Reggie Bullock Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Sanders, Johnson, Suns

February 11th, 2015 at 10:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Larry Sanders‘ league-imposed suspension for marijuana use has ended, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (Twitter link). The big man had been suspended without pay for a minimum of 10 games for a violation of the anti-drug policy, the NBA had announced back on January 16th. The league had stipulated that the suspension would remain in effect until Sanders fully complied with his treatment program. There has been no official announcement from the league or the Bucks regarding Sanders’ reinstatement as of yet. Sanders has missed a total of 12 games while on suspension, totaling $1.2MM in lost wages.

The end of the suspension makes it certain that the team will be unable to re-sign Jorge Gutierrez, whose 10-day contract will expire during the All-Star break, unless the Bucks unload one of their 15 players who are signed through the end of the season. Gutierrez has occupied the extra roster spot that Milwaukee’s has had thanks to the presence of Sanders on the suspended list.

Here’s more from around the league:

If Tyler Johnson remains on the Heat‘s roster past August 1st, half of his $845,059 salary for the 2015/16 season will become guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (Twitter link). Johnson was signed to a two-year deal by Miami after completing a pair of 10-day contracts with the team.
The Suns have recalled Archie Goodwin and Reggie Bullock from the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This was the the fourth trek of the season for Goodwin to Bakersfield, and the second for Bullock.
Pistons president of basketball operations and coach Stan Van Gundy blasted the Kings for how they have treated interim coach Tyrone Corbin, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Van Gundy took issue with the organization’s public courting of George Karl, who is reportedly finalizing an agreement to coach Sacramento, Mayo notes. “I think it’s an unfortunate situation, the way it’s been handled,” Van Gundy said. “I think Tyrone Corbin has been treated very, very poorly by their organization. I think the way they have treated him is unfortunate and inexcusable for one of the real class acts in our business.“
While Jahlil Okafor remains the consensus No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA draft, the player likely to be selected No. 2 remains a tight race between Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns, and D’Angelo Russell, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) notes.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Scott, Suns

February 7th, 2015 at 8:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

An easy schedule is good news unless you’re better off losing, which is where the Lakers find themselves, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles has dropped 11 of its last 12 games to move into fourth place in the Hoops Rumors Reverse Standings, which carries an 11.9% shot at the top pick. However, Bresnahan has analyzed the remaining schedule and notes that 17 of L.A.’s last 32 games are against teams with losing records. The Lakers’ pick will go to the Suns if it slips out of the top five.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers coach Byron Scott understands what it’s like to be fired, but he isn’t worried about being ousted by team executives, writes Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. “Sometimes the ownership gets a little antsy. They tell you it’s a four-year plan; all of the sudden it’s a two-year plan and you’re on the outs,” Scott said. “But to me it wasn’t a question. Because my feelings for this organization, I was more than willing to say, OK, give me two years, three years, whatever the case may be, because I’m in it for the long haul.”
The Suns have assigned Reggie Bullock and Archie Goodwin to their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, according to the team’s twitter feed. This will be Bullock’s second assignment and Goodwin’s fourth assignment on the season. Bullock scored 51 points during his earlier two-game stint, while Goodwin has averaged 21.1 points while shooting 45.2% from the field during his first three D-League assignments.
The Suns have also recalled Tyler Ennis and T.J. Warren from the Bakersfield Jam, according to the team’s website. During his two games for the Jam, Ennis averaged 14.5 points per game while shooting 38.7% from the field. Warren averaged 27.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game during his two games in Bakersfield.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

D-League Moves: Mavs, Warriors, Cavs, Magic

February 2nd, 2015 at 6:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mavs reserve point guard Ricky Ledo was in a three-way tie for the most D-League assignments this season when I examined D-League trends last week, but he’d been stuck on eight assignments for a while. He’d spent the early part of the season pinging back and forth between the Mavericks and the D-League Texas Legends, but his latest assignment stretched nearly a month. It’s over as of today, as the Mavs have recalled him, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. The end of the stint, which began January 9th, is likely tied to Rajon Rondo‘s broken nose and orbital bone that will sideline the All-Star for at least three games. Ledo is far from the only one on the move today, as we detail:

Festus Ezeli has returned to the Warriors from his first D-League assignment of the season, the team announced. The former 30th overall pick blocked a total of six shots over 42 minutes in two games with the Santa Cruz Warriors, but he averaged only 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
The shuttle continues for Joe Harris, whom the Cavaliers have recalled from his fourth D-League stint in the past two weeks, the team announced. The rookie swingman has put up 18.8 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 34.3 MPG in four D-League appearances this season, all of them since January 21st.
The Magic have assigned Devyn Marble to the D-League for the second time this year, the team announced. The 56th pick from the 2014 draft, who’s started seven NBA games this season, spent nearly a week in the D-League a month ago, averaging 20.0 PPG in 38.0 MPG.
Former first-round picks Reggie Bullock and Archie Goodwin are officially back with the Suns after twin D-League assignments that began January 29th, the team announced. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reported Sunday that the recalls would take place.
The Clippers will reassign C.J. Wilcox to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (Twitter link). Wilcox has appeared in five games for Fort Wayne this season, averaging 13.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest.

D-League Notes: Young, Dawkins, Goodwin

February 1st, 2015 at 3:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest D-League moves..

The Celtics recalled James Young and Andre Dawkins from their D-League affiliate in Maine on Sunday, the team announced in a press release. Young has played nine games for the Red Claws with a slash line of 23.6/5.3/2.2. Dawkins, who averaged 20 points per game in four contests with Maine, agreed to another 10-day deal with the Celtics today.
The Suns have recalled Archie Goodwin and Reggie Bullock from the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The trip concludes Goodwin’s third D-League trip of the season and the first of Bullock’s career. Bullock averaged 25.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG in the D-League while Goodwin put up 26.0 and 11.0 RPG in his two games.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Suns Notes: McDonough, D-League, Thomas

January 29th, 2015 at 7:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Suns will have enough cap flexibility to be a player in the free agent market this summer, but GM Ryan McDonough said in an interview with Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (hat tip to Matt Petersen of NBA.com), that he prefers to keep the franchise’s focus on the current season, not the offseason. “It’s not something we predetermine,” McDonough said. “We have it set up now where we have a decent amount [of cap space] in the summer of 2015. We have some key free agents this summer in Goran Dragic and Gerald Green that we’d like to re-sign. We’ll see how it goes.”

Here’s more from Phoenix:

McDonough also relayed that he expects the Suns to be a draw for free agents, Petersen notes. “Jerry Colangelo was able to get Tom Chambers [in 1988],” McDonough said. “[Managing Partner] Robert Sarver and company and Jerry and that group got Steve Nash. There have been some very good players, if you look at the Suns relative to other NBA teams. This is a place where people have been able to recruit in the past. I think with all the things that the city of Phoenix and the state of Arizona has going for it, we’ll be in the mix when those top free agents come.“
The Suns have assigned Archie Goodwin and Reggie Bullock to the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports (Twitter link). This will be Goodwin’s third D-League jaunt of the season, and the first of Bullock’s career.
Phoenix’s three point guard lineup has been a key to the Suns’ recent turnaround, Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. The success that Isaiah Thomas has had in replacing Ish Smith has been one of the biggest boons to the team this season, Elhassan notes.

And-Ones: Hummel, Bullock, Celtics, Draft

January 26th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

There’s been a run of tough luck over the past few days, with Kobe Bryant, Brandon Jennings, Tony Wroten and Mirza Teletovic all likely having been knocked out for the season. There’s news on another injury this morning as the NBA hopes inclement weather in the Northeast won’t interfere with a seven-game night:

The Wolves have lost Robbie Hummel to a broken right (shooting) hand, the team announced (on Twitter), and Hummel said he’ll be out four to six weeks, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Hummel has started four of the last five games for Minnesota, which has a full 15-man roster, including Miroslav Raduljica, who’s on a 10-day contract.
Suns coach Jeff Hornacek believes new acquisition Reggie Bullock will fit into Phoenix’s plans for the future, as he told reporters, including Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Bullock engaged in what he calls a “great conversation” with Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers when he found out that Rivers had pulled the trigger on the deal that sent him to Phoenix, Markazi observes.
The original plan was for Andre Dawkins to remain on D-League assignment for the duration of his 10-day contract with the Celtics, but coach Brad Stevens indicated there’s a decent chance that will change, notes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. In any case, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest examines the reasons why NBA teams would sign a player to a 10-day deal and immediately send him to the D-League, as Boston did with Dawkins.
Tyler Harris said the idea that he intends to enter this year’s NBA draft didn’t come from him, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. A report last week indicated that the Providence junior small forward planned to declare for early entry.

Western Notes: Bullock, Rivers, Lopez

January 15th, 2015 at 10:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Suns GM Ryan McDonough is excited about adding Reggie Bullock to the team’s roster because of the player’s high basketball IQ, ability to play either wing spot, and for his defensive abilities, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “We’ve really liked his ability to shoot the ball with his size on the perimeter and his ability to defend NBA athletes on the wing with size,” McDonough said. “We’re confident that, with more time and repetitions, that he has the potential to be an elite shooter at the NBA level.” Phoenix had its eye on Bullock heading into the 2013 NBA draft, but the Clippers snagged him four picks ahead of the Suns wound up with Archie Goodwin as a result, Coro notes.

Here’s the latest out of the West:

With Austin Rivers now a member of the Clippers, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com takes a look at what the player brings to Los Angeles. Kavner opines that Rivers will add youth, as well as some needed scoring and playmaking ability off of the bench for the Clippers.
The Suns have a glut of point guards on the roster, as well as a number of players with maturity issues, a combination that may lead to the team being active on the trade market prior to February’s deadline, Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic writes.
With the rumors of Brook Lopez potentially coming to the Thunder heating up, Jon Hamm of The Oklahoman looks at how the deal could benefit Oklahoma City, as well as the risks involved. Hamm notes that Kendrick Perkins would likely have to be included in any deal for salary matching purposes. Plus, the team could end up missing Perkins’ defense, and making the trade brings team chemistry risks with it as well.

Clippers Acquire Austin Rivers

January 15th, 2015 at 5:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers have acquired Austin Rivers in a three-team trade with the Celtics and Suns, as Boston, Los Angeles and Phoenix have officially announced. In addition to Rivers heading to Los Angeles, the Celtics will receive Shavlik Randolph from Phoenix and Chris Douglas-Roberts and a 2017 second-round pick from the Clippers, and the Suns will get Reggie Bullock from Los Angeles. Boston intends to waive Douglas-Roberts, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald (Twitter links). The Celtics will also be able to create a trade exception worth $2.4MM.

After much back and forth between the Clippers and the Celtics, Rivers will join his father, Doc Rivers, in Los Angeles. The elder Rivers was reportedly concerned about the perception that would surround a father trading for and coaching his son, but Clippers GM Dave Wohl and assistant coaches Lawrence Frank and Mike Woodson have reportedly encouraged Doc to forgo his concerns and make the deal.

The younger Rivers has never quite lived up to having been selected No. 10 overall by New Orleans back in 2012, and he could benefit from a change of scenery. He’s in the last year of his rookie deal, and he’s set to become a free agent at the end of the season. Rivers’ career numbers are 6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 165 total contests. His career slash line is .390/.332/.631.

In Randolph, Boston receives a 6’10”, 31-year-old forward with career averages of 2.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and a career slash line of .455/.200/.544 over 141 games. Randolph, who previously played for the Celtics at the end of the 2012/13 season, is earning $1,227,985 in the final year of his deal.

The inclusion of Bullock in the deal was apparently one of the sticking points with getting the deal done, tweeted Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, but the Clippers obviously relented in order to consummate the trade. The 23-year-old swingman should fit in well in Phoenix’s system and could see an increase in playing time with the Suns. Bullock is averaging 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 10.5 minutes per game over 25 appearances for Los Angeles this season. His shooting numbers are .426/.385/.800. He is making $1,200,720 this season, and is in line to receive $1,252,440 in 2015/16. His rookie scale contract includes a team option of $2,255,644 for the 2016/17 campaign.

Douglas-Roberts, 28, is making $915,243 this season, so Boston won’t be on the hook for much in the way of salary after it waives the veteran swingman. In 12 appearances this season, he has averaged 1.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game. His shooting numbers are .238/.143/1.000.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald first reported the trade, Shams Charania of RealGM first reported the inclusion of Randolph and Bullock, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reported the inclusion of Douglas-Roberts, and Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald first noted that the Celtics would acquire a second round draft pick.

Clippers To Acquire Austin Rivers

January 15th, 2015 at 11:51am CST by Eddie Scarito

4:23pm: Markazi now says the Clippers will indeed send a 2017 second-rounder Boston’s way, adding that the Clips tried hard not to give up the pick (Twitter link).

3:25pm: The Clippers aren’t giving up a second-rounder, according to Markazi (Twitter link), which conflicts with Murphy’s report.

3:08pm: The Celtics will receive a 2017 second-round pick from the Clippers, and Boston will waive Douglas-Roberts once he comes in via the trade, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald (Twitter links).

2:50pm: Douglas-Roberts is also headed to Boston in the deal, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). That would be enough salary coming off the Clippers’ books to make the trade legal, though it would still leave the Clips closer to the hard cap than they had been.

2:40pm: Shavlik Randolph is heading from the Suns to the Celtics, Bullock is going to the Suns, and Rivers is going to the Clippers, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Coro hinted at a potential Bullock-Randolph exchange a few minutes earlier (on Twitter). Randolph is on an expiring contract with a salary worth nearly $1.228MM. The Clippers would need to give up more than Bullock’s salary of nearly $1.201MM to take back Rivers, who makes $2.44MM, so it appears there’s still more to be worked out. The Clippers, a tax team, can’t take back more than 125% plus $100K of what they give up via trade, and they must stay under their hard cap.

1:42pm: Bullock is back in play for the Suns, Coro tweets.

1:14pm: One of the teams involved nixed the idea of Bullock going to the Suns, though the matter might be revisited, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

12:50pm: Farmar will not be heading to the Celtics in the deal, Murphy tweets.

12:43pm: The Celtics have told Austin Rivers that the trade will be finalized today, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).

12:36pm: The Suns are drawing increasing mention as the likely third team in the deal, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The involvement of Phoenix, which is under the cap, would allow the Celtics not to have to take back any salary for Rivers, Stein points out, and that would also let the Celtics create a trade exception. The belief is that the Suns covet Bullock, though the Clippers would prefer not to surrender him, according to Stein. In any case, Rivers still hasn’t reported to Boston, though that’s with the permission of the Celtics, who’ve promised him that they’ll send him to the Clippers, and that remains the plan (All Twitter links).

THURSDAY, 9:08am: The Clippers appear to be making progress toward finalizing the trade, and it’ll probably involve some combination of Farmar, Douglas-Roberts and Bullock, a league source tells Bolch. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge still insists there’s a chance Rivers remains with Boston, as he said this morning in a radio appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub with Rich Shertenlieb and Fred Toucher, according to Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com (Twitter link). It nonetheless appears that the deal remains on track, Rohrbach adds. The Celtics and Clippers are still looking for a third team, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.

12:54pm: Chris Douglas-Roberts is a “strong candidate” to be dealt, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, noting that Douglas-Roberts is on an expiring contract. The small forward has a one-year deal for the minimum salary.

WEDNESDAY, 11:20am: The belief has been that the Clippers have been talking to the Suns about taking on salary the Clippers would need to unload to complete the Rivers deal, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. It’s unclear if the Clippers would prefer to bring Phoenix into the Rivers trade to make it a three-team swap or make separate transactions.

TUESDAY, 11:01pm: The Celtics aren’t done reshaping their roster after all of their recent trades. Boston will reportedly ship Austin Rivers to the Clippers, but the move will have to wait until Boston can clear roster space for two expiring contracts, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald reports (Twitter links). The Celtics will also nab themselves a second round draft pick in the deal, Bulpett adds. Boston currently has 15 players on its roster, including the newly acquired Nate Robinson.

To clear the required roster spots, the Celtics are reportedly likely to attempt to reach buyout arrangements with Robinson and Tayshaun Prince. As for whom the Celtics would need to clear room for, assuming the roster spots they needed to clear were for players they would receive from Los Angeles, both Reggie Bullock and Jordan Farmar have been mentioned as potential trade candidates. However, Farmar doesn’t necessarily qualify as a player with an expiring deal, since he has a player option for 2015/16 worth $2,170,465.

Rivers will join his father, Doc Rivers, in Los Angeles. The elder Rivers was reportedly concerned about the perception that would surround a father trading for and coaching his son, but Clippers GM Dave Wohl and assistant coaches Lawrence Frank and Mike Woodson have reportedly encouraged Doc to forgo his concerns and make the deal.

The younger Rivers has never quite lived up to having been selected No. 10 overall by New Orleans back in 2012, and he could benefit from a change of scenery. He’s in the last year of his rookie deal, and he’s set to become a free agent at the end of the season. Rivers’ career numbers are 6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 165 total contests. His career slash line is .390/.332/.631.

Farmar, who signed with the Clippers for the full value of the biannual exception this past offseason, is reportedly displeased with his role on the Clippers, as Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote about a month ago. He’s currently logging a career-low 14.7 minutes per game. Bullock, 23, is averaging 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 10.5 minutes per game over 25 appearances for Los Angeles this season. His shooting numbers are .426/.385/.800.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Celtics Acquire Nate Robinson

January 13th, 2015 at 8:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

8:18pm: The trade is official, both the Celtics and the Nuggets have announced. Judging by Denver GM Tim Connelly‘s statement in the press release, the Nuggets intend to keep Nelson. “We are excited to add a player of Jameer’s caliber to our roster,” said Connelly. “We have no doubt that his experience and veteran leadership will be of value to our team.”

5:05pm: The Celtics are close to acquiring guard Nate Robinson from the Nuggets, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Boston will be sending Jameer Nelson to Denver in return, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Nelson had been acquired from Dallas in the deal for Rajon Rondo, but didn’t fit into Boston’s long-term plans. Robinson is expected to reach a buyout arrangement with the Celtics, Spears adds (Twitter links). The Nuggets will not be sending any draft picks to the Celtics in this deal, Spears also notes.

Robinson, the diminutive point guard out of Washington University, is a potential candidate to be signed by the Clippers if he is released, Wojnarowski tweets. Denver had discussed a deal with Los Angeles for Robinson in recent weeks, though no arrangement could be agreed upon, Wojnarowski notes. Robinson is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and is making $2,106,720 this season.

The Clippers had also been reported to be in pursuit of new Celtic Austin Rivers and continue to try to acquire him even in the wake of this deal for Boston, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Los Angeles has reportedly engaged in talks to send out Jordan Farmar, so a separate deal for Rivers could still be possible. The Clippers are also looking to unload Reggie Bullock to clear cap space under their hard cap, Pincus reports (Twitter link).

In 33 games for the Nuggets this season, Robinson has averaged 5.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 14.1 minutes per contest. His career numbers over nine seasons in the league are 11.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 3.0 APG. His career slash line is .424/.360/.796.

Nelson, 32, was also reportedly in talks to reach a buyout arrangement with he Celtics, since he was unhappy with his playing time since arriving in Beantown. In 680 career games Nelson has averaged 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. His slash line is .439/.372/.816.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.