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Heat Rumors: Trades, Dragic, Richardson

July 27th, 2015 at 12:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have been busy today, formally announcing trades that sent Shabazz Napier to the Magic and Zoran Dragic to the Celtics. They reportedly remain in pursuit of a deal that would take Mario Chalmers and his $4.3MM off their hands as they seek to avoid paying repeat-offender tax penalties. Here’s the latest from South Beach:

  • The amount of cash going from the Heat to the Celtics in the Dragic trade is $1.5MM, a league source tells Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. The Suns had paid the rest of his more than $1.706MM salary as a signing bonus last year. Miami will have $1.9MM left to spend in trades, while the Celtics, who took in cash as part of the Perry Jones III trade, too, only have $400K left that they can receive, notes former Nets executive Bobby Marks (Twitter links).
  • The 2019 second-round pick that the Celtics owe the Heat as part of the Dragic deal is top-55 protected, so Miami is unlikely to ever actually receive the selection, Himmelsbach reports in the same piece.
  • The Heat let No. 40 pick Josh Richardson know last week that they think he’s an NBA-caliber player and that they were doing what they could to find room on the roster for him, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (All Twitter links). The Dragic and Napier trades give the team 15 players, Jackson notes, speculating that Miami will release Henry Walker before his non-guaranteed salary becomes partially guaranteed for $100K on Saturday, a move that would open a spot for Richardson. Still, the roster remains fluid, so Jackson wouldn’t dismiss the idea that Walker will still be with Miami.
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Celtics To Waive Zoran Dragic?

July 27th, 2015 at 12:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:21pm: A source who spoke with Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the Celtics will try to flip Dragic in another trade rather than waive him (Twitter link). Either way, he won’t be playing for Boston. The Celtics can’t aggregate Dragic’s salary with others in a swap for two months, though they can work a trade that sends him out by himself.

11:17am: The Celtics intend to release the newly acquired Zoran Dragic, a league source tells Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). That means the Celtics are prepared to eat Dragic’s salary of more than $1.706MM, assuming he goes unclaimed off waivers. The Heat sent along enough cash in the trade that sent Dragic to Boston to cover his salary, however. Phoenix, which originally signed Dragic, advanced $200K of Dragic’s salary, notes former Nets executive Bobby Marks (on Twitter), so the cash from Miami will take care of the rest.

Dragic, the brother of Goran Dragic, saw action in just 16 games split between the Suns and Heat last season. Zoran came with his brother in the trade that sent them to Miami at the February deadline, but Goran was apparently on board with today’s move that sent his brother to Boston. The Heat are ineligible to re-sign Zoran until next July because of the trade. This season was to have been the last on Goran’s two-year contract, and the Heat can’t sign him until its scheduled expiration.

The Celtics had little room for the extra player, as they had already been in line to carry 16 guaranteed contracts before today’s trade. Boston will instead pocket the 2020 second-round pick it acquired in the transaction, adding it to its robust stockpile of future draft assets. It’s the eighth extra second-rounder the Celtics have coming their way.

Do you think Zoran Dragic will latch on with another NBA team this season? Leave a comment to let us know.

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Celtics Acquire Zoran Dragic From Heat

July 27th, 2015 at 11:13am CST by Chuck Myron

11:13am: The trade is official, the Celtics and Heat announced. The second-rounder going to Miami is a protected 2019 selection, according to the Heat.

11:07am: The Heat are sending enough cash in the deal to cover Dragic’s salary, reports Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).

10:49am: The second-rounder going to Boston is for 2020, reports Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).

10:11am: The Celtics are acquiring Zoran Dragic from the Heat, reports Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald and ESPN (Twitter link). He’s the brother of Goran Dragic, who’s OK with the deal, Le Batard adds. The Heat are also sending out a second-rounder, with another heavily protected second-rounder heading from Boston to Miami, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It looks like the Heat aren’t taking salary back in the deal, so they’ll be able to reap luxury tax savings on top of the more than $1.706MM owed to Dragic for this coming season.

Miami has been carrying about $90.9MM in guaranteed salary, above the league’s $84.74MM tax threshold. The Dragic deal won’t take the team under that figure, and the Heat continue to look for takers for Mario Chalmers and his $4.3MM salary, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). Miami would be subject to repeat-offender tax penalties if it’s above the tax threshold at the end of the regular season.

The Celtics use cap space to take in Dragic. Boston is set to complete the David Lee trade later today, but as that move has lingered as unofficial, the C’s have been able to operate as a team with cap space, making moves like the Perry Jones III trade and signing Jordan Mickey for more than two years. Boston had already been in line to carry 16 fully guaranteed contracts for the season ahead, so it would seem Dragic’s place on the opening night roster for the Celtics is not assured.

Miami also whittled its tax bill down with Sunday’s agreement to trade Shabazz Napier to the Magic. The Napier and Dragic deals stand to save the Heat around $11MM in salary and tax penalties combined, depending on other transactions, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

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And-Ones: Rondo, Mavs, Dragic

March 15th, 2015 at 10:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Years ago, in a fit of rage, Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki put a hole in a wall at the Warriors‘ Oracle Arena.  Now, Golden State wants to bring that wall with them when they move to a privately financed arena in San Francisco for the 2018/19 season, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. The Warriors want to bring it along because it has been made into a large display that many people inquire about viewing, Howard-Cooper added.

“It’s amazing how many people ask to see it,” said Steve Martin, the production manager for Oracle. “It’s right outside my door, so I hear it all the time. At first, I thought it was just kind of a goof. But as time went on, it’s become a bigger deal.”

Besides not knowing where it would go, Howard-Cooper writes, there is another problem with the idea: since Oracle is owned by the city of Oakland, local government can tell the Warriors no.  Here’s more from around the NBA..

  • Rajon Rondo is finally starting to mesh with his teammates in Dallas, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. After struggling during most of his time with the Mavericks, Rondo seems to be figuring out how to play the style of basketball that the team is accustomed to. “He was tremendously active, I know that,” Nowitzki said after Friday’s win over the Clippers. “He was out there talking, directing everybody. This was as animated as I’ve seen him. Maybe he’s getting more comfortable.” 
  • The Mavericks announced via press release that they have recalled center/forward Dwight Powell from the Texas Legends of the D-League.  Powell has appeared in 19 games for the Mavericks this season and is averaging 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game.  The 6’11” big man scored 28 points in 35 minutes for the Legends on Saturday.
  • The Heat have recalled Zoran Dragic from their D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, according the team’s twitter feed. The guard appeared in four games for the Skyforce, averaging 16.5 points, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Chris Crouse and Will Joseph contributed to this post.

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Southeast Notes: O’Quinn, Stephenson, Dragic

March 7th, 2015 at 2:44pm CST by Will Joseph

Despite being healthy, Kyle O’Quinn, who’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, has played only about six minutes combined in just two games for the Magic since the All-Star break and the big man said the transition to less playing time has been hard, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “It’s tough,” O’Quinn said. “But, you know, the team is making strides. I’m still a part of the team. To see the team grow, I’m still a part of that. So it feels somewhat good still.”  The second-round pick out of Norfolk State played his best basketball this season in January when he averaged 8.6 PPG while getting consistent minutes.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • The three-year, $27MM deal Lance Stephenson signed with the Hornets over the summer no longer looks like the steal it originally was thought to be and the guard is actually hurting the team’s playoff chances, Chris Mannix of SI.com writes. The Hornets are more than seven points per game worse when Stephenson is on the floor, points out Mannix, who outlined why the team is being hindered by the guard. Charlotte entered action Friday clinging to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
  • Goran Dragic told reporters, including Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter), that he has no issue with the Heat sending his brother Zoran Dragic to their D-League affiliate.  The elder Dragic feels that it’ll be good for Zoran to get some additional playing time in Sioux Falls.
  • Cameron Schott of RealGM gave a scouting report on Jarell Eddie, who recently inked a 10-day deal with the Hawks after impressing in the D-League.  Eddie, he believes, can be a solid contributor as a shooter off the bench for Atlanta.

Zach Links contributed to this post

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Eastern Notes: Marble, Dragic, Brooks

March 4th, 2015 at 5:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Devyn Marble has suffered a detached retina in his left eye and is expected to miss four to six weeks of action, the Magic announced in a press release. The rookie has appeared in 16 games for Orlando, averaging 2.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 13.0 minutes per contest. Marble has also appeared in six games for the Erie BayHawks, the Magic’s D-League affiliate, logging 13.0 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 30.3 minutes per night.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Heat have assigned Zoran Dragic to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be Dragic’s first trek of the season to the D-League.
  • The play of offseason signee Aaron Brooks will be vital for the Bulls with all of the backcourt injuries the team has endured this season, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com writes. “I shouldn’t overlook him,” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. “He had a tough matchup and I thought he hit big shots for us. He’s a big shot maker in the fourth quarter. We’re asking him to do a lot and I think he’s more than capable.”
  • Khris Middleton is providing the Bucks with a level of stability at shooting guard that the team has lacked for some time, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Middleton has become an important part of the team’s future and Milwaukee would like to re-sign him this summer when he will become a restricted free agent, Gardner notes.
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Heat Acquire Goran Dragic

February 19th, 2015 at 7:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:38pm: The trade is now official, the Pelicans and Suns have announced. New Orleans acquired Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton and cash considerations from Miami, the Suns get John Salmons from the Pelicans and Danny Granger from the Heat, and Miami garners Goran Dragic and Zoran Dragic from the Suns. Phoenix also received Miami’s 2017 first-round pick (top seven protected) and Miami’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick as part of the deal. Phoenix is waiving Salmons, per the Suns’ official press release.

3:36pm: The expectation is that the Heat will offer Dragic a five-year max deal this summer, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).

2:48pm: There are other components to the trade agreement, which also involves the Pelicans, as we explain here.

2:09pm: The Suns will get Danny Granger and 2017 and 2019 first-round picks with protections for Dragic, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter).

Granger, 32 in April, has averaged 6.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG for the Heat this season since coming back from a hamstring injury.  Of course, the draft picks are the center of the deal for Phoenix and not the veteran forward.  Granger is earning $2.1MM this season and he also has a player option for the same amount in 2015/16.

1:49pm: The Heat and Suns have agreed to a deal that sends Goran Dragic to Miami, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).  The Heat have long coveted Dragic and view him as just the sort of player they need to make a playoff push, Chris Mannix of SI tweets.

The Heat currently stand at 22-30 with a leg up over the likes of the Nets, Celtics, PIstons, and Pacers for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

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Suns, Heat, Pelicans Agree To Trade

February 19th, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:46pm: John Reid of The Times-Picayune has Cole going to New Orleans in the deal. In his summary, it’s Cole, Hamilton and Williams to the Pelicans and Salmons to the Suns. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the Suns getting Miami’s 2017 and 2021 first-rounders, Salmons and Danny Granger (Twitter links). Miami’s 2017 pick is top-seven protected and the 2021 selection is unprotected, Coro notes. However, there’s confusion even among some executives, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

4:17pm: Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today has Hamilton headed to the Pelicans and not the Suns (Twitter link).

2:28pm: Cole and Salmons are part of a larger deal involving Goran Dragic, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Cole, Justin Hamilton and two first-round picks go to Phoenix for Dragic and Zoran Dragic, while Salmons goes from New Orleans to Phoenix. Shawne Williams head to New Orleans (All Twitter links).

2:17pm: The Pelicans are acquiring Norris Cole from the Heat, a source tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). John Salmons is headed to Miami, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

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Goran Dragic Rumors: Wednesday

February 18th, 2015 at 11:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The ultimatum that Goran Dragic‘s agent, Bill Duffy, issued to the Suns late Wednesday when he told them his client wouldn’t re-sign with the team this summer set in motion of flurry of trade rumors surrounding the league’s reigning Most Improved Player. We’ll round up the rest of today’s Dragic news here, with any additional updates added to the top:

  • The Suns are trying to attach Zoran Dragic to any trade packages involving his brother, Goran, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The Suns signed Zoran to a two-year contract last summer, largely as a way to make Goran feel more comfortable with re-signing with the organization, Wojnarowski notes.

11:20pm update:

9:18pm update:

8:20pm update:

  • The Suns’ asking price for Dragic is a young player with significant potential and a first-round draft pick or two first-round picks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.

7:24pm update:

  • Coro’s full piece has more of Dragic’s input. “They give promises, OK. It’s hard. But at the same time, I wish them all the best,” Dragic said of the Suns. “They were great to me the past five years. I’m always going to have a good memory about Phoenix fans and the city. I just hit that point of my career that it’s better for me and my family to move on.”

3:53pm update:

  • The Suns are still resisting any Dragic deals and remain active in their attempts to trade Thomas instead, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Still, Dragic’s camp has complained to GM Ryan McDonough multiple occasions this season, Deveney hears.

2:01pm update:

  • Dragic told reporters today that he wants out of Phoenix because his role changed, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links). “I don’t feel comfortable with the situation,” Dragic said. The guard also called out the Suns front office. “I don’t trust them anymore,” he said.

1:39pm update:

  • The Knicks and Lakers lack the motivation, as well as the assets, necessary to make a competitive offer for Dragic because they know they have the cap flexibility to sign him in free agency this summer even without his Bird rights, Wojnarowski writes.

12:43pm update:

  • The Suns are more focused on talking with the Celtics, Rockets, Kings and others than with any of Dragic’s preferred destinations, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

11:47am update:

  • There’s a decent chance the Suns would attach Miles Plumlee to Dragic in a trade, Stein reports (on Twitter). The Knicks and Lakers reportedly have interest in both Dragic and Plumlee.

10:55am update:

  • Teams that have spoken with the Suns remain unconvinced the team will trade him, as it appears Phoenix is willing to call Dragic’s bluff and tempt him with the five-year deal that no other team could offer if the Suns keep him through the deadline, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter links).

10:15am update:

  • The Lakers and Knicks top Dragic’s preferred locations, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Phoenix offered Isaiah Thomas instead to the Lakers last week after the purple-and-gold made a pitch for Dragic, but the Lakers rejected that idea, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com adds to Stein’s story. The Suns this week showed a willingness to talk about a Dragic deal with the Lakers if they removed the top-five protection on the pick L.A. owes Phoenix, but the Lakers turned down that idea, too, Shelburne also reports.
  • The lack of minutes that the Suns are giving Zoran Dragic is believed to be part of Goran’s frustration with the team, Stein writes in the same piece.

8:34am updates:

  • The Pacers are conveying the sense that they want to stand pat, and while the prospect of a Dragic trade will be tempting, it’s hard to see Indiana putting together a package that convinces the Suns to trade him there, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). Wojnarowski on Tuesday noted interest from the Pacers and heard that they were a team that Dragic might be willing to commit to.
  • Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report hears a somewhat different story on the Pacers, whom his sources say are instead looking to move one of their high-salaried veterans to create the cap flexibility necessary to sign Dragic this summer. They’re believed to be willing to trade anyone aside from Paul George to accomplish that, Bucher writes. Bucher suggests that the team would be less willing to trade Roy Hibbert than David West or George Hill.
  • The Suns want a first-round pick as part of any package for Dragic, sources tell Bucher for the same piece.
  • Dragic is the No. 1 target of the Rockets, Bucher hears. It’s likely that the Rockets would give up Patrick Beverley in a trade for Dragic, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
  • Assuming Beverley wouldn’t head out in a trade that brings Dragic to Houston, Beverley’s free agent stock would go down, and Beverley and Dragic are both BDA Sports clients, Wojnarowski notes (Twitter link). Dragic has signaled an unwillingness to make a long-term commitment to the Rockets.
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Western Notes: Dragic, Adams, Moreland, Smith

November 25th, 2014 at 8:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Zoran Dragic will receive $1.5MM in base salary this season and next, but he’ll count for more than $1.706MM against the Suns‘ cap each year because of his nearly $413K signing bonus, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The bonus went toward the part of Dragic’s buyout from Spain’s Unicaja Malaga that wasn’t covered under the $600K that teams are allowed to keep off their books when they buy players out of their overseas contracts. Here’s more from the western half:

  • The Grizzlies have re-assigned Jordan Adams to the Iowa Energy, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Adams’ second trip to the D-League this season. During his first assignment, Adams appeared in one contest, contributing 20 points, seven rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes. The 20-year-old is averaging 1.5 points, 1.3 assists and 0.75 steals in 10.1 minutes per contest in four appearances for Memphis this season.
  • Eric Moreland has been recalled from the Reno Bighorns of the D-League, the Kings have announced. This was Moreland’s second stint in the D-League this season, and he’s averaging 13.3 PPG, 10.7 RPG and 1.7 APG in three appearances for Reno this season. Moreland has yet to appear in a regular season contest for Sacramento.
  • The Delaware 87ers of the NBA D-League have claimed Nolan Smith off of waivers, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link). Smith had cut ties with Turkey’s Galatasaray back in October and intends to use the D-League to showcase his talents for NBA teams. Smith’s last taste of the NBA came during the 2012/13 season when he appeared in 40 games for the Blazers and averaged 2.8 points and 0.9 assists.
  • Mavs big man Tyson Chandler said that he felt like a scapegoat for the Knicks’ failures last season, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. When asked whether his leadership attempts were unappreciated in New York, Chandler said, “At times, at times, at times. But I feel like New York made me a lot stronger, a lot stronger of a person going through trials and tribulations there. But that’s life. It also depends on where your mind is. If everybody is locked in and they want to win and they know I’m in it 100% and they’re in it 100%, nobody’s sensitive. But if there’s other agendas, it’s going to make things sensitive.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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