Tobias Harris Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Prokhorov, Crowder, Casey

April 14th, 2016 at 11:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Russian law enforcement and tax officials are searching the Moscow offices of Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s company, ONEXIM, reports Yuliya Fedorinova of Bloomberg.com. It’s not entirely clear why the search is taking place, though the Russian wire service Interfax reports the search has to do with offshore investment and tax payments and is part of a criminal proceeding, according to NetsDaily (Twitter link). Prokhorov ran against Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2012, and Putin is applying political pressure on offshore investors, as Fedorinova details. The ONEXIM under investigation isn’t the same as the holding company that controls the Nets, as NetsDaily points out.

While we wait to find out the implications of the Brooklyn-related news, see more from the Atlantic Division:

The Magic insisted that the Celtics include Jae Crowder in a would-be deal when the sides discussed potential Tobias Harris trades before the deadline, and Orlando’s insistence on Crowder stopped the talks from going further, a league source told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Crowder isn’t untouchable, but he’s close, a league executive whose team negotiated with the Celtics told Blakely.
The Raptors have yet to pick up the team option on their contract with coach Dwane Casey for next season, but GM Masai Ujiri strongly signaled Wednesday that the team will, as expected, observes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). “He’s been phenomenal I think, whether it’s reading games or adjustments, or just growth overall as a coach,” Ujiri said. “To be honest, everyone makes such a big deal like ‘OK, if we don’t make it past the first round, what will happen to Casey?’ Well Coach Casey deserves to be our coach, that’s 100% and I stand by that. He deserves to be our coach in the future because he has put in the work I think to bring winning to our program. The players have responded well I think, and it has translated a little bit and we hope it translates to the playoffs and I’m very hopeful it will because he’s a defensive minded coach but he’s been tremendous for us.”
Owner James Dolan still trusts team president Phil Jackson and his triangle offense, sources tell Marc Berman of the New York Post, and it’s doubtful Jackson will opt out of his deal after next season, as he hopes to serve out his contract, which runs until March 2019, Berman writes. Some around the league think Dolan wants Jackson to think about deferring to GM Steve Mills for the decision on the team’s next head coach if the Zen Master does intend to opt out, and if that’s the case, Mark Jackson, Scott Brooks and Randy Wittman, along with David Blatt, would be candidates, according to Berman.

Southeast Notes: Harris, Haslem, Millsap

March 25th, 2016 at 9:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Being dealt to the Pistons at the trade deadline this season initially stunned Tobias Harris, but he harbors no feelings of resentment toward the Magic, noting that he understands that Orlando’s roster needed a shakeup, John Denton of NBA.com relays. “No hard feelings at all because the situation in Orlando was always like family to me,’’ said Harris. “Getting traded from Milwaukee to over there [Orlando in 2013], I got an opportunity to show what I could do and I got to meet some really great people throughout the city. So no hard feelings at all and I wish them nothing but the best going forward. I still have a great relationship with those [Magic] guys and I got to see a lot of them [on Tuesday], so it’s all love for them.’’

Magic coach Scott Skiles noted that his call to Harris to tell the combo forward he had been traded was an emotional one, Denton adds. “It was hard, very hard. He and I are still in communication,’’ Skiles said. “It’s always hard with any player, but Tobias and I go back even further than the Orlando Magic. Those things are very difficult and it’s the worst part of the business.’’

Here’s more from out of the Southeast Division:

Udonis Haslem has seen his role markedly diminished for the Heat this season, but teammate Dwyane Wade stuck up for his teammate and noted that the veteran can still play and would be a rotation player on quite a few other teams, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post writes. “Just look at Udonis,” Wade said. “He’s a three-time champion. There’s guys on other teams playing around this league that I would put him against any day, and here he’s not playing and not getting minutes. Think about the pride that takes and the ego that he doesn’t have to still be here and not be asking to get out of here, to not be tearing up the locker room every night. I get it. It’s tough. Special guys like that come around and when an organization has those guys, they try to keep them as much as they can.”
Paul Millsap spurned other suitors last summer and re-signed with the Hawks because he believed that the franchise was on the cusp of becoming a perennial contender in the East, Michael Lee of the Vertical writes. While the team won’t equal its 60 wins of a season ago, the power forward still believes Atlanta has what it takes to reach the Conference Finals, Lee adds. “I think we do. Record says otherwise. But we don’t care about the record,” Millsap told Lee. “I think the main thing we have to do is stay focused on winning as many as we can. I don’t think we care where we fall. As long we’re in and we have an opportunity to play for a title, it doesn’t matter where we fall. Because at the end of day, we’re going to have to go through everybody. And whoever it is in the first round, hopefully, we’ll be ready.“

Southeast Notes: Harris, Bosh, Humphries, Morris

March 24th, 2016 at 12:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

Tobias Harris just signed a four-year, $64MM deal with the Magic in July, but he took it in stride when the team traded him to the Pistons at last month’s deadline, observes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. “I’m not mad at Orlando for the trade,” Harris said Tuesday. “Actually, if I was to sit here and be upset, that would be selfish, wouldn’t it? All they did was put me in an amazing situation. Truthfully, I thank them for that. I mean, I loved my time there, but business is business, and I think being here has been great for me.”

Harris’ new team got the better of his old one Wednesday as Detroit beat Orlando, 118-102. See more from the Southeast Division:

Chris Bosh and the Heat have received conflicting information about how soon he can stop taking blood thinners and return to the court, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Bosh can’t play until he’s off blood thinners, and while some doctors recommend that patients stay on blood thinners for three to six months after a clot develops, others disagree, Jackson notes. Bosh reportedly developed the clots in mid-February.
The buyout market signing of Kris Humphries has returned the big man to a traditional inside role after the Wizards tried to make him into a stretch four earlier this season, and the arrangement has been beneficial for the Hawks, coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said, notes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Humphries goes back on the free agent market July 1st. “He’s fit in really well,” Budenholzer said. “I’d just say rebounding is an area where we need to be better and he’s kind of come in and given a little life. He tracks offensive boards, goes to the offensive boards. And I’m hoping he’ll be more of an influence on our other guys even though it’s not something we prioritize. He brings a little bit of a physicality, a little bit of a toughness. And then he can make shots, he can spread the court. Shoot threes, make threes. And his personality, he’s added a little personality to our locker room, too, so it’s just been a really good fit.”
Markieff Morris makes Washington’s defense better, his contract isn’t a killer, and the top-nine protected pick the Wizards gave up in the trade to acquire him is unlikely to cost the team a landmark player, contends J. Michael of CSN Mid Atlantic, who sees the deal as a victory for Washington. “It’s the versatility of him being able to guard postup guys as well as out on the perimeter, whether it’s a three, four or five guy,” coach Randy Wittman said. “His knowledge of the game, his willingness to pass. He’s a willing passer and makes great decisions at the other end.”

Central Notes: Vasquez, Harris, Harper, LeBron

March 15th, 2016 at 12:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greivis Vasquez is determined to return to game action before season’s end, calling the Bucks a “class act” for their assistance as he rehabilitates from the right ankle surgery he had three months ago today, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details. Vasquez, who hired agent Alex Saratsis of Octagon earlier this year, is headed for free agency this summer and argues the injury didn’t have a net effect on the contract he’ll be able to command.

“I feel I didn’t lose value, but I didn’t gain value,” Vasquez said. “I feel people know what I can do. My game is not based on athleticism. I’m not jumping over guys. It’s an IQ game. I wasn’t able to do what I usually do, being limited with my injury. Surgery was needed. Now I feel much better. The team I want to show that I’m healthy is this team. Because every team I’ve been with, I got that team better. I was in Toronto; we got better. New Orleans, we got better. Memphis, we got better.”

Vasquez, an offseason trade acquisition, has appeared in only 16 games for the disappointing Bucks this season. See more from the Central Division:

Stan Van Gundy expected it would be challenging to integrate Tobias Harris into the Pistons, as the coach usually expects in the wake of a trade, but it’s been a smooth transition so far, Van Gundy told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports. That’s been especially so after Van Gundy switched Harris to power forward after a brief experiment with him at small forward, the coach also said. “He’s unselfish. He’s been efficient,” Van Gundy told Zillgitt. “He hasn’t needed an inordinate amount of shots to get his stuff done. He moves the ball pretty well. It’s actually been pretty easy.”
Justin Harper‘s second 10-day contract with the Pistons expired overnight, so the backup power forward is now a free agent. The Pistons would have to sign him for the rest of the season if they were to bring him back, since two 10-day deals are the limit.
LeBron James usually doesn’t make comments that cast a harsh light on fellow members of the Klutch Sports Agency, but he praised Cavs deadline pickup Channing Frye for his willingness to tangle with Klutch client Trey Lyles in Monday’s game, an incident that prompted ejections for both Frye and Lyles, notes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

Pistons Notes: Roster, Motiejunas, Harris

March 6th, 2016 at 3:04pm CST by ChrisCrouse

It appears that the Pistons will not make another major roster move, such as adding a player on the buyout market, and they may elect to keep the 15 current players under contract as they look to make a playoff push, David Mayo of Mlive.com writes. Mayo adds that no decision has been made yet on Justin Harper, who is playing on a 10-day contract, his second with the team this season. If the Pistons want to retain Harper, they will need to sign him through the remainder of the season.

Here’s more from Detroit:

If Donatas Motiejunas were in the middle of his rookie deal rather than the end of it, the Pistons would have likely gone through with their trade with Houston, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press speculates. Ellis believes that the team is still in need of a versatile big man and the acquisition of Motiejunas would have pushed the team toward the top of the Eastern Conference.
Detroit was worried about the Tobias Harris–Marcus Morris pairing on the court due to the similarities in their style of play, but the duo has fit well together since the team acquired Harris, Mayo writes in a separate piece. “I think they’ve really helped each other,” executive/coach Stan Van Gundy said. “They sort of look for each other. They’re both unselfish guys. I think it’s been good.”
Van Gundy believes Harris’ unselfishness allowed him to fit in with the team right away, Mayo adds in that same piece. “[Harris] doesn’t pound the ball, he doesn’t take a lot of dribbles. He makes his move, he shoots it, or he moves the ball and we can play. So I think it’s been pretty easy for our guys to adapt to playing with him,” Van Gundy said.

Pistons Notes: Harris, Motiejunas, Morris

February 29th, 2016 at 9:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons had reportedly been targeting power forwards for free agency this summer, but with the acquisition of Tobias Harris, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy would feel comfortable if Harris and Marcus Morris were the team’s starters at the two forward positions beyond this season, notes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “I think they’re both starting-caliber guys. It all depends on where your roster goes and everything else,” Van Gundy said. “You’d love to get to the point where you have starting-caliber guys coming off your bench. But certainly if we have to go into next season and beyond with those two guys as our starting forwards, we’re pretty happy with that.”

In other news regarding the Pistons:

Donatas Motiejunas believes a change of heart, instead of a medical issue, was the reason his trade from the Rockets was voided, according to an item in BasketNews.lt that Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com relays. According to the translation of Motiejunas’ quotes, he felt he passed the team’s physical examinations, Feldman continues. The power forward and shooting guard Marcus Thornton, since waived by Houston, were traded to Detroit in a three-team deal in which the Rockets would have received Detroit’s first-round pick, with some protections. “Those 48 hours actually just let the team decide whether they want you or not,” Motiejunas reportedly said. “The Pistons announced I did not pass the medical, although I surely did pass it and played even before it. … The injury was a pretense to call off the trade. They changed their minds.”
Morris is making a case for one of the NBA’s All-Defensive teams, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Morris is a hard-nosed one-on-one defender, though he doesn’t record many steals or blocks, Ellis continues. Raptors coach Dwane Casey told Ellis and other media members on Sunday that Morris has a defensive presence. “Most of all, it’s his defensive toughness,” Casey said. “With the defensive disposition he brings, it’s not like you’re just going to catch the ball down there and go to work on him in the low post.”
Power forward Justin Harper helped his case for another 10-day contract by hitting three 3-pointers against the Raptors, Ellis writes in a separate notebook. Harper, who officially signed on February 24th, has one more game remaining against the Spurs on Wednesday before his 10-day expires. It would not be a surprise if Harper gets another 10-day, David Mayo of MLive.com writes, but the team will also scour the waiver wire for a veteran point guard or power forward.

Southeast Rumors: Hardaway Jr., Johnson, Harris

February 29th, 2016 at 7:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks’ draft-night acquisition of shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Knicks is finally paying off, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The Knicks received the rights to point guard Jerian Grant and appeared to get the upper hand in the deal during the first half of the season, as Hardaway languished on Atlanta’s bench. Hardaway appeared in just four of the Hawks’ first 35 games but now has a rotation spot as the backup shooting guard, including a 25-minute stint on Sunday. “I feel like he is starting to understand what we expect from him, what we need,” Atlanta center Al Horford told Vivlamore. “More than anything, defensively he is bringing it.” While Hardaway’s playing time is increasing, Grant has seen decreased minutes under Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis, including three DNP’s in the past eight contests, Vivlamore adds.

In other news around the Southeast Division:

Joe Johnson wants to finish his career with the Heat, observes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. The 34-year-old shooting guard signed with Miami after reaching a buyout agreement with the Nets and clearing waivers. Johnson, who scored 12 points in his Heat debut on Sunday, hopes it’s not a short-term arrangement, as he told Youngmisuk and other members of the media. “I think we’ve got a lot of veteran guys who know what it takes to win [and the possibility of remaining with the Heat] was another key thing for me,” he said. That’s certainly feasible from a salary-cap standpoint, as the Heat have only $48MM in guaranteed salary commitments next season.
The Tobias Harris trade could define the tenure of Magic GM Rob Hennigan, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel opines. Harris was traded to the Pistons for the expiring contract of point guard Brandon Jennings and power forward Ersan Ilyasova. With a partial guarantee on the final year of Ilyasova’s contract, the Magic could have $45MM to spend on free agents this summer, Schmitz continues. Harris’ growth had leveled off, in Schmitz’s view, but the trade only works out if Hennigan can land a top-level free agent.
Josh Richardson has been a revelation as the Heat’s new backup point guard, according to Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald. Thrust into the role because of injuries, Richardson has called upon the leadership qualities he showed in college at Tennessee, Skolnick adds. “It was tough at first, but now that I’ve kind of been forced into the backup point guard role, it’s a leadership role again,” Richardson told Skolnick. “So I get to kind of be me again, and talk and direct traffic.”

Pistons Notes: Harris, Motiejunas, Van Gundy

February 21st, 2016 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

Executive/coach Stan Van Gundy believes that the addition of Tobias Harris was better than any player the Pistons could have acquired on the free agent market this summer based on the 23-year-old’s talent and contract, John Niyo of The Detroit News writes.

“You’ve got to know who you are,” Van Gundy said. “We’re not at the position yet that with 30 teams having money that we’re gonna be at the top of everybody’s list that’s on the free agent market. So to be able to get good young players who are locked in is the ideal for us.”

The team considered an offer sheet for Harris last July, but since the Magic seemed inclined to match any offer, Detroit didn’t want to tie up its cap space for no reason. The Pistons decided to pursue DeMarre Carroll and Danny Green instead, but they struck out on both with Carroll signing in Toronto and Green re-signing in San Antonio.

Here’s more from Detroit:

Pistons owner Tom Gores understood Donatas Motiejunas‘ back issues and the risk that came with acquiring him, but despite this, he gave Van Gundy the green light to make the deal, Rod Beard of The Detriot News writes. “It’s a calculated risk,” Van Gundy said. “A little more risk, maybe, than some of the other deals we’ve had, but with a very high reward.”
GM Jeff Bower believes Brandon Jennings is going to examine his options in free agency this summer, something that played a factor in dealing him away, Keith Langlois of NBA.com relays. Bower added that Harris’ contract certainty played a role in the deal as well. Harris will make $16MM this season, $17.2MM during the 2016/17 season, $16MM in 2017/18 and $14.8MM in the final year of the deal.

Pistons Notes: Van Gundy, Motiejunas, Harris

February 19th, 2016 at 1:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

Stan Van Gundy acknowledges the trade for Donatas Motiejunas carries more risk than other moves given his persistent back trouble and status as a soon-to-be restricted free agent, but he feels the chance of a high reward is worth it, as the Pistons coach/executive said Thursday following the trade deadline (transcription via Pistons.com). Motiejunas will have to pass a physical to validate the trade, notes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, but Van Gundy said the team believes the back issue is minor, Ellis also relays (Twitter links).

“He’s been a guy that’s been very, very high on our list for a long time,” Van Gundy said, according to the team site. “When our scouts get together and do their thing, that’s what happened at the trade deadline. Both he and Tobias [Harris] have been very, very high on our list. It just happened to be a situation with Tobias where it didn’t work out in the summer because we couldn’t pursue him because of the restricted free agent thing. And Donatas was then just coming off the injury or just had the injury.”

Van Gundy added that “we would have laughed, quite honestly” if someone told him and his staff two weeks ago that they could land both Motiejunas and Harris. See more from the Motor City.

The Kings were the only “real” suitor for Harris in free agency this past summer, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, though GM Jeff Bower acknowledged the Pistons had interest in signing Harris, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
Motiejunas comes with some promise for the future if the Pistons re-sign him, but Thursday’s trade was more about the short term than the acquisition of Harris was, Beard contends. Still, the combination of the moves show the team’s focus on positioning itself for the future, according to Beard.
The Motiejunas swap wasn’t that much of a risk for the Pistons, who dealt from a position of strength that the Harris trade had given them, MLive’s David Mayo argues. The ability to snag Harris without giving up a first-rounder empowered Detroit to spend that first-rounder in Thursday’s trade, Mayo writes.

Eastern Notes: Horford, Calderon, Harris

February 18th, 2016 at 11:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks took center Al Horford off the market at approximately 1pm today, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com relays (Twitter links). Prospective trade partners were wary of Horford’s impending free agency, which made the offers Atlanta received less than enticing, Broussard adds. Point guard Jeff Teague was available until the final minutes of the deadline, with the Bucks and Nets expressing the most interest, the ESPN scribe notes.

Here’s the latest from the East:

Despite their best efforts, the Raptors were unable to upgrade their power forward position prior to the NBA trade deadline today, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca notes. The lack of a significant deal wasn’t due to the team’s lack of effort, with Toronto checking in on virtually every player rumored to be available, but the team found the asking prices simply too steep to pull the trigger, Lewenberg adds. “There was nothing there good enough for us, we felt,” GM Masai Ujiri said. “Anything that was good enough we felt, we just didn’t want to give up the future of our team for any of the stuff that was out there.”
Knicks point guard Jose Calderon noted that one reason his numbers have taken a hit is New York’s triangle offense, a system not conducive to gaudy stats from playmakers, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News relays. “It doesn’t matter how I play,” Calderon said. “Sometimes when you maybe get off on the wrong foot or people don’t know you as a player and expect something else. It’s tough to change those minds. So I’m pretty good with the way I am, the way I do stuff, the way I work. Like I said, if we go position by position, or player by player, I lost every battle in that situation. I’m not going to score more points than other point guards in this league. I’m a different kind of player. It’s not fun when you want to win for the Knicks and people want you out of the Knicks.”
The Knicks may cut the playing time of rookie point guard Jerian Grant because his lack of playing experience is hurting him and the team, according to interim coach Kurt Rambis, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays.
Courtney Lee says being dealt to the Hornets “threw him off” because he was told the previous day by the Grizzlies he wasn’t being shopped, Steve Reed of The Associated Press writes. The swingman did add that the presence of coach Steve Clifford, who was an assistant in Orlando during Lee’s rookie season, would help him adjust more quickly, Reed adds. “It helps a lot,” Lee said of Clifford. “I have a feel for him and his coaching style. He knows my capabilities and I think he’s comfortable with me in that sense. It’s just a matter of picking up the plays.”
The Pistons did extremely well in the trade that landed them Tobias Harris, David Mayo of MLive.com opines. Detroit netted a still-improving combo forward who provides exactly what the team lacked in its frontcourt and Harris’ salary will likely look like a bargain in the coming season, Mayo adds.