Atlantic Notes: White, Celtics, Kenyon, Sixers

The Nets were one of the most active teams in pre-deadline talk, but they were the only Atlantic Division team not to make a swap this week. The other four teams didn't exactly make waves, however, as Jordan Crawford, Sebastian Telfair and Charles Jenkins are division's only trade acquisitions. Still, they aren't the only players joining the Atlantic, and we examine that and other news from around the division:

Omri Casspi No Longer In Cavs’ Plans

The Israeli website Walla Sport published a report indicating that Omri Casspi would like a buyout from the Cavs within the next few days (translation via HoopsHype), and Bob Finnan of The News-Herald wouldn't be surprised if that takes place. The 6'9" forward is no longer in the team's plans, Finnan writes. Casspi's rookie-scale contract expires at the end of the season, and, as Finnan already reported, he's not expected to re-sign with Cleveland this summer.

There were conflicting reports last month about whether Casspi asked for a trade, though at the time the 24-year-old professed happiness about being in Cleveland. Casspi appeared a likely trade candidate before the deadline, and drew interest from the Spurs this week. The Walla Sport report said Casspi is waiting to have a deal in place, ideally with the Grizzlies or Rockets, before accepting any buyout offer from the Cavs.

Casspi had his appendix removed this weekend, according to the Plain Dealer (Twitter link), a painful sidenote to a season of minimal impact in Cleveland. His points, rebounds, assists and minutes per game, as well as his field goal percentage, have declined each year from his rookie season, when he was a double-figure scorer and started 31 games for the Kings. Sacramento traded the 24th overall pick in the 2009 draft to the Cavs two years ago, and this season Casspi is putting up just 4.0 PPG in 11.4 MPG.

The Cavs can tender a $3,313,480 qualifying offer this summer to retain their right to match offers for Casspi, but it doesn't appear likely they'll do so. Casspi may return to his native Israel play, as Finnan reported a few weeks ago.

James Jones Mulling Retirement

James Jones has made a minimal impact this season for the Heat, totaling just 88 minutes of playing time spread out over 21 games. He occupies $1.5MM worth of space on Miami's payroll and has a player option to earn that same salary next year, but if the Heat win the championship again, Jones is prepared to walk away, as he tells HoopsWorld's Lang Greene.

The 32-year-old small forward nearly retired over the summer, but felt physically capable of returning. He said it's "bittersweet" to come back and play such limited minutes, though he acknowledged the well-stocked Heat have plenty of other options at the wing. 

The Heat probably stand to benefit if the Miami native retires, since that would likely mean he'd decline his option and reduce the team's tax bill for next season. The Heat have $75.547MM in commitments for 2013/14, so they'll almost certainly exceed the tax threshold. That figure doesn't include a $4MM team option for Mario Chalmers or the player options for Jones, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis

Central Rumors: Pistons, Redick, Bynum, Ayon

A pair of Central Division teams welcomed additions to their lineups last night, as J.J. Redick made his debut for the Bucks while Danny Granger saw his first action of the season for the Pacers. If and when Derrick Rose makes his way back to the Bulls this year, the Central's playoff-bound teams will be poised to enter the postseason on an upswing. Here's more on Redick, the Bucks, and other news from the Central: 

  • The Magic's pursuit of a first-round pick derailed talks the Pistons had about acquiring Redick, reports MLive's David Mayo. The Blazers' insistence on a first-rounder also put an end to Detroit's pursuit of J.J. Hickson, as we heard earlier, but according to Mayo, the Pistons never spoke to the Thunder about Will Bynum.
  • The Spanish website El Contraataque is reporting that FC Barcelona is trying to engineer a buyout of Gustavo Ayon's contract with the Bucks so that he can sign a three-year deal worth the equivalent of $2MM annually with the overseas club (translation via HoopsHype). FC Barcelona acquired his Spanish league rights in October, but shortly thereafter, Ayon's agent, Emilio Duran, said his client is content to remain in the NBA. Milwaukee holds a $1.5MM team option on Ayon for next season.
  • USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal that Kyrie Irving will be invited to a four-day tryout camp this summer in Las Vegas for Team USA's entry in the 2014 basketball World Cup.

How Deadline Deals Worked Under CBA Rules

For all the rumors we heard over the last several weeks about Josh Smith, Monta Ellis, Kevin Garnett, and a handful of other big-name players, Thursday's trade deadline ended up being fairly quiet, as J.J. Redick and Thomas Robinson were ultimately the most significant trade chips on the move.

Still, as quiet as the deadline may have been, there were 12 deals completed on Wednesday and Thursday. Many of those trades involved teams moving around back-of-the-bench pieces for cap or tax purposes, so it's worth examining exactly how each deal worked in financial terms.

As I explained when I looked at last year's deadline deals, the two clubs involved in a trade can often break down the deal in different ways, using the traded player exception rules. It can sometimes be advantageous for a team to consider a trade as two or more separate deals in order to obtain trade exceptions and/or maximize its future flexibility.

So without further ado, here's the breakdown of this year's deadline trades:

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Injury Notes: Wallace, Granger, Bynum, Parker

A roundup of a few injury related notes from around the league, some of which could have implications on rotations and roster spots. 

Poll: Who Was The Trade Deadline’s Biggest Loser?

We recently looked at the trade deadline's big winners, now the discussion shifts towards who lost out, whether it be by no action or a bad move. 

Who Was The Trade Deadline's Biggest Loser?
Sacramento Kings 42.61% (395 votes)
Los Angeles Lakers 29.23% (271 votes)
Washington Wizards 11.00% (102 votes)
Los Angeles Clippers 9.06% (84 votes)
Phoenix Suns 8.09% (75 votes)
Total Votes: 927

Odds & Ends: Collison, Maynor, Williams

A few random bits of news from around the league on this Saturday evening. 

  • Nick Collison is often overlooked as a member of the Thunder frontcourt, but The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry gives him his due as a valuable member of the team. 
  • Eric Maynor has much respect for the way his new team (the Trail Blazers) play, but isn't sure yet whether or not he'll re-sign with Portland this summer, writes The Oregonian's Mike Tokito
  • ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg writes about new Celtics forward Terrence Williams, and how amazing he's already been at making plays for others. 

Poll: Who Was The Trade Deadline’s Biggest Winner?

Now that the trade deadline deals are all wrapped up, it's time to speculate on who the biggest winners were. Which team do you think placed themselves in the best situation?

Who Was The Trade Deadline's Biggest Winner?
Houston Rockets 41.13% (464 votes)
Boston Celtics 22.96% (259 votes)
Milwaukee Bucks 21.28% (240 votes)
Oklahoma City Thunder 7.71% (87 votes)
New York Knicks 4.52% (51 votes)
Portland Trail Blazers 2.39% (27 votes)
Total Votes: 1,128

Eastern Rumors: Kenyon, Celtics, Morrow, Cavs

After all the pre-deadline rumors about Josh Smith, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo changing places, more than a few people around the NBA might have been scratching their heads when none of them were dealt. A check of the standings reveals that both the Hawks and Celtics are within reach of high playoff seeds, so perhaps both teams felt like they could make a run with their teams largely intact. Atlanta is just three games back of the Pacers, who sit in second-place, while Boston trails Indiana by five games. While we wait to see how a tightly packed East shakes out, here's the latest from the conference: