Royce White Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Rondo, 76ers, White

October 24th, 2013 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks coach Mike Woodson acknowledged yesterday that Chris Smith‘s family ties will play a role in the team’s decision on whether or not he makes the roster, but if it were up to J.R. Smith, that wouldn’t be a factor.

“I don’t want that to come into play because then I think that’s a crutch for him and that’s an excuse for him to make the team,” J.R. said, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “I think that he should make the team based off his own talent and his own ability. Don’t get me wrong, he’s my brother at the end of the day, but at the same time I think his talent alone should set that apart.”

As the Knicks mull over their roster options, let’s check in on a few more stories from out of the Atlantic Division….

Within a column about Rajon Rondo and the Celtics, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News cites sources to report that Rondo hasn’t talked to coach Brad Stevens or GM Danny Ainge about any sort of trade this offseason.
Nick Menta of the 700 Level explores the 76ers‘ options when it comes to Evan Turner, who is extension-eligible, and Arnett Moultrie, Royce White, and Tony Wroten, whose 2014/15 team options must be exercised or declined by next Thursday.
For at least the start of the 2013/14 season, White appears to have a firm hold on a roster spot with the Sixers, as Jason Wolf of USA Today details.
The Celtics and Sixers both made roster cuts earlier today.

Odds & Ends: Wizards, Karasev, Sixers, West

October 4th, 2013 at 11:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld and coach Randy Wittman are both on expiring deals, and owner Ted Leonsis wants the team to show improvement this year, notes Benjamin Standig of The Associated Press.

"I expect us to be a playoff-caliber team," Leonsis said. "I think our fan base expects that too and that's the pressure I've placed on our organization, that we have to meet the expectations of our fans — and it's time."

Leonsis also said that he believes upgrades to the team's facilities will help the Wizards attract free agents in future offseasons. While Washington strives to leave the lottery behind, here's more from around the Association:

The Cavs were sold on Sergey Karasev before the draft, and they tried unsuccessfully to trade up from the 19th pick this June, thinking it was necessary to land him, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Instead, Karasev fell to Cleveland at No. 19, and Lloyd believes that the Cavs' claim that they were surprised he dropped so low — an oft-repeated refrain about NBA draftees — rings true.
The Sixers' decision to keep Royce White at home for their trip to Europe raised a few eyebrows, but he's not the only player the team left off the plane, notes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The pressure's on Delonte West to produce in China after he did little to woo NBA teams during his D-League stint last season, opines Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.
The Suns have 16 players on fully guaranteed deals and Dionte Christmas on a partially guaranteed contract, so it's no shock that coach Jeff Hornacek says it won't be easy for the team to decide on the opening-night roster. Matt Petersen of Suns.com provides details.
The market squeezed plenty of productive veterans into bargain deals this summer, and Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com names six whom he thinks will be particularly valuable.
Mavs camp invitee Renaldo Balkman is trying to overcome the stigma of the violent outburst that led a league in the Philippines to ban him, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News examines.

Atlantic Notes: Kidd, White, Raptors, Knicks

October 4th, 2013 at 3:45pm CST by Zachary Links

This morning, the league announced that new Nets head coach Jason Kidd will be suspended for the first two games of the 2013/14 season after pleading guilty to DWI charges. The move was expected and GM Billy King issued a statement saying, "The decision is consistent with what the league has done in the past and we look forward to Jason leading our team versus Orlando and the rest of the year." Here's more from the Atlantic Division..

Forward Royce White did not travel with the Sixers on their trip to Europe, a source tells Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter). White, who suffers from a well-documented anxiety disorder that includes a fear of flying, was "given a pass" by the team. The Sixers acquired White from the Rockets this summer along with the rights to Furkan Aldemir.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey says that he doesn't have a preference between Carlos Morais, Julyan Stone, or Chris Wright for the club's final roster spot, writes Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Casey did say that the decision will be based on much more than talent as he's looking for someone with solid energy.
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com looks at the pros and cons of starting defending Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith. The recently re-signed Knicks guard could shine with additional minutes, but he'd also cut into Iman Shumpert's time on the floor. Shumpert is one of the team's top defenders and is used to bottle up opposing guard/wing players.
Offseason acquisition Metta World Peace says the Knicks have to play as smart as the 1973 team to win a championship in 2013, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Sixers Notes: White, Wyatt, Turner, Kuester

September 25th, 2013 at 11:02pm CST by Alex Lee

New 76ers head coach Brett Brown sat down with the media for a 35-minute press conference today. Let's take a look at the reports coming out of Philly a day after they officially signed first round picks Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams:

Royce White, who the team acquired in July, is officially participating in pre-training camp workouts with the Sixers and is expected to be present for the team's Media Day on Friday, writes the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey. Based on Brown's comments, it sounds like the Sixers plan to try to bring him along slowly, and this news certainly qualifies as a step in the right direction considering his rocky stint with Houston.
According to Pompey, Brown compared the scoring potential of Temple product Khalif Wyatt to that of Gary Neal, his former pupil in San Antonio. Another thing Wyatt shares with Neal, according to Brown, is a body type for a guard that necessitates a concentration on fitness. Pompey adds that Wyatt's conditioning was called into question in his time at Temple.
Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com writes that Brown's fixation on conditioning extends far beyond just Wyatt, adding that the new coach believes in the talent of Evan Turner, who is headed into the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. Brown will count on Turner as a team leader, writes Moore.
Both Pompey and Moore report that Brown is still searching for another assistant coach. He has already hired Chad Iske, Lloyd Pierce, Greg Foster and Billy Lange. Although Brown implied NBA experience is not an absolute necessity on a team this inexperienced, Moore lists former Sixers assistant and Pistons head coach John Kuester as a candidate due to a previous connection with Brown. Last week there was a report that Kuester was the favorite to be hired as Brown's top assistant.

Sixers Rumors: Trades, Young, FAs, White

August 30th, 2013 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we passed along a few quotes from Sam Hinkie, pulled from a conversation he had with Philadelphia Daily News scribe Bob Cooney. The Sixers GM, apparently making up for a few months of so-called "secrecy," also spoke to Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times, answering a few more questions about his team's offseason and plan for the future. Let's check out the highlights….

Hinkie tells Moore that he isn't looking to trade another veteran, such as Thaddeus Young, in order to clear even more cap space this year and next. "We have the most cap space (next summer) in the league right now," Hinkie said. "I wouldn’t say we necessarily have a need for a whole lot more. We have a lot to work with."
According to Hinkie, head coach Brett Brown has been in touch with each player on the Sixers' roster to discuss what's expected of them for the coming season.
The Sixers aren't targeting a specific position in free agency, but are still in contact with available players, says Hinkie: "We’re active out on the market, talking with lots of people. I’m focused on talent more so than (position)."
Hinkie is looking forward to seeing what Tony Wroten can do for the team, and is hopeful Philadelphia is a place where the young guard can "really improve."
A source tells Moore that the 76ers essentially have nothing invested in Royce White, since the Rockets included enough cash in that trade to cover his 2013/14 salary. Furkan Aldemir was Sixers' main target in the deal, and there's no indication yet that White is in the team's plans as more than a small expiring contract. Philadelphia has until late October to exercise or decline the forward's '14/15 team option.

Eastern Notes: Monroe, Knicks, White, Heat

July 24th, 2013 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Wednesday morning items from around the Eastern Conference….

Pistons big man Greg Monroe tells Ben Golliver of SI.com that any trade speculation or rumors involving him are "foolish."
Mark Deeks' latest update of Knicks salaries for ShamSports.com includes two interesting notes on J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni. The Knicks will pay Smith half of his salary for this season by November 15th (Twitter links), while Prigioni's third season contains some complicated provisions that could affect the level of guarantee. To check out the full details, hover over Prigioni's name on the ShamSports.com page.
In addition to having the ability to veto trades, Nazr Mohammed also received a 15% trade kicker on his new deal with the Bulls, tweets Deeks.
The Sixers have yet to establish a plan to deal with Royce White's fear of flying, GM Sam Hinkie told reporters, including Jason Wolf of USA Today. Philadelphia will have to decide this offseason whether to exercise White's 2014/15 option, so if the team turns down that option, the 2012 first-round pick will become an expiring contract.
After being released by the Pistons two weeks ago, Kim English is seeking a new NBA deal, and tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that "three or four teams" are showing interest.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explores the possibility of the Heat signing Greg Oden, Marcus Camby, or Mo Williams.

Rockets, 76ers Finalize Royce White Trade

July 13th, 2013 at 10:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Rockets and 76ers announced that they have finalized the deal that will send Royce White, the draft rights to Turkish forward Furkan Aldemir, and cash considerations to Philly in exchange for future draft considerations.

White, the 16th pick in the 2012 draft, never appeared in a regular season game for the Rockets because of his battles with the team concerning accomodations for his psychological disorders. He averaged 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in 16 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston's D-League affiliate.

The move clears White's $1,719,480 guaranteed salary from Houston's books, which helped to give Houston a little more breathing room in an offseason headlined by the signing of Dwight Howard.

Odds & Ends: Johnson, Blair, Mavs, Deng, Jazz

July 11th, 2013 at 12:51am CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars introduced free agent signee Josh Smith to the media today, but Dumars says he isn't done upgrading the roster, as Rod Beard of the Detroit News observes. The team also brought Rasheed Wallace aboard as an assistant coach this week, providing a link to its championship past. Here's more from the rest of the league as teams and players covet the Larry O'Brien trophy:

Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears Ivan Johnson is drawing interest from several teams, including the Hawks (Twitter link). Atlanta declined to offer Johnson a qualifying offer this summer, but the team can still re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent. Johnson let go of agent Larry Williams last week.
The Mavs have "poked around" free agent DeJuan Blair, as Jeff Caplan of NBA.com tweets, so it appears the club may have some level of interest. The team is focusing on its frontcourt, and GM Donnie Nelson doesn't think the Mavs will be bringing on any more guards, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes at the end of his roundup.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com thinks the Mavs should have been more willing to take a risk on Andrew Bynum.
An NBA GM from outside the Bulls organization tells Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com that Luol Deng could command between $11MM and $12MM on the open market next summer. Deng and the Bulls appear to be working toward an extension (Twitter link).
The Jazz may have had "different conversations with Mo Williams" if the team hadn't wound up with Trey Burke on draft night, GM Dennis Lindsey told reporters today, including Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).
Royce White, who's headed to the Sixers via trade, intends to play for the team, but is still reluctant to make frequent flights, as he tells Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register (link via USA Today).

Rockets To Trade Royce White To Sixers

July 5th, 2013 at 7:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:50pm: Furkan Aldemir is headed to Philadelphia as well, tweets Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, identifying the international prospect in the deal.

7:02pm: The Rockets have agreed to trade Royce White to the Sixers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Houston will receive future draft considerations from Philadelphia, and the Rockets will throw in the draft rights to an international prospect as well as cash.

White, the 16th pick in the 2012 draft, never appeared in a regular season game for the Rockets because of his battles with the team concerning accomodations for his psychological disorders. He averaged 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in 16 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston's D-League affiliate.

The move clears White's $1,719,480 guaranteed salary from Houston's books, though as HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus points out (on Twitter), the Rockets still probably need to clear a little more room to fit in a max contract for Dwight Howard. That could entail simply cutting one of a few players on a non-guaranteed deal. Greg Smith, James Anderson, Patrick Beverley and Tim Ohlbrecht all have deals that aren't fully guaranteed, though Beverley would figure to be the least likely among them to go.

Rockets Considering Trading Royce White

July 4th, 2013 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

After agreeing to send Thomas Robinson to the Trail Blazers, the Rockets have had discussions about trading another one of last year's first-round picks, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Feigen reports that Houston is considering trading Royce White, who will not participate in Summer League play with the club.

White, 22, was perhaps last season's most-discussed rookie, despite not appearing in a single NBA game. His much-publicized anxiety disorder kept him from traveling with the team, as the two sides attempted to work out an agreement that was amenable to all involved parties. White, who is currently communicating with the Rockets through the Players' Association, ended up appearing in 16 games with the team's D-League affiliate, averaging 11.4 PPG and 5.7 RPG for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

While White doesn't have a whole lot of trade value at this point, only his 2013/14 salary ($1.72MM) is guaranteed, so he's certainly not on a bad contract. His rookie deal includes team options for the following two seasons, with a decision on the '14/15 option due this fall. Feigen points out that a team interested in taking on White could potentially also acquire a second-round pick or two from the Rockets for their troubles, while avoiding taking on any long-term salary.

Feigen also writes that if the Rockets are able to secure a commitment from Dwight Howard, the team's focus will shift from developing prospects like White to acquiring veteran talent. So if Howard decides to come to Houston, it may signal the end of White's stint with the team.