Tyler Hansbrough Rumors

And-Ones: Hansbrough, Early, T. Ennis

October 22nd, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA lottery pick Tyler Hansbrough will reportedly continue his professional career in China, with Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reporting that the veteran forward has reached an agreement with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls.

Hansbrough, who played seven NBA seasons for the Pacers, Raptors, and Hornets after being drafted 13th overall out of UNC in 2009, last appeared in the league during the 2015/16 season. The 32-year-old spent the 2017/18 campaign in China as well, falling just short of a double-double on the season (20.8 PPG and 9.9 RPG) with Guangzhou.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world, including a couple more notes from overseas:

Former Knicks forward Cleanthony Early signed with Rebeldes del Enriquillo, a club in the Dominican Republic, as Nicola Lupo of Sportando relays. Early appeared in 56 NBA games for the Knicks from 2014 to 2016.
Tyler Ennis – a 2014 first-rounder who spent time with four NBA teams, including the Lakers – signed with Turkish club Fenerbahce this summer, but will be sidelined for several months after suffering a fractured right tibia. Ennis underwent surgery to repair the injury, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando).
A growing number of teams in the NBA and G League are adding female assistant coaches to their staffs, with the Greensboro Swarm – the Hornets‘ NBAGL affiliate – among them. That trend is “great for the NBA,” according to Hornets head coach James Borrego, who arrived in Charlotte this offseason after serving on the Spurs‘ staff for years. “It speaks to our league, the diversity, the openness, the inclusion and I’m proud to be part of that, part of a league that’s open to that,” Borrego told Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “I’ve been around Becky Hammon for a number of years now. These are bright women that belong in our league.”
After playing in the NBA for 13 seasons, Antonio Davis battled depression and mental health issues following his retirement. Now, as Branden Peters of The Athletic details, Davis is serving as the director for the NBA’s “Off the Court” program, a program aimed at helping players transition to the next phase of their life when their playing careers end.

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.

Northwest Notes: Miller, Jokic, Jazz, Brooks

June 11th, 2017 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

After 17 years in the NBA, Nuggets forward Mike Miller isn’t ready to think about retirement, writes Mick Garry of the Argus [S.D.] Leader. Mitchell returned to his home state Saturday for an annual appearance at a basketball clinic and reflected on what it’s like to play professionally at age 37. “For me, it’s just a lot of fun – I enjoy playing,” Miller said. “I always will. My family still enjoys me playing, which is most important. So we’re going to keep going as long as we can. Every year is a new challenge and I enjoy those challenges. Until I quit, finding something to replace this will be hard.” Miller signed with Denver last summer, but appeared in just 20 games and averaged 7.6 minutes per night. His $3.5MM salary for next season won’t become guaranteed until July 12th.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Miller believes Nikola Jokic‘s breakout season will give free agents a reason to come to Denver. In an interview posted on the Nuggets‘ website, Miller talked about the bright future the 22-year-old has in the league. “I think the good thing that we have right now is Joker is one of those guys that everyone in the league is starting to take heed to and understand who he is,” Miller said. “He’s one of those superstars, I think he’s going to be a superstar. I think you’ll see even more growth at the beginning of this next year, that everyone just wants to play with. He plays that style of basketball. I’ve compared him a lot to Marc and Pau Gasol, I think he’s a lot like that.”
The Jazz have 11 players scheduled for workouts today, including UCLA big man T.J. Leaf, who is projected as a late first-rounder, relays Brandon Judd of The Deseret News. Joining Leaf at the second session will be Kentucky’s Dominique Hawkins, Central Michigan’s Marcus Keene, Louisiana Tech’s Erik McCree and Virginia Tech’s Zach LeDay. The first workout will feature Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe, Oregon’s Dylan Ennis, South Carolina’s P.J. Dozier, Kansas State’s Wesley Iwundu, Indiana’s Thomas Bryant and North Carolina’s Tony Bradley.
Several players with NBA ties were among the 25 participants in Utah’s free agent mini-camp Friday and Saturday. Tyler Hansbrough, Lamar Patterson, Cleanthony Early and R.J. Hunter are the most recognizable names, and the complete list can be found on the Jazz website.
Oregon’s Dillon Brooks, who worked out Saturday for the Trail Blazers, told Casey Holdahl of NBA.com that he can see a role for himself with the organization. “I got to watch Portland a lot, you get to see where you’d fit in,” Brooks said. “Especially with Portland, they’ve got two dominant guards and they need help with role players scoring. They get up and down, get into guys, it’s kind of like Oregon. The coach is kind of like [Oregon] Coach [Dana] Altman, they just let their guys play and go out there and try to compete and try to win games.”

And-Ones: Hansbrough, D. Williams, Draft

March 2nd, 2017 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward Tyler Hansbrough recently signed a D-League contract and has now been claimed by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the league announced in a press release. It’s a reunion of sorts of Hansbrough and the Pacers — the former UNC standout played in Indiana for his first four NBA seasons, and will now play for the team’s D-League affiliate.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

Deron Williams is a member of the Cavaliers now, and we heard this week that there may be mutual interest in a reunion between him and the Jazz down the road. However, those weren’t the only teams that had interest in him around the time of the trade deadline. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes that the Bucks and Clippers also considered the veteran point guard as a trade target.
In his latest look at the 2017 NBA draft, ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link) examines the lottery teams and identifies the best fit for each of those clubs in the event that they land a top-three pick. As Ford notes, Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball are widely considered the top two prospects in the draft, but there are differing opinions on which order they should be picked, and who should be drafted after they’re off the board.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders identified some of the front office executives around the NBA who figure to receive general manager consideration in the not-too-distant future if they’re willing to consider leaving their current clubs. Tony Ronzone (Mavericks), Matt Lloyd (Magic), and Tommy Sheppard (Wizards) are among Kyler’s picks.
NBA Africa VP Amadou Gallo Fall spoke to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated about the league’s efforts to grow the game in Africa.

And-Ones: Hansbrough, Bogut, Jennings

February 27th, 2017 at 11:02pm CST by Milo Taibi

Tyler Hansbrough has signed a contract with the D-League, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link). Now 31 years old, Hansbrough played 44 games with the Hornets last season, receiving a career-worst 7.8 MPG. Hansbrough went unsigned as an unrestricted free agent over the offseason, but expressed interest in returning to Charlotte after 2015/16.

“Personally, when I was called, I felt like I went out there and helped the team in the ways that I could. I’d be glad to be back,” Hansbrough told Sam Perley of Hornets.com.

Other goings-on around the game…

The Rockets are unlikely to sign Andrew Bogut, sources tell Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets would like to add Bogut as insurance in case of a Clint Capela or Nene Hilario injury, but the big man may be looking for a bigger role.
The Pistons don’t appear to be interested in a reunion with Brandon Jennings, Rod Beards of The Detroit News relays. “With Ish here, I don’t think [Jennings] would be a fit. From Brandon’s standpoint, my guess is he wants to go somewhere he can play,” Van Gundy said. “In a contract year, especially, he needs to get playing time and get seen. I hope it works for him. I really like him and he’s able to land something good this summer.”
The BIG3 announced five additional players will register for its draft pool: James White, Andre Owens, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Lawrence Moten, and Ndudi Ebi (press release). In April, BIG3 will hold a player combine for all players in the draft pool. While all five players have NBA experience, White most recently appeared in an NBA game- scoring 25 points over 57 games with the 2012/13 Knicks.
The Cavaliers could be the winner of the Nerlens Noel trade if Bogut decides to join the defending champs, John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Rumors linked Bogut to Cleveland over the weekend, but it was reported today that the big man has “strong interest” in joining the Celtics.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post

Hornets Sign Tyler Hansbrough

July 22nd, 2015 at 3:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 3:16pm: The signing is official, the Hornets announced.

TUESDAY, 9:30pm: The Hornets and unrestricted free agent Tyler Hansbrough have come to terms on a deal, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the agreement are unknown at this time.

Hansbrough appeared in 74 games for the Raptors last season, averaging 3.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 14.3 minutes per contest, and his shooting line was .521/.143/.698. In six NBA seasons since becoming the No. 13 overall pick back in 2009, the forward ‘s numbers are 7.2 PPG, 4.5RPG, and 0.5 APG. His career slash line is .439/.053/.746.

The 29-year-old returns to North Carolina, where he had starred for the the Tar Heels while in college. The Mavericks had also reportedly expressed interest in Hansbrough, whose rights were renounced by Toronto back on July 9th, according to the RealGM transactions log.

Mavs Target Tyler Hansbrough, Elton Brand

July 13th, 2015 at 5:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

Tyler Hansbrough and Elton Brand are among the big men the Mavericks are wooing as they continue to try to plug the hole left when DeAndre Jordan called off his plans to sign with the team, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Dallas is also reportedly meeting with Samuel Dalembert and shares mutual interest in JaVale McGee, as long as his health checks out.

Rumors surrounding Hansbrough have been scarce this summer, though he started a pair of playoff games for the Raptors this past spring. The Jeff Schwartz client nonetheless spent much of the season on the outskirts of Toronto’s rotation, averaging career lows in points, rebounds and minutes per game.

The 36-year-old Brand, who’s contemplating retirement, appears unlikely to return to the Hawks, who renounced his rights. Like Dalembert, the David Falk client is an ex-Mav, having spent the 2012/13 season with Dallas. That was the last time he averaged more than 20 minutes per game.

The Mavs have plenty of cap room to sign any of the big men they’re targeting. Still, Dallas traded for Zaza Pachulia last week, so the team isn’t barren at the center position.

Eastern Notes: Irving, Nets, Bucks, Raptors

June 30th, 2014 at 2:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

David Blatt‘s hiring as Cavs coach elicited conversations between Kyrie Irving and the team that were more positive in tone than any others to date, a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Cavs officials are heading to Irving’s home in New Jersey to present a max extension offer to Irving as soon as the extension window opens tonight, as Broussard notes, confirming a report from earlier this month (Twitter link). Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Nets and Bucks won’t be able to trade with each other during 2014/15 as a result of the Jason Kidd deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter).
Some in the Raptors organization are concerned that teams will make offers to Kyle Lowry and Greivis Vasquez at figures that Toronto is unwilling to match, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
The Raptors failed to waive Tyler Hansbrough by the Sunday guarantee date listed in his contract, so his partial guarantee of $1MM for next season has become a fully guaranteed $3,326,235 salary.
The Wizards had been making Martell Webster available in trade talk before his back surgery, which likely torpedoed movement toward any deal, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Washington reciprocates Garrett Temple‘s interest in returning, sources tell J. Michael of CSNWashington.com, who deems the point guard’s return to the Wizards as likely.
Soon-to-be restricted free agent Ekpe Udoh has changed agents, going with Brandon Grier and Michael Silverman of Athlete Management Group, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets. The Bucks big man had previously been with Chris Luchey of CGL Sports.

Raptors Plan To Waive Salmons

June 25th, 2014 at 6:32pm CST by Cray Allred

The Raptors will waive John Salmons if they can’t find a trade suitor for the veteran guard by June 30, tweets Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. That is the date that Salmons’ contract becomes fully guaranteed, going from a $1MM cap hit to a $7MM figure. The Raptors are interested in moving both Salmons and Tyler Hansbrough, whose contract is also partially guaranteed at $1MM until June 29. A source tells Wolstat that it is unlikely Toronto finds a willing partner (Twitter link).

The Raptors could snag an asset from a team looking to shed cap space by acquiring and then waiving Salmons, or they could save the $6MM by cutting him themselves. Toronto is preparing to try and re-sign Kyle Lowry, who will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The point guard already has suitors lining up, and Toronto might need to use any savings they can manage to make their offer sweet enough to keep him around.

Odds & Ends: Nets, Shaw, Odom, Hansbrough

December 3rd, 2013 at 10:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Divergent coaching styles and philosophies ultimately prompted Jason Kidd to demote Nets assistant coach Lawrence Frank, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com, but that doesn’t appear to be the only reason for the move. Frank has been badmouthing Kidd around the league, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has additional details on the troubled relationship between the two coaches. Here’s more on the Nets soap opera and the rest of the NBA:

The Nets maintain their strong support of Kidd, and they still believe he’ll develop into an effective head coach, Mannix writes. Brian Shaw, whom the Nets passed on when they hired Kidd, has “thrilled” Nuggets brass so far, Mannix notes via Twitter.
Lamar Odom isn’t yet performing basketball drills in workouts, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The earliest he could be ready to play is mid-January, Berger hears. The Clippers appear in no rush to sign him, even with other teams in the mix.
Tyler Hansbrough wasn’t pleased with his limited role on the Pacers last season, and while he signed with the Raptors hoping to be a more integral part of his team, he never expected to become the starter he is now, as Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun details.
A short-term injury to Mike James will force the Bulls to cut Marquis Teague‘s D-League assignment short, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The Bulls are down to 10 healthy players, but they don’t plan on signing anyone, Johnson says.
Amid a rough week for the top four college prospects, Kansas center Joel Embiid‘s performance made him a legitimate candidate to become the No. 1 overall pick in June, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his latest Insider piece on the draft landscape.