Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Tskitishvili, Wolves, Exum

August 16th, 2015 at 12:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ater being out of the league for nearly a decade, former Nuggets player Nikoloz Tskitishvili is interested in making a comeback, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. At 32, Tskitishvili insists he’s a better player now than when he quickly passed through the league after being the No. 5 overall pick in the 2002 draft. Tskitishvili spent three seasons in Denver, averaging 3.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in 143 games while shooting about 30%. He wants to atone for his past failings and attended the summer league in Las Vegas hoping to find someone to give him a chance. “I’m 100 times better than I was,” he said. “It’s just very difficult for teams to understand that, because they are looking at the number, the age. If you ask me, this is the best shape I’ve ever been in and the best I’ve been playing in my career.”

There’s more news out of the Northwest Division:

The Wolves hold a trade exception worth more than $6.3MM that will expire next Sunday, tweets former Nets executive Bobby Marks. Minnesota is in a tough position because the team is hard capped and has 16 guaranteed contracts, Marks notes. The trade exception was created in last summer’s deal that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland.
Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders likes the veteran leadership that newly acquired Andre Miller and Tayshaun Prince will bring, along with Kevin Garnett (Twitter link). He also notes that Garnett and Prince were once regulars on the All-Defensive team, calling it a “Defensive Culture for Pups to see.”
Utah’s season won’t be destroyed by the loss of Dante Exum, writes Brad Rock of The Deseret News. He points out that the Jazz have a capable backup in Trey Burke, who has started 111 games during his career, along with nearly $7MM in cap room to pursue other options. Utah already has Bryce Cotton on its roster and signed Raul Neto in July. The team also has been rumored to have interest in Washington’s Garrett Temple.

Thunder To Sign Dez Wells

August 14th, 2015 at 6:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Thunder have reached an agreement on a contract with undrafted free agent Dez Wells, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (via Twitter). While the length and terms of the pact are not yet known, it is likely a training camp pact that may possibly include a small partial guarantee, though that is just my speculation.

The former Maryland guard had previously been extended a training camp invite by the Wizards, as well as by five other unnamed teams. He reportedly turned down Washington’s offer because they already possess 15 players on guaranteed pacts, and he wanted better odds at landing a regular season roster spot. Wells was reportedly open to signing with the Wizards if Garrett Temple was dealt to the Jazz and a roster spot opened up as a result. Oklahoma City also has 15 players on guaranteed deals, as our roster count for the team shows, so it’s curious what led Wells to choose the Thunder, seeing as his odds are equally long to stick once the regular season commences.

In 28 appearances during his senior season with the Terrapins, Wells averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists to go along with a slash line of .464/.510/.806.

Jazz Interested In Garrett Temple

August 10th, 2015 at 4:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

4:52pm: The Wizards aren’t anxious to move Temple, and he wouldn’t come cheaply, Michael hears (Twitter links). GM Ernie Grunfeld and coach Randy Wittman are fans of the guard, Michael adds.

4:26pm: The Jazz have yet to contact the Wizards about Temple, a source told Michael for an updated version of his story.

MONDAY, 3:29pm: The Wizards would probably take back either no salary, allowing them to create a trade exception, or a player on a non-guaranteed contract that Washington would turn around and waive, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Undrafted shooting guard Dez Wells from the University of Maryland, who has offers for camp deals from five other teams but had ruled out the Wizards, would be open to signing with Washington if Temple’s roster spot opens, Michael hears.

FRIDAY, 12:10pm: The Wizards aren’t opposed to a trade involving Temple, as USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt hears (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 4:22pm: In the wake of the heartbreaking news that second-year guard Dante Exum is likely to miss the entire 2015/16 campaign with a torn ACL, the Jazz are interested in acquiring Garrett Temple from the Wizards, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News reports (Twitter links). Utah coach Quin Snyder is familiar with Temple from when both were with the Spurs during the 2009/10 season, Genessy adds.

Temple, 29, had picked up his player option worth his minimum salary of nearly $1.101MM back in June in order to return to the Wizards. He made 52 appearances for Washington last season, including 18 starts, though much of his time was spent at shooting guard, as Basketball-Reference illustrates. In 2014/15, Temple averaged 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 14.2 minutes per game, and owned a slash line of .400/.375/.729.

It’s unclear if the Wizards would be willing to trade Temple, whose size (6’6″) and defensive abilities would help Utah compensate for the loss of Exum, Genessy adds (on Twitter). Utah currently has close to $7MM in cap room, and can open more than $10MM if they waive their players with non-guaranteed salaries, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes. The Jazz also possess draft-and-stash signee Raul Neto, as well as Bryce Cotton to back up likely starter Trey Burke.

Southeast Notes: Beal, Wizards, Ejim

August 8th, 2015 at 7:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards‘ new group of perimeter backups could make Bradley Beal more effective and help him stay away from injury, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. A series of mishaps has limited Beal to 56, 73 and 63 games in his first three NBA seasons, but his minutes per game should be reduced next year with the offseason additions of Gary Neal, Jared Dudley, Alan Anderson and Kelly Oubre. Neal signed with Washington as a free agent. The Wizards sent a second-round pick to Milwaukee in exchange for Dudley in a July trade. Anderson signed as a free agent after two years in Brooklyn. And Oubre was acquired in a draft-night deal with Atlanta. “I think Jared is going to help us out tremendously,” Beal said. “Alan is going to help us out. … I’m excited. We still have a great team, still have our core together and it’s just a matter of going out and getting the job done again.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The loss of free agent Kevin Seraphin to the Knicks may force the Wizards to fully commit to a small-ball approach, according to Seth Partnow of The Washington Post. Washington had success with that strategy during the playoffs, and Partnow argues that the improvement of Otto Porter Jr. means that the Wizards’ best bet is a lineup with John Wall, one big man and three shooters.
Melvin Ejim’s deal with the Magic is for two years at the minimum salary, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The former Iowa State star will receive $150K guaranteed in the first season.

Poll: 2013 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 3)

August 7th, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.

The first NBA Draft we’re tackling is 2013’s, the year that the Cavaliers surprised quite a few people when they nabbed UNLV forward Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 overall pick. Quite a number of talented players were in that year’s player pool, including Victor Oladipo, Nerlens Noel, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Rudy Gobert, just to rattle off a few.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be posting a series of reader polls that will ask you to vote on the player whom you believe should have been selected with each pick. We’ll continue onward with the Wizards, who held the No. 3 overall pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Washington’s pick and check back tomorrow night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the Hornets should have taken at No. 4. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if I fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and I’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

Draft Results thus far:

Cavaliers: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Magic: Victor Oladipo

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Eastern Rumors: James, Wells, Pistons

August 3rd, 2015 at 10:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James will attend the USA Basketball minicamp meeting next week but will not attend the workouts, the team’s executive director Jerry Colangelo told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Colangelo is uncertain of whether James wants to pursue another Olympic gold medal, Joe Vardon of Northeast Ohio Media Group reports. “One thing I need to find out: is he desirous, is he committed,” Colangelo told Vardon. “I don’t know that right now, and I need to find out at some point. An indicator will come next week when we see who shows up.” Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are expected to attend, though neither Cavs star will participate in the workouts or a scheduled scrimmage because they are still on the mend from their playoff injuries, Colangelo added to Vardon.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Dez Wells has been extended a training camp invite by the Wizards but he’s likely to turn it down, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reports. The rookie guard from the University of Maryland was on Washington’s summer league roster but dislocated his right thumb prior to the Las Vegas summer league and did not play. Wells has five other training camp offers and feels his prospects with the Wizards are dim because they already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts, the story adds.
Adonis Thomas is guaranteed $60K of his $845,059 contract with the Pistons, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The 6’7” shooting guard will be battling second-round pick Darrun Hilliard, among others, for a roster spot in training camp.

Eastern Rumors: Pistons, Wilbekin, Pacers

August 3rd, 2015 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ersan Ilyasova would have been a top target for the Pistons if he had been a free agent this summer, coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Ilyasova was acquired in a trade with the Bucks, who re-signed restricted free agent Khris Middleton, another Detroit target, according to Langlois. “If he’d been a free agent, he’d have been the guy at the top of our list at power forward,” Van Gundy said of Ilyasova. The Pistons also would not have pursued a free agent small forward if Marcus Morris had been made available sooner. He was acquired in a salary dump by the Suns in early July after Detroit came up empty in its aim to sign either DeMarre Carroll or Danny Green. “There’s no question we would have opted to take him rather than go into free agency had that been there [before July 1],” Van Gundy said to Langlois. “It wasn’t at the time, so we did try to make a play for a couple of guys. But when it didn’t work out and that presented itself, we were fortunate.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Scottie Wilbekin received a $200K guarantee from the Sixers for the upcoming season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The remainder of the four-year, $3.5MM contract that the ex-University of Florida point guard signed is not guaranteed, Pincus adds. Wilbekin will make $525,093 in the first year if he’s still on the roster January 10th. He played in Australia and Greece last season after going undrafted.
Monta Ellis has the potential to ultimately become one of the Pacers’ greatest free agent signings, argues Mark Montieth of Pacers.com, who nonetheless ranks David West, who bolted for the Spurs this summer, as the most significant free agent addition in team history. Montieth addressed that and other topics in a mailbag format.
Drew Gooden‘s $3.547MM salary for the 2016/17 season becomes guaranteed on July 15th, according to Pincus (Twitter link). The Wizards forward, who has a guaranteed $3.3MM contract for the upcoming season, has a no-trade restriction on his deal which lifts on January 15th.

Northwest Notes: Durant, Thunder, Blazers

July 29th, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Blazers acquired Mike Miller from the Cavs earlier this week but he’s probably not sticking around for long. The veteran is a “strong candidate” to negotiate a buyout with Portland, Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears, and the Grizzlies, Thunder, and Mavs already appear to be interested. While we wait for more on that, here’s more from the Northwest Division..

The Thunder remain the front-runners for Kevin Durant‘s 2016 free agency, but Sean Deveney of The Sporting News sizes up the chances that the Wizards, Warriors, Rockets, Heat, Clippers, Mavericks, Celtics, Knicks and Lakers all of have of convincing the former MVP to leave OKC.
The Thunder viewed Kevin Seraphin as a possible fall-back option if they did not re-sign Enes Kanter, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. At this point, a one-year deal is more likely for Seraphin than a long-term pact, Castillo writes. OKC, of course, has retained Kanter. The Knicks, Lakers, and Wizards are showing interest in Seraphin at this time.
The SI.com staff debated which team took the biggest step back this summer and multiple writers cast their ballots for the Trail Blazers. The Blazers, of course, have watched Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez wind up elsewhere this summer. Damian Lillard has been surrounded with some promising young talent, but they seem likely to take a big step back in 2015/16.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Knicks, Others Eye Kevin Seraphin

July 28th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks, Lakers and Wizards continue to show interest in Kevin Seraphin, league sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported interest from the Lakers early this month, and Scotto added the Wizards a few days later, but this appears to be the first time New York has come up in connection with the center.

The Knicks are also among the teams with interest in Carlos Boozer, but it’s not clear if New York sees the pair of big men as an either-or proposition. The Knicks and Lakers have their $2.814MM room exception available, but the Wizards have his Bird rights, so they can outbid other teams.

The Wizards were expected earlier this month to attempt to find a team willing to sign-and-trade for Seraphin, a maneuver that would ostensibly allow Washington to create a trade exception. In any case, Seraphin seemed a long shot to return to the Wizards at season’s end, as he’s reportedly been looking for a chance to compete for the starting job, though, according to Scotto, Washington at least touched base with him this month. The Wizards have Marcin Gortat entering year two of a five-year deal to man the pivot. Starting would also be a difficult proposition for Seraphin in New York, where free agent signee Robin Lopez seems firmly entrenched, and the same is probably true of the Lakers, who traded for Roy Hibbert.

The Suns and Mavericks also reportedly showed interest earlier this month, though it’s unclear if they’re still in the mix. The Spurs apparently had tentative interest in case David West signed elsewhere, but West took the minimum to play for San Antonio.

Which team needs Seraphin the most: The Knicks, Lakers or Wizards? Leave a comment to let us know.

Aaron White Signs To Play In Germany

July 28th, 2015 at 7:54am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 28TH, 7:54am: The deal is official, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).

4:42pm: White’s deal with Telekom is for one year, Castillo reports (on Twitter).

JULY 21ST: 9:44am: Aaron White, whom the Wizards drafted 49th overall last month, is finalizing a deal with Telekom Baskets Bonn of Germany, a source tells Enea Trapani of Sportando. J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reported soon after the draft that the power forward from Iowa would “definitely” play overseas this year instead of with the Wizards, and White told Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post a few days ago that he probably would. Still, agent Chris Emens didn’t rule out the idea that White would sign with Washington before the season. Emens added that he and White were open to whatever the Wizards thought was best for his development, and the agent later said that he was talking to both the Wizards and international teams.

The 6’9″ White’s numbers surged this past season, his senior year at Iowa, when he averaged 16.4 points per game, up from 12.8 as a junior. He also collected 7.3 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per contest this year and was firmly in the mix to become a second-round pick. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranked him as the draft’s 49th-best prospect, right where the Wizards took him, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com had him No. 60, citing his mobility and finishing skills as pluses and his lack of a jump shot as a minus.

The Wizards will retain their rights to White as long as they make a one-year, non-guaranteed offer for the minimum salary by September 6th, which is likely a formality. The 22-year-old, who turns 23 that month, indicated to Castillo that he was wary of signing with the Wizards and failing to make the team out of camp, a signal that he wouldn’t want to take a non-guaranteed pact. Instead, it seems he’s off to Germany after having put up just 3.0 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 17.5 MPG for Washington’s summer league entry.