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Report: Kings angered Cavaliers and Jazz by trying to include Georgios Papagiannis in trade at last minute

By Dan FeldmanFeb 14, 2018, 5:43 PM EDT

The Cavaliers were busy leading up to the trade deadline.

The completed three trades with four teams, sent out six players and acquired four. They also seriously discussed a deal with the Clippers for DeAndre Jordan.

One of the trades Cleveland general manager Koby Altman actually made – a three-teamer with the Jazz and Kings that netted Rodney Hood and George Hill and sent Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose to Utah and Iman Shumpert to Sacramento – could have fallen apart. Unsurprisingly, the Kings are getting blamed.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

Altman had negotiated the trade with Kings assistant general manager Brandon Williams, who works under GM Vlade Divac. The management structure in Sacramento can make deals dicey, because Divac seldom gets on the phone for the trade-building parts — and yet he ultimately has decision-making power with owner Vivek Ranadive.

That’s why a 3 a.m. ET deal memo sent from Sacramento to Cleveland left Altman at first incredulous — and then angry. Suddenly, Kings center Georgios Papagiannis had been included as part of the three-way trade. Cleveland and Utah were adamant that Papagiannis’ name had never been discussed. Williams would later say that Papagiannis or Malachi Richardson were set to be included in the deals and insisted his notes confirmed that.

Because Sacramento had the makings for a trade with Toronto for Richardson, rival executives say that the Kings pushed to spare themselves the embarrassment of waiving the No. 13 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft — and let someone else do it. In the middle of the night, Altman and Williams vocally disagreed over the insertion of Papagiannis into the trade. Cleveland couldn’t take him into its roster because the NBA’s repeater tax would turn the balance of his $2.3 million contract this year and $2.4 million next year into three times that with the luxury-tax bill.

In the morning, Altman let the Jazz know about Sacramento’s inclusion of Papagiannis. Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey was livid. To him, this was a deal-breaker. He hadn’t dealt directly with Sacramento, because there had been no need: The deal went through Cleveland, and Altman had never suggested to Lindsey that Utah would have to take a 7-foot draft bust onto his roster.

The Cavs didn’t want Papagiannis, who would have cost them far more in luxury tax, either. And the Kings had to shed one more player, because they needed to clear a roster spot to complete the trade.

But the teams still found a workable solution.

The Cavaliers ($2.1 million) and Jazz ($1.1 million) both sent Sacramento cash. That was was the most the Cavs, who’ve already included cash in other deals, were allowed to convey. So, to get Utah to cover the rest, Cleveland granted the Jazz the right to swap 2024 second-rounders.

That mostly covered the Kings’ cost of waiving Papagiannis, who was guaranteed$3,206,606 the rest of this season plus next. [Correction: This post previously didn’t include Papagiannis’ 2018-19 salary.]

Sacramento management has struggled to communicate with players, agents and executives. The Kings might spin this story a different way, but everyone will believe they’re at fault. They’ve long lost lost benefit of the doubt, and this will only further erode trust.

But maybe they leveraged the confusion into a little extra money. That’s almost certainly not worth it in a relationship business, but it’s better than nothing.

NBA Power Rankings: Rockets remain locked on top, race to the bottom interesting

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By Kurt HelinFeb 14, 2018, 1:11 PM EDT

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Not much movement at the top of the power rankings, the Rockets are playing well and most of the other top teams seem to have a case of senioritis looking ahead to the All-Star break. The more interesting race may be to the bottom, where the Suns and Nets are losing, the Knicks have dropped seven straight, and the taking for lottery position is about to go full force.

1. Rockets (43-13, Last Week No. 1). Houston is a run-and-gun Mike D’Antoni team, right? Not really, or at least not as much as people think. The Rockets are ninth in the NBA in pace and 14th in the NBA in the percentage of offense started in transition. The Rockets are very efficient when they get in transition, scoring a league best 129.5 points per 100 transition possessions (stats via Cleaning the Glass), but they don’t run like people think. The Rockets have won nine in a row, they remain tied with the Warriors in the loss column in the race for the No. 1 seed and home court throughout the playoffs.

2. Warriors (44-13 LW 2). Whoever is doing the coaching for Golden State (Steve Kerr, Andre Iguodala, JaVale McGee), he/they seems to have awakened their dormant bench of the past month or so. Which is good, because they may need to fill in for Draymond Green soon — he has a league-leading 14 technical fouls this season, two more and he gets an automatic one-game suspension. One sign of when the Warriors start to buckle down and focus again heading into the playoffs — their dreadful transition defense will improve. Right now it is one of the worst in the league.

3. Raptors (40-16, LW 3). Winners of six in a row — and the first five each by at least 15 points. The Raptors are in an impressive stretch and look like they could be the class of the East, but they will need to prove it in the playoffs. The Raptors are the top seed in the East as you read this — which could really matter come the playoffs. If Cleveland really has turned things around, the Cavs will still be the 3 seed (six games back of Boston/Toronto), meaning whoever finishes as the two seed gets them in the second round. Finish first, the path to the conference finals is cleaner.

4. Celtics (40-18, LW 4). Losers of 3-of-4, including ugly losses to the other top teams in the East Toronto and Cleveland. (The Celtics would have lost four in a row if the Wizards had played a little cleaner and Markieff Morris hadn’t fouled late.) The real reason for concern is the defense has been 6.4 points per 100 possessions worse in their last five games, going from best in the league to pedestrian. The offense remains just okay as it has much of the season, they need an elite defense to make up for it. This is likely just a blip, but something to watch.

5. Timberwolves (35-25, LW 5). That midseason stretch of good defense may have been a mirage — in their last 10 games the Timberwolves have given up a sieve-like 113.4 points per 100 possessions, 28th in the NBA for that stretch. Their transition defense continues to be the big issue. Rumors persist that Tom Thibodeau wants to pick up Derrick Rose off the buyout market, but I can’t see a good reason to do that. There are better options for point guard depth out there.

6. Bucks (32-24 LW 7). When Joe Prunty took over as head coach, his first move was to change the defensive schemes to something simpler and more traditional that his players could execute consistently — and in those 10 games the Bucks have allowed less than a point per possession and gone 8-2. Over that same time the Bucks have had a pedestrian offense (18th in the league) and while injuries (Malcolm Brogdon) are part of that the team needs to step up, starting with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

7. Spurs (35-24, LW 6). The Spurs have shaken up the starting lineup, inserting Davis Bertans and moving Pau Gasol to a sixth man role. The reason is that with Dejounte Murray starting at the point but not having an outside shot, the Spurs needed better floor spacing. They have gotten it, the offense has looked better with this new lineup. The Spurs are 1-3 at the start of their Rodeo road trip and it continues past the All-Star break through Feb. 25 in Cleveland.

8. Wizards (32-24, LW 8). Washington has won 6-of-8 since John Wall went down, with the two losses to elite defensive teams (Boston and Philly). With Tim Fraizer also out injured, the Wizards need to pick up a point guard on the buyout market to provide some depth behind Tomas Satoransky (who has played well and moved the ball with Wall out). Expect a move soon.

9. Jazz (29-28, LW 17). Winners of 10 in a row and they have been the best team in the NBA over that stretch. The biggest surprise is that the frontcourt of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert is working again — the Jazz are +26.2 per 100 possessions when those two are on the court together during this streak. Not sure if that’s sustainable. Donovan Mitchell continues to impress during the streak taking over games late, Ricky Rubio has found a comfort level in Quin Snyder’s system and next to Mitchell, and Joe Ingles can’t miss. With a softer schedule the rest of the way than other teams in the fight for playoffs, fivethirtyeight.com says they have a 90 percent chance of making the postseason.

10. Cavaliers (34-22 LW 19). They are 2-0 with the new-look lineup, and while it’s just two games the fact that LeBron James looks energized again, that the athleticism on defense is paying off, and that the bench looks good are all very good signs the Cavs are on the right track. After the All-Star break Tyronn Lue will get a few practices with his new team, which is needed. It’s too early to buy in on the Cavaliers again, but I like what I’ve seen in the test drive so far.

11. Thunder (32-26 LW 9).. Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony returned to the rotation Tuesday night vs. Cleveland but it didn’t help, and the Thunder are 2-6 in their last eight. Without Andre Roberson in those games their elite defense has fallen to the middle of the pack (15th in the NBA in those 8) and they continue to look for a fifth man in the starting and closing rotation. Also in those eight games, the team’s offense has fallen to bottom 10 in the league. This still feels like a team better built for the postseason, but the hole they have dug themselves will make that a struggle.

12. Nuggets (31-26, LW 12). Denver quietly made a really smart move at the trade deadline, swapping out Emmanuel Mudiay for Devin Harris — Harris has fit right in and helped (he had 17 vs. Phoenix). The win over the Spurs Tuesday night mattered because for Denver the playoffs start now — they are the current six-seed in the West, but just two games up on the nine-seed Clippers (and three on the 10 seed and climbing Jazz). Denver needs victories now.

13. 76ers (29-25, LW 16). Adding Marco Belinelli after his buyout from the Hawks was a good pickup, he provides shooting and wing depth this team could use. The Sixers have won eight in a row at home now, but have 8-of-10 on the road were they are 12-15 this season. The Sixers need to keep racking up wins to keep Detroit at arms length and stay in the postseason, but the Sixers have the second toughest schedule in the East the rest of the way.

14. Pacers (30-25, LW 10). Indiana is 6-1 in games decided by three points or less this season, which is a little bit lucky but has helped keep them afloat and out of too much danger of missing the postseason. Although the bigger reason this team remains solidly in the postseason is the play of Victor Oladipo, the team has gone 13-6 since his return from injury.

15. Clippers (29-26 LW 14). DeAndre Jordan remained a Clipper past the trade deadline, despite a lot of teams calling about his availability (if the Clippers moved him they did not want to take on long-term salary coming back, and that became a sticking point). Whether he remains a Clipper after summer free agency is another question, he told our own Dan Feldman he’s not sure how much the team wants him, and you can bet other teams will work hard to recruit him.

16. Trail Blazers (31-26, LW 13). The Trail Blazers offense was hot for a while, then has cooled off (despite a 50 spot from Damian Lillard) but the ups-and-downs are expected in an offense where the pick-and-roll ball handler or a guy in isolation take 30.3 percent of the shots (this team does not move the ball well, which can lead to contests against good defenses). Fun matchup Wednesday night when the Blazers face the Warriors: Lillard and C.J. McCollum vs. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

17. Pelicans (30-26, LW 15). New Orleans is 3-5 since DeMarcus Cousins went down for the season, and not surprisingly it is the offensive end of the court where they miss him most. Since the injury, the Pelicans have scored just 101.6 points per 100 possessions, way down from the 108.3 rating they had before. The Pels defense has been okay, but it can’t cover up that much lack of scoring. Of the five teams battling for the final three playoff spots in the West, the Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Pelicans have the toughest remaining schedules, New Orleans needs to find some buckets to stay in the postseason.

18. Heat (30-27, LW 11). Dwyane Wade is back home in Miami, and that boost stopped a five-game skid. Wade is not an efficient scorer anymore, but he is an improved playmaker who can serve as sort of a defacto backup point guard, plus he can make some timely plays on both ends of the court. Expect him to keep coming off the bench but to get some crunch time minutes as well.

19. Pistons (27-29, LW 18). The Blake Griffin honeymoon is over as the Pistons have lost three straight and remain 2.5 games out of the playoffs in the East. If you really want to be picky, every game Griffin has won with the Piston came when the opponent was on the second game of a back-to-back. Overall the Pistons have been +6.5 points per 100 with Griffin on the court this season, but in the last three games, the Griffin and Andre Drummond pairing has been -14.4 per 100. Stan Van Gundy is looking forward to having some practices with his team at the end of the All-Star break.

20. Lakers (23-32 LW 21). Isaiah Thomas has a chance with the Lakers to improve his stock heading into his summer free agency — stock that took a serious hit in the past year with his injury, play in Cleveland, and his disruption of that locker room. Thomas had 22 points in his Lakers debut off the bench, and while his defense is still terrible if he can show he can still put up numbers he helps his cause this summer (either as a key ball handler on a lesser team or a sixth man on a good one).

21. Hornets (23-33, LW 20). The Hornets didn’t trade Kemba Walker at the deadline, as expected, but they should revisit that during the summer when the offers may improve. Charlotte did take a flier on Willy Hernangomez at the deadline, and while it adds some salary long term it’s a good flier on a guy who showed promise as a rookie then got squeezed in the New York rotations this season. On Saturday, while you’re settling in to watch the Dunk Contest, remember to wish Michael Jordan a happy 55th birthday.

22. Bulls (20-36 LW 29).. After trading out Nikola Mitotic, the Bulls took an interesting flier at the deadline taking on Noah Vonleh. He didn’t impress much in Portland but he was marginally better this season (he started a dozen games for them) and there is potential. Zach LaVine has impressed more and more of late, including the game-winning steal and dunk vs. Orlando on Monday.

23. Magic (18-38, LW 25). And somewhere Scott Skiles smiles — the Magic decided to move on from Elfrid Payton at the trade deadline. They didn’t get much back but it was still the right move, it was time. Orlando continues to play well on offense — they are 10th in the NBA in that category over their last 10 games. The problem is they give up almost as many buckets as they score, leading to a 4-6 record in those games.

24. Mavericks (18-40 LW 23). Dennis Smith Jr. continues to show flashes but struggle with efficiency, he scoring 15.5 points per game in his last 10 but is shooting just 36.1 percent overall and 27.7 percent from three in that stretch. On the bright side, Dirk Nowitzki dropped 22 on the Lakers and even had a dunk (his first of the season).

25. Grizzlies (18-37, LW 24). Tyreke Evans is still in Memphis after the trade deadline in one of the most bizarre deadline non-moves we have seen. Memphis’ GM tried to spin this was better for the team, but the reality is no team was going to give him the first he wanted, so now rather than two second-round pick (or a second and Emmanuel Mudiay, a deal that was on the table) the Grizzlies are going to watch him walk this summer for nothing. Will they revisit the Marc Gasol trade idea this summer?

26. Knicks (23-35, LW 22). They have lost seven in a row and are pushing their way higher into the draft lottery. I like the trade deadline gamble on Emmanuel Mudiay, a big point guard who could be a backup down the line, and maybe play next to Frank Ntilikina. The Knicks aren’t going anywhere (this season or probably next after the Kristaps Porzingis ACL injury) so taking gambles and trying to develop players is what they should do.

27. Hawks (18-40, LW 28). Dewayne Dedmon is back in the rotation, and Mike Budenholzer is going deep into that rotation to get a good look at the players they have as the Hawks start to work out who can be part of the rebuild long-term. Atlanta has won 3-of-6, which normally one would say is a good thing but in a tight race for lottery position, the Hawks wins cost them the best lottery odds in the past week.

28. Kings (18-38, LW 26). The Kings moved on from George Hill at the deadline, and they got a second-round pick for it. The real key for the Kings is what they do with that and their other picks — the Kings have either missed on or been unable to properly develop players over the past decade, and that has held them back. Sure, they nailed DeMarcus Cousins, and this is not about Georgios Papagiannis (who they waived), rather it’s about not regularly turning first-round picks into solid rotation players they can hold onto at an affordable price. That’s how teams get built, and the Kings need to get there to turn this ship around.

29. Nets (19-39, LW 27). Getting a second-round pick for Tyler Zeller was a good move for the Nets. Losers of six in a row, that only serves to make Cavaliers fans happy as they control the Brooklyn pick (and they value it enough that Cleveland would not give it up at the trade deadline despite a roster overhaul). Allen Crabbe has shown some signs of life in the last two weeks, a good thing as he is near the top of the “most disappointing player in the NBA this season” list.

30. Suns (18-40, LW 30). Losers of six in a row and 11-of-12, the Suns are now tied for the worst record in the NBA (and a chance for the top spot in the draft lottery). I like the flier on Elfrid Payton at the trade deadline, they want a point guard to put next to Devin Booker eventually, and while Payton may not be it they didn’t give up much and Payton has potential if he could find his shot.

Georgios Papagiannis’ agent on center getting waived: ‘More proof that something is wrong with the Kings’

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By Dan FeldmanFeb 10, 2018, 3:00 PM EDT

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The Kings drafting Georgios Papagiannis, who was commonly seen as a second-round pick, No. 13 in the 2016 NBA draft – absurd!

The Kings waiving Papagiannis less than two years later – absurd!

And the absurdity only continues with Papagiannis’ agent, Marios Olympios, chiming in.

Olympios on Greek radio station Spor FM, as transcribed by Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net:

“He never got a chance by the Kings. He had a double-double every time he played in the G-League. He had to travel for two and a half hour everytime he was assigned to Reno and still he performed. There are many details that prove that he never got a real chance”.

“He is a free agent. We have options and we are good with that. He is 20 years old and he already has a great resume. I don’t know if the Kings are also good with that. Unfortunately, in the draft, you can’t pick a team. You are picked. Giorgos ended up in a very disorganized franchise and I think that everyone in the NBA is shocked by the decision made by the Kings. It’s one more proof that something is wrong with the Kings”.

Papagiannis didn’t even average a double-double in the minor league, let alone get one every game. Heck, he barely got a double-double in a third of his minor-league games.

But it’s odd to see a team go from having so much faith in a player to having so little faith in him so quickly. As Olympios noted, Papagiannis is just 20. (Olympios is wrong about Papagiannis’ resume. It is not great.)

In Sacramento’s defense, Papagiannis was a sunk cost. It no longer matters where he was drafted. If he was less likely to pan out than whomever the Kings have instead, they were smart to cut Papagiannis.

There was definitely something wrong in Sacramento’s process with Papagiannis. It wasn’t necessarily waiving him, though.

Kings to waive Georgios Papagiannis less than two years after drafting him in lottery

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By Dan FeldmanFeb 9, 2018, 7:53 AM EDT

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Shortly after the Kings drafted Georgios Papagiannis with the No. 13 pick in the 2016 NBA draft, DeMarcus Cousins tweeted:

Lord give me the strength 🙏🏿

— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) June 24, 2016

Cousins claimed he was talking about yoga, not criticizing his then-team’s pick. But if he were talking about the draft, maybe Cousins was onto something.

Papagiannis has barely played in two NBA seasons and performed poorly when he has gotten onto the court. Now, he appears headed out of the league at age 20.

Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports:

Sources: The Kings are waiving center Georgios Papagiannis, who was their No. 13 overall selection in the 2016 draft.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 8, 2018

This presumably clears the way for the Kings to keep Bruno Caboclo, whom they acquired in a trade with the Raptors today. Sacramento needed to clear a roster spot to facilitate its trade with the Cavaliers and Jazz (Joe Johnson and Iman Shumpert for George Hill).

The Kings will be on the hook for the rest of Papagiannis’ $2,301,360 salary this season and his $2,400,480 salary next season. Obviously, it never looks good to waive such a high pick so soon.

But Sacramento got the No. 13 pick by trading down from No. 8 on draft night. The eighth pick, Marquese Chriss, is floundering, and other assets the Kings netted in the deal – the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic and the pick that became Skal Labissiere – are providing more value. So, that makes it easier to stomach dropping Papagiannis.

Kings will keep rookie Harry Giles off court until January to strengthen knee

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By Kurt HelinOct 6, 2017, 4:32 PM EDT

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When last year’s draft class was done with its freshman high school season, Harry Giles was on top of early recruiting/draft lists. He had everything a team could want in a potential No. 1 pick – size, athleticism, skill, motor. Then the injuries came — ACL, MCL and a meniscus tear in his left knee that have required a couple of surgeries, plus another surgery on his right knee last year.

The Sacramento Kings drafted him at No. 20 out of Duke (via a trade with Portland), and it’s a good gamble in that spot — if he can get anywhere near his previous form this is a steal.

Sacramento is taking the cautious route with Giles, announcing Friday they are going to keep him shut down until at least January, “while he and the Kings training staff focus on a measured and sustained progression plan designed to improve physical strength in his surgically repaired knees,” according to the release. He will remain with and continue to practice with the team, but will not play.

This is not due to a new injury or setback in rehab, a source familiar with the situation told NBC Sports. Rather, this is the Kings taking a page out of the book of other teams rehabbing injured rookies (think Sixers) — better to be cautious than push him back too quickly and set the stage for another injury. Remember, the Kings new assistant GM Brandon Williams came from the Sixers, where this was the norm. Recovering from ACLs and major knee injuries can take years, and the Kings see Giles as a 19-year-old that they are betting on down the line, not for this season. Better for them to focus on getting it right.

Giles wasn’t going to get a lot of run anyway. The Kings will start Skal Labissiere at the four, and after the way he finished last season they want to give him every chance, then will bring Zach Randolph in off the bench. While in theory Giles could play some at center the Kings have Willie Cauley-Stein, Kosta Koufos, and Georgios Papagiannis in that rotation already.

Better to be patient. Maybe Giles never makes it all the way back, but the Kings should be patient and give him the best shot at a full recovery and opportunity.