Tag: trade

According to Carlisle, Mavericks GM …

According to Carlisle, Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson envisioned as much well before Dallas acquired Doncic in a 2018 NBA draft-night trade that sent Trae Young to Atlanta. “Donnie told me flat out he was going to be the best in that draft, and it wasn’t close,” Carlisle said. “That’s how he felt about it. We’re thrilled that we’ve had the chance to get him to Dallas and work with him. He’s worked hard. Each week he’s gotten better and better and better and going forward, I’m watching his workload closely, his minutes, those kinds of things. It’s important that we look out for him, too.”

Report: Portland Trail Blazers to ink unsigned free agent Carmelo Anthony

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, former Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony will sign a non-guaranteed deal with the Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trailblazers have decided to roll the dice on former Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony, according to ESPN senior writer Adrian Wojnarowski.

Anthony spent 2017-18 in Oklahoma City. The Thunder brought Anthony in from the Knicks, but the veteran, who has been accustomed to being the headliner throughout his NBA career, never fully meshed with Russell Westbrook and Paul George. During his stint in OKC, Anthony averaged a career-low 16.2 points.

He last played in the league in the 2018-19 NBA season for the Houston Rockets and has struggled to find a home for the final chapter of his now- 17-year career over the summer.

At the same time, cascading injuries and lofty postseason aspirations combined to push a struggling Portland Trail Blazers franchise to warm to the idea of bringing on Melo, who has been perceived in some circles as resistant to accepting a lesser role as he ages out of a starting one.

Now, standing at 4-8 midway through November, the team has decided that injuries to Jusuf Nurkic and particularly Zach Collins, have stretched the frontcourt rotation too thin, especially at the power forward position.

Anthony, per Wojnarowski, will be brought on to help out in that regard on a non-guaranteed deal and will join the team on their coming road trip. No word on other contract details, though presumably, it will be at the veteran’s minimum given the team’s cap situation.

The Knicks had four coaches during …

The Knicks had four coaches during Porzingis’ tenure, former president Phil Jackson strongly considered trading him, and he received pushback for working with his physiotherapist, Manolo Valdivieso. New York also traded his best friend, Willy Hernangomez, and did not renew the contract of former assistant coach Josh Longstaff, who was close with Porzingis. The writing was on the wall when Porzingis had previously skipped his exit meeting in April 2017. A few months later, after New York hired Perry as general manager, the tension between Knicks management and Janis and Kristaps remained, and there was little hope of salvaging the damaged relationship, according to sources.

With the threat of Porzingis signing a …

With the threat of Porzingis signing a one-year qualifying offer to enter unrestricted free agency the following summer and a list of preferred trade destinations, the Knicks acted hastily. After Kristaps and Janis walked out of the brief meeting, the Knicks called Dallas to finalize the trade. According to league sources, Porzingis’ camp had no idea the Mavericks were in the mix to acquire the Latvian forward, and Dallas was not one of his preferred destinations at the time.

Magic interested in DeMar DeRozan?

This is a team at a crossroads. Despite the fact that he has performed ably since arriving in Texas from Canada, DeRozan might not be in town for that much longer. He could even be traded ahead of the deadline. DeRozan can become a free agent in 2020 by declining his $27.7 million player option; he was far apart from the team on extension talks before the season, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick. The Spurs could always deal him sooner rather than let him walk for nothing. Multiple league sources say the Magic are scouring the trade market for scoring help and have already expressed interest in trading for DeRozan.

Former Saints LB Vince Biegel turning into a bright spot for Dolphins

Few would argue that the New Orleans Saints made a bad move in swapping linebackers with the Miami Dolphins back before the NFL roster cuts deadline, shipping out a special teams ace and defensive reserve for a starting-quality veteran. Kiko Alonso …

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Few would argue that the New Orleans Saints made a bad move in swapping linebackers with the Miami Dolphins back before the NFL roster cuts deadline, shipping out a special teams ace and defensive reserve for a starting-quality veteran. Kiko Alonso has played well for New Orleans in his first few months on the job, gradually picking up more of the defensive playbook and earning increasingly-high snap counts.

But this is a case where both parties came away feeling good about what they’d gained. For Miami, it meant a talented pass rusher who’s just happy to have the opportunity. Vince Biegel has turned into a bright spot in a season that’s been tough to watch for Dolphins fans. He ranks second on the team in sacks (2) but leads the defense in hits (11) by a landslide. If he put up those same numbers for the Saints, he’d rank third-best in each category.

According to pressure rates charted by Pro Football Focus, Biegel places inside the top 10 for pass rushers league-wide, ranking just above Marcus Davenport. That shows that he’s performing well with consistency on a snap-to-snap basis, not just notching a few lucky plays.

And for Biegel and his family, the opportunity to start on a defense and make a career in Miami is something to be grateful for. Wins and losses are great (and his fortunes there would be widely reversed if the Saints hadn’t traded him), but the chance to write his own NFL story is something he appreciates.

“To be in (Dolphins coach Brian Flores) defense has been a blessing for me,” Biegel said earlier this season. “Coach Flo reminds me a lot of Dave Aranda, who was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, a guy who really loved to mix it up, a great defensive mind who really put guys in great positions to make plays.”

And he’s made some memorable plays for Dolphins faithful already, including his first career sack — which came against none other than New England Patriots legend Tom Brady. The list of players who can boast that kind of start to their career is brief, and it’s something Biegel takes pride in.

“For me, this has been the most comfortable defense I’ve been a part of so far in the league,” Biegel continued. “It’s been fun to be a part of this defense, make some plays, obviously for the team and continue to grow. As the season progresses, and hopefully (I) stay here for years to come I hopefully can grow and develop and to be a great, great player in this defense.”

So what does this mean for Saints fans? It’s certainly not something to complain about. Biegel was playing well in his role for New Orleans, but the opportunity to add someone as experienced as Alonso was too good to pass up, especially with Biegel buried on the depth chart. If anything, having someone to root for during Dolphins games is a plus for fans of the black and gold — so long as they aren’t the ones playing against Biegel and his new team.

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Memphis plans to wait on a buyout with …

Memphis plans to wait on a buyout with Iguodala until February’s trade deadline. The Grizzlies are still holding out hope that a trade can be worked out and have been holding firm on their asking price of a first-round pick. If not, Iguodala will be cut loose from Memphis and free to sign with whomever he chooses—around the league, that’s expected to be the Lakers.

But there are still teams in the mix. …

But there are still teams in the mix. All, according to speculation from league executives, are in the Western Conference. “He’s got more value in the West,” one GM told Heavy.com. “I can’t see a team in the East moving for him. He has the experience guarding LeBron and that’s what you want out of him. That and you want to keep him off the Lakers, you want their bench to be a weak spot. He doesn’t have those same kinds of good matchups in the East. You don’t want to put him on Giannis (Antetokounmpo) in a seven-game series, for sure.”

But the Grizzlies have yet to show …

But the Grizzlies have yet to show interest in that deal and whether the Mavs would revisit the offer is a question. Sources indicate that the Mavs’ intent as the season progresses is to hunt for a piece with the trade exception they hold from the Harrison Barnes deal, worth $11.7 million. The Mavs can take on a player with a contract less than that value without giving up anything in return.