Tim Hardaway Jr. Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Towns, Noel, Nets

April 16th, 2015 at 7:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Paul Pierce fired some shots across the Nets‘ bow the other day with his negative comments regarding his year spent in Brooklyn. Current Nets coach Lionel Hollins, who was not with the team during Pierce’s tenure, dismissed the veteran’s barbs, Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily writes. “I don’t really care,” Hollins said. “I wasn’t here. I don’t care. All I can go by is how we are this year, and as I’ve said many many times, the vocal leader of our team early on was Kevin Garnett, and since he’s left it’s been more of a collective. Paul Pierce is entitled to his own opinion. I don’t get into that kind of stuff. Players say stuff all the time. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn’t. But they’re entitled to it.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers coach Brett Brown said that rookies Jerami Grant and JaKarr Sampson were both “keepers,” Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). Both players are signed for next season to minimum salary arrangements, though Sampson’s pact is non-guaranteed.
The Knicks are now assured of having no lower than the fifth pick in this year’s NBA draft. Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal profiles prospect Karl-Anthony Towns, and what he would bring to New York. Towns is currently the No.1 ranked prospect by both ESPN.com and DraftExpress.
The Knicks are expected to remake their roster this offseason and Tim Hardaway Jr. wants to remain a part of what New York is building, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. “I gotta get stronger and faster and hopefully I’m back,” Hardaway said. “I wanna be back.“
Celtics president of Basketball operations Danny Ainge said that Isaiah Thomas was the type of player you had to pounce on when given the opportunity to acquire, the executive told CSNNE.com. Discussing the trade for Thomas, Ainge said, “You never know when you can get a deal like that again and you can’t sit around and wait for a player like Thomas.“
Ainge also referred to this year’s NBA draft as “mediocre,” and is unsure if he will keep Boston’s draft picks or look to trade them away.
On of the biggest contributions Nerlens Noel brought to the Sixers this season was his energy and hustle, something that Philly’s coaching staff has taken notice of, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report writes.

Goran Dragic Rumors: Thursday

February 19th, 2015 at 1:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The intensity of trade chatter surrounding Goran Dragic picked up Wednesday, when the guard said flatly of Phoenix’s front office, “I don’t trust them anymore.” We’ll use this post to round up the Dragic rumors as today’s 2pm Central time trade deadline approaches, with any additional updates on top:

The Heat are in the lead for Dragic as the Suns continue to talk with multiple teams, and while the Suns continue to send signals they won’t trade him, no other team wants to believe that, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

12:30pm update:

The Suns are holding firm to their preference to move Isaiah Thomas rather than Dragic, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (on Twitter). Dragic was designated as the heir apparent to Steve Nash and owner Robert Sarver wants to keep it that way.

9:37am update:

The Heat are offering two first-round picks for Dragic, but Sarver is still resistant to a trade, according to Broussard (Twitter link).

9:16am update:

The Suns want a first-round pick and a “young player with significant potential” or two first-rounders in return if they’re to part with Dragic, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Nik Stauskas and a first-round pick were among the assets the Kings were willing to offer, league sources tell the Yahoo! scribe. The timing of Dragic’s trade request is what’s upsetting Sarver, Wojnarowski hears.

8:57am updates:

The Kings are growing hesitant to make a deal for Dragic, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). There’s “no way” that Dragic will sign a long-term deal with the Kings, Pacers, Rockets, Celtics, or any other team that’s not among his preferred destinations, a source tells Broussard (Twitter link).
Dragic’s trade request has miffed Suns owner Robert Sarver, who’s refusing to go along with it, at least at this point, league executives tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Knicks are offering a package for Dragic that includes Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jose Calderon, Broussard tweets.
No deal between the Suns and Lakers involving Dragic appears likely, a source tells Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
The ability to offer a fifth year in a new contract this summer, which is the exclusive domain of whichever team holds his Bird rights, won’t have much sway on where Dragic decides to sign, a source tells USA Today’s Sam Amick. Of course, Bird rights also give a team the opportunity offer raises of 7.5% instead of 4.5%.
There’s “nothing of substance” to the reported interest of the Celtics in either Dragic or Reggie Jackson, given the ability of both to hit free agency this summer, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald hears. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge spoke of his hesitancy to “get rid of multiple draft picks for players with uncertainty in the free agent market” in a radio appearance this morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Raptors, Sixers

February 18th, 2015 at 9:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks are aggressively pursuing trades for players they covet in free agency in order to secure their Bird rights and attempt to lower their cap holds, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The Knicks are one of the teams chasing Suns point guard Goran Dragic, while the Magic’s Tobias Harris is interested in coming to New York. Kyler explains that Dragic’s cap hold of $11.25MM would allow the Knicks to preserve an extra $4.25MM or so in cap space to sign other players this summer. Harris has a cap hold of $5.91MM. Shane Larkin, Jose Calderon, Tim Hardaway Jr., Cole Aldrich and Andrea Bargnani are among the players whom the Knicks are shopping, Kyler adds.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Carmelo Anthony says the Knicks should only be focused on the future as the team heads toward the trade deadline, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. Anthony has been shut down for the remainder of the season because of his balky knee. “The only thing that matters at this point is about where we’re headed as a team, as an organization for the future,” Anthony said to reporters after Sunday’s All-Star Game.
Knicks president Phil Jackson said that New York is “in the mix” at the trade deadline, and that the franchise is hoping to make at least one move, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. Jackson also relayed that there isn’t much interest from other teams in Bargnani and Calderon, Berman notes. The Zen Master also said that the Knicks might not waive Bargnani, since the coaching staff feels he may be needed in the wake of Anthony being lost for the season and Amar’e Stoudemire‘s buyout arrangement.
The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team has announced. This will be Caboclo’s second trip to the D-League this season.
The Sixers would listen to any offers for Henry Sims, Luc Mbah a Moute, Jakarr Sampson, and Hollis Thompson, John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com writes. Gonzalez adds that he doubts any of those players would bring Philly a significant return.
It’s unlikely the Celtics make any moves at the deadline, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com speculates. While Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has expressed a willingness to be active, Forsberg points out that the Celtics have made only one deadline trade in the past three seasons.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Thornton, Hardaway Jr., Wallace

December 17th, 2014 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Dwyane Wade‘s injury history and the lack of production from the bench, one possibility for the Heat to correct this deficiency is Celtics shooting guard Marcus Thornton, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. Miami wanted to sign Thornton this past offseason, but Thornton was unable to come to terms on a buyout arrangement with Boston, Jackson notes. In 20 games for the Celtics this season, Thornton has averaged 8.2 points and is nailing 42.3% of his three-pointers. The 27-year-old is currently suffering from a small tear in his left calf and is expected to miss a few weeks of action.

Here’s more from the East:

The deal with the Nets that garnered Boston three first round draft picks, but also required the Celtics to take back Gerald Wallace‘s bloated contract is looking better for Boston every day, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. Though Boston would jump at the chance to trade Wallace and the remaining $10.1MM that he is owed for next season, the veteran is providing value as a leader and a spot defender, notes Forsberg.
With J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert currently out for the Knicks with injuries, Tim Hardaway Jr. has been struggling with his increased minutes, but Hardaway says the pressure to make his case for more playing time in the future isn’t a factor in his struggles, Fred Kerber of The New York Post writes. “I’m not going to hold my head. I’m not going to get frustrated,” Hardaway said. “I’ve just got to go in the gym and work on it. I’ve got to see the ball going in the basket. That’s what I’m going to do.”
The play of Sixers‘ 2014 first-rounder Dario Saric overseas has Philadelphia’s coaches and front office excited for the future, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Saric is currently the only player in the Turkish Basketball League who is averaging at least 11.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, notes Pompey. “I pay attention to him [in] all the games he plays,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “I’ll go and either watch a portion or all of it or highlights. We play text tag all the time. [GM] Sam [Hinkie] was just over there last week. The exciting thing is he’s ours. He will be a Philadelphia 76er and we all have to be excited about that.“

Atlantic Rumors: Kirilenko, Sixers, Nets, Knicks

December 11th, 2014 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier reports have suggested that Andrei Kirilenko would be interested in playing again in February, once a family matter involving his wife is resolved, but it’s an iffy proposition whether Kirilenko will play at any point this season, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt hears (Twitter links). Sixers officials are trying to convince Kirilenko that he should remain with Philadelphia once the trade goes through, though he’s not pleased with the idea, as John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com hears (Twitter link). The Sixers, who see Kirilenko as a valuable asset whom they could flip at the February 19th trade deadline, according to Gonzalez, would ultimately have the power to keep Kirilenko on the roster this season no matter how he feels about it once the Nets trade is complete. However, it looks as though they’d prefer to give his roster spot to someone they could put on the court if Kirilenko’s not willing to play for them. There’s plenty more on the Kirilenko trade amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:

The Nets have an agreement to sign a player to fill the roster vacancy that the Kirilenko trade is set to create, tweets Robert Windrem of NetsDaily . That advances an earlier report from Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, who heard the team had someone lined up for that opening (Twitter link). The identity of the soon-to-be signee is unknown, but it’s not an eye-catching name, according to the NetsDaily scribe.
Brooklyn will be able to create a $3.3MM trade exception from the Kirilenko deal, a league source tells Windrem (Twitter link). The precise value of that exception will probably be $3,326,235, equivalent to Kirilenko’s salary, since the identical minimum salaries of Brandon Davies and Jorge Gutierrez would essentially cancel each other out, but that won’t be entirely clear until after the trade is official.
Knicks teammates Carmelo Anthony and Tim Hardaway Jr. confirmed that they engaged in an argument during last week’s loss to the Nets, but they don’t think it’s emblematic of a rift between the two of them, as a report Wednesday portrayed it to be. Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com has the details.
Anthony also denied that other players are holding him entirely responsible for the team’s struggles, and he also says that he and the other Knicks players don’t harbor doubts about the triangle offense, as Begley relays in the same piece.

Knicks Rumors: Smith, Fisher, ‘Melo, Hardaway

December 10th, 2014 at 11:30am CST by Chuck Myron

J.R. Smith is the Knicks player whom the team would most like to trade, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. That’s unsurprising, since the Knicks had reportedly been having internal discussions over a period of several months about how to trade the swingman. The Pacers have been the team most recently linked to Smith, but there haven’t been new developments on that front for a few weeks. Broussard has more on what appears to be rampant dysfunction inside the 4-19 Knicks, as we detail amid the latest on the blue-and-orange:

Knicks players are frustrated with coach Derek Fisher‘s reliance on the triangle offense, his defensive scheme, and his stoic demeanor on the sidelines, Broussard hears. Fisher recently expressed that he felt that his players had doubts about the triangle, while team president Phil Jackson pointed to a lack of discipline and order and a resistance to culture change among the players.
There’s a general sense of discord within the locker room, with Carmelo Anthony a frequent target of complaints from teammates, sources tell Broussard. Anthony and Tim Hardaway Jr. are particularly at odds, and Anthony threatened to fight Hardaway at one point, though no physical confrontations have taken place, Broussard hears.
Jackson chalked up the reason the Knicks have lost several close games to what he called a “loser’s mentality,” but Anthony doesn’t see it like that, as Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. “Losing mentality, a lot of people will try to decipher that in their own different way,’’ Anthony said Tuesday, before the Knicks lost again, to the Pelicans. “You ask 10 people, you get 10 different opinions on what that really means. I know we don’t have a losing mentality.’’

Knicks Notes: Hardaway Jr., Kerr, Shumpert

November 15th, 2014 at 3:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks may be hampering the development of one of their brightest young assets by not giving Tim Hardaway Jr. enough minutes, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv opines. Hardway has thrived when playing over 20 minutes per game, and with the team struggling it would make sense to see what Hardaway can do in a larger role, adds Zagoria.

Here’s more out of New York:

Steve Kerr came as close to being the head coach of the Knicks as one can without actually signing a contract, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post writes. But Kerr hasn’t wondered what might have been, notes Bontemps, and the Warriors head man said, “I’ve been so busy, and I’m so happy here [in Golden State] that I don’t give it much thought. At the time, I knew my heart was here, in Golden State and in California.” With New York off to a 2-8 start to the year and Golden State sitting at 6-2, it would appear that Kerr made a wise decision.
The man who took the job that Kerr left on the table, Derek Fisher, is trying to distance himself as much as possible from the issues the team had with former coach Mike Woodson, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “I think in the past, there have been issues with more finger-pointing out as opposed to finger-pointing in,” Fisher said. “We are now having a locker room of guys that are pointing to themselves about how they can help us get better.”
Shooting guard Iman Shumpert has seemingly turned a corner offensively this season, averaging a career-high 12.4 points on 50.5 percent shooting through the first 10 games, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal writes. But this new focus on offense is also taking away from Shumpert’s true value as a defensive stopper thanks to foul troubles that are plaguing him thus far, Herring adds. “His fouls are impacting us more than we would like, because we’re having to finish games with Shumpert on the bench,” Fisher said. “We have to find a way to work together to see if we can break that habit.” Shumpert has fouled out of two games already this season after having done so only three times in his first three seasons combined.

Knicks Opt In With Tim Hardaway Jr. For 2015/16

October 28th, 2014 at 3:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have exercised their option to keep Tim Hardaway Jr. on his rookie scale contract through 2015/16, the team announced (Twitter link). He’ll make close to $1.305MM that season, as our Rookie Scale Team Option Tracker shows. Reports indicated that New York would pick up Shane Larkin‘s 2015/16 team option, too, but it appears that’s still up in the air.

Hardaway impressed in his rookie season after the Knicks made him the 24th overall pick in the 2013 draft. The 6’6″ shooting guard averaged 10.2 points in 23.2 minutes per game across 81 appearances, earning an All-Rookie First Team selection.

New York, which has targeted next summer for a free agent push, has about $32.7MM in commitments for 2015/16 as a result of today’s move. That doesn’t include Larkin’s option or a new deal for Iman Shumpert, who’d hit restricted free agency if he and the Knicks don’t sign an extension by the end of Friday.

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Rondo, Knicks

October 4th, 2014 at 8:48am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers might be the only franchise that is against revamping the NBA Draft lottery system, Tom Moore of Calkins Media writes. For any resolution to pass the league requires 75% of the teams to vote yes, which equates to 23 teams. Philadelphia’s Managing Owner Josh Harris commented on the possible change, saying, “It’s a change that flattens the lottery system. It would be a little bit worse for Philadelphia in the short run but long run, since we expect to be a consistent playoff or deep-caliber-playoff team, it’s actually better for us.” GM Sam Hinkie also added, “We are cognizant of being a good member of the league, but at the same time balancing that with what’s the right thing for Philly and the Philadelphia 76ers. We’re trying to draw that line the best we can.”

Here’s more from the east:

One of the main Celtics storylines this season will be whether or not GM Danny Ainge will trade Rajon Rondo. Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders believes that in addition to Rondo proving himself healthy prior to the trade deadline, the main determining factor will be the play of rookie Marcus Smart. Smart is expected to see major minutes early in the season with Rondo out for at least the first two weeks with a broken hand.
It isn’t likely that the Knicks will keep both Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. past this year’s trade deadline, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops writes in his team preview. New York has a logjam at the shooting guard position, and though the team would prefer to unload J.R. Smith, other teams around the league are wary of taking on a player whom many think of as undisciplined, opines Scotto.
One of the main reasons that Danny Granger chose to sign with the Heat was their offensive system, Yi Tao of NBA.com writes. “I studied how hard it is to guard the three-point line when they’re moving the ball and spacing and everybody’s touching the ball,” Granger said. “It’s a very difficult offense to guard so now that I’m in it, I’m trying to learn it and hopefully I’ll be very efficient in it.”

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Miles, Antetokounmpo

August 22nd, 2014 at 8:39pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The United States defeated Puerto Rico by a score of 112-86 in their final home exhibition game prior to the FIBA World Cup. Stephen Curry was the high scorer with 20 points, and James Harden added 13 for Team USA.

Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:

The Knicks already have the D-League rights to Thanasis Antetokounmpo, as Gino Pilato of D-League Digest clarifies in an update to an earlier report. Pilato had originally indicated that the Sixers retained his D-League rights because he played for their affiliate last season, but this year’s D-League rule changes give the Knicks his D-League rights because they selected him in the NBA draft this summer, as Pilato explains. Antetokounmpo, the 51st overall selection, has reportedly agreed to sign with the D-League and play for New York’s affiliate.
C.J. Miles will be asked to do a lot more than the Pacers anticipated when they signed him as a free agent back in July, writes Mark Montieth of NBA.com. In the wake of the potential season-ending injury to Paul George, and the departure of Lance Stephenson to the Hornets, Miles will need to pick up a sizable portion of the scoring load, opines Montieth.
The Knicks have a logjam at the shooting guard position with J.R. Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Iman Shumpert, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. In the article, Begley examines the pros and cons of each player starting versus coming off of the bench. Smith weighed in on the situation, saying, “That’s for the coach to decide. All we’ve got to do is play. Whatever they decide, we’ve got to just live with it. Hopefully everybody could put their egos aside and come together for one common goal.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.