Terrence Jones Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Waive Terrence Jones

February 23rd, 2017 at 4:57pm CST by Milo Taibi

4:57pm: The Pelicans have officially waived Jones, the team announced today (via Twitter). The big man will be an interesting player to watch on waivers — since he signed a one-year, minimum salary contract last summer, any team could claim him using the minimum salary exception, so it’s possible he won’t reach the open market.

2:21pm: The Pelicans are expected to waive Terrence Jones, Justin Verrier of ESPN reports. New Orleans had previously shopped Jones on the trade market, but- seemingly unable to find a trade partner- will waive the 25-year-old so he can pursue an opportunity elsewhere (Twitter links)

Jones is sure to generate interest on the buyout market. New Orleans received excellent value from Jones, who signed a one-year, $1.05MM contract over the offseason. The former Kentucky Wildcat averaged 11.5 points over 51 games, shooting 47.2% from the field.

The Pelicans now have a vacant roster spot, which they may use on a guard. Earlier today, Marc Stein of ESPN relayed the team’s intent on auditioning Jarrett Jack (Twitter link). Additionally, the Pelicans recently staged work-out sessions for Wayne Selden, Mario Chalmers, Hollis Thompson, Quinn Cook, and Reggie Williams.

Pelicans Looking To Trade Terrence Jones

February 20th, 2017 at 12:34am CST by Luke Adams

With a deal in place to acquire DeMarcus Cousins, the Pelicans are looking to move one of their current frontcourt players, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com, who tweets that the club is seeking a trade partner for a deal involving Terrence Jones. Mason Ginsberg of Bourbon Street Shots (Twitter link) hears from multiple sources that Jones has likely played his last game for New Orleans.

Jones inked a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Pelicans last summer, and has had a decent bounce-back season in New Orleans. After averaging just 8.7 PPG and 4.2 RPG with a career-low .452 FG% during his final year in Houston, Jones has recorded 11.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and a .473 FG% for the Pelicans in 2016/17.

Although Jones has played nearly 25 minutes per game for the Pelicans this season, there won’t be nearly as many minutes to go around with Cousins joining Anthony Davis in the club’s frontcourt, rendering Jones expendable. Even though the 25-year-old isn’t under team control beyond this season, his solid production and his affordability may make him attractive to other teams.

The Pelicans aren’t under any pressure to make any additional roster moves in the wake of their trade agreement for Cousins, since they’re sending out three players in that deal and only taking two back. However, all three players being traded by New Orleans – Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, and Langston Galloway – are guards, so the team may seek a backcourt piece in exchange for Jones.

According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, the Pelicans are also considering signing Canton Charge guard Quinn Cook to a 10-day contract. Cook was the D-League’s Rookie of the Year in 2015/16, and was named the MVP in the NBADL All-Star Game this past weekend. Amico notes that Cook previously received some interest from the Mavericks before Dallas decided to sign Yogi Ferrell.

Pelicans Notes: Team Ownership, Asik, Hill, Jones

February 3rd, 2017 at 8:36pm CST by Milo Taibi

Tom Benson, owner of the Pelicans and New Orleans Saints, reached a settlement with his estranged heirs, Brett Martel of the Associated Press reports. Benson, 89, had sought to prevent his daughter and her children from inheriting shares of each team (more than 90% of the Pelicans’ non-voting stock, according to ESPN). Had Benson not reached a settlement with his heirs, a trial would have been set to take place Monday, February 6. Benson, who bought the Pelicans (then the New Orleans Hornets) for $338MM in 2012, will maintain controlling shares of each team after the settlement.

More surrounding the Pelicans…

Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com praised Terrence Jones‘ pump fake, calling it one of the league’s most unique and effective moves. Jones has enjoyed a stellar bounceback season in New Orleans, averaging 15.7 points with 5.3 rebounds over his last six games. “It’s so damn slow, and it looks just like his shot,” teammate Dante Cunningham said of Jones’ pump fake. “The thing is, you don’t always immediately close out to him, because he’s not necessarily going to kill you with his jump shot, because he’d rather drive and get to the rim. But you watch him and he does it so slowly that you think, ‘Oh, he has to shoot this one,’ so you contest it, but then by the time you get there, he’s still pump-faking.” A free agent-to-be on an affordable contract, Jones is likely to generate interest as the trade deadline approaches.
John Reid of NOLA.com had several interesting observations in his Twitter mailbag. Reid endorsed the idea of New Orleans pursuing Wilson Chandler of the Nuggets, calling him an ideal player to use alongside Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday. Reid lamented the team’s lack of offense, claiming they “just don’t have enough scoring threats on the roster.”
Pelicans GM Dell Demps should be making every effort to unload Tyreke Evans, Alexis Ajinca, and Omer Asik via trade, Reid writes. Additionally, Solomon Hill– inked to a four-year, $48MM contract over the offseason- has not performed up to team expectations. Whereas the team expected Hill to develop into a two-way player, his contributions have largely come on the defensive end.

Southwest Notes: Curry, Carlisle, Asik, Anderson

September 28th, 2016 at 6:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

With a famous father and an even more famous brother, Seth Curry is working to build his own reputation in his first season with the Mavericks, writes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. After limited opportunities with three teams, Curry began to show what he can do in 44 games with the Kings last season, averaging 6.8 points per night and shooting 45% from 3-point range. That potential turned into a two-year, $6MM offer from Dallas and the chance for an expanded role with a veteran team. The son of 16-year veteran Dell Curry and brother of two-time MVP Stephen Curry, Seth has the family pedigree to be a great NBA shooter. “He could legitimately play both guard positions, and he’s going to be a factor for us,” said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “He’s better than I thought he was, and he’s at an age where he’s still getting better really at both positions, so I’m excited about him.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Carlisle says seven players are competing for two open roster spots, Sneed relays (Twitter link). Dallas has 14 players in camp with fully guaranteed contracts, but it sounds like at least one – likely Jonathan Gibson – has yet to lock up a regular-season job.
Pelicans center Omer Asik started 64 of the 68 games he appeared in last season, but that number will drop this year, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune. Coach Alvin Gentry said today that he plans to use Anthony Davis in the post more often and not worry about having a traditional center. Alexis Ajinca and Terrence Jones may also be used in the starting lineup, depending on the opponent. That means fewer minutes for Asik, who is still guaranteed more than $32MM over the next three seasons on the contract he signed last summer. ”Last season really left a bad taste, so we are really working hard to change that,” Asik said. ”My whole focus this summer was to get better physically and get stronger.”
New Rockets power forward Ryan Anderson is happy to leave behind the Pelicans‘ offense, writes Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports. Anderson, one of the league’s best shooting stretch fours, saw his average of 3-point shots dip to 5.6 per game over the last two years after being close to 7.0 the three previous seasons. That number should rise dramatically now that he is playing for coach Mike D’Antoni in Houston. “I’ve had more wide-open looks in our pickup games here than I’ve had in the past four years, probably,” Anderson said.

Southwest Notes: Barnes, Benson, Jones

August 28th, 2016 at 6:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Harrison Barnes has a new $94MM contract, but he tells Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News that he considers the Mavericks to still be Dirk Nowitzki‘s team. Barnes inked a four-year deal with Dallas in July after the Warriors signed Kevin Durant. Owner Mark Cuban has indicated that the Mavericks want Barnes to expand his game and claim a larger role of the offense than he did in Golden State. However, the 24-year-old small forward recognizes the special place that Nowitzki has earned during his 18 seasons in Dallas. “He’s put in the years and won a championship,” Barnes said. “But I have to go out and earn that. People assume that just because you get paid a lot of money and have a lot of attention that all of the sudden you’re guaranteed this many shots. I have to prove that every day in practice. I have to prove that to the coaching staff, and ultimately, if I’m going to be the guy taking shots, I’ve got to prove it to Dirk.”

There’s more news out of the Southwest Division:

December 8th has been set as the trial date for a suit filed by Tom Benson involving ownership of the Pelicans and Saints, according to Katherine Sayre of the Times-Picayune. The 89-year-old Benson sued last year to take ownership of the teams out of trust funds for his daughter and two grandchildren. In January of 2015, after a falling out with his heirs, Benson said he wanted to grant full ownership of the Pelicans and Saints to his wife, Gayle Benson. The move was blocked by attorneys who served as trustees for the trust funds. The trusts include 95% ownership of the Pelicans and 60% ownership of the Saints. The judge in the case has urged both sides to try to reach a settlement before the trial date.
New Pelicans power forward Terrence Jones can’t wait to reunite with former Kentucky teammate Anthony Davis, tweets Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate. “It’s amazing. The chemistry is just a winning vibe, and I’m very excited,” said the former Rocket, who signed with the Pelicans last month. “We’ve worked out this summer together and really are focused on setting goals and completing them. We really want to make it to the playoffs, and whatever we do in there, we think, is destiny. It’s going to be a great experience.” (Twitter link.)

Contract Details: Gee, Frazier, M. Miller, Canaan

July 26th, 2016 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

When the Pelicans re-signed Alonzo Gee, it appeared that they gave him a minimum-salary deal, which would have been worth $1,315,448. However, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter), Gee’s one-year deal is actually worth $1.4MM. It’s a curious move for New Orleans, one with no obvious explanation — a minimum-salary pact for Gee would have only cost the Pelicans a cap hit of about $980K, so the $85K pay bump for the veteran forward actually costs the team over $400K.

Gee had previously declined a player option for the 2016/17 season with the Pelicans. If he had exercised that option, he would have earned $1,379,400 for the upcoming year, so perhaps New Orleans agreed to give him a slight raise to allow him to save face on that decision.

Here are several more contract details on recently-signed contracts, via Pincus:

The Pelicans used a portion of their room exception to complete Tim Frazier‘s two-year, $4.09MM deal, tweets Pincus. The signing leaves New Orleans with $808K still available on that room exception. Pincus also notes that the Pelicans renounced Frazier’s qualifying offer before re-signing him, technically making him an unrestricted free agent, rather than an RFA.
When Terrence Jones agreed to sign with the Pelicans, it was expected to be a minimum-salary deal unless the club could create more cap room to give him some extra money. That didn’t end up happening, so Jones got the minimum, says Pincus (via Twitter).
Initially reported to be worth $5MM over two years, Mike Miller‘s two-year pact with the Nuggets is actually for $7MM, according to Pincus (via Twitter). However, the second year is fully non-guaranteed.
Brandon Paul received a two-year, minimum-salary contract from the Sixers that includes a $155K guarantee in year one, per Pincus (Twitter links). Philadelphia holds a team option on year two, which will be non-guaranteed even if the team picks up that option.
Pincus provides details on a couple more minimum-salary contracts with partial guarantees, reporting (via Twitter) that D.J. Stephens got $35K from the Grizzlies, while Isaiah Canaan will have a $200K guarantee from the Bulls for 2017/18 — Canaan’s 2016/17 salary is fully guaranteed.

Southwest Rumors: Mavs, Jones, Pelicans

July 22nd, 2016 at 10:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavs must lop off some salaries in order to sign a max-contract player next summer if Dirk Nowitzki returns in 2017/18, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports. Nowitki and the club agreed to a two-year, $50MM contract on Friday. Nowitzki’s $25MM salary for the second season of the contract, plus more than $60MM in other guaranteed commitments, would leave Dallas with less than $16MM under the projected cap of $102MM, by MacMahon’s calculations. If Nowitzki retires after next season, the Mavs can exercise a $5MM team option, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.

In other news concerning the Southwest Division:

The opportunity to play steady minutes and rejoin forces with his ex-college teammate Anthony Davis were major factors in Terrence Jones’ decision to sign with the Pelicans, Oliver Maroney of Basketball Insiders writes. Jones, who signed a one-year contract worth an estimated $980K, appeared in only 50 games last season. “I wanted an opportunity to play for a team that is young and defining itself, but could still compete right away,” Jones told Maroney. “I wanted a larger role, where I could really compete and help a team win.” He’s excited about the prospect of playing alongside Davis, with whom he won the NCAA championship at Kentucky, Maroney adds. “We both work well together and we’ve already got a great chemistry and friendship,” Jones said. “When he’s healthy, I think he’s as good as any other big in the league, so I am excited to see what we can do this year.”
The Pelicans renounced their rights to Norris Cole, Kendrick Perkins and Jordan Hamilton, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com tweets. Those moves allowed them to officially sign both Jones and point guard Tim Frazier.

Pelicans, Terrence Jones Agree To Deal

July 22nd, 2016 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 22, 3:23pm: The signing is official, per team release.

JULY 14, 4:57pm: Stein has amended his report, tweeting that New Orleans and Jones have agreed to a one-year deal at the minimum salary. The Pelicans are trying to create a bit more cap room, so Jones may see that salary increase, Stein adds.

4:43pm: Jones has at least one offer on the table that will pay him more than the Pelicans offered, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. New Orleans is still hopeful of landing the forward, Stein adds. Charania has a different take, tweeting that Jones and the Pelicans are in the process of finalizing a deal.

12:26am: The Pelicans are nearing a deal with free agent power forward Terrence Jones, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). Charania reports that New Orleans is expected to sign Jones to a one-year contract.

Jones, 24, had an impressive sophomore season for the Rockets back in 2013/14, starting 71 of his 76 games played, and averaging 12.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 1.3 BPG to go along with a .542 FG%. Since then, however, he has battled injuries and his production has been inconsistent. Jones had been eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but Houston opted not to extend him a qualifying offer, allowing him to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

The Pelicans haven’t made a huge splash in free agency this summer, but the team has been steadily adding solid rotation pieces to its roster. New Orleans has previously reached agreements with Solomon Hill, E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway, and Tim Frazier.

Jones has likely received interest from teams interested in locking him up for more than one season, but given his up-and-down performance over the last two seasons, it makes sense that he’d be looking to rebuild his value on a one-year contract. If he has a strong year with the Pelicans, the Kentucky product could parlay that showing into a longer-term – and more lucrative – deal in free agency next summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Southwest Notes: Nowitzki, Cuban, Jones, Stephens

July 17th, 2016 at 8:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

There was never a chance that Dirk Nowitzki would emulate Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade and leave his long-time team, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Nowitzki agreed to a two-year, $40MM deal to stay in Dallas, and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he never thought the situation would end differently. “Dirk wasn’t going anywhere,” Cuban said. “Dirk and Dallas, Dallas and Dirk, they’re synonymous. I understand and respect why D-Wade did what he did but there was never any doubt [about Nowitzki staying in Dallas], Dirk gets what Dirk wants.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Durant’s decision to join Golden State benefited the Mavericks, who were able to trade for Andrew Bogut and sign Harrison Barnes as the Warriors worked to clear cap space. Cuban likes the look of his new squad, Washburn writes in the same piece. “Yeah, Golden State south,” the owner said. “Harrison will get a chance to expand his game and [Wesley Matthews] will be fully healthy. Deron Williams, Harrison, Dirk, Andrew, that’s not a bad starting five, and we’ve got some of our guys coming back. So we’ll be all right.”
Jameel Warney is trying to decide whether to attend training camp with the Mavericks or accept an offer in South Korea, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Warney, a three-time America East Player of the Year at Stony Brook, was part of the Mavs’ Summer League team.
The Pelicans‘ Anthony Davis is happy to have Terrence Jones as a teammate again, he said in an interview with Nancy Armour of USA Today on NBA A to Z. New Orleans reached a deal with Jones on Thursday, signing the ex-Rocket for one year at the minimum salary. Houston elected not to submit a qualifying offer to the four-year veteran, making him an unrestricted free agent. ”He’s very physical and he can put the ball on the floor, great slasher and can drive to the basket,” Davis said. ”I think not a lot of bigs can guard him. I think me and him played very well with each other at Kentucky and hopefully we can do it here in New Orleans.”
The Grizzlies will bring former University of Memphis guard D.J. Stephens to camp, new coach David Fizdale said in an interview on NBA.com. The 25-year-old Stephens has three games of NBA experience with Milwaukee in 2014.

Atlantic Rumors: Sixers, Westbrook, C’s, Nets

July 13th, 2016 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to SiriusXM NBA Radio (SoundCloud link) in Las Vegas, Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo acknowledged that his team’s roster is “top-heavy,” with a logjam of young talent at the center position. Although Colangelo said the Sixers like Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, and Jahlil Okafor, he suggested, half-jokingly, that he’s “absolutely not” comfortable heading into the season with all three still on the roster.

“What we are comfortable doing is saying we’re not going to make a bad deal just to make a deal,” the Sixers GM said. “I think we could be a better basketball team if we could distribute that talent better, and maybe take one of those assets and address other needs on the roster. But I think right now, it’s best to say we like all of them [and] we want to see if we can make the most out of each of them in terms of their contributions to this team. At the end of the day, the reality says one probably has to go at some point — but only when the deal is right.”

Here’s more from out of the Atlantic division:

Although there’s no indication yet that the Thunder are exploring a Russell Westbrook trade, rival general managers think GM Sam Presti will do so sooner rather than later if he suspects that Westbrook is leaning toward leaving as a free agent next summer, says Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (video link). According to Beck, many of those rival GMs believe that the Celtics are the most likely landing spot for Westbrook if Oklahoma City does pursue a trade.
Having missed out on a pair of RFA targets, the Nets are currently mulling making an offer to another RFA, Dion Waiters, as we heard over the weekend. According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, Brooklyn has also displayed interest in Terrence Jones, Jordan Hill, and Maurice Harkless.
Nets general manager Sean Marks, who acknowledged that his team is in the market for wing players, also said that he’s in no rush to meet the salary floor, as Lewis details. “At some point we have to get there,” Marks said. “But it’s not immediate right now. We’re not just going to go out and spend for the sake of spending. It’s about us doing the right things at the right times.”
Celtics first-rounder Ante Zizic is headed back to Cibona Zagreb, his team in Croatia, tweets international basketball journalist David Pick. Boston GM Danny Ainge had previously confirmed that Zizic, who reportedly received some interest from other European clubs, would remain overseas for the 2016/17 season.