Cavs, Spurs Have Discussed Green, Aldridge
6:39pm: The talks between the Cavs and Spurs have included the Suns as a possible third team, tweets Amico.
6:19pm: Discussions between the Cavs and Spurs, which were previously centered on Green, now include LaMarcus Aldridge as well, tweets Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net.
4:22pm: The Cavaliers and Spurs have engaged in trade discussions involving Danny Green, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). However, Windhorst adds that San Antonio’s asking price has been high, suggesting nothing is close.
A Wednesday report indicated that the Spurs were open to the idea of trading Green, who is celebrating his 30th birthday today. The veteran wing continues to play a rotational role for the Spurs, averaging 7.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.0 SPG last season while shooting 37.9% on three-point attempts. His ability to contribute on the defensive end as well would make him a nice fit for Cleveland.
However, it’s hard to see a match between the two clubs, who are both looking at win-now moves that would help them compete with the Warriors. The Spurs are believed to be seeking cap room for July, so if they send out Green’s $10MM salary, they likely wouldn’t want to take on one of the Cavs’ cumbersome contracts. However, Cleveland is so far over the cap that the team can’t take on Green without moving substantial salary.
Both the Spurs and Cavaliers have been actively exploring the trade market today. San Antonio is said to be exploring LaMarcus Aldridge trade scenarios, while Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net writes that the Cavs have been in discussions on “no less than eight possible deals.”
Draft Rumors: Monk, Ntilikina, Hornets, Thunder
Malik Monk and Frank Ntilikina may be in “weird positions” tonight, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford. As Ford explains, one of those two players is a good bet to land with the Knicks at No. 8. However, the player who isn’t picked by New York is a candidate to fall out of the top 10 and perhaps to the end of the lottery. In his final mock draft, Ford has Ntilikina going to the Knicks and Monk slipping to the Pistons at No. 12.
Here are a few more draft rumors and notes:
- Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post continues to hear that if he’s still on the board at No. 11, Donovan Mitchell appears likely to land with the Hornets (Twitter link).
- There’s “growing chatter” that Frank Jackson has a first-round promise, and the Thunder may be that team that gave him that guarantee, tweets Royce Young of ESPN.com. Young adds (via Twitter) that Oklahoma City may look to trade back a few spots in the first round in an effort to pick up a second-round selection.
- John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 identifies Davon Reed and Semi Ojeleye as two players to watch for the Suns in the second round (Twitter link).
Mavs Notes: No. 9 Pick, Matthews, Harris
The Mavericks are set to pick at No. 9 tonight, and team president Donnie Nelson sounds like he expects to stay in that spot, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. “I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of movement with the Mavericks,” Nelson said. “Certainly not down.”
Here are a few more tidbits Nelson offered up tonight:
- The Mavericks may be tempted to try to contend this season, since the team wants to make it “an enjoyable ride” for Dirk Nowitzki, as Nelson says. However, the team president adds that the Mavs are looking for building blocks for their future (Twitter link). And the No. 9 pick is “a building block opportunity that we won’t miss out on,” per Nelson (Twitter link).
- Nelson says the Mavs are happy with the point guards in this draft, admitting that the position is probably the team’s biggest hole on paper (Twitter link).
- Although veteran swingman Wesley Matthews has been involved in trade rumors this week, Nelson said that the Mavs “like Matthews right where he’s at” (Twitter link).
- Devin Harris has a partially guaranteed contract with Dallas for 2017/18, raising questions about his future with the team. Nelson said tonight that the Mavs would like to see Harris – who started his career with Dallas – finish his career with the club as well (Twitter link).
Nuggets, Suns Discuss Bledsoe, Mudiay
6:01pm: Discussions between the Suns and Bulls on Bledsoe involved the No. 16 overall pick, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.
5:39pm: The Suns currently have no trades on tap, and are preparing to use the No. 4 pick in the draft, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge.
5:25pm: The Nuggets and Suns have discussed a trade that would send Eric Bledsoe to Denver, with Emmanuel Mudiay and the No. 13 pick going to Phoenix, league sources tell Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). No deal is imminent, but talks remain “fluid,” per Haynes.
ESPN’s Chad Ford first reported that the Nuggets and Bulls were engaged with the Suns today on possible Bledsoe trade scenarios, while Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times tweeted that Phoenix was still looking to make a “major splash” with Bledsoe and/or the No. 4 pick.
According to Ford, if the Suns use the fourth overall pick on De’Aaron Fox, it will likely signal that they found a taker on Bledsoe. If Phoenix isn’t able to complete a Bledsoe trade tonight, Josh Jackson is the more probable pick at No. 4, assuming he’s still on the board, says Ford.
Denver would be an interesting landing spot for Bledsoe, who averaged a career-best 21.1 PPG and 6.3 APG in 66 games last year, before he was benched down the stretch by the tanking Suns. Although Mudiay is a former seventh overall pick, his development has been slow so far, leaving the Nuggets seeking a possible long-term alternative at the point guard position.
Raptors Exploring Trading Jonas Valanciunas
The Raptors are looking into the possibility of moving Jonas Valanciunas and the No. 23 pick in this year’s draft, two league sources tells Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link). It’s not clear what sort of return Toronto would be seeking, but the team likely won’t want to take back much salary.
As Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun wrote on Wednesday, Valanciunas would become somewhat expendable for the Raptors if the team re-signs Serge Ibaka in free agency. And at this point, Toronto is confident about its chances to bring back Ibaka.
If the Raptors are able to re-sign both Ibaka and Kyle Lowry, going deep into the luxury tax will be a real concern, so it makes sense that the club would look to move some salary. Although Valanciunas’ lack of outside shooting ability makes him a bit of a tricky fit for some teams, he should still have more trade value than teammate DeMarre Carroll.
Both Valanciunas and Carroll have two guaranteed seasons left on their respective deal, though Valanciunas has a player option for 2019/20. Valanciunas will earn $15.46MM in 2017/18, while Carroll will make $14.8MM.
Timberwolves Remain In Mix For Jimmy Butler
The Timberwolves and Bulls have been engaged throughout the day on a potential Jimmy Butler trade, Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania reported on The Vertical’s live show tonight. According to Wojnarowski, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn are among the players that have been discussed in those talks, along with draft picks.
While any executives around the league believe the most likely scenario involves Butler staying in Chicago, those execs believe that if the All-NBA forward goes anywhere tonight, it will be Minnesota, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link).
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders passes along an interesting note on the Timberwolves, tweeting that the NBA has confirmed Nikola Pekovic‘s 2016/17 salary is no longer on the club’s cap. That means that Minnesota has about $24MM in cap room tonight, which could be very convenient when it comes to getting a trade done — the team wouldn’t necessarily have to match salaries for incoming players.
The Celtics, Suns, Nuggets, and Cavaliers have also been linked to Butler this week, though Boston isn’t currently believed to be in the mix.
Celtics Not Currently Engaged In Jimmy Butler Talks
Trade discussions involving Jimmy Butler continue to take place, but those talks don’t include the Celtics, and haven’t “for a while,” according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Five Key Offseason Questions: Boston Celtics]
Bulpett’s report doesn’t necessarily mean that the Celtics are out of the Butler sweepstakes entirely — if the Bulls begin to move close to a deal with another team, it’s possible they’d call Boston to see if the C’s want to make another offer. However, at this time, it appears that the Celtics aren’t actively exploring a potential Butler deal.
The Nuggets, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, and Suns are among the teams that have reportedly spoken to the Bulls about Butler. However, since the All-NBA forward still has two years left on his contract and prefers to remain in Chicago, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Chicago ends up not moving him tonight.
Although the Bulls are willing to make a deal if the right offer arises, the offers to this point have been “underwhelming,” sources tell K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
Trade Rumors: Nuggets, Butler, Dudley, Drummond
The Nuggets, who spoke to the Bulls at the February trade deadline about Jimmy Butler, have engaged with Chicago again as the draft approaches, a source tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN. According to Goodman, any offer Denver makes obviously wouldn’t include Nikola Jokic, but would feature multiple young players and draft picks.
Butler, of course, has reportedly indicated that he wants to remain with the Bulls. And while a fondness for Chicago and his Bulls teammates may play a part in that stance, he’s also aware that he’ll no longer be eligible for a potential Designated Veteran Extension if he’s traded. Butler would be eligible for that super-max extension if he earns an All-NBA nod next year, but only if he remains on the Bulls, which is the “real reason” he doesn’t want to be moved, tweets Chris Broussard of Fox Sports 1.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA as the draft inches closer:
- The Suns have talked to the Pelicans about a potential Jared Dudley trade, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), who adds that any deal would likely involve second-round picks. New Orleans may not have the cap room to absorb Dudley’s $10MM salary outright, so the Pelicans may have to send out a contract or two in a possible swap.
- Although there have been whispers about Sacramento’s interest in Andre Drummond, a deal between the Kings and Pistons remains unlikely at this point, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press adds (via Twitter) that he has been told multiple times that any Drummond trade is unlikely, though that could change.
- Amick passes along another note on the Kings, tweeting that while Sacramento plans to use pick at No. 5, there’s a chance the team will move the No. 10 selection in order to land a player and a later pick.
- A source tells Jason Quick of CSNNW.com (Twitter link) that there’s “no way” the Trail Blazers acquire LaMarcus Aldridge from the Spurs.
Jazz Rumors: Beverley, Rubio, Draft, Favors
The Jazz continued this afternoon to engage in talks for Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley, according to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune, who notes (via Twitter) that Utah also has another point guard on its radar.
It’s possible that other point guard is Timberwolves veteran Ricky Rubio. Jody Genessy of The Deseret News reports that Utah has explored the possibility of acquiring Rubio in a trade. However, Genessy acknowledges that there’s no traction on that front for now.
Here are several more Jazz-related rumors:
- According to Genessey, the Jazz continue to be “very active” in trade talks as they explore the possibility of moving up in the draft. Utah currently has the 24th and 30th overall picks, but wouldn’t mind moving up into the 12-17 range to grab a shooter, sources tell The Deseret News.
- The Jazz aren’t shopping Derrick Favors, who is entering the final year of his contract, but he is receiving “a lot of interest” from teams, says Genessy. Although Utah would prefer to keep Favors, he’s not entirely off-limits.
- The Jazz still feel “pretty comfortable” that Gordon Hayward will remain with the team after opting out, but the club doesn’t know for sure, which is complicating offseason planning, writes Genessy.
- Utah has increased its international budget, making a draft-and-stash prospect a possibility for one of the club’s picks tonights, per Genessy. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets that the Jazz, Spurs, and Nets are all keeping a close eye on international big man Isaiah Hartenstein, who will likely be picked in the 20s tonight.
Heat Notes: Leaf, Collins, Reed, Aldridge
The Heat will be looking for size with the 14th pick, especially if Luke Kennard and Donovan Mitchell are both off the board, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. T.J. Leaf, who proved to be an effective outside shooter at UCLA, is a possibility, along with Gonzaga’s Zach Collins, who can also hit from 3-point range. Miami would like to find a stretch four to team with Hassan Whiteside, a traditional low-post center.
If Collins is off the board, Jackson says the Heat will look at Jarrett Allen of Texas and Justin Patton of Creighton. Both are 6’11” and are targeted for the back of the lottery or possibly later. A minor injury prevented Allen from working out for Miami, but he held an interview Sunday and reportedly impressed team officials. Patton did participate in a workout for the Heat on Sunday.
Jackson offers more insight into Miami’s strategy for tonight and beyond:
- Drafting a backup center would protect the Heat in case Willie Reed leaves in free agency. The front office fears that Reed will get an offer significantly higher than the team is willing to pay.
- Leaf could be a replacement for either Luke Babbitt or James Johnson, two forwards who are both headed for free agency.
- Another big man to consider is John Collins of Wake Forest, who impressed the Heat in a workout last week. Miami will also look at Duke’s Harry Giles, but might be scared off by his history of knee problems. Giles canceled a workout in Miami and never rescheduled.
- If the Heat decide to trade down, they will focus on UCLA center Ike Anigbogu and Kentucky power forward Bam Adebayo.
- Miami is a possible destination if LaMarcus Aldridge wants out of San Antonio. The Spurs are seeking a top 10 draft pick and would like to cut salary to make a run at Chris Paul. Jackson says Miami could offer a competitive package of the 14th pick, Wayne Ellington, whose $6.27MM contract won’t be guaranteed until July 12th, Justise Winslow and Josh McRoberts.