Leon Powe Signs In Puerto Rico
For NBA teams in need of size and depth, another big man is off the market. Leon Powe has officially signed with Puerto Rico's Atleticos de San German, the team announced today (hat tip to Sportando).
Powe, 28, hadn't played for an NBA team this year, but appeared in 30 games for the Cavaliers and Grizzlies in 2010/11. Powe also spent three seasons with the Celtics, and was part of the Boston squad that defeated the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals. In 239 career contests, the 6'8" forward has averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per game.
The Bulls were said to be eyeing Powe earlier this season as a potential backup plan if Joel Przybilla signed elsewhere. However, even after Przybilla inked a deal with the Blazers, Chicago didn't make a move for Powe.
Jamal Crawford Rumors: Wednesday
The Trail Blazers have slipped to tenth place in the Western Conference standings, and Jamal Crawford reportedly intends to opt out of his contract at season's end, so it's no surprise that the 31-year-old's name has popped up in recent trade rumors. The Clippers and Timberwolves are among the most interested teams, and the Bucks, Kings, and Raptors are also said to have kicked the tires. Here's the latest on Crawford:
- In his latest ESPN.com chat, Chad Ford reports that he believes the Blazers and Timberwolves are talking about a swap involving Crawford and Luke Ridnour.
- Ford also adds the Pacers to the list of teams interested in Crawford. Unlike the Clippers and T-Wolves, Indiana has the cap space necessary to acquire Crawford without having to send Portland any salary in return.
Bucks Facing Decision On Ersan Ilyasova
Ersan Ilyasova is poised to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and at 25 years old, he'll be one of the more intriguing power forwards on the market. Earning increased playing time in Milwaukee this season after Andrew Bogut went down, Ilyasova has averaged 14.4 points and 11.1 rebounds in 17 games since the start of February.
The emergence of Ilyasova means the Bucks have a decision to make, says Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Bidding for Ilyasova figures to be competitive this offseason, and the Bucks already have two forwards (Drew Gooden and Luc Mbah a Moute) under contract through 2014/15. If the Bucks hope to outbid potential suitors for the unrestricted free agent, they'd need to commit to long-term deals for three solid but unspectacular forwards with similar skillsets.
Another factor in the Bucks' decision is the interest Ilyasova is drawing overseas. We heard last month that the 24-year-old has received offers from five European teams that wanted to buy him out of his Bucks' contract, and those clubs figure to pursue him again this summer. One NBA exec told Woelfel that he wouldn't be surprised if Ilyasova returned to Turkey, his home country, where he may be able to earn a tax-free annual salary of $5MM.
Considering the Bucks may lose Ilyasova for nothing in the offseason, Woelfel wonders if the team would trade him now. The Bucks are three games back of the Knicks for the final playoff spot in the East, so I can't see them becoming sellers at the deadline. But Ilyasova, who earns just $2.54MM this season, would be an attractive trade chip for contenders in need of size.
Latest On Rasheed Wallace
Before the All-Star Game, a CSNNE.com story suggested Rasheed Wallace would come out of retirement and play for the Lakers. It appears that report was a little premature. Still, Wallace is indeed considering a return to the NBA, and recently worked out for the Heat, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
According to Tomasson's source, Wallace hasn't decided yet whether or not he wants to play, and is keeping mum on the subject for now since he "doesn't want to cause a lot of hoopla" if he stays retired. If the Heat were interested in adding him, however, Wallace would consider it (Twitter links).
As for the rumored Wallace-to-the-Lakers move that never materialized, I have to think there was something there, particularly since the team never publicly shot it down. But clearly the two sides weren't as close to an agreement as was believed. CSNNE's A. Sherrod Blakely covered Wallace on the Pistons for years, so perhaps he heard from the big man's camp that he planned to sign with Los Angeles, while the Lakers themselves were still undecided on how to use their open roster spot — that's just a guess though.
Gasol, Kupchak Spoke About Trade Rumors
Kobe Bryant's plea to the Lakers to provide the team's players with some clarity on the trade rumors swirling around the club didn't go unanswered. While the Lakers didn't definitively decide to trade or retain Pau Gasol, as Kobe suggested they should, GM Mitch Kupchak called Gasol to discuss the situation, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles.
"I have an understanding of where things are," Gasol said. "Where they stand and where he stands and where I stand. He [Kupchak] told me to just keep doing what you do, keep playing hard and playing on and from that point on, we'll see…. It was kind of calming to have that feedback. Since before training camp, it was the first time I was approached by them."
Although Kupchak didn't make any guarantees to Gasol about where he'd be playing after the trade deadline, Gasol understands why such a guarantee wouldn't be in the team's best interest. The Spaniard asked the Lakers GM to let him know when "something real" was on the table, and recognized why Kupchak wouldn't necessarily keep him updated more frequently.
"It's hard because when an organization is going to pull the trigger, I guess the less involvement and the less contact, the easier it is," Gasol said. "That was the point if you watched that movie 'Moneyball' where Brad Pitt doesn't want to be involved with players. I don't know if that's the case or not, but you could see that kind of factor."
The Rockets, Timberwolves, Celtics, and Bulls are among the clubs that have been linked to Gasol in the last few weeks. For his part, Gasol told Shelburne he doesn't have a sense of whether he'll be traded, and is looking forward to putting the March 15th deadline behind him so he'll have an answer one way or another.
Five Eastern Contenders To Watch At The Deadline
We covered five Western Conference contenders to watch at the trade deadline yesterday, so let's head east today. Here are five likely Eastern Conference playoff clubs who have some decisions to make by next Thursday:
- Heat: With virtually all their key players on multiyear contracts, the Heat don't have much flexibility to make moves. That's not necessarily a big deal for Miami though, since they have a championship-caliber roster as is, and don't need to make a huge splash before the deadline. What they would like to do is add one more big man, preferably a true center who can take the pressure off the power forwards like Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem currently playing out of position for the team. I don't see an obvious target for the Heat, unless they were willing to part with one or two rotation pieces. While I'm Miami will explore myriad trade possibilities, the club may ultimately have to shift its focus to buyout candidates after the deadline.
- Bulls: Chicago has enough trade assets to shoot for the moon and make a run at Dwight Howard or Pau Gasol, but that's probably a long shot. Still, with Richard Hamilton's health in question, I don't know that this team is much better than the squad that fell to the Heat in last season's Eastern Conference Finals. I think it'd be worthwhile to explore a deal for a shooting guard in case Hamilton can't be relied upon in the postseason, but the price may be steep. Ray Allen would be a great fit, but is there any way the Celtics trade him to a team they could face in the first round? Yesterday, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune mentioned Jamal Crawford as a possible target, but he'd be a rental that would likely cost the Bulls a young player and the Bobcats' first-round draft pick. Bringing Mike James back may be a simpler and less costly insurance policy for Hamilton.
- Magic: The most obvious name on this list, the Magic would create a domino effect of activity around the league if they made a definitive decision on Dwight Howard's status. With just a week over until the trade deadline, reports continue to suggest Orlando seeks reinforcements around Howard, rather than offers for the star center. At this point, I'd be surprised if the Magic altered that stance. I think the team feels it's better off taking its chances trying to convince D12 to stay in Orlando, rather than taking 50 cents on the dollar (or worse) to ship him out of town. A trade for Steve Nash or Monta Ellis is an extreme long shot though, so I'll be interested to see if the Magic can turn their few assets of interest into anything that resembles an actual upgrade.
- Pacers: They have a top-four record in the East, but I'm not convinced the Pacers are ready to contend for a title quite yet. They're still at least a piece or two away, and I don't expect they'll find that piece in the next week. But Indiana's tremendous amount of cap space makes the team an obvious candidate to take involve itself in a ton of trade talks. Even if the Pacers don't shop for an immediate upgrade to the current roster, they have the flexibility to take on salary to accommodate another team, perhaps acquiring a draft pick or two for their troubles.
- Celtics: Much has been written about whether the Celtics are shopping or listening to offers for Rajon Rondo and their Big Three (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen). I wouldn't put it past GM Danny Ainge, who's never shy about pulling the trigger on a major deal, to move one of those four players, but I think it's just as likely that Boston has a relatively quiet deadline. With over $40MM in expiring contracts set to come off the books this summer, the Celtics won't make a move that compromises their future cap flexibility unless they can acquire a core piece in the process. If that deal isn't out there, Boston could make a simpler move, such as trading Brandon Bass in an effort to clear even more cap room for next season.
Mavericks Notes: Trade Talk, Chandler, Cuban
When I identified five Western Conference contenders to watch yesterday, I said it would be interesting to see how the Mavericks balanced their present and future goals at the trade deadline. While the Mavs have a realistic shot at defending their title, they don't figure to make any moves to strengthen this year's team if it means compromising their summer flexibility. According to owner Mark Cuban, the team isn't actively seeking any deals at the moment.
"We're not calling anybody," Cuban said Tuesday, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. "I told [GM] Donnie [Nelson] to take calls, but we're not making any calls. There you have it."
Here are a few more Wednesday morning Mavs updates:
- Cuban still has no regrets about not re-signing Tyson Chandler, who received his championship ring last night, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "You got a plan and you stick to it," Cuban said. "Tyson's a great player, and it's no reflection on him."
- Sefko thinks there's a strong possibility Dallas lands at least one of Deron Williams or Dwight Howard in free agency this summer, but offers some alternatives if the team can't add either player.
- Elsewhere in the Morning News' round-up of his Tuesday chat, Sefko says Cuban is done trying to get into MLB ownership for the time being.
Grunfeld: Wizards Actively Working Phones
Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld says the team is actively working the phones in advance of next Thursday's trade deadline, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Asked if Washington will make any moves, Grunfeld said "only time will tell."
Of the players on the Wizards' roster, Andray Blatche and Nick Young are the most likely to be involved in any significant move Washington makes. The Wizards are said to be aggressively shopping Blatche, having signed him to an ill-advised extension that keeps him under contract until 2015. Finding a taker for Blatche will be challenging, and Washington may have to take on an equally bad contract if they want to make a move.
Young, who will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, has the option of vetoing any trades involving him, since he accepted a qualifying offer from the Wizards in the offseason. However, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reported this week that Young may welcome a trade to another club.
Odds & Ends: Bulls, Nets, Kings, Hornets, Celtics
After a slow start in the early minutes, the Heat had little trouble dealing with the Nets at home. Chris Bosh was back in action tonight and put up 20 points off of 9-14 shooting en route to Miami's 108-78 blowout win. Here's a look at some items from around the Association on this Tuesday night..
- With Richard Hamilton set to return soon, Sam Smith of Bulls.com doesn't think the Bulls need to make a deal to fill the veteran's shoes.
- Nets general manager Billy King still intends to be active at the March 15 trade deadline even with center Brook Lopez sidelined for the next three weeks, writes Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger. Stephenson points out that Mehmet Okur, DeShawn Stevenson, Kris Humphries, Sundiata Gaines, Shelden Williams and the injured Damion James all own expiring contracts.
- The Sacramento City Council is expected to approve a plan to give the Kings a new arena and subsequently retain the franchise, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (via Twitter). The meeting is still in progress.
- With Emeka Okafor still out indefinitely with a sore left knee, Hornets Coach Monty Williams says there is a good chance center Solomon Jones will be signed for the remainder of the season, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. In ten games with New Orleans, Jones has averaged 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.
- Kevin McHale was literally in the shoes of the Celtics' current Big Three near the end of his Hall of Fame career with the C's, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Rockets coach told reporters that he believes 2012's Big Three is playing better than himself, Larry Bird, and Robert Parish towards the end of their time in Boston.
- Gerald Green is elated to receive another ten-day contract from the Nets, tweets Andy Vasquez of The Record.
Kings Arena Deal Passes City Vote
The Kings have cleared a major hurdle in their efforts to secure a new stadium in Sacramento. The city council has given the plan its stamp of approval with a final vote of 7-2, according to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter).
Sacramento owner Gavin Maloof was in attendance for the meeting along with multiple team officials and guard Isaiah Thomas, according to Ailene Voisin (Twitter links). David Aldridge of NBA.com recently wrote that the Maloofs have the support of David Stern and will receive some sort of financial help if needed to keep the team in Sacramento.
The arena is set to open in time for the 2015/16 season and the Kings have agreed to act as its anchor tenant for 30 years. Cities such as Anaheim and Seattle were expected to go after the Kings if they were to leave Sacramento.