Stanko Barac Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavericks, Pacers Finalize Jeremy Evans Trade

July 7th, 2016 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 1:05pm: The Pacers have officially confirmed the trade, announcing in a press release that they’ll receive Evans, cash considerations, and the rights to Emir Preldzic from the Mavericks in exchange for the rights to Stanko Barac.

WEDNESDAY, 11:57am: The Mavericks and Pacers are finalizing an agreement on a trade that will send Jeremy Evans and cash to Indiana, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links). ESPN’s Marc Stein first reported on Tuesday that Dallas was “increasingly likely” to move Evans and his $1,227,286 salary to free up a little extra cap room.

Evans, 28, appeared in 30 contests for Dallas this past season, including two starts. The veteran forward only played 8.4 minutes per contest, averaging 2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.3 blocks to accompany a shooting line of .542/.250/.714. He had season-ending surgery on a torn labrum in March.

The Pacers almost certainly aren’t counting on Evans to have a major role in their rotation, but he could help provide some depth at small forward, with Solomon Hill headed to New Orleans in free agency. With Hill, Ian Mahinmi, and potentially Jordan Hill all potentially ticketed for new homes, Indiana has done a nice job replenishing its frontcourt this offseason, adding Al Jefferson and Thaddeus Young, along with Evans.

As for the Mavericks, the contracts and trades they’ve agreed to this July had them just slightly over their available cap room, based on the reported salary figures. So it makes sense that the team would look to move Evans to create a little extra flexibility to fit all those deals. Dallas also may trade or waive JaVale McGee before his 2016/17 salary becomes guaranteed next week.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Williams, Irving, Hilliard, Vaughn

August 28th, 2015 at 2:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers mostly stood pat this summer, but they spent the majority of their taxpayer’s mid-level exception on Mo Williams, and with Kyrie Irving‘s broken kneecap a threat to keep him out as late as January, that move looks wise, writes Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders in his NBA AM piece. The Cavs, with Williams in place, aren’t rushing Irving back, and that’s wise, considering a growing history of injuries for the former No. 1 overall pick, Greene adds. See more from around the Central Division:

Darrun Hilliard is bothered that he shot only 29% in summer league play, but the Pistons aren’t, observes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. The team signed Hilliard, this year’s 38th overall pick, to three-year deal with a total of $1.1MM in guaranteed salary. The Pistons also see his ball-handling as a plus that can complement the games of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jodie Meeks, Detroit’s other shooting guards, as Langlois relays.
Rashad Vaughn played AAU ball in Milwaukee and was, like Jabari Parker a year ago, hoping the Bucks would draft him, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News chronicles. The Bucks granted the former UNLV shooting guard his wish when they picked him 17th overall. “I feel like we are a young team that can all come together, grow together,” Vaughn said. “I am looking forward to all of us getting in the gym and starting to work.”
Pacers draft-and-stash prospect Stanko Barac reportedly sought a path to the NBA this year, and the Pacers apparently had him in for a mini-camp in June, but he’s signed with Olimpia Milano of Italy, the team announced (Twitter link; translation via Sportando’s Enea Trapani).

Stanko Barac To Work Out For Pacers

May 25th, 2015 at 10:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stanko Barac will participate in mini-camp workouts for the Pacers in June with the aim of signing an NBA contract, Shams Charania of RealGM reports. The 7’2” draft-and-stash prospect from Croatia played for Cedevita of the Euroleague this season.

Indiana has waited a long time on the 28-year-old Barac, who was selected No. 39 overall in the second round by the Heat in 2007 and then immediately dealt to the Pacers. President of basketball operations Larry Bird and his staff will determine in the workouts whether he’s worth signing, sources told Charania, or perhaps including him in a trade.

Barac, who averaged 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds for Cedevita, would seem to be an end-of-the-bench option at best for the Pacers. They have been shopping Roy Hibbert, who has a $15.5MM player option this summer, without any success. Backup center Ian Mahinmi has a $4MM guaranteed contract for next season. The Pacers have also expressed a desire to play smaller lineups more often next season.

Indiana attempted to sign Barac to a lucrative deal years ago but he opted to remain in Europe. His contract with Cedevita didn’t contain a NBA out clause, preventing the Pacers from signing him last season.

Eastern Notes: Whiteside, Cavs, Barac

February 4th, 2015 at 8:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Heat center Hassan Whiteside had worked out for the Wolves back in 2012 after being released by the Kings. But Minnesota chose not to sign the big man, who is having a breakout season in Miami, due to reported maturity issues, something that Whiteside has overcome, Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald writes. “He fell through the cracks as much as anything because of whether it was people questioned his work ethic, they questioned him off the court in some situations and they questioned his discipline,” Minnesota’s president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said. “He has matured. Sometimes young players, when he came out he rose so fast at Marshall, sometimes what happens is they’re not ready for that, they’re not ready for the NBA and everything that comes with it, and they think once they’re there everything is going to fall into place. So, I think more than anything he has matured and he has paid dues.”

Here’s more from the East:

LeBron James said that he would be willing to come off of the bench if it would help the Cavs continue to win, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “It’s about a team and how we all fit together, how the five guys on the court fit together, how the eight guys or 10 guys on the bench all help the guys that are on the floor and so on and so on,” James said. “So, sacrifice is the biggest word in team sports, but it’s not about saying it. It’s about doing it, as well. It’s about living it.“
Cavs coach David Blatt downplayed Kevin Love‘s recent struggles and called attention to the contributions Love provides that don’t make it into the box score, McMenamin adds. “I think Kevin is very much in the flow of the game and is playing both ends of the court,” Blatt said. “The last thing I really worry about with Kevin Love is if he is going to score. He’s a proven scorer in this league and a proven high-level scorer. And he’s helping the team win. He’s playing to win and that’s really what both concerns me and what impresses me about him, is he’s been willing to do whatever it takes to help us win and that’s what we want.“
Pacers draft-and-stash prospect Stanko Barac, whom the team was reportedly looking to sign to a deal, won’t be able to leave Cedevita Zagreb until this summer, Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype.com reports. Barac’s contract doesn’t contain a NBA out clause, which will prevent the 7’2″ Croatian from joining Indiana this season, Sierra notes.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Whiteside, Barac

February 3rd, 2015 at 9:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers draft-and-stash prospect Stanko Barac is finally seeking an NBA deal, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. The 28-year-old has been playing overseas since becoming the 39th overall pick in 2007, and while he recently signed with Croatia’s Cedevita through the end of this season, he’d like to come stateside, Charania adds. The Pacers have kept an eye on him, but nothing is imminent, the RealGM scribe cautions. Indiana tried to sign him to a lucrative deal years ago to no avail, and there’s interest in him from other NBA teams, according to Charania, but it’s unclear whether any team wants to trade for his rights at this point. He’s one of two draft rights held players that the Pacers have, as Mark Porcaro’s Hoops Rumors database shows.

Here’s more from the East:

Phil Jackson indicated to Harvey Araton of The New York Times that the Knicks won’t necessarily chase star free agents this summer, and Marc Berman of The New York Post writes that there’s been a “feeling within the league” that New York will instead target multiple second-tier free agents. Berman names Paul Millsap, Wesley Matthews, Draymond Green, Goran Dragic, Tobias Harris and Greg Monroe as members of that second tier, and while some of them, like Monroe and Harris, have indeed been identified in other reports as Knicks targets, it’s unclear if Jackson is actually eyeing all of those players.
Elton Brand spoke with Luol Deng about the Danny Ferry controversy before re-signing with the Hawks, as Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes. “He said, ‘I don’t understand why it’s in the report, but I forgive Danny and I’m ready to move on,’ ” Brand said of Deng. “So that helped me. As a team, we felt like that’s a management issue. That was up there. We still got to play, we still got to get our fans back.”
If Hassan Whiteside continues to show he’s a quality starting center, it will significantly impact what the Heat do and how they allocate their cap space over the next few years, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. Whiteside will be an unrestricted free agent n the summer of 2016. If he keeps this up, Jackson writes that Miami will likely consider moving Josh McRoberts‘ hefty deal that pays him $5.8MM in 2016/17 and $6.02MM in 2017/18 (player option).

Chuck Myron and Zach Links contributed to this post.