Rockets Interested In Rajon Rondo
3:23pm: The teams have yet to speak about any Rondo deal, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
2:25pm: The Rockets have “absolute interest” in trading for Rajon Rondo, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. That alone doesn’t make a deal happen, Stein cautions, but he notes that talks could easily strike up between Rockets GM Daryl Morey and his former boss, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge (Twitter link). The Rockets were also linked to Rondo last month.
The asking price for Rondo is astronomical, as the team appears to be looking for a pair of unprotected first-round picks virtually guaranteed to come near the top of the order. A source tells Stein that Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck is behind the team’s lofty demands, as the ESPN scribe noted in a piece earlier today.
The Celtics would insist on acquiring Chandler Parsons, but Houston doesn’t appear willing to give him up, Stein tweets. Still, the Rockets are making renewed attempts at trading Omer Asik, and Boston was involved in rumors when Morey made efforts to unload his backup center in December. The notion of Asik getting involved in any Rondo talks is just my speculation, however.
Bucks Rumors: Rivers, Henson, Mayo, Butler
The Bucks are the worst team in the NBA, but that also means they top our reverse standings, with a 25% shot at the No. 1 overall pick if they finish the season in that position. Here’s more on a team with plenty of reason to sell:
- The Pelicans are open to moving Austin Rivers, and the Bucks have interest, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. New Orleans has shopped Rivers to multiple teams, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insider (Twitter link).
- The Bucks are dangling John Henson and could package him with a veteran, perhaps O.J. Mayo, Woelfel writes. The Warriors have interest in Henson, as we passed along earlier today. We covered more from Woelfel’s piece last night.
- There’s been talk that Milwaukee would be reluctant to let go of Caron Butler, given the Wisconsin native’s sentimental value, but that doesn’t appear to be the case, according to Woelfel. The Journal Times scribe tweets that the team will either trade him or agree to a buyout if he doesn’t fit the team’s plans.
Wizards, Others Interested In Luke Ridnour
The Wizards are among the teams casting an eye toward Luke Ridnour, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times suggested the possibility earlier this week. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported last week that the Bucks and Wizards had talks about the veteran point guard.
Ridnour seems a likely trade candidate for the Bucks. The 33-year-old has been in and out of the starting lineup this season and is averaging 5.7 points and 3.4 assists per game, both near career lows.
Washington is on the lookout for a backup point guard for John Wall, having grown disappointed with offseason signee Eric Maynor. Ridnour is making $4.42MM in the final season of his deal.
Latest On Pau Gasol
2:10pm: The Gasol-to-Suns deal is “dying on the vine,” according to TNT’s David Aldridge, who hears the Suns are moving on to other talks (Twitter link).
8:50am: The Lakers, with an eye on Kevin Love, gauged the Wolves’ interest in a deal that would send Pau Gasol to Minnesota, but those talks didn’t go anywhere, a source tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. There’s a growing sentiment within the Lakers that it’s more worthwhile to retain Gasol and his Bird Rights heading into the offseason than unload him by tomorrow’s trade deadline, Shelburne writes. The Lakers remain in contact with the Suns and Cavs about potential deals, but there’s been no significant progress with either team, as Shelburne notes.
The Bobcats and Lakers have reportedly been in talks about Gasol, though such a deal is unlikely, and Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, who broke the story, wonders if the Lakers leaked the news to prompt the Suns into more serious conversations (Twitter link). The Suns and Lakers are expected to engage once more in negotations about Gasol before the deadline.
The Lakers have been active, canvassing the market for Gasol, Jordan Hill, Steve Blake and Chris Kaman, Shelburne writes. A groin injury has kept Gasol out of action for the past six games, perhaps slowing trade chatter surrounding him, but he’s listed as questionable for tonight.
Gasol is eligible for an extension, so the Lakers could lock him up, as they’ve done with Kobe Bryant. The big man says he’s had no conversations with the team about an extension, but that doesn’t bother him, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
“Actually, it makes it easier for me,” Gasol said. “[I can] wait until that moment comes and then see what I got.”
Kings, Nets Near Deal For Thornton, Terry, Evans
12:46pm: The draft compensation being discussed is a future conditional pick to the Nets, Wojnarowski writes.
12:32pm: The teams are indeed discussing draft picks, and they’re haggling over that issue at current, according to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link).
11:45am: There are no picks or cash involved, Wojnarowski tweets.
11:44am: Berger seconds Lloyd’s report that the deal is close, and confirms Evans is still a part of the proposal (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 11:42am: A deal involving Terry and Thornton is nearing completion, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd doesn’t mention Evans, but I presume he remains in the talks.
TUESDAY, 10:44pm: Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report echoes (via Twitter) what Wojnarowski reported earlier, hearing that talks are “heating up” between the two sides, and a deal could happen “soon.”
9:08pm: Sacramento’s discussion with Brooklyn about a move that would see the Kings acquire Terry and Evans in exchange for Thornton have progressed to a “serious stage,” a league source tells Wojnarowski. The Kings are also exploring potential options for Jimmer Fredette, hears Wojnarowski.
2:20pm: The Kings and Nets are discussing a deal that would send Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn for Reggie Evans and Jason Terry, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The talks are concurrent with other conversations the teams are having with several other potential partners, Wojnarowski notes via Twitter. Both teams have been talking to the Cavs about Jarrett Jack.
Multiple reports suggest Sacramento is anxious to trade Thornton, and he’s one of the players the Kings have talked about including in a deal for Jack. Terry has also been linked to Cleveland, but it appears the Cavs have no interest in him. Evans is a newcomer to the chatter.
The Nets would absorb less than $1MM in extra salary via the deal, but that figure would be multiplied, since Brooklyn is deep into the tax. Just how much extra the Nets would have to pay won’t be entirely clear until the end of the season, but it’s likely that any extra money Brooklyn adds at this point will cost them about three or four times as much, because of the tax penalties.
All three are on deals that are fully guaranteed, without player or team options, through 2014/15. Thornton makes about $8MM this year and close to $8.6MM next season. Terry’s take is about $5.6MM this season and $5.85MM in 2014/15. Evans makes roughly $1.7MM this year and $1.8MM next season.
Ford’s Latest: Knicks, Rockets, W’s, Pelicans
Chad Ford of ESPN.com takes an Insider-only look at the trade market for a handful of teams with little more than 24 hours remaining before Thursday’s 2:00pm Central trade deadline. We’ll round up the highlights here:
- The Knicks are shopping Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert and Beno Udrih as they seek to upgrade their point guard spot. Ford mentions Jeremy Lin as a long shot possibility for New York, but Houston is adamant it doesn’t want to give him up. Trading for Lin or Kyle Lowry would require the Knicks to relinquish Tim Hardaway Jr.
- The Warriors have been listening to offers for Harrison Barnes, and they’ve gone as far as to counter a few of them, Ford hears. Greg Monroe, Thaddeus Young, Tristan Thompson, Kenneth Faried, John Henson and Amir Johnson all intrigue the W’s as possible targets in exchange for Barnes, Ford writes. Golden State is also enamored with Kevin Love, as most teams around the league are.
- Ford describes David Lee as available, too, but he notes there isn’t much of a market for him, which makes sense, given his bloated contract.
- Part of the Pelicans‘ motivation for exploring trades for Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans is the feeling that they could fall back into position to snag a top-five pick in this year’s draft if both guys are off the roster, according to Ford. Their first-rounder goes to the Sixers if it’s No. 6 or worse. Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote earlier this morning that New Orleans was looking to move either Gordon or Evans, but not both.
Wolves To Target Jameer Nelson?
There’s a chance the Wolves would prefer to trade for Jameer Nelson rather than Andre Miller if Minnesota pulls off its rumored trade with the Grizzlies, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported Monday that the Wolves would only trade for Miller if they shipped out J.J. Barea, who’s a part of the Grizzlies proposal, but perhaps Minnesota now sees Nelson as a superior option. Nelson, along with Glen Davis, appears to be the focus of Orlando’s trade efforts, although the Magic have made little progress with either.
Nelson says the Magic haven’t given him any indication that they’re trading him, and he’s eager to stay in Orlando. He’s making $8.6MM this season as the Magic’s highest-paid player, but only $2MM of his $8MM for next year is guaranteed. Miller is cheaper for this season, making $5MM, but he’s likewise only partially guaranteed for $2MM next season.
Nelson, 32, has been markedly more productive than the 37-year-old Miller this season. Nelson has notched 12.9 points and 6.7 assists per game as Orlando’s starter. Miller put up just 5.9 PPG and 3.3 APG in a backup role before the Nuggets sent him home around New Year’s Day following a public spat with coach Brian Shaw. Either of them would figure to back up Ricky Rubio in Minnesota.
Mannix’s Latest: Celtics, Pelicans, Afflalo
Every Celtics player, including Rajon Rondo, is available for the right price, Chris Mannix of SI.com reports in a pair of tweets. Still, some rival executives believe Boston is overvaluing Brandon Bass and Jeff Green, for whom Danny Ainge is demanding first-round picks, as Mannix writes in a full piece. Mannix also notes that the Celtics would prefer to keep Kris Humphries through the deadline. There’s plenty more in Mannix’s dispatch covering several of the league’s most active teams in advance of Thursday’s deadline, so let’s dive in:
- The Pelicans are making a strong effort to trade either Eric Gordon or Tyreke Evans, Mannix hears, contradicting what coach Monty Williams told reporters earlier this week.
- Mannix adds Arron Afflalo to the list of players the Bobcats are eyeing. Charlotte is apparently willing to absorb a player-friendly contract as part of a deal that brings in an impact player, Mannix writes.
- The Pistons like Evan Turner, and they may be willing to offer the Sixers the first-round draft pick they’re looking for, according to Mannix. Still, it will take “an overwhelming offer” to pry Greg Monroe from Detroit, which would like to trade Josh Smith instead but is finding no takers.
- Andre Miller is “gone one way or another,” but that may be the only trade Denver makes, in spite of a heavy volume of calls coming in from other teams, Mannix writes. The Nuggets don’t appear inclined to auction off Kenneth Faried, according to Mannix. His report contrasts with what teams are telling Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who hears that anyone outside of Ty Lawson is available (Twitter link).
- Rival teams are interested in Bojan Bogdanovic, but the Nets are unwilling to trade the rights to the former second-round pick who’s playing in Turkey.
- Kirk Hinrich has been drawing more interest than Mike Dunleavy, but executives around the league believe the Bulls probably won’t deal Hinrich and risk deepening the divide between Tom Thibodeau and the front office. Dunleavy is similarly off the table.
- Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has been “determined” to find another star to go along with Kyrie Irving, but the league appears to have lukewarm feelings about the young players on the Cavs, according to Mannix, which would appear to make a blockbuster unlikely.
- There’s been friction between Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala, Mannix hears, but rival executives nonetheless believe it will take a massive offer to acquire Barnes, Mannix notes, echoing what Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob has said.
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Odds & Ends: Duncan, Oden, Wizards
ESPN analyst and former coach George Karl hears that Tim Duncan is thinking of retiring at season’s end, notes Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News, but Duncan isn’t sure how Karl got that impression. The Big Fundamental says he’s undecided, as he tells reporters, including Express-News scribe Mike Monroe (Twitter link). Fellow Express-News writer Jeff McDonald would be “shocked” if Duncan retired. The sense around the Spurs is that Duncan will keep playing as long as he feels he’s useful, McDonald says, pointing out that the big man is still under contract for next year (Twitter links). Here’s more from the Association:
- Greg Oden considered a handful of teams last summer, but it came down to a decision between the Mavs and the Heat, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Most reports have suggested the Wizards are looking for a backup point guard, but Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times hears they’re seeking a backup who can play both guard positions, suggesting Luke Ridnour as a possibility (Twitter link).
- A veteran scout tells Woelfel that he has Creighton forward Doug McDermott No. 6 on his draft board, and Chris Mannix of SI.com examines a polarizing prospect who’s sparked a wide range of opinions in NBA front offices.
- The Cavs had discussions with the Lakers about acquiring Chris Kaman, but those talks are no longer active, notes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- Free agent Malcolm Lee hasn’t played since December 2012 because of injury, but he’s about two weeks away from being ready to suit up for a team, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
- The Warriors on Tuesday recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from the D-League, the team announced. Kuzmic’s latest stint in Santa Cruz lasted one day.
- Some members of the actors union are upset that executive director David White is a candidate for the same position with the National Basketball Players Association, observes Dave McNary of Variety.com.
- Lionel Hollins explains the root of his raw feelings from the end of his tenure as Grizzlies coach to Mearl Purvis of WHBQ-TV in Memphis.