Otto Porter Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Porter, DeRozan, Vasquez, Holiday

February 9th, 2017 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets could land Wizards small forward Otto Porter if they offered him a max deal, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Porter will likely be at the top of the Nets’ wish list from what he’s heard around the league, Lewis continues. The Nets have the cap room to make a substantial run at the restricted free agent. Brooklyn could have as much as $39.4MM in cap room by renouncing its free agents this summer and the Wizards may be unwilling to max out Porter with nearly $97MM already ready on their books for next season, Lewis speculates.

In other developments around the Atlantic Division:

Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan wouldn’t mind a roster upgrade, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter links). DeRozan told Lewenberg he would welcome some reinforcements, adding: “Help is a great word, with anything. Anybody could take help if it’ll make you better, a better team.” Lewenberg indicated that DeRozan said the team didn’t need any help prior to previous trade deadlines. The Raptors have slipped to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings and are just one game ahead of the sixth-place Pacers in the loss column.
Point guard Greivis Vasquez hopes to return to the Nets next season, David Alarcon of Hoops Hype reports. Vasquez’s career has been sidetracked by ankle injuries the past two seasons. He signed a $4,347,826 contract with Brooklyn during the offseason, then was waived in November after appearing in just three games and injuring the ankle again. Vasquez said he’s been in contact with Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, who invited Vasquez to continue his rehab from ankle surgery with the team after the season ends. “He left the door open for me. He offered me to come back in April or May to work with them,” Vasquez told Alarcon. “I told him that I accepted his offer, and I will work with them with no strings attached. … Brooklyn is a very attractive team in a very attractive city.”
The cost of acquiring point guard Jrue Holiday from the Pelicans would likely be higher than the reward for the Sixers, Derek Bodner opines on his website. Philadelphia is reportedly interested in bringing back Holiday, who becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season. While there are valid reasons to make the move, including the benefit of seeing how he meshes with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, there’s no guarantee Holiday would stick around after the season, Bodner adds.

Wizards Notes: Mahinmi, Porter, Wall

January 30th, 2017 at 10:30pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards are in no hurry to make a trade, sources tell J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet. The team is content to wait for offseason addition Ian Mahinmi to make his return to the court as he recovers from a pair of knee ailments. The center previously had surgery on his left knee and he developed tendinitis in his right one. He had platelet-rich therapy on both knees last month and sources tell Michael that the team expects him to have a chance to play before the All-Star break.

Here’s more from Washington:

Re-signing Otto Porter will be the Wizards‘ top priority this offseason, Michael relays in the same piece. The scribe adds that Washington may be reluctant to trade for a starting-caliber player who’s set to hit the free agent market at the end of the year since the franchise will likely not have enough cap space accommodate two top-end contracts.
In a separate piece, Michael makes a case for Porter as the league’s Most Improved Player and he examines the small forward’s competition for the award. In a recent Community Shootaround, we handed out our midseason awards and gave Giannis Antetokounmpo the hardware.
John Wall will compete in the skills challenge during All-Star weekend, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Wall will also play in the All-Star game and you can check out all the participants of the game here.

Nets Could Target Otto Porter In Free Agency

December 31st, 2016 at 4:53pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Otto Porter will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and the feeling within the Wizards’ organization is that he will draw interest from the Nets, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.

GM Sean Marks has attempted to land restricted free agents in the past, but he failed on all three of his attempts. The Nets signed Donatas Motiejunas to an offer sheet earlier in the month, but the Rockets decided to match before they released the big man. Allen Crabbe signed an offer sheet with Brooklyn during the offseason, but Portland decided to match the offer and retain its play-maker. The same situation occurred with Tyler Johnson and the Heat over the summer.

Porter is enjoying an excellent fourth season in the league and he reportedly could command a maximum-salary offer in restricted free agency. The small forward is averaging 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while sporting an 18.1 player efficiency rating.

Otto Porter A Candidate For Max Deal In 2017?

December 6th, 2016 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards raised some eyebrows over the summer when they inked Bradley Beal to a five-year, maximum-salary contract that put the team on the hook for nearly $130MM for a player who has never been healthy for a full season. Now, another Washington player may be a surprise candidate for a max deal in 2017. According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link), two front office executives have predicted to him this week that Otto Porter will get a maximum-salary offer next summer.

The third overall pick in the 2013 draft, Porter had a solid season in 2015/16, recording career-highs in PPG (11.6), RPG (5.2), SPG (1.4), FG% (.473), and 3PT% (.367), among other categories. So far this season, however, he has taken his game to another level, improving his averages in each of those categories and others. In 19 games (all starts), the 23-year-old has scored 14.7 PPG to go along with 8.1 RPG, 2.0 SPG, a .535 FG%, and a .414 3PT%.

Those numbers aren’t necessarily eye-popping, but in a league where three-and-D wing players are increasingly valuable, they’ll look awfully appealing to suitors hoping to pry Porter away from the Wizards in restricted free agency in July. For comparison’s sake, many of Porter’s numbers so far stack up favorably to Nicolas Batum‘s 2015/16 marks, and Batum landed a five-year, $120MM contract over the summer.

With three-quarters of the season to play, Porter’s outlook could change significantly between now and next July. Still, if the Georgetown product, who didn’t sign a rookie-scale extension before the October 31 deadline, were to receive a maximum-salary offer sheet from another team, the Wizards would find themselves in a difficult position. A long-term max deal for Porter would put two such contracts on Washington’s books, and neither one would belong to the team’s All-Star point guard, John Wall.

Southeast Notes: Mahinmi, Bazemore, Howard

November 26th, 2016 at 5:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent addition Ian Mahinmi will play his first game of the season for the Wizards tonight, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Washington signed the 30-year-old center to a four-year, $64MM deal in July, but he has been out of action since October 14th when he had surgery to fix a partially torn medial meniscus in his left knee. Coach Scott Brooks said he will monitor Mahinmi’s playing time for a while, and he understands the center will need time to play himself back into shape (Twitter link).

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Brooks will continue to monitor the minutes of John Wall and Bradley Beal, but there will be no restrictions for Otto Porter, who suffered a hip injury on Monday, tweets J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.
Kent Bazemore‘s love of Atlanta and his charity work in the city were important factors in keeping him in a Hawks uniform, relays Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Several teams pursued Bazemore in free agency over the summer, but he opted to stay in Atlanta, where he operates a foundation that promotes health for underprivileged and distressed children and young adults. “I’ve always echoed you can be the greatest person you can be if you’re comfortable and I’m super comfortable in Atlanta,” Bazemore said. “My fiancé loves it and we’re starting to plant some roots there, my network is growing there, and it’s just a city of opportunity. It’s up and coming, and it’s a place I can see myself actually growing with, more so than going to other places where they may be too far behind or way ahead of the curve. This is a place where I can see myself being for the next 10 years maybe.”
Hawks center Dwight Howard says he didn’t quite fit in during his time with the Lakers and Rockets, Scotto adds in the same story. Howard is an eight-time All-Star, but he was passed over for the game the past two seasons. After signing with Atlanta this summer, he wants to show he can get back to that level. “I know what I can do for a team and I know what kind of problems I can present for opposing teams every night,” Howard said. “It’s always about opportunities and systems. I don’t think I had the right opportunity or right system the last two places I was in and where I could be the most effective. I think with this system right here, I get an opportunity to be effective on both ends of the floor and I still have a lot left in the tank.”

Southeast Notes: Ibaka, Hawks, Wall, Wizards

November 12th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Serge Ibaka is asking Magic fans to be patient with his slow start in Orlando, relays Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Ibaka came to the team in a June trade with the expectation that he would become the rim protector the Magic needed while providing offense like he did with the Thunder. He has shot 43% from 3-point range in his first nine games in Orlando, but has been a disappointment defensively. “There’s new teammates, there’s new coverages,” coach Frank Vogel said. “The whole system is new. That’s just a part of all of our newness. I think we’re all trying to grow and figure each other out on the defensive end. But he’s certainly given us a presence. When we’re playing against big teams, he can match up with those guys and hold his own one-on-one and be a shot-blocking presence at the rim.” Ibaka will return to Oklahoma City on Sunday for the first time since the trade.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The offseason addition of Dwight Howard has helped the Hawks become of the NBA’s best shooting teams, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Journal Constitution. Howard is third in the league at .622, joining teammates Mike Muscala and Thabo Sefolosha in the top five. Overall, Atlanta is second in shooting at .478. “I think it’s just sharing the ball,” Muscala said. “A lot of it’s getting more offensive rebounds, getting some steals, pushing it in transition, getting those easy buckets. It all helps in getting in a good rhythm. It’s about not overthinking it. It’s about finding the open guy because we do have good shooters, we have good finishers.”
Wizards point guard John Wall will be held out of back-to-back games for at least another week, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. The Wizards are bringing Wall along slowly after he had operations on both knees during the offseason. Coach Scott Brooks said he will consider changing the plan next week.
Washington’s early-season struggles are a sign that the organization should start over, which may mean trading Wall, writes Sam Amico of Amicohoops.net. Amico suggests a total makeover, with the team rebuilding around Otto Porter. He adds that the coaching change from Randy Wittman to Brooks hasn’t had the desired effect. Amico also cites an anonymous GM who believes the Wizards should waive Markieff Morris.

Wizards Hope To Lock Up Otto Porter In 2017

November 3rd, 2016 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

Otto Porter, the third overall pick in the 2013 draft, wasn’t one of the eight members of his draft class to sign a rookie scale extension this year, but that doesn’t mean that his days in Washington are numbered. Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld tells J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com that the club still wants to re-sign Porter when he becomes eligible for restricted free agency next summer.

“We had conversations, but we want Otto here long-term,” Grunfeld said. “We like Otto. We really like what he brings to the table. He’s a really good player that meshes well with John [Wall] and Brad[ley Beal], who like to have the ball in their hands. Otto cuts and spots up and he does a lot of little things. He makes a lot of winning plays that don’t show up in the box score. Our intention is in the offseason is to have Otto signed and have him here long-term.

“We like everything about him. Great character, very hard worker, very low key, does everything behind the scenes,” Grunfeld added. “I talked to Otto and let him know that he’s very important to us and we expect him to continue to work hard, continue to improve and continue to contribute to what we’re trying to do.”

Porter, 23, has gradually assumed a larger role in the Wizards’ rotation since averaging just 8.6 minutes per contest in his rookie season back in 2013/14. The sample size for this season is small so far, but in his first three games, Porter is averaging a career-high 15.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG, while making an impressive 62.9% of his shots from the field.

Although the Georgetown product didn’t sign an extension with the Wizards by October 31’s deadline, the team will still hold the right of first refusal on Porter next July, provided he receives a qualifying offer making him a restricted free agent. At that point, rival teams would be able to recruit the 6’8″ forward with potential offer sheets, but Washington would have the right to match any offer.

For his part, Porter says he’s not worried about his contract situation at this point, preferring to let agent David Falk handle that side of the business, as Michael writes in a separate CSNMidAtlantic.com piece. “I’m just focused on basketball. I let my agent deal with all that,” Porter said. “He’s going to make it easy on me.”

Eastern Notes: Bargnani, Micic, Sloan, Porter

July 26th, 2016 at 7:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former fixture on the injury reports of both the Knicks and the Nets, Andrea Bargnani, has inked a deal to play overseas in Spain with Baskonia, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). The agreement is for two years and contains opt outs for both sides, the report notes. Bargnani also reportedly drew interest from Turkey’s Darussafaka Dogus, who are now being coached by David Blatt. The 30-year-old made 46 appearances for Brooklyn last season and averaged 6.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per outing.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Sixers draft-and-stash pick Vasilije Micic has signed a one-year deal with Tofas Bursa to play overseas in Turkey, Carchia also reports (on Twitter). The 22-year-old point guard was the No. 52 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Another former Nets player is headed overseas, with Donald Sloan inking a one-year deal worth approximately $2.5MM-$2.8MM with Guangdong of The Chinese Basketball Association, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Sloan will have the opportunity to sign with an NBA club once the Chinese season concludes in late March/early April of 2017.
The Wizards aren’t expected to ink forward Otto Porter to an extension this fall, preferring instead to see how he develops this season before committing to him for the long-term, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com writes.
Former NBA player Eric Maynor, who missed the entire 2015/16 campaign with a torn ACL, has signed with the Italian club Varese, international journalist David Pick relays (via Twitter). Maynor last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 season when he split time between the Sixers and the Wizards.
The Celtics remain a team on the rise, with a deep roster and talented coach in Brad Stevens, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes, noting that the future is bright in Beantown in his look at the strengths of the team.

Wizards Notes: Brooks, Porter, Grunfeld

April 28th, 2016 at 9:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Wizards believe they landed their ideal coach in Scott Brooks, whose success at the NBA level and track record of working with young players appealed to the franchise, relays J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic.com. “We felt like he was the perfect coach for our situation,” team president Ernie Grunfeld said. “His record speaks for itself. He’s been where we want to be, where we want to go to. The other thing we love about him is he developed young players.”

Brooks noted his respect for the team’s roster and stressed the need to establish a new culture, Michael adds. “I’ve been competing against this team for a lot of years,” Brooks said. “This day and age with NBA teams, you need two-way players to compete night in and night out. I have very simple rules and I always establish from the very start, ‘Your job is to play hard every night. The second job you have to do is play hard for your teammates. That’s who you’re playing for every night. You have to establish those goals early on. I believe the character of the group will embrace that.”

See more Wizards-related items:

Team owner Ted Leonsis is glad Brooks has a positive view of Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre, notes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post, adding that the organization wasn’t pleased with the lack of playing time Porter received his first two seasons and the low minutes Oubre saw this year. Porter “didn’t take that next step” this season, Leonsis said, believing that Brooks will give him a chance to remedy that, tweets J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic.
The Wizards were compelled to move quickly to hire Brooks because of the amount of teams that were expected to be in the market for new coaches, Michael writes in a separate piece. Brooks had already been contacted by members of ownership from the Rockets and Timberwolves prior to Washington locking him up on a five-year deal, Michael adds.
Leonsis indicated that Grunfeld’s job was never in jeopardy this season, though matters would have changed had the executive deviated from the team’s plan, Castillo relays in a series of tweets. The plan the owner referred to was one geared toward gaining as much cap flexibility as possible for this summer, Castillo notes. Leonsis did add that he expected the team to be able to make the playoffs while executing this strategy and that missing out on the postseason was a disappointment, the scribe relays.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Wizards Notes: Wall, Brooks, Durant, Porter

April 24th, 2016 at 12:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Wizards point guard John Wall insists that hiring Scott Brooks as the team’s new coach wasn’t a ploy to attract Kevin Durant, according to Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The Wizards are expected to be among the teams pursuing Durant in free agency, and Brooks served as his coach for seven seasons in Oklahoma City. Wall said he is “very excited” to have Brooks on board and says the move is about the current team, not about getting Durant’s attention. “We didn’t sign Scotty Brooks to say, ‘Okay, Scotty, go get him. You got to bring us Kevin Durant,’” Wall said. “We got Scotty Brooks because we feel like he can help John Wall and make him a better player and make our team get to the next step. We didn’t get Scotty Brooks just to get Kevin Durant. That’s not what Scott is on board to do. And I hope everybody doesn’t expect just because we got Scotty Brooks, he’s automatically going to get K.D., he’s going to automatically jump.”

There’s more news from Washington:

Durant said he’s happy to see Brooks get the opportunity in Washington, but he dismissed the idea that it will affect his free agency decision, tweets Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. “I’m not really into theories,” Durant said. “I’m focused on [the playoff series with] the Mavericks.”
Otto Porter should continue to improve under Brooks, writes Ben Standig of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Standig expects Porter to be the clear starter at small forward entering next season and notes Brooks’ record of developing young players with the Thunder. Porter averaged 11.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season and is under contract to the Wizards through 2016/17.
Dez Wells doesn’t seem likely to rejoin the Wizards as he tries to earn a spot in the NBA, according to J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic. Wells hooked up with Washington after going undrafted last summer but suffered a thumb injury in mini-camp before summer league play. He spent the season with Oklahoma City’s affiliate in the D-League and is expected to stay associated with the Thunder this offseason.