Knicks Pursue Jeff Teague, Still Eyeing Lowry
1:02pm: Ken Berger of CBSSports.com also downplays New York’s pursuit of Teague, though he says it’s because of the Knicks’ lack of assets (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 8:24am: Marc Berman of the New York Post throws cold water on the story, writing that the Knicks are expected to pass on Teague out of concerns about his long-term deal. He also hears that the Raptors, Hawks and Knicks didn’t have talks about the three-way deal involving Lowry, whom Toronto probably won’t trade, according to Berman. Still, the Knicks would love to flip Shumpert for a point guard, and that desire has grown stronger than the team’s pursuit of a backup center, Berman writes.
MONDAY, 3:27pm: The Knicks view Andre Miller as a fallback option, though their preference is for someone younger like Teague or Lowry, Stein writes in his full story.
2:02pm: New York is continuing to try to pry Lowry away from the Raptors, offering packages that include Felton, Iman Shumpert and Beno Udrih, Begley reports. The Knicks have been reluctant to offer Tim Hardaway Jr. or a first-round draft pick, but the Raptors are believed to be demanding at least one of the two, Begley writes. The Knicks, Raptors and Hawks have had preliminary discussions about a three-team deal that would provide the Raptors with the first-rounder they’re apparently seeking, according to Begley. Such a deal would send Teague to the Raptors, Shumpert to the Hawks and Lowry to the Knicks, sources tell Begley, who notes that it’s also still a possibility that Teague winds up with the Knicks.
1:03pm: The Knicks are focusing on upgrading their point guard position at the deadline, and Jeff Teague is a new target, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com seconds the report, via Twitter. Hawks GM Danny Ferry apparently isn’t enamored with the four-year, $32MM offer sheet that Teague signed with the Bucks this past summer, goading the Hawks into matching it. Because the Hawks matched the offer sheet, Teague can veto any trade this season, as Stein points out (on Twitter).
New York renewed efforts to extract Kyle Lowry from the Raptors last week, but the Knicks have become convinced the Raptors won’t deal him, Stein tweets. Incumbent Knicks point guard Raymond Felton is averaging a career-low 10.4 points as New York sits two and a half games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Teague, by contrast, is putting up a career-best 15.6 points per game, and he’s also matching his high of 7.2 assists per contest. The Hawks are fifth in the East, but are below .500 at 25-26.
Southeast Notes: LeBron, Magic, Hawks
LeBron James offered a rare glimpse into his long-term plans in an interview that aired on NBA TV Monday night. James can opt out of his deal this summer, and while he says that he can’t picture himself leaving the Heat, he’s putting off his decision until after the season, as The Associated Press notes.
“At this point, I can’t,” James said to interviewer Steve Smith. “At this point, I can’t. We don’t know what can happen from now to July, so what I’ve been able to do this whole season to this point is just worry about what’s at hand and that’s winning another championship. And hopefully at the end of this year I can put myself in a position where I can hold that Larry O’Brien Trophy up once again and then I will assess what I have to do with my future after that.”
While we wait to see what the No. 1 free agent will do, here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Agents and executives around the league think the Magic have a strong chance to attract a second star via free agency if they could just find a first star, writes Grantland’s Zach Lowe. The Magic are prepared to spend up to the tax line if need be and go into the tax when executives feel the team is “one piece away” from a title, CEO Alex Martins tells Lowe. Still, the club senses no urgency to make a push next season, Lowe writes, believing that the easiest way, by far, for the club to find that first star is through the draft. Lowe also notes that the Magic are more wary than most teams of taking on any players with character issues.
- The Magic are unlikely to make a run at Lance Stephenson in the summer, as there’s fear around the league that he won’t be quite as team-oriented if he’s not around the strong structure of the Pacers, according to Lowe.
- The Hawks are seeking a small forward, as Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News writes in a story on the Knicks’ pursuit of Jeff Teague, which appears to have cooled.
Eastern Notes: Boozer, Ridnour, Nogueira
The general opinion around the league has been that the Bulls will use the Amnesty Provision on Carlos Boozer after the season. But during last nights broadcast of the Bulls/Nets game, TNT’s Craig Sager had a different opinion, writes Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders.com. Sager has heard that the team might not Amnesty Boozer after all. Sager stated, “He (Boozer) told me tonight that he has been assured that he will not be traded by next week’s deadline, nor will the team buy out the final year of his contract this summer unless they can land a superstar who is too good to pass up.” If superstar was the word used, writes Brigham, then that could be referring to if the team could somehow lure either LeBron James, or Carmelo Anthony to sign with the Bulls this summer.
More from around the East:
- Several teams have called the Bucks about Luke Ridnour, including Washington and Sacramento, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The Bucks are also fielding calls about their young players, as teams aren’t sold that owner Herb Kohl is serious about going through the pain of a youth movement. But the message from the Bucks has been consistent. They have taken the stance that barring a significant offer, their young assets are staying put, writes Berger.
- Also from the Berger article, he writes that the trade dynamics are much more fluid than at recent deadlines, especially in the East. Several teams are on the borderline between pulling back and positioning for a better draft pick or making a move to push for a playoff spot. For example, with 30 losses each, the Bobcats and Pistons are on the cusp of an almost hopeless postseason venture as the seventh or eighth seed, which would almost certainly mean a first-round sweep at the hands of Indiana or Miami. According to Berger, the quandary is that they’re also only five games out of the fourth spot, which could deliver home-court advantage in a winnable first-round series.
- Lucas Nogueira‘s decision to leave the care of Hawks doctors and rejoin his team in Spain was his and not the Hawks’, notes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription only). Still, there’s no indication that the team is upset with his choice.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Suns, Bobcats, Pietrus
Executives from around the league say the Bobcats and Suns are the teams to watch with the trade deadline a week from today, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Both teams are buyers looking to improve their postseason chances, and Charlotte in particular has been involved in numerous trade rumors of late. Here’s more from around the Association:
- A recent conversation with Nicolas Batum sold Mickael Pietrus on the idea of joining the Blazers, but Portland, with a full 15-man roster, declined the free agent swingman’s pitch to join the team, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post figures Mike Woodson has coached the Knicks for the last time at Madison Square Garden, since New York follows up Wednesday’s home loss to the Kings with a tough road trip after the All-Star break.
- Dan Gadzuric has signed with Petrochimi of Iran, Sportando’s Enea Trapani reports. The 36-year-old is continuing his career overseas after retiring from the NBA this past fall.
- Hawks first-round draftee Lucas Nogueira is headed back to Spain to rejoin Estudiantes next week, observes fellow Sportando scribe Emiliano Carchia. The 16th overall pick this past June has been in the care of Hawks doctors, who’ve treated the severe tendinitis that’s sidelined him since December.
- The Rockets have sent Robert Covington to the D-League, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The assignment will allow the rookie to take part in the D-League All-Star Game this weekend.
Hawks Re-Sign Cartier Martin
The Hawks have given Cartier Martin a second 10-day deal, the team has announced via press release. The timing is a little odd, given that the All-Star break will take up half the length of the contract, but perhaps Atlanta wants to keep the small forward from other teams. He had a pair of 10-day deals with the Bulls earlier this season, and Tom Thibodeau is high on him.
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday that the team was likely to re-sign Martin, though at that point there wasn’t a timetable. He appeared in only two games on his first 10-day with the Hawks, but he’s played 27 games for them this season overall, since he was with the club from camp until January 7th, when Atlanta elected to waive him rather than guarantee his contract for the season. The Hawks will again face a decision of whether to guarantee the Andrew Vye client‘s deal for the balance of the year once his latest 10-day deal expires.
Atlanta can’t trade Martin at the deadline, as I explained earlier today, but the team could terminate his deal early to open up a roster spot for an unbalanced trade if need be. The Hawks have 14 guaranteed contracts, so Martin occupies the team’s only open roster space.
Lowe’s Latest: Granger, Ariza, Turner, Warriors
The Pacers have been actively looking to deal away Danny Granger, but have had little success, and the same is true for the Wizards and their attempts to unload Trevor Ariza‘s expiring contract, writes Grantland’s Zach Lowe. The Grantland scribe also seconds a report from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that Washington is looking for a backup point guard. Lowe’s latest column focuses on the trade deadline, which is just nine days away, and we’ll pass along the highlights of a rumor-packed piece here:
- The Bobcats are “absolutely serious” about their pursuit of Evan Turner, Lowe writes, pointing to the connection between David Falk, who serves as Turner’s agent, and Bobcats owner Michael Jordan, a former Falk client. The Sixers are a lock to be “super active” as the deadline approaches, according to Lowe.
- Sources tell Lowe that the Warriors aren’t ready to trade Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes, in spite of the team’s struggles.
- Executives around the league are high on Alexey Shved, but the Timberwolves probably wouldn’t be able to get a game-changer in return for him.
- The Heat are ready to waive either Roger Mason Jr. or Toney Douglas to open up a roster spot so they can acquire a player via trade or in the post-deadline buyout market.
- Lowe continues to hear that the Nuggets are making Kenneth Faried available for the right return, even as Denver consistently denies such talk.
- Hawks GM Danny Ferry isn’t enamored with the four-year, $32MM deal that the team committed to Jeff Teague when it matched his offer sheet from the Bucks this past summer.
- The Nets seem to be leaning toward not making a move at the deadline, according to Lowe.
Hawks Likely To Re-Sign Cartier Martin
The Hawks are likely to ink Cartier Martin to a second 10-day contract once his first one expires tonight, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The ASM Sports client also signed a pair of 10-day deals with the Bulls this season, as our 10-day Tracker shows, but Chicago elected not to retain him, probably over luxury tax concerns.
Martin has appeared in two games in his latest stint with Atlanta, averaging 6.5 points in 10.5 minutes per game. He’s spent most of the season as a member of the Hawks after making the team as a training camp invitee, with his brief Chicago interlude coming after Atlanta cut him in January, just before his deal would have become guaranteed for the rest of the year. The Hawks would have to revisit the decision of whether to keep him for the balance of the season at their end of a second 10-day contract with him.
A second 10-day deal would put the Hawks at a full 15-man roster going into the trade deadline, but since teams can unilaterally terminate 10-day contracts at any time, Atlanta would still have the flexibility to take on an extra player in a lopsided swap. The Clippers prematurely ended their 10-day deal with Maalik Wayns earlier this season, and the Spurs did the same with Othyus Jeffers.
Hawks Interested In Jeff Green
The Hawks are looking to get Celtics forward Jeff Green, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). For Atlanta to pull such a deal off, it’ll cost them DeMarre Carroll plus more, Lawrence adds (Twitter link).
Green’s potential is evident, but he hasn’t been able to produce on a consistent basis this season. For the forward-thinking Celtics, it would certainly make sense to listen to offers on the 27-year-old forward given his contract. Green is making $8.7MM this season and $9.2MM in 2014/15 with a $9.2MM player option for the following year. There has previously been speculation that the C’s would try and package Green with the even more cumbersome contract of Gerald Wallace, but that may be tough to pull off.
Green had an opportunity to stand out in the first half of the season with star guard Rajon Rondo on the shelf, but he was unable to spearhead the offense in the way that Boston management hoped. The athletic forward can make things happen in transition, but he isn’t much of a spot-up shooter and clearly has limitations to overcome.
As a full-time starter for the first tIme in his NBA career, Carroll is enjoying his best season ever. Carroll is averaging a career-high 10.4 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 31.1 minutes with a PER of 14.1.
Odds & Ends: Gasol, Pelicans, Buyers/Sellers
Earlier today, we heard that the Suns’ interest in continuing talks with the Lakers about a potential Pau Gasol deal hinges on the 7’1 Spaniard’s recovery from a strained groin injury. With news from InsideSoCal.com’s Mark Medina that Gasol’s rehab will keep him out of action for at least another two weeks, this most likely creates another hurdle in trying to complete a potential deal.
Here’s plenty more from around the Association:
- Kevin Ding of the Bleacher Report (via Twitter) says that because of the injury, Gasol may or may not have played his final game for the Lakers. One certainty, however, is that the Lakers are now more motivated to deal him than before.
- The Pelicans have been “extremely active” in trade talks over the past few days, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’s unclear exactly what sort of deals they’re working on, but they announced last night that center Jason Smith is lost for the season, and they’ve reportedly been seeking a trade for a big man.
- Regardless of whether or not Andrew Bynum can produce for the Pacers, the decision to bring him aboard represents a pledge from team management to the players that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship, says Jared Zwerling of the Bleacher Report.
- In the same piece, Zwerling lists several teams who could be among the league’s buyers and sellers at the trade deadline this season, labeling the 76ers, Jazz, Bucks, Lakers and Bulls are potential sellers, while the Bobcats, Warriors, Knicks, Nets, Cavaliers, Wizards, Suns, Mavericks, and Pistons are potential buyers. According to one executive, the Timberwolves and Nuggets could fall into either group depending on what transpires in the next week or so.
- Cedevita of Croatia has waived Josh Selby after the former Grizzlies guard suffered an injury, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. Selby played 10 games in the NBA last season.
- The NBDL’s Texas Legends’ close proximity to their NBA-affiliate Mavericks has made it easy for both to enjoy a highly active partnership as far as developing the Mavs’ young players, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Frisco, Texas – where the Legends are based – is located about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas, conveniently allowing the Mavs an option to send someone to play for the Legends one night and then head back for NBA practice the next day.
- The 76ers announced that they’ve assigned big man Arnett Moultrie and guard Lorenzo Brown to the Delaware 87ers (Twitter link).
- The Hawks have sent guard Jared Cunningham to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBDL, according to a team press release earlier this afternoon.
- The Celtics announced that center Vitor Faverani was assigned to their D-League affiliate Maine Red Claws earlier today.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Amico On Sonics, Sixers, Wizards, Mavs
Today’s a good day to be a Seattle resident and there could be even more good news on the horizon for the city. Once commissioner Adam Silver settles into his new job, bringing an NBA team back to Seattle could be at the top of his list, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes. Whether that’s by relocation or expansion, league sources say, is yet to be determined. The league is not totally against adding a 31st team and it’s certainly not in favor of relocation. Here’s more from Amico’s column..
- In addition to the Suns, the Clippers and Hawks are also intrigued by Sixers trade candidate Evan Turner. In addition to Turner, the 76ers are also very open to moving forward Thaddeus Young and center Spencer Hawes.
- The Wizards look to be playoff-bound and are open to making a deal to complement their trio of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Nene Hilario. Amico says that fans shouldn’t be surprised if they get in on the Turner/Young/Hawes sweepstakes before the trade deadline.
- The Mavericks haven’t been talked about in the rumor mill all that much but they could pull the trigger on a trade between now and February 20th. The Mavs feel as if they’re a piece away from challenging the likes of the Thunder, Spurs and others, so if they can get Turner for a draft pick they’ll do it.