Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/23/18

November 23rd, 2018 at 6:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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

The Pacers have recalled center Ike Anigbogu from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to a team press release. Anigbogu is averaging 12.2 PPG, 10.0 RPG and 2.4 BPG in five games with the Mad Ants. The 2017 second-round pick has only seen the court once this season with the Pacers.
The Wizards assigned rookie forward Troy Brown Jr. to the Capital City Go Go prior to the G League team’s game against Canton, the team’s PR department tweets. The 15th overall pick in the June draft has averaged 2.5 PPG in 5.3 MPG over eight appearances with Washington.
The Magic assigned rookie shooting guard Melvin Frazier Jr. to Lakeland, the team’s PR department tweets. The second-round pick has appeared in two Orlando games but is still looking for his first NBA point. In four games with Lakeland, Frazier Jr. is averaging 8.8 PPG in 27.0 MPG.

Wizards Sign Okaro White

November 23rd, 2018 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 23: The Wizards have officially signed White, the team announced today in a press release.

NOVEMBER 21: The Wizards intend to sign free agent forward Okaro White to fill one of the open spots on their roster, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Details of the agreement aren’t yet known, but I’d expect a one-year, non-guaranteed contract.

A report earlier this week suggested that White was close to signing with Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv, but that deal wasn’t yet official, and the Wizards have apparently agreed to terms on their own deal with the 26-year-old before he headed overseas. White is traveling to Washington today to join his new team, according to Charania.

A former undrafted free agent out of Florida State, White appeared in 41 games for the Heat over two seasons after making his NBA debut in January of 2017. He played just 13.4 minutes per contest for Miami, averaging 2.9 PPG and 2.3 RPG. White also finished the 2017/18 season with the Cavaliers and spent training camp with the Spurs this fall, but was waived by both teams.

The Wizards had to add a player to their roster within the next few days after having waived Chasson Randle earlier in November. NBA rules require teams to carry at least 14 players on standard contracts, but clubs can dip below that figure for up to two weeks at a time. Washington had been carrying 13 players since releasing Randle on November 12.

Heat Notes: 15th Man, Trade Options, Richardson

November 23rd, 2018 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

Even with Dwyane Wade back after his personal leave, the Heat find themselves a little short on backcourt playmakers, as Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, and Dion Waiters are all on the shelf due to various injuries. Miami has an open roster spot and could temporarily add a guard on a non-guaranteed contract to provide some depth, but has shown no interest in doing so for the time being.

While the luxury-tax penalties tied to any signing are surely a consideration for the Heat, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel suggests the team’s preference to stick with a 14-man roster for now is more about finding minutes for players who might otherwise be buried in Miami’s deep rotation.

As Winderman points out, adding a veteran point guard could have a domino effect on the rest of the lineup, potentially costing players like Wayne Ellington or even Bam Adebayo some playing time. It remains unclear when the Heat’s guards will return to action, but lengthy absences for Dragic and Johnson seem unlikely, so the club is in no rush to add reinforcements.

Here’s more on the Heat:

The 6-11 Heat have dropped nine of their last 12 games and the need for a roster shakeup in Miami has “never been more obvious,” writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Heat will likely contact the Wizards to check in on players like John Wall and Bradley Beal, according to Jackson, who hears that Miami holds Beal in particularly high regard. However, Jackson suggests it’s hard to imagine the Heat putting together an appealing enough package for Beal, and they’d probably only have interest in Wall if they could dump a couple of their own unwanted contracts.
In a pair of Ask Ira features this week, Winderman dug into the Heat’s decision to sit Kelly Olynyk on Tuesday and explored the likelihood of a trade involving Wayne Ellington.
Earlier this week, Josh Richardson was fined $25K by the NBA for throwing his shoe into the stands during a loss to the Lakers, according to a press release from the league.

Celtics Notes: Stevens, Horford, Lineup Change, Morris

November 22nd, 2018 at 12:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

After watching his team fall to .500 with its third straight loss Wednesday, coach Brad Stevens wondered if maybe the Celtics were overrated all along, relays Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston.

“I just don’t know that we’re that good. Maybe it’s not a wakeup call if you keep getting beat,” Stevens said after a home loss to the Knicks. “We have to play better. It’s not because we’re not capable of being good. It’s not because we weren’t good at one time in our lives. It’s you’re good if you play good and the results are speaking for themselves.”

The Celtics entered the season as the favorites in the East and were considered a legitimate threat to win the NBA title after reaching Game 7 of the conference finals last year without injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Instead, they have experienced struggles on both offense and defense as Stevens has tried to work out effective combinations of his veterans and younger players.

“It’s not one guy. It’s not two guys. It’s all of us,” Stevens said. “We’re not playing with the same personality we played with last year. That’s the easiest way to describe it. And then the 50,000 issues that are below that, we have to tackle one at a time.”

There’s more today out of Boston:

Al Horford said the team’s “effort” isn’t where it needs to be, relays A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. However, he suggested that the early-season struggles could benefit the team down the road. “These are the times I feel like make teams stronger,” Horford said. “I feel last year, what made us stronger was that adversity that we faced with different injuries and things like that. Different situations make teams tougher. Right now, as much as I don’t like losing and going through this, I feel like this is what’s making us stronger as a unit.”
Hayward came off the bench for the second straight game Wednesday as center Aron Baynes remained in the starting lineup, Blakely notes in a separate story. In addition to improving the first-team defense, Stevens explained that the move puts players in their more natural positions. “There’s a comfort level to that,” he said. “As we continue to try and grow and get to the best version of ourselves, we’re going to have to be able to play both ways. We’re gonna have to be able to play small; we’re gonna have to be able to play big.”
With the Wizards contemplating a sell-off, Tom Keegan of The Boston Herald suggests that the Celtics might benefit from acquiring Markieff Morris to play alongside his brother, Marcus.

Wizards Notes: Wall, Satoransky, Morris

November 21st, 2018 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards overcame a 24-point deficit against the Clippers on Tuesday night to avoid entering Thanksgiving on a low note. Despite the impressive comeback win though, Washington is still just 6-11, and the fact that the club fell into a 24-point hole to begin with is a reason for concern, as Bradley Beal said after the game, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com.

“That’s why everything is not fixed,” Beal said. “At the end of the day we can’t be naive and say we won after being down 20. We were getting our asses kicked. We have to take a step back and realize we still have a lot of things to fix. We won tonight, but we have to keep it going and know that if we get down to Toronto [on Friday night], the same result might not happen.”

It’s been an eventful week for the Wizards, who had a contentious practice last Thursday and will reportedly listen to trade inquires on just about anyone. We relayed several more Wizards updates on Tuesday, writing that the Hornets have inquired on Beal, John Wall wants to finish his career in D.C., and the Wizards are trying to move on from various distractions.

We’ve got more news out of Washington to pass along today, so let’s dive in…

Within Bontemps’ article (linked above), he notes that several executives told him on Tuesday that finding a trade partner for Wall would be “difficult at best.” One exec was more blunt: “If they can get anything for Wall and don’t do it, they are idiots.”
With Wall’s value being questioned, head coach Scott Brooks vehemently defended his star point guard after Tuesday’s game, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “John, he’s been taking hits. Let’s face it,” Brooks said. “You hear all the reports that he’s heavy. The guy has 7% body fat… He’s in great shape. I like the way he plays. He plays hard.”
Brooks intends to find more minutes for backup guard Tomas Satoransky, who played a key role in the Wizards’ comeback on Tuesday, according to Hughes. A restricted free agent at season’s end, Satoransky has been one of the club’s most effective bench players over the last couple seasons.
Responding to reports that detailed the heated comments made during last Thursday’s Wizards practice, Markieff Morris expressed his distaste for the leaks coming from within the organization, as Hughes writes in another article for NBC Sports Washington. “It’s f***ed up what’s going on,” Morris said. “The comments that’s coming from the locker room, that’s f***ed up.”
In a column for Sports Illustrated, Chris Mannix explores what the Wizards need to do to fix their issues, and whether longtime GM Ernie Grunfeld can be trusted to make those moves.

John Wall Wants To Remain With Wizards

November 20th, 2018 at 8:23pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards are not planning to trade John Wall, though as losses continue to add up, the team will have to consider taking a long-term approach to building a formidable roster. On Monday, it was reported that no one on Washington’s roster was untouchable in trade talks. Today, Wall spoke about the rumors, making it clear where he wanted to be.

“I love being here. I want to finish my career here, that’s all I can control,” Wall told reporters, including Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, prior to Tuesday’s tilt with the Clippers.

Wall signed a massive, four-year, $170MM extension with the Wizards during the summer of 2017. The deal, which includes a 15% trade kicker, will take effect at the end of this season.

Hughes notes that Wall has previously expressed his desire to bring Washington a championship and the point guard has often expressed his preference of spending his entire career with the franchise.

Neither the Wizards nor Wall are playing up to their potential this season. It was previously reported that Wall was playing through a deep thigh bruise and he alluded to injuries as a reason for his subpar play. “Everyone keeps saying I’m not in shape. I’m in shape. It’s just that I deal with injuries. I play through them and I don’t complain about it,” Wall said.

Wizards Attempting To Move On From Distractions

November 20th, 2018 at 5:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards are downplaying the internal conflict, trade rumors, and flare-ups, with coach Scott Brooks telling the media that the team has “moved on.”

“It happened last week,” Brooks said (via Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com). “We moved on from it as a team. Not trying to minimize what happened, but in all sports, all teams I’ve been on — I’ve been in the league for almost 30 years as a player, as an assistant coach, as a head coach — that has happened.

“It’s something that you understand that it’s a competitive environment and a lot of times, you have adult conversations that get heated. And we all have to live with what we say and work things out when that does happen and move on.”

On Monday, it was reported that Washington had deemed no player untouchable in trade discussions. Bradley Beal, the Wizard who likely has the most trade value, hasn’t explicitly expressed a desire to be traded, though at least one team has already contacted the franchise about his availability.

“I’m not going to be naive to it, you know,” Beal told Bontemps among other reporters on Monday about the possibility of being traded. “I’ve heard those rumors weeks ago. Then, I didn’t buy into them. Now, I’m still not going to buy into them because if that’s my main priority and focus, then I’m going to be messed up on the floor.”

Entering Tuesday, the Wizards own a record of 5-11 and Brooks will shake up the rotation with the hopes of getting better results. The team is moving Markieff Morris to the bench and pairing Kelly Oubre Jr. and Otto Porter in the starting lineup, Candace Buckner of The Washington Post tweets.

Hornets Have Inquired On Bradley Beal

November 20th, 2018 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have contacted the Wizards to inquire about the possibility of acquiring Bradley Beal, a source confirms to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Spencer Percy of Queen City Hoops (Twitter link) first linked Charlotte to Beal.

A report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday suggested that the Wizards were giving teams the impression that they’re willing to discuss any player on their roster, including Beal and John Wall. However, multiple reports since then have downplayed Washington’s interest in making a move involving Beal or Wall. In other words, while they’re not going to hang up on teams asking about Beal, the Wizards appear unlikely to actually trade him.

Even if the Wizards are open to listening, it’s not clear what sort of package the Hornets would be willing to put on the table for Beal. Percy suggests (via Twitter) that Marvin Williams and Jeremy Lamb‘s expiring contract might be a start for salary-matching purposes, with Miles Bridges, Malik Monk, and/or future first-round picks among the assets Charlotte could include in a proposal.

Although a deal between the two division rivals seems like a long shot, the Hornets’ apparent interest in Beal reflects the team’s desire to add a second impact player to complement star point guard Kemba Walker.

Earlier today, Bonnell wrote in a piece for The Observer that Walker and Hornets owner Michael Jordan are both interested in extending the relationship beyond 2019, when Kemba becomes a free agent. However, Bonnell also noted that Charlotte will need to get Walker some help in order to maximize his prime and convince him that the Hornets can become a contender.

Trail Blazers Rumors: Stotts, Lillard, Collins

November 20th, 2018 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

After their 2017/18 season ended with a four-game sweep at the hands of the Pelicans in the first round of the postseason, the Trail Blazers came close to firing head coach Terry Stotts, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Portland was close enough to making a move that teams like the Suns begin reaching out to intermediaries to gauge Stotts’ potential interest in their own coaching openings.

However, while ownership seriously considered a change, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey and star point guard Damian Lillard fought for Stotts, according to Lowe.

“I was asked what I thought, and I just said I love him as a coach,” Lillard said of Stotts. “We all love him.”

Lowe’s piece takes a deep dive into the Trail Blazers’ culture, as he notes that Lillard and C.J. McCollum “tolerate no squabbling, or blame games.” That attitude permeates the organization from top to bottom, according to Lowe, who points to the relationship between Olshey and Stotts as another example.

Although the two team leaders haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on everything, they’ve developed an understanding that Olshey will avoid players who don’t fit Stotts’ style and Stotts will coach the players he gets. As a result of their relationship, Lowe explains, players will never see Olshey and Stotts at odds in any serious way, as the organization emphasizes a drama-free and resentment-free culture.

Here’s more from Lowe on the Blazers:

The Blazers’ late owner Paul Allen, who passed away last month, addressed the team in the wake of its first-round exit, calling the four-game sweep “unacceptable,” sources tell Lowe. Based on the language and the tone, people within the organization were nervous that a major shakeup was coming during the offseason.
Allen was ultimately convinced to give everyone – including Stotts and the Blazers’ core – one more season, while team management and coaches vowed to make changes heading into 2018/19. Namely, as Lowe details, Portland wanted to surround Evan Turner with more shooting on the second unit, re-shuffle the rotation to get Lillard and McCollum more playing time together, and get off to a faster start this season. So far, that plan is going well.
The Blazers still want to find a way to supplement their Lillard/McCollum duo with a third impact player, sources around the NBA tell Lowe. Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic have emerged as perhaps Portland’s most valuable trade chips, but the club doesn’t want to trade Collins and “almost certainly won’t” anytime soon, Lowe reports.
Lowe identifies Khris Middleton and Tobias Harris as the type of player who would appeal to the Blazers, though acquiring either of those guys in a trade or as a free agent would be an extreme long shot. Forwards like Otto Porter of the Wizards and Taurean Prince of the Hawks may be more realistic trade targets, Lowe notes.
Lillard still believes the Blazers are capable of reaching greater heights during his tenure with the team. “Good things come to good people, even if you get swept somewhere along the way,” he tells Lowe. “This is what goes through my mind: I’m gonna be in my 11th year or something here, I’m gonna stick with it, and we’re gonna make the Finals.”

Wizards Rumors: Beal, Wall, Green, Oubre

November 20th, 2018 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

Monday was an eventful day for Wizards-related headlines. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in the morning that the team was sending signals that it was willing to listen to inquiries on any of its players – including John Wall and Bradley Beal. Afternoon and evening reports, meanwhile, provided details on a contentious recent practice that included Wall cursing at head coach Scott Brooks, while Beal and Austin Rivers also had a verbal altercation.

In an article for The Washington Post, Candace Buckner shared more details on Thursday’s practice, which included an on-court confrontation between Wall and Jeff Green. Although sources who spoke to Buckner stressed that no arguments turned physical and that the altercations weren’t necessarily unusual for a struggling NBA team, the practice saw several players’ frustrations reach a boiling point.

“This is embarrassing,” a person familiar with the team told Buckner. “This is crazy.”

At one point during the practice, according to Buckner, Beal went on a tirade about the current culture within the Wizards’ organization, yelling something to the effect of “I’m sick of this sh**.” He also gestured toward GM Ernie Grunfeld and said, “It starts at the top,” per Buckner.

Despite Beal’s outburst, he hasn’t expressed any desire to be traded, people familiar with the situation tell Buckner. As for whether the Wizards would actually be willing to deal him, several sources who spoke to Buckner believe the team has no plans to move on from Wall or Beal. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington hears that any thoughts the Wizards have about trading either of their star guards are “very preliminary.”

Here’s more out of D.C.:

Buckner also reports that Kelly Oubre cursed out Brooks during a recent game. Although the incident happened on the court, Brooks addressed it during the locker room after the game, per Buckner.
“They just need to blow the whole sh** up,” one person connected to the Wizards said to Buckner. “It’s all bad.”
A source tells Fred Katz of The Athletic that changes are coming for the Wizards, adding that “you will notice a difference” in Brooks’ rotations going forward.
Washington will also consider trades, especially involving players who are perceived not to be playing hard every night, sources tell Katz. However, the club is in no rush to make an unfavorable deal and no trade appears imminent.
Here’s what a source who works in another team’s front office said about Beal, per Katz: “He isn’t the best player who’s been available in the past few years, but he’s the best player with the best contract situation.” The two stars who were traded most recently – Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler – were in the final year of their respective contracts, whereas Beal won’t be a free agent until 2021.
In an Insider-only article at ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton ranks the Wizards in terms of trade value. Beal tops Pelton’s list, followed by Oubre, Otto Porter, and Tomas Satoransky. Wall places eighth.