Ty Lawson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lawson, Wallace Work Out For Pelicans

August 24th, 2018 at 7:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Point guard Ty Lawson and shooting guard Tyrone Wallace worked out for the Pelicans this week, Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype tweets.

New Orleans already has a fairly crowded roster with 12 players on guaranteed contracts and six others with partially- or non-guaranteed deals.

Lawson spent most of the 2017/18 season in China playing for the Shandong Golden Stars. In 46 Chinese League contests, he averaged 25.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 2.2 SPG, shooting 40.1% on 3-point attempts.

He then signed with the Wizards on the last day of the regular season, making him eligible for the postseason. He appeared in five playoff games this spring, averaging 5.8 PPG and 3.0 APG in 19.2 MPG.

New Orleans has Jrue Holiday, Elfrid Payton and Frank Jackson as point guard options, though Jackson has yet to appear in an NBA game due to injuries.

Wallace, 24, appeared in 30 games, including 19 starts, for the Clippers on a two-way contract last season. He averaged 9.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 2.4 APG in 28.4 MPG. He’s a restricted free agent, since the Clippers extended a qualifying offer to him in late June.

The Pelicans have numerous shooting guards on the roster, including E’Twaun Moore, Ian Clark, Kenrich Williams and two-way player Trevon Bluiett.

Wizards Express Interest In Crawford, Mbah A Moute, Others

July 3rd, 2018 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards lost one key member of their bench when Mike Scott reached an agreement with the Clippers on Monday, but the team has remained active in search of potential free agent additions.

According to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter links), the Wizards have expressed interest in a number of veteran free agents, including Jamal Crawford, Luc Mbah a Moute, Dante Cunningham, and Willie Reed. Ty Lawson, who finished last season in D.C., also remains a possibility to return, Buckner adds.

The Wizards’ backcourt is getting pretty crowded, with Tomas Satoransky and newly-acquired Austin Rivers slotting in behind John Wall and Bradley Beal. Jodie Meeks and rookie Troy Brown could also see some time at the two, so it’s not clear whether Crawford, who will want a featured role off the bench, would be a good fit in Washington.

However, Mbah a Moute, Cunningham, and Reed make more sense as potential targets for the Wizards. Mbah a Moute and Cunningham are versatile forwards capable of knocking down three-pointers, while Reed is a big man who could add depth to a Wizards frontcourt that no longer features Marcin Gortat.

The Wizards have also been linked to Dwight Howard, Jeff Green, Treveon Graham, and Thomas Robinson, among other free agents.

Hornets Notes: Monk, FA Targets, Coaching Staff

June 30th, 2018 at 9:28pm CST by Austin Kent

A disappointing 2017/18 put the Hornets in an awkward position, staffed with enough talent to compete for one of the East’s final playoff spots, yet financially compelled to blow things up and start fresh. This season stands to be different. In a recent interview with Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, newly appointed head coach James Borrego discusses his vision for the club heading forward.

The biggest change heading into 2018/19 is Borrego’s willingness to incorporate 2017 pick Malik Monk heavily in the team’s rotation. Whereas previous head coach Steve Clifford opted to play veterans over youth, Borrego sees Monk as “major player for the team” with the potential to be an elite shooter.

Borrego also notes that it’s a priority of the Hornets to add a ballhandler that can serve as the primary backup point guard to Kemba Walker.

There’s more out of Charlotte tonight:

The Hornets will bring Chad Iske aboard to join James Borrego‘s coaching staff, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Iske previously coached with the Wizards.
A number of veteran playmakers will catch the eye of general manager Mitch Kupchak when free agency begins, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Some realistic options are be Shelvin Mack, Seth Curry, Shabazz Napier, Raymond Felton, Dante Exum and Ty Lawson.
The Hornets will give Brice Johnson a look when they hold a mini-camp this week, a team press release reveals. Johnson was a first-round pick of the Clippers in 2016 but was waived by the Grizzlies in March after being traded twice to Detroit and Memphis.

Wizards Notes: Gortat, Porter, Oubre, Meeks, More

April 29th, 2018 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Bradley Beal and John Wall expressed a belief near the start of the 2017/18 season that the Wizards were the team to beat in the East, but the club ultimately finished eighth in the conference, and lasted just six games in the postseason. After their early exit from the playoffs, the Wizards are left searching for answers about what went wrong over the course of the season, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington details. Hughes spoke to Beal, Markieff Morris, and Ian Mahinmi about the club’s shortcomings, with Mahinmi noting that roster continuity didn’t really pay off for Washington in ’17/18.

“When you’re talking about continuity, it’s supposed to be better. You expect better. I feel like we didn’t do better than last year,” Mahinmi said. “It’s hard. I love those guys, but we have our issues. Unless we work those issues out, we’re gonna continue to struggle at times. We’re gonna continue to not be consistent. We definitely have to have good communication this summer. Before looking elsewhere we have look at each other and be honest.

“I feel like we might not have identified the real issues,” Mahinmi added.

As the Wizards look to identify their “real issues,” here are a few more notes out of D.C….

Wizards center Marcin Gortat, never shy about sharing what’s on his mind, implored teammates Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre Jr. to spend the offseason bulking up, per Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. “Skill-set wise, [Porter]’s unbelievable. He’s got everything. He can rebound. He can shoot the ball. He can post up. He can pass. He can definitely defend, if he’s healthy,” Gortat said. “As I told him and I told Kelly, they’ve both got to improve in the weight room. They’ve got to get into the weight room.”
Asked if he’d work on improving his shooting range in the offseason, Gortat dismissed the idea that he needs to modernize his game by shooting three-pointers, as Buckner relays. “I truly believe I’m a solid, good shooter up to 15, 17 feet. But I’m not going to shoot threes,” Gortat said. “No, I’m not going to do that. I want to go into the paint. Body people. Be physical. Get scratches. Bleed. That’s how I made a living in for 11 years, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to pop on the three-point line and shoot threes. I’m not going to do that. I’ve got one more year left. I’m going to try to play as best as I can.”
The Wizards’ front office will have its work cut out for it this offseason as it looks to improve the roster, ESPN’s Bobby Marks writes in an Insider-only piece. Marks wonders if Washington has enough confidence in Oubre to consider the possibility of trading Porter, and notes that Gortat and Morris will be entering the last year of their respective contracts.
In a pair of tweets, Marks breaks down how Jodie Meeks‘ suspension will affect his earnings and the Wizards’ tax bill. As Marks observes, Washington will be on the hook for approximately $7MM in tax payments for 2017/18.
Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com takes a closer look at Ty Lawson‘s unexpected return to an NBA rotation role for the playoffs. Lawson spent the season in China before signing with the Wizards on the last day of the NBA regular season.

Wizards Sign Ty Lawson

April 12th, 2018 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have signed Ty Lawson to the fill the final open spot on their roster, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Per the NBA’s transactions log, the move was made official on Wednesday, the final day teams could sign players to their roster.

Lawson, 30, spent the 2017/18 season in China playing for the Shandong Golden Stars. In 46 Chinese League contests, the NBA veteran averaged 25.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 2.2 SPG, shooting 40.1% on three-point attempts.

The Wizards were linked to Lawson two months ago when John Wall was sidelined with his knee injury, but the team signed Ramon Sessions to help provide point guard depth. Even with Wall back in the lineup and Sessions still on the roster, Washington has circled back to Lawson, who received his letter of clearance once his playoff run in China on Wednesday, per Charania.

Because he wasn’t waived by an NBA team after March 1, Lawson will be eligible to play in the postseason for the Wizards, though he seems unlikely to see much – if any – action.

The Wizards had been one of two teams with an open spot on the 15-man roster, so they didn’t have to make a corresponding move to create space for the point guard. Charlotte will finish the 2017/18 season as the only club with fewer than 15 players on its standard NBA roster.

Wizards Seriously Considering Ty Lawson

February 12th, 2018 at 5:00pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Wizards‘ search for a point guard has the team seriously considering eight-year NBA veteran Ty Lawson, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (link via Twitter).

Lawson, 29, played in 69 games for the Kings last season. He spent the 2017/18 season in China with CBA’s Shandong Golden Stars. At one point, Lawson averaged at least 15.2 PPG with the Nuggets in each season from 2011-2015. However, several off-the-court issues, including a pair of DUIs, have hindered Lawson’s NBA career.

With John Wall still early in his rehab process, the Wizards have been looking for help outside the organization. The team has reportedly considered recently-waived Derrick Rose and talked with free agent Ramon Sessions. It was reported on Sunday that Washington will likely sign a point guard to a 10-day contract.

Ty Lawson, Donatas Motiejunas To Play In China

August 9th, 2017 at 9:37am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 9: Shandong’s deals with Lawson and Motiejunas are now official, according to Pick (Twitter link), who adds that Motiejunas’ pact has a base value of $2.2MM.

AUGUST 8: NBA free agents Ty Lawson and Donatas Motiejunas appear poised to become teammates in China, according to international basketball reporter David Pick, who tweets that both players will head overseas to join the Shandong Golden Stars.

According to Pick (Twitter link), Lawson reached an agreement with Shandong prior to today, striking a deal that will pay him $2.4MM, with bonuses that could push the total value to $3MM. Previously rumored to be joining another CBA team, Lawson is coming off a modest bounce-back season with the Kings, in which he averaged 9.9 PPG and 4.8 APG in 69 contests, making 45.4% of his field goal attempts.

As for Motiejunas, his agreement with Shandong was initially reported by international outlet 15min.lt, as detailed by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. His deal is believed to be in the $3MM range as well.

Motiejunas had a bizarre year in 2016, having been involved in a February trade that was scuttled due to health concerns, then going through a prolonged restricted free agency that involved another deal falling through. At various times in ’16, it seemed as if Motiejunas would be traded to the Pistons, signed by the Nets, or retained by the Rockets, but he ultimately landed with the Pelicans in January, averaging 4.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 34 games for New Orleans.

According to Pick (Twitter link), Shandong offered more than $3MM to Michael Beasley in the hopes of bringing him back, but the former Golden Star is opting to join the Knicks instead.

And-Ones: Awards, Super Teams, Pelicans, Lawson

August 1st, 2017 at 9:52pm CST by marksuleymanov

After his superstar player, James Harden, fell short of capturing the NBA Most Valuable Player award, Daryl Morey feels the league could do away with awards, the Rockets general manager said to Ben Golliver of The Crossover.

“I don’t know if this is a good process,” Morey said. “The ones that are decided by players or executives or media, they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I honestly don’t think there’s a good process. You could argue for eliminating the awards altogether. I don’t really see a good way to do it that doesn’t have major issues. I like clean answers. If there’s not going to be a set criteria and there’s going to be issues with how it’s structured, for me it might be better to not have it.”

Morey made frequent mention to the “criteria” used to select the NBA MVP. Whether it be personal success, a historically great season, or team performance, Morey believes it doesn’t lead to a uniform result. For instance, Stephen Curry won the MVP over Harden because the Warriors had a better record, and if the same guidelines were used, Harden should have won the award over Russell Westbrook this year.

In any case, Morey’s comments have been received negatively by most of the basketball world and players are still scheduled to be rewarded with hardware for having outstanding seasons.

Below you can find additional news from around the basketball world:

Tom Haberstroh of ESPN examines nine different NBA teams that could be future super teams in a lengthy piece that well worth the read. Haberstroh compares super teams from years’ past, including the 2008 Celtics, 2011 Heat, and the 2014 Warriors and explains how teams can follow their blueprints to success.
For ESPN Insider (subscription required and recommended), Kevin Pelton hands out grades to Western Conference teams for their transactions and transgressions this offseason.
While an expansion with new teams added to the NBA is unlikely, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes that relocation of current teams is more plausible. Kyler specifically mentions the Pelicans and how they could end up moving from New Orleans.
Free agent point guard Ty Lawson has signed with veteran agent Larry Fox, per Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Daily (via Twitter). Hoops Rumors previously noted that Fox was representing Lawson, who seemed bound for China at one point this offseason.

Free Agent Notes: Lawson, Hansbrough, Buycks

July 19th, 2017 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Although he appeared to be on the verge of signing a contract with China’s Shanxi Brave Dragons, free agent point guard Ty Lawson remains on the market, agent Larry Fox tells HoopsHype. According to Fox, Lawson has received interest from several teams in China, and has reciprocated that interest and had some discussions with those clubs. However, the 29-year-old has also drawn interest from NBA teams and is still weighing his options, per Fox.

As we wait to see where Lawson lands, here are a few more free agent notes:

Former lottery pick Tyler Hansbrough has reached an agreement to join China’s Guangzhou Lions, sources tell international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Sportando first reported that Hansbrough was expected to make the move to China. The former UNC standout has appeared in 428 career regular season NBA games, but didn’t catch on with a team for the 2016/17 season.
Veteran guard Dwight Buycks broke off negotiations on a two-year contract with Olympiacos in order to pursue NBA opportunites, tweets David Pick. Buycks, who last played a regular season NBA game in 2015 with the Lakers, was said to be drawing interest from the Knicks earlier this month.
Having reached an agreement to sign Rajon Rondo after signing Jrue Holiday to a lucrative new contract earlier in the month, the Pelicans envision the two guards playing side by side. As William Guillory of The Times-Picayune details, New Orleans head coach Alvin Gentry said during a radio appearance this week that his plan for now is to start Rondo at point guard with Holiday at the two. Rondo’s deal with the Pelicans is expected to be finalized soon.

Pelicans Eyeing Nick Young, Ty Lawson, Others

July 1st, 2017 at 7:35am CST by Luke Adams

Having locked up their top free agent target with a new five-year contract agreement, the Pelicans are now exploring the rest of the market as they search for veteran scorers and playmakers, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. According to Aldridge (Twitter links), New Orleans is engaging today with free agent shooting guard Nick Young and will also connect with point guard Ty Lawson.

Even after agreeing to re-sign Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans’ roster is somewhat heavier on frontcourt players, led by Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. Having traded Tim Frazier to Washington in June, New Orleans will be on the lookout for backcourt players to play alongside or behind Holiday in the rotation.

Young and Lawson both appear capable of fitting that bill. While we haven’t heard much yet about Young’s free agent options, Lawson has reportedly drawn some interest from the Timberwolves, Thunder, and Kings in addition to the Pelicans.

Scott Kushner of The Advocate adds (via Twitter) that Jodie Meeks is another free agent name to watch for New Orleans.

The Pelicans will almost certainly operate as an over-the-cap team, leaving them the mid-level ($8.4MM) and bi-annual ($3.3MM) exceptions to add players above the minimum salary level.