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D-League Moves: Gaines, Wizards, Knicks

January 30th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sundiata Gaines is headed to the D-League, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. The three-year NBA veteran has appeared in 11 games with Besiktas Milangaz in Turkey this year and was in camp with the Pacers in the fall of 2012. The 6’1″ guard’s most memorable contribution to the NBA was a buzzer-beater for the Jazz in 2010, though his best season was in 2011/12, when he started 12 games for the Nets. Here are more comings and goings from the D-League:

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Paxson On Rose, Cap Space, Deng, Trades

January 30th, 2014 at 4:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Derrick Rose has long maintained that he doesn’t like to recruit other players to Chicago, and Bulls executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson doesn’t think that stance puts the team at a disadvantage, as Paxson said on ESPN Chicago 1000’s “The Waddle & Silvy Show.” Paxson said he wouldn’t have been comfortable recruiting during his playing days, either. The sharpshooter-turned-executive had plenty more to say about the state of the Bulls, as we highlight via transcriptions from ESPNChicago.com and Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders:

On whether the team will try to clear room to ink a max-salary free agent this summer:

“Not necessarily, because we have other avenues. We still have some short-term contracts that can be used in deals and we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. It’s tough to play that game thinking that you’re just going to unload, unload, unload and try to have as much money [as possible]. Sometimes you can have too much, I guess.”

On the team’s motivation for trading Luol Deng:

“The reason for doing the Deng deal has been obvious, we’ve stated it a number of times. It doesn’t put us in a position right now to have max cap room this summer but it does give us the opportunity to have the ability to go out and pursue some guys and look at different avenues, whether it’s through trading players or trading for players.”

On his approach at the trade deadline next month:

“It’s a process. Now if somebody comes — we’ve got three weeks now until the trade deadline and there hasn’t really been any chatter at all from teams yet, but that’s often the case when you’re three weeks away — we’ll listen. But we’re still a team that has played pretty well, and we like a lot of our pieces and we’ll see where the year goes. People know that our guys don’t quit, our coach doesn’t quit and we don’t quit, and we’re just going to keep fighting away.”

On the luxury tax and the perception of the Bulls as being cheap:

“I can tell you about what’s happened recently. We came into the season with a high payroll, in the tax for the second straight year. With Derrick’s injury and other things we made the decision to move Luol and get under the luxury tax this year to give us some flexibility for years going forward. From the business standpoint we felt it was the right thing to do and you have to think that way; it is just a reality of the business. You hear those things [about being cheap], but to feel like you have to go out and respond to everyone, you just end up chasing your tail and it’s really not worth it. I know we work for a terrific owner and an organization that is willing to spend; we just don’t want to spend foolishly, and I think 90 percent of the teams in this league think that way.”

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Nuggets Consider Activating Andre Miller

January 30th, 2014 at 3:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nuggets coach Brian Shaw says he’ll consider bringing Andre Miller back to the team to compensate for injuries to Ty Lawson and Nate Robinson, according to Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Shaw admits he and Miller still haven’t spoken since their run-in on the bench nearly a month ago, Dempsey also tweets.

Miller hasn’t appeared in a game since that heated argument with the coach, and the Nuggets have aggressively attempted to trade him to no avail. The durable Miller had been putting up the lowest numbers of his career in advance of his 38th birthday in March. GMs nonetheless see him as likely to be dealt, so part of the motivation to bring back Miller could be the hope of boosting his trade value. The Nuggets will make a game-time decision on Lawson’s status for Friday’s contest, as Dempsey notes via Twitter, so there’s certainly no guarantee that the team will call upon Miller.

The point guard is making $5MM this season, but only $2MM of his salary for next year is guaranteed, so he could be appealing for a team looking to clear cap space. When I examined Miller’s trade candidacy last week, I speculated that if the Nuggets are to trade him, they’re most likely to do so right at the deadline, when offers will be at their best. The notion that they’d bring him back indeed suggests that the team no longer is operating on an accelerated timetable to make a deal.

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Ford’s Latest: Bosh, Lowry, Raptors, Afflalo

January 30th, 2014 at 1:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford of ESPN.com doubts the Heat‘s three stars will all be back in Miami next season, but he thinks the odds are in favor of the Heat retaining LeBron James. It’s Chris Bosh who’s most likely to leave, as Ford surmises from conversations with teams and agents. The ESPN.com scribe figures lots of teams will offer Bosh the maximum salary and give him the sort of primary role he hasn’t had with Miami. Ford passed along plenty of rumors in his chat this afternoon, including his bombshell on Kyrie Irving‘s private conversations about his desire to leave Cleveland, as we covered earlier. Here’s more:

  • The Raptors are “actively shopping” Kyle Lowry, Ford writes. An opposing GM who spoke to Ford’s ESPN.com colleague Chris Broussard said he thinks Toronto will hold on to the point guard through the deadline, so perhaps the Raptors are talking to lots of teams but still demanding a high return for the soon-to-be free agent.
  • Ford also suggests the Raptors would prefer to position themselves for the No. 1 overall pick rather than a high playoff seed, though it would seem Toronto’s chances of winning the draft lottery are quite slim, as our reverse standings indicate.
  • Arron Afflalo might be one of the most valuable trade assets on the market, according to Ford, who suggests the Magic could also extract a worthwhile return for Jameer Nelson.
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Introducing ProFootballRumors.com

January 30th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is proud to announce the arrival of its latest partner, Pro Football RumorsProFootballRumor-FB-1213! Luke Adams, the former lead writer at Hoops Rumors, and his team of NFL fanatics are covering rumors, transactions, and the draft 365 days a year with the style, timeliness, and analysis you’ve come to love on Hoops Rumors and MLB Trade Rumors.  The team has been quietly covering all the latest for the past several days, so there is already plenty for you to catch up on.

Once the Super Bowl is over Sunday night, NFL teams and players will turn their attention to the start of free agency in March, and we’ll have the latest on big names like Jimmy Graham, Greg Hardy, and Eric Decker. If you like what you see at Pro Football Rumors, please bookmark the site, follow us on Twitter @PFRumors, and like our Facebook page.

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NBA Approves Mark Tatum As Deputy Commish

January 30th, 2014 at 11:50am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 11:49am: The NBA’s Board of Governors has unanimously approved Tatum for the deputy commissioner post, the league announced via press release. He will take over the job Saturday, when Silver replaces David Stern as commissioner.

TUESDAY, 9:26am: The league has chosen Tatum as its next deputy commissioner and will make an official announcement soon, Wojnarowski tweets.

8:51am: The NBA’s vice president of global marketing partnerships has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Adam Silver as the league’s deputy commissioner, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Mark Tatum, a favorite of Silver’s, would serve as Silver’s assistant after he takes over for commissioner David Stern beginning Saturday.

Tatum joined the NBA in 1999 after working for Major League Baseball. He’s worked to create revenue for the NBA, overseeing the league’s marketing partnerships with major corporate sponsors. He’s also handled sales relationships with the league’s television and media partners.

An executive who spoke to Wojnarowski said Tatum is unfamiliar to most team front office people around the league, and that he’d need to grow into his position. Still, there’s been little chatter about other candidates, and Wojnarowski indicates that Tatum is a strong favorite to assume the position. Tatum, an African-American, would become one of the highest ranking minority executives in major North American professional sports.

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Bulls Won’t Re-Sign Cartier Martin

January 30th, 2014 at 11:18am CST by Chuck Myron

Cartier Martin‘s second 10-day contract with the Bulls expired last night, and Chicago won’t re-sign him for the rest of the season, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Teams are limited to handing out only a pair of 10-day deals to a player before they must decide whether to keep him for the season or part ways.

A report surfaced within an hour of the team’s announcement of Martin’s second 10-day contract that the Bulls hoped to re-sign the Andrew Vye client for the season, so it isn’t clear whether the decision not to do so came from Chicago or from Martin’s camp. The Bulls are perilously close to luxury tax territory, as I explained earlier this month, so perhaps Chicago grew skittish about committing the bulk of its remaining room beneath the tax threshold to the 29-year-old. Today’s news could be a boon for Mike James, whose first 10-day contract with the team expires after Friday night. The Bulls are at 13 players without Martin, and they can’t carry fewer than that for more than two weeks at a time.

Tom Thibodeau was supportive of Martin sticking around for the rest of the season, Charania tweets, so maybe this is another sign of disconnect between the Bulls coach and front office. Martin averaged just 2.5 points in 8.0 minutes per game over six appearances, though he made 62.5% of his field goal attempts in the small sample size.

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Broussard’s Latest: Carmelo, Rondo, Love

January 30th, 2014 at 10:39am CST by Chuck Myron

Most of the executives to whom ESPN Insider’s Chris Broussard has spoken believe the Bulls will make a run at Carmelo Anthony this summer. Some are “completely convinced” Chicago will go after him, Broussard writes. A rival GM thinks the team’s confidence in Nikola Mirotic‘s ability will play heavily into the team’s decision regarding Anthony. A report in recent days indicated the Bulls are among the front runners for last year’s scoring champ. Broussard has plenty more in latest piece, and we’ll round it up here:

  • Rajon Rondo quickly ended extension talks with the Celtics, and the discussions didn’t even get to the numbers stage, according to Broussard, who says the point guard wants to keep his options open as he seeks a payday and a winning situation. Rondo has expressed his commitment to Boston, but the Knicks, who remain interested in trading for him, view him as the perfect complement to Anthony.
  • A GM tells Broussard that it’s “a 100% certainty” that Kevin Love will sign with the Lakers after next season. Most executives who’ve spoken to the ESPN.com scribe also believe the former UCLA star is headed for the purple-and-gold.
  • The Lakers might be willing to overpay Eric Bledsoe to bring him aboard via restricted free agency this summer, a source tells Broussard. Suns owner Robert Sarver has indicated he’s willing to match any offer for the point guard, so it’d be a surprise if Bledsoe wound up back in L.A.
  • If the Celtics, who are looking to clear cap room, can find takers for Gerald Wallace, Jeff Green and Avery Bradley, “they’re gone,” Broussard says. It’s not a surprise that GM Danny Ainge would be quick to unload Wallace, but his apparent enthusiasm for moving Green and Bradley is noteworthy.
  • The Raptors had engaged in trade talk with other clubs about DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry before their run to the top of the Atlantic Division, but Toronto is no longer looking to move DeRozan, barring an substantial offer. Broussard hears the Raptors are not high enough on Lowry to offer him a sizable contract when he hits free agency this summer, but an opposing GM thinks Toronto will hang on to Lowry through the trade deadline because of fears about alienating the fan base.
  • The Pacers will only trade Danny Granger if another team “blows them away” with an offer, Broussard writes.
  • Broussard detects a strong sense around the league that the Pistons are eager to trade Josh Smith.
  • The Sixers would be willing to take back a little bit of salary to acquire draft picks for their veterans, according to Broussard. I assume he’s referring to long-term salary commitments rather than players on expiring deals.
  • The strong play of the Grizzlies has quieted chatter surrounding Zach Randolph, Broussard reports.
  • The Heat are interested in Andrew Bynum, but they’re unwilling to pay him more than the minumum salary, an executive tells Broussard. Bynum is reportedly holding out for more than that.
  • GMs who spoke to Broussard identified the following players as candidates to be traded before the deadline: Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson, Emeka Okafor, Kenneth Faried, Shawn Marion, Dion Waiters, Jarrett Jack, Francisco Garcia and Arron Afflalo.
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Daequan Cook Signs To Play In Germany

January 30th, 2014 at 9:23am CST by Chuck Myron

Six-year NBA veteran Daequan Cook has signed a deal with Walter Tigers Tübingen of Germany, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). It’s not clear whether the contract includes an escape clause in case an NBA team comes calling. The 26-year-old has appeared in at least part of every NBA season since he was drafted 21st overall in 2007, but that streak is in jeopardy.

Cook didn’t draw significant NBA interest in the summer and wasn’t on a preseason roster. The client of BDA Sports Management latched on with Budivelnyk Kyiv of Ukraine in November, but the club let him go in December after he averaged 6.9 points per game and shot just 28.6% from three-point range in a total of eight appearances. That’s the same percentage of three-pointers the one-time long-range marksman hit in the NBA last season, which he split between the Rockets and the Bulls. His long-range shooting was once his calling card, as he drained 42.2% of his three-point attempts in 2010/11 with the Thunder, two seasons after winning the three-point contest during All-Star Weekend.

The 6’5″ swingman started 22 games for the 2011/12 Thunder, a team that went to the NBA Finals, so it’s been a precipitous decline. Still, if he can rediscover his outside shot while in Germany, it seems he has a decent shot of returning to the NBA, if not this season, then next.

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Nets Eyeing Kevin Durant For 2016

January 30th, 2014 at 8:31am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets are planning to pursue Kevin Durant when his contract expires after the 2015/16 season, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Brooklyn is set to have plenty of cap room in the summer of 2016, in spite of the team’s record payroll for this season, so it’s no surprise that GM Billy King and company have set their sights on the player most likely to be the top prize on the market that year.

Durant became the first major NBA client of Jay Z and the Roc Nation Sports agency earlier this year. Jay Z is a former minority owner of the Nets, though Durant has maintained that the hip hop icon will have no influence on his choice of teams, Bondy notes.

The three-time NBA scoring leader has dropped “odd hints,” as Marc Stein of ESPN.com put it in October, that he’s anxious to win a championship as the Thunder have shed key pieces in cost-cutting moves. The three-time NBA scoring leader said this past fall that he’s “not thinking that far down the line” with regard to 2016, and that he’s content in Oklahoma City, though he’s not sure what his future holds.

An Eastern Conference executive told Bondy that he believes Durant will leave the Thunder, though the exec acknowledged that it would be difficult for the five-time All-Star to find a better sidekick than Russell Westbrook, whose contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2017. The Nets could have room enough to sign another marquee free agent to pair with Durant in 2016, since their only commitment for the following season is the final year of Deron Williams‘ deal, worth $22.3MM. Williams has an early termination option he can exercise in the summer of 2016, so there’s a chance his money won’t be on the Nets’ books. Brooklyn also has a team option it can decline on Mason Plumlee‘s rookie scale contract.

Durant appears headed for his first MVP award as he averages a career-high 31.3 points per game, which puts him far out in front in the race for what would be his fourth scoring title. There’s little doubt that teams around the league are considering the chances they could bring him aboard two summers from now, just as Oklahoma City will surely do all it can to retain him.

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