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Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Southwest Division

November 30th, 2018 at 8:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Southwest Division:

Wesley Matthews, Mavericks, 32,  SG (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $70MM deal in 2015
Matthews got off to a strong start, reaching the 20-point mark in six of the first 10 games. An injury set him back as a mild hamstring strain kept him out of four games. He’s shot 33% from 3-point range in the last two games since returning to action. There’s always a market for players who can make the long ball but at his age, Matthews is probably looking at a short-term deal in his next contract and might have to settle for a second-unit role.

Marquese Chriss, Rockets, 21, PF, (Down) – Signed to a three-year, $9.2MM deal in 2016
Chriss received a fresh start when the Suns traded him to a contender. So far, Chriss has failed to take advantage of the situation, even after the club decided to part ways with Carmelo Anthony. Chriss has only appeared in seven games and hasn’t played more than eight minutes in any of them. It’s hard to believe he was chosen with the No. 8 overall pick in 2016. Chriss is still younger than many college players, so he’ll get another chance somewhere else, but he’ll have to settle for a modest contract.

Shelvin Mack, Grizzlies, 28, PG (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2018
The Grizzlies brought in Mack on a veteran’s minimum deal to back up Mike Conley. Mack has been a steady presence in the rotation, averaging 9.9 PPG and 3.6 APG while keeping his turnovers down (1.3 per game). He’s also shot it well from long range (41.8%). Mack isn’t flashy but he’s a competent second-unit floor leader and he might get more than one year on the open market next summer.

Nikola Mirotic, Pelicans, 27, PF (Up) — Signed to a two-year, $15MM deal in 2017
Mirotic made national headlines last season when Bulls teammate Bobby Portis slugged him during a practice dispute. Far removed from that incident, Mirotic is enjoying a career year with the Pelicans. He’s averaging 19.2 PPG and 10.5 RPG in 31.6 MPG. His 3-point percentage is down from last season but is still a solid 37%. Mirotic should receive plenty of attention on the open market as a stretch four who can also pound the glass.

Rudy Gay, Spurs, 32 (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $10MM deal in 2018
Gay had an ugly outing against Minnesota on Wednesday (three points in 19 minutes) but otherwise he’s been quite efficient this season. He’s shooting 49.2% from the field and 46.7% outside the arc and has also been a factor on the boards (7.1 per game). Gay has been thrust into a starting role with the injury-riddled Spurs but he’ll probably be looked upon as a second-unit contributor when he returns to the open market. He’s showing he still has something left in the tank.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Pau Gasol Diagnosed With Stress Fracture

November 28th, 2018 at 10:28pm CST by clarkcrum

Spurs’ center Pau Gasol was sidelined with a left foot injury after playing in the team’s first nine games this season. He’s since missed the past 12 games, including tonight’s blowout loss to the Wolves.

San Antonio did not release much information on the condition at the time, but Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News is now reporting that further testing has revealed a stress fracture in the troublesome left foot after Gasol had begun making progress to return to the court.

“He was (back on the court) and then they took him off,” coach Gregg Popovich said today. “We got a second opinion that it was a stress fracture, so they put him back in the (walking) boot.”

Popovich’s above quote was elicited while being interviewed before the team’s game against Minnesota tonight, so it’s unclear whether there will be a further, perhaps more official report, from the Spurs in the near future. For now, there is no timetable for Gasol’s return

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Atlantic Notes: Kawhi, Fultz, Celtics, Nets

November 26th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich raised some eyebrows on Saturday when he said that Kawhi Leonard wasn’t a “leader” in San Antonio, with veterans like Manu Ginobili and Patty Mills assuming that role instead. While Popovich acknowledged that Leonard was a great player, he suggested that “leadership wasn’t his deal at the time.”

Responding to those comments on Sunday night, Leonard pushed back, telling reporters – including Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter links) – that he leads by example with the Raptors, as he did for the Spurs.

“It’s just funny to me,” Leonard said of Popovich’s comments. “I don’t know if he’s talking about last year or not. I guess when you stop playing they forget how you lead… It doesn’t matter. I’m here with the Raptors and I’m focused on the season and not what’s going on on the other side.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • The Sixers won’t be providing an update on Markelle Fultz today, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Keith Pompey of Philly.com (Twitter links). As Woj and Pompey explain, Fultz is now scheduled to see multiple specialists this week in New York, so there likely won’t be any decisions made on his next steps until the latter part of the week.
  • Within an in-depth piece on the Celtics‘ struggles, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer writes, “Most executives expect the trade winds to stay quiet, and there are few players who would realistically be available who would be upgrades for Boston.” President of basketball operations Danny Ainge has essentially said as much publicly, as we detailed earlier today.
  • With Caris LeVert sidelined indefinitely, Spencer Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell have been developing chemistry together as the Nets‘ lead guards, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. LeVert remains perhaps the most important long-term piece in Brooklyn’s backcourt, but the knowledge that Dinwiddie and Russell can succeed together would give the team more options next summer, when both players will become free agents.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/25/18

November 25th, 2018 at 8:10pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

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Western Notes: Popovich, Rose, Jazz, Harrison

November 25th, 2018 at 3:21pm CST by JD Shaw

Gregg Popovich was asked Saturday about the importance of Patty Mills‘ leadership following the departures of Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili, with the longtime Spurs coach delivering a straightforward answer on the matter.

“Kawhi was a great player, but he wasn’t a leader or anything,” Popovich said, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “Manu and Patty were the leaders. Kawhi’s talent will always be missed, but that leadership wasn’t his deal at that time. That may come as he progresses, but Manu and Patty filled that role last year, and LaMarcus [Aldridge] came a long way in that regard also.”

The Spurs traded Leonard and Danny Green to the Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first-round pick this summer, ending a seven-year run for Leonard with the team. Leonard grew as a player and teammate in San Antonio, receiving two All-Star selections and a Finals MVP.

Popovich called him a “great teammate” this past offseason and appreciated his contributions, but it’s no secret who the leaders on the team were during their time together.

There’s more out of the Western Conference today:

  • Derrick Rose is happy with the Timberwolves‘ play since Jimmy Butler was traded, as relayed by the Chicago Sun-Times. “I think the ball movement, everyone being on the same page, and the new pieces that we have, like they’re for the team,” Rose said. “They’re professional, great dudes, and that’s what we needed.’’ Minnesota traded Butler and Justin Patton for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick in early November.
  • Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News examines what’s wrong with the Jazz, who have started the 2018/19 season with an 8-11 record. Utah was one of the NBA’s most surprising teams last season, finishing the campaign with a 48-34 record.
  • Shaquille Harrison holds no hard feelings toward the Suns after being cut by the team before the season, Gina Mizell of The Athletic writes. “I’ve always taken that with me,” Harrison said. “You just never know what’s gonna happen, how things are gonna shake out. I just looked at it as an opportunity for me. It ended up working out for me. I looked at things as everything happens for a reason, so it was purposeful.” Harrison, now with the Bulls, played 18 minutes against Phoenix on Wednesday.
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Southwest Notes: Anderson, Green, Knight, Hill

November 23rd, 2018 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Returning to San Antonio on Wednesday for the first time since signing a four-year offer sheet with the Grizzlies during the offseason, Kyle Anderson downplayed the significance of the matchup, suggesting it would be just another game, writes David Cobb of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. However, as Cobb details, Anderson’s teammates weren’t buying that.

“He really wanted this one,” Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley said. “He told me before coming in here, he said, ‘Man, go off for me so we can get this win.’ You could tell it meant a whole lot to him. We were really just playing for one another, and it showed down the stretch.”

Before the Grizzlies’ win over the Spurs, Anderson expressed appreciation for how head coach Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford handled his departure from San Antonio, admitting that he wasn’t sure when he signed his offer sheet whether it’d be matched. Popovich praised Anderson this week, but said that Memphis’ offer sheet was “beyond the pale for us,” according to Cobb.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • In a separate story for The Commercial Appeal, Cobb examines how the recent return of JaMychal Green to the Grizzlies‘ rotation affects the team. Green, who is in a contract year, hasn’t reclaimed his starting spot from rookie Jaren Jackson Jr., but he’s been solid off the bench in his first three games back, all Memphis wins.
  • The Rockets have been very cautious with Brandon Knight as he returns from last year’s ACL tear, according to Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic, who hears from a source that the veteran guard could be ready to play at some point in December. While we haven’t seen Knight in action since the 2016/17 season, Houston views him as a player who could help back up Chris Paul and James Harden, says Bijani.
  • Solomon Hill is one of the Pelicans‘ highest-paid players, but he isn’t seeing many minutes this season for the club, despite being healthy. Scott Kushner of The Advocate explores Hill’s role in New Orleans – or lack thereof – and what’s in store for him going forward.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/21/18

November 21st, 2018 at 4:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Wednesday’s assignment and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Magic have recalled Melvin Frazier Jr. from their G League affiliate, according to the team’s Twitter Feed. The shooting guard appeared in one game during his G League stint, scoring 11 points while adding four rebounds.
  • The Spurs have recalled Chimezie Metu from the Austin Spurs, according to a team press release. Metu had 22 points and 10 rebounds during his lone G League appearance.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/20/18

November 20th, 2018 at 9:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Tuesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Spurs have assigned Chimezie Metu to the team’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, according to their website. Metu has seen action in nine NBA games this season, averaging 6.0 per contest.
  • The Timberwolves have assigned Keita Bates-Diop to the Iowa Wolves, per the team’s Twitter feed. This is Bates-Diop’s second G League stint this season.
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Spurs Sign Ben Moore To Two-Way Contract

November 20th, 2018 at 10:53am CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 20: The Spurs have officially signed Moore to a two-way deal, the team announced today in a press release.

NOVEMBER 17: The Spurs will sign former Pacers power forward Ben Moore to a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Indiana waived Moore two weeks ago to free up a roster spot. He re-signed with the team over the summer, agreeing to a partially guaranteed deal, but hadn’t appeared in any games this year. He got into two games last season as a two-way player. After going unclaimed on waivers, Moore returned to the Pacers’ organization with its G League affiliate in Fort Wayne.

The signing will fill the second two-way slot for San Antonio, which had been among a handful of NBA teams with an opening. Center/forward Drew Eubanks is the Spurs’ other two-way player.

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