2012 July | Hoops Rumors

Ryan Anderson Likely Won’t Re-Sign With Magic

By Michael Pina | at July 8, 2012 2:47 pm

2:47pm: In a tweet from Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, Anderson's contract will be four years, approximately $36MM. Also, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the trade for Anderson is not expected to interfere with New Orleans decision on whether or not they'll match the Suns offer sheet with Eric Gordon. But it does affect the futures of Chris Kaman and Carl Landry, two big men who played for the Hornets last season who are almost certain to find a new team shortly.

2:10pm: According to a tweet from the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins, the Magic are discussing a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets centered around Ryan Anderson. Also, in a tweet from the New Orleans Time-Picayune's Jimmy Smith, the deal is close to being done, and involves current Hornets big man Gustavo Ayon.

1:29pm: Magic forward Ryan Anderson likely won't re-sign with the Magic, and will be dealt in a sign-and-trade, according to a tweet from Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski. Anderson is currently a restricted free agent. The Kings have reportedly been extremely interested in the sharp shooting forward's services, with hopes of playing him at the small forward position.

3 comments New Orleans Pelicans Orlando Magic Gustavo Ayon Ryan Anderson

Kings Close To Re-Signing Jason Thompson

By Daniel Seco | at July 8, 2012 9:41 am

Restricted free agent Jason Thompson is close to reaching an agreement with the Kings to remain with the team, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). The former first round pick averaged 9.1 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 64 games for the Kings during the 2011/12 season. Thompson, 26 later this month, earned $3MM last season with Sacramento.

The power forward had been taking a wait-and-see approach with the Kings as the franchise drafted Thomas Robinson in June and pursued Magic big man Ryan Anderson as recently as last week. Regardless, Kings president Geoff Petrie reiterated his stance that re-signing Thompson was the team's top priority and could foresee Anderson playing small forward if he signed with Sacramento.

0 comments Sacramento Kings Jason Thompson

Batum Wants To Move On From Portland

By Ryan Raroque | at July 7, 2012 10:31 pm

Despite averaging a career high in points (13.9), rebounds (4.6), blocks (1.0), and steals (1.0) last season, Nicolas Batum has expressed his desire to leave the Trail Blazers. He and his agent, Bouna N'Diaye, met with Portland GM Neil Olshey, scouting director Chad Buchanan, and capologist Joe Cronin on Thursday in an attempt to persuade the team not to match the Timberwolves' offer sheet, writes Chris Haynes of CNNSW.

7 comments Minnesota Timberwolves Portland Trail Blazers Nicolas Batum

Odds & Ends: Hinrich, Bulls, Meeks, Mayo, Tolliver

By Ryan Raroque | at July 7, 2012 9:51 pm

Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago reported earlier that the Bucks presented Kirk Hinrich with an offer of about $4 MM per year, while the Bulls have made an offer somewhere between the veteran's minimum and around $2 MM per year. The proposed length of either deal is still unknown. Although the Bulls have been relatively quiet at this point during the offseason, Sam thinks that Chicago could eventually become financially viable for free agent point guards such as Ramon Sessions, Raymond Felton, Jerryd Bayless, and Delonte West, who could be available if they are not acquired during the first wave of free agent signings. Derek Fisher and Jonny Flynn were also mentioned as potential additions.

We are currently less than four days away from the end of the NBA's moratorium period, and here is the rest of what we've heard around the league this evening…

Ersan Ilyasova plans to meet with Bucks owner Herb Kohl on Tuesday, which is seen as an important opportunity in the team's effort to retain the 6'10'' forward (Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times reports). Earlier this week, we reported that Milwaukee offered a deal worth around $40MM over five years.

Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweeted that the Lakers are scheduled to meet with unrestricted free agent Jodie Meeks early next week. In another tweet, Amico says that the Celtics have reportedly stepped up their interest in O.J. Mayo, but thinks Boston would likely have to add him via a sign-and-trade.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweeted that although the Timberwolves express interest in Anthony Tolliver, the team has not made any promises. Zgoda also added via Tolliver's agent that there are five other teams that have shown interest.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer answered some questions from Cleveland fans about the Cavaliers' offseason. While the team appears committed to keeping Anderson Varejao, Boyer thinks that his name will be brought up by other teams during trade discussions. With regards to free agency, she believes that Anthony Tolliver, Sonny Weems, Jonny Flynn, and Royal Ivey could be targets.
Ben Golliver of the BlazersEdge wonders if there are more front office changes coming after the resignation of Larry Miller, considering that the Trail Blazers still have executives held over from two prior regimes (Twitter link).
Carmelo Anthony publicly endorsed the Knicks' efforts to recruit Marcus Camby, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
Bulls forward Taj Gibson told Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago that he'd like the team to keep Omer Asik and would be ecstatic if the team somehow found a way to bring unrestricted free agent Kirk Hinrich back to Chicago. The two had been teammates during Gibson's rookie season.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes about Austin Daye and Charlie Villanueva as two players who will look to stake their claim as the stretch-four in Lawrence Frank's rotation. Both are in Orlando participating in summer league practices, but only Daye will compete on the Pistons' summer league team.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel talked about Jameer Nelson's return to the Magic and what it means for his leadership role moving forward.

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2 comments Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Milwaukee Bucks Minnesota Timberwolves New York Knicks Orlando Magic Portland Trail Blazers Anderson Varejao Anthony Tolliver Austin Daye Charlie Villanueva Delonte West Derek Fisher Ersan Ilyasova Jameer Nelson Jerryd Bayless Jodie Meeks Jonny Flynn Kirk Hinrich Marcus Camby O.J. Mayo Omer Asik Ramon Sessions Raymond Felton Royal Ivey Sonny Weems Taj Gibson

Latest On Marcus Camby

By Chuck Myron | at July 7, 2012 7:31 pm

7:31pm: Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets that the Heat are not interested in including Joel Anthony or Norris Cole in any sign-and-trade deals. Also, Rashard Lewis appears to be their number one target (Twitter link), thus making Camby less of a priority right now.

5:08pm: Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston reports that the Rockets are willing to work out a sign-and-trade with any team, not just the Heat or the Knicks.

4:50pm: Jared Zwerling of ESPN.com notes via Twitter that Camby's meeting with the Heat, originally scheduled for this morning, was postponed, not canceled.

4:34pm: Camby has canceled a meeting with the Heat, and Nets GM Billy King is pursuing Camby "pretty hard," sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Marc Berman of the New York Post hears that "frontrunner" is too strong a word to describe the Knicks position in the race for Camby right now (Twitter link). Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has additional details on the canceled Heat meeting. Both Jackson and Berger, via Twitter, say the door remains open for the Heat to acquire Camby via sign-and-trade. Jackson reports the Rockets are interested in Norris Cole as part of sign-and-trade with the Heat.

3:17pm: The Knicks appear to be in the lead for Camby, as the Rockets are interested in making a sign-and-trade with New York, but not Miami, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Even if the Knicks fail to work out a sign-and-trade, they still may have the $3.09MM mini midlevel available if the Mavs agree to a sign-and-trade for Jason Kidd. The Heat, after agreeing to terms with Ray Allen, could only give Camby the veteran's minimum of about $1.4MM, unless Houston consents to a sign-and-trade. John Hollinger of ESPN.com believes the Heat would have to include an expiring contract and a draft pick in any sign-and-trade instead of Joel Anthony, who has three seasons left on his deal (Twitter link).

2:15pm: We heard earlier today that the Knicks and Marcus Camby were to meet sometime in the next few days in Las Vegas, but a source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that the meeting will take place tomorrow in Houston. Isola says Camby is still considering the Heat, Rockets, Mavs and Spurs as well, with the Nets a dark horse (Twitter links).

The Heat, rumored to be seeking Camby in a sign-and-trade, have a few assets to pull of that kind of deal, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Among them are Joel Anthony, the Sixers' 2013 first-round pick acquired in an earlier trade, and perhaps even Norris Cole, Winderman says.

As we heard from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports yesterday, the Knicks and Heat appear to be the frontrunners for the 38-year-old who was the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2006/07. Camby averaged 4.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game with the Blazers and Rockets last season, the first time since 2002/03 he put up less than 10.0 RPG.

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0 comments Brooklyn Nets Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Miami Heat New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs Marcus Camby

Dwight Howard Rumors: Saturday

By Zachary Links | at July 7, 2012 7:00 pm

There wasn't much movement on the Dwight Howard talks yesterday but the Nets, Lakers, Hawks, Mavericks, and Rockets are all still in play for the Magic star. Of course, four of those teams could have pause about trading for Howard as he says that he won't agree to an extension with any club other than Brooklyn. We'll keep track of the latest Howard rumors in this post..

Ken Berger of CBS Sports writes that the Rockets continue to have their eye on Dwight and are continuously exploring ways in which they can acquire draft picks and cap space. After dealing Kyle Lowry to the Raptors for a future first-round pick this past week, it is understood that Houston is engaging in sign-and-trade talks involving Marcus Camby under the premise of accumulating more draft picks, which could later be used to sweeten a trade offer to the Magic.

10 comments Brooklyn Nets Houston Rockets New York Knicks Orlando Magic Toronto Raptors Dwight Howard Kyle Lowry Marcus Camby

Suns Pull Qualifying Offer To Aaron Brooks

By Zachary Links | at July 7, 2012 5:38 pm

SATURDAY, 5:38pm: According to a tweet by Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, the Suns have officially withdrawn their qualifying offer to Brooks, making him an unrestricted free agent.

3:10pm: Kennedy and Brooks have deleted their tweets, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, reporting mutual interest between Brooks and the Rockets, refers to Brooks as a restricted free agent. So, it appears the issue has not yet been finalized.

2:04pm: Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld confirms the Suns have withdrawn the qualifying offer, making Brooks an unrestricted free agent (Twitter link).

FRIDAY, 10:45pm: It appears that the Suns have withdrawn their qualifying offer to Aaron Brooks after the guard sent out a tweet reading, "Unrestricted :-)." If Phoenix has in fact pulled the qualifying offer from Brooks, he is now an unrestricted free agent.

6 comments Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Phoenix Suns Transactions Aaron Brooks

Lawrence On Bird, Hibbert, Gordon, Brooks

By Chuck Myron | at July 7, 2012 4:59 pm

Larry Bird was leaning toward a return as Pacers president, former Celtics teammates tell Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, until owner Herb Simon nixed the idea of adding a scorer to the team during a meeting with Bird in late June, shortly before Bird resigned June 26th. Bird was considering an offer for Eric Gordon, Lawrence writes, but Simon, who has a net worth of $1.8 billion, doesn't want to pay the luxury tax. Though Indiana has only about $36MM in guaranteed salaries for next season, the Pacers likely couldn't have brought aboard Gordon, who's signed an offer sheet with the Suns for the maximum four years and $58MM, and retained all their free agents without becoming a tax team. Bird's concerns about his shoulder and back were also reasons he stepped down, but the 55-year-old NBA legend left the door open for a return to another team's front office. Lawrence has more from around the league, and we've got the highlights here:

2 comments Indiana Pacers Minnesota Timberwolves New Orleans Pelicans Oklahoma City Thunder Phoenix Suns Portland Trail Blazers Larry Bird Roy Hibbert Scott Brooks

Celtics Rumors: Stiemsma, Bradley, Cap

By Chuck Myron | at July 7, 2012 4:09 pm

It's been a busy day in Boston, and that's not even counting the doubleheader between the Red Sox and Yankees. You can head over to MLB Trade Rumors for baseball news, but we've got the Celtics covered right here. Already today they've reached an agreement with Jeff Green, and we've heard that negotiations between C's restricted free agent big man Greg Stiemsma and the Timberwolves are on hold, perhaps allowing Boston a chance to woo him back. Stiemsma's agent, however, says his client prefers the Timberwolves and is willing to be patient with them, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). Here's more of what we're hearing:

3 comments Boston Celtics Minnesota Timberwolves Greg Stiemsma

Players Who’ve Signed Qualifying Offers

By Chuck Myron | at July 7, 2012 3:45 pm

When the Sixers’ new two-year, $13.1MM deal with Spencer Hawes becomes official, it will make NBA history. Hawes will be the first player ever to re-sign with a team after accepting a qualifying offer from the same team the year before. Hawes is already in select company as one of only 14 players ever to accept a qualifying offer, the one-year tender teams must make to players coming off their rookie contracts in order to retain the right to match offers from other teams. Usually, qualifying offers are merely the starting point for negotiations, if that.

A player to whom a qualifying offer has been made usually either signs an offer sheet with another team or re-signs with his original team for an amount significantly greater than the qualifying offer. When a player accepts the qualifying offer, it’s usually a signal he’ll soon wind up elsewhere, as it ensures a quick path to unrestricted free agency.

There’s been an increase in the number of players accepting qualifying offers under the new collective bargaining agreement, as five of the 14 players ever to accept them have done so since this past December. While there’s no specific language in the CBA that would encourage this, it may indicate that players and agents feel teams will be less willing to hand out lucrative contracts with a more punitive luxury tax looming. For the three players who signed their qualifying offers in December, it could simply be an effect of the condensed free agency period following the lockout, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post alluded to when Nick Young signed his qualifying offer from the Wizards last year.

In any case, here’s the list of all 14 players who’ve accepted qualifying offers and, where applicable, information on what happened next:

Luke Harangody signed the Cavaliers’ qualifying offer of $1,054,389 on 7/3/12.
Darius Morris signed the Lakers’ qualifying offer of $962,195 on 7/2/12.
Nick Young signed the Wizards’ qualifying offer of $3,695,857 on 12/19/11. He was traded to the Clippers 3/15/12, and agreed to sign for one-year, $6MM with the Sixers on 7/6/12.
Marco Belinelli signed the Hornets’ qualifying offer of $3,377,604 on 12/13/11.
Spencer Hawes signed the Sixers’ qualifying offer of $4,051,024 on 12/10/11. He agreed to re-sign with the Sixers for two years, $13.1MM on 7/4/12.
Raymond Felton signed the Bobcats’ qualifying offer of $5,501,196 on 9/23/09. Signed with the Knicks for two years, $14.56MM on 7/12/10.
Ben Gordon signed the Bulls’ qualifying offer of $6,404,750 on 10/1/08. Signed with the Pistons for five years, $58MM on 7/8/09.
Robert Swift signed the Thunder’s qualifying offer of $3,579,131 on 9/11/08. Has not signed another NBA contract.
Mickael Pietrus signed the Warriors’ qualifying offer of $3,470,771 on 10/1/07. Signed with the Magic for four years, $21.2MM on 7/10/08.
Melvin Ely signed the Bobcats’ qualifying offer of $3,303,813 on 10/2/06. He was traded to the Spurs on 2/13/07, and agreed to sign for two years, $1,893,739 (minimum salary) with the Hornets on 9/13/07.
Vladimir Radmanovic signed the Sonics’ qualifying offer of $3,166,155 on 9/19/05. He was traded to the Clippers on 2/14/06, and agreed to sign for five years, $30.247MM with the Lakers on 7/12/06.
Stromile Swift signed the Grizzlies’ qualifying offer of $5,993,105 on 9/30/04. Signed with the Rockets for four years, $22.4MM on 8/2/05.
Michael Olowokandi signed the Clippers’ qualifying offer of $6,061,214 on 9/23/02. Signed with the Timberwolves for three years, $16,226,100 on 7/17/03.
Rasho Nesterovic signed the Timberwolves’ qualifying offer of $2,436,813 on 8/25/02. Signed with the Spurs for six years, $42MM on 7/16/03.

RealGM.com, Sham Sports, Storytellers Contracts and Patricia Bender’s database were used in the creation of this post.

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Month: July 2012