Celtics Rumors: Garnett, Downs, Green
The Celtics enter the All-Star break winners of eight of their last nine, with a three-point loss to the league-worst Bobcats as the only blemish. Boston is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, but just five games back of the Knicks, with whom the C's would matchup if the playoffs began today. Coach Doc Rivers discussed some of the options available as the team looks to bolster its depleted roster, and we've also heard today about the Boston's interest in Luke Ridnour. There's plenty more from the back bay, and we'll round it up here:
- Appearing on ESPN Radio, Kevin Garnett said that his recent comments about playing in his last All-Star Game weren't meant to hint at retirement, though he added that he doesn't expect to play until he's 40 (audio link).
- We've already heard the Celtics are taking a look at Jannero Pargo and Delonte West, and A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com adds 6'8" small forward Micah Downs to the names on the team's list. Even though the Celtics have greater needs at other positions, Rivers said he'd rather have the best player available, no matter the position.
- Rivers, in his comments to WEEI, noted that the Chinese league's season is ending soon as he discussed possible signing targets. The CBA regular season ends Sunday, freeing guys whose teams failed to make the postseason, while others will become available once their squads have been eliminated. Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com examines 10 Chinese leaguers who could help the Celtics.
- Jeff Green's four-year, $36.24MM contract includes $1.04MM worth of incentives, at least some of which are tied to his rebounding, as Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com reveals. "That one area was our biggest concern," Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. "To me, it's not a lack of effort. It's about bad habits. I don't think Jeff has ever focused on rebounding in his life, from what I can tell."
Nets Interested In J.J. Hickson?
5:42pm: Bondy tweets that he "got pushback" from the Nets about his earlier report that the team is eyeing Hickson. That doesn't necessarily mean the rumor isn't true, but it seems at least the Nets are denying it.
3:07pm: As they continue to search for frontcourt help, the Nets may be eyeing a Trail Blazer, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Bondy reports that the Nets are interested in J.J. Hickson.
Hickson, 24, is enjoying the best season of his career in Portland, and is on an expiring contract. While that would typically make him a much-discussed trade candidate, Hickson also has the ability to veto any trade, since he would lose his Bird Rights if he's dealt. The former Cavalier has indicated that he's happy with the Blazers, so it's unclear whether or not he'd approve a move that would hurt his leverage in unrestricted free agency this summer.
The Nets, meanwhile, have been linked to a number of potential trade targets, including Ben Gordon, Paul Millsap, and Josh Smith. Those players all earn significantly more than Hickson's $4MM salary, so an offer for the Portland big man could be composed of smaller pieces rather than including Kris Humphries and his $12MM salary. MarShon Brooks ($1.16MM), Mirza Teletovic ($3.09MM), and Andray Blatche (minimum salary) are among the players the Nets could dangle if they engage in talks with the Blazers.
Amico On Smith, Nets, Nuggets, Sixers, Thunder
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio has just published a piece rounding up a few of the latest trade rumblings from around the NBA, so let's dive in and tackle the highlights….
- Josh Smith is viewed by Amico's sources as a near-lock to be moved, though there's no consensus on where he'll be headed. The Nets, Suns, and Mavericks are mentioned as potential destinations, with the Spurs in the mix as well.
- One source isn't so sure the Hawks will move Smith by next Thursday: "They won’t just give the guy away. (Smith) is practically an All-Star. You can deal with the contract situation later."
- The Nets haven't completely given up on the idea of making a play for Dwight Howard, but they'd likely need to get a third team involved. I'd consider that one a real long shot.
- While the Nuggets are fairly content with their roster at the moment, they could explore a smaller move involving someone like Wilson Chandler, Corey Brewer, or Anthony Randolph. Denver has some interest in J.J. Redick, but Amico says conversations have "all but disappeared after he indicated he wants to stay with the Magic."
- The Bulls and 76ers have started to get more active in trade talks within the last week.
- The Raptors have engaged the Sixers in trade talks involving Andrea Bargnani, though it's not clear what would be going Toronto's way in a hypothetical deal — Spencer Hawes is one possibility.
- After losing twice to the Heat this season, the Thunder are "strongly considering" making a move to bolster their lineup, according to Amico.
Central Notes: Jennings, LeBron, Pistons, Bulls
No Central Division players will crack the Eastern Conference's starting lineup this Sunday in Houston, but the division is well-represented on the East's bench, with Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Paul George, and Kyrie Irving all expected to see action in the All-Star Game. Here's the latest out of the Central:
- ESPN.com's Chris Broussard reported earlier this week that Brandon Jennings turned down a four-year, $40MM extension offer from the Bucks last offseason, but Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times tweets that no such offer was ever made by the team.
- LeBron James brushed off questions about returning to the Cavaliers when he's eligible for free agency in 2014, as Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes (on Sulia).
- Writing for the Detroit Free Press, Patrick Hayes ranks the Pistons free-agents-to-be from least likely to most likely to return to Detroit next season.
- In a mailbag, David Mayo of MLive.com discusses the future of Rodney Stuckey with the Pistons.
- Another mailbag comes courtesy of Sam Smith of Bulls.com, who fields Bulls-related questions on Derrick Rose's health and trade possibilities.
Kupchak Told Dwight Howard He Won’t Be Traded
4:30pm: Despite the Lakers' assurances to Howard, league sources still believe the team could field calls on D12, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
1:09pm: Earlier this month, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak publicly stated that the team has no intention of trading Dwight Howard. It appears the Lakers' private stance is the same as its public stance — today, Howard told reporters, including Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), that Kupchak has definitively informed him he won't be moved at the deadline.
The Lakers' intentions aren't surprising, considering reports have indicated that the team remains "very confident" Howard will re-sign in free agency this summer. However, amidst the Lakers' frustrating first half, there had been some speculation that Howard wasn't a fit with the team's roster, and that either he or Pau Gasol needed to be moved. With Gasol likely out of action until April, recent trade speculation had focused on Howard.
Assuming the Lakers keep Howard, they'll be able to offer him a maximum contract in July worth about $30MM more in guaranteed money than any other team will be able to offer, as I explained last summer.
With Howard expected to remain in Los Angeles through the deadline, Kupchak and the front office may explore minor moves, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the current roster remain relatively intact as the club prepares to make a second-half playoff push.
Western Notes: Rockets, Blazers, Payton, Suns
While there's been plenty of talk about the cap space the Rockets are expected to have this summer, coach Kevin McHale is just hoping to see that space turned into an impact player, as he jokes to Sam Amick of USA Today.
"I've never seen Cap Room score a basket yet though," McHale said. "I've seen old Cap, and his last name is Room, I've yet to see him put a hoop in, haven't seen him block a shot, haven't seen him get a rebound yet. But when Cap Room starts putting up numbers, we should be in great shape."
Here are a few more notes out of the Western Conference as we prepare for All-Star weekend:
- LaMarcus Aldridge doesn't expect the Trail Blazers to make a move at the trade deadline, as he tells Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge (Twitter link).
- With expansion not currently being considered by David Stern and the league, it appears unlikely that Sacramento and Seattle will both have an NBA team in the near future, writes Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee.
- Former SuperSonic great Gary Payton tells Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com that he has spoken to Chris Hansen about joining the front office if Hansen's bid to move the Kings to Seattle if successful.
- Another former star, Charles Barkley, has talked about wanting to be hired as the general manager of the Suns, and Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic thinks that might not be a bad idea.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes that Darren Collison has made a solid case for being a long-term fixture with the Mavericks.
Wolves Rumors: Ridnour, Pekovic, Williams, Roy
As usual, Friday morning means the latest installment of Darren Wolfson's Scoops column has been published at 1500ESPN.com. With Minnesota expected to be active in trade talks over the next several days, let's check out the latest Timberwolves rumors from Wolfson….
- The Knicks are one of several teams interested in Luke Ridnour, who is mentally preparing to be moved. The Celtics, Sixers, and Jazz are among the other clubs with varying degrees of interest, says Wolfson.
- Nikola Pekovic has been assured by the T-Wolves that he isn't going anywhere for now.
- While Derrick Williams is still available, a trade over the summer may be more likely, according to Wolfson.
- Brandon Roy's financial advisor is still "rejecting overtures" on a buyout. It seems unlikely the Wolves will be able to move his salary in a trade, so a buyout would be the team's preferred route.
- When Chris Johnson signed for the rest of the season with the Wolves, the contract included a second year. Wolfson expects that it'll essentially be a team option for 2013/14 — a non-guaranteed minimum salary.
Trade Candidate Series
This season's trade deadline is just six days away, and while the NBA's focus may be on All-Star weekend, we can expect plenty of GMs and executives to be discussing potential deals in between events in Houston this weekend.
In preparation for the deadline, we've profiled a number of players we believe are candidates to be traded, examining the likelihood of a deal, a team's motives for making a move, and potential suitors. Our trade candidate series, which links to all of our pieces to date, can be found at any time under "Hoops Rumors Features" on the right sidebar.
So far, Jose Calderon is the only player from our list to be dealt, and a number of would-be trade candidates, such as Pau Gasol, Anderson Varejao, and Leandro Barbosa, have suffered serious injuries, greatly reducing the possibility of a deal. Still, it'd be surprising if at least a couple more of our trade candidates aren't on the move in the next few days. Whether it's a lower profile player like DeJuan Blair or Timofey Mozgov, a bad contract like Carlos Boozer, Kris Humphries, or Andrea Bargnani, or a star like Josh Smith remains to be seen.
As you prepare for next Thursday's deadline and await the next big rumor, be sure to check out our trade candidate series for a primer on players who could be wearing different uniforms in a week.
Doc Rivers Talks Potential Celtics Roster Moves
Neither Celtics president Danny Ainge nor coach Doc Rivers is shy about talking to the media about their team's roster and potential needs. Earlier this week, Ainge discussed potential roster moves for the C's in the wake of season-ending injuries to multiple key players. This morning, appearing on WEEI in Boston, Rivers did the same, answering a number of questions about the Celtics' roster options. Here are the highlights from Doc, via Jerry Spar of WEEI.com:
On the Celtics' next move:
"Danny and I, we thought about it and we all have been thinking about it since all the injuries. With the last one with [Leandro] Barbosa, now we can't look at one position anymore. That's what we were looking at — looking at size first, then a guard. Now we're looking at players. We need players. We need to pick up a couple of players as soon as we can get them. That's what basically we're doing."
On the timetable for making a move:
"We don't want to do anything so quick that somebody else comes available and then we don't have room because we're at the cap threshold. We have to be very careful in what we do."
On the Celtics' biggest need:
"I would say a ball-handling guard. It's no longer a point guard, it's just a guard. If I had my perfect guard for this group right now, it would be a guard that can play multiple positions and that can shoot, that has some toughness…. And then you need a big. You're not going to find a center, so a four. Obviously a five would be great, but a four that can stretch the floor. Or a four that can rebound, just a great rebounding four that has skills."
On where the C's are looking:
"There's so many places to look. The China league ends in a week. So now some of the American players that are playing over there will begin coming back over to our league. The D-League. And then obviously through a trade. We don't have a lot of assets to trade, so we have to be very careful there."
On possible interest in Delonte West:
"Yeah, that's something we're looking at. I don't know where we're going to go with that. Again, we have to be so careful. One thing I love about Delonte is his toughness. But the other thing you don't like is that he does get injured a lot. So you're worried about that as well, beside the other stuff."
On whether rookie Fab Melo is ready for a larger role with the team:
"I don't think he's ready yet. I can tell you he's really working on it. I just don't think he's ready yet."
Billy Hunter Issues Response To Report On NBPA
The NBA players' union will meet this weekend in Houston to discuss the future of executive director Billy Hunter, along with a handful of other topics. In the wake of a report on the NBPA by the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, Hunter has been placed on indefinite leave in advance of this weekend's meetings.
However, it appears Hunter may not be permitted to attend the Houston meetings to rebut the findings in the Paul Weiss report. Instead, Hunter and his representatives have created a blog, on which they've published a 21-page preliminary response to the report, calling it "disturbing" that Hunter hasn't been invited to Houston to address the players. The blog also includes a PowerPoint presentation that Hunter had hoped to deliver to the union at this weekend's meetings.
Among the points Hunter makes in his response: No criminal acts were found by the Paul Weiss report, Delaware law was observed for the signing of his contract and for hiring decisions, and no cross-examination of the witnesses used in the Paul Weiss report was permitted to assess their credibility. Hunter also points to the progress he's made during his 17-year stint as the union's executive director, including his success in "turning the union's finances around."
Whether or not Hunter ultimately gets the opportunity to address the NBPA in Houston, we heard yesterday that his lawyers plan to present this information directly to union members this weekend.