Terrence Jones Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets To Make Play For Love, Aldridge

June 25th, 2015 at 9:24am CST by Zachary Links

9:24am: Both Jones and the No. 18 pick are very available as the Rockets look to shed salary, Stein tweets.

8:27am: The Rockets will try to get in the mix for Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge this summer, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The Rockets do not have a whole lot of cap space to work with this summer, but they are working to change that. Stein adds that Houston is likely to try to trade Terrence Jones at some point today (link).

Yesterday, we learned that Love will opt out of his contract with the Cavs to become a free agent. By opting out, the forward can make as much as the max, an estimated $18.96MM. Some executives have been predicting that the Cavs will sign-and-trade him to one of his many suitors, given the success Cleveland had without him while he was out with a shoulder injury during the playoffs, though Griffin insists he wants to keep the core of his team together, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote earlier this week. There’s little doubt the Cavs will put a max offer of their own on the table for him, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com wrote in late April, several weeks after ESPN colleague Chris Broussard had heard from rival executives who’d begun to question that prospect.

Aldridge, meanwhile, is said to be coming increasingly fond of the Lakers. The big man will have tons of suitors this summer and the Blazers are reportedly concerned about him bolting.

Jones is scheduled to earn $2,489,530 during the 2015/16 season after having his fourth-year option exercised by Houston. He was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

Southwest Notes: Gasol, Calathes, Draft

May 28th, 2015 at 12:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

One comment that Marc Gasol made to Spanish media should be encouraging for the Grizzlies, while another appears to fuel Spurs hope. Gasol said that he hasn’t thought about changing teams and once more cited his deep roots in Memphis, according to Adriano Correal of Gigantes del Basket (translation via HoopsHype). Still, he called the Spurs a model franchise and expressed his admiration of Tim Duncan, as Abraham Romero of Diario As passes along (translation via Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News). The Spurs are the team the Grizzlies fear the most among Gasol’s suitors, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com recently reported. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

Nick Calathes told Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype that his primary goal is to remain in the NBA and denied a report from Javier Maestro of Encestando.es that he wanted to leave the NBA and that his camp had offered his services to Barcelona of Spain (translation via HoopsHype). Calathes, whose contract with Memphis expires at the end of next month, is nonetheless expected to draw pursuit from several European teams, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia, who says the 26-year-old stands to make more money overseas than he would remaining in the NBA. The Grizzlies can match competing NBA bids for him if they tender a qualifying offer worth more than $1.147MM.
The Mavs on Wednesday were set to work out Florida shooting guard Michael Frazier, Villanova small forward Darrun Hilliard, Nebraska swingman Terran Petteway, Arkansas shooting guard Michael Qualls, Baylor small forward Royce O’Neale and Incarnate Word combo guard Denzel Livingston, a source told Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link).
Terrence Jones questioned whether he would ever play again after suffering a nerve injury earlier this season that knocked him out for nearly three months, so he’s not too upset that the Rockets benched him during the playoffs, as Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle examines. Jones is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.

Western Notes: Collison, Jones, Powell

March 21st, 2015 at 4:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The salary cap could jump from $90MM in 2016/17 to as much as $105MM the year after, league sources tell Zach Lowe of Grantland.com. With all the buzz surrounding Kevin Durant, Lowe notes that the increase could give the Thunder another chance to add talent without going into the luxury tax. Although, he adds that giving Serge Ibaka a maximum salary contract on his next deal could limit their flexibility.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Thunder‘s injury woes continue as coach Scott Brooks informed reporters that Nick Collison is expected to miss at least 10 days with an ankle injury, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman relays. Collison joins Durant, Ibaka and Enes Kanter on the injured list, Mayberry notes. “One thing I do know is our guys are going to continue to fight and rally and our crowd is going to continue to support our guys because they give effort,” Brooks said. “We’ve never, ever given up and felt sorry for ourselves. Our team’s going to continue to rally around each other and help each other fight through it. We’ve had some tough moments this year. That has never stopped us from competing, never stopped us from trying to improve.”
Rockets players have missed a combined 137 games this season due to injury or illness thus far, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle notes. The latest Houston player to sustain an injury is Terrence Jones who suffered a collapsed lung during Thursday night’s contest. Jones will be out of action indefinitely as a result of his injury, Feigen relays. “Guys have to step up,” coach Kevin McHale said. “I sure wish Kostas Papanikolaou [who has been out for 13 games with a sprained ankle] was ready to play, but he’s not ready to play, either. We just have to deal with it and go.“
The Mavs have re-assigned Dwight Powell to the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release.

Rockets Notes: Jones, Smith, Capela

December 24th, 2014 at 7:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets apparently added one power forward to their lineup Wednesday after Josh Smith cleared waivers, and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports that another one may be on the way. “Terrence Jones has been able to do some stuff that honestly he hasn’t been able to do since that thing happened,” said coach Kevin McHale, referring to the nerve problem in Jones’ knee that has kept him out of the lineup since November 3rd. “I was excited just to see Terrence with a smile on his face. He ran on the treadmill. He ran on the floor. He’s been jumping a little bit. I don’t know when – it’s not imminent – that’s just like making a trade for a really quality player and not giving anything up.”

There’s more from an eventful day in H-Town:

Smith, who committed to joining the Rockets Wednesday afternoon, told Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com that he plans to help his new team in several ways. “I think I can add to their toughness,” Smith said. “I think I can add to their versatility at the four position, being able to pass the basketball and score the ball down low. Just add another basketball IQ, which will help when we make it to the postseason.” Smith is also looking forward to playing alongside James Harden, whom he called “the best two-guard in the game right now.”
Smith is a perfect fit in Houston, opines Avery Stone of USA Today. Stone likes the match because of Smith’s elite defensive skills, his ability to finish in transition and the Rockets’ lack of a proven NBA power forward.
Rookie center Clint Capela was recalled Wednesday from the team’s Rio Grande Valley affiliate in the D-League, according to a tweet by Feigen. Capela was sent there December 17th after getting little playing time in his latest two-week stint with the Rockets despite injuries to Jones, Dwight Howard and Kostas Papanikolaou.
The Rockets were among the teams that pursued James Johnson last summer before he landed in Toronto, according to Shams Charania of Real GM. The Grizzlies and Jazz also requested meetings with the free agent forward, who signed a two-year deal with the Raptors worth $2.5MM per season. Houston also had interest last season before he left the D-League and signed with Memphis.

Rockets Exercise Jones, Motiejunas Options

October 31st, 2014 at 9:05am CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 9:05am: Houston has indeed picked up the options, as the RealGM transactions log shows, even though the team still hasn’t made a formal announcement.

THURSDAY, 5:00pm: The Rockets have picked up the fourth-year team options on the rookie contracts of Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports, though the team has yet to make a public acknowledgement. Jones will earn $2,489,530 during the 2015/16 season, and Motiejunas will pocket $2,288,205. These moves will give Houston a total of $55,137,043 in guaranteed salary commitments for 2015/16, and that figure doesn’t include the team option on Kostas Papanikolaou for $4,797,664.

Jones was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, and has been the Rockets starting power forward for much of the past two seasons. His career numbers over 97 games are 10.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.3 BPG. His career slash line is .533/.303/.615.

The 7’0″ Motiejunas was taken with the 20th overall pick back in the 2011 draft. He has appeared in 108 contests, including 17 as a starter, and has averaged 5.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG. His slash line is .448/.268/.613.

Rockets To Pick Up Option On Jones, Motiejunas

September 30th, 2014 at 5:44pm CST by Alex Lee

The Rockets plan to exercise their fourth-year team options on the rookie scale contracts of both Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The team will wait until the October 31 deadline to do so for the duo, both of whom are entering their third seasons in Houston and will compete for minutes at power forward alongside center Dwight Howard.

Jones, 22, really came into his own last season in his sophomore campaign out of Kentucky, averaging 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds in 71 starts for the Rockets. Montiejunas, from Lithuania, occupied more of a reserve role, playing 15.4 minutes off the bench. As Feigen notes, the seven-footer was dropped from the rotation in the playoffs. Both players are former first round picks. Jones was selected 18th by the Rockets in 2012 while Montiejunas was taken 20th by Minnesota in 2011.

Once the options are officially exercised, the 2015/16 salaries for Jones ($2.489MM) and Motiejunas ($2.288MM) will become guaranteed, locking in over $50MM in total commitments for Houston next season. With all of the changes to the Houston roster this offseason, there was some speculation that the seven-foot Motiejunas could be dealt. While this news makes that less likely, it’s hard to rule anything out when it comes to the always-active Rockets.

D-League Notes: Jackson, Jones

February 15th, 2014 at 12:37pm CST by Cray Allred

While most eyes will be watching the NBA All-Star festivities this weekend, the D-League has its own All-Star events. The D-League All-Star game will take place in just over an hour. Here are some notes from around the D-League:

Despite being one of the more NBA-ready prospects in the D-League, Pelicans rookie Pierre Jackson has contemplated signing overseas, he tells Matt Moore of CBS Sports. The 42nd overall pick in last year’s draft has excelled and earned a D-League All-Star spot this year, but the Pelicans hold his rights and haven’t added him to their NBA roster. “(Europe’s) on the back of my mind. My family needs the money. I need to provide for m family so whatever I have to do, I’ll have to. The NBA’s always been my dream, and I think I’m good enough to play there. But the way the cards are dealt, I may have to go overseas for my career.” After failing to reach a deal with New Orleans, Jackson requested a trade earlier this year.
Terrence Jones says his time with the Rockets‘ D-League affiliate this year helped him on his way to having a breakout season, per Matt Moore of CBS Sports. “It just helped me out a lot,” says Jones. “Because when you’re not playing, being able to go down there and work on what you’ve been working on in practice and get your confidence up, it helps a ton.”

Odds & Ends: New York, Hayward, Ellis, Adrien

November 21st, 2013 at 11:06pm CST by Charlie Adams

It’s been a busy day for New York basketball. Fans of both the Nets and Knicks are concerned about the slow starts of their favorite squads, but despite the rumors, we’ve heard that neither Jason Kidd nor Mike Woodson is in danger of getting fired. Justin Terranova of the New York Post sat down with NBA TV’s Greg Anthony and discussed the state of both teams, and while Anthony believes the Nets are in bigger trouble than the Knicks, there’s still plenty of time for both teams to turn their season around.

Here are some miscellaneous notes from Thursday night:

An unnamed GM suspects the Suns will do everything in their power to pry Gordon Hayward away from the Jazz this offseason, tweets NBA TV’s Peter Vecsey. Hayward and the Jazz failed to reach a rookie contract extension before the deadline. The fourth year forward currently earns $3.5MM but should see a big pay raise once he hits restricted free agency this summer.
Dwain Price of the Star Telegram details how the Mavericks’ offseason signing of Monta Ellis has been a critical part of the team’s early season success. Through 12 games, Ellis has been an excellent fit in Dallas’ system, posting a career high 19.5 PER. Coach Rick Carlisle spoke on how impressed he was with the veteran guard: “I thought he was going to be a hard worker and I thought that he was going to be a very talented guy, and he’s been all those things. The thing I really love is how well he continues to adapt to our system and our personnel.“
Jeff Adrien‘s contract is non-guaranteed, but Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer details how the undersized post player is proving in Al Jefferson‘s absence that he might be worthy of a spot on the Bobcats roster.
In a league where sharpshooting big men are becoming increasingly valuable, Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com discusses why Spencer Hawes‘ impressive skill set fits the 76ers uptempo offense perfectly. Tom Moore of the Burlington County Times reveals how much Brett Brown values Hawes. The seventh-year center’s contract expires at the end of the season.
In his nightly roundup of the NBA, Yannis Koutroupis of HOOPSWORLD examines how Terrence Jones‘ experience in the D-League helped the stretch four develop into a Rockets starter this year. Jones is playing 21 MPG and shooting an impressive 53% on 64 attempts this year.

Rockets Pick Up Options On Jones, Motiejunas

October 30th, 2013 at 4:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:36pm: The Rockets have officially announced that the team exercised its 2014/15 options on Jones and Motiejunas, tweets Feigen.

OCTOBER 30TH, 10:54am: Houston will officially exercise its options on Jones and Motiejunas today, tweets Feigen.

OCTOBER 20TH, 10:16am: The Rockets plan to exercise their team options on the rookie scale contracts of Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Both are coming off their rookie seasons, so the deadline to officially lock in the third years of their respective deals is October 31st. Jones’ 2014/15 option is worth $1,618,680, while Motiejunas is in line for $1,483,920.

The team is hesitant to turn the power forward position over to either just yet, even though the front office is ready to commit to both through 2015, Feigen writes. Motiejunas started 14 regular season games last season and appeared in 30 others, averaging 5.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per contest. Still, he wasn’t a factor in Houston’s playoff series against the Thunder, notching just five total minutes. Jones saw slightly more time in the playoffs, scoring eight points in 35 total minutes, but he appeared in more D-League games than he did NBA contests last year. Jones put up 19.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG in 24 games for the D-League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

The options, once officially exercised, will add about $3MM to the Rockets payroll for 2014/15, which already includes more than $53.8MM in guaranteed money. Houston will likely operate as an over-the-cap team next summer, unlike this past offseason, when the team used ample cap space to sign Dwight Howard. Keep up with each team’s rookie contract option decisions between now and the end of the month with our updated tracker.

Rockets Recall Terrence Jones From D-League

April 1st, 2013 at 11:33am CST by Chuck Myron

We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top throughout the day.

The Rockets have recalled Terrence Jones from the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jason Friedman of Rockets.com. The rookie power forward had been with the Vipers since March 21st on his sixth D-League assignment of the season. He's averaging 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in 24 contests with Rio Grande Valley. The 6'9" Kentucky product has only appeared in 11 NBA games for a total of 91 minutes for Houston, which made him the 18th overall pick in June.