Celtics Eyeing D.J. White
The Celtics bolstered their backcourt with the acquisition of Jordan Crawford yesterday, but trading Jason Collins in the deal still leaves the team a little light on frontcourt bodies. In their search for free agent help, the Celtics are considering signing D.J. White to a 10-day contract, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
White, 26, played four NBA seasons with the Thunder and Bobcats, and was actually reasonably productive for Charlotte last season, averaging 6.8 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 18.9 MPG over 58 contests. He didn't land an NBA contract in free agency last summer though, instead heading overseas to play in China with the Shanghai Sharks.
As we heard near the end of January, the Sharks fell out of contention for a CBA playoff spot, so White is eligible to return stateside now that his season is over in China. The 6'8" forward averaged 21.6 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 32 games for Shanghai this year.
Even after signing Terrence Williams to a 10-day contract, the Celtics only have 13 players on their roster, so the club wouldn't have to release anyone to clear room for White or another free agent.
Odds & Ends: Deadline, Nets, Colangelo, Hibbert
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday evening:
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes that the Collective Bargaining Agreement has restricted player movement, resulting in an underwhelming trade deadline.
- Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News laments the Nets' inability to find Deron Williams more help at the deadline.
- Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun writes that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo deserves a contract extension.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star writes that Roy Hibbert is looking to ramp up his performance as the Pacers gear up for a playoff run.
- The Oklahoman has a primer on Georgios Printezis, acquired by the Thunder on Thursday.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praises the Bucks' acquisition of J.J. Redick.
- Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW.com writes that the Mavericks' relative inactivity at the trade deadline puts increased pressure on the team to have a successful offseason.
- John Canzano of The Oregonian praises the Blazers' acquisition of Eric Maynor from the Thunder.
Trade Talk Roundup: Nuggets, Landry, Mavs, Shumpert
Shortly after the trade deadline passed at 3pm ET on Thursday, it was revealed that the Hawks pulled out of discussions with the Bucks on a deal for Josh Smith. This would-be blockbuster was not the only deal that was discussed but never came to fruition. Here is a roundup of other deals that were discussed but never came to pass:
- Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com writes that the Nuggets opted to stay the course rather than dealing a player such as Timofey Mozgov, whom they had been rumored to be shopping.
- Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News tweets that the Warriors explored the market for forward Carl Landry but ultimately did not find a deal they liked.
- Jeff Caplan of NBA.com tweets that the Mavericks received calls about rookies Jae Crowder and Bernard James, but ultimately decided not to deal either player.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports that Knicks GM Glen Grunwald never seriously considered trading Iman Shumpert, despite reports to the contrary.
Kennedy On Trade Deadline Winners
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld posted a new column examining the reasoning why many teams opted to stand pat at the trade deadline rather than make any major deals. He also wrote that, although the trade deadline was relatively uneventful, it could set up an exciting summer of trades and free-agent signings.
Kennedy also ran down the teams he thought improved with deadline deals:
- Kennedy thinks J.J. Redick will be valuable to the Bucks as they push for a playoff spot.
- The Thunder added Ronnie Brewer at little cost, and Kennedy believes he will form a formidable perimeter defense tandem with Thabo Sefolosha.
- Kennedy praises Rockets GM Daryl Morey for acquiring the fifth pick in the 2012 draft, and believes Thomas Robinson will flourish in a better situation than the one he was in with the Kings.
- The Raptors picked up Sebastian Telfair, giving them a serviceable backup for Kyle Lowry at little cost, Kennedy writes, also noting that Telfair has strong relationships with several players already on the team.
- Kennedy praises the Blazers for acquiring much-needed bench help in Eric Maynor.
Recap Of Deadline Trades
A complete recap of trades that were completed before Thursday's trade deadline:
- The Houston Rockets traded Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns and Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, and Toney Douglas to the Sacramento Kings for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt, and a future second-round pick.
- The Miami Heat traded Dexter Pittman and a future second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Ricky Sanchez and cash considerations.
- The Washington Wizards traded Jordan Crawford to the Boston Celtics for Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Eric Maynor to the Portland Trail Blazers for a trade exception and the rights to Georgios Printezis. The Blazers waived Ronnie Price to clear a roster spot for Maynor.
- The Thunder also acquired Ronnie Brewer from the New York Knicks for a future second-round pick.
- The Atlanta Hawks traded Anthony Morrow to the Dallas Mavericks for Dahntay Jones.
- The Suns traded Sebastian Telfair to the Toronto Raptors for Hamed Haddadi and a future second-round pick.
- The Orlando Magic traded J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon, and Ishmael Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Beno Udrih, Tobias Harris, and Doron Lamb.
- In a separate deal, the Magic traded Josh McRoberts to the Charlotte Bobcats for Hakim Warrick.
- The Golden State Warriors traded Jeremy Tyler to the Hawks for a second-round pick. They also traded Charles Jenkins to the Philadelphia 76ers for an additional second-round pick.
Bulls’ Inactivity Could Impact Rose’s Return
6:55pm: Rose has released a statement distancing himself from his brother's comments and backing the Bulls organization:
“I have always felt that the Bulls organization’s goals have been the same as mine and that is to bring another championship to this city.”
6:43pm: Derrick Rose's return to the court is still up in the air, but the former MVP's brother, Reggie, tells Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com that the team's decision not to make any trades before Thursday's deadline could impact Rose's willingness to return this season.
"Joakim Noah is a great player. Luol Deng is a great player. But you need more than that. You have to put together pieces to your main piece. The players can only do so much. It's up to the organization to make them better."
"It's frustrating to see my brother play his heart and soul out for the team and them not put anything around him," Reggie Rose said.
The Bulls attempted to move Richard Hamilton and Carlos Boozer in recent weeks and were at one point linked to J.J. Redick before the deadline, but they ultimately did not make any moves.
Jermaine O’Neal Will Not Seek Buyout From Suns
THURSDAY, 5:52pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that O'Neal will not seek a buyout from the Suns and plans to remain in Phoenix for the rest of the season.
WEDNESDAY, 10:37pm: The Suns have agreed to acquire Marcus Morris from the Rockets for a second-round pick, and while Phoenix won't have to send out a player in the deal, the team will have to make a corresponding move to clear a spot for Morris. The Suns had been carrying 15 players, the maximum allowed by NBA rules.
The top candidate to be involved in that second roster move for the Suns is Jermaine O'Neal, whose name has come up in trade rumors. According to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst (via Twitter), rival teams have been expecting the Suns to buy out or release O'Neal if they can't find a taker for him on the trade market.
Since O'Neal is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, he'd be a fairly attractive trade target for a team in search of inexpensive frontcourt help. With the Suns forced to make a move, a second-round pick would likely be enough to land O'Neal, which Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times notes (via Sulia) that the Lakers could offer.
If the Suns do end up buying out or releasing O'Neal, the Knicks figure to be at the front of the line trying to sign him as a free agent, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Charlie Villanueva To Exercise 2013/14 Option
Charlie Villanueva will exercise his $8.5MM player option to remain with the Pistons for the 2013/14 season, the veteran forward tells Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Villanueva cited money and the closeness to his son, who lives in Toronto, as reasons for not opting out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent.
Ellis writes that, although Villanueva has been a disappointment during his four seasons in Detroit, he is likely playing well enough this season to avoid being waived using the amnesty clause this summer. He is the only player currently on the Pistons' roster who would be eligible to be amnestied.
Josh Smith Unlikely To Re-Sign With Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks were unable to complete a trade for Josh Smith before Thursday's trade deadline, after backing out of a deal that would have sent him to Milwaukee. Now, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that Smith is "highly unlikely" to re-sign with the Hawks this summer, when the nine-year veteran will be an unrestricted free agent.
Zillgitt writes that Smith is likely going to want more money than Hawks GM Danny Ferry is willing to pay him to re-sign. Other teams can offer Smith a maximum of four years and $78MM as a free agent, while the Hawks could offer him five years at $97MM, although they have reportedly been hesitant to offer him that much.
Free Agent Rumors: Celtics, Oden, Amundson, Bell
With the trade deadline officially behind us, the next important date on the NBA's calendar arrives on March 1st. If a player who has been on an NBA roster this season is released after that date, he'll be ineligible to be on the postseason roster for any new team he joins. So we could see a number of players agreeing to buyouts and hitting free agency in the next week. Here are a few of the latest rumblings related to free agency:
- Danny Ainge expects the Celtics to add a free agent big man soon, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- After the Heat opened up a roster spot by trading Dexter Pittman today, Miami re-emerged as a potential destination for Greg Oden, as agent Mike Conley tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. "We're going to get him down there for a visit," Conley said of Miami.
- Tomasson adds within the same piece that free agent big man Louis Amundson would "love" an opportunity to sign with the Heat.
- The Cavaliers are still kicking the tires on Oden as well, and have had him in for a couple visits, GM Chris Grant told reporters today (Twitter link via Bob Finnan of the News-Herald).
- Now that the Jazz can no longer trade Raja Bell, the club may revisit a buyout. If the two sides reach an agreement, the Lakers would have interest in signing Bell, reports Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).