Odds & Ends: Allen, Sixers, Bynum, LeBron, Cavs
Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- Heat guard Ray Allen says that he won’t make any decision until after the season on whether he will pick up his 2013/14 contract option, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports (on Sulia).
- The Sixers can’t afford to let center Andrew Bynum walk this summer, even though the trade has backfired on them, writes John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News. General Manager Tony DiLeo recently explained that re-signing Bynum is the club’s Plan A but they will look to use their increased financial flexibility to make a splash if that doesn’t happen.
- NBA.com’s Sekou Smith rounded up a handful of articles speculating about LeBron James returning to the Cavaliers in free agency in 2014, and shares his own thoughts on the subject. In the eyes of Smith, the only thing that will silence the chatter is LeBron returning to Cleveland in the summer of 2014.
- After returning from a NCAA suspension, Myck Kabongo of Texas needs to reestablish his value if he hopes to declare for June’s draft, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops offered up a glimpse of what the upcoming free agent market could have to offer. For a complete list of 2013/14 free agents, you can check out Hoops Rumors’ list right here.
Western Notes: Fisher, Mavericks, Conley, Nash
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has kept mum about Derek Fisher signing with the Thunder, but one league source told Jeff Caplan of NBA.com that the best way to describe the mood of the Dallas front office is “agitated." The source said that the veteran and his representatives never contacted the Mavs during his decision-making process to discuss a possible return to Dallas, the team that, in good faith, initially signed him. Fisher asked for and received his release from the Mavs on December 22 so he could spend more time with his family. Here's more out of the Western Conference..
- Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News doesn't see Dwight Howard as the answer for the Mavericks as they look to once again build themselves into contenders. Cowlishaw argues that despite his immense talent, his poor foul shooting and subsequent inability to be counted upon in crunch time cancels out much of it.
- Mike Conley is averaging 2.3 steals per contest and if he keeps up his thieving ways, he'll be in line for a contract bonus at the end of the year, notes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. To cash in, the Grizzlies guard has to finish top five in steals. He currently ranks second behind Chris Paul of the Clippers.
- Salary cap guru Larry Coon (via Twitter) believes that it's possible that the Lakers will trade Steve Nash this offseason, but he doesn't see them actively pursuing a deal.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Telfair, Kings, Johnson
After downing the Mavericks on Sunday, the Lakers are in Denver tonight to try and get back to the .500 mark against the Nuggets. It'll be a tall order for Los Angeles as the Nuggets are an eye-popping 23-3 at the Pepsi Center this season, but things seem to be clicking for Kobe Bryant & Co. as of late. Here's more out of the Pacific..
- Guard Sebastian Telfair sounds happy be leaving the Suns behind, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post. “You’ve got a goal to win and if you’re not winning you at least want to be out there competing at the highest level. We weren’t doing that over there in Phoenix this year," said the newest member of the Raptors. "I’m happy to be a part of a team that got a goal for themselves and night in and night out they’ve got something to achieve.”
- A source close to the situation says that Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson will have a major announcement relating to the city's bid to keep the Kings by this Friday or sooner, tweets Aaron Bruski of NBC Universal. Johnson is reportedly readying his group of prospective buyers and presenting a final bid to the NBA's board of governors.
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee argues that if a small market like San Antonio can successfully support an NBA franchise that the city of Sacramento can do the same. The Spurs are actually saddled with a smaller television market than the Kings – San Antonio ranks 36th in the country while Sacramento is 30th.
D-League Moves: Jordan, Dupree, Greene
We had a pair of trades go down in the D-League today with several notable players changing teams. Let's take a look..
- The D-Fenders have acquired center Jerome Jordan from the Reno Bighorns in exchange for forward Ronald Dupree and guard Orien Greene, according to Trevor Wong of the Lakers (on Twitter). Jordan appeared in 21 games for the Knicks last season.
- The Idaho Stampede, the D-League affiliate of the Trail Blazers, announced that they have acquired JaJuan Johnson via trade with the Canton Charge. Johnson, 24, has been widely regarded as one of the D-League's top talents in 2012/13 but is considered to be a project. The 6'10" forward was taken by the Nets with the 27th overall pick in the 2011 draft before being shipped to the Celtics for the rights to MarShon Brooks.
Rockets Sign Tim Ohlbrecht
The Rockets announced that they have signed center Tim Ohlbrecht to a multi-year deal. Ohlbrecht's deal is for three years with team options for the final two, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Our own Luke Adams predicted earlier today that the center would get that type of deal, similar to the structure of Greg Smith's contract.
Houston is one of 14 NBA teams with at least one open roster spot, so they will not have to waive a player to make space for the big man. Ohlbrecht has spent the season playing for the Rockets' D-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
In 32 games for the Vipers this season, the 6'11" German averaged 13.4 PPG and 7.4 RPG in 26.6 minutes per contest. He also earned a spot in the D-League's All-Star Game earlier this month.
Agent Tyler Glass told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando last week that Ohlbrecht had turned down a 10-day contract offer from the Celtics, which makes sense given the multi-year opportunity being presented to him by the Rockets.
In a related move, the Rockets announced that they have assigned Tyler Honeycutt to the Vipers. The forward was acquired by the Rockets from the Kings prior to the deadline in the Patrick Patterson deal.
Western Notes: Warriors, Thunder, Bledsoe, Jazz
The most intriguing game on tonight's schedule happens out west, where the Lakers are in Denver as they try to get back to .500 for the first time since they were 15-15 at the end of December. While we wait to see if the Nuggets can keep the Lakers below .500, let's check out a few Western Conference links….
- If a big-name trade candidate becomes available this summer, the Warriors should be in the mix, says Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com, pointing out that Golden State will have young talent, draft picks, and big, expiring contracts to offer.
- As Derek Fisher prepares to join the Thunder for the rest of the season, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News points out (via Sulia) that even when it became clear Oklahoma City wouldn't be re-signing Fisher last summer, the team had nothing but praise for him.
- When Thunder GM Sam Presti spoke on Friday about the trade that sent Eric Maynor to the Trail Blazers, he mentioned the trade exception acquired by Oklahoma City in the deal. But the Thunder also acquired the rights to Georgios Printezis, and Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside thinks the club should strongly consider eventually bringing him stateside.
- By keeping Eric Bledsoe through the deadline, the Clippers are now expected to have a backup plan this summer if Chris Paul unexpectedly decides to sign elsewhere. But assuming Paul re-signs, the team will have to decide what Bledsoe's long-term future holds, writes Jovan Buha of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- In a lengthy piece on players and teams who are "on notice" after the trade deadline, Grantland's Zach Lowe explores the Jazz's decision to keep both Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson last week.
- Following up on Dirk Nowitzki's comments about wanting to play beyond his current contract, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders how much of a bargain Nowitzki would give the Mavericks in his next deal.
Bulls Chose Luxury Tax Over Trading First-Rounder
The Bulls were one of just seven NBA teams that had never paid the luxury tax entering this season, but after standing pat at the deadline, Chicago is poised to be a taxpayer for the first time. According to Grantland's Zach Lowe, however, the Bulls could have "easily" traded Richard Hamilton and moved under the tax threshold, but were unwilling to include a first-round pick along with Hamilton.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported on deadline day that the Bulls were reluctant to pair Hamilton with a draft pick in trade talks, though at the time it wasn't clear what sort of pick would be necessary to dump Hamilton's $5MM salary. As I noted in my post on Wojnarowski's report, when the Grizzlies got under the tax by sending Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington to Cleveland, the cost was a future first-round selection whose protection will likely make it a lottery pick.
The Bulls have enough assets that they could have afforded to part with one had they been serious about getting out of the tax — in addition to all of their own picks, the team also holds a future Bobcats first-rounder and the rights to Nikola Mirotic. Although Derrick Rose's brother Reggie may not have been impressed with Chicago's inactivity at the deadline, the team's decision not to give up an asset in a purely financially-motivated deal seems to represent a step in the right direction.
Raja Bell, Jazz Close To Buyout Agreement
With Friday's buyout deadline looming, the Jazz and Raja Bell have an agreement in place that would see the team buy out the veteran's contract, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). However, the deal hinges on Bell's ability to find a contract elsewhere, and so far there are no takers, Charania reports.
According to Charania (via Twitter), Bell's agent Herb Rudoy continues to talk to several clubs about a possible role for his client, but hasn't made serious progress yet. Bell has been on Utah's roster all season, but the disgruntled wing was asked not to report to the club. He and the team have been working on a buyout off and on all year, with his $3.48MM salary set to come off the books at season's end, but have yet to finalize a deal.
The Lakers reportedly have some interest in Bell, so presumably they're one of the teams with whom Rudoy has been in contact. Los Angeles has a roster space available, but perhaps the club wants to wait to see what other players hit the market before committing to Bell. Salary could also be a point of contention.
March 1st represents the NBA's buyout deadline, meaning that players must be released before the deadline if they hope to play in the postseason for another team this season. Free agents who haven't been on an NBA roster at any point this season could still sign after March 1st and be playoff-eligible, but anyone currently on a roster must be released by Friday to retain his postseason eligibility.
Clippers, Wizards Nearly Swapped Butler, Ariza
We're four days removed from this year's trade deadline, but reports of near-deals continue to trickle in. According to TNT's David Aldridge in his weekly Morning Tip piece for NBA.com, one deal that was seriously discussed prior to the deadline would have sent Caron Butler to the Wizards and Trevor Ariza to the Clippers.
Aldridge reports that the two teams had "a done deal" on Wednesday night and would have swapped small forwards had it not been for Clippers owner Donald Sterling. According to Aldridge, Sterling was hesitant about any move that might affect the team's chemistry down the stretch, and nixed the trade.
From a cap perspective, the proposed deal wouldn't have made a huge impact for either team. Butler is earning $8MM this season and another $8MM next season, while Ariza is making $7.26MM this season, with a $7.73MM player option for 2013/14. On the court, Ariza would have provided the Clippers a defensive-minded wing to guard players like Kevin Durant in the playoffs, while Butler, who still has a home in the D.C. area, would have returned to the Wizards as a "much-needed offensive option," writes Aldridge.
While the deal makes some sense from both sides, Aldridge suggests that Sterling and the Clippers were reluctant to make a deal that could have been held against the club by free-agent-to-be Chris Paul in any way if the team doesn't advance deep into the postseason.
In addition to working on a potential Butler/Ariza swap, the Clippers looked into making a trade for Kevin Garnett, but the veteran Celtics big man was reportedly unwilling to waive his no-trade clause to approve a deal to Los Angeles.
Thunder Sign Derek Fisher For Rest Of Season
10:16am: The Thunder confirmed the signing via press release.
7:16am: The Thunder and Derek Fisher have reached an agreement on a contract for the remainder of the 2012/13 season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Dave McMenamin and Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported that the two sides were closing in on a deal.
Fisher, 38, played 20 regular-season games and 20 postseason contests for the Thunder last year after being traded to and bought out by the Rockets. It was suggested that the veteran point guard's brief stint with the Mavericks earlier this season was designed to ensure he remained an "active' player, keeping his spot as president of the players' union. But it appears Fisher and the Thunder feel he has at least one more playoff run left in him, despite early-season knee issues.
The longtime Laker will take over the backup point guard spot that opened up when Oklahoma City traded Eric Maynor to the Trail Blazers last week. A corresponding roster move won't be necessary, since the Thunder had been carrying 14 players, leaving one open spot.
Neither the Yahoo! report nor the ESPN report indicated how much Fisher's deal with OKC will be worth. The Thunder still have a portion of their mid-level exception and bi-annual exception available, but a minimum-salary deal may be more likely. Fisher's deal is expected to be finalized later today.