San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Waive Reggie Williams

October 24th, 2015 at 2:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SATURDAY, 2:18pm: The move is official, the Spurs announced via press release. The team also announced it waived recent signee Julian Washburn, so San Antonio is at 15 players.

FRIDAY, 11:07pm: The Spurs intend to waive small forward Reggie Williams, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter). Williams was in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, so San Antonio won’t owe any salary as a result of this move.

Williams, 29, appeared in 20 contests for the Spurs last season, averaging 1.9 points in 5.3 minutes per game. His career averages through 200 career NBA regular season contests are 7.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists to go along with a slash line of .458/.363/.747.

Releasing Williams will pare down the Spurs’ roster to 16 players, including 13 with fully guaranteed deals. San Antonio still has to release one more player prior to Monday’s deadline to reach the regular season maximum of 15 players. The departure of Williams likely means that Rasual Butler will make the team with his non-guaranteed deal, Charania adds.

Gregg Popovich To Become Team USA Coach

October 23rd, 2015 at 11:37am CST by Chuck Myron

Spurs coach/president Gregg Popovich will succeed Mike Krzyzewski as head coach of Team USA, as USA Basketball announced via press release. He’ll retain his Spurs duties but expand his role with the national team once Krzyzewski steps down following the 2016 Olympics. Popovich served Team USA in the past as an assistant coach from 2002-04.

“I’m extremely humbled and honored to have the opportunity to represent our country as the coach of the USA National Team,” Popovich said in the USA Basketball statement. “What the program has accomplished over the last decade under the leadership of [USA Basketball Chairman] Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski is truly impressive. I will do my utmost to maintain the high standards of success, class and character established by Jerry, Coach K and the many players who have sacrificed their time on behalf of USA Basketball.”

Popovich, 66, will serve through the 2020 Olympics, and Colangelo, 75, will remain in his job through then, too, but it’s unclear if either will stay with USA Basketball beyond that. Krzyzewski, who confirmed earlier this week that he’s stepping down next year, will remain with the program as a special adviser.

Today’s news is no surprise, as a coaching source had told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that Popovich was the No. 1 choice for the job, though the swift timing of the announcement, almost a year before the transition will take place, was unexpected. He’ll have to balance his Team USA duties with coaching as well as his front office capacity as president of Spurs basketball, though GM R.C. Buford has long taken a leading role in personnel decisions.

Do you think Popovich should be taking the Team USA job, or should he simply focus on the Spurs? Leave a comment to let us know.

Spurs Sign Julian Washburn

October 22nd, 2015 at 4:55pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Spurs have signed undrafted swingman Julian Washburn, the team announced via a press release. The length and details of the deal were not announced, but it is most likely a minimum salary arrangement that includes little or no guaranteed money, though that is merely my speculation.

Washburn, 23, spent four years at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he averaged 11.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 34.2 minutes over 130 career games. He finished first in school history in total minutes (4,448), fourth in field goals (592) and sixth in scoring (1,526 points). Washburn played summer league ball for the Warriors this year, making two appearances and averaging a single point per contest.

The addition of Washburn gives San Antonio a roster count of 17 players, including 13 with full guarantees on their pacts. The 6’8″ forward is most likely being inked with an eye on sending him to the team’s D-League affiliate in Austin.

And-Ones: Amerileague, Fredette, Draft, Coaches

October 22nd, 2015 at 12:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The viability of the Amerileague plunged further into question Wednesday as a former spokesperson for the league revealed to freelance journalist Erin Ashley Simon that the league’s CEO was using a fictitious name and is actually Glendon Alexander, a former McDonald’s All-American with multiple fraud convictions. Amerileague operations manager Marcus Bass confirmed the news to Jeff Goodman and Paula Lavigne of ESPN’s Outside the Lines. Alexander has resigned as CEO, reports Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link), ending a trail of suspicion about his involvement that Kami Mattioli of The Sporting News first detailed in May. Henry Walker recently became the first player who appeared in the NBA during the 2014/15 season to sign with the Amerileague, but Walker’s agent, Mike Naiditch, tells Hoops Rumors that, “If there was never a league, then [there] was never a deal.”

The Amerileague draft was to take place today, but Bass tells Johnson that the event is on hold (Twitter link). See more from around basketball:

An unwillingness to adjust his freewheeling college game to the NBA style of play led to Jimmer Fredette‘s lack of success in the league, one of his former NBA assistant asserts to Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. The Spurs waived Fredette on Wednesday, though four other NBA teams still reportedly have some level of interest in him.
Vanderbilt junior center/forward Damian Jones says he plans to enter the 2016 draft, as Adam Sparks of The Tennessean relays. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the 6’10” Jones as the 14th-best draft prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him at No. 16.
Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson, Magic assistant Adrian Griffin and Pelicans assistant Darren Erman are future head coaching candidates to watch, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com. Heat assistant David Fizdale draws an honorable mention on Mannix’s list.

Southwest Notes: Chandler, Mavs, Anderson, Sykes

October 22nd, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

It caught Tyson Chandler off guard when the Mavs pursued DeAndre Jordan instead of him, and Chandler felt as though he needn’t take a backseat to anyone, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News details. An extension was on the table before the start of last season, as Chandler and Mavs owner Mark Cuban both confirmed to Sefko, but Chandler elected to become a free agent, since doing so would have allowed him to re-sign with Dallas for five years instead of three, Sefko notes. Instead, the Mavs looked elsewhere, and Chandler signed with the Suns, a turn of events that left Chandler with a right to be bitter about what happened in Dallas, as Cuban said, according to Sefko.

“I would be, too,” Cuban said. “We had extension discussions for a reason. And then we went for it on a player that wasn’t ready to be gone for.”

Still, Cuban added he felt justified in going after Jordan, saying he’d “rather swing and miss than not step up to the plate,” as Sefko relays. See more on Chandler amid the latest from around the NBA:

Chandler made it clear Wednesday that he doesn’t feel animosity toward Cuban, observes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, though comments the center made on Tuesday that Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic conveyed showed that his feelings are still raw. “I definitely felt like, after winning a championship and [helping] bring it there, that I was going to be there for the long run,” Chandler said Tuesday. “I never heard of a championship team being broken up like that. When they traded for me to come back, I sat at the podium with everybody else and heard them say this was going to be a long-term deal and they weren’t going to make the same mistake as last time and blah-blah-blah. Seven months later, the same thing happens again. But I learned in this business that you can’t trust everybody. That’s why it is what it is.”
Ryan Anderson endured personal and physical hardships the last two years, but this summer, he finally had a chance to concentrate on his game, and new Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry is impressed so far, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel details. Anderson is entering the final season of his contract.
Spurs camp cut Keifer Sykes plans to join the team’s D-League affiliate once he clears waivers, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Southwest Notes: Thomas, Evans, Harrell

October 21st, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pelicans swingman Tyreke Evans underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Tuesday, and he is expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks, John Reid of The Times Picayune reports. ”If you know Tyreke, if there is any way of getting back earlier, he’ll do that,” coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. ”But I know he will back as soon as he possibly can. He loves to play. He can play in pain. I just want him to get well and get completely healthy.” This was the second procedure on Evans’ knee since May.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

A few teams are interested in Deshaun Thomas, but chances are still good that he ends up with the Spurs‘ D-League affiliate in Austin, Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News relays (Twitter link). Thomas was waived by San Antonio earlier today.
With injuries to Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones, Rockets rookie power forward Montrezl Harrell is getting a crash course in what it takes to be in an NBA rotation, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “He’s getting a lot of valuable lessons,” coach Kevin McHale said. “Sometimes, they’re painful lessons. He’s got a lot to learn like all rookies do. From a coaching standpoint, I’m happy for him. He gets much more opportunities. I’d much rather see D-Mo and Terrence out there every single day, playing and him playing backup and learning that way. Right now, he’s learning by baptism by fire.”
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was effusive in expressing his appreciation for what Tyson Chandler brought to the organization, and Carlisle understands that the veteran big man may harbor some ill feelings toward the franchise after being allowed to leave as a free agent a second time, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “Tyson is one of the most special people I’ve met in my 33 years in this profession,” Carlisle said. “He knows how I feel about him and he has every right to feel the way he feels. He truly is one of the all-time great Mavericks, there’s just no doubt about it. And this past summer was the byproduct of the high-stakes things you go through in this league, the risks you take. We attempted to get the team significantly younger. It didn’t work out and he decided to leave, so that was certainly his prerogative.“

Spurs Waive Keifer Sykes

October 21st, 2015 at 1:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs have waived Keifer Sykes, the team announced via press release. He joins Jimmer Fredette, Deshaun Thomas and Youssou Ndoye on the waiver wire, as previous reports from Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports foretold that the Spurs were cutting them, too. Sykes, a 21-year-old point guard who went undrafted out of Wisconsin Green Bay this year, was on a non-guaranteed contract, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Today’s moves leave the Spurs with 16 players, including 13 on fully guaranteed deals.

Sykes failed to score, record an assist or commit a turnover in nearly 19 minutes of preseason action spread over three games. He fared better with the Cavs in summer league, averaging 9.4 points in 18.3 minutes per contest.

San Antonio’s final roster spot appears to be a one-on-one battle between veterans Rasual Butler and Reggie Williams, presuming the Spurs keep Matt Bonner and his sizable partial guarantee. Neither Butler nor Williams has any guaranteed salary. The Spurs aren’t obligated to carry more than 13 players, a consideration since the team is over the luxury tax threshold, but most teams carry 15 on opening night.

Who do you think the Spurs should keep for the regular season? Leave a comment to let us know.

Spurs Waive Jimmer Fredette

October 21st, 2015 at 1:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:01pm: Fredette’s release is official, the team announced via press release.

10:18am: The Spurs are waiving former No. 10 overall pick Jimmer Fredette today, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The ex-BYU star signed with San Antonio in late July on a one-year, minimum salary contract that was guaranteed for only $507,711, half of the full season’s salary, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported. The Spurs will be responsible for that amount if he clears waivers. It’s the latest fall from grace for the popular and once-heralded prospect who’s failed to gain traction in the NBA since the Kings drafted him in 2011.

The partially guaranteed contract meant that a spot on the regular season roster was no certainty, even though his partial guarantee was the league’s third largest for this season. A vaunted outside shooter coming out of college, he averaged only 2.0 points and 13.2 minutes per contest in two preseason appearances for San Antonio, failing to connect on all three of his three-point attempts. He made just 18.8% of his three-pointers last year with the Pelicans, though he’s a 38.1% shooter from behind the arc for his four-year NBA career.

Fredette’s scoring and minutes per game have decreased each year since he put up a modest 7.6 PPG in 18.6 MPG for the Kings in 2011/12. Sacramento waived his rookie scale contract in a buyout deal shortly after the trade deadline in 2014, and he signed with the Bulls soon thereafter. He rarely made it off the bench in Chicago and inked a one-year, fully guaranteed contract for the minimum salary with New Orleans in the summer of 2014.

The move will leave San Antonio with 17 players, since they’re also waiving Deshaun Thomas and Youssou Ndoye, as Charania reported earlier. The Spurs have 13 full guarantees plus a $749,594 commitment to Matt Bonner that represents the league’s largest partial guarantee for 2015/16.

Do you think we’ll see Fredette get another chance in the NBA? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Spurs Waive Deshaun Thomas, Youssou Ndoye

October 21st, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:00pm: The moves are official, the team announced via press release.

10:11am: The Spurs have waived Deshaun Thomas and Youssou Ndoye sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The team has yet to make an official announcement, though Charania indicates the moves have already taken place. Ndoye went undrafted out of St. Bonaventure this year, while the Spurs picked Thomas 58th overall in the 2013 draft, so releasing him means the team is relinquishing his draft rights. Both have non-guaranteed contracts, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The subtractions will leave San Antonio with 18 players, meaning at least three more cuts have to take place before opening night. The Spurs have 13 fully guaranteed salaries, as our roster count shows.

Thomas, a 24-year-old combo forward, totaled nine points on 2 for 9 shooting in about 29 minutes of play spread over two preseason appearances. The former Ohio State standout who averaged 19.8 points in his final season with the Buckeyes appeared intent on joining the Spurs this season after playing two years overseas, and he signed for the terms of the required tender San Antonio had to make to keep his draft rights. While a release from the Spurs today would give any NBA team a crack at Thomas, San Antonio can elect to keep his D-League rights.

It appears San Antonio will be doing just that with Ndoye, as the expectation when he and the team reached agreement was reportedly that he would end up with the D-League Austin Spurs. Ndoye still plans on signing with San Antonio’s D-League affiliate should he clear waivers, as Charania writes in a full story. The 24-year-old center averaged 3.3 PPG in 10.0 MPG across three preseason appearances.

Jazz, Hawks, Suns, Knicks Eye Jimmer Fredette

October 21st, 2015 at 11:26am CST by Chuck Myron

The Jazz, Hawks, Suns and Knicks are teams with some level of interest in Jimmer Fredette, as Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net hears. The Spurs are set to waive Fredette today, as Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported. Any of those teams could claim his one-year, minimum-salary contract off waivers, though they’d have to assume responsibility for his $507,711 partial guarantee if they did. They could negotiate a contract without a guarantee if he clears waivers.

A return to Utah would be a homecoming of sorts for the former BYU star. The Jazz are already down to 15 players, but three of them are without full guarantees on their deals, so the team has flexibility. Phoenix is in a similar spot, with 15 players, including two with non-guaranteed contracts. The Hawks have 13 full guarantees, but Mike Muscala seems like a “lock” for the regular season roster, and former second-round pick Lamar Patterson, who’s seen plenty of preseason playing time, has a partially guaranteed deal. The Knicks have 13 full guarantees, but Langston Galloway appears secure for the 14th spot, and like Atlanta, they have a former second-round pick in Thanasis Antetokounmpo competing for spot No. 15.

Of course, Fredette is a former lottery pick, having gone 10th overall to the Kings in 2011. Still, he didn’t make too much impact in his rookie season, and his numbers have declined since. He shot only 18.8% from three-point range last season with the Pelicans and didn’t make a three-pointer in the preseason this month for the Spurs.

Do you think the Jazz, Hawks, Suns or Knicks make sense for Fredette? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.