Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Pierce, Hornets, Dragic, Heat

May 16th, 2015 at 10:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

It’s time for the Wizards‘ Paul Pierce to retire, argues A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The former Celtics star has enjoyed a legendary career, Blakely writes, and there is little to be gained by trying to extend it. Pierce, 37, posted statistical lows in just about every category this season. He has a player option worth more than $5.5MM for next year.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Kentucky’s Devin Booker would be just the kind of shooter the Hornets need, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte was the worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA at just 31.8% this season. Booker hit 41% of his treys at Kentucky and considers himself “definitely” the best shooter from distance in the draft. The Hornets are currently slotted with the ninth pick heading into Tuesday’s lottery.
The Heat and Goran Dragic should be able to come to an agreement shortly after free agency begins, writes Surya Fernandez of Fox Sports Florida. Dragic has made numerous statements about how much he likes the city and the team, and the Heat have been open about their desire to keep Dragic, whom they acquired from Phoenix in a three-team deal at the trade deadline. “So far I had a great experience here with the Heat,” Dragic said. “Great coaching staff and teammates.”
Arizona’s Stanley Johnson would be a nice draft pickup for the Heat, contends Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Lieser writes that Johnson could provide immediate wing depth and would be an able replacement if Luol Deng leaves the team this summer or in 2016. However, Miami won’t know if it even has a first-round pick until the lottery. If the Heat pick falls to 11th or worse, it will be conveyed to Philadelphia.
The Magic interviewed Kentucky’s Trey Lyles at the NBA Draft Combine, tweets Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Also interviewed was Bobby Portis of Arkansas, Robbins adds (Twitter link).

Southeast Notes: Pierce, Heat, Hornets

May 16th, 2015 at 4:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the sting of his last second shot being waived off because time had expired and his team being eliminated from the postseason still fresh, the Wizards‘ Paul Pierce now has to make a decision regarding his player option for 2015/15 worth $5,543,725, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com writes. “I haven’t really thought about it,” Pierce said. “I don’t even know if I am going to play basketball anymore. These seasons get harder and harder every year, every day. Summers get even harder when you start getting back in shape. I’m 37 years old. I’m top two or three oldest in the league.” Pierce indicated he would take some time and discuss the matter with his family before making his call on next season, Youngmisuk adds. “I have been playing this game [for] like 32 years. Since I was a little kid. Probably going to be the hardest thing to do is put the game down. But I know that time is coming one day. I am not sure if it is this year or next year. I will sit down with my family and figure things out,” Pierce said.

Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Wizards coach Randy Wittman indicated that he’d be very surprised if Pierce didn’t opt in and return to the team next season, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com relays (Twitter link).
Heat president Pat Riley interviewed Kansas swingman Kelly Oubre at the draft combine, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post tweets.
While at the draft combine Hornets executives met with Kentucky’s Devin Booker and Willie Cauley-Stein, as well as Duke forward Justise Winslow, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports in a series of tweets.
Riley also sat down with Booker for an interview, who said that the Heat executive told him that Dwyane Wade was in the final stage of his career and that the young guard would be able to learn from him, Lieser tweets. Also meeting with the team while in Chicago were Arkansas forward Bobby Portis and Kentucky forward Trey Lyles, Lieser adds (Twitter links).

Draft Rumors: Porzingis, Wood, Dawson

May 15th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

At least one GM is among the multiple executives who believe Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis has a shot to be drafted as highly as No. 2, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The head of basketball ops for another team said that he’s a “lock” for the top five and that it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go within the top three, adding that he’d draft him in front of Jahlil Okafor, the Duke center who occupied the top spot in projections for most of the season. The 19-year-old is No. 5 in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings and No. 8 with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Here’s more as draft rumors kick into high gear:

Christian Wood, a power forward out of UNLV, is hoping to follow in Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s footsteps as a ball-handler with unusual height and length, Howard-Cooper writes in the same piece. The Bucks intend to interview Wood, Virginia small forward Justin Anderson and others today, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
Both the DraftExpress team and Ford go in depth on the measurements from the combine, with Ford, in his Insider-only piece, noting that most top prospects sized up well and that this year’s draft class is among the longest groups in memory in terms of both height and wingspan.
Michigan State power forward Branden Dawson has interviewed with the Wizards, Clippers and Pelicans at the draft combine, as he told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Ellis, in the same report, adds Stanley Johnson, Frank Kaminsky and Rashad Vaughn to the list of prospects with whom the Pistons have spoken.
Terry Rozier met with the Pistons, too, as well as the Mavs, Suns, Knicks and Spurs, reports Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
The Sixers, Lakers, Cavs and Bucks have interviewed Cameron Payne, Kyler also tweets. Payne spoke with our Zach Links recently about his draft prospects.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds the Hornets and Warriors to the list of teams speaking with Rakeem Christmas (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Matthews, Draft, Young

May 14th, 2015 at 10:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jabari Young of CSNNW.com wouldn’t be surprised if Wesley Matthews gives the Blazers a discount to re-sign him this summer. Young interprets GM Neil Olshey‘s tone from his season-ending press conference as a signal that the team will pursue a new deal with the shooting guard. “We know his value to us,” Olshey said, adding that “We also know he’s going to have market value around the league. That’s another competitive part of the free agent process that we’re going to have to participate in.”

Here’s the latest out of the Western Conference:

The Blazers are scheduled to meet with UNLV’s Christian Wood, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com relays (Twitter links). Portland is also expected to take a close look at big man Myles Turner, Young notes.
Seth Curry will join the Pelicans‘ summer league squad, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. Curry made two appearances for the Suns during the 2014/15 season while on a lone 10-day contract.
Oregon senior guard Joseph Young interviewed with the Spurs, Pelicans, Knicks, Wizards, and Clippers today, Jabari Young tweets.
Sean Meagher of The Oregonian looks at Blazers point guard Tim Frazier, who inked a multiyear deal with the team this season, and what the player’s role might be next season. Frazier’s minimum salary arrangement with Portland is non-guaranteed.
The list of players whom the Thunder have interviewed during the combine includes Kelly Oubre, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Tyus Jones, Terry Rozier, Turner, and Stanley Johnson, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman relays (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southeast Notes: Wade, Satoransky, Muscala

May 14th, 2015 at 12:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Veterans Al Horford and Paul Pierce made the key hoops for their respective teams Wednesday in Atlanta’s victory in Game 5 of the Hawks-Wizards series, one that serves as a de facto Southeast Division championship. Whichever team wins the series, which the Hawks lead 3-2, will make its first appearance in the conference finals in more than three decades and will perhaps be in a better position to attract stars via free agency. The Hawks have a much better chance to clear cap room this summer than the Wizards do, but both teams have plenty of flexibility for the summer of 2016, when Kevin Durant and others are set to come free. While we wait to see how that all plays out, here’s the latest from around the Southeast:

The agent for Dwyane Wade wouldn’t say this week whether the Heat star would pick up his $16.125MM player option for next season, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. That adds to the confusion of conflicting reports about Wade’s plans for the option. Henry Thomas of the Creative Artists Agency represents Wade, as our Agency Database shows.
Wizards draft-and-stash prospect Tomas Satoransky still dreams of playing in the NBA but intends to finish his contract with Barcelona of Spain, as he told Adriano Correal of Gigantes Del Basket (translation via HoopsHype). Barcelona’s deal runs through next year for the shooting guard whom Washington drafted 32nd overall in 2012, as Mark Porcaro shows in our Draft Rights Held Players Database.
Mike Muscala played in only about half of Atlanta’s regular season games, but he’s been a part of the rotation for the Hawks in the playoffs and is drawing raves from his teammates, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution chronicles. Muscala’s minimum salary for next season is non-guaranteed.
A lack of offensive development and a failure to convince either Jacque Vaughn or James Borrego that he deserved more playing time this season leave plenty of uncertainty about any future that Maurice Harkless has with the Magic, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel examines. Harkless is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason but seems unlikely to end up with one, as I speculated in a look at this year’s extension market.

Eastern Notes: Wizards, Blatt, Fournier

May 12th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

League insiders are split in their opinions regarding the Wizards’ chances to lure Kevin Durant to Washington D.C. when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2016, Zach Lowe of Grantland writes. While the franchise’s future appears brighter than many teams in the East, its success is tempered by the fact that it plays in a relatively weak conference, Lowe adds. What the Wizards will also need to decide upon is how aggressive they wish to be in pursing Durant, considering his mounting injuries, the Grantland scribe notes. Lowe also opines that the team should consider if coach Randy Wittman is the coach who will take them to the next level, and if not, then Washington should attempt to find that person this offseason.

Here’s more from the NBA’s Eastern Conference:

David Blatt has proven himself to be a good coach during his career overseas, but that doesn’t mean he is the right coach for LeBron James and the Cavs‘ current roster, Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report writes.
Swingman Evan Fournier did not disappoint during his first season with the Magic, John Denton of NBA.com writes in his season review of the player. Fournier proved himself to be one of the Magic’s best outside shooters and finishers at the rim, though he did miss 24 games due to various injuries, Denton notes. In 58 appearances the 22-year-old averaged 12.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 28.6 minutes per night.
The Heat have not traditionally had great luck in regards to the NBA draft lottery, and the team will need that to change if it is to retain its first-rounder this year, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. Over the past 15 years, no team seeded beyond No. 10 has moved up in the lottery, Winderman notes, and if Miami’s pick falls out of the top 10 selections it will convey to the Sixers.

And-Ones: Bogdanovic, Pierce, Haywood

May 10th, 2015 at 9:40pm CST by Will Joseph

Bojan Bogdanovic, in an interview with Hrvoje Sliskovic of Jutarnji List, said he is happy with the Nets and does not want to be traded. A source told Robert Windrem of NetsDaily that Bogdanovic should have nothing to fear, however, saying, “He is not going anywhere.” The shooting guard was benched earlier this season by Nets coach Lionel Hollins, but seemingly responded well with a solid year. He won Rookie of the Month honors in April. Nets GM Billy King recently talked about Bogdanovic being in the team’s rotation going forward.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Paul Pierce, who has a player option for 2015/16 worth $5,543,725 he can opt out of this offseason, continues to prove his worth with the Wizards despite being 37, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders writes. Pierce’s winning shot in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Hawks provided another example, Hamilton writes. “These are the moments why you have a guy like him,” Wizards head coach Randy Wittman said about the shot.
Brendan Haywood is this summer’s top trade chip in terms of shedding expiring salary, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders writes in a list about the topic. Haywood is due to make $10,522,500 next season in the final year of his deal. Depending on their luxury-tax position, the Cavaliers can bring in a player making $13-15.5MM in salary in return for Haywood, Pincus notes. The team acquiring the veteran center would presumably cut him, Pincus adds, clearing a good chunk of money off their books. Others Pincus lists as top trade chips include: Caron Butler of the Pistons, Wilson Chandler of the Nuggets and the Nuggets‘ Ben Gordon.

Southeast Notes: Pierce, Dedmon, Williams

May 10th, 2015 at 10:14am CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards are enjoying great dividends from their investment in Paul Pierce, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Pierce, who hit a game-winning shot against the Hawks Saturday, came to Washington last summer after free agent Trevor Ariza left for Houston. Michael notes that the Wizards were able to sign Pierce for a little more than $5MM a year over two seasons, which was about half the money and half the commitment that Ariza wanted.

There’s more this morning from the Southeast Division:

The Magic moved Dewayne Dedmon into their starting lineup March 4; now he hopes to stay there, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Dedmon quickly became a favorite of interim coach James Borrego with his shot blocking and high-intensity style of play. He is signed through next year, although the nearly $950K he is due to make is fully non-guaranteed if he is waived by August 1st.
Consistency was the main thing Marvin Williams brought to the Hornets after signing as a free agent last summer, notes Matt Rochinski of hornets.com. Charlotte lured the North Carolina alum from the Jazz with a two-year deal worth $7MM each season. Through the first four months of the season, Williams averaged 6.7 points and 4.5 rebounds. From March 1 onward, he raised those numbers to 8.8 points and 6.7 boards. “I feel like I finished a lot stronger than I started,” he said. “Obviously with change, sometimes it takes a little while to get acclimated, but that’s an experience I had before in my career so it wasn’t terrible for me.”
With their draft status uncertain, the Heat are turning their attention toward the annual Chicago pre-draft camp, which gets under way Tuesday, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Miami faces a 9% chance of losing its first-round pick, but that won’t be determined until the May 19th lottery. In the meantime, team president Pat Riley, GM Andy Elisburg and the scouting staff are going to get an up-close look at the top prospects, not just for the first round, but also for Miami’s second-round pick, which falls at number 40.

Eastern Notes: Thompson, Wizards, Hawkins

May 9th, 2015 at 12:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The connection between LeBron James and Tristan Thompson, who share Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul, could make Thompson’s pending free agency more interesting given James’ obvious influence on the Cavaliers‘ personnel decisions, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. The dynamic between the three men has also helped heal the wounds in the Cavs organization that stemmed from “The Decision” James had made back in 2010 to join the Heat, McMenamin adds. Thompson can become a restricted free agent this summer provided Cleveland tenders him a qualifying offer worth $6,777,589.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Wizards coach Randy Wittman took exception during a press conference to a report that point guard John Wall clashed with the team’s medical staff over the diagnosis of his injured hand, RealGM.com relays. “I have to get this off my chest,” said Wittman. “You guys that know me know I’m completely honest with you guys. I don’t always tell you everything, but I don’t ever come out here and tell you a lie. And what was reported today by Michael Lee [of the Washington Post] was a flat-out lie about John clashing with doctors and the training staff. That’s unfair to this kid. That is so far from the truth, I’ve got to say something. Your inside source is obviously not on the inside. Our doctors are busting their [expletive] to have something like that said. That’s not right. I have to stand up for those people in there.”
As for Wall, who was diagnosed with five displaced fracture in his left hand and wrist, there isn’t much optimism that the star can return to action for the Wizards during the 2014/15 NBA playoffs, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets.
UC Davis senior guard Corey Hawkins worked out for the Sixers this past week, an event which was confirmed by Hawkins himself via his Twitter account. The 6’3″ guard is the No. 97 overall prospect according to DraftExpress.

Eastern Notes: Nets, Draft, Pierce

May 7th, 2015 at 9:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nets GM Billy King said that the franchise’s draft strategy would be to go for the best player available rather than to try and fill a specific need, Thomas Duffy of NetsDaily relays. “We’re not going to just target a position because we might miss on somebody else,” King said. “And I will say that we’re trying to move up in the draft. We’ll explore options to get higher. … We already know of some teams who maybe want to move their pick so we’ll be talking to them next week.” Brooklyn currently owns the No. 29 and No. 41 overall selections in June’s draft.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

While the Nets have dealt away quite a few of their future draft picks, King believes there are moves he can make to offset this handicap, Duffy notes. “I think there are ways to get around [the team’s lack of future draft picks],” King said. “I’ll use my own experience for example. In Philadelphia in 2005, we didn’t have a first-round pick, but we were able to come out of the draft with Kyle Korver and Willie Green. And the next year it was Louis Williams in the second round. It’s incumbent on us, when you don’t have those picks, to be creative and come up with others ways to do it. It’s a challenge, but it’s doable… [Not having picks] doesn’t mean you can’t add quality players to your roster.”
One of the things that Paul Pierce enjoys about playing for the Wizards is the opportunity he has to mentor the team’s younger players, Ben Standig of CSNWashington.com writes. “I feel like even if it’s one year, two years, or three years I’m here, I feel like I’m going to have a relationship with these guys for a long, long time even after basketball,” Pierce said. “It seems like we connect, and I connected with the city.” The veteran forward has a player option for 2015/16 worth $5,543,725 he can opt out of this offseason.
The Bucks improved their win total from 15 during the 2013/14 campaign to 41 and a playoff berth this season. Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel grades how the team and each individual player performed during the 2014/15 season.