Tyler Johnson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Match Tyler Johnson Offer

July 10th, 2016 at 7:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:22pm: The move is official, the team announced.

JULY 10th, 6:02pm: The Heat have matched Brooklyn’s $50MM offer sheet for Tyler Johnson, tweets The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Johnson signed the offer on Thursday, so tonight was the deadline for Miami to make a decision.

The Nets’ offer contained a significant jump in salary for the third and fourth season to make it difficult for the Heat to match. Johnson will receive $5.628MM in the first year and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four.

This is the second disappointment of the day for Brooklyn, which earlier learned that Portland has matched a four-year, $75MM offer sheet to Allen Crabbe. The Nets still have more than $30MM in cap space available and are expected to move on to other free agents.

Heat To Sign Wayne Ellington

July 10th, 2016 at 11:50am CST by Arthur Hill

Mar 15, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Wayne Ellington (21) drives the ball during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Gruppuso / USA TODAY Sports Images

Wayne Ellington will sign with Miami, tweets The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The 28-year-old shooting guard is expected to receive more than $12MM over two seasons.

The addition of Ellington reduces the chance that Miami matches Brookyn’s $50MM offer to Tyler Johnson, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat now have five guards under contract, as Ellington joins Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson, Briante Weber and Rodney McGruder.

Ellington appeared in 76 games with the Nets after signing with Brooklyn last summer. He started 41 times and averaged 7.7 points in a little more than 21 minutes per game. He has also played for the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Cavaliers, Mavericks and Lakers in his seven-year NBA career.

Tyler Johnson Signs Offer Sheet With Nets

July 7th, 2016 at 1:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Jan 25, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson (8) passes around Chicago Bulls guard Aaron Brooks (0) during the second quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Wierzbicki / USA TODAY Sports Images

JULY 7TH, 1:20am: Johnson has signed the offer sheet, Wojnarowski tweets. Miami will have three days to match Brooklyn’s offer.

JULY 3RD, 11:18am: The Nets will extend a $50MM offer sheet to Miami restricted free agent guard Tyler Johnson, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The four-year offer, which Johnson has agreed to sign, has a player option for the final season, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge.

Miami will have three days to decide whether to match the offer once Johnson signs it, which can happen as soon as the moratorium is lifted on Thursday. The deal is heavily backloaded, tweets Miami-based capologist Albert Nahmad, with Johnson receiving $5.628MM in the first season and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four.

The Heat’s decision on Johnson will be heavily influenced by what happens with Kevin Durant, who is meeting with Miami officials today, and Dwyane Wade, who is reportedly talking to other teams after being unhappy with the Heat’s initial offer. If Miami matches Brooklyn’s offer, its cap hit will be equal to Johnson’s yearly salary, Nahmad tweets. If he goes to Brooklyn, the Nets will have a $12.5MM cap hit each year.

Heat Notes: Johnson, Wade, Haslem, McRoberts

July 3rd, 2016 at 9:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The poison-pill contract that the Nets offered to Tyler Johnson will be difficult for Miami to match, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Johnson will receive $50MM over for years, but the deal is heavily backloaded so that most of the money comes in the third and fourth seasons. The payout is $5.628MM in the first season and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four. The Heat already have $70.3MM committed for the 2018/19 season among Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic. Miami will also need cap space in those years to keep Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson. Heat officials will have three days to make their decision once Johnson signs his deal with Brooklyn, but Whiteside and Richardson have already posted farewell messages on social media (Twitter links).

There’s more tonight out of Miami:

The Bucks will meet with Dwyane Wade sometime after the Fourth of July, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein. Wade began looking at other teams after being unhappy with Miami’s initial contract offer. Milwaukee doesn’t have room to sign Wade to the deal he wants, but it could if it finds a taker for Greg Monroe (Twitter link).
If the Heat give approximately $20MM to Wade and don’t land Kevin Durant, they will have to fill the roster with a $2.9MM room exception and minimum contracts, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Most of the room exception may be needed to re-sign Udonis Haslem. Miami hasn’t pursued Gerald Green since free agency began, but he could become an option if there’s nobody better at a minimum salary. The team appears to have no interest in bringing back Dorell Wright.
Miami may want to think twice about sacrificing Josh McRoberts for cap room, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat may have to move his nearly $5.8MM salary for 2016/17 to create enough cap space to meet Wade’s demands, but if they keep the veteran big man, he might be the starter at power forward next season if Bosh isn’t healthy.

RFA Rumors: Dellavedova, Waiters, T. Johnson

July 1st, 2016 at 2:21am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier tonight, we heard that the Warriors plan to retain restricted free agent Harrison Barnes if they’re unable to land Kevin Durant. Here are several more updates on RFAs around the league:

The Kings, Hawks, Mavericks, and Bucks have all reached out to Matthew Dellavedova‘s camp early in free agency, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. Dellavedova is in Australia preparing for the 2016 Olympics, so he’s unlikely to have face-to-face meetings with any suitors anytime soon, but it sounds like he’s interested in exploring his options. A return to the Cavaliers remains in play for the RFA guard, but it’s possible the price will get too high for Cleveland’s liking, Haynes writes.
Dion Waiters‘ representatives fielded interest from the Kings, Nets, Sixers, Bulls, Heat, and Thunder tonight, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Oklahoma City extended a qualifying offer to Waiters earlier this week, making him a restricted free agent and giving the Thunder the right of first refusal.
On The Vertical’s free agency broadcast earlier tonight, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Tyler Johnson has received interest from a handful of teams, including the Nets and Pelicans, and is expected to begin taking meetings on Friday (Twitter links via Scott Kushner of The Advocate and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The restricted free agent guard, who got a qualifying offer from the Heat, could earn up to $10MM annually, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of the New York Post).

Heat Extend Qualifying Offer To Tyler Johnson

June 21st, 2016 at 4:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Heat have formally extended a qualifying offer to combo guard Tyler Johnson, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays (via Twitter). By doing so, Miami has made Johnson a restricted free agent, which means the team will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet Johnson were to ink this summer.

Johnson, 24, earned $845,059 for his work in 2015/16 and his qualifying offer is valued at $1,180,431. With the NBA salary cap set to increase to as much as $94MM for 2016/17, Johnson has an excellent shot at significantly increasing his salary for this past season, plus, he has the opportunity to sign a long-term agreement that would provide him with greater security moving forward.

The combo guard’s 2015/16 campaign was shortened due to injury, with Johnson only appearing in 36 contests courtesy of a bum shoulder that required surgery in February. Johnson averaged 8.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24.0 minutes per outing for the Heat when on the court and his shooting line on the season was .486/.380/.797.

Southeast Notes: Brown, Robinson, Kidd-Gilchrist

June 11th, 2016 at 4:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Nets interim coach Tony Brown will be Scott Brooks‘ lead assistant with the Wizards, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Sources tell Wojnarowski the deal is currently being finalized. Brown had an 11-34 record in Brooklyn after taking over for the fired Lionel Hollins in January. The Nets parted ways with him when they hired Kenny Atkinson shortly after the regular season ended. Brown started his coaching career as an as assistant with the Trail Blazers during the 1997/98 season and has also worked for the Pistons, Raptors, Celtics, Bucks, Clippers and Mavericks. Toronto assistant Rex Kalamian turned down an offer from the Wizards last week.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Thomas Robinson, who opted out of his contract with the Nets this week, could be a nice fit with the Wizards, according to Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic. The 6’10” power forward, who has been with five teams in his four-year NBA career, was born in Washington, D.C., and could be a low-cost option for a team in need of size. Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris are the only two Wizards’ big men with guaranteed contracts for 2016/17. Robinson averaged 4.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 71 games last season. He will be a restricted free agent after opting out of a deal worth $1,050,961.
The Hornets‘ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is focused on training camp after twice tearing the labrum in his right shoulder and missing nearly all of the 2015/16 season, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Kidd-Gilchrist, who was limited to seven games during the year, was recently cleared for on-court activities and vows to be healthy when training camp begins. “I’m shooting, I’m lifting, I’m running,” he said. “I’ll be ready for next season.” The Hornets have him under contract for four more years.
Dwyane Wade and Josh Richardson are the only Heat players who will definitely be on the roster next season, contends Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel. Tyler Johnson is probably third on that list, Winderman writes, unless someone offers him huge money in free agency. Among the rest of the roster, Goran Dragic could be dealt to open cap space, Chris Bosh has ongoing health problems and Justise Winslow and Josh McRoberts could be trade pieces. Everyone else is either a free agent or has a contract that isn’t fully guaranteed.

Knicks Notes: Lin, Lawson, Hornacek, Jackson

June 5th, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks will be looking for a point guard in free agency, but won’t consider Jeremy Lin or Ty Lawson, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. A source tells Berman the team isn’t impressed with Lin’s defense and thinks Lawson’s off-court problems, which include two DUI offenses, make him too much of a gamble. Mike Conley is considered the best free agent point guard on the market and will probably be the Knicks’ first target. Berman writes that Carmelo Anthony prefers Rajon Rondo, but many in the team’s front office believes he dominates the ball too much. Some other possibilities are Brandon Jennings, D.J. Augustin and Tyler Johnson.

There’s more this morning out of New York:

New coach Jeff Hornacek, who was officially hired this week, said his three-year contract was timed to coincide with team president Phil Jackson’s deal, Berman writes in the same piece. “He had three years left, so he wanted to make it as mine,’’ Hornacek said. “Phil wants to bring winning basketball back to New York. I’m excited he brought me along to help do that.’’
Another possible answer at point guard is Seton Hall’s Isaiah Whitehead, Ian Begley posts on ESPN Now. Whitehead worked out for the Knicks Saturday and reportedly had an impressive showing. Jackson prefers tall points guards, and Whitehead qualifies at 6’5″, plus he grew up in the New York area, so the pressure of playing in the city shouldn’t affect him. The Knicks are hoping to acquire a draft pick, and Begley speculates that they may have to trade into the late first round to land Whitehead.
Former Knick J.R. Smith, now in the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers, says he feels bad that Anthony is stuck in an unstable situation in New York, writes Fred Kerber of The New York Post. Hornacek will be Anthony’s fifth head coach in nearly seven seasons with the Knicks. “When he first got there, I’m sure he felt they were going to work toward something, which he did being the second team in the Eastern Conference at one point and then the drop-off,” said Smith, who was traded to Cleveland midway through the 2014/15 season. “I’m sure it was disappointing for him. But he’s a soldier. I’m sure he’ll get through it.”
The development of Kristaps Porzingis will determine how successful Hornacek is in New York, contends Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. Vaccaro says the new coach’s biggest challenge will be to ease Anthony into a second-fiddle role while building the team around Porzingis.

Heat Notes: Durant, Deng, Johnson

May 23rd, 2016 at 9:17am CST by Dana Gauruder

Oklahoma City’s surprising playoff run means there’s virtually no chance that Kevin Durant will land with the Heat as a free agent, Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel opines. Unless he’s desperate to get out of Oklahoma City, Durant has no real incentive to leave a team that can win championships, Hyde continues. While the Heat still must make an effort to contact Durant during free agency, it’s now clearcut that re-signing center Hassan Whiteside is their biggest offseason priority, Hyde adds.

In other news regarding the Heat:

Retaining free agent small forward Luol Deng will be difficult if the Heat manage to retain Whiteside, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. It will be tough to make the salary-cap math work in that scenario, as Deng likely will have suitors willing to immediately pay a number the Heat would hesitate to match while wooing Whiteside, Winderman continues. Starting point guard Goran Dragic could be traded to free up cap space, while Dwyane Wade is likely to finish his career in Miami, Winderman adds while examining the roster.
Restricted free agent Tyler Johnson might interest the point-guard starved Knicks, Marc Berman of the New York Post speculates. Johnson is quite versatile and would be a good fit if New York continues to run the triangle offense under new coach Jeff Hornacek.
Continuity under team president Pat Riley and a stable coaching staff are the Heat’s greatest assets, Hyde writes in a separate piece. The belief that the Heat will regain their status as a prime title contender starts with Riley, according to Hyde, adding that Riley’s biggest decision this summer is whether the team should splurge on an outside free agent or wait until next year.

Heat Notes: Whiteside, Green, Wade, Johnson

May 8th, 2016 at 8:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Depending on his recovery time and the Heat’s playoff success, impending free agent Hassan Whiteside may have played his last game with Miami, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Whiteside suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee in the Game 3 loss to the Raptors. He is officially listed as day to day, but the Heat have no idea when Whiteside will be healthy enough to play again. “Where my mind was, where Hassan’s mind was, that’s about the best news we could have,” said coach Erik Spoelstra. “He’s going to be doing treatment, a lot of rest.”

It’s a disappointing development not only for the Heat, but also for the 26-year-old center, who is trying to make the case for a maximum contract this summer. The Raptors will also be without their starting center for the rest of the series, as Jonas Valanciunas has been diagnosed with a sprained right ankle.

There’s more playoff news out of Miami:

Veteran small forward Gerald Green, who is also headed for free agency, replaced rookie Justise Winslow in the rotation for Saturday’s game, Jackson writes in the same piece. Green scored eight points in 21 minutes, while Winslow never left the bench. “It’s the coach’s decision,” Winslow said afterward. “He’s going to try to put the best group of guys out there to try to win. Whether I’m out there or not, I’m going to stay positive and stay ready.”
Dwyane Wade is trying to remain philosophical about the misfortune that has cost the Heat two of their top big men and placed a greater scoring burden on him, relays Michael Lee of The Vertical. “We’re without one of the best players to ever play the game in Chris Bosh,” Wade said. “Right now, we don’t know about Hassan, who is a big part of what we do. That doesn’t mean we still don’t have a series to play, and Toronto ain’t going to care. No one cares.”
Tyler Johnson had a hard time sticking to a gradual recovery plan when he was rehabbing from rotator cuff surgery, according to Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Johnson, who has returned for the playoffs, snuck into the Heat’s practice facility one night in March for some unauthorized shooting. “We mentioned early on that his greatest strength, in this case, could be his greatest weakness: his relentlessness,” Spoelstra said. “We couldn’t afford to skip a step and then have a setback. That’s the worst thing that could happen. We had to stay on him all the time.”