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Western Notes: Green, Cole, Collison, Suns

February 20th, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Grizzlies offered Jeff Green to the Clippers earlier in the week and after Los Angeles turned them down, they expected to keep the combo forward on the roster, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reports (Twitter link). The Clippers then contacted the team right before the deadline to rekindle talks and the sides were able to come to an agreement, Tillery adds.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Norris Cole and Darren Collison were among the point guards available for trades before Thursday’s deadline, a league source told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Ellis heard the same about D.J. Augustin, whom the Thunder traded to the Nuggets.
The Suns will not bring back Orlando Johnson, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes. Johnson’s 10-day contract with Phoenix expired earlier this week and the team signed Phil Pressey to a 10-day deal earlier today.
P.J. Tucker drew interest from other teams at the deadline, but Suns GM Ryan McDonough believes that it was the right move to keep the veteran, Coro writes in a separate piece. “He’s one guy we look at as an example for how hard you should play every night and the kind of toughness and edge you should bring to the game,” McDonough said. With Markieff Morris leaving town, Tucker is now the Suns’ longest-tenured player.

Southwest Notes: Cole, Anderson, Pachulia, Jenkins

December 11th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

John Reid of The Times Picayune suggests that it’s doubtful that either Ryan Anderson or Norris Cole will re-sign with the Pelicans as unrestricted free agent this coming summer. The qualifying offer that Cole received from the Pelicans in restricted free agency this past offseason was the best he had, according to Reid, who points out that it still took him until the middle of September to agree to come back to New Orleans. The team is making Anderson available to other teams for a trade, Reid confirms, advancing a report from Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports that said the Pelicans would consider dealing Anderson to the Suns for Markieff Morris, especially if Anderson signaled he wouldn’t re-sign. The team is looking for a quick fix after starting 5-16, Reid adds. See more from the Southwest Division:

DeAndre Jordan‘s flip-flop on his decision to sign with the Mavericks led Dallas to trade for Zaza Pachulia, and while Pachulia is no Jordan, he’s had success this season and has won over a key teammate, as Ian Thomsen of NBA.com details. “After we didn’t get DeAndre we moved on pretty quick, and getting Zaza was a really good move,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “He is one of the smartest centers I ever played with. He can pass, he can shoot a little bit, he can put it on the floor. He may be undersized some nights, but he’s got a big heart, he fights and he is very, very smart. He will compete for us and I love him to death.”
Mavs offseason signee John Jenkins hasn’t put up the same flashy numbers in the regular season that he did during the preseason, but the opportunity Dallas gave him to excel during exhibitions was a key boost, he tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was huge,” Jenkins said. “I knew I had that in me. I was just showing everybody else. For me to do that was a lot of fun. They gave me the ball and said ‘Do what you do.’ Which is different. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Boban Marjanovic credits his recent D-League stint with helping his game, and his Spurs teammates are urging the free agent acquisition to use his 7’3″ size to his advantage on the court, observes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

Southwest Notes: Aldridge, Robinson, McCalebb

October 18th, 2015 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent addition LaMarcus Aldridge cautions not to expect too much right away from the new-look Spurs, according to Mike Monroe of the Express-News. After a busy offseason, the Spurs have at least five new players to integrate into their lineup. Aldridge was San Antonio’s free agency prize, signing a four-year deal worth approximately $80MM. The team also signed David West, traded for Ray McCallum, signed Euroleague star Boban Marjanovic and signed Jimmer Fredette. “We are all going into this for the first time together,” Aldridge said. “The ups and downs of the season are going to be new to us as a group, just learning how to play together in certain environments, certain games.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Nate Robinson and Bo McCalebb had just one practice before playing in their first game with the Pelicans, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Both were signed this week due to a rash of injuries, including backup point guard Norris Cole, who is expected to be out of action for six weeks with a high ankle sprain. ”I told them in the locker room after the game that it was really unfair what we asked them to do,” coach Alvin Gentry said. ”I think the thing that everyone has to realize is that these guys have been working but to be in basketball shape, you know you have to actually play basketball. So they struggled a little bit in that area.”
Robinson received a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum $1.5MM contract, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, and McCalebb was given a two-year, non-guaranteed minimum deal worth $1.4MM.
Injuries in the frontcourt are getting in the way of Rockets coach Kevin McHale as he tries to set a rotation for the season, writes Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. Dwight Howard sat out his fifth straight game with a sore back Saturday, and backup center Clint Capela missed the game with a sore shoulder. A back injury has prevented Donatas Motiejunas from playing this preseason, and Terrence Jones was pulled in the fourth quarter for concussion evaluation. “I would like to see what we have and work on those lineups,” McHale said, “but I have to go with what I have, with who is healthy out there.”

And-Ones: Young, Afflalo, Pelicans

October 12th, 2015 at 10:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rookie Joseph Young has earned the Pacers’ backup point guard job, according to Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star. Pacers coach Frank Vogel announced on Monday that the second-round pick had taken that spot after making a strong impression through the first three preseason games, Taylor continues. Young, who is averaging 11.3 points, has displayed the quickness needed to get to the rim and make shots over taller defenders, Taylor adds. “He’s going to struggle at times,” Vogel told Taylor. “We’re committed to getting [Young and first-round rookie Myles Turner] some minutes early on as long as they keep proving themselves and having the right approach. We want to see how they develop early on.”

In other news around the league:

The opportunity to play with Carmelo Anthony again was a major reason why Arron Afflalo signed with the Knicks, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports in his weekly column. Afflalo and Anthony were teammates on the Nuggets from 2009-11. “It was a mixture of individual opportunity, and maybe some unforeseen potential,” Afflalo told Aldridge. “I get to play with ‘Melo again, and I knew the coaching staff. I knew the management. I knew what they were trying to build.” Afflalo signed a two-year, $16MM contract with a player option in July.
The Pelicans could add another point guard to their training camp roster in the next few days, John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune tweets. Backup Norris Cole suffered a high ankle sprain in practice on Sunday which could jeopardize his status for opening night, according to the team’s website.
The NBA is exploring the possibility of having a D-League team in Omaha, Nebraska, Chris Reichert of UpsideMotor.com reports. Gary Green, who owns a minor league baseball team in Omaha, said in a recent interview with Omaha.com that he has talked to NBA and D-League representatives and a deal is in place, Reichert continues. However, Green is struggling to find an affiliation because NBA teams prefer to have their D-League team close to home, Reichert adds.

Norris Cole Takes Qualifying Offer From Pelicans

September 17th, 2015 at 3:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

THURSDAY, 3:00pm: The signing is official, the Pelicans announced.

WEDNESDAY, 11:22am: Restricted free agent Norris Cole has accepted his qualifying offer from the Pelicans, a source tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Agent Rich Paul confirmed to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he’s signed the tender, worth $3,036,927, though the team has made no official announcement (Twitter link). The qualifying offer, which covers one season, sets Cole up for unrestricted free agency next summer, and it also gives him the right to veto trades this season.

The point guard’s free agency had been slow-going, as is common among Paul’s clients. However, the start of camp is less than two weeks away, and fellow Paul client Montrezl Harrell reached an agreement in principle Tuesday with the Rockets. Cavs restricted free agent Tristan Thompson, Paul’s most prominent unsigned client, remains in limbo.

Cole, once he officially signs the qualifying offer, will become the just 20th player to do so since 1995, joining Matthew Dellavedova, who signed his qualifying offer from the Cavaliers in July. Still, it’s no shock that Cole is doing so, as a source told Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops in late July that the 26-year-old saw the qualifying offer as a viable option. Grantland’s Zach Lowe suggests both sides have reason to be comfortable with it (Twitter link). Cole, a backup, will play this season on a salary that’s almost as much as the value of the taxpayer’s mid-level exception and hit the open market next summer, just as the salary cap is set to spike and teams will have money to burn. The Pelicans keep costs in check and preserve about $5MM worth of room beneath the luxury tax line.

The Sixers, Knicks and Lakers all reportedly had interest this summer in the former 28th overall pick, but New Orleans kept up its pursuit and had the right to match offers. New coach Alvin Gentry recently expressed a desire to have Cole re-sign, and Anthony Davis was also hopeful that Cole would be back. Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors examined Cole’s free agency in depth last month, concluding that he would do well to sign the qualifying offer.

Cole is becomes the 17th Pelican to have either a signed contract or a verbal agreement with the team, and his addition will give New Orleans 14 fully guaranteed deals. It’ll bump the Pelicans team salary to about $79.652MM, well beneath the $84.74MM tax threshold and their $88.74MM hard cap.

Who do you think benefits the most from a signed qualifying offer, Cole or the Pelicans? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Western Notes: Mavs, Cole, Tskitishvili

September 15th, 2015 at 10:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The competition for who will be the starting center for the Mavericks is one of the most important preseason battles to watch, writes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. The winner of the training camp battle may not be the player who is the most talented, according to coach Rick Carlisle, Sneed adds. “You know, ultimately, who’s better may not be the one that starts,” Carlisle has said in the past. “I mean, we’ve done things a little different way than some teams the last several years. … The thing that’s exciting is the possibility of having another roster full of capable players and guys that are good and guys that are experienced. And at this point in their careers, they’re aiming more towards winning and getting back into the conversation of getting a ring than just trying to get some stats and get their next deal.”

Dallas currently has Zaza Pachulia as the projected starter at the pivot, with JaVale McGee, Samuel Dalembert, and Salah Mejri also competing for a shot to make the team and the rotation. McGee would appear to be Pachulia’s stiffest competitor for the starting slot, though there are some concerns regarding McGee’s health.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry acknowledged that the team hopes to have restricted free agent Norris Cole back, but he referred any questions regarding the status of the contract negotiations between the player and team to GM Dell Demps, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”I don’t know, I’ll leave that one to Dell to answer,” Gentry said when asked about Cole’s potential return. ”Obviously we would like to have him back on our team. He’s an important part of our team, but that’s something that will have to get answered on the [front office] side of it. But you know as a coach, I would like to have him back and I’m sure Dell wants him back also.” The Lakers also expressed interest in Cole this Summer, according to Reid.
Nikoloz Tskitishvili‘s one-year deal with the Clippers is a non-guaranteed Summer pact that includes limited injury protection, meaning it is an Exhibit 9 contract, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).
Despite the bizarre and unnecessary trade that the team made with the Sixers, the Kings enter the 2015/16 season with a solid collection of talent, though Sacramento will likely fall just short of securing a playoff berth, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post (Facebook link) opines in his season preview for the franchise.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Norris Cole

August 17th, 2015 at 7:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the busiest teams this offseason, with their focus on retaining their core group of players. They made national headlines at the start of free agency when franchise player Anthony Davis agreed to a long-term extension. They filled out their roster mostly by re-signing their own free agents. They agreed to terms with Omer Asik, Alexis Ajinca, Luke Babbitt and Dante Cunningham on multi-year deals and brought in a couple of low-profile free agents — Kendrick Perkins and Alonzo Gee.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

There’s one order of business that remains unresolved. Norris Cole is still contemplating his options, leaving the Pelicans’ backcourt in a state of flux. The Pelicans tendered a qualifying offer of $3,036,927 to Cole, making him a restricted free agent.

With injury-prone Jrue Holiday as the starter, Cole would seemingly have a rotation spot if he re-signed with New Orleans, since the only other point guard possibilities on the current roster are wing starters Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans. The Pelicans’ backcourt was thinned out even further when they opted to waive Toney Douglas.

Early in the free agency process, Cole was reportedly the team’s top remaining priority. Yet the situation has dragged on deep into the summer with no resolution. They haven’t been able to come to terms on a multi-year contract, nor has Cole received an offer sheet from another club. He could accept the qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, when the salary cap shoots upward, but the Rich Paul client has held off on that option.

There have been reports of other teams making a run at Cole. The Sixers showed some interest and certainly have the cap room to make him an offer, though they currently have four point guards on their roster. Cole could compete for a starting role there but if Philadelphia had serious interest in him, it would seem that an offer sheet would have already been made.

The Knicks have also been linked to Cole. Their point guard trio of Jose Calderon, Langston Galloway (who can play either guard spot) and rookie Jerian Grant doesn’t get the pulse racing, and Cole could compete for a starting job there. However, the Knicks have been so active in the free agent market that they’re limited to offering a minimum salary to Cole if they can’t engineer a sign-and-trade.

The Lakers are a possibility, though the signing of Lou Williams to back up rookie D’Angelo Russell makes that an unlikely scenario.

The relatively quiet market for Cole is somewhat surprising, considering that the Wizards, Thunder, Bucks and Cavs were reportedly interested in Cole leading up to the February trade deadline. Cole wound up with the Pelicans when the Heat included him in the three-team Goran Dragic trade.

For what it’s worth, Cole made a favorable impression on the team’s most important player. Davis has said that he wants Cole back and the fact that the Pelicans allowed the deadline to withdraw the qualifying offer to pass means they’re serious about retaining Cole, as long as it fits their budget.

In the meantime, New Orleans is exploring other options. The club has reportedly made an offer to veteran Jason Terry, though there hasn’t been any movement on that front over the past week.

Cole still has the leverage of signing the qualifying offer but the longer he waits, the more competition he may face for a rotation spot. So unless there is another suitor ready to extend an offer sheet, it may be in his best interest to come to terms quickly with the Pelicans. He should get enough playing time to enhance his value if he accepts the qualifying offer. He can then get the long-term security he desires — with a major bump in salary — next summer.

Knicks Among Teams Interested In Norris Cole

August 4th, 2015 at 11:28am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have joined the Sixers and incumbent Pelicans as teams interested in restricted free agent Norris Cole, but New Orleans seems likely to either re-sign him or match another team’s offer sheet, according to Hoops Rumors contributor Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter link). However, New York has reportedly agreed to a deal with fellow Rich Paul client Kevin Seraphin for the apparent cost of the $2.814MM room exception, limiting the Knicks to the minimum salary if they can’t engineer a sign-and-trade.

Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops identified the Sixers as a suitor in mid-July, around the same time that John Reid of The Times Picayune heard that the Pelicans remained interested. New Orleans has only been willing to go so far, as Reid reported about a month ago, and the most recent dispatch from Scotto indicated that Cole saw the prospect of signing his $3.037MM qualifying offer as a viable option.

New York is relatively thin in the backcourt, with Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant poised to become the primary backups for Jose Calderon and Arron Afflalo. Galloway and Grant have just a half-season of NBA experience between them, while Cole was in the rotation for back-to-back champs as a member of the Heat. The Wizards, Thunder, Bucks and Cavs all reportedly had interest in trading for Cole while he was still with the Heat as the February trade deadline approached, but as a restricted free agent months after Miami sent him to the Pelicans in the three-team Goran Dragic trade, the market for him has seemed cooler.

Do you think Cole will sign an offer sheet with the Knicks, Sixers or another team, or do you think he and the Pelicans will work something out? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Latest On Norris Cole

July 28th, 2015 at 11:57am CST by Chuck Myron

Norris Cole sees the prospect of signing his qualifying offer of more than $3.037MM from the Pelicans as a viable option, a league source tells Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops, who writes amid a roundup on the top remaining free agents. The Sixers have interest, as Scotto reported two weeks ago, but it’s unclear how far that interest extends, as Scotto writes in his latest piece.

The Pelicans are apparently only willing to go so far themselves, so it’s not a shock that Cole would consider the chance to take the one-year qualifying offer and hit unrestricted free agency next summer, when the cap is set to surge to a projected $89MM. The market for the Rich Paul client has seemed cool this summer compared to the weeks leading up to the February trade deadline, when Wizards, Thunder, Bucks and Cavs all reportedly had interest before the Pelicans acquired him from the Heat in the three-team Goran Dragic trade.

Anthony Davis said Monday that he hopes Cole is back with the Pelicans, as John Reid of The Times Picayune notes (Twitter link). New Orleans let the deadline for teams to unilaterally withdraw qualifying offers pass last week, a signal that the Pelicans maintain at least some level of interest, and indeed, Reid has consistently heard that’s the case. The Pelicans have been carrying 13 deals and are well below the $84.74MM tax threshold, so they have flexibility. Another key date looms Saturday, when the minimum salary for Toney Douglas would go from non-guaranteed to fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through that day.

Do you think Cole would be wise to take the qualifying offer? Leave a comment to let us know.

Pelicans Notes: Cole, Asik, Ajinca, Cunningham

July 16th, 2015 at 6:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pelicans GM Dell Demps said this week that the versatility of his roster from this past season factored into his decision to bring back much of the same cast, as John Reid of The Times Picayune chronicles. New Orleans has signed four of its seven free agents, and Reid hears the Pelicans remain interested in re-signing restricted free agent Norris Cole.

”We believe our team can play big, we can play small and we can play fast,” Demps said. ”We feel like we can play a number of different ways. The guys like each other, they like playing with each other and their skills complement each other.”

Demps said the limited number of games that involved the entire core of the team, which again was without Jrue Holiday for nearly half the season, was another reason why he wanted to keep the roster largely intact, Reid notes, and that echoes similar statements Demps made last year. Here’s more from New Orleans:

The full value of Omer Asik‘s deal is $58MM, but only the first four years, at $44MM, are guaranteed, Reid writes. “In our division, you are playing a number of teams with very good post players,” Demps said. ”Omer gives us the opportunity to match up against certain teams. Omer is an elite rebounder and has been throughout his NBA career.”
The precise value of the cap hits across the four seasons in Alexis Ajinca‘s new contract with the Pelicans comes to $19,500,002, though incentive clauses are liable to change that figure over the course of the pact, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link).
Dante Cunningham will make exactly $8,934,750 on his new deal with the Pelicans, according to Pincus (Twitter link).