Blazers Rumors: Felton, Wallace, Crawford
As the Trail Blazers look to return to .500 tonight in Boston, here are a few Friday rumors out of Portland:
- Like most other teams, the Blazers won't make any trades that compromise their long-term plans, as acting GM Chad Buchanan tells Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.
- Within Freeman's piece, a source says the market for Raymond Felton is "soft" and that shopping Gerald Wallace has been a challenge as well — since Wallace has a pricey player option for next season, teams who just want to rent him are worried he'll exercise the option, while teams who would prefer to keep him next season are concerned he'll opt out.
- Freeman notes that if Wallace and Jamal Crawford decline their player options, and the Blazers hang on to the expiring contracts of Felton and Marcus Camby, the team could have about $23MM in cap space this summer. So Portland's not necessarily feeling pressure to make a deal.
- Freeman doesn't believe the Blazers are interested in Jose Calderon, but thinks Eric Bledsoe would make a good trade target (Twitter links).
- Peter Vecsey of the New York Post says the Timberwolves aren't going to send Luke Ridnour to Portland in order to acquire Crawford. The two sides had reportedly discussed a trade involving those two players.
Minor Moves: Lee, Joseph, Wright
We'll keep tabs on today's international and D-League-related transactions of note here:
- Malcolm Lee has been recalled from Sioux Falls by the Timberwolves, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Lee, who has yet to make his NBA debut, was assigned to Minnesota's D-League affiliate for the second time last Wednesday.
- The Spurs have recalled Cory Joseph from their D-League affiliate in Austin, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Joseph, who was assigned to the Toros less than a week ago, returns to San Antonio following T.J. Ford's neck injury.
- Former NBA veteran Antoine Wright has joined the D-League in hopes of returning to the NBA, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Wright, a 15th overall pick in 2005, played for the Nets, Mavericks, Raptors, and Kings, last appearing in the NBA in November 2010. The 28-year-old averaged 5.4 PPG in 297 career games.
Stein’s Latest: Howard, Turkoglu, Pacers, Kaman
This week's installment of Marc Stein's Weekend Dime is up at ESPN.com, so let's dive in and check out Stein's latest rumors….
- Amidst talk of a quiet trade deadline, Stein says similar pessimism has preceded flurries of deals in the past. However, there's a league-wide expectation that Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Rajon Rondo will stay put.
- The Magic continue to pursue non-Howard deals, bringing up Hedo Turkoglu's name frequently. One front office source tells Stein that a team would have to received at least two future first-round picks to take on Turkoglu's contract.
- Meanwhile, a Western Conference exec says he doesn't expect Orlando to even consider shopping Howard until deadline day. While that may seem a little too last-minute, the Magic are already aware of most of their trade options, meaning a deal could be worked out quickly, a source tells Stein.
- Teams around the league seem to be valuing first-round picks more than ever, particularly 2012 selections, since this year's draft class is expected to be a deep one. A club with cap space like the Pacers could acquire players without sending out any salaries, but Indiana is extremely reluctant to part with its future first-rounders in any such deal.
- It still appears that David Stern and the NBA-owned Hornets have no interest in buying out Chris Kaman's contract if the big man isn't traded. If Kaman was bought out and signed with a team like the Heat, he could impact the NBA Finals and further deplete the Chris Paul haul for the Hornets, neither of which would look great for the league.
- There has been speculation that the Mavericks could be interested in Kaman in a deal involving Lamar Odom, but Stein says not to expect such a move, noting that Mark Cuban is committed to riding out the season with Odom.
- As I speculated earlier, the Wizards are considering moving JaVale McGee on the condition that Andray Blatche is included in the deal as well. While both players have a ton of upside, the pair wouldn't exactly improve any team's chemistry.
The Celtics’ Asking Price For Ray Allen
The Pacers could use an upgrade at two guard, and president of basketball operations Larry Bird knows his old team in Boston has a good one who might be available. But Bird told Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com that the Celtics' asking price for Ray Allen was too high for his liking.
"When [Celtics GM] Danny [Ainge] and I talked about trading for Ray, he wanted Tyler Hansbrough and a first-round pick," Bird said. "If that's the value he's putting on Ray Allen, he ain't getting it. That tells me he's in no hurry to trade him."
While the Celtics' asking price for Allen could drop before next Thursday, Bird predicted that Boston's Big Three would remain intact for the rest of this season. Allen and Kevin Garnett are earning a combined $31MM+ in the final year of their deals, so simply letting those contracts expire would clear a good chunk of cap space for the Celtics this summer.
Wizards Willing To Listen On JaVale McGee
With JaVale McGee facing restricted free agency this summer, the Wizards are open to trade offers for the seven-footer for the first time, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post. While the Wizards aren't actively shopping McGee, they're willing to listen, a source tells Lee.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein suggested earlier today that Washington could be more inclined to part with McGee, since the Wizards seem to have interest in Bucks center Andrew Bogut. McGee's 2011/12 cap figure is a mere $2.46MM, which would make it hard to find a one-for-one deal for the 24-year-old. I'm curious about whether the Wizards could be trying to package McGee with Andray Blatche as a way to clear out Blatche's long-term deal.
As Lee writes, McGee has a penchant for mixing "the spectacular with the perplexing." However, the Nevada product has averaged 11.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game, and Lee says teams have contacted the Wizards for a number of years to inquire on McGee's availability.
Spears On Howard, Bynum, Lowry, Gasol
A number of NBA executives are predicting a relatively uneventful trade deadline, and the ones who have spoken to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports echo that sentiment, calling this the quietest deadline in years.
"I'd be surprised if we see a lot of deals," one Western Conference exec told Spears. "In a short season, you can survive another 30 games and start talking trade to teams during the draft lottery."
While we may not see a blockbuster deal by next Thursday, there are still plenty of major trade possibilities out there, and Spears has updates on a few of the bigger names:
- The Dwight Howard sweepstakes continue to hold up other trades around the league, as one GM tells Spears: "Everyone has crazy ideas here and there. But teams are reluctant to make a trade until something happens [with Howard]."
- The Lakers aren't interested in trading Andrew Bynum unless it nets them Howard.
- With the Rockets still unwilling to include Kyle Lowry in a deal for Pau Gasol, Houston would probably need to recruit a third team to send Los Angeles a point guard if they hope to acquire the Spaniard.
- No changes on these fronts: The Celtics won't move Rajon Rondo unless they get a star in return, the Suns will only trade Steve Nash if he asks for it, and the Warriors prefer to deal Monta Ellis only if they can acquire Howard.
Latest On Chris Kaman
The Hornets continue to explore possible trades for Chris Kaman, according to SI.com's Sam Amick. The Rockets, Pacers, Warriors, Heat, and Celtics are among the teams still interested in the Hornets' center.
According to Amick, the Rockets and Warriors are reluctant to make a move for Kaman until they know more about Dwight Howard's situation — both teams are interested in acquiring Howard, even without assurances that he'd be around long-term.
Even if Houston, Golden State turn their focus to Kaman, they may have trouble finding a deal that works. With new ownership not yet in place, the NBA-owned Hornets are seeking draft picks or young players, and it seems unlikely any team will meet the league's demands at this point. Rival executives have complained about the complications that come with dealing with league officials in trade negotiations, according to Amick.
While Kaman is the Hornets' most likely trade candidate, virtually anyone on the roster is available for the right long-term assets, sources tell Amick.
Bogut Drawing Interest From Several Teams
11:13am: This is the first time since drafting Bogut that the Bucks aren't immediately turning away trade inquiries, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. However, Stein says Milwaukee is insisting Jackson is included in any deal, as Woelfel hinted at earlier. The Wizards are one of the teams most interested in Bogut, Stein adds, though a source says "the price is high."
9:00am: Andrew Bogut is still on the shelf with a fractured ankle, but that hasn't stopped teams from showing interest in him. According to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, a "slew of teams" have discussed the possibility of acquiring the former first overall pick, either internally or with the Bucks.
The Bucks aren't on the verge of making any moves, but have engaged in several trade talks, and appear open to dealing anyone, says Woelfel. He adds that, while Bogut has never publicly expressed a desire to be dealt out of Milwaukee, there are "whispers" that a strained relationship with coach Scott Skiles, along with the team's lack of postseason success, may have the 27-year-old thinking about a change of scenery.
Woelfel names the Magic, Hawks, Celtics, Rockets, Hornets, Wizards, Bobcats, and Warriors as clubs who have some level of interest in Bogut. Some of those teams are more realistic suitors than others, but Woefel points out that Bogut's age and contract make him a potential fit for contenders as well as lottery teams.
The Bucks have a chance to be one of the league's more active teams at the trade deadline — Milwaukee possesses obvious trade candidates such as Beno Udrih and Stephen Jackson, and a less obvious trade candidate in Ersan Ilyasova. Woelfel says that ideally Jackson's contract could be included with Bogut's if the Bucks were to consider dealing their big center, though finding a logical match for their combined $21MM+ salary could be a challenge.
Clippers Re-Sign Bobby Simmons
The Clippers have signed Bobby Simmons to a second 10-day contract, tweets Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Turner had reported earlier this week that the Clips expected to re-sign Simmons when his initial 10-day deal expired.
Simmons, who won the NBA's Most Improved Player award in 2004/05 with the Clippers, joined the team last Monday on a 10-day contract. In his six games for the Clippers, the 31-year-old has averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 18 minutes.
If the Clippers want to retain Simmons when his second 10-day expires, they'll have to guarantee his contract for the rest of the season.
Hornets Sign Jeff Foote To 10-Day Contract
The Hornets have signed center Jeff Foote to a 10-day contract, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com (via Twitter). Foote will replace Solomon Jones on the roster, after New Orleans decided not to sign Jones for the rest of the season when his second 10-day deal expired.
Foote, 24, was a training camp invitee for the Trail Blazers in December, but didn't make the team. The former Cornell big man has spent the season playing for the D-League's Springfield Armor, averaging 14.8 PPG and 8.6 RPG in 29 games.
David Pick of Eurobasket.com first reported that the Hornets would bring Foote aboard, while John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune added that it would be a 10-day signing.