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Draft Notes: Hawks, Bennett, Craft, Ross

December 22nd, 2013 at 3:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Is your favorite team looking to deal future draft choices to make things brighter today?  Not so fast. There are rules and regulations to follow.  You can get yourself all caught up on the rules for dealing future picks thanks to Luke Adams’ handy guide, published last week.  Here’s today’s draft links..

  • It may be bad times in Brooklyn but the Nets’ troubles are giving the Hawks reason to smile, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • Everyone feared that the 2013 Draft would be historically bad and the early returns support that, writes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer.  “It’s very early,” ESPN.com analyst Chad Ford said of No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, “but right now, he’s looking like the worst in the past 20 years. That includes Greg Oden. Oden was injured all the time, but when he played, he at least looked like a No. 1 pick.“
  • Dan Kelly of SNY.tv asks if Ohio State’s Aaron Craft and LaQuinton Ross have NBA futures.  Craft figures to be the best perimeter defender in this year’s class and is currently slated to go in the second round.  Ross, who stands at 6’7″ and boasts a 7’1″ wingspan, has a good build for the two-guard position and can shoot well, but his effort isn’t consistent from game to game.  He’s also projected to go in the second round.
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Eastern Notes: Nets, Nogueira, Crawford, Karl

December 21st, 2013 at 6:29pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

With the announcement earlier today that Brook Lopez will be out for the season, there have been many speculations as to how the Nets will react. The disabled player exception is one option that has been mentioned and now trade speculations are beginning to surface. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com speculates that the Nets could pursue a trade for Omer Asik. It would be surprising if the Rockets bit on Berger’s proposal of Paul Pierce and a first-rounder that couldn’t go Houston’s way until 2020.

Some other notes around the Eastern Conference:

  • Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports the Hawks first-round draft pick, Lucas Nogueira will be working with the Hawks team doctors now that he has returned to the United States to focus solely on his rehab. Nogueira will split his rehab time between Atlanta and LA but will be giving the team a better chance to monitor his progress.
  • Former NBA guard Coby Karl has  signed with the German team MHP Ludwigsburg Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports. The son of NBA coach George Karl began the season in Italy.
  • Today Celtics guard Jordan Crawford reunited against his former team, the Washington Wizards. Prior to the meeting, Crawford discussed his departure from the Wizards with Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy. In the discussion, Crawford expressed his desire that he would have handled his departure with the Wizards differently. Crawford also shared that he plans to handle the return of Rondo differently than the ascension of John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Odds & Ends: Jefferson, Carroll, Kobe

December 20th, 2013 at 11:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

It’s a lighter-than-usual Friday night slate in the NBA, with only nine games this evening, but it’s been plenty eventful off the court the past couple of weeks. Hoops Rumors readers have pegged Kyle Lowry as the most likely centerpiece of the next major deal, and as we wait to see whether that will be the case, here’s more from the Association:

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Latest On Celtics-Rockets Omer Asik Talks

December 18th, 2013 at 10:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:01pm: Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe hears the Celtics and Rockets are “close” to a deal and echoes much of what we heard tonight before Bulpett reported that the talks are no longer active. It appears the teams are sending out conflicting information on the talks, perhaps in an exercise of negotiating tactics, though that’s just my speculation.

9:16pm: The Celtics proposed a deal of Bass, Lee and a protected first-rounder for Asik a week ago, but talks have been closed since then, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. While other reports have indicated the teams are currently negotiating, that’s not the case, Bulpett writes, suggesting that Celtics GM Danny Ainge isn’t budging from his offer and that the Rockets would have to sweeten their end of the deal to revive discussions. Bulpett also hears that when the Rockets brought Asik aboard in 2012, they promised him they wouldn’t sign another center to compete with him for the starting job.

8:11pm: The Celtics prefer to trade the Clippers’ 2015 first-round pick they acquired via the Doc Rivers deal, while the Rockets are seeking a 2014 first-rounder, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.

7:09pm: TNT’s David Aldridge suggests the Rockets won’t close on an Asik deal tonight, meaning they’ll have to pull one off Thursday to meet their self-imposed deadline (Twitter link).

6:50pm: The Trail Blazers, believing Asik isn’t worth the risk of disrupting team chemistry, aren’t involved in talks with the Rockets, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The Blazers have “grown to love” Robin Lopez and aren’t interested in any major acquisitions for now, Haynes adds.

6:24pm: Though the Hawks don’t appear too interested in Asik, his nearly $15MM balloon payment next season wouldn’t deter the team from taking him on, Vivlamore writes in a subscription-only piece.

5:58pm: The belief that the Celtics will land Omer Asik is growing stronger as other suitors drop out of the talks, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com. It looks like the deal would involve Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee and a draft pick headed to Houston in a trade that includes only the Celtics and Rockets. The two teams are debating over which pick Houston would get, Mannix adds (Twitter links). The Celtics had reportedly been reluctant to surrender their 2014 first-rounder, but it appears they’ve at least relented on the notion of draft compensation.

Lee spoke this afternoon about the possibility of getting traded, saying that he’d prefer to stay put but that he isn’t too concerned with the talk, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com notes (Twitter links). Lee is no stranger to Houston, having played there before the sign-and-trade that took him to Boston last year.

It’s not clear whether the Rockets would send anyone other than Asik to Boston, but Donatas Motiejunas is “desperate” for playing time, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, who points out that Motiejunas and Asik share an agent. Still, Motiejunas would prefer that he got added playing time in Houston rather than with another team, Feigen adds.

The Hawks, also reportedly an Asik suitor, were only in talks with the Rockets out of due diligence, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

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Celtics Moving Closer To Deal For Omer Asik

December 18th, 2013 at 5:32pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ve already passed along a series of Omer Asik rumors today, but this morning’s round-up was so extensive that we’re separating the rest of the day’s Asik rumblings in a new post so they don’t get lost in the shuffle. You can follow the latest rumors right here, with any new updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • There’s no third team involved in the latest proposal involving Houston and the Celtics, Wojnarowski tweets. That means the Cavs are done with the talks, at least for today, Amico notes via Twitter. Cleveland feels like it’s moving in the right direction and is disinclined to shake up its roster, according to Amico (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Celtics are moving closer to landing Asik, but are reluctant to part with a 2014 first-rounder, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports provides a similar update, tweeting that the C’s and Rockets are still haggling over which first-rounder would change hands.
  • The Sixers remain in play to be a facilitator in a three-way Asik deal with the Rockets and Celtics, says Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. According to Berger, the Hawks also aren’t entirely out of the picture, but GM Danny Ferry is wary of the Rockets’ attempts to overvalue Asik and create a “false market.” Berger adds that the Cavs and Rockets haven’t engaged in serious talks since Houston asked for Anderson Varejao and Cleveland isn’t interested in giving him up in an Asik deal.
  • A league source tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe that there’s “nothing going on” right now when it comes to the Celtics landing Asik (Twitter link).
  • If the Rockets do end up working out a deal with the Celtics that involves Brandon Bass and Courtney Lee, Houston shouldn’t expect to flip either of those players before the deadline, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who hears from one exec that “no one wants them.”
  • The Cavs and Hawks have fallen back significantly in discussions for Asik, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’s not clear if this means Cleveland is simply unlikely to land Asik, or also unlikely to be involved at all in a three-team deal.
  • Two sources briefed on Asik negotiations tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) that a deal is unlikely to be consummated until tomorrow.
  • Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link) hears that the Blazers are “not even remotely involved” in talks for Asik, while Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld tweets that the Bucks aren’t interested in acquiring the center.
  • The Celtics are “gaining traction” in discussions to acquire Asik, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that the “serious talks” between the two sides have included Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee, and a first-round pick, though it’s not clear if Lee would go to the Rockets or a third team in that scenario (Twitter links). For what it’s worth, both Bass and Lee played with Howard in Orlando.
  • Meanwhile, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter link) hears that the Celtics are open to trade discussions, particularly on Asik, but are “sitting tight” and not pursuing anything.
  • A league source tells Andrew Perna of RealGM.com that the “wild card” team cited last night by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is the Trail Blazers. It’s not 100% clear if Portland was the specific club referred to by Wojnarowski, but the club would make a logical suitor for Asik. We’ll have to wait and see if Daryl Morey is willing to send the big man to a Western Conference contender, however.
  • The Rockets, Cavaliers, and Celtics have had discussions about a three-way trade involving Asik, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. A possible three-way scenario that included the Sixers rather than the Cavs was mentioned in this morning’s installment of Asik rumors.
  • The Hawks are “barely involved” in Asik talks, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), though he cautions that that could always change.
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Omer Asik Rumors: Wednesday Morning

December 18th, 2013 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets‘ self-imposed deadline for an Omer Asik deal is right around the corner, which means we should expect to hear plenty of rumors about the big man today. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld even suggested last night that a trade could be agreed upon today, though nothing is imminent quite yet. Here’s the latest on Asik, who appears almost certain to be on the move by week’s end:

  • The Celtics are “increasingly active” in Asik talks and are viewed as the Sixers‘ strongest rivals for the center’s services, according to Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The ESPN duo reports that neither Boston nor Philadelphia is scared off by the $15MM balloon payment owed to Asik in 2014/15.
  • According to Stein and Windhorst, many league sources believe one reason Rockets GM Daryl Morey imposed the December 19th deadline in the first place was a belief that he could get a deal done by then with Sixers GM (and former Rockets assistant GM) Sam Hinkie. The Rockets would want to do a deal involving Spencer Hawes and at least one first-round pick.
  • The Cavaliers are more likely to act as a third-team facilitator than to acquire Asik directly, according to the ESPN.com report. Stein and Windhorst detail one scenario in which the Celtics would land Asik and send Jeff Green to the Cavs, though Chris Mannix of SI.com hears there’s “no way” Boston will include Green in an Asik deal (Twitter link).
  • Although Green and Thaddeus Young have frequently been cited as potential targets for Houston, Stein and Windhorst say the Rockets would be reluctant to take on the long-term contract of either player, since it would negatively impact the team’s ability to lock up Chandler Parsons.
  • Stein and Windhorst, as well as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, report that while the Rockets would love to acquire Paul Millsap, the Hawks‘ interest in Asik is “lukewarm” at best.
  • Within Berger’s piece, the CBSSports.com scribe writes that multiple league executives have told him the Rockets are open to packaging Jeremy Lin with Asik. However, considering Lin also has a big salary bump coming next season, sending the two players to the same team is unlikely.
  • One scenario that has emerged is the possibility of a three-team deal involving the Celtics and Sixers, with Asik going to Boston, says Berger. However, one league source called it a long shot, describing it as a “weird deal.”
  • The Knicks attempted to get involved in the Asik sweepstakes, discussing a potential deal with the Rockets and a third team, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Despite their efforts though, the Knicks are on the outside looking in, and are very unlikely to land the seven-footer.
  • We heard last night from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that the Hawks, Celtics, Cavs, and Sixers are squarely in the mix for Asik, with a “wild card” team in play as well.
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Odds & Ends: Asik, Gasol, Wolves, Mirotic

December 17th, 2013 at 9:45pm CST by Alex Lee

With December 15th in our rearview and the trade deadline two months ahead of us, things should start to heat up quickly, as our Luke Adams noted in his Trade Season Primer. Here are some trade-related rumors as well as some odds and ends from around the league on Tuesday night:

  • With two days remaining until the Rockets self-imposed December 19th deadline, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that there is a consensus expectation that Omer Asik will be moved in a three-team deal in which he ends up in Boston or Philly.
  • Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports adds the Cavs and the Hawks to Stein’s list and says that there is a fifth mystery team in the mix for the center’s services. (Twitter links)
  • Meanwhile, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that he is hearing that an Asik deal may go down on Wednesday, though he cautions that nothing is definite.
  • Kennedy also writes about the possibility of the Lakers finally pulling the trigger on a deal to send the disgruntled Pau Gasol out of Los Angeles, opining that while the team has overvalued the Spaniard in the past, the combination of his contract, his struggles this season and his issues with Mike D’Antoni may finally be enough for the Lakers to move him.
  • As Tim Faklis of Canis Hoopus writes, the Timberwolves don’t have the assets to complete another significant trade this season. Faklis concludes that any deal could only involve some combination of Dante Cunningham, Luc Mbah a Moute, Alexey Shved and/or Shabazz Muhammad. Referencing Faklis’ story, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that the Wolves are limited in their flexibility and that he is told to expect “status quo” in Minnesota for now.
  • We know that not only have the Bulls met with Nikola Mirotic, but that they’re aggressively trying to bring him over from Spain for next season. Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago tweets that the Bulls “love” Mirotic and that if they get him stateside this summer that it should be considered their big offseason move. To put that into context, Friedell adds that the Bulls consider Mirotic more valuable than the top-10 protected first round pick of the Bobcats that they own. (Twitter links)
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Southeast Notes: Oden, Crawford, Celtics

December 16th, 2013 at 1:06pm CST by Zachary Links

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.
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Latest On Omer Asik

December 15th, 2013 at 8:27pm CST by Zachary Links

While there are strong rumbles that the Sixers, led by former Houston exec Sam Hinkie, will be the team to land Omer Asik, Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears that the Celtics are worth keeping an eye on as well.  The Celtics have two players in Jeff Green and Brandon Bass that at different salary ranges could fit next to Dwight Howard.

Boston also has a spare first-round draft pick or two to plug into any trade equation to sweeten the deal for the Rockets, a big deal considering that GM Daryl Morey wants to come away with at least one future first.  It also helps that the Morey and coach Kevin McHale have longstanding relationships with Celts president Danny Ainge.

Stein wonders openly if the Rockets can afford to take on someone like Green ($18.4MM over two seasons after this one) or Philly’s Thaddeus Young ($19.4MM over same span) when they know they’ll have to give an extension bump to Chandler Parsons when he becomes eligible.  That means it’s likely that a third team will get involved in an Asik swap.

Meanwhile, it’s believed that the Cavs like the thought of keeping Anderson Varejao better than the prospect of trading him for Asik.  Word is the Cavs would prefer to join in as a third-team facilitator that helps Asik land in a different city.  The Hawks also have an attractive frontcourt piece in Paul Millsap, but it’s believed that GM Danny Ferry is holding on to him for a better prize than the disgruntled Houston center.

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Southeast Notes: Wade, Hawks, Dwight

December 14th, 2013 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

With Dwayne Wade’s recent admission that he’s not the same player that he once was, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if that candor will translate to the bargaining table when he’s a free agent.  Wade sacrificed not only to add LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010, but also to keep Udonis Haslem, so it’s possible that he’ll be open to another pay cut to help the Heat prosper in the next few years.  Today’s look at the Southeast Division..

  • Hawks point guard Shelvin Mack isn’t bitter toward the Wizards, who waived him twice last season, as he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post.  “I wouldn’t say the opportunity wasn’t there. They had a lot of playmakers, so it was hard trying to fit in and see where you’re going to get shots. You had John, being a playmaker. Jordan Crawford. Nick [Young]. A lot of guys were playmakers and needed the ball a lot,” Mack said. In Atlanta, “we’ve got me, Jeff [Teague], and Lou [Williams] the primary playmakers, so we are in position to make plays coming off the pick and roll and shoot. Here, it’s more for the point guard to be aggressive. In DC, you’re more setting up guys.”
  • The Cavaliers still haven’t recovered from losing LeBron James, and they serve as a reminder that the Magic‘s rebuilding plan after trading Dwight Howard isn’t necessarily destined to work, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
  • Speaking of the Magic, Maurice Harkless and Glen Davis are upset with their lack of playing time, Schmitz writes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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