Eight Teams Interested In Andrew Bynum
2:26pm: The Hawks are unlikely to make a serious play for Bynum, a source tells Broussard. On the other hand, Broussard hears from a league source that Pat Riley and the Heat are expected to “go hard” after the center.
11:12am: Despite some speculation that the Nets may kick the tires in Bynum, a league source tells NetsDaily.com that Brooklyn has “no interest at all” (Twitter link).
11:00am: The Mavericks are among the teams interested in Bynum, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). As Stein notes, Dallas only has the minimum salary exception available to make an offer.
9:46am: There are eight NBA teams interested in signing Andrew Bynum when he clears waivers later this week, reports ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard (via Twitter). As we’ve heard for the last several days, the Heat and Clippers are Bynum’s top choices, but Broussard says that playing time, contending status, and salary will all factor into the big man’s decision.
While Bynum’s injury woes and off-court question marks have significantly diminished his value over the last two seasons, he has managed to stay healthy enough this year to post 8.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and a 15.4 PER in 24 games for Cleveland. If there were no red flags related to health and attitude, the 26-year-old would likely draw interest from just about every NBA team, but it sounds like at least a quarter of the NBA’s 30 clubs are still intrigued enough by his upside to inquire.
Broussard’s mention of money being a factor in Bynum’s decision is worth noting. Virtually all mid-season signings are for the minimum salary, but Bynum could be an exception to that general rule. If he’s seeking offers worth more than the minimum, teams with cap space or exceptions (mid-level and bi-annual) would presumably have an edge over teams with no financial flexibility, such as the Clippers, Knicks, and Nets.
After Bynum was released yesterday, we heard that the Clippers may not be overly interested in him, while the Hawks were said to be in the mix.
Bynum Options: Clippers, Heat, Pacers, Hawks
The dust has barely settled from the Bulls waiving Andrew Bynum this afternoon before teams are beginning to be rumored as possible landing places for the All Star center. Here are a few of the teams rumored to be in the lead for his services.
- The Heat and Clippers have been rumored to be Bynum favorites even before he was traded and waived. Bob Finnan of The News-Herald confirmed those rumors in a tweet this evening. The Heat and Clippers are both already in the luxury tax, so signing Bynum would cost those teams more than just his salary. The Clippers would only be able to sign Bynum to the minimum salary ($1.19MM) whereas the Heat still have their full $3.2MM mini mid-level exception remaining.
- In the same tweet, Finnan speculates the Pacers may also try to sign Bynum purely to ensure the Heat can’t sign him. The Pacers are below the luxury tax but would only be able to offer up to $2.15MM to Bynum via their mid-level exception.
- With center Al Horford out for the season, and a freshly opened roster spot, the Hawks are in the running for Bynum, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Amico adds that Bynum has also previously lived in Atlanta. Due to Horford’s season-ending injury, the Hawks could request the disabled player exception from the league. If Atlanta is granted this exception, the club could offer Bynum up to $5.15MM in salary for a one-year deal.
Hawks Waive Cartier Martin
The Hawks waived Cartier Martin in advance of today’s 4pm CT deadline, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Had Atlanta not beat the deadline, Martin’s minimum salary contract would have been guaranteed for the rest of the season.
The 29-year-old spent parts of four seasons with the Wizards prior to hooking on with the Hawks, appearing in 118 total games for Washington. Martin averaged 6.6 points per contest and 2.0 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game for the Hawks this season. He’ll be job hunting but it seems likely that he’ll find something soon, perhaps on a ten-day deal to start.
Deveney’s Latest: Miller, Hawks, Iguodala
Sean Deveney’s latest piece for The Sporting News focuses on Andre Iguodala‘s impact on the Warriors, timed appropriately enough since Iggy’s three-pointer at the buzzer gave the W’s a one-point win over the Hawks tonight. He passes along a few other tidbits of note, and we’ll start with those:
- The Nuggets are “a ways away” from trading Andre Miller, a source tells Deveney, adding that a deal would probably come closer to the February 20th trade deadline. Presumably, Deveney isn’t suggesting that Miller will probably be traded and is instead referring to the timing of any deal that might involve the 37-year-old. The Nuggets rescinded Miller’s suspension today, though a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that it was merely a gesture to allow Miller to receive his salary while he sits for two games (Twitter link).
- No moves that would help Atlanta’s front line are imminent, Deveney writes. The latest report we heard indicated that Hawks GM Danny Ferry was still deciding whether to pursue reinforcements in the wake of Al Horford‘s season-ending injury. The team apparently had talks with the Magic about Hedo Turkoglu before Orlando let go of the veteran small forward today.
- Deveney points out that Iguodala’s teams have a record of 142-89 (143-89 after tonight) over the past four years in games he plays, and 12-21 when he doesn’t. That was a reason why Golden State sought to acquire him this summer, Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob tells Deveney. “He is a winner,” Lacob said. “He knows how to win. Anyone you talked to about him, coaches or whoever it was, that was what they said.”
Latest On Hedo Turkoglu
The Magic decided to waive Hedo Turkoglu today after failing to find a trade that would net them either a young player or a draft pick, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins also confirms that the Magic couldn’t convince the 34-year-old to accept a buyout and reduce his salary. The Magic fielded calls from both the Lakers and the Hawks about Turkoglu, a source told USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, but neither was appetizing for the Magic. The deal with the Lakers would have resulted in more salary long term, and the Hawks proposal had no value, the source said.
Turkoglu is generating interest from several NBA teams, according to Can Pelister of Super Basket, a media outlet based in Turkoglu’s native Turkey (Twitter link). The small forward’s appeal apparently doesn’t carry over to the international market, since a Euroleague team has rejected Turkoglu’s entreaties, Pelister adds. It’s not clear how serious Turkoglu might be about joining a team overseas anyway, since a report earlier this week indicated that he’s intent on remaining in the NBA.
Turkoglu tweeted today that Orlando will always be his “second home,” and had plenty of kind words for the Magic and their fans, as Robbins conveys, so while a return to the Magic is out of the question, it seems he’s doing his best not to burn any NBA bridges. He’ll make $6MM from his partially guaranteed contract this season, but he’ll likely have to scrap for minimum-salary opportunities going forward if he is to find NBA work again.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Bogans, Hawks, Gordon, Cavs
Keith Bogans isn’t necessarily cited as one of the NBA’s most overpaid players as often as some bigger names, but you could make the case that Bogans should top any such list. After all, the only reason he received his $5MM+ salary for 2013/14 was that it was needed to make the summer’s Celtics/Nets blockbuster work. Despite the payday though, Bogans, who hasn’t played in over a month, is frustrated with his role in Boston, writes Jessica Camerato of HoopsWorld.
“Money is good, but if you’re not happy doing what you love to do… I want to play basketball,” Bogans said of his lack of minutes. “Anybody can say yeah I’m happy, I’m getting money, but come on now.”
As Bogans waits for an opportunity to prove he can still contribute to an NBA club, let’s round up a few more items from around the East….
- The Hawks are facing some tough roster decisions since Al Horford went down with a season-ending pectoral injury, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta is currently carrying 15 players, but three of those contracts are non-guaranteed. GM Danny Ferry is considering whether or not to add a big man to replace Horford, and Ferry also likes having some roster flexibility at the trade deadline, so the team’s non-guaranteed players (Shelvin Mack, Mike Scott, Cartier Martin) aren’t necessarily guaranteed roster spots beyond next Tuesday.
- Ben Gordon is in the final year of his contract, but remains focused on helping the Bobcats earn a playoff spot this season, as he tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld. When Gordon does reach free agency, expect him to prioritize contenders — the veteran guard tells Greene that the opportunity to win a title “means everything” for him as he inches closer to retirement.
- The Cavaliers have reportedly balked at including any assets of value along with Andrew Bynum in an offer for Pau Gasol, but Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld thinks that a swap would make a lot of sense for both sides.
D-League Notes: McCollum, Cunningham, Brooks
At this point, 18 of the 30 NBA teams have sent players on D-League assignments this season and we have three more today. Below are the details. Don’t forget to reference our D-League assignment tracker to keep tabs of all of the moves this year.
- The Blazers have assigned C.J. McCollum to the Idaho Stampede, their D-League affiliate, the team announced today via press release. Portland selected McCollum with the No. 10 pick in June’s NBA Draft and the rookie fractured his left foot in training camp in October. He was just cleared to resume practice, and will play for the Stampede on Friday and Saturday, according to the team.
- The Hawks have assigned guard Jared Cunningham back to the Bakersfield Jam, the team announced today via news release. Cunningham, who has appeared in three games for Atlanta this season, was recalled from Bakersfield on December 29. This is the third time the team has assigned him to the Jam this season.
- We heard earlier today that the Celtics assigned MarShon Brooks to the Maine Red Claws. While many will assume the move represents a demotion, Brad Stevens and the Celtics don’t see it that way, writes Marc D’Amico of Celtics.com. Brooks hasn’t been playing much in Boston, and with a busy game schedule in the near future, the assignment will allow Brooks to get on the court somewhere.
Horford Injury May Prod Hawks To Make Move
The Hawks are planning their next move in the wake of Al Horford‘s surgery today on a torn pectoral muscle that will keep him out for the season. The front office is evaluating its options to upgrade its depth and talent with the big man out, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That suggests the club could be looking at a roster move.
The Hawks are under the cap, so they couldn’t apply for a disabled player exception that would help them acquire a player via free agency or trade. They can only clear about $2MM worth of cap room, and while they have the $2.652MM room exception at their disposal if they want to sign a player, it probably wouldn’t take more than the minimum salary to bring in a free agent at this point. They’re at the 15-man roster limit, but they have three players on non-guaranteed deals (Mike Scott, Cartier Martin, and Shelvin Mack) whom they could waive to clear a spot.
GM Danny Ferry‘s roster is “built to trade,” as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote earlier in the season, so it’s reasonable to expect the team to explore a swap of some kind. Lowe wrote in the same piece that Ferry had been turning down offers for Horford, and even though the big man is injured, I’d be surprised if Ferry changed his stance, since Horford is under contract for the relative bargain price of $12MM a season through 2015/16.
Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Horford, Bennett, Dolan
While they’re only a few months removed from an appearance in the Western Finals, the Grizzlies aren’t currently in position to make the playoffs this season, and may have to start looking toward the future, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com writes in a piece for SBNation.com. Tonight’s look around the Association…
- An NBA exec says that even though he hasn’t spoken with the Cavs, “they’re clearly aggressive” in trying to trade Andrew Bynum and are active in other talks, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Al Horford will undergo surgery for his torn pectoral muscle on Tuesday, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Last week, we learned that the Hawks big man is done for the season thanks to the injury.
- Cavs rookie Anthony Bennett is trying to cope with the widespread criticism he has received so far this season, writes Bob Finnan of the News-Herald. The No. 1 overall pick is averaging 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 27.7% from the field and 15.4% from the three-point arc.
- Knicks owner James Dolan’s poor basketball sense has put the club in a terrible position, opines Phil Mushnick of the New York Post.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Williams, Cunningham
It’s been a fascinating year for the Celtics following their blockbuster deal with the Nets. The C’s hit the reset button by shipping Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn and while they’re anxiously awaiting Rajon Rondo‘s return, there’s plenty of reason to believe that the future in Boston is bright. GM Danny Ainge reflected on 2013 with the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett. “It was tough because we had so many injuries during the course of the year,” said Ainge. “I thought that our team was actually better than it ended up showing in the playoffs — without Rondo, without Sullinger, without (Leandro) Barbosa, who was playing really well for us (before be tore his left ACL in February). That was tough to overcome. I think our guys did as good as could be expected with what we had.” More from the East..
- Terrence Williams has no plan to return to the Nets‘ D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM. The guard, who signed with Turk Telekom in October before parting ways after just two games, is talking to other teams. Williams finished the 2012/13 season with the Celtics.
- The Hawks announced that they recalled guard Jared Cunningham from the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League. Cunningham, who was re-assigned to Bakersfield on December 16, has averaged 18.1 points, 5.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 33.1 minutes in eight games (all starts) in two stints with the Jam this season.
- Arron Afflalo‘s NBA journey has taken him from the Pistons to the Nuggets to the Magic but he says that all of the movement hasn’t affected his development, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.