Pacific Notes: Nash, Lakers, Kings
In the 2005/06 season, the Clippers finished 47-35, topping their L.A. rivals by two games. Since then, the Lakers have finished ahead of the Clippers in the standings every season, but the two teams are in a neck-and-neck race for the Pacific Division crown this year. The Clippers will head into the All-Star break with a slight lead, as even a win for the Lakers in Oklahoma City tonight would only reduce the Clips' lead to a half-game. Here are a few afternoon links out of the Pacific:
- At the end of his midseason awards, Ken Berger of CBS Sports names Stephen Jackson the "most disgruntled" player and Steve Nash the "most likely to be traded." The Nash note is interesting, since it still appears the Suns have no intention of dealing Nash unless he asks out. Presumably, Berger believes that's a real possibility.
- Magic Johnson continues to weigh in on the Lakers, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times writes. In addition to suggesting a meeting between Kobe Bryant and Jim Buss, Magic also said the team needs to make "one or two trades" before the deadline.
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee continues to hear that the threat to the Kings staying in Sacramento comes from Anaheim rather than Seattle. Seattle is years away from opening the doors on a new building and would need to find someone willing to sell a franchise.
- Earlier this afternoon, we looked at the Warriors' asking price for Monta Ellis.
Howard, Miles Open To Re-Signing With Jazz
Utah's 2012/13 roster doesn't have many question marks at this point, with most of its current players either under contract or eligible for restricted free agency following the season. Only two players aren't under team control for next year, and both Josh Howard and C.J. Miles say they're interested in staying in Utah, according to Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links).
Howard, 31, signed with the Jazz as an unrestricted free agent prior to the season on a one-year deal worth $2.15MM. He has seen his usual minutes reduced in Utah, having come off the bench for most of the season — his 8.0 PPG and 21.7 MPG would be career lows.
Miles, meanwhile, had his $3.7MM team option exercised by the Jazz before the lockout began. This summer will represent his first opportunity to hit unrestricted free agency and fully control his future, so he intends to explore all his options before making a decision, according to Smith (Twitter links). Miles has contributed 10.5 PPG and 12.6 PER in 245 games (23.2 MPG) over the course of his four-year contract with the Jazz.
If Utah is interested in keeping both Howard and Miles past this season, the team could probably do so without dipping into its mid-level exception. The Jazz would have Bird rights on Miles and non-Bird rights on Howard, which is likely all they'd need if both players continue to produce like they have so far.
The Asking Price For Monta Ellis
With the Warriors working actively to find a trade they like before the deadline, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News decided to explore what sort of package Golden State could be seeking for Monta Ellis, one of the team's prime trade chips.
According to Kawakami, the Timberwolves and Warriors discussed a trade last June, with the Timberwolves offering Michael Beasley and Nikola Pekovic for Ellis, while the Warriors wanted to expand the deal to land Minnesota's top draft pick as well. As Kawakami points out, Minnesota wouldn't make such an offer now, with Pekovic having taken a huge step forward this season (17.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG in February), but at the time, each side thought the other was asking for too much.
Ellis' 2011/12 numbers have been as good as ever – his 19.4 PER would be a career high – so there's no reason to think the Warriors have dropped their asking price since June. Golden State is thought to be seeking a young star in return for Ellis, and Kawakami hears the team doesn't want to trade the 26-year-old for just cap relief.
But is there a team out there who would part with a young star for Ellis? As talented as he is, the former second-round pick is an undersized two guard who isn't particularly strong on defense, and is owed $11MM per season through 2013/14. I can't think of many teams who would be willing and able to meet the Warriors' asking price, and I can't see the Warriors lowering their demands much, given Ellis' scoring prowess. Unless something changes over the next few weeks, I think we should expect Ellis to remain in Golden State past March 15th.
Heat Notes: Przybilla, Acquisitions, Lin
On the final night of games before the All-Star break, the Heat will be seeking a win over a new-look New York squad, while Jeremy Lin and the Knicks hope to finish the first half above .500. A Heat win and a Thunder loss vs. the Lakers would put Miami in sole possession of the NBA's best first-half record. While we look forward to an impressive slate of Thursday games, let's check in on a few Heat-related updates:
- Joel Przybilla spent three days last week in Florida being recruited by the Heat and team president Pat Riley, writes Jason Quick of the Oregonian. The veteran big man eventually decided to sign with the Blazers.
- Przybilla on the Heat: "They were first class. You can tell they are on top of things. And trust me, it was a tough decision to turn them down. But (Monday) morning, I woke up and realized it wasn't for me."
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks the lack of playing time the Heat's centers received in last year's postseason may have factored into Przybilla's decision as well.
- Winderman adds that any significant acquisition Miami makes this season may come at the buyout deadline rather than the trade deadline.
- The Heat were happy with Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole, and didn't consider claiming Jeremy Lin on waivers earlier this season, coach Erik Spoelstra tells Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
Latest On Wilson Chandler
12:16pm: The Cavaliers, one of the few teams who have the cap space to pose a serious threat to the Nuggets for Chandler, don't intend to get involved, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter). The Cavs like Chandler, but prefer to rebuild through trades and the draft (Twitter link).
11:12am: Although the Nuggets extended Wilson Chandler's a qualifying offer last year to make him a restricted free agent, that offer expired on December 25th, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). If Chandler had hoped to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end, he could have accepted the $3.1MM qualifying offer, but because it expired while he was under contract in China, he no longer has that option.
As I explained when I explored Chandler's options this morning, qualifying offers for restricted free agents typically expire on March 1st, though teams can choose to set an earlier deadline. It's unclear if the NBA adjusted the deadline in the new CBA or if the Nuggets set an earlier deadline, but either way, it limits Chandler's options.
Chandler, 24, could sign a long-term deal with the Nuggets or another club, or sit out the season and test restricted free agency again in the summer, when teams have more financial flexibility. However, his chances of becoming an unrestricted free agent after the season look slim to none, since the Nuggets don't plan to offer him a rest-of-season deal, according to Stein (on Twitter). The earliest Chandler could become an unrestricted free agent would be after next season, if he sat out this year, then accepted a qualifying offer from the Nuggets for 2012/13.
Cuban: Mavs Not Looking To Deal, But Will Listen
While the Mavericks' plan to clear as much cap space as possible this summer isn't exactly a well-concealed secret, owner Mark Cuban says the team could make a move that would compromise that approach, under one circumstance:
"Priority number one is to win a championship,'' Cuban told reporters, including Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. "If there's something that takes up cap room, but puts us over the top, I'm in. We're going to be opportunistic. If it's something good, we'll take advantage of it."
Cuban added that the team isn't looking to make a move, but that the Mavs would certainly be listening if a team made them the right offer. As Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas writes, the Mavs owner also dismissed a recent rumor suggesting Rodrigue Beaubois could be available: "That’s what people in New Orleans say because they’ve always liked him."
In a trade candidate piece from earlier this week, Michael Pina of Hoops Rumors explained how Shawn Marion factored into the team's cap considerations going forward.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Thursday
The Magic easily handled the Nets last night behind Dwight Howard's 20 points and 17 rebounds — after Orlando jumped out to a 17-point first quarter lead, the teams, rather improbably, tied each of the remaining quarters, resulting in a 108-91 Magic win. However, Howard was humbled by the show the Nets put on for him, including a pyrotechnic display and chants of "We want Dwight!" Howard declined comment when asked if saw potential in New Jersey's current roster, says Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com, but that won't stop the rumors and speculation from flying. Here's the latest on Howard:
- Howard's agent Dan Fegan "badly wants a client in the New York market," according to Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger.
- While his name has frequently popped up in Howard trade rumors, Brook Lopez would love to play with D12, as he tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post. This scenario could only happen if Howard signed with the Nets as a free agent.
- RealGM has a year-by-year breakdown of the contracts Howard could sign in free agency with his end-of-season team or a new team.
Nuggets’ Carmelo Trade Exception Expires
The record-setting traded player exception the Nuggets acquired when they traded Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks last February 22nd has expired. The exception was initially worth $17,149,244, the most in NBA history, though Denver has made use of it multiple times over the last year. By the time it expired, its value had been reduced to $4,640,536.
The Nuggets acquired three players whose salaries were absorbed within the Carmelo exception. They traded for Andre Miller ($7.27MM) in a deal with Portland in June, then acquired Corey Brewer ($3.06MM) and Rudy Fernandez ($2.18MM) from the Mavericks in December.
Along with the exception for Anthony, trade exceptions created in the same deal by the departures of Renaldo Balkman ($1.675MM) and Shelden Williams ($854,389) have also expired. For Hoops Rumors' up-to-date list of available traded player exceptions, click here.
Options For Wilson Chandler
Following Wilson Chandler's visit to Toronto yesterday, a lot of misinformation on the 24-year-old's options has been floating around the web. Because of Chandler's unique situation, returning from a season in China as a restricted NBA free agent, there's some confusion about where he can sign, and for how much. So let me run through Chandler's situation as I see it….
- Typically, restricted free agents can sign offer sheets with opposing teams, which the free agent's team then has three days to match. In this case, the Nuggets still hold Chandler's rights, so they'd have the option of matching any offer sheet he signs elsewhere.
- To become a restricted free agent, Chandler had to be extended a qualifying offer by Denver. Generally, the deadline to accept that one-year deal is March 1st. Assuming the Nuggets didn't move that deadline up, Chandler should be able to accept that qualifying offer (worth $3.1MM, pro-rated) and be eligible for unrestricted free agency after the season, if he doesn't get a long-term offer he likes. He could also sit out the rest of the season and become a restricted free agent again in the summer, when teams have more financial flexibility.
- Restricted free agents aren't permitted to sign offer sheets after March 1st, according to CBA expert Larry Coon, so if Chandler intends to sign an offer sheet with the Raptors or any other team, he'll have to do so within the next few days.
- ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, and SI.com's Sam Amick are among those writing that the Raptors have cap space (about $4.3MM) to put toward an offer for Chandler. It had previously been thought that the Raptors had used their mid-level exception and bi-annual exception to sign Aaron Gray and Gary Forbes respectively. If the team has available cap space, however, it must have renounced its $16MM in cap holds, signed Forbes using cap space, and signed Gray using its $2.5MM room exception for teams under the cap. Still, a contract starting at $4.3MM won't be enough to scare off the Nuggets, so if the Raptors are serious about Chandler, they could try to make a trade that clears more cap space, as Kyler reports.
- If Chandler accepted his qualifying offer from the Nuggets and became an unrestricted free agent this summer, the Raptors and a number of other teams would have the flexibility to make him a much larger offer than they can right now. So it makes sense that agent Chris Luchey suggested to Amick that GM Masai Ujiri and the Nuggets are more interested in a long-term contract than a rest-of-season deal. Denver is in a good position to outbid rival suitors at this point, but bidding could get more competitive this summer.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Knicks, Kaman, Przybilla
In an action-packed Wednesday night of basketball, the Thunder and Knicks have stolen the show so far with impressive victories over quality opponents. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led the Thunder to 72 points in the first half as the squad held on to beat the Celtics 119-104 in a box score seemingly from a different era. Let's take a look around the league to see what else happened on a night where Kevin Love and the Timberwolves climbed to .500 on the season:
- In what was potentially a preview of things to come, Magic center Dwight Howard did not disappoint the Nets faithful with his 20-point and 17-rebound performance Wednesday night in Newark. Jake Appleman of The New York Times says the Nets organization gave Howard a special welcome by displaying new signage promoting their Brooklyn arena and shooting off fireworks prior to the start of the game. When asked about playing for the Nets, Howard said he was humbled by the way the crowd of over 15,000 received him, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
- The Knicks are a team bound to benefit from the All-Star break, writes Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday. Having only played two games together as a team with the current roster, the Knicks will utilize their time to schedule five practices with hopes of better acclimating players like J.R. Smith to the offensive scheme.
- Hornets center Chris Kaman continues to add to his trade value as he scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 89-84 victory over the Cavaliers. Over the last five games, Kaman is averaging 16.0 PPG and 8.2 RPG and has notched two double-doubles. Thanks to Kaman's strong play, the Hornets have won four of their last six games after starting the season 4-23.
- Jason Quick of The Oregonian tweets free-agent center Joel Przybilla said he was thinking with his heart when he decided to sign with Trail Blazers instead of the Heat.