Royce White Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings Sign Jared Cunningham To 10-Day Deal

March 31st, 2014 at 1:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:01pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

8:01am: The Kings will sign 2012 first-round pick Jared Cunningham to a 10-day contract, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). The team is still high on Royce White, whom Sacramento has been considering for another contract, but a shortage of healthy guards has prompted GM Pete D’Alessandro and company to temporarily fill their final roster spot with Cunningham, Jones tweets.

Injuries had left rookies Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum as the only available guards for Sacramento, so Cunningham, a shooting guard, figures to see plenty of minutes. It’ll be a stark contrast from Cunningham’s experience on NBA rosters so far, as he’s played more games on D-League assignment than in the NBA in both seasons since turning pro. The Hawks waived him in late February to address their shortage of bodies in the frontcourt. Cunningham said shortly thereafter that he would sign with an NBA team within the week, but he wound up waiting almost a month for his return to the Association.

The Sam Goldfeder client was the 24th overall pick in 2012, but he’s seen action in just 13 NBA games so far between the Mavs and Hawks, putting up 18 points on 7 for 16 shooting in 48 total minutes. He’s played in 37 D-League games, averaging 16.1 points on 36.9% shooting from the field in 32.5 minutes per contest.

Kings Hold Off On Re-Signing Royce White

March 27th, 2014 at 5:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Kings have no immediate plans to re-sign Royce White for the rest of season, notes Jonathan Santiago of Cowbell Kingdom (hat tip to James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom). Earlier today, we noted that the team had been debating on whether or not to give the 6’8 forward a new contract once his second 10-day deal expired today. With that being said, head coach Michael Malone wouldn’t rule out an eventual return for White in the future:

“The door is not closed…The 10-day has ended, but that doesn’t mean that the relationship has ended for good…I think for him and his future and his career, he has to start amending some of the things that have happened in the past…Everybody here can only speak positively about our time with Royce and as we just mentioned, it doesn’t mean that his time here is over. For right now it is, but I appreciate his hard work.”

Santiago adds that White’s potential future in Sacramento will be up to GM Pete D’Alessandro, who is currently in New York attending personal matters. Malone – who continued to be complimentary in describing White’s stay in Sacramento when speaking with the media – expects D’Alessandro to meet with White and his representation once he returns from that trip.

Though originally drafted by the Rockets in 2012, White hadn’t appeared in an official NBA game until this year with the Kings. The 22-year-old Minneapolis native is yet to register his first career basket as a pro and logged a total of nine minutes over his twenty-day stint in Sacramento.

Pacific Notes: Young, Meeks, Hornacek, Kings

March 27th, 2014 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

It appears likely that Nick Young will opt out of his contract, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, though there’s mutual interest in keeping him in purple-and-gold. The team also likes soon-to-be free agent Jodie Meeks, Bresnahan adds, and while Meeks has spoken of his desire to remain a Laker, the Times scribe believes the shooting guard will probably command a tidy raise from his $1.55MM salary this season. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Within a story noting that Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg must pay the school $500K if he accepts an NBA head coaching or GM job, Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register reveals that Jeff Hornacek is making $2MM as coach of the Suns this year. Hornacek reportedly has a four-year deal with a club option in the final season.
The Kings are debating whether to re-sign Royce White for the season, and they’re enamored with his play, professionalism and the way he’s meshed with teammates, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. White’s second 10-day contract with Sacramento expires tonight.
Sean Cunningham of News 10 Sacramento hears it was a failed physical that derailed Chris Johnson‘s deal with the Kings (Twitter link). The team is reportedly adding Willie Reed instead.

Pacific Notes: White, Kelly, Lakers

March 22nd, 2014 at 1:01pm CST by Cray Allred

Gregg Popovich has long been in Kings coach Michael Malone‘s corner, explaining to The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Jones why he endorsed Malone when Malone sought his first NBA head coaching gig. “In an NBA season, there’s all kinds of ups and downs, and you have to be able to roll with all of them,” Popovich said. “I just thought he had that edge, that toughness and the obvious sense for the game and that he could be successful. That’s why I went to bat for him.” More from the Pacific:

After playing his first minute of NBA action last night, Royce White tells Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com that he plans to attend every game with the Kings as long as he’s under contract, including road games requiring flying. White is optimistic about his stay in Sacramento working out better than his time with the Rockets, who drafted him and eventually traded him after failing to resolve issues surrounding his mental health. “In all fairness to Houston, they were in a much different position. A lot of things, they couldn’t make a ruling on themselves as much as the league. They had to wait on a lot of OKs and things from people. It was a real complex situation. But [this] feels very different.” said White. “I’m definitely feeling more comfortable with the ability to have a successful career in this league.”
Rookie Ryan Kelly is trying to prove that he deserves to remain with the Lakers next season, he tells Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. “I’ve seen it as an opportunity to let not only the Lakers organization know but the rest of the league know that I deserve a spot in this league,” Kelly said. Kelly will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Lakers extend a qualifying offer of just over $1MM.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss doesn’t believe Phil Jackson‘s presence in New York will hurt her team’s appeal for free agents, she said in an interview with ESPN 710 (transcription via Mike Bresnahan and Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times). “I think the Lakers are a legacy franchise. Players know when they come here this is the ultimate platform… I’m not worried about that in any way, shape or form,” said Buss.
Buss added that the Lakers‘ struggles don’t effect the Buss family’s long-term commitment to keep and run the team.

Western Notes: Buss, White, Mekel

March 21st, 2014 at 6:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Lakers ownership and decision making has been complicated since the passing of Jerry Buss, but Jeanie Buss has stated emphatically that she’s the “boss”, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. In an interview on the “Mason and Ireland”show, Buss said, “I am responsible ultimately for anything with the team and decisions that are made. In my position, I empower people that are in positions to do their jobs. [Executive vice president of player personnel] Jim Buss and [general manager] Mitch Kupchak are responsible for all basketball decisions. They are empowered to do that. My job is to make sure, as a boss, that I provide them the tools to do the job successfully. But it’s up to them to make the day-to-day decisions on how they operate their area of the business.”

Pacific Rumors: Sacre, Kings, White, Kuzmic

March 20th, 2014 at 6:14pm CST by Charlie Adams

Although Robert Sacre isn’t likely to make any All-Star teams in the foreseeable future, Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni is happy to have the big man on his squad, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. “He works harder than anyone on the team, without a doubt, it’s not even close,” said D’Antoni. “In the weight room, on the floor, before practice, he’s trying to make himself into a player.” Sacre’s deal runs through the 2015/16 season, though his final year is non-guaranteed. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Sacramento has received the legal OK to take possession of a former Macy’s store on the site of the planned Kings arena, eliminating one of the final hurdles to beginning construction, the team announced. Sacramento and the Kings must open the arena by 2017 to prevent the league from seizing control of the team and perhaps selling it to investors who’d move it to another city.
Kings coach Mike Malone says Royce White might make his NBA debut as early as tomorrow night, reveals Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. White is on his second 10-day deal with Sacramento and has played four games with their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. Apparently, White’s discussions with team GM Pete D’Alessandro have been positive, and White doesn’t have any doubts that the organization will work to properly handle his anxiety disorder that kept him from taking the court last season (All twitter links).
The Warriors have recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from the D-League, the team announced. In 18 appearances for Golden State, Kuzmic has played just 61 minutes and averaged 0.5 PPG.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Kings Sign Royce White To Second 10-Day Deal

March 18th, 2014 at 3:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

MARCH 18TH: The Kings have officially announced their deal with White, via press release.

MARCH 15TH, 8:28am: Royce White will get his rumored second 10-day contract with the Kings, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). As expected, White is working out in Sacramento while the team is on the road, and could be available to play when the team returns home on Tuesday. Spears says the Kings are confident White can travel. The timing of this deal means they will face the decision to keep White for the rest of the year or part ways with him before their next road trip arrives.

MONDAY, 12:16pm: The Kings appear set to keep Royce White on the team with a second 10-day contract, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes within his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Aldridge suggests it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Kings sign the former first-round pick for the rest of the season after the second 10-day deal runs out.

White has played a pair of home games with the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento’s D-League affiliate, and will appear in two more before his initial 10-day contract expires at the end of Saturday. The Kings assigned the forward to the D-League at the same time they signed him Thursday.

White and the team haven’t had in-depth conversations about how to accommodate his mental health difficulties, and both sides are taking their partnership slowly, a source tells Aldridge. The Kings are interested in seeing if White still has the desire necessary to play at a high level and, if so, evaluating how he responds with the Bighorns, Aldridge hears. White is averaging 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 26.9 minutes over his two games with the Bighorns so far.

The plan is for White to join the big club on his second 10-day deal, which would set him up to make his official NBA debut. The Kings have a four-game homestand scheduled for shortly after White’s first 10-day contract expires, so that would allow him to play in games without having to travel and test his long-held fear of flying.

Western Notes: Hayward, Wolves, White

March 14th, 2014 at 10:51pm CST by Cray Allred

Leandro Barbosa thought he was heading back to the Celtics when he received a call from Suns GM Ryan McDonough, he tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Barbosa knew McDonough from his stay in Boston, and didn’t know he had been hired as the GM in Phoenix. “I didn’t know that until I got the call,” Barbosa said. “So when I got the call, I was surprised. I thought Boston was interested in myself. But then he (McDonough) explained it to me. ‘Oh, you’re in Phoenix?’ I was happy either way, just to get the opportunity to go back to the NBA.” Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Jazz standout Gordon Hayward tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that he’s excited for his upcoming restricted free agency. “It’s weird to think about,” Hayward said, “just because it’s been four years and you kind of see yourself as staying with whatever team you get drafted by. But we’ll see where it goes. I can’t worry about it now. I’m just excited about where it can go.”
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders scouted the Big 12 Tournament yesterday, and is doing the same at the SEC tournament today, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
The Kings’ addition of Royce White, who might get his first playing time in the NBA soon, on consecutive 10-day contracts is a small gamble that an organization like Sacramento must take, writes Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. While White is looking for a team that can accommodate his mental health issues and offer him an opportunity in the summer league and beyond, the Kings aren’t thinking much beyond the coming days. “I see Royce as a mature guy who is trying to get where he needs to go,” Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said. “There is untapped potential. Can he get there? That’s really going to be up to him. I have to give him credit. A lot of players would not have been willing to come to the D-League, and we spoke about that from the beginning. And he’s already come in here and done some good things. We’ll look at the full 10 days, then make a decision on where to go from there.”

Kings Notes: White, Thomas, Gay

March 14th, 2014 at 10:47am CST by Zachary Links

Last night, the Kings announced that they recalled forward Royce White from their D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns. White, signed by the Kings to a 10-day contract on March 6, immediately reported to the Bighorns and averaged 8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.50 steals, and 24.8 minutes per game in four games. More out of Sacramento..

Kings guard Isaiah Thomas tells Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops that the biggest reason for his development has been coach Michael Malone’s trust in him, especially after starter Greivis Vasquez was dealt to Toronto in the Rudy Gay trade. “He’s given me an opportunity to lead this team and kind of just play my game,” Thomas explained. “I always tell people the NBA, I think, is a game of opportunity. Once your opportunity comes, you’ve got to take it and run with it. My opportunity is here and I’m trying to do the best I can to not look back.” One Eastern Conference GM sees Thomas getting between $4-5MM per year on the open market while a scout sees the full mid-level exception as his maximum.
Thomas is learning to lead as he approaches restricted free agency, writes Andrew Perna of RealGM.
In a Q&A on the Kings’ website, GM Pete D’Alessandro spoke about Gay’s future and says that he looks forward to talking with Thomas’ camp about a new deal.

And-Ones: Embiid, Union, White, Hairston

March 13th, 2014 at 5:55pm CST by Zachary Links

With only three games on the docket on Thursday evening, let’s begin to sort through all that is going on around the Association tonight:

Sean Deveney of the Sporting News asked executives about Joel Embiid’s back injury and what it will do to his stock come draft time. “Obviously he has a ton of talent and he is as promising a big man as you can imagine,” one GM said. “But the back is going to be a question mark, and every team is going to want their doctors to look at whatever information there is now, and whatever comes out of the medical testing at the combine.“
In a piece for ESPN.com, agent Jeff Schwartz opined that the process for the union’s executive director search must change. In his view, there has been a lack of transparency in the search since day one and he notes that even though there are said to be two finalists for the position, the union has yet to publicly acknowledge them.
Royce White‘s stint with the Reno Bighorns was “a positive experience” for both White and the club, despite him not posting impressive numbers there, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (on Twitter).
While P.J. Hairston concedes it has been an adjustment, you can count him among the D-League advocates as well, writes SI.com’s Chris Mannix. The former Tar Heel, banished from North Carolina in December, hit the ground running with the Texas Legends and has all the makings of a first round pick this June.