Celtics Rumors: Asik, Rondo, Wallace, Crawford
The early returns on this morning’s Omer Asik poll suggest that Hoops Rumors readers believe Boston is the most likely landing spot for the Rockets center. If the Celtics to get involved in the eventual Asik deal, either as the club that acquires him or as a facilitator in a three-team trade, it’s worth keeping an eye on their salary situation, says ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. As Stein points out, Boston is barely below the luxury-tax threshold right now, which will factor into any move the team makes (Twitter links).
Here are a few more Tuesday morning updates on the C’s:
- Multiple league sources tell A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com that even if the Celtics are open to moving Rajon Rondo, the club won’t receive any “legitimate” offers until the All-Star point guard returns to game action.
- Unsurprisingly, the Celtics haven’t found much interest in Gerald Wallace, says Blakely.
- According to Blakely, when engaging in trade talks, the C’s figure to target a player on his rookie contract whose potential is greater than his present value. The CSNNE scribe hears from a source that Austin Rivers is a name worth keeping in mind, despite the fact that his father is now coaching in Los Angeles rather than Boston.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes that Jordan Crawford is available, and notes that the Heat have been mentioned as a possible suitor. However, Miami isn’t the only potential destination for Crawford, according to Amico, who hears from an NBA exec that the Kings, Raptors, and Knicks could be in the mix as well.
Poll: Where Will Omer Asik Land?
By all accounts, the Rockets still intend to move Omer Asik by this Thursday, thereby allowing players involved in the deal to be included again in trade packages at the deadline, if necessary. Houston is said to be targeting some combination of young players, draft picks, or a forward who can contribute immediately.
If there’s a frontrunner for Asik, it may be the Sixers, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, who cites several league insiders. In my view, Asik, whose contract expires in 2015 and includes a balloon payment of nearly $15MM for 2014/15, doesn’t fit all that well in Philadelphia’s rebuilding plan, so if the club acquires him, perhaps it’s simply about obtaining an asset for below-market value.
Still, the Sixers are far from the only team in the hunt. Amico also mentions the Thunder, Celtics, Bucks, and Hawks as potential destinations, while a report from Chris Sheridan at SheridanHoops.com names the Sixers, Celtics, Cavs, Hawks, and Bobcats as the teams “most squarely in the mix.” Complicating matters further is the fact that multiple reports have suggested a three-team deal is a real possibility, meaning any of the aforementioned teams could be involved in a trade for Asik without actually landing the big center himself.
The number of suitors for Asik could also potentially double if we include Western Conference teams. Reports have indicated that Daryl Morey is unlikely to send Asik to a conference rival, but if a club like the Thunder, Mavericks, Pelicans, or Trail Blazers offered up the best package, it may be hard for the Rockets to turn it down.
So what do you think? Which team’s uniform will we see Asik wearing at this time next week?
Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, C’s, Bradley, Sixers
Things went from bad to worse for the Knicks tonight, as Pablo Prigioni left the game with an injury before Bradley Beal‘s game-winner dropped New York to 7-17 on the season. The team announced (via Twitter) that Prigioni suffered a hairline fracture of his toe, which won’t require surgery, but will sideline him for the next couple weeks. According to coach Mike Woodson (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv), the Knicks could call up Chris Smith from the D-League or play Iman Shumpert at the point, but it’s fair to wonder if another injury and another loss could prompt the club to acquire Kyle Lowry or another point guard.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division on Monday night:
- Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears the Rockets like Jeff Green in a possible Omer Asik trade, but the Celtics are still an unlikely partner. Chris Mannix of SI.com adds (via Twitter) that there’s no traction to any Asik/Green talks between the two sides.
- According to Mannix (via Twitter), several NBA execs have pegged Avery Bradley for a deal in the four-year, $30MM range next summer.
- There’s nothing imminent on the trade front for either the Sixers or Celtics at the moment, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) and Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald respectively.
Bulls Notes: Waiters, Mirotic, James
Unsurprisingly, the Bulls have struggled without their star player, losing eight of 11 games since Derrick Rose suffered a meniscus injury that figures to end his season. Chicago came into tonight’s game against the Magic with a 9-13 record, which, believe it or not, would be good enough for a playoff spot in the East if the season had ended yesterday. Here’s the latest on the Bulls:
- Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) is hearing chatter about the possibility of the Bulls or Sixers landing Dion Waiters from the Cavs.
- Sources close to the situation tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com that the Bulls are doing everything they can on the buyout front to be able to bring Nikola Mirotic to the NBA next season. We learned earlier this week that Chicago, which holds Mirotic’s draft rights from 2011, met with the Real Madrid forward with the hope of bringing him stateside. Now, Stein wonders if the Bulls, after cutting Mike James today, will see their forward-thinking plan through and move Luol Deng and/or Carlos Boozer before the deadline.
- Speaking of James, Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if the veteran guard might return to the D-League to audition for NBA teams again.
- The Bulls held steady at No. 10 in Chad Ford’s latest Tank Rank piece at ESPN.com (Insider link), with Ford writing that coach Tom Thibodeau would “throw a fit” if the Bulls started trading players like Deng and Boozer.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Ford’s Latest: Bucks, Raptors, Kings, MKG
ESPN.com’s Chad Ford latest Tank Rank feature focuses on the teams that have the best chance of landing an impact player in the 2014 draft, but those clubs could also end up being the most intriguing sellers leading up to the ’14 trade deadline. As such, Ford’s piece includes a handful of notable tidbits on some of the 10 clubs on his list. Here are the highlights:
- The Bucks have been “steadfastly rejecting” trade offers for players who could help them in the short-term, such as Rudy Gay and Omer Asik. Ford interprets that as a sign that Milwaukee could be embracing the idea that “one bad season could lead to many, many good ones.”
- While Raptors GM Masai Ujiri seems open to moving Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, rival GMs are even more interested in trying to pry away Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson. According to Ford, Valanciunas is “virtually untouchable,” and it would take a high draft pick to land Johnson.
- The Kings are in the market for a pass-first point guard, sources tell Ford. Sacramento just traded Greivis Vasquez to the Raptors in last week’s Rudy Gay deal, so presumably the team would like to replace Vasquez’s production at the point.
- The Cavaliers continue to be active in discussions on trades that would improve the current roster, while the Bobcats also appear to favor deals that improve the team’s 2013/14 outlook. Ford hears that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could be made available when he gets healthy.
- Rival GMs are split on what Danny Ainge intends to do, and Ford suggests we may not know the Celtics‘ plans until February.
Knicks Still Expected To Re-Sign Jeremy Tyler
Tyson Chandler may make his long-awaited return on Wednesday night in Milwaukee, but Chandler isn’t the only big man expected to don a Knicks uniform again soon. New York will also likely re-add Jeremy Tyler, who is playing for the team’s D-League affiliate in Erie, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. However, according to Berman, the team has put that signing on hold until its trade situation clears up.
Tyler, 22, was in camp with the Knicks but sustained a stress fracture and was subsequently waived so he didn’t take up a regular season roster spot. Nonetheless, New York made sure to acquire his D-League rights for the Erie Bayhawks, and are said to be “closely monitoring” his progress with the club. So far, Tyler has appeared in three games, and while his averages (17.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG) are solid, he hasn’t been overly efficient (.413 FG%, 4.3 TO).
In order to sign Tyler, the Knicks would have to clear a roster spot, either by making a trade or releasing a player. The team has been connected to Kyle Lowry, and would likely send out more players than it received in any deal for the Raptors’ point guard, which could create an opening for Tyler. Otherwise, the club would likely have to release Toure’ Murry, Cole Aldrich, or Chris Smith to sign Tyler. Murry and Aldrich are on non-guaranteed contracts, while Smith has yet to see any NBA playing time.
Odds & Ends: Gobert, Pelicans, Gasol, Leonard
The Jazz sent Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark to their D-League affiliate for some badly needed playing time, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Both players impressed in their D-League debuts last night. Gobert put up 16 points, 14 boards, and six blocks. Clark had 14 points and six rebounds. More from around the Association..
- Some may have expected the Pelicans to fold in the wake of Anthony Davis‘ injury, but coach Monty Williams told Matt Moore of CBSSports.com that you won’t see that out of New Orleans. “I don’t buy into this idea of tanking and teams who quit when things don’t go their way. To me, that’s what is bad about the NBA. Guys are still getting paid, guys are still getting shoe contract money, all those things are still in play. So when things don’t go your way, you can’t tuck tail and run. And we just don’t bring in guys who are susceptible to that,” the coach said.
- Pau Gasol says that he’s accustomed to trade talk and isn’t letting the latest round of speculation get to him, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Lakers star has been on the pages of Hoops Rumors quite a bit ever since his reported dust-up with coach Mike D’Antoni.
- Blazers big man Meyers Leonard shouldn’t be shipped to the D-League even though he’s struggling, writes CSNNW.com’s Dwight Jaynes.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld takes a quick look around the league at the teams that could be active in the trade market over the next few months.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Thibodeau, Knicks
If the Celtics trade for Omer Asik and get Rajon Rondo back they’ll probably win the Atlantic while still in their rebuilding process, opines Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). Yesterday, Marc Stein of ESPN.com cautioned that the C’s are a team to watch in the Asik sweepstakes. More out of the East..
- It would be foolish of the Bulls to entertain parting ways with coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. For his part, the defensive wizard reiterated his desire to stay in Chicago. “I got a great job here, I got a team that I love, and all I think about is our team,” Thibodeau said. “I look forward to this challenge.”
- “[J.R. Smith] would have a market if playing well and showing he is healthy,’’ one NBA general manager told Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks aren’t allowed to trade the troubled guard before January 15th.
- It was recently reported that the Lakers are weighing whether to propose a swap of Pau Gasol for Knicks big man Tyson Chandler and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com looked at the pros and cons from New York’s perspective.
- Bucks owner Herb Kohl announced that he’s seeking additional investors to create an ownership group committed to keeping his club in Milwaukee, writes Rich Kirchen of The Business Journal. Kohl has retained the services of Allen & Co., the same New York City firm that he had in 2003 when he ultimately decided to spurn an offer to sell the Bucks to Michael Jordan.
- Commissioner David Stern issued a statement in support of Kohl and his bid to get a new arena for the Bucks and keep them in Milwaukee (via Eric PIncus of the Los Angeles Times on Sulia).
- Without a new arena, the Bucks are a prime target for the city of Seattle as they look to replace their Sonics, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Southeast Notes: Oden, Crawford, Celtics
Newly acquired Wizards big man Marcin Gortat expressed some frustrations last night with his role in Washington, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Despite being quoted directly for the story, Gortat took to Twitter this afternoon to combat the report. “That’s BS …. People trying create drama within our team! I know my role and I’m not [frustrated]!!!,” tweeted the big man. Here’s more out of the Southeast Division..
- In this weekend’s mailbag, a reader asked Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat will bring in someone with size in advance of the playoffs. Winderman notes that they won’t need that big presence if Greg Oden is on track. If Oden isn’t, it’s in Miami’s best interest to keep that under their hat to avoid the price of frontcourt insurance getting jacked up. There’s also the buyout market, where they’ve done well in recent years.
- Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News reported over the weekend that multiple GMs identified Jordan Crawford of the Celtics as a potential trade target for the Heat, but Winderman isn’t sure if Miami and Boston can line up for a deal.
- The Hawks recalled rookie Dennis Schröder from the NBA Development League today. The point guard played six games for the Hawks’ affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, and averaged 17.0 points, 6.7 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 turnovers in 34.0 minutes. Schroder appeared in eleven games for the Hawks before being assigned to the D-League earlier this month. Jared Cunningham is headed back to Bakersfield to take his place. To keep track of all of this year’s D-League assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
- As Oden looks to get healthy, he has a fan in Pacers assistant coach Nate McMillan, Winderman writes. McMillan was the only coach Oden played for in the NBA while the two were together with the Trail Blazers.
Bulls Waive Mike James
The Bulls announced that they have officially released Mike James. Chicago’s roster now stands at 13.
The veteran guard signed with the Bulls on September 27th and appeared in seven games with Chicago, averaging 0.3 ppg, 0.9 apg in 5.4 mpg. It would appear that the Bulls let James go so that they could give more burn to younger guards Marquis Teague and the recently-signed D.J. Augustin.
Even though the Bulls are struggling without star guard Derrick Rose, their 9-13 record would still be good for the No. 8 seed in the East if the playoffs started today. However, today’s move could be a sign that Chicago is more concerned with next season than the current campaign.