Rockets Plan To Extend Daryl Morey
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's contract expires at the end of the 2013/14 season, but owner Leslie Alexander tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle that he plans to give Morey a contract extension.
“His contract is up next year, I believe,” Alexander said. “We’ll re-up him. Daryl knows that I judge him all the time. I’ve told him. He’s not shy about it either. He just knows that’s the way I operate. Why wouldn’t I? The general manager is the one person in your organization you can really judge. He can make good moves or bad moves. This year, I think he’s made three terrific moves.”
Morey had a successful offseason for the Rockets, signing Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik in free agency and pulling off a franchise-changing trade for James Harden. These moves have put Houston in position to compete for their first playoff berth since 2009.
Billy Hunter Releases Statement On Firing
Following the unanimous decision on the part of the NBPA to terminate his contract, former executive director Billy Hunter has released a statement (link via Ken Berger of CBSSports.com):
"My legal team and I will begin carefully reviewing the actions taken and statements made against me in the meeting room in my absence," Hunter said. "I look forward to gathering the evidence showing how certain individuals made sure the outcome was pre-ordained."
Hunter characterized the manner in which he was terminated as an "extremely troubling process" that has "set a terrible precedent for the union. It violates every tenet of fairness upon which the union was founded." He said he will "examine all of my options," including whether his side could be heard "in a different forum."
"I do not consider today's vote the end, only a different beginning," Hunter said.
Following an investigation into the business practices during Hunter's tenure as NBPA executive vice president, prominent union voices have expressed displeasure with his leadership in recent weeks, which led to his ouster following a meeting on Saturday afternoon.
Billy Hunter Out As Executive Director Of Union
5:21pm: Wojnarowski writes that the NBPA's decision to fire Hunter could lead to a legal dispute over the $10.5MM remaining on his contract.
4:38pm: Fisher and Matt Bonner will remain union president and vice president, respectively, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). James Jones will serve as secretary/treasurer, TNT's David Aldridge adds via Twitter. They'll join Stackhouse, Roger Mason, Chris Paul, Andre Iguodala, Stephen Curry and Willie Green on the new executive committee, tweets USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt. In brief remarks, Fisher hinted that he expects Hunter will take legal action following his dismissal, Washburn notes (Twitter link).
4:29pm: The vote to oust Hunter was 24-0, Wojnarowski tweets, with six player representatives apparently absent from the meeting.
3:50pm: The players union has voted to remove longtime executive director Billy Hunter from his position, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The move has appeared likely over the last couple of days, as Hunter had been placed on an indefinite leave of absence following the release of an independent investigation critical of his practices. In a meeting today that Hunter did not attend, player representatives voted in a "decisive manner" to fire Hunter, and LeBron James spoke of the need for an overhaul, Wojnarowski tweets.
James and Nets reserve Jerry Stackhouse were two of the most vocal players at the meeting, and Stackhouse excoriated union president Derek Fisher, who has been cast as one of Hunter's opponents in a yearlong power struggle atop the union, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). It's unclear whether the players voted to fire him with or without cause, though it appeared two days ago that firing Hunter with cause was the favored route. According to Hunter's contract, a firing with cause would entail "embezzlement, theft, larceny, material fraud or other acts of dishonesty" on Hunter's part, and the "acts of dishonesty" clause looked to be the players' best chance to pursue the action. A firing with cause would allow Hunter to collect his salary for the remainder of the year and for any accrued and unused vacation, rather than the full value of his contract as would be necessary in a firing without cause, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today detailed.
Hunter, who's been in charge of the NBPA for 17 years, created a blog to present his response to the report by the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison that laid out Hunter's abuses of power while in office. There were conflicting reports from Hunter's lawyers and the NBPA over whether Hunter was allowed to attend today's meeting.
Several influential agents have been privately discussing Don Fehr, former baseball union chief and current head of the NHL players union, as a successor to Hunter. A couple of weeks ago, Wojnarowski reported that the union may look for a replacement in B. Todd Jones, the current Minnesota attorney general and acting director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Agent Arn Tellem, speaking with Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal, advised the players to take their time in selecting a new executive director.
Sacks Says Clippers Not Shopping Jordan, Bledsoe
Los Angeles Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks tells Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that the team is not actively shopping DeAndre Jordan, Eric Bledsoe, or any other player on its roster:
"I haven't called anybody to say, 'Hey, we have Eric Bledsoe and would you like him?' Or, 'We have DeAndre Jordan or we have anybody and would you want them?' That's not where I am right now with this team," Sacks said in a phone interview from Houston on Saturday. "That's not where we are."
Sacks' comments come in the wake of widespread reports that the Clippers are discussing a deal with the Celtics that would send Bledsoe and Jordan to Boston in exchange for Kevin Garnett, but may be viewed as a message to other teams that he is not interested in dealing the two players.
Celtics, Clippers Discussing Kevin Garnett Trade
4:47pm: Though he made comments indicating he would welcome Garnett to L.A., Chris Paul said he's not pushing the Clippers to make the deal, notes USA Today's Sam Amick.
4:22pm: Garnett has not ruled out accepting a trade to Los Angeles, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The Clippers, who began their efforts to land Garnett with the Bledsoe-Butler package more than two weeks ago, have always been willing to increase their price, Deveney writes.
3:42pm: Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe hears the teams have not discussed Garnett, and that the Clippers don't want to approach the luxury tax line (Twitter link). The Clippers are about $1MM shy of the $70.307MM tax threshold, but acquiring Garnett for Jordan and Bledsoe would save the team money. The other version of the deal, sending out Green, Turiaf and Butler, would likely make the Clippers a taxpayer.
2:51pm: Though Garnett has said he won't waive his no-trade clause under any circumstances, the Clippers are confident they can persuade him to come to L.A. if the Celtics tell him it's a deal they want to make, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
SATURDAY, 10:45am: Sean Deveney of the Sporting News tweets that the Clippers' primary incentive to do the trade is Del Negro's belief that Jordan isn't a championship-caliber center. He writes that the team discussed the possibility of trading for Anderson Varejao before the Cavs' big man's season-ending injury.
FRIDAY, 12:53am: Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro would be willing to do the deal, but the team's front office is "totally against the move," according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Clippers executives would prefer to send out Willie Green, Ronny Turiaf and Caron Butler for Garnett (Twitter links).
12:11am: The Celtics and Clippers have been in consistent contact about a trade that would send Kevin Garnett to L.A. for Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan, report Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Factions within both teams are debating whether the deal would be the best course of action. This appears to be the latest incarnation of a proposal that would have sent Bledsoe and Caron Butler to Boston for Garnett.
After that rumor surfaced a couple of weeks ago, we heard that Garnett would not waive his no-trade clause unless he was dealt to L.A., which is close to his home in Malibu, Calif., and also unless the Celtics also traded Paul Pierce. While no Pierce trade appears imminent, sources tell Wojnarowski and Spears that Garnett's close relationship with Clippers guard Chauncey Billups could help coax him into accepting the swap.
The Clippers have been reluctant to deal Bledsoe without knowing what Chris Paul will do in free agency this summer, but the team's front office is becoming increasingly confident Paul will re-sign, according to the Yahoo! report. Many within the organization believe Garnett would strengthen the team's title hopes, which explains the team's pursuit. It appears that the Clippers initiated talks of the earlier Garnett-Bledsoe-Butler proposal.
Wojnarowski and Spears point out that acquiring Bledsoe would allow the Celtics to deal away Rajon Rondo without getting a point guard in return, and earlier tonight a report surfaced about a potential Rondo/Dwight Howard swap. As I wrote then, it appears Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is aggressively pursuing his options as Thursday's trade deadline nears. Ainge has reportedly been looking for something to get "really, really excited about" in any deal for Garnett, and it's unclear whether Bledsoe and Jordan would be enough to satisfy that requirement.
From a salary perspective, the deal works out well for the Celtics. It would only add $674,432K to the team's salary, leaving about $2MM under Boston's $74.307MM hard cap, plenty of room to pursue another player to fill out the team's injury-depleted roster. Jordan's four-year, $43MM contract includes a 15% trade kicker, but because it was signed after the league's current CBA went into effect, the Clippers would have to absorb the extra money if they trade their center, and not the team that acquires him.
Pacific Links: Clippers, Warriors, Gordon, Kobe
The Pacific Division will be well-represented in tomorrow's All-Star Game, as five of the 12 Western Conference All-Star spots are occupied by players from the division, and four of the five starters come from the two L.A. teams. There easily could have been six Pacific Division All-Stars if the coaches had selected Stephen Curry as a reserve. Here's more on a few All-Stars who were voted as starters by the fans, including a hint at retirement from one of them.
- Chris Paul and Blake Griffin would welcome Kevin Garnett to the Clippers if he's traded to the team, as Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com observes.
- ESPN's Chris Broussard wrote a couple of days ago that the Warriors are one of a few clubs believed to have inquired about Eric Gordon, but Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reports that Golden State is not engaged in talks about the Hornets shooting guard. The W's are turned off by Gordon's injury history, contract, and the Hornets' likely asking price (Sulia link).
- In a video on Nike Basketball's YouTube page, Kobe Bryant sat down with former NBA player Damon Jones and addressed how long he plans on playing. "Probably two years max," Bryant said."Two years max. Next year might be it. It's one of those things, I think I'll wake up, and I'll know, and if it's it for me, then that's it, and there's no looking back." Bryant's contract expires at the end of next season (hat tip to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy).
- Carl Landry, who has a $4MM player option on his contract with the Warriors for next season, spoke to Grantland's Zach Lowe about his enjoyment playing for Golden State and coach Mark Jackson (Twitter link).
Bobcats Going After Andrea Bargnani
The Bobcats are increasingly anxious to trade Ben Gordon, and that's sparked their interest in a trade with the Raptors for Andrea Bargnani, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein believes the Raptors would be unlikely to go for a Gordon-for-Bargnani swap, citing the presence of Terrence Ross and Alan Anderson (Twitter links). Even though Gordon would be easier for the Raptors to take back than Carlos Boozer, whom the Bulls are offering, the Raptors aren't going to trade their former No. 1 overall pick just for the sake of unloading him, Stein tweets.
Gordon, Charlotte's highest-paid player, is making $12.4MM this year, and has a $13.2MM player option for 2013/14. Bargnani earns $10MM this season, gets a raise to $10.75MM next year and has an $11.5MM early-termination option for 2014/15. His deal includes a 5% trade kicker that the Bobcats would have to pay, but that probably wouldn't be an issue, since they'd be taking back less salary than they'd be sending out. Gordon wouldn't make the Raptors a taxpaying team this year, but it could push them farther into tax territory next season, since they're already set for a payroll of $74.349MM. They have some flexibility with options and non-guaranteed contracts, but taking on either Gordon or Boozer, who makes an average of $15.7MM per year through 2015, could give Toronto difficulty.
Gordon, acquired in a trade with the Pistons last summer, has clashed with coach Mike Dunlap amidst the fewest minutes per game in his nine-year career. He hasn't started a game all year, but he's seeing more shot attempts than in his last two seasons with Detroit, and is shooting 40.9% from behind the arc, a few ticks above his 40.6% career average. It seems reasonable that the Bobcats could get something of value for him, but his outsized contract, as well as the team's clear motivation to send him away, could be driving down his price.
The Raptors, too, seem to have encountered difficulty as they attempt to trade Bargnani, who's posted a career-worst 40.9% field goal percentage in an injury-plagued first half of the season. In addtion to the Bobcats and Bulls, he's also been linked to the Sixers in recent weeks.
Celtics Rumors: Josh Smith, Rondo, Dwight, Pierce
The Celtics have been, by far, the most active team in trade rumors since yesterday evening, with news of talks about sending Kevin Garnett to the Clippers coming on the heels of the Rajon Rondo/Dwight Howard rumor. In the meantime, Garnett has said he's not waiving his no-trade clause, telling reporters he wants to "live and die green." Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has strongly denied any Rondo/Howard discussion. Still, it appears it will be quite a ride for Boston fans between now and Thursday's trade deadline. Here's the latest:
- Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times reported earlier that the Celtics are offering Jeff Green and Brandon Bass in a deal to acquire Josh Smith, but A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets that the C's don't have a lot of interest in a two-for-one deal like that, since injuries have left them shorthanded.
- Likewise, Boston would probably have to give up more players than it gets in a deal with the Lakers involving Rondo and Howard, as Blakely points out. The CSNNE.com scribe hears the Celtics and Lakers have had discussions with each other, but not about a Rondo/Howard deal.
- With regard to a Rondo-for-Howard swap, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets that "something's going on there," adding that all he knows for sure is that the Celtics are trying everything right now. Had Garnett consented to a trade, the Celtics would have "aggressively" pursued a deal to send Paul Pierce away, too, Amico writes.
Carlos Boozer Offer On Table For Raptors?
SATURDAY, 11:56am: Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reports that the Raptors have "no interest" in trading for Boozer or his contract.
FRIDAY, 12:05pm: Although the Raptors and Bulls discussed a potential swap involving Carlos Boozer and Andrea Bargnani earlier this season, reports have indicated that talks aren't currently active. However, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, there's an offer on the table from the Bulls that the Raptors could revisit if they choose.
Johnson reports that the Raptors were told that a deal of Boozer and Nate Robinson for Bargnani and John Lucas III is available whenever they want it. While a Boozer/Bargnani swap wouldn't be permitted under the league's trade rules, the addition of Robinson's minimum salary and Lucas' $1.5MM salary would make it work.
The duo of Boozer and Robinson has significantly outperformed Bargnani and Lucas on the floor this season, but such a deal would appeal to the Bulls based on its financial implications — the hypothetical trade would allow Chicago to slip below the luxury tax threshold this season. Additionally, although Boozer and Bargnani are both under contract through 2015, Bargnani is owed $22.25MM over the next two seasons, while Boozer will make $32.1MM.
If the Raptors were to accept the Bulls' offer, it would likely make Toronto a taxpayer this season and next, significantly reducing the team's ability to make other moves.
Latest On Billy Hunter, NBPA
12:39pm: Berger tweets that the agents' meeting has wrapped, and the feeling among those who participated is that Hunter will be fired.
11:16am: Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter) that lawyers are presenting a summary of the findings of an investigation into NBPA executive director Billy Hunter to a group of player agents in Houston. Berger also tweets that players are planning to meet Saturday afternoon to discuss whether to take action against Hunter. Hunter will not be in attendance at this meeting.
On Friday, Hunter issued a response to claims made by members of the NBPA, maintaining his innocence against any accusations of wrongdoing and highlighting progress made by the union under his leadership. It was reported on Friday evening that the NBPA is leaning towards firing Hunter.