Omri Casspi Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings Notes: Cousins, Divac, Karl, Casspi, Dukan

November 13th, 2015 at 1:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings fined DeMarcus Cousins for his tirade after Monday’s game, though he didn’t aim the outburst directly at the coaching staff, team and league sources tell Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. That’s in contrast to a report indicating that Cousins specifically lashed out at George Karl. Vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac denies that he asked the players in a Tuesday meeting if the team should fire Karl, Voisin adds, and Divac has said Karl will be sticking around until the end of the season. That ties much of the executive’s fate to the coach, as Divac himself is on “little more than a one-year deal” with the Kings and hopes to sign a long-term deal this summer, according to Voisin. The Kings hired Divac in March, shortly after they hired Karl, but Divac recommended Karl to the Kings before they hired the coach, Voisin writes. See more from Sacramento:

If Cousins wanted the Kings to fire Karl, the coach would already be gone, sources tell Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher. The star center has made it clear to team management that he doesn’t want Karl fired, as Chris Mannix of SI.com reported.
Karl speaks more with the media than he does with his team, and players find his frank talk with reporters unnerving, sources tell James Ham of CSNCalifornia.com. Players are “confused and frustrated” over Karl’s constant lineup changes, Ham writes.
Amid the turmoil, Omri Casspi is off to a strong start after re-signing this past summer, in part because of Karl’s system, as Matt Kawahara of The Sacramento Bee examines. “I think he understands flow; he understands the pace of the game,” Karl said. “He’s one of our faster runners and gets in the open court in a good way many times. And he knows how to play off of good players. He knows how to find open shots when Cuz is being double-teamed, or when there’s an isolation with Rudy [Gay]. He knows how to get open by figuring out the player the defense is tilting toward.”
The Kings have assigned rookie Duje Dukan to the D-League, the team announced. The undrafted combo forward has yet to appear in a regular season game for Sacramento.

Pacific Notes: Crawford, Barnes, Ezeli, Hibbert

October 21st, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

It took a sell job from Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers, but Jamal Crawford is on board with continuing to be a part of a crowded rotation, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register details. Rivers and Crawford spoke about their issues over the summer and again before camp, and while Crawford took to social media this summer to drop vague hints that he was dissatisfied, the two-time Sixth Man of the Year now says it can “easily work” for him in L.A. Rivers said in September he was unlikely to trade Crawford, swatting down rumors. See more from the Pacific Division:

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob would like to see the team sign Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli to extensions before the November 2nd deadline, but he’d still be OK with them ending up in restricted free agency next summer, as Lacob said in a podcast with Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. Lacob also made it seem as though it’s unlikely that Steve Kerr will coach the team in the opener as he continues to nurse his ailing back.
Roy Hibbert is fostering team chemistry in a way that no one did on the Lakers last year, Jordan Clarkson tells Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. The big man doesn’t see it as all that important but thinks that if he can help others perform, it will reflect well on him in the future. Hibbert is poised to hit free agency this coming summer. “When the team wins,” Hibbert said, “everybody wins. So helping them is going to help me on the court in the long run and then that will help whatever contract stuff. So you have to be selfless.”
Omri Casspi is struggling in the preseason, but coach George Karl isn’t worried about the player in whom the Kings invested $5.8MM on a new two-year deal this summer, observes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “I think the way he played at the end of last year, he’s earned the right to be given some freedom and opportunity to figure out what happens this year,” Karl said.

Pacific Notes: Kobe, Buss, Casspi, Suns

August 28th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Lakers Executive VP of basketball operations Jim Buss believes Kobe Bryant is worth his league-high $25MM salary this season after all he’s done for the franchise and said that while the team is operating on the premise that Bryant will retire at season’s end, he’d welcome him back with open arms if he’s willing to accept a role that fits his age and ability. Buss made his comments as part of an interview with Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, adding that he “feels like we’ve righted the ship” with coach Byron Scott and a new cast of key players, even if the team didn’t sign a star free agent this summer.

“It’s just that it takes time to build a core that guys want to play with,” Buss said to Pincus. “I understand a superstar doesn’t want to come in and say, ‘Oh, we still have two or three years of rebuilding.’ I think with Jordan Clarkson, [D’Angelo] Russell, [Julius] Randle, even [Roy] Hibbert … we’re getting a core of seven or eight players.”

See more on the Lakers amid the latest from around the Pacific Division:

Buss, also a part-owner of the team, has no regrets about pledging in April 2014 to resign from his basketball operations position if he couldn’t restore the Lakers to contention in three or four years, as he said to Pincus for the same piece. Buss’ sister Jeanie, the primary owner of the franchise, has said she’ll hold him to that pledge if the Lakers aren’t back in the Western Conference Finals by the spring of 2017. Still, the top goal for this season, Jim Buss said to Pincus, is identifying core players for the future, and not necessarily making the playoffs.
Omri Casspi cited DeMarcus Cousins, calling him the best center in the league in an interview with James Herbert of CBSSports.com, among the reasons why he decided to re-sign with the Kings this summer.
The Suns officially named Chris Jent the head coach of their one-to-one D-League affiliate, the franchise announced Thursday. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier this month that the sides were finalizing a deal. Jent had been Michael Malone‘s lead assistant with the Kings.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Contract Details, Chandler

July 21st, 2015 at 6:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers‘ offseason moves, which include re-signing DeAndre Jordan, signing unrestricted free agent Paul Pierce, and acquiring swingman Lance Stephenson, have added needed versatility to the team’s roster, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders writes. With Stephenson, Pierce and Wesley Johnson joining the roster, the Clippers have more skill, length, defense and versatility on the perimeter than they did last season, Blancarte opines. The addition of forward Josh Smith also gives coach Doc Rivers some needed rotation flexibility in the frontcourt, notes Blancarte.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The four-year deal that Kosta Koufos signed with the Kings is worth precisely $32.879MM, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals (Twitter link). Marco Belinelli is getting $1 less than $19MM in his new three-year deal, Pincus adds. Sacramento gave Omri Casspi exactly $5.8MM on his two-year deal, Pincus also reports, adding that the James Anderson‘s contract is for two years at the minimum salary with a player option on year two.
Tyson Chandler‘s four-year deal with the Suns will pay him $13MM this coming season, $12.415MM in 2016/17, $13MM in 2017/18, and $13.585MM the final season, tweets Pincus. Brandon Knight‘s five-year pact will see him earn $13.5MM in 2015/16, then pull down salaries of $12,606.250, $13,618,750, $14,631,250, and $15,643,750, Pincus notes.
Instead of lamenting the Suns‘ signing of Chandler, who will be the team’s starting center, Alex Len is looking forward to learning from the veteran, Michael Lee of The Washington Post relays. “He’s one of the best defensive bigs in the league. The way he blocks shots, the way he communicates. I think I can learn just from watching, just from being around him, add it to my game. I think it’s going to be great,” Len said. “He’s a great leader. We needed a veteran last year. Somebody in the locker room, on the court, somebody we can look up to. So, I think it’s great for the team.” Len, 22, started 44 games for Phoenix during the 2014/15 campaign.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Kings Re-Sign Omri Casspi

July 14th, 2015 at 2:33pm CST by Will Joseph

JULY 14TH, 2:33pm: The Kings haven’t made a formal announcement of a signing, but they acknowledged as much on Twitter.

JULY, 5TH, 9:24pm: he Kings are close to re-signing unrestricted free agent Omri Casspi to a two-year, $6MM deal, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reports (Twitter link).

In 67 games this past season, including 19 as a starter, the swingman averaged 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Casspi indicated well before the summer that he would be very interested in remaining in Sacramento. Casspi, who is represented by agent Dan Fegan, expressed a desire back in March to play in coach George Karl‘s up-tempo offensive system. The offense now will also include Rajon Rondo, who agreed to a deal with the Kings on Friday.

“I want to come back here so badly. I love the community and I feel like the team is finally moving in the right direction,” Casspi said then. “George Karl’s system is great, and I’m not just saying that because I play for him, but because I really do believe this is the right way to play basketball. Spacing the floor. Moving, making extra passes, sharing the ball. Getting our hands on balls, deflections, then getting out and running. Unfortunately, coach Karl has not had a lot of time to teach us everything, but these last two games, you can see what we can become.”

In addition to Rondo, the Kings have also added Marco Belinelli and Kosta Koufos in free agency and drafted center Willie Cauley-Stein, which supports executive Vlade Divac‘s win-now mantra, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. Re-signing Casspi is another move that signals the Kings are serious about contending.

Kings, Omri Casspi Share Mutual Interest

July 1st, 2015 at 1:14am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Kings and Omri Casspi share mutual interest in the forward returning to Sacramento next season, Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee relays (via Twitter). The Relativity Sports client desperately wants to play in new coach George Karl‘s system, Voisin adds. Casspi is represented by agent Dan Fegan, who also lists Kings center DeMarcus Cousins amongst his clients.

Casspi’s affection for Karl’s style of play isn’t new, with the 27-year-old saying back in March, “I want to come back here so badly. I love the community and I feel like the team is finally moving in the right direction. George Karl’s system is great, and I’m not just saying that because I play for him, but because I really do believe this is the right way to play basketball. Spacing the floor. Moving, making extra passes, sharing the ball. Getting our hands on balls, deflections, then getting out and running. Unfortunately, coach Karl has not had a lot of time to teach us everything, but these last two games, you can see what we can become.”

In 67 appearances this past season, including 19 as a starter, Casspi averaged 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, with a slash line of .489/.402/.733.

Pacific Notes: Casspi, Scott, Warriors

March 24th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Omri Casspi has seen an encouraging change in the Kings organization since George Karl took over as head coach, Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee writes. Casspi, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, says he absolutely wants to re-sign with Sacramento this summer, Voisin adds. “I want to come back here so badly,” Casspi said. “I love the community and I feel like the team is finally moving in the right direction. George Karl’s system is great, and I’m not just saying that because I play for him, but because I really do believe this is the right way to play basketball. Spacing the floor. Moving, making extra passes, sharing the ball. Getting our hands on balls, deflections, then getting out and running. Unfortunately, coach Karl has not had a lot of time to teach us everything, but these last two games, you can see what we can become.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Despite the Lakers‘ 18-50 record on the season coach Byron Scott has the approval of GM Mitch Kupchak, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “He said I’ve been doing a great job in getting all these guys to play hard every night,” Scott said. “With all the injuries that we’ve had and to be in the games that we’ve been in, he thinks I’ve done a terrific job.”
Scott also said that Kupchak reiterated that the team is still in a rebuilding phase and that the process would continue during the 2015 offseason, Medina adds. “We’re still on the right course and still sticking to what we talked about,” Scott said. “All of the things we talked about before they hired me and all the things we talked about since they hired me hasn’t changed.”
The Warriors took an unconventional and roundabout path in their rebuilding efforts, Tom Ziller of SB Nation writes in his look at the team’s success this season.

Kings Notes: Moreland, D-League, Casspi

November 28th, 2014 at 5:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The much-improved Kings are back in action tonight as they head to San Antonio to take on the defending champs. But Sacramento won’t be at full-strength tonight since big man DeMarcus Cousins will be sitting out the game due to a virus. The Kings will certainly miss Cousins’ services, especially since the 24-year-old is playing at an All-Star level, averaging 23.5 points and 12.6 rebounds through the team’s first 15 contests.

Here’s more from Sacramento:

The Kings have assigned Eric Moreland to their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, the team announced. This will be Moreland’s third assignment of the season to Reno, and he is averaging 13.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in three D-League games this season.
Two years after he’d been traded by the Kings, Omri Casspi returned to Sacramento as a free agent and found the atmosphere around the team had changed for the better, Bryan Horowitz of Dime Magazine writes. With the Kings no longer in danger of being moved from Sacramento and a new arena on tap for 2016, the energy around the team is the best since the halcyon days of Chris Webber and Jason Williams notes Horowitz. “Right now, it just felt like the right energy and the right atmosphere for me to be in,” Casspi said. “Sacramento always had a different vibe — it has my first NBA game, my first preseason and all of that. I was fortunate enough to come back.”
Casspi has also changed his game this season, and is attacking the basket much more so than in the past when he was content to fire away from the outside, Horowitz adds. Casspi sees the return to his old stomping grounds of Sacramento as what has motivated him this season. “More than anything, it’s just being comfortable — comfortable in the role, comfortable in the system, comfortable in the city,” Casspi said, “I like to be able to not just be a three-point shooter, to penetrate and get into the lane and create. It’s just fun, you know? It’s pretty simple.”

Kings Sign Omri Casspi

September 18th, 2014 at 3:53pm CST by Cray Allred

SEPTEMBER 18TH: The deal is finally official, the team announced.

JULY 30TH: It’ll be a guaranteed deal, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com.

JULY 25TH: The Kings are finalizing a one-year contract at the league minimum with Omri Casspi, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Casspi somewhat surprisingly cleared waivers earlier today, as the Kings had reportedly planned to put in a claim. It nonetheless appears as though they maintained interest, and the feeling had been mutual for Casspi, who spoke in recent days of his fondness for a return to Sacramento.

Signing the Dan Fegan client for just one year at the minimum, as opposed to claiming his two-year contract off waivers, will save the team enough money to keep it beneath the luxury tax line. The Kings had been at $75,852,705 in team salary, according to the latest estimates from Basketball Insiders, just $976,295 shy of the tax threshold. Casspi will make $1,063,384 as a five-year veteran at the minimum salary, but Sacramento will only be on the hook for the portion equivalent to the two-year veteran’s minimum of $915,243, since it’s a one-year contract. The league will pick up the tab for the rest.

That provision only applies to one-year deals, so if the Kings had claimed Casspi’s two-year contract off waivers, they would have had to pay his full salary, pushing them into tax territory and likely prompting the team to waive or trade Quincy Acy. Sacramento and Acy this week agreed to push back the date upon which his salary would become fully guaranteed so the club could explore its options.

Casspi’s camp is quite pleased with the agreement that will bring him back to the team with which he spent his first two NBA seasons, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. The native of Israel averaged 9.5 points in 24.5 minutes per game with 37.1% shooting as a King, but those numbers dropped precipitously when a trade sent him to Cleveland. He rebounded this past season with the Rockets, but the Pelicans nonetheless saw fit to let him go soon after they acquired him as part of the Omer Asik trade.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Kings Notes: Casspi, Tyler, Gay

September 4th, 2014 at 3:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings have aggressively sought trades under GM Pete D’Alessandro, and once they officially send Jason Terry to the Rockets, only Sixers GM Sam Hinkie will have pulled off more swaps since they took their respective jobs at the beginning of the 2013 offseason, as I noted this week. Here’s the latest from Sacramento as D’Alessandro continues to shuffle the roster:

The Kings have struck deals with four other players and shook hands on the Terry trade since they reached agreement with Omri Casspi in July, but the plan is for Casspi to officially sign once he returns from traveling overseas, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Casspi confirmed as much to David Pick of Eurobasket.com in a radio conversation Wednesday, telling him he’ll put pen to paper once he passes a medical exam (Twitter link). Casspi recently played in a Eurobasket qualifying tournament with the Israeli national team.
Sacramento is also still on track to waive Jeremy Tyler eventually, according to Jones (Twitter link). The team has been expected to waive Tyler ever since acquiring him from the Knicks last month, as USA Today’s Sam Amick reported at the time. His non-guaranteed contract is set to become partially guaranteed on the 15th.
The Kings made an aggressive pitch to convince Rudy Gay to opt in for this season, and it worked not only to persuade Gay to stick around, but to assure him of the team’s confidence in him, as he tells Michael Lee of The Washington Post. “It was good,” Gay said. “After two tough seasons, it was good to know that they wanted me there, not just for now, but for long [term].” Gay, in the final year of his deal, has expressed a willingness to consider an extension at some point before next summer.