Zaza Pachulia Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Notes: Pachulia, Chase Center, Durant

January 4th, 2017 at 7:59pm CST by Austin Kent

When Zaza Pachulia opted to sign with the Warriors this summer, he left millions of dollars on the table. The big man’s decision to take the $2.9M offer rather than other more lucrative ones came at a time when his value was at one of the highest points of his 13-year-year career.

According to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders, the 32-year-old’s choice to forego more money and longer terms wasn’t all that tough to make, either.

“Not really,” Pachulia tells Scotto. “Honestly, at the moment that’s what my gut feeling was, especially after talking to Steve Kerr.”

In Pachulia, the sharp-shooting Warriors get a heady veteran capable of clearing floor space with his broad-shouldered screens.

Pachulia has seen action in 31 games so far this season and averaged 4.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the process.

That’s not all the news on the Warriors front:

The Warriors will officially break ground on their new arena on January 17, the team has announced in a press release. The Chase Center, built in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, should be ready in time for the 2019/20 NBA campaign.
In a phone interview with Steve Nash, Tim Kawakami of The Mercury News spoke at length about the retired point guard’s relationship with Kevin Durant. Nash, now a player development consultant with the Warriors, stressed that Durant’s free agency decision was a personal one. “He’s at a stage of his life where he wanted to challenge himself as a man and put himself in an environment where he felt there was room for a different kind of growth,” Nash said.
Throughout his tenure with the Thunder, Durant’s relationship with the media was spotty. Recently, the superstar connected with ESPN’s Chris Haynes for a candid discussion about what’s different now versus then.

Warriors Notes: Curry, Durant, Pachulia, West

December 16th, 2016 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Stephen Curry is one of the players who stands to benefit most from the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, as Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com detail. Under the previous CBA, and based on previously reported cap projections, Curry looked to be in line for a new deal that started at around $29MM. However, the designated player rule should allow Curry to get a starting salary closer to $36MM.

According to Windhorst and Stein, the “widespread expectation in league circles” is that there’s little chance Curry leaves the Warriors next summer, but the extra money the team can offer him should even further increase his odds of remaining in Golden State. If the Dubs were to offer a full five-year max deal and it started at $36MM, it would be worth a staggering $208MM+ over five years, including $47MM+ in the final season. In other words, there’s a decent chance Curry could become the NBA’s first $200MM player in July.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

While Windhorst and Stein focused on Curry, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post takes a closer look at what the new CBA means for Kevin Durant. As Bontemps details, if Durant wants a new maximum-salary contract next summer, Golden State will have to make some tough roster decisions on their complementary players, including Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala.
The Warriors’ frontcourt is banged up, with Zaza Pachulia already out of action and David West leaving Thursday’s game early. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter), Pachulia’s MRI showed a deep bruise – but no fracture – on his right wrist, and he has no definitive timeline for a return. West, meanwhile, will undergo an MRI today after injuring his hip, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com.
Before the NBA and NBPA finalized an agreement on a new CBA this week, Haynes published a conversation with Draymond Green in a piece for ESPN.com, examining (in part) the big man’s penchant for speaking in mind. A day later, Green lived up to that reputation when he became one of the only NBA players to criticize the new CBA deal.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Curry, Suns, Warriors

September 10th, 2016 at 9:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings are losing leverage the longer they hold onto DeMarcus Cousins, contends Shaun Powell of NBA.com. The All-Star center has two seasons left on his current deal, making nearly $17MM for the upcoming season and more than $18MM in 2017/18. Powell believes teams will be less likely to trade for Cousins as his free agency date nears, and Sacramento will have a hard time keeping him if he stays until the end of his contract. The writer isn’t a fan of the Kings’ offseason moves, as they made little effort to re-sign league assist leader Rajon Rondo, drafted two unproven big men, put Rudy Gay on the trading block and signed 30-year-old Arron Afflalo.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

The Kings made a mistake by letting Seth Curry get away, writes A.J. Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today. Even though Curry has only appeared in 48 NBA games, he showed promise at the end of last season, averaging 16.4 points, 5.3 assists and 3.3 three-pointers per night over his final seven games. Curry signed a two-year, $6MM deal with the Mavericks in July.
Devin Booker‘s great rookie season has created a logjam in the Suns‘ backcourt, according to Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com. Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight both see themselves as lead guards, and Booker has earned starters’ minutes with his performance in 2015/16. Bledsoe and Knight are signed for the next three seasons and Booker is under team control for the next four years, so Phoenix has time to work out the situation if all three players are willing to share minutes. Otherwise, Feldman suggests it’s a good situation for a trade.
Things aren’t perfect for the Warriors, even after winning 73 games and signing former MVP Kevin Durant, cautions Monte Poole of CSNBayArea. Coach Steve Kerr is concerned about the defensive dropoff after losing centers Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli. Golden State added Zaza Pachulia in free agency to help compensate for their departure. “The thing that’s different will be a lack of rim protection,” Kerr said. “We had great rim protection from Bogut and Ezeli, and both those guys are gone. Zaza’s a very good defender, but he’s more of a positional guy than a shot blocker.”

Western Rumors: Warriors, Galloway, Harden

July 25th, 2016 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Changes at the center spot made to accommodate Kevin Durant‘s contract could lead the Warriors’ downfall, Jonny Auping of RealGM.com opines. The Warriors traded starter Andrew Bogut to the Mavericks and lost Festus Ezeli in free agency while signing Zaza Pachulia and retaining Anderson Varejao. Pachulia put up solid stats with the Mavs last season and is noted for his leadership, but his second-half performance was a disaster, Auping continues. He shot just 52.6% in the restricted area after the All-Star break, making him the team’s biggest offensive liability and essentially played himself out of the rotation by the postseason, Auping notes. And at this stage of his career, Varejao is arguably the worst backup center in the league, according to Auping. The offensive limitations of Pachulia and Varejao will allow opponents to double-team one of the Warriors’ stars and defensively, they offer no rim protection, Auping adds.

In other doings around the Western Conference:

Langston Galloway isn’t sure how the Pelicans will use him in the backcourt, according to John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune. The former Knick, who signed a two-year, 10MM deal with New Orleans, told Reid that coach Alvin Gentry and GM Dell Demps informed him that he could play extensively at both spots. ”So far, getting a chance to meet with Alvin and Dell, we just had a chance to say it’s a great opportunity to work hard and compete at the point guard and off-guard positions,” Galloway said.
Derrick Favors, Russell Westbrook and Paul George are some of the other players eligible to renegotiate their contracts and receive an extension, as James Harden did this month, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders writes. Any team trying to trade for Westbrook, who can hit the free agent market next July, would probably want him to sign an extension before agreeing to a deal, Pincus continues. Harden’s actual salary over the last three years of his extension won’t be determined until the 2017/18 salary cap is announced, as Pincus details while breaking down all the figures.
Durant’s restaurant in Oklahoma City will close and open under a new name, part of the fallout from his decision to join the Warriors, Brianna Bailey of The Oklahoman reports.

And-Ones: Pachulia, Powell, Bogut

July 16th, 2016 at 10:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards were close to an agreement with Zaza Pachulia on a two-year deal worth $20MM, sources tell J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet. According to Michael, Washington became noncommittal, which caused the big man to look elsewhere. Pachulia ended up signing a one-year, $2.9MM contract with the Warriors and the Wizards signed Ian Mahinmi.

Here’s more from around the league:

Despite doling out a four-year, $64MM deal to Mahinmi, the Wizards don’t have any plans to trade starting center Marcin Gortat, Michael reports in the same piece.
The Nets considered making a four-year, $48MM offer to Dwight Powell, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports. Powell ended up re-signing with the Mavericks on a four-year, $37MM deal and the team has high hopes for the big man. “The last two years we’ve been working toward this period where we could get him signed to a longer-term deal and integrate him to our everyday rotation,” coach Rick Carlisle said.
The Rockets were willing to make the same deal that Dallas made for Andrew Bogut and the Warriors allowed Bogut to choose which team he wanted to go to, sources tell MacMahon. MacMahon adds that although the Sixers were very interested in acquiring Bogut, Golden State never seriously considered sending the Australian to Philadelphia.
Executives around the league are giving mixed reviews on the Mavericks‘ plan to heavily utilize Harrison Barnes on the offensive end with one anonymous Western Conference executive saying Barnes is “at best a third option,” MacMahon adds in the same piece.
Shabazz Napier, who was recently traded to the Blazers, is hoping to find a long-term home in Portland, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. Napier also acknowledged that he got off to a rough start to his career because of the circumstances in which the Heat drafted him. “We all understood why I got drafted to the Miami Heat. It was to keep one of the best players on the team,” Napier said. “I think that’s what kind of started off this rough patch, but with every closed door another one opens.”

Warriors Sign Zaza Pachulia

July 12th, 2016 at 2:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 12: More than a week after agreeing to terms with him, the Warriors have officially announced their new deal with Pachulia, via a team release.

JULY 4: The Warriors have reached a one-year contract agreement with Mavericks free agent center Zaza Pachulia, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Pachulia will receive $2.9MM, Charania adds. That puts him in line for Golden State’s mini mid-level exception.

The addition of Pachulia contributes to an already historic day for the franchise, which reached an agreement with top free agent Kevin Durant. Pachulia takes over the starting spot previously held by Andrew Bogut, who was dealt to the Mavs once Durant chose the two-time defending Western Conference champions.

Pachulia could have taken a much bigger offer in this free agent climate. The lure of playing for a team that will be heavily favored to regain the crown next season was too great for him to pass up. The Hornets were reportedly in hot pursuit for Pachulia’s services. The 32-year-old Pachulia had a very productive season with Dallas, averaging 8.6 points and a career-high 9.4 rebounds in 76 games.

Bogut will make $12.68MM next season, so Pachulia’s decision to take a pay cut — he made $5.2MM a year ago — gives them a huge bargain for a rotation player. The biggest downgrade for the Warriors is that Pachulia, unlike Bogut, is not a shot blocker. He has averaged 0.3 blocks per game during his career.

Free Agent Rumors: Hornets, Blazers, Pachulia

July 4th, 2016 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Having tried to move Spencer Hawes‘ contract in a trade prior to the draft, the Hornets continue to explore a possible deal involving Hawes, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links). According to Wojnarowski, Charlotte would like to create the cap room to add a center in free agency. Roy Hibbert and Zaza Pachulia are at the top of the Hornets’ wish list, with Festus Ezeli and Jordan Hill among the other players the team is eyeing, says Wojnarowski.

Here are several more free agent rumors and updates from around the NBA:

The Trail Blazers kicked the tires on Ezeli and Nene, but won’t pursue those players, instead focusing their attention on Pachulia, reports Jason Quick of CSNNW.com (Twitter links). According to Quick, the Blazers were concerned they’d have to renounce one or two of their restricted free agents to go after Ezeli, and they aren’t willing to do that for Allen Crabbe, Meyers Leonard, or Maurice Harkless at this point.
Quick also has an update on veteran free agent Gerald Henderson, tweeting that the Trail Blazers are one of “seven to eight teams” to show interest in Henderson so far.
A reunion between Lance Stephenson and the Pacers isn’t out of the question, according to Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star, who reports that Stephenson has discussed the possibility of agreeing to a multiyear contract with Indiana. The veteran free agent is considering a few teams, but a source tells Taylor that Stephenson “absolutely loves the town and the [Pacers] organization.”
Before Cole Aldrich agreed to sign with the Timberwolves, he was receiving interest from the Magic and the Suns, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (via Twitter). Orlando struck a deal with Bismack Biyombo, but Phoenix could still be in the market for a free agent big man.
Portland reportedly offered Pau Gasol a higher salary than he ultimately accepted from the Spurs, and it sounds like the Timberwolves did too. Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press reports (via Twitter) that Minnesota’s first offer was $36MM for two years, and the team may have increased that offer within the last day or so.

Southwest Notes: Bickerstaff, Fizdale, Pachulia, Mavs

May 29th, 2016 at 2:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff is being considered for a job on the Grizzlies‘ staff, tweets John Martin of ESPN929.com. A source told Martin that Bickerstaff traveled to Memphis Friday to meet with new coach David Fizdale. Bickerstaff had a 37-34 record with Houston after taking over for Kevin McHale in November. He pulled his name out of consideration in the Rockets’ coaching search before they hired Mike D’Antoni.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Fizdale has a reputation as a players’ coach, but that’s because he’s a communicator, not a pushover, writes Tom Schad of The Commercial Appeal. Fizdale spent the past two seasons as an assistant in Miami, where he became known for his directness. “That doesn’t mean you’re always nice. That means you’re true with your players,” former Heat point guard Beno Udrih said in an interview with ESPN 92.9. “I think players appreciate more if coaches, when he needs to be tough, he’s tough to them. And he can communicate in a different way that — picking up his voice — he does that. He has that very good balance to do that.”
The Mavericks hope to improve at center, so it’s likely that free agent Zaza Pachulia will wind up with another team, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Pachulia was a pleasant surprise after Dallas acquired him from the Bucks last summer in exchange for a second-round draft pick. He started 69 games and averaged close to a double-double with 8.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per night. The Mavs made a strong play for DeAndre Jordan last summer and are expected to chase free agent centers again. If they get one, they may not be able to afford to keep Pachulia as a backup.
Veteran Charlie Villanueva may also be leaving Dallas after a down shooting season, Sefko writes in a separate piece. Normally an effective stretch four, Villanueva connected on just 27% of his 172 3-point attempts this season. He is only 32, so there’s still a chance he’ll bounce back, but Sefko expects it to be with another organization.
The players the Mavericks target in free agency will provide a clue on the direction the franchise is taking, Sefko writes in a question-and-answer column. The writer says the Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson would be a nice pickup at point guard, but Dallas may not want to live with his mistakes while giving him time to develop. Sefko thinks the Mavericks will pursue veteran free agents who can help them win right away.

Western Notes: Pachulia, Abrines, Babby

May 5th, 2016 at 7:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Zaza Pachulia is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the big man wants to return to Dallas and he hopes his strong 2015/16 campaign made an impression on the Mavs‘ front office, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays. “Well, I wish I had a lifetime contract, but it’s not the first time. You know, I’ve been a free agent a couple of times now, and it’s a process. You’ve got to be smart with the decisions, so I’m looking forward to it,” Pachulia said. “We’ll see what’s going to happen. I feel real confident. And once the time comes, I think I have made all the right decisions in my career, whether to stay or whether to go. But I’m confident. And with the use of my experience, I hope I’m going to make the right decision that’s best for me and my family. Whoever would come here for this team and for this organization would love it. I mean, very few percentage of the players wouldn’t like here. You know, it’s the city, the fans, the organization, the personality and the heart. This team is all about winning. And if you’re a winner, then definitely this is the place to be.”

Here’s more from out West:

The Thunder are extremely high on draft-and-stash prospect Alex Abrines, who beat out Dario Saric for the Euroleague’s Rising Star award, as Royce Young of ESPN.com and international journalist David Pick relay (Twitter links). The 22-year-old signed an extension last May with Barcelona of Spain that carries through the 2018/19 season, and it isn’t known if that pact includes an NBA out clause that would allow Abrines to join Oklahoma City in 2016/17.
After spending the past season as a part-time advisor for the Suns, former team president Lon Babby is ending his tenure with the team this week, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports. “I’m very appreciative for the opportunity to come to Phoenix, be part of a wonderful community and see and learn a lot of things that have been very gratifying,” Babby said. “I look forward to staying involved here in the community and being more involved with my family. I turned 65 in February and consider myself a full-fledged snowbird.”
Former Lakers coach Byron Scott said he was shocked that he was fired by the team, adding that he believed management would give him at least one more season to try to turn around the rebuilding squad, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com relays. “When you have conversations with guys [team management], you take them for their word,” Scott said. “And that’s what I did. Our conversation a couple of years ago was, ‘This is a rebuilding process. It’s going to take two to three years. It’s going to be very tough. Are you OK with that?’ And as I stated, I said, ‘Yeah I’m OK with it. Are you guys OK with it? If you can deal with it, I can deal with it.’ And so when I said I was ‘blindsided’ by it, I figured I at least had another year to get this thing turned around, and I was preparing for that and looking forward to next year. And then boom, that happened, and I said, ‘Wow.’“

Southwest Notes: Gasol, Joerger, Pachulia

April 29th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Pau Gasol once more finds the idea of joining the Spurs intriguing, as he said to the Marca newspaper in his native Spain (translation via HoopsHype). Marc Gasol, who’s under contract with the Grizzlies for at least another three years, this week curiously advised his brother to sign with San Antonio. The Spurs were among the teams Pau Gasol reportedly considered when he was a free agent two years ago. The new Creative Artists Agency client has a player option with the Bulls for next season, but it’s worth less than $7.77MM and he’s long said he’ll likely turn it down, and chances of a new deal in Chicago appear to be waning.

See more from the Southwest Division:

The idea that the Timberwolves considered Dave Joerger for the coaching job that’s since gone to Tom Thibodeau simply wasn’t true, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Any would-be path to Minnesota for Joerger vanished when former coach/executive Flip Saunders died, Tillery writes. The Commercial Appeal scribe expects Joerger to seek an extension with the Grizzlies as he heads into next season, the last one that’s guaranteed on his existing deal.
Joerger pushed hard for the team to draft Rodney Hood two years ago, when the Grizzlies selected Jordan Adams instead, as Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com details amid a larger piece on the team. Despite the way Hood, a 36% 3-point shooter, has blossomed for the Jazz, Grizzlies executive Ed Stefanski rejects the notion that the front office hasn’t looked for shooting. “Of course we want shooters,” Stefanski said. “An ‘oh, [expletive]’ shooter would be a helluva weapon for us, but they’re not easily had. It makes me laugh when people act like we’re ignoring shooters. You think we’re not looking?”
Soon-to-be free agent Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia wishes he had a lifetime contract and doesn’t understand why more players don’t choose to play in Dallas, observes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s my first year for me being here so I don’t exactly know what happened previously,” Pachulia said. “But the one thing, whoever will come here and play for this team and this organization would love it. Very few percentage of the players — very few — wouldn’t like it. The city, the fans, the organization, the personality and the heart. This team is all about winning. So if you are a winner definitely this is the place to be.”