Tim Frazier

Western Notes: Durant, Kanter, Frazier, Kings

Rumors are already suggesting that Kevin Durant might be eyeing an exit from Oklahoma City in the summer of 2016, but the reigning MVP spoke out and expressed an interest in spending the rest of his career with the Thunder, as Royce Young of ESPN.com transcribes.

“I love it here, man. I love my teammates, I love the city, I don’t really think about anywhere else,” Durant told Revolt TV. “I love staying in the moment, and I’m one of those guys that would love to stick it out with one team my whole career; Kobe [Bryant], Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki type. That’s awesome. But you never know what the future holds sometimes and how teams may feel about you after a while, but I love it here and I would love to get my jersey retired here.

While Durant’s comments are far from a guarantee that he’€™ll stick around in OKC for life, they certainly must provide a level of comfort for Thunder fans who have seen reports linking KD to several different clubs. We’€™ve got more on the bunch from Oklahoma City in tonight’€™s look out west:

  • The candid way in which Enes Kanter has spoken about the Jazz since Utah traded him to the Thunder at the deadline has some executives wondering if the big man will be able to land a lucrative new deal this summer as a restricted free agent, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Concerns about his attitude coupled with his less-than-stellar defense might scare some teams off, the executive suggests.
  • Tim Frazier will have a chance to remain with the Blazers beyond this season, hears Joe Freeman of the Oregonian, who says Portland’€™s latest addition will get the opportunity to appear with the team in training camp next fall. However, it’€™s unclear if Frazier has a non-guaranteed year tacked on to his deal or if he’€™s merely a just lock to garner an invite to camp before next season begins.
  • Chris Mullin’€™s recent departure from the Kings organization isn’€™t a total shock, given that Mullin opposed the pursuit of George Karl, hoping he could land Sacramento’s vacant coaching position himself, as Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee observes. If Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro can’€™t mesh with Vlade Divac, the team’€™s new VP of basketball operations, D’€™Alessandro might not be long for the organization either, Voisin writes.
  • Holly Mackenzie of Triangle Offense chronicles Brandon Knight’s evolution as a player and steps through the series of events that brought him to the Suns. Knight is poised for a significant raise as a restricted free agent this summer, Mackenzie believes.

Blazers Sign Tim Frazier For Rest Of Season

8:34pm: Portland has officially inked Frazier for the remainder of the season, the team announced.

4:14pm: The Blazers are planning to sign point guard Tim Frazier to a deal that covers the rest of the season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Portland has an open roster spot, so a corresponding move wouldn’t be necessary. The D-League just named Frazier its Player of the Week for his performance with the Celtics affiliate.

The 24-year-old was with Boston’s NBA club for the preseason on a non-guaranteed contract, but the Celtics let him go before opening night. The idea was to secure his D-League rights, but the Blazers appear poised to become the second team other than the Celtics to bring him back to the NBA this season. The Sixers gave Frazier a pair of 10-day contracts in February, but they terminated the last one before it ended to accommodate their waiver claim of former Blazer Thomas Robinson. That was in spite of Frazier’s 7.2 assists in 28.6 minutes per game over six appearances, three of them starts, for the Sixers.

Frazier went back to the D-League after Philadelphia let him go, and the first-year pro who went undrafted out of Penn State this past summer continued toward averages of 16.1 points, 9.5 assists and 3.3 turnovers in 35.6 minutes per game for the Maine Red Claws. He doesn’t appear in line for much playing time in Portland, where Damian Lillard and Steve Blake man the point, unless the team is planning on resting Lillard down the stretch of the regular season. I’d imagine there’s a non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed salary for next season included as part of the arrangement, but that’s just my speculation.

Sixers Claim Thomas Robinson, Release Frazier

5:39pm: The Sixers have claimed Robinson and released Frazier, the team announced in a press release.

4:33pm: Chances are slim that Philly will waive Robinson, a league source tells Windrem, noting that he wouldn’t be playoff-eligible for another team if he hits waivers again after Sunday (Twitter link).

4:23pm: The league has informed the other teams that the Sixers have indeed claimed Robinson off waivers, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link).

4:20pm: A league source suggests to NetsDaily’s Robert Windrem that the Sixers don’t have much interest in Robinson and simply did the move to reach the salary floor (Twitter link).

4:15pm: Philly’s initial plan is to keep Robinson and take an “extended look” at him, a league source told Wojnarowski for his full story.

4:04pm: The Sixers have claimed Robinson and released Frazier, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Philadelphia has yet to make a public announcement, however. If the team has indeed let go of Frazier, he immediately becomes a free agent and isn’t subject to waivers, since he was on a 10-day contract.

3:53pm: Philadelphia has indeed submitted a claim, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link), so he’s poised to join the team after the top of the hour.

3:27pm: The Sixers are likely to claim Thomas Robinson off waivers from the Nuggets, spoiling Brooklyn’s deal to sign him, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). That’d be a boon to Denver, which would have his entire salary of more than $3.678MM wiped from its cap, rather than simply the amount that Robinson agreed to relinquish in their buyout deal. It would also send the Sixers over the $56.759MM minimum team salary, meaning they wouldn’t have to pay their existing players the difference between their team salary and the minimum. Philadelphia would have to waive a player to make the claim, since it has a full 15-man roster, though Tim Frazier is on a 10-day contract. The deadline to submit a claim is 4pm Central time.

Robinson had reportedly agreed to sign a 10-day contract with the Nets, though Wojnarowski wrote that the Nets were expected to eventually sign him for the rest of the season. The former No. 5 overall pick went from the Blazers to the Nuggets in a deadline-day trade. He’s been set for unrestricted free agency this summer ever since Portland declined the fourth-year team option on his rookie scale contract this past fall. The Sixers would be unable to re-sign him to a starting salary of more than the approximately $4.66MM value of that option if they claimed him off waivers.

The Nets have reportedly been interested in bringing back Andray Blatche, so missing out on Robinson would seemingly reopen that possibility, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Still, a league source tells Tim Bontemps of the New York Post that the Nets have no immediate plans for their lone open roster spot, which Robinson was expected to fill (Twitter link).

Sixers Sign Tim Frazier To 2nd 10-Day Deal

FRIDAY, 3:44pm: The signing is official, the team announced in a press release.

THURSDAY, 3:57pm: The Sixers intend to sign guard Tim Frazier to a second 10-day contract, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The point guard appeared in three games with Philadelphia, averaging five points, 4.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game during his first 10-day deal.

Frazier had been playing for the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics’ D-League affiliate, prior to inking his first 10-day deal with Philly. In 27 D-League games this season, Frazier averaged 15.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 8.9 assists in 35.8 minutes per contest. His slash line was .450/.271/.783.

The 24-year-old went undrafted out of Penn State in 2014, and had worked out for both the Wolves and the Celtics this past summer. The 6’1″ guard had attended training camp with Boston, but was waived before opening night.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Horford, Williams

It’s doubtful that the Knicks will be able to trade Jose Calderon or Andrea Bargnani, but a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that a smaller deal could happen. Calderon, who Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors examined as a trade candidate, is making slightly less than $7.1MM this season and is owed more than $15.1MM over the remaining two years of his deal. Bargnani, whom Eddie believes is unlikely to be traded, is set to make $11.5 this season, which is the last year of his current contract.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Al Horford said that he doesn’t know whether the Hawks should reinstate GM Danny Ferry from his indefinite absence, and Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald takes it as a signal that Horford isn’t warm to the idea of Ferry returning.
  • Mo Williams had a trade kicker in his deal, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), so he went from making $3.75MM to just under $3.97MM. The Timberwolves paid the difference, though the new number counts on Charlotte’s cap.
  • Tim Frazier, whose 10-day contract with the Sixers has expired, will return to the Maine Red Claws, the D-League affiliate of the Celtics, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. The point guard appeared in three games with Philadelphia, averaging five points, 4.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game.
  • Kyle Lowry has blossomed into a star in Toronto but the point guard was skeptical at first when he was acquired by the Raptors, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “Well no, honestly I didn’t think [this is where everything would work out],” Lowry said of Toronto. “But with all the hard work I put in and the commitment they made to me, everything just kind of came into fruition and it worked out.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Butler, Celtics

At Canada’s Lakehead University, coach Scott Morrison took one of the nation’s worst programs and developed them into one of the better teams in just two seasons. Now, he seems to be working a similar turnaround with the Celtics‘ D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. In his first season as the team’s head coach, Morrison has led the squad to an impressive 20-10 record in addition to leading the “Futures” D-League All-Star team to a 129-94 win over the “Prospects” All-Star team on Sunday.

Learning how to win is what coaching is,” said Danny Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations. “When you win, that’s fun. That keeps players’ attention; that gives the coach credibility when you win. Scott has guys listening a little bit more because he’s had some success.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division..

  • The Sixers did not sign Tim Frazier to a second 10-day deal, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).  The Penn State product appeared in three games for the Sixers and started in two of those contests.  He averaged 5.0 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 4.7 RPG in 35.7 minutes per game.  Pompey notes that by not re-signing Frazier, the 76ers now have an available roster spot to take on an expiring contract before Thursday’s deadline.  That could be an indication that the 76ers won’t be inking anyone to another 10-day pact in the coming days.
  • In an alternate universe, Bulls standout Jimmy Butler could have been a member of the Knicks this season, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes.  If Carmelo Anthony had decided to go to Chicago, Butler quite possibly would have been one of the pieces coming to the Knicks in a sign-and-trade with the Bulls.  Butler, of course, has emerged as a rising star in the NBA while the Knicks are out of playoff contention.
  • With Celtics coach Brad Stevens and his players making a public pitch for continuity, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com wonders if Ainge might take the cautious approach at the deadline.  If a team offers a first-round pick for Brandon Bass or Marcus Thornton, Forsberg thinks he should jump on it.  If it’s just a mid-to-late second round pick for a player like that, however, there’s little reason for the C’s to do it, especially when they’ll likely have to take back salary to complete a swap.

Sixers Sign Tim Frazier To 10-Day Contract

THURSDAY, 1:50pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release. The statement makes no reference to a corresponding move, so the team remains at 16 players, with Kirilenko’s presence of the suspended list giving the team the chance to carry one more than the 15-man limit.

WEDNESDAY, 10:40pm: The Sixers intend to sign Tim Frazier to a 10-day contract on Thursday, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Philadelphia’s current roster count sits at 16 players, including the suspended Andrei Kirilenko. But Larry Drew II‘s second 10-day deal ends today, and with the team set to bring Frazier aboard, it doesn’t look like Drew will be signed by Philly for the remainder of the season, though that is just my speculation.

Frazier, a 24-year-old point guard, has been playing for the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics’ D-League affiliate. In 27 games, Frazier has averaged 15.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 8.9 assists in 35.8 minutes per contest. His slash line is .450/.271/.783.

Frazier went undrafted out of Penn State in 2014, and had worked out for both the Wolves and the Celtics this past summer. The 6’1″ guard attended training camp with Boston, but was waived a week after joining the team.

Eastern Notes: D-League, Jenkins, Magic

Chris Babb, Tim Frazier, Rodney McGruder and Christian Watford are joining the Celtics D-League affiliate, the team announced (Twitter links). The Celtics are using their ability to retain the D-League rights to up to four camp cuts to keep Frazier, McGruder and Watford out of the D-League draft, but they don’t have to do so with Babb, since he played for Boston’s D-League team last season.

Here’s more from the east:

  • The Magic‘s D-League team has signed Seth Curry, Peyton Siva, Kadeem Batts and Drew Crawford, the club announced, The Magic waived the foursome last week.
  • The first two years of Anderson Varejao‘s extension with the Cavs are fully guaranteed with the third year being a team option, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link).
  • Varejao will make $9,638,554 the first year; $10,361,446 the second year of the deal, with $9.36MM guaranteed; and the third season is set at $10MM,  Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). If Varejao is on the Cavs‘ roster past August 1st, 2017 then $4.5MM of the third year will become guaranteed, adds Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • John Jenkins admitted he’s upset that the Hawks decided to decline his rookie scale team option for 2015/16, but he called it “part of the game” and a potential blessing in disguise, observes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • While it’s still a bit too early in the season for any coaches to truly be on the hot seat just yet, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com takes a look at eight coaches who are under the most pressure this year, including David Blatt (Cavs), Mike Budenholzer (Hawks), and Derek Fisher (Knicks).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

C’s Waive McGruder, Murphy, Frazier, Watford

MONDAY, 3:43pm: The Celtics have officially waived McGruder, Murphy, Frazier and Watford, the team announced via press release.

SUNDAY, 10:22pm: In addition to the previously mentioned trio, Frazier has now also been waived, according to the RealGM transactions log. The team has made no formal announcement yet.

10:25pm: The Celtics have waived McGruder, Murphy and Watford, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make a formal announcement. Frazier has not been waived yet, though all indications are that he will be tomorrow, as Marc D’Amico of Celtics.com tweets.

TUESDAY, 10:59am: The Celtics will waive Rodney McGruder, Erik Murphy, Tim Frazier and Christian Watford, coach Brad Stevens told reporters, including Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). All are on non-guaranteed contracts, except for Murphy, whose deal is partially guaranteed for $100K. The moves will leave the Celtics with 16 players, all of whom have fully guaranteed pacts, with one more cut to come before opening night.

Murphy is the only one of the trio with NBA regular season experience, having appeared briefly in 24 games last season with the Bulls, who drafted him 49th overall in 2013. He was nonetheless an afterthought in a series of cap-related moves that began when the Jazz claimed him off waivers from the Bulls late last season. Utah sent him to Cleveland in a three-for-one swap in July, and the Cavs shipped him to the Celtics in their Keith Bogans trade. McGruder, who went undrafted in 2013, was in an NBA training camp for the second autumn in a row after spending last October with the Thunder. Watford also went undrafted that year, though he signed a pair of deals with the C’s this year as Boston waived him to accommodate the Bogans trade, then brought him back. Frazier has had a more conventional tenure with Boston after going undrafted this past June.

The moves still leave president of basketball operations Danny Ainge with a decision to make with Monday’s opening-night roster deadline looming. Will Bynum appeared at one point this weekend to be the guaranteed contract set to go, but the Celtics have yet to commit to parting ways with him.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Celtics, Teletovic, Sixers

The Sixers have company in their opposition to draft lottery reform, but it looks like change is inevitable. That figures to make a long season even longer in Philadelphia, but in the meantime, there’s news on the Sixers amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:

  • Greg Stiemsma would seem the favorite for the 15th regular season roster spot on the Raptors based on Toronto’s needs at center, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, but Jordan Hamilton and Will Cherry are making strong cases for themselves, as Wolstat examines. Each has a partial guarantee of $25K.
  • The Celtics signed Tim Frazier, Rodney McGruder and Christian Watford with the intention of keeping their D-League rights, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Boston is set to release the trio, as well as Erik Murphy, from its NBA roster soon.
  • Mirza Teletovic plans to listen to offers from the Nets as well as other teams when his contract expires after the season, as he said this week to Avaz, a newspaper in his native Bosnia and Herzegovina, as Robert Windrem of Nets Daily translates. The Nets can make Teletovic a restricted free agent, though their right of first refusal wouldn’t apply if he chose to go back overseas.
  • JaKarr Sampson has been especially impressive, as Sixers coach Brett Brown told reporters this week as he discussed the team’s players fighting for a regular season roster spot, observes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.