Tyler Ulis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Smart, Teague, Draft

June 9th, 2016 at 6:48pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hawks point guard Jeff Teague relayed today that he played the entire 2015/16 campaign with a torn patellar tendon in his knee and that he “could barely jump or stop,” Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes. Teague won’t require surgery this offseason and is expected to be ready to go when training camp commences, Mazzeo adds. “He is kind of, for lack of a better word, managing his knee,” coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said. “I don’t know if it is knees and ankles. I would say it is hard to know what he shares and what he doesn’t. I think he was relatively healthy and he was good so many nights and he is such a good player. I do think he was managing it a little bit like a lot of NBA guys do.”

Teague, 27, appeared in 79 games in 2015/16, averaging 15.7 points and 5.9 assists and shooting 43.9% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. He has one year remaining on his current deal and is a potential trade candidate this offseason. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Celtics held two group workouts today, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com tweets. The first group was comprised of Alex Caruso (Texas A&M), Juan Hernangomez (Spain), Damian Jones (Vanderbilt), Thon Maker (Australia), Georgios Papagiannis (Greece) and Rasheed Sulaimon (Maryland), Forsberg notes. The second group included Robert Carter (Maryland), Stefan Jankovic (Hawaii), Shawn Long (Louisiana-Lafayette), Mamadou Ndiaye (UC Irvine), Nik Slavica (Croatia) and Troy Williams (Indiana).
The Heat have granted the Grizzlies permission to interview assistant coach Keith Smart for a position on the staff of former Miami assistant David Fizdale, who was recently named Memphis’ head coach, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays. Memphis was denied permission to interview Heat assistant coach Dan Craig, who is expected to take an elevated position on Erik Spoelstra‘s staff next season, Winderman adds.
The Hornets have workouts scheduled for Friday with Cat Barber (NC State), Nathan Boothe (Toledo), Jake Layman (Maryland), Isaiah Miles (St. Joe’s), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky) and Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV), Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).

And-Ones: Maxiell, Maker, Hernangomez

June 7th, 2016 at 10:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former NBA player Jason Maxiell has inked a deal to play ball in the Philippines with Tropang TNT, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). The 33-year-old power forward last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign when he appeared in 61 games for the Hornets and averaged 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per outing.

Here’s the latest from around the league:

The Nuggets have workouts scheduled on Wednesday for Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Juan Hernangomez (Estudiantes), Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame ), Diamond Stone (Maryland ), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky), Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV), the team announced via press release.
The Jazz have workouts planned on Wednesday with Chase Fischer (BYU), Dejounte Murray (Washington), Max Hooper (Oakland) and Brandon Taylor (Utah), the team announced.
Thon Maker is expected to work out for the Spurs in the near future, Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News relays (via Twitter).
The Knicks, Wizards and Suns have worked out former UConn guard Sterling Gibbs, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).
Hernangomez, who is the No. 26 overall player in this year’s draft according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, indicated that whether or not he joins the NBA next season depends on which team selects him, Kennedy tweets.

Southwest Rumors: Howard, Rockets, Grizzlies

June 6th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Dwight Howard‘s three seasons in Houston weren’t exactly an unequivocal success, and the veteran center didn’t mesh particularly well with Mike D’Antoni in Los Angeles during his brief stint with the Lakers. Still, appearing on SiriusXM Bleacher Report Radio, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told Howard Beck and Noah Coslov that his team, and his team’s new head coach, would “welcome [Howard] back” (link via Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report). Even if the club is saying the right things about re-signing Howard, hiring D’Antoni seemed to signal that the Rockets are at least as willing to move on from the eight-time All-Star as they are to re-sign him.

Here’s more from out of the Southwest division:

In pre-draft workout news, Croatian power forward Marko Arapovic tweeted today that he had a workout with the Rockets, while Ronald Tillery of The Commerical Appeal writes that the Grizzlies‘ Monday workout group featured Ryan Anderson (Arizona), Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame), Thon Maker (Athlete Institute Canada), Patrick McCaw (UNLV), Retin Obasohan (Alabama), and Tyler Ulis (Kentucky).
Spurs assistant James Borrego made a strong impression in multiple head coaching searches this year, and looks like a solid candidate to land a head coaching job in 2017, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Reports within the last couple months connected Borrego to the coaching searches in Houston, Memphis, Orlando, and Sacramento.
Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News identifies a few pending free agents who won’t command the max and who could be good fits for the Mavericks, including Kent Bazemore, Brandon Jennings, and Joakim Noah.
David Aldridge of NBA.com conducted a lengthy and interesting Q&A with new Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale.

Western Rumors: DeRozan, Workouts, Nuggets

May 30th, 2016 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers are not that interested in Raptors free agent shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding told SiriusXM’s Noah Coslov in a radio interview. That comes as a surprise, as the Lakers were expected to make a strong push for DeRozan when he hit the open market. DeRozan indicated during his postseason press conference that he had every intention of staying with the Raptors.

In other news around the Western Conference:

The Jazz will work out six draft prospects on Tuesday, according to the team’s Twitter feed. That group includes forwards Zach Auguste (Notre Dame), Shavon Shields (Nebraska), Abdel Nader (Iowa State) and Anthony Gill (Virginia) and guards Andrew Andrews and Alex Caruso. Auguste is the only player considered a Top 100 prospects by both ESPN Insider Chad Ford (No. 86) and DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony (No. 80).
The Suns had two sets of workouts on Monday, with some big names coming in for evaluations, according to their official Twitter feed (Twitter links). The first set of workouts included guards Tyler Ulis (Kentucky), Gabe York (Arizona), Anthony Barber (North Carolina State) and Isaia Cordinier and forwards Robert Carter (Maryland) and Alex Poythress (Kentucky). The second group included forwards Perry Ellis (Kansas), Troy Williams (Indiana) and Thon Maker, center Damian Jones (Vanderbilt) and guards Michael Gbinije (Syracuse) and Tyrone Wallace (California). Ulis (No. 18 on Ford’s list, No. 19 on Givony’s list) and Jones (No. 23, No. 22) are the highest-ranked players among those groups.
The Nuggets will have difficulty freeing up enough salary-cap space to sign a star player this summer and will thus likely have to pursue a trade to make a significant upgrade, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post details in an examination of the team’s financial situation. It’s unrealistic for the team to max out a player in free agency, address other needs and sign draft picks, Dempsey adds.

Pistons Draft Notes: Jackson, Maker, Ellenson

May 15th, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Demetrius Jackson and Wade Baldwin head the list of point guards that might be available with the Pistons’ first-round pick, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. They are seeking a backup to Reggie Jackson and could find that player with the No. 18 overall pick, Langlois continues. At 5’9”, Tyler Ulis might be too small for the Pistons’ tastes but the 6’1” Jackson or 6’3” Baldwin would be prime candidates to fill that need, according to Langlois. That duo expressed excitement after interviewing with the Pistons’ brass at the combine, Langlois adds. Selecting a point guard is certainly a strong possibility but they could also deal the pick, according to David Mayo of MLive.com. The Pistons dealt a non-lottery pick to the Rockets at the trade deadline, only to void the deal because of concerns over power forward Donatas Motiejunas‘ back.

In other news regarding the Pistons:

Thon Maker interviewed with the Pistons and they may be intrigued enough by the 7-foot power forward to draft him if he slips to the second round, Mayo writes in a separate piece. GM Jeff Bower has said that the team would be willing to select a high-ceiling big man and Maker, who is making a preps-to-pros jump, projects as a range-shooting power forward with ball-handling skills, Mayo continues. Detroit has the No. 49 overall pick in addition to its first-rounder.
Power forward Henry Ellenson did not interview with the club but it would be delighted if he dropped out of the lottery and into their lap, Mayo relays in his latest combine story. Ellenson is the type of stretch four the Pistons covet, even though Ellenson shot just 28.8% from long range at Marquette in his only college season, Mayo continues. “I think I’m just a mismatch problem,” he told Mayo. “So whatever that night gives me, I feel comfortable playing all over.”
Shooting guards Malik Beasley and Josh Hart, combo guard Malik Newman, power forward Jake Layman and center Stephen Zimmerman and Ulis are among the players the Pistons interviewed at the combine, Mayo tweets.

Southeast Notes: Skiles, Wade, Combine

May 14th, 2016 at 2:56pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Scott Skiles has likely damaged his reputation around the league after resigning from his post as head coach of the Magic after one season, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. But even if another NBA team were interested in hiring Skiles, his contract with Orlando included a non-compete agreement that would prevent such a move for approximately two seasons, Schmitz notes. Thunder coach Billy Donovan had a similar arrangement with the team after he backed out of an agreement to coach Orlando in 2007, the scribe adds.

One of the major issues between Skiles and the team was the lack of personnel input the coach had, Schmitz relays. GM Rob Hennigan has a clear plan in mind for the direction of the franchise, one that wasn’t apparently endorsed by the former coach, though the executive notes that communication was solid between the pair, Schmitz writes. “We had good dialogue throughout the course of the season and good dialogue means lots of different things,” Hennigan said. “It means disagreements, arguments, debates and jokes. We certainly had all of that.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Dwyane Wade‘s solid 2015/16 campaign and postseason makes it unlikely once again that he would agree to a discounted annual salary in the range of $12MM, which was the Heat‘s initial offer to the veteran last May, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. Wade, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, ended up inking a one-year, $20MM deal with Miami.
Kentucky sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis interviewed with the Hawks at the NBA combine in Chicago, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter). Also interviewing with Atlanta was California freshman forward Jaylen Brown, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets.
Maryland junior power forward Robert Carter met with representatives from the Wizards at the combine this week and the player noted that one of the team’s focal points was him having a solid character, Daniel Martin of CSNMid-Atlantic relays. “They’ve seen me a lot. They say they’ve seen me play a lot,” Carter said. “Everybody was in there, pretty much everybody. The whole staff, GM, president, everybody was in there and they just talked to me about what type of person I am and I said, ‘Hopefully a good person.’ But they just talked to me about my game and that was pretty much it.“

Central Notes: Harris, Jackson, Beasley

May 13th, 2016 at 7:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons executive/coach Stan Van Gundy said he considers the team’s trade deadline acquisition of combo forward Tobias Harris from the Magic better than signing a big name free agent this summer, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com relays. “The question for us was: He’s 23 years old with a contract that is descending over the next couple years, and can we do better than that in free agency? And for us, the answer was, ‘Not even close.’” Van Gundy told Lowe. “It’s a bird in the hand. We’re not desperate to get a player, and we don’t have to overpay to just meet the [salary floor]. We got a good, young player locked in for the next three years. A lot of people want shorter contracts. For us, young players on longer contracts is a good way to go.”

Here’s more from out of the NBA’s Central Division:

The Bucks have interviewed Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame), Malik Beasley (Florida State) and Deyonta Davis (Michigan State) at the NBA Draft combine this week, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times relays (via Twitter).
Jackson is also scheduled to sit down with representatives from the Bulls this weekend, with the player adding that he believes Chicago will look to select a guard in the first round this June, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago tweets.
The Pistons interviewed Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV) and Caris LeVert (Michigan), Keith Langlois of NBA.com notes (Twitter links). LeVert is expected to remain in a walking boot for another month as he recovers from a lower left leg injury and won’t be able to work out for teams leading up to the draft, Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets.
Other players interviewed this week by the Pistons include: Beasley, Josh Hart (Villanova), Malik Newman (Mississippi State), Jake Layman (Maryland), Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt) and Tyler Ulis (Kentucky), David Mayo of MLive tweets.
Maryland sophomore point guard Melo Trimble has workouts scheduled for next week with the Bucks, Pacers and Sixers, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (on Twitter).

Atlantic Notes: Ainge, Colangelo, Draft

May 13th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics would at least debate the idea of trading the pick Brooklyn owes them even if it winds up No. 1 after the lottery, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said in an appearance on ESPN2 Thursday, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Still, Ainge knows he can’t over-reach and burn the team’s assets, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald relays. “I understand that,” Ainge said. “Look, we just want to spend our capital wisely. That’s all I’m saying. And we’ll try to do that. But sometimes you have to wait and you can’t do it when you want to do it. But we wanted to do it last [offseason]. We wanted to do it at the trade deadline. And now this summer, we want to do it. And I feel like the summer’s a better time than [the] trade deadline to do it, so I’m optimistic and I’m hopeful.”

See more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo expressed a willingness to consider trading a top-five pick if the team ends up with two, as Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com observes following his conversation with the new team exec. Philadelphia, which has a 26.9% chance of landing the No. 1 pick, also gets the Lakers pick if it falls out of the top three. “I think you should always be a little proactive, just in determining what your best course of action is,” Colangelo said. “You don’t want to leave anything on the table. If there was an opportunity to do something and you didn’t know that or realize it because you didn’t make a phone call, then that’s your fault. But I think we’ll explore everything in every regard, and that’s the good news about having the kind of flexibility and the number of assets that we have.”
Maryland small forward Jake Layman and Louisville center Chinanu Onuaku will work out for the Celtics, notes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link).
The Sixers interviewed Syracuse’s Malachi Richardson and Kentucky’s Tyler Ulis, and Ulis plans to work out for Philadelphia, too, as Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com relays (Twitter links). Oregon State’s Gary Payton II is also on the Sixers interview list, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Regardless of whether a reported four-year, $4.5MM offer is in the works, the Knicks want draft-and-stash prospect Guillermo Hernangomez on their roster next season, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Agent Andy Miller dismissed the report of the offer, though New York can’t formally present a contract to Hernangomez until July.

Southwest Notes: Smith, Demps, Labissiere, Ulis

May 12th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kenny Smith, a candidate for the Rockets‘ head coaching position, said he had “a great meeting” with team officials, relays Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Smith sat down with owner Leslie Alexander and GM Daryl Morey for 2 1/2 hours Tuesday at Alexander’s Florida home. “They have a clear vision of what they want to do,” Smith said. “I have a clear vision of what I’d like to do. Sometimes you meet in the middle. Sometimes it doesn’t meet at all, but it was something that we both had to explore, and [are] still exploring.” Smith, who helped bring two NBA titles to Houston in the mid-1990s, said he and the team are “just staying in contact” with each other at this point. He added that he enjoys his job as a TNT analyst and said it would take a fantastic offer to make him leave.

There’s more tonight from the Southwest Division:

The combine in Chicago is “an integral part of the draft process,” Pelicans GM Dell Demps told Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. Coaches, GMs and other team officials from around the league gather each year to watch prospects display their skills and get to know them on a personal basis. Demps said that contact is vital in preparing for the draft. “Most NBA coaches do not get the opportunity to watch college players during the NBA season [due to the 82-game schedule], so the combine is usually the first time they can watch them play in person,” he said.
The Pelicans spoke with Kentucky big man Skal Labissiere, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
The Spurs and Grizzlies were among the nine teams that interviewed Kentucky sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis, relays Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Seton Hall sophomore point guard Isaiah Whitehead had an interview with the Rockets, tweets Zach Braziller of The New York Post.

Central Notes: Bird, Swanigan, Whitehead, Dunn

May 12th, 2016 at 6:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Larry Bird hasn’t started his search to replace fired head coach Frank Vogel, relays Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. The Pacers‘ president of basketball operations, who spent several hours watching watching five-on-five competitions today at the draft combine, said he has not talked to agents for any prospective coaches. “I got a list of guys and I’m just putting it together,” Bird said. Vogel, who was fired last week, has talked to the Rockets about their open head coaching spot, but no formal interview has been scheduled. The Pacers, who hold the No. 20 pick in next month’s draft, have conducted interviews with several players and will start workouts next week.

There’s more news from the Central Division:

One of those players the Pacers interviewed is Purdue freshman power forward Caleb Swanigan, according to a tweet from Buckner. Swanigan says he will hold a predraft workout with Indiana.
Seton Hall sophomore point guard Isaiah Whitehead has interviewed with the Bulls and Pacers, tweets Zach Braziller of The New York Post.
The Pacers also talked to Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams, according to Nathan Baird of The Lafayette Journal & Courier (Twitter link).
The Bulls interviewed Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Unless they get really lucky in the lottery, the Bulls would have to make a deal to rise into Dunn’s expected draft range. Chicago currently sits at pick No. 14.
Kentucky sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that he talked to the Pistons among nine team interviews (Twitter link).
Notre Dame junior point guard Demetrius Jackson also met with the Pistons today, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
The Pistons interviewed Florida State freshman shooting guard Malik Beasley, Beard tweets. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy talked about toughness and what role Beasley might have in Detroit.
The Pistons also talked to Vanderbilt sophomore point guard Wade Baldwin, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link). Baldwin had an interview with the Bucks as well, tweets Matt Velazquez of The Journal Sentinel.
Michigan State freshman big man Deyonta Davis also met with the Bucks, according to Beard (Twitter link).
Virginia senior shooting guard Malcolm Brogdon interviewed with the Bucks, tweets Charles F. Garnder of The Journal-Sentinel. “I’m 23; I’m one of the oldest guys in the draft,” Brogdon said. “So I hope I come off as mature and experienced.” (Twitter link).
The Bucks also met with Washington freshman power forward Marquese Chriss, Velazquez tweets. Coach Jason Kidd was in the meeting as the team asked Chriss to write down his “personal pillars.”