Eastern Notes: Bobcats, Melo, Raptors, Celtics
In today's look at NBA trade candidates, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld examined the Bobcats and found that they could have some interesting trade chips for when February rolls around. The $13.2MM owed to Ben Gordon certainly isn't palatable to teams right now, but, if he's playing well, he could draw interest when roughly 70% of that has been paid off. Ramon Sessions, who will make $5MM, is in a similar position. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference..
- In today's mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if there's a chance that Fab Melo could return to South Florida with the Heat. Winderman sees it as unlikely given the way that the big man looked in front of Heat decision makers while playing for the Celtics' summer league team. Melo is a free agent after clearing waivers yesterday.
- Someone in the know tells Doug Smith of the Toronto Star that he doesn't expect the Raptors to fill their remaining vacant roster spot. Toronto's roster dropped to 14 after cutting Quentin Richardson last week.
- In a piece for Celtics Hub, Michael Pina weighs the pros and cons of the Celtics offering Avery Bradley an extension before November 1st.
Pete Mickeal Drawing Interest From Lakers, 76ers
Pete Mickeal has been one of the top Americans playing abroad for the last decade and NBA interest has picked up considerably for him this season, agent Happy Walters tells HoopsHype (on Twitter). The Lakers and Sixers are among the teams that are fans of Mickeal and thinking about bringing him stateside.
Mickeal has struggled with injury last season but he's now 100% and clear to play, according to Walters (Twitter link). However, the small forward will only sign with an NBA team if he gets a guaranteed deal (link). A guaranteed deal could be hard to come by for the 35-year-old, but the Sixers still need to add players and salary to reach the league minimum. Philadelphia obviously isn't in a position to contend this season, but a veteran presence could be a welcome addition for the young club.
Mickeal was drafted by the Mavs in the second round of the 2000 Draft, waived, and picked up by the Knicks, but he never saw live action thanks to injury. He eventually wound up traveling around the globe with stints in the Philippines, Greece, Russia, and South Korea. He's spent the last few years with FC Barcelona, leading them to championship gold and capturing the Spanish Cup MVP last season.
Central Notes: Cavs, Asik, Dunleavy, Bulls
Here's a look at today's news out of the Central Division..
- In today's mailbag, a reader asks Mary Schmitt-Boyer of the Plain Dealer if the Rockets could be open to dealing an unhappy Omer Asik to the Cavs for Anderson Varejao. It's unlikely for a number of reasons, but a source in Houston says that while Asik is not pleased with backing up Dwight Howard, the Rockets still insist they're not going to trade him. Even if the Rockets changed their minds, they'd likely be looking for a better shooter than Varejao.
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com looks back at the offseason that was for the Bulls. Their big get, obviously, was adding Mike Dunleavy on a surprisingly light two-year, $6MM deal. The Dunleavy signing gives Chicago a solid shooter who should be more consistent than Marco Belinelli and Nate Robinson, who signed elsewhere.
- Over the weekend, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe spoke with Bucks GM John Hammond, who spoke glowingly of Larry Sanders. The big man signed a four-year, $44MM contract extension with Milwaukee this offseason.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Lakers, Fredette, Salmons
New Kings coach Michael Malone sat down with Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee over the weekend for a very interesting chat on the events that led up to his hiring and his vision for the future of the club. Kings fans haven’t seen their club in the postseason in seven years and they’ve had to deal with speculation over a possible move for the last couple, but things finally seem to be heading in the right direction for Sacramento. Here’s more out of the Pacific Division..
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld looks at trade situations to look out for in 2013/14 and writes that the Lakers have a few pieces that could be in play. They have some attractive expiring contracts in Steve Blake ($4MM), Jordan Hill ($3.5MM), and Jodie Meeks ($1.55MM) that could hold value around the trade deadline when the deals have mostly been paid off by the Lakers. None of those three are going net a major return, but a team with playoff aspirations might be willing to deal for one of them as a rental.
- Kyler also looks at the Kings, who are no longer focused on moving DeMarcus Cousins and see him as a big part of their future. They are rumored to be ready to move on from Jimmer Fredette, but he’ll have to play well early in the season to have trade value. John Salmons could be a trade chip as he makes $7.58MM this year with just $1MM of his $7MM in guaranteed in the following season.
- After playing in the Las Vegas and Orlando summer leagues, forward C.J. Aiken has decided to go to mini-camp with the Kings, the St. Joseph’s product tells Garrett Miley of City Of Basketball Love.
Magic Notes: Turkoglu, Osby, Training Camp
Jameer Nelson hasn't had to worry about his starting job in a long, long time, but that changed this summer when the Magic decided to see what Victor Oladipo could offer at the point guard position. It was a move that raised a few eyebrows around the league since the Indiana University product wasn't know for having exceptional ball handling as a two-guard. However, Oladipo impressed during summer league and there could be a position battle brewing in Orlando. Here's more on the Magic, courtesy of Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel..
- The Magic are working on a buyout with Hedo Turkoglu and it sounds as though he'll have a nice opportunity waiting for him if it goes through. According to reports out of Turkey, Fenerbahce Ulker has made an offer to the veteran worth roughly $3.4MM. The Magic are on the hook for $6MM of Hedo's $12MM 2014/15 salary and the full amount becomes guaranteed if he's still on the roster by January 7th. The 34-year-old is coming off of a down season in which he was suspended 20 games for anabolic steroid use.
- Orlando plans to give second-round pick Romero Osby an invite to camp with an opportunity to make the roster this year. The combo forward out of Oklahoma showed promise while playing in games during the Orlando Summer League.
- With Nik Vucevic as the team's only legitimate center, the Magic plan to invite two big men to camp, along with a guard and a wing.
Odds & Ends: Telep, Jefferson, Griffin
The Spurs have always been about innovation in the front office and they made an out-of-the-box hiring today by hiring well-respected prep recruiting analyst Dave Telep, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Telep, who recently left a job at a cable TV outlet, will work in a scouting coordinator role for the NBA draft under GM R.C. Buford.
- It's difficult to be excited about the offseason in the Southeast Division with the most exciting move being the Bobcats signing Al Jefferson to a hefty contract, writes CBSSports.com's Royce Young. However, there is a power shift with the Heat at the top and the Wizards and Bobcats are trending up a bit while the Hawks will probably take a step back.
- Whether or not the Clippers can truly contend in 2013/14 depends on star forward Blake Griffin, opines Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.
- In his weekend mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes that Landry Fields, who signed a three-year, $18.75MM, deal with the Raptors last offseason, is slowly working to get his shot back while rehabbing his arm/elbow injury.
Northwest Notes: Blazers, Aldridge, Thunder
LaMarcus Aldridge's reps reportedly met with Blazers brass earlier this summer to discuss trade possibilities as the big man was unhappy with the direction of the franchise. However, Aldridge made it known this week that he never asked out of Portland. Here's the latest out on Aldridge and other notes out of the Northwest Division..
- Even though LaMarcus Aldridge says that he didn't demand to be traded from the Blazers, he did converse with GM Neil Olshey about the direction of the club, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo. "I did the whole rebuilding thing. I want to win. I told him let's get better this summer. I think (Olshey's) done that," said the All-Star.
- When asked if he feels like he's wasting the prime of his career with the Blazers, Aldridge said he doesn't and says that he still has "a lot" of years left in his prime (link). The big man added that the Blazers have a chance to make the playoffs, but they'll have to work hard for it (link). Hoops Rumors readers are split 50/50 on whether that's a reality for Portland.
- DeAndre Liggins was already going to have to fight to make the Thunder roster and his arrest only hurts his chances, notes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (on Twitter). Liggins is on a non-guaranteed minimum salary.
Central Notes: Bucks, Pistons, Smith
Here's the latest out of the Central Division..
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld notes that the Bucks and Suns basically swapped trade positions by making the Caron Butler deal. Milwaukee went from about $7.4MM to spend to about $1.9MM after acquiring Butler for Ish Smith and Viacheslav Kravtsov. Meanwhile, the Suns went from no cap room at all to $5.2MM under.
- Sean Corp of Sheridan Hoops has five things to watch for with the Pistons following their whirlwind offseason. First on his list is the shot selection of prized acquisition Josh Smith.
- The Pistons have the luxury of bringing top pick Kentavious Caldwell-Pope along slowly, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit tapped the Georgia product with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2013 draft.
Poll: Nets Vs. Knicks
I'm not sure if you heard, but the Nets made a few changes this summer. After playing to a 49-33 record in the regular season, securing the No. 4 seed in the East, and getting bounced in seven games by the Derrick Rose-less Bulls, interim coach P.J. Carlesimo was canned the next day and Brooklyn refused to stop there. Months later, the Nets pulled a deal straight from the Dodgers' playbook, acquiring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and a whole lot of luxury tax.
Many see the souped-up Nets as the best team in the Atlantic and possibly one of the league's elite teams in 2013/14, but don't try telling that to Knicks swingman J.R. Smith, who says that the Nets "weren't good" when he returned to the league in February 2012 and took great pains to point out that they're still "not good." What will propel the Knicks ahead of their cross-borough rivals? Take it away J.R..
“I feel comfortable. People ruled us out last year early, too. We added some great pieces. Unfortunately, we got rid of some good pieces. But we added Andrea [Bargnani], Beno [Udrih], Metta [World Peace]. We have to consistently play like we did the first 20 games last year the whole season. We can’t have a middle-of-season lapse. We have to consistently play the same way,” Smith told ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, despite their acquisitions, it looks like they'll be without Smith for at least the first week or two of the season. When they are at full strength, they'll be jockeying for position in the Atlantic against a starting five of Deron Williams, Pierce, Garnett, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. The Nets also boast an improved second unit, spearheaded by small forward Andrei Kirilenko. The Knicks should still be a playoff team by any measure, but it looks like they'll have their work cut out for them. We know what J.R. thinks, but now we want you to weigh in. Who wins the battle of New York in 2013/14?
Who Will Finish With A Better Record?
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Nets 54% (591)
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Knicks 46% (505)
Total votes: 1,096
Week In Review: 8/26/13 – 9/1/13
There's been quite a bit of change in Milwaukee this summer but the Bucks weren't completely satisfied with their revamped roster. Earlier this week, the Bucks landed Caron Butler from the Suns in exchange for point guard Ish Smith and center Viacheslav Kravtsov. Butler averaged 10.4 points per game last season, his lowest output in nine years, but the two-time All-Star has added the three-point shot to his arsenal in recent years, nailing 38% of his 3.8 long-range attempts per game the past three seasons. Here's the rest of the Hoops Rumors Week In Review..
- The Clippers officially signed Antawn Jamison to a one-year deal.
- Tracy McGrady announced his retirement from the NBA after 16 season and nearly 1,000 total regular season and playoff games.
- LaMarcus Aldridge denied requesting a trade this summer and spoke about the offseason trade rumors.
- The Suns signed No. 5 overall pick Alex Len.
- It appears that Lamar Odom is in a bit of trouble.
- Just two weeks after acquiring him from the Celtics, the Grizzlies waived Fab Melo.
- The Raptors waived Quentin Richardson.
- Sixers GM Sam Hinkie says that he's not looking to trade a vet like Thaddeus Young to clear even more cap space.
- The Pacers, Pelicans, and 76ers like Earl Barron.
- The T'Wolves are expected to hire Milt Newton as GM and Bobby Jackson as a player development coach.
- The Kings signed Trent Lockett to a partially-guaranteed two-year deal.
- Hamed Haddadi worked out for the Pelicans.
- The Cavs and Spurs worked out Josh Childress.
- Luke Babbitt signed with a team in Russia.
- Ivan Johnson signed in China and his deal does not include an NBA out clause.
- The Blazers are expected to cut Terrel Harris.
- Undrafted free agent Kenny Kadji signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Cavs.
- Top prospect Dante Exum isn't sure what his next move will be.
- Chris Smith will be in camp with the Knicks, but don't bank on him making the team.
- E.J. Singler accepted a camp invite from the Blazers.
- Forward Eric Dawson is going to camp with the Hawks.
- Kammron Taylor accepted the Celtics' camp offer.
- Former Iowa State guard Chris Babb will be in camp with the Celtics.
- Ron Howard will camp with the Pacers. Spare us your Opie jokes, please.
- DeShawn Sims is coming to camp with Boston.