The full breakdown of the 2016 decisions on 2017/18 team options can be found right here.

Sixers Waive Paul, Webb, Barber, Long, Christmas

October 24th, 2016 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

3:32pm: The 76ers have confirmed the five cuts listed below, announcing in a press release that they’ve waived Paul, Webb, Barber, Long, and Christmas.

2:35pm: The Sixers entered the day with 19 players, and will waive at least four of those players to get down to the regular-season limit. According to Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers (Twitter link), Brandon Paul will be one of those cuts. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (via Twitter) that James Webb III, Cat Barber, and Shawn Long will also be released by the club.

[RELATED: Elton Brand announces retirement]

In addition to the 19 players they had coming into the day, the Sixers also signed Dionte Christmas to a contract. While it hasn’t been officially reported or confirmed yet, Christmas will likely be Philadelphia’s fifth cut.

Webb, Barber, and Long are all candidates to join the Delaware 87ers, Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate, since the 76ers hold their rights. However, Paul has received interest from other NBA teams and there has been no talk of him heading to Delaware, a source tells Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link). Christmas doesn’t exactly fit the bill of a developmental prospect, but it looks like the Sixers may have picked up the 30-year-old today to send him to the D-League — a team can assign up to four preseason cuts to its D-League affiliate, assuming the player agrees.

Paul, Long, Webb, and Barber had partial guarantees worth $155K, $65K, $65K, and $50K respectively. Those figures will continue to count against Philadelphia’s cap. Assuming the Sixers don’t make any more cuts, they’ll head into the season with Robert Covington, Jerami Grant, T.J. McConnell, and Hollis Thompson on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed salaries.

Additionally, as Fischer notes, Nik Stauskas has made Philadelphia’s roster to start the year. The former eighth overall pick has a fully guaranteed salary worth nearly $3MM, but there was some uncertainty about whether the Sixers would have room for him. For now, at least, it seems they do.

Community Shootaround: Nik Stauskas’ Future

September 30th, 2016 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

In July 2015, the Sixers acquired Nik Stauskas in a trade with the Kings, just a year after Sacramento had used the 8th overall pick in the 2014 draft to land the Michigan standout. It looked like an ideal fit for Stauskas, who would get to play more minutes in Philadelphia, but wouldn’t necessarily be under any more pressure, since the Sixers weren’t viewed as a playoff contender.

For the season, Stauskas appeared in 73 games for the 76ers, starting 35 of them. He did indeed play more minutes (24.8 per game), and his other averages increased along with his playing time. However, his 8.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 1.9 APG marks weren’t all that impressive, and he continued to struggle with his shot, making 38.5% of his attempts from the floor, including just 32.6% from three-point range.

Heading into his third NBA season, Stauskas knows he has to take a big step forward. While he’s not likely to lose his roster spot prior to the regular season, there’s no guarantee that the Sixers will exercise his $3.81MM option for 2017/18 within the next month, so it could become a contract year for the Canadian guard.

“Coming into my third year now, I can’t really make excuses anymore, like I’m young and trying to figure things out,” Stauskas said this week, per John Smallwood of The Philadelphia Daily News. “It’s time for me to make the improvements that I’ve been trying to make over the last two years. It’s time to show that.

“I think there were times last year when I showed glimpses where I was getting to the basket well, shooting well and finishing,” Stauskas added. “But I think I let my confidence waver throughout the year. I think I am mentally stronger. I know I belong now. My first two years, there were so many times when I wondered if I belonged. I’d get to be wondering if I really belonged here. Is this where I’m meant to be? This is the first time in my NBA career where I’ve said I know I belong here. I know I can compete at this level.”

Head coach Brett Brown stressed that the team believes Stauskas still has “great potential,” and the Sixers’ backcourt isn’t nearly as crowded as its frontcourt, meaning the 22-year-old (23 next Friday) should have the opportunity to claim a significant role if he plays well. But if he struggles out of the gate, it’s not clear how much patience the Sixers will have.

What do you think? Is Stauskas poised for a breakout year, or is the former top-10 pick unlikely to be a part of the Sixers’ long-term plans? Take to the comments section below to share your opinions. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Sixers Notes: Rodriguez, Stauskas, Bayless, Simmons

September 29th, 2016 at 6:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers coach Brett Brown is enjoying the luxury of having veteran leaders in camp this season, writes Brian Seltzer of NBA.com. The Philadelphia front office has been criticized in past years for not putting experienced players on the roster to guide the team’s young talent. Over the summer, the Sixers added free agents Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson and Sergio Rodriguez and re-signed Elton Brand. Brown seemed particularly impressed with Rodriguez, who has 10 years of professional experience between the NBA and Spain, along with two Olympic appearances. “He just has a real gift for understanding especially offensive tempo,” Brown said. “I think he’s got a bounce to his game and a pace to his game that he will be absorbed in how I want to play.”

There’s more training camp news from the Sixers:

Entering his second season in Philadelphia, Nik Stauskas finally feels comfortable in the NBA, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. After being picked eighth overall by the Kings in 2014, Stauskas has produced two lackluster seasons, but he sounds ready for a turnaround this year. “I have a confidence that I know I belong here now,” he said. “The first two years, there’s so many times that I’m trying to fit in. I go to bed at night and I wonder, do I really belong here? Like, is this where I was meant to be? I think this is the first time in my NBA career where I said I know I belong here.”
Bayless was on the Bucks team that was a surprise playoff participant two years ago and he sees similarities with the current Sixers squad, Pompey writes in a separate piece. “That’s not a promise or anything,” Bayless added. “But at the same time, if we follow the path, and we play defense on a nightly basis, you never know what can happen. We just want to continue to get better.”
Brown is working on combinations in camp involving rookies Ben Simmons and Dario Saric and he plans to use them together during the season, Pompey notes in another story. “I think the pluses are you have 6-10 do-alls that really can jump into a very versatile defensive world with perhaps a lot of switching,” Brown said. “I think they are elite defensive rebounders that can rebound, lead a break, and take off.”

Brett Brown On New-Look Sixers

September 16th, 2016 at 5:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers head coach Brett Brown has endured three life-sapping seasons since leaving his assistant post in San Antonio to steward over Philadelphia’s rebuilding efforts. Brown’s teams have lost 63, 64, and 72 games respectively the last three campaigns as the team purposely bottomed-out under former GM Sam Hinkie in an effort to retool via the NBA draft lottery. While no one realistically expects the Sixers to suddenly make the playoffs this season, the franchise has been active in the free agent market for the first time during Brown’s tenure and the team should make strides toward respectability in 2016/17.

Brown spoke with members of the media on Thursday regarding a number of subjects, including his revitalized enthusiasm resulting from the team’s positive offseason, Mike Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “Given our experience together, from where we were to where we are now, how can we all not feel a breath of fresh air, a new bounce, a higher level of hope and an excitement that together we haven’t experienced for awhile?” Brown said.

The coach noted that there are numerous reasons for him to be optimistic, including the highly anticipated debut of former lottery pick Joel Embiid, who sat out his first two NBA campaigns following foot surgeries, the addition of No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons and the arrival of 2014 draftee Dario Saric from overseas, Narducci notes. Brown did acknowledge that Embiid’s health is a wild card, telling reporters, “He will play and everybody understands there will be parameters, restrictions.” The coach noted that what those restrictions will be should be determined during the preseason.

The frontcourt rotation remains a bit of a mystery, with Brown acknowledging that the pairing of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor last season wasn’t a successful one, Narducci relays. Brown did offer high praise for Noel, telling reporters, “Nerlens has elite gifts. He is athletic, quick off the floor, and as quick to the rim as anybody I have coached, as any big man in the league.” The coach refused to indulge any speculation as to which of the big men, if any, are likely to be dealt this season. “I will coach them until they are not [here],” Brown said.

The Sixers should also benefit greatly from the free agent additions of veterans Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson, and Sergio Rodriguez, Brown told the media. The coach is especially excited about Philly upgrading the point guard position, Narducci adds. “If the season started today, you give Jerryd Bayless the ball and go from there,” Brown said. “I feel there will be times you will see Ben Simmons with the ball as the traditional point guard.” Brown also noted that shooting guard Nik Stauskas, who averaged 8.5 points in his first season with the Sixers, worked hard in the weight room this offseason and should benefit from that.

Do you think Brown has a reason to be optimistic at the Sixers’ chances this season? Which addition to the roster are you most excited about? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions.

Sixers Notes: Barnes, Simmons, Colangelo, Workout

June 19th, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent Harrison Barnes might be the Sixers’ solution at small forward, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia is hoping to upgrade its perimeter defense, and the only wings currently on the roster are Nik Stauskas, Robert Covington and Hollis Thompson, who are all more valuable as shooters than defenders. The 6’8″ Barnes would bring a mix of offense and defense that coach Brett Brown is looking for, and at 24 he is just entering the prime of his career. Barnes will be a restricted free agent, so Pompey says a max offer may be necessary to discourage the Warriors from matching. The Sixers will have plenty of money available, with a little more than $33.3MM in guaranteed salary against a cap projected at about $94MM.

There’s more news out of Philadelphia:

Ben Simmons has all the tools to be a great NBA player except outside shooting, Pompey writes in a separate piece. Pompey, who advocates Simmons as the No. 1 pick, says the Sixers are excited about the prospect of having an elite passer at power forward because it creates more options in the pick-and-roll. Cavaliers star LeBron James has become a mentor to Simmons, and he sees great things ahead for the LSU freshman. “I think we all don’t know just yet how great of a kid he is and how down to earth he is with the game of basketball and life in general,” James said.
This week presents the first opportunity for new team president Bryan Colangelo to put his stamp on the franchise, Pompey writes in another story. With the draft on Thursday and free agency a week and a half away, Colangelo will have opportunities to make the type of bold moves he became famous for with the Raptors and Suns.
Six players are scheduled to attend a workout Monday in Philadelphia, tweets Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com. The Sixers will welcome Villanova point guard Ryan Arcidiacono, Kansas power forward Perry Ellis, Old Dominion point guard Trey Freeman, former Buffalo power forward Justin Moss, New Mexico State power forward Pascal Siakam and Stony Brook power forward Jameel Warney.

Hawks, Sixers Discuss Deal Involving Teague, Noel

June 2nd, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

7:48pm: Sixers shooting guard Nik Stauskas and/or small forward Robert Covington could be included in the potential deal, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. Philly has shopped both Noel and Jahlil Okafor to approximately 15 teams in an effort to locate the best deal, Pompey adds.

5:34pm: The two sides have discussed the deal recently, but an agreement isn’t imminent, Charania relays in a full-length story.

5:00pm: The Hawks and the Sixers are discussing a trade that would involve point guard Jeff Teague going to Philadelphia and big man Nerlens Noel heading to Atlanta, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear how far along the talks are, or what other pieces are involved, though any deal would likely be completed prior to the NBA Draft on June 23rd, though that is merely my speculation.

This is a deal that could potentially benefit both teams, though Noel is six years younger than Teague, which means the Hawks could be the ones receiving the better long-term benefit from the swap. Atlanta may need to find a replacement for Al Horford, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. While Noel lacks Horford’s offensive game, he more than makes up for that on the defensive end of the floor. It remains to be seen how well Noel would fit in Atlanta’s system, but acquiring the young big man would be a bold and exciting move for the team.

The Sixers desperately need backcourt help and Teague would be a major upgrade at the one spot for Philly. Atlanta can spare a playmaker, with Dennis Schröder waiting in the wings and making no secret about his desire to be the starter going forward. Perhaps Schröder would be a better fit with the Sixers due to his age, 22, but the franchise has stated it wants to add veteran leadership, something Teague could provide.

Noel, 22, is set to earn $4,384,490 in 2016/17 and will be eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer. He appeared in 67 games this season and averaged 11.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 29.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .521/.500/.590.

Teague, 27, has one season remaining on his current deal that will pay him $8MM in 2016/17, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent. He appeared in 79 games this season and averaged 15.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 28.5 minutes per night. His shooting numbers were .439/.400/.837.

Which team would get the better of this potential swap? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Sixers Believe Dennis Schröder Worthy Of Max Deal

February 23rd, 2016 at 3:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers are already preparing to make Dennis Schröder a maximum-salary offer when he hits restricted free agency in 2017, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who hears from a source who expects the Sixers and Hawks to revisit talks about a Schröder trade this summer after Atlanta rejected offers from Philly before the deadline. Nik Stauskas, Ish Smith, a 2016 first-round pick and another player with an expiring contract were among those in packages the Sixers proposed to the Hawks to entice them to give up their 22-year-old backup point guard, multiple sources tell Pompey.

Atlanta was reticent to take Smith because he can walk as a free agent this summer, according to one of Pompey’s sources. The player on the expiring contract is said to be JaKarr Sampson, Pompey writes, though he wasn’t technically on an expiring deal, since his contract covered two more seasons after this one with non-guaranteed salary. Philadelphia dumped Sampson’s contract anyway to clear room for its three-way trade with the Rockets and Pistons, but by the time that swap was voided, Sampson had already signed a new deal with the Nuggets, preventing the Sixers from re-signing him as they hoped.

The 2016 first-round pick that would have gone to the Hawks in the Philadelphia offers was either the Lakers’ top-three-protected selection, Miami’s top-10-protected choice, or Oklahoma City’s top-15-protected pick, Pompey adds. The Sixers are also in control of their own selection, which is in pole position for the lottery, but apparently that wasn’t part of the talks.

The Hawks would have a chance to match any free agent offer for Schröder in 2017, though it seems, given recent trade rumors, that they’re well out in front of the decision they’d be faced with that summer, when starting point guard Jeff Teague is also set for free agency. Teague is more than five years older and would be an unrestricted free agent, so it makes sense that most of Atlanta’s trade talk reportedly centered on him instead of Schröder.

Philadelphia has played markedly better since trading for Smith on Christmas Eve, and Nerlens Noel continues to advocate for the Sixers to keep him. Still, Pompey suggests the team sees him merely as a backup, which is the role the sixth-year pro has primarily played throughout his career on the fringes of the NBA. He went unsigned for most of the offseason before the Wizards brought him to training camp on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal for the minimum salary. The Pelicans snagged him off waivers from Washington before flipping him to the Sixers.

The Sixers received Stauskas, the eighth overall pick in 2014, through an offseason trade with the Kings, but he’s yet to live up to his draft position. The jewel of the would-be deal with the Hawks was clearly to have been Schröder, the 17th overall pick from 2013 who’s averaging 11.2 points in just 21.0 minutes per game. He said this fall that while he likes playing in Atlanta, he nonetheless would like to start and would look elsewhere if the Hawks don’t give him an opportunity to do so. He’s eligible to sign a rookie scale extension this summer.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Landry, Curry

December 31st, 2015 at 2:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Suns miscalculated during the 2013/14 season when the team dealt away Marcin Gortat in an effort to speed up the rebuilding process by bottoming out, but instead won 48 games, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com writes. “We were never trying to lose games,” team owner Robert Sarver told Lowe. “We were trying to play young players who we thought could be part of the next great Phoenix team, and some of them just played a lot better than we thought they would.” It was the unexpected success of that campaign that led Phoenix to chase immediate wins at the expense of long-term team-building, Lowe adds, which is a major reason for the mess the franchise is currently in. The ESPN scribe also opines that coach Jeff Hornacek shouldn’t necessarily be held accountable for the team’s woeful record this season, and for the sake of continuity he should be allowed another opportunity in 2016/17.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Nik Stauskas and Carl Landry, both of whom were traded by Sacramento to the Sixers, say that they harbor no ill will toward the Kings organization for shipping them away, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “There’s no hard feelings,” Landry said. “The organization and the owner [Vivek Ranadive] and the vets, everybody in that organization gave me an opportunity. I am not going to go out there and try to score more points than needs to be scored. I’m just going to go out there and try to get a win. That’s it. Nothing personal.” Stauskas laid the blame for being dealt on himself, Pompey adds. “I didn’t play the way I wanted to my rookie year,” Stauskas said, “and obviously they felt like they wanted to go in a different direction. That’s the way the NBA works.“
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has taken some surprising criticism for the way he plays potentially “ruining” young players who attempt to emulate him. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle strongly disagrees, and compares the point guard to Apple visionary Steve Jobs, Michael Florek of The Dallas Morning News writes. “He’s changed the way we live,” Carlisle said of Jobs. “He and Bill Gates have done that. Steph Curry is changing the way the game is going to be played in the future. I’m sure of it. That’s a historic thing. The way AAU coaches and kids coming up are going to view the game, I’m confident it’s going to have a big influence. He’s an exciting guy to watch, and he’s a menacing guy to game plan for.”