Eastern Notes: Butler, 76ers, Melo, Brand
Caron Butler seemed reasonably happy in Phoenix, but when Suns Assistant General Manager Pat Connelly approached him with the option of playing for the Bucks, the Wisconsin native was packed up and out of town within 48 hours, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. “I got an opportunity of a lifetime,” Butler said. “What man wouldn’t want to play in his home state and home city? I thought it was great for me.” More out of the East..
- The 76ers announced that they have assigned guard Elliot Williams to the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League. Williams signed as a free agent with the Sixers on Nov. 20 and has appeared in 18 games with one start. To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
- Clippers coach Doc Rivers thought the talk of a Carmelo Anthony-for-Blake Griffin trade was “so stupid” and Melo agrees. “Everybody talks about it,’’ the Knicks star said of one day playing with Paul, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “Back to the USA team [in 2008]. Those three guys did it [LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh]. It happens. Everybody always says they want to play with this guy and that guy. But me and Chris have been rumored since he [came] to the NBA. There’s always been trade rumors trying to get us together. It never happened…it was stupid and silly.’’
- The Bulls chased both Elton Brand and Marcus Camby hard in free agency last summer, hoping one would sign as a fifth big man, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. When the Hawks offered a one-year, $4MM deal, Brand turned down the chance to return to where he started his career.
Andrew Bynum Rumors: Sunday
Today is the day the Cavs would like to reach agreement on an Andrew Bynum deal with the Lakers, though as we saw with the Rockets and Omer Asik, a self-imposed deadline doesn’t always spur action. Coming to terms today would allow the players involved 48 hours to complete their physicals in advance of Tuesday, the final day that whatever team left holding Bynum’s contract can waive him and save $6.25MM of his $12.25MM salary. Bynum could become more difficult to trade after that point, which helps explain Cleveland’s eagerness to deal quickly. Here’s the latest:
- The Cavs and Lakers failed to reach a deal by end of the weekend but talks are expected to continue as the Cavs weigh other deals, according to Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The Cavs are considering two deals other than the Lakers possibility, one of which is sending Bynum to Utah for Richard Jefferson.
- Some execs say the Lakers are out, the Bulls and Jazz are in, and the Grizzlies could even be in the mix on Bynum, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports.
- The Lakers were also looking to swap first round picks and inquired on Anderson Varejao but they were rebuffed, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- The Cavs also remain reluctant on sending a future first-round draft pick to the Lakers, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. L.A. could save $20MM+ on a Gasol-Bynum deal, but the Lakers’ insistence on more than salary-cap relief from the Cavaliers – such as Waiters or a draft pick – has been a significant hurdle in discussions. Meanwhile, the Cavs are willing to part with a second-round pick in a Bynum-for-Jefferson deal, which Cleveland officials believe is likely enough return to make the transaction worth the Jazz’s trouble. However, the two sides haven’t picked up talks over the weekend.
- As the Lakers push for assets in Gasol-Bynum discussions, the Cavs have refused to include Dion Waiters in talks, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
- The only asset other than Bynum that the Cavs have offered to the Lakers is a second-round pick, and that’s not enough for L.A., as USA Today’s Sam Amick writes. The Cavs would have to include at least one other player to make a Bynum/Pau Gasol trade meet salary-matching requirements, but the teams haven’t discussed any Cavs other than Bynum. For now, the teams are in a standoff, with the Cavs aware that the deal would help the Lakers avoid the luxury tax while the Lakers feel the Cavs would prefer to receive immediate help in return for Bynum.
- The Lakers maintain their insistence that they will only trade Gasol for a valuable asset, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter).
- The Cavs indicate that trade talks are progressing, but while the Lakers “begrudgingly” admit the discussion has been revived, they deny that a deal is close, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
- Gasol’s camp is skeptical that a deal goes down today, Amick tweets.
Western Rumors: Curry, Wayns, Dedmon
The latest out of the West…
- There’s a strong chance that the Grizzlies will try and re-sign Seth Curry to a ten-day deal if he clears waivers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Memphis waived the guard earlier today. Clubs can start inking players to ten-day deals tomorrow.
- The Clippers might also try and re-sign Maalik Wayns to a ten-day deal after waiving him earlier today, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
- Big man Dewayne Dedmon is one of the players to keep an eye on in this week’s D-League showcase, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Dedmon, who spent time with the Warriors this season, is averaging 16.1 points, 15.3 reb, 2.3 blocks, 1.7 steals per contest for the Warriors’ affiliate in Santa Cruz.
Hoops Rumors Originals
A look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Chuck Myron rounded up a list of notable NBA veterans signing in the D-League.
- Luke Adams examined Andrew Bynum as a trade candidate.
- A refresher on ten-day deals, courtesy of Chuck.
- A look at minimum salary players getting more than 20 minutes per contest.
- It’s not all about the trade deadline. Chuck looks at significant deals that went down in January in recent years.
- Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
- The D-League seems to be getting more notable names than ever. Who else could spend some time there?
- What should the Lakers do with Pau Gasol? Most of you say they should trade him for future financial flexibility.
- A glance at all of Hoops Rumors’ awesome features, including my weekly Hoops Links post. If you have a great blog post that you want featured on Hoops Rumors, email it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Hoops Links: Bynum, Celtics, Spurs
On this date in 1988, Hall of Famer Pete Maravich died at the age of 40 after suffering a heart attack while playing in a pick-up game in California. Pistol Pete, one of the most dazzling talents to ever grace the hardwood, became one of the youngest players ever inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and was regarded by John Havlicek as “the best ball-handler of all-time.”
Got a great basketball blog post that you want featured on Hoops Links? Send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere..
- Keep It Cavalier looks at the logistics of a possible Andrew Bynum trade.
- Celtics Life wants to know what’s going on with all of these blown leads.
- 48 Minutes Of Hell looks at the Spurs’ needs and concerns in the New Year.
- Knickerblogger isn’t doing cartwheels over Jeremy Tyler.
- Hawks/Hoop casts their All-Star ballot for Jeff Teague.
- Bourbon Street Shots says Eric Gordon can’t play with Jrue Holiday.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, email Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Heat Notes: Beasley, Mason, Riley
Former Heat big man Kurt Thomas is considering an NBA return, but it won’t be with the club he played for more than any other. The veteran’s agent says that he won’t play for the Knicks as he wants to play for a team with a “legitimate” chance of winning the title. Ouch. Here’s the latest from South Beach..
- The Heat‘s reclamation projects continue to pay off, writes Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report. Michael Beasley, Chris Andersen and Roger Mason Jr. have all contributed off of the bench and Greg Oden could provide another major boost when he returns.
- The contract guarantee deadline is Tuesday, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spoke confidently about Mason being on the roster for the rest of the season, writes Shandel Richardson of the Sun-Sentinel. “We don’t take him for granted or other players like that off the bench,” Spoelstra said. “Roger, now, is gaining more confidence each game that he plays with our system. Those kind of guys are hard to find. They really are. To be able to sacrifice, to understand the big picture, to be available when we need him and to be able to produce and not be cluttered in the mind, I think a lot of teams would like to have a guy like him or some of the other guys we have.“
- Drew Voros of Index Universe spoke with Heat president Pat Riley about his methods for success in a wide-ranging interview.
Grizzlies Waive Seth Curry
TUESDAY, 4:29pm: Curry has cleared waivers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
SUNDAY, 6:13pm: The Grizzlies announced that Curry has been waived.
4:19pm: The Grizzlies have waived Seth Curry, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Curry, the younger brother of Warriors star Stephen Curry, impressed in workouts with Memphis in December and formally inked a contract on Christmas Eve. Terms weren’t disclosed at the time, but it was reported late last week that his deal was non-guaranteed, putting him on the chopping block in advance of the Tuesday deadline.
Curry, 23, went undrafted out of Duke this past June and spent training camp this fall with his older brother and the Warriors. He was playing with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League since before getting picked up by the Grizzlies, averaging 21.3 points and 7.8 assists in 12 games.
Clippers Release Maalik Wayns
4:28pm: The Clippers formally announced that Wayns has been released. The club’s roster now stands at 14.
4:18pm: The Clippers have released Maalik Wayns, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Wayns’ contract would have been guaranteed for the remainder of the season if he were still on the Clippers’ roster past Tuesday.
Wayns’ contract initially called for a guarantee date of December 1st, but it was pushed back to Tuesday, January 7th following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in mid-October. Had the Clippers kept him on the roster, his $788K deal would have been guaranteed for the remainder of the season. Wayns has recovered from his injury, but he couldn’t survive the numbers crunch.
The 22-year-old hooked on with L.A. last season on a pair of ten-day contracts and while he didn’t play all that much, he showed enough to stay on the roster heading into 2012/13. He’ll now be looking for a new home for the remainder of the year.
Week In Review: 12/30/13 – 1/5/14
It’s crunch time for the Cavs. They’re armed with an unlikely trade chip in disgruntled big man Andrew Bynum, but they have to make a deal in advance of Tuesday’s contract guarantee deadline as teams that are interested in Bynum essentially want to acquire him so that they can dump him and his contract. Talks with the Lakers continue on a deal centered on Bynum and Pau Gasol and Cleveland reportedly wants to get that deal done today. There’s also been talk of a deal involving Jazz small forward Richard Jefferson, but that may not be in play any longer. More from the week that was..
- Carmelo Anthony for Blake Griffin? Guess not.
- The Magic finally said goodbye to Hedo Turkoglu. The Lakers could be a suitor. Orlando said no to trade proposals from L.A. and the Hawks before cutting the veteran.
- Tony Parker wants an extension with the Spurs.
- One league source says the Bulls want to trade Luol Deng and amnesty Carlos Boozer.
- The Magic waived Solomon Jones.
- The Clippers are looking outside the NBA for a point guard. Delonte West and Bobby Brown are options for L.A.
- If the Nuggets move Andre Miller, it’ll probably be closer to the deadline. The Nuggets slapped him with a suspension last week. The Warriors and Kings are said to have interest.
- Kurt Thomas is considering an NBA return, but not with the Knicks.
- Jordan Crawford wants to stay with the Celtics.
- The Knicks signed Jeremy Tyler and kicked Chris Smith to the curb. Smith is D-League bound.
- The Pelicans waived Lou Amundson.
- The Suns say they’ll do whatever it takes to keep Eric Bledsoe.
- Shabazz Muhammad is going to the D-League too.
- This Rajon Rondo guy might also make a D-League cameo on his way back.
- The Warriors waived Hilton Armstrong.
- The Al Horford injury could prompt the Hawks to make a deal.
- In addition to the Lakers, Knicks, and Nets, the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Celtics are among the teams that have inquired about a deal with the Raptors for Kyle Lowry.
Odds & Ends: Gasol, Muhammad, Burke
Pau Gasol has been in trade rumors for years, and he’s once more bracing for the possibility that the Lakers could ship him away, as he tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
“I’m ready for it,” Gasol said. “I can’t control what they’re going to do as a team. But I’m going to try to play as well as I can for as long as I’m here. If I’m somewhere else, I’ll try to continue to do that.”
We figure to have at least some resolution to the latest Gasol saga today, and in the meantime, here’s more from around the league:
- With Shabazz Muhammad headed to the D-League and Trey Burke of the Jazz the reigning Western Conference Rookie of the Month, Timberwolves boss Flip Saunders says it’s still too early to judge the result of their draft night swap. The Wolves officially sent Shabazz Muhammad to the Iowa Energy today, according to a press release. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune originally reported the move Friday.
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com breaks down the game of potential No. 1 pick Joel Embiid.
- D.J. Kennedy is headed to Israel to play for Hapoel Holon, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia reports. The swingman was in camp with the Mavs this fall and played with Gravelines in France earlier this season. Italy’s Reggio Emilia was also reportedly interested.
- The Grizzlies have assigned Jamaal Franklin to the D-League, the team announced. The 41st overall pick this past June has averaged just 9.2 minutes in 14 games for Memphis this year. I identified him earlier this week as a player who could see time in the D-League.