Kings Seek To Deal Ben McLemore; Wolves Eye Him
TUESDAY, 12:10pm: Sacramento is “desperate” to trade McLemore, a league source told Sam Amico of Amico Hoops.
3:17pm: The Timberwolves are among the teams talking to Sacramento about McLemore, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 2:53pm: The Kings and Ben McLemore are working together to find a new team for the former lottery pick as the trade deadline approaches, report Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Cavaliers are one of multiple Eastern Conference teams with strong interest in the shooting guard, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported last week, though it appeared then that Sacramento was resisting offers for the Rich Paul client. Sacramento wants someone who can help them immediately and not future draft picks, Stein and Windhorst write. McLemore, the seventh overall pick from 2013, is making almost $3.157MM in year three of his four-year rookie scale contract.
The effort to trade McLemore is similar to the one the Kings made to try to facilitate a trade for Caron Butler in December, according to Stein and Windhorst. However, Butler remains with Sacramento.
The Kings drafted Nik Stauskas at No. 8 in 2014, one year after they took McLemore, but they traded Stauskas this to Philadelphia past summer, ostensibly designating McLemore as their shooting guard of the future. Instead, his minutes have shrunk from 32.6 last season, when he started all 82 games, to 21.0 this year. He’s shooting career bests of 37.2% from 3-point territory and 45.1% from the field, but it hasn’t translated into more playing time, and he wasn’t in the starting lineup for the last two games in which he appeared before going out with a wrist injury for Sacramento’s final three games leading up to the All-Star break.
Cavs Make Iman Shumpert Available?
TUESDAY, 12:05pm: The Cavs intend to keep Shumpert, barring an unforeseen major offer from another team, sources told Sam Amico of Amico Hoops.
9:12pm: Cleveland isn’t actively thinking about trading Shumpert, whose name simply came up because his contract was a fit for salary matching purposes in a larger proposal, reports Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links).
MONDAY, 2:42pm: The Cavaliers are making Iman Shumpert available for a trade, report Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Cleveland had been seeking a three-and-D wing to back him up, given his history of injuries, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported a month ago, but now it seems the Cavs would be willing to send out Shumpert himself. He’s making close to $8.988MM this season in the first year of a four-year, $40MM deal he signed with Cleveland just this past summer.
Shumpert is averaging a career-low 6.2 points this season, one in which he’s played in only 30 of Cleveland’s 52 games so far thanks to a preseason wrist injury. His 3-point shooting is off, at 32.2%, his lowest rate of accuracy since he shot 30.6% from behind the line as a rookie in 2011/12. Still, he’s the sixth best shooting guard in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus Minus and is having his finest season to date on D according to the Basketball-Reference Box Plus Minus metric.
Cleveland appears to be operating on multiple fronts in addition to the search for wing players, as they’ve been eyeing big man Kosta Koufos, Stein reported earlier today, while also reportedly shopping Kevin Love. The Cavs want a star in return for Love, and not the role players and draft picks the Celtics have offered in their recent talks, Stein and Windhorst hear.
And-Ones: Lue, Anderson, Burks, Luwawu
Five NBA head coaches have been fired since the start of the season, and a sixth, George Karl, nearly was. That’s left a skittish environment in coaching circles, as Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post examines.
“I think maybe the owners are running out of patience,” said Tyronn Lue, who took over the Cavs from the fired David Blatt. “I’m not sure. Just talking to the guys, it’s good to get a long-term deal, because you never know what’s going to happen in this league. In our situation alone, we’re number one in the East and we got to the NBA finals last year, and then something like this unfortunately happens. I think you just have to continue to see improvement every year. A lot of times, I know ownership, they get anxious, and they probably think they’re better than what they really are. So that tends to play a part in it.
Lue reportedly signed a three-year deal when he took the head coaching job in Cleveland, though GM David Griffin denied it. See more from around the NBA with the trade deadline precisely 72 hours away:
- Ryan Anderson is anxious to explore free agency this summer, so he’d only be a rental for any team that might acquire him at the trade deadline, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Conflicting reports paint a confusing picture of the likelihood that Anderson will end up in a trade, though more of them indicate that he’s not the likeliest trade candidate on the Pelicans than the other way around.
- Alec Burks is progressing well in his recovery from a fractured left fibula and the general expectation is that the Jazz shooting guard will return to action in March, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. That’s nonetheless slightly behind the eight-week timetable reported in late December.
- Draft prospect Timothe Luwawu of the Serbian club Mega Leks is an all-around swingman with a rapidly emerging 3-point game, strong passing and intriguing defensive skill who must improve his ball-handling and willingness to finish inside and overcome his occasional mental lapses on the floor, observes Jonathan Givony of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Luwawu is Givony’s 15th-rated prospect for this year.
Cavs Interested In Kosta Koufos
The Cavaliers have pursued Kosta Koufos, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s one of many names to which Cleveland has been linked in recent weeks, including fellow King Ben McLemore. Sacramento reportedly rejected the idea of trading for Timofey Mozgov, though It’s unclear if Cleveland’s pitch for Koufos, who’s a native of nearby Canton, Ohio, involved either Mozgov or McLemore. Stein reported last year that the Cavs reached out to the Grizzlies about trading for Koufos while the backup center was still with Memphis.
The Cavs have reportedly sought a 3-and-D wing player, but they’ve also been linked to Omer Asik as they’ve reportedly explored the market for Mozgov. Cleveland has apparently been shopping Kevin Love, but with a high price attached to him. Koufos, a former Ohio State player, is making $7.7MM in the first season of a four-year deal worth about $32.879MM that he signed with the Kings this past summer. That salary would fit within the largest of Cleveland’s three trade exceptions, so the Cavs theoretically wouldn’t have to send matching salary in return.
However, the Kings seem determined to make the playoffs this season, and they’ve sought a “quality young player” or someone whose contract runs past this season in return for Rudy Gay, as Stein reported late last month. Koufos isn’t the most logical fit next to Kings big men DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein, both of whom are, like Koufos, on long-term deals, but Koufos’ name has largely been absent from trade rumors this season.
What should the Cavs offer in exchange for Koufos? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Cavaliers Rumors: Mozgov, Trades, James, Lue
The odds are against the Cavaliers re-signing center Timofey Mozgov in free agency if they aren’t able to trade him, writes Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. Pluto cites Cleveland’s salary cap issues and Mozgov’s declining performance as reasons that he might be moved. In addition, Mozgov suffered through early-season knee problems and doesn’t fit the faster-paced system favored by coach Tyronn Lue. With Anderson Varejao, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Sasha Kaun all on the roster, there may not be room for Mozgov beyond this season.
There’s more news out of Cleveland:
- Cavaliers GM David Griffin is seeking another “wing player,” Pluto writes in the same story. Griffin’s priority is defense, although he would like to find someone who can shoot as well. Pluto mentions the Hawks’ Thabo Sefolosha and the Kings’ Ben McLemore as possibilities, adding that Cleveland may also have interest in Joe Johnson if he gets bought out by the Nets. Pluto’s Plain Dealer colleague Chris Haynes reported that the Cavs would jump at the chance to sign Johnson for the minimum if he works a buyout.
- Kobe Bryant‘s farewell tour has LeBron James thinking about the inevitable end of his basketball career, according to Marla Ridenour of The Akron Beacon Journal. The 13-year veteran isn’t sure if he wants a farewell tour like Bryant’s, but he indicated that he would like to leave the league while he’s still among its best players. “All the respective greats try to play at the highest level they can,” James said. “I’m going to give it my all obviously until I can’t. One thing I won’t be, I don’t ever believe or think that I’ll be an embarrassment to my fans or my family.”
- Lue said unusual circumstances have contributed to make the midseason coaching change in Cleveland more difficult than it might have been, Ridenour writes in a separate story. Lue is considered a villain in Israel after being chosen to replace David Blatt on the Cavaliers’ bench, and he is belittled by some people for being selected as an All-Star Game coach with so little experience. “I’ve been able to block it out, but it’s still tough,” Lue said. “You’ve been in this league for 18 years and people who know you and your family know that you’re not that way. It’s tough for people to talk about you in that sense. But it’s OK, I can get over it.”
Celtics Rumors: Lee, Thomas, Horford, Love
The trade deadline is just four days away, but the Celtics don’t feel any urgency to make a deal, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. A league source told Murphy that Friday’s rumored three-team trade with Cleveland and New York “never existed” and that Boston hasn’t talked to the Rockets about acquiring Dwight Howard. The Celtics are willing to add a player for the right price, but they believe everyone currently in play is overpriced. The source said that includes the Hawks’ Al Horford, whom the Celtics don’t want to invest heavily in because of his looming free agency. Boston had interest in the Nuggets’ Danilo Gallinari, but the source said that would-be deal was “a dead issue” before it was even reported.
There’s more this morning out of Boston:
- The Celtics haven’t found any teams interested in David Lee and his $15.5MM contract, Murphy writes in the same piece. The source said Lee has “no value” around the league, even though his expiring deal presents an opportunity for cap relief this summer.
- Isaiah Thomas recently became a recruiter when a player from another team asked him about the benefits of Boston, Murphy adds. Thomas, who used the reputation of coach Brad Stevens as one of his selling points, wouldn’t offer any clues as to who the player was. “The coaching staff is great and the organization is 100% – it’s A1,” Thomas said. “I told him, You watch us. It’s fun to watch us. We were joking around the locker room about how everyone likes to watch the Boston Celtics, and how hard we play.”
- The unidentified player may have been Horford, speculates A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. He noted that Thomas smiled and said, “I didn’t say that” when asked if it was Horford he was talking about. A late replacement pick for the All-Star Game, Horford is trying to focus on business as usual despite the trade talk. “I’m going to continue doing what I do,” he said. “I can’t control the speculation that’s going on.”
- It’s unlikely the Celtics can get Kevin Love from Cleveland without a third team involved, Blakely said in an interview on SportsNet Central. Blakely explained that Boston has enough young players and draft picks to make a deal happen, but such a move wouldn’t get Cleveland any closer to a championship.
Latest On Carmelo Anthony
Denials continue regarding the rumor that broke Friday of a proposed three-team deal that would send Carmelo Anthony to Cleveland, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman cites two league sources who told him the Knicks haven’t talked to either the Cavaliers or Celtics about the trade, which would have shipped Kevin Love to Boston and a package of players and draft picks to New York.
Anthony, who said Saturday that he wouldn’t waive his no-trade cause to make the deal possible, attracted attention earlier this weekend with comments that “it won’t sit well with me” if the Knicks miss the playoffs for a third straight season. He plans to eventually talk with his representatives from Creative Artists Agency about his future in New York, but on Saturday Anthony expressed a desire to stay in the city.
“Doing it in New York is better than doing it any place in the world,’’ Anthony said. “One in New York is better than multiple somewhere else. That was the reason I wanted to come to New York. That’s the reason I’m in New York. It just bothers me when I start hearing all these trade rumors. Nobody has talked to me. I don’t know where it comes from. Sometimes it gets to you. As a player you get tired of hearing something all the time.”
There’s more Anthony-related news as Thursday’s trade deadline draws closer:
- In addition to the no-trade clause, Anthony’s contract contains a 15% trade kicker, which means the Knicks would pay a heavy price if they deal him away. “That was something my agent really talked about,’’ he told Berman. “Knowing how few people had that, that was a big part of signing that contract. It’s security at the end of the day. You never know what could possibly happen or what it can do. All players would want that.”
- Anthony is still hoping to find another star willing to join the Knicks, Berman writes in the same piece. One possibility is the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, whom New York plans to target this summer with an estimated $19MM in cap room. Anthony said talk about star players joining forces is common around the league. “I say why not come with me,’’ he said. “When I say playing with stars, that’s conversations. Everybody has those conversations. Guys that are in my circle have those conversations. On the Olympic team, guys have those conversations — 90% of the time it never happens. The Miami thing came into fruition, but it took a lot. That’s just dreams and wishes.’’
- All parts of the proposed deal aren’t dead, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News, who broke the story Friday. Isola writes that the Celtics and Cavaliers have talked about a trade sending Love to Boston, and Anthony’s name was included as part of “very preliminary discussions.” Anthony would prefer to stay with the Knicks for now because he has a good relationship with owner James Dolan and he wants to keep his family in New York, which was a factor when he re-signed with the franchise in 2014.
- If Anthony ever does decide a trade is in his best interest, the Cavaliers remain a possibility, along with the Celtics and Clippers, according to Isola. Anthony owns a house in Los Angeles and has a friendship with Chris Paul.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 2/13/16
Chatter about a blockbuster three-way deal that would send Carmelo Anthony to the Cavaliers, Kevin Love to the Celtics and an assortment of players and draft picks to the Knicks interrupted NBA All-Star weekend on Friday night. The proposed trade would align Anthony with another star player, which is something that would appease the 31-year-old. “I think everybody always kind of dreams and hopes that they can play with another great player, another star player,” Anthony said. LeBron James has since dismissed the rumors and Anthony, who holds a no-trade clause in his contract, said he isn’t leaving New York.
Anthony has played well this season, accumulating 21.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while sporting a 20.3 player efficiency rating. He had trouble with his surgically repaired left knee this season, which along with a January ankle injury, has caused him to miss seven games and play others at less than 100%.
The Cavs have reportedly been shopping Love, though their asking price is very high. Netting Anthony would be a nice return for a player of Love’s caliber, but it would be a move with the short term in mind. In tonight’s shootaround, let’s assume Anthony is willing to waive his no-trade clause for a deal that sends him to Cleveland. Would acquiring Anthony be the best move for the Cavs or is there a Love trade that makes more sense for Cleveland?
Take to the comments section to share your opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
Central Notes: James, Anthony, Vasquez, Bulls
LeBron James is dismissing rumors of a three-team deal that would bring Carmelo Anthony to Cleveland, according to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. “It’s false. That’s the only thing I can look at and see — it’s false,” James told reporters today at All-Star practice in Toronto. James added that he’s not concerned with trade talks involving the Cavaliers. Anthony, also in Toronto for All-Star weekend, said he won’t waive his no-trade clause. “There’s always some trade [stuff] going, I don’t pay attention to those rumors,” Anthony told SiriusXM NBA Radio. “I’m not going anywhere.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The rumored deal doesn’t make sense for the Cavaliers, argues Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Fedor notes that since Tyronn Lue took over as coach, he has been emphasizing ball movement and trying to get away from isolation plays. Fedor says Anthony won’t help with that transition. The trade would send Kevin Love to the Celtics, who have been chasing the power forward for years. Love could be made available, Fedor writes, because his production has been up and down and he has been a poor fit with James and Kyrie Irving.
- Bucks point guard Greivis Vasquez, who has been sidelined since having ankle surgery in December, expects to be back on the floor in three to four weeks, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Vasquez has appeared in just 16 games this season, averaging 7.1 points and 4.4 assists. Making $6.6MM this year, Vasquez will be a free agent this summer after being acquired from the Raptors in a trade last June.
- The Bulls couldn’t expect to get equal value back in a trade for Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol or Taj Gibson, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. He notes that Gasol is likely to opt out of his contract this summer, but adds that dealing away the 35-year-old center would doom Chicago’s playoff hopes.
Celtics, Cavs, Knicks Have Discussed Love Trade
MONDAY, 3:55pm: Cleveland has made it clear it wants a star in return for Love, not the role players and draft picks the Celtics are offering, league sources tell Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
10:15pm: The Cavs have been shopping Love but the asking price is very high, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe tweets.
FRIDAY, 9:00pm: The Cavaliers and the Celtics have had discussions regarding a trade that would send Kevin Love to Boston, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News reports. Preliminary talk also took place about a three-way deal that would include the Knicks and small forward Carmelo Anthony, Isola adds. Anthony’s contract includes a no-trade clause, which the veteran would have to waive in order for any deal involving him to occur. New York would be in line to receive draft picks and players in return for Anthony, including center Timofey Mozgov, who was part of the 2011 trade with Denver that landed ‘Melo in New York.
The talks involving the Knicks have not progressed, according to Isola, and Anthony remains committed to New York for the time being. Anthony did relay earlier today that if the Knicks were to miss the playoffs this season, he would have to think about his future with the franchise. “That doesn’t sit well with me to know that it can be three years if we don’t pick it up right away,” Anthony said. “I try not to think about that right now but in actuality you have to start thinking about that.”
Anthony has expressed his desire to play alongside another star player, which LeBron James certainly qualifies as if Anthony were indeed to end up in Cleveland. “I think everybody always kind of dreams and hopes that they can play with another great player, another star player,” Anthony said. “It’s a star players’ league. I think that’s what we all talk about every time we get together. ‘I want to play with you. I want to play with you.’ Even here different guys say, ‘Come play with me, come play with me.’ That’s always the mindset. I think everybody that’s in my situation, in my position, they all want the load off, especially the older that they get. You realize that you just can’t do it by yourself. Everybody knows that. You have teams, great teams, great guys — individual guys on the teams — that still haven’t won either. They realize it just doesn’t work like that.”
The Celtics could also look to deal with the Knicks directly if they are unable to land Love, Isola notes. Boston executive Danny Ainge is determined to add a star player and is intrigued by Anthony, the Daily News scribe adds. Boston certainly has assets the Knicks would likely be interested in, including multiple future draft picks and perhaps second-year playmaker Marcus Smart, who could be the answer at point guard for New York, though that is merely my speculation. With their lack of future draft picks thanks to a number of ill-advised trades, the Knicks could benefit from hitting the reset button and building around rookie phenom Kristaps Porzingis.