Players Ineligible For Deadline Trades
The collective bargaining agreement has an assortment of rules governing trades that can make it quite a headache for NBA executives to pull one off. Teams have to be cognizant of where they stand relative to the salary cap and structure the deal so it fits the league’s salary-matching requirements. Further complications exist with players who can veto trades.
Other players simply can’t be dealt at all. Players can’t be traded until three months after they sign a new contract, and with the trade deadline set for February 20th, that puts the following players who signed after November 20th off-limits for a deal:
- Chris Douglas-Roberts, Bobcats
- D.J. Augustin, Bulls
- James Johnson, Grizzlies
- Kendall Marshall, Lakers
- Alexis Ajinca, Pelicans
- Jeremy Tyler, Knicks
- Leandro Barbosa, Suns
- Hedo Turkoglu, Clippers
- Chris Johnson, Celtics
- Andrew Bynum, Pacers
- Luke Babbitt, Pelicans
Teams can’t trade a player for 30 days after they claim him off waivers. The Jazz claimed Malcolm Thomas off waivers from the Spurs on January 25th, but he was already ineligible to be traded because he signed with San Antonio on December 3rd.
Players claimed off amnesty waivers are ineligible to be traded for an entire season, but no one fits that description this year. All of the players waived via the amnesty clause this past summer became free agents, so the Knicks can trade Metta World Peace and the Grizzlies can trade Mike Miller, since they signed as free agents.
Any players who signed 10-day contracts this season are ineligible to be traded, regardless of whether they followed up the 10-day with a contract for the rest of the season. So, Sasha Vujacic, Darius Morris and Shawne Williams, the only players currently on 10-day deals, won’t be changing hands next Thursday. The same goes for any player who signs a 10-day contract between now and the deadline.
There are also three players who CAN be traded at the deadline but can’t be traded now because three months have yet to elapse since they were signed. The trio includes a pair of Sixers who won’t become trade-eligible until the day of the deadline:
Diante Garrett, Jazz (becomes trade-eligible February 13th)
Lorenzo Brown, Sixers (becomes trade-eligible February 20th)
Elliot Williams, Sixers (becomes trade-eligible February 20th)
Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Central Rumors: Cavs, Pacers, Mirotic
It shouldn’t be too much longer until the Pacers clinch the Central Division title. They’re up 14 and a half games on the second-place Bulls, and the only team with a realistic shot at passing the Pacers for the best record in the Eastern Conference is the Heat. Here’s more from a division that, outside of Indiana, is one of dysfunction:
- The relationship between Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters was reportedly a rocky one when trade rumors swirled around Waiters early this season, but Irving now refers to Waiters as a friend, as Bob Finnan of The News-Herald observes. Finnan has more on the on-court and off-court dynamic between the two Cavs guards.
- The Pacers reached out to Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, a former Pacers assistant, for advice about whether to sign Andrew Bynum, whom Shaw had worked with as a Lakers assistant, notes Scott Agness of Pacers.com. Shaw gave the center an endorsement, and, “I woke up the next morning to see that they had signed him,” the coach said.
- Nikola Mirotic is eager to sign with the Bulls this summer, but Real Madrid, his Spanish team, is intent on offering him a sizable new deal to convince him to stay, according to Javier Maestro of Encestando (translation via Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype).
- The dismissal of Maurice Cheeks was tough on Brandon Jennings, who calls the former Pistons coach a “father figure,” as Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News examines.
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.
Following Specific Players On Hoops Rumors
There are a number of different ways to follow Hoops Rumors via Facebook, Twitter, and RSS, as we’ve outlined before. If you don’t want to follow all the site’s updates, you can subscribe to team-specific or transaction-only Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. Although we don’t have Facebook pages or Twitter feeds for specific players, you can also easily follow all our updates on your favorite player.
If, for instance, you want to keep track of all the latest news and rumors on Carmelo Anthony as his free agency approaches, you can visit this page. If you’re interested in keeping tabs on the latest trade rumors involving Pau Gasol, you can find Gasol’s page right here.
Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page. You can find any player by using our search box (located in the right sidebar); by clicking his tag at the bottom of a post in which he’s discussed; or, by simply typing his name in your address bar after hoopsrumors.com, substituting dashes for spaces. For example, Carmelo’s page is located at hoopsrumors.com/carmelo-anthony.
You can also set up an RSS feed for any of our player pages by adding /feed to the end of the page URL, like this: hoopsrumors.com/carmelo-anthony/feed. Entering that URL into the reader of your choice should enable you to get updates whenever we write about Anthony. It works for teams, too. If you’re a Bulls fan, you can enter hoopsrumors.com/chicago-bulls/feed into your reader and stay on top of all the latest on the Bulls.
In addition to players and teams, there are a number of other subjects you can track by clicking on the tags we use at the bottom of posts. Items related to the NBA D-League, for instance, can be found on this rumors page. If you want to follow updates on the 2014 NBA draft, those are all available here. Again, you can set up a feed with any of these pages by adding /feed to the end of the URL.
Mike Harris Drawing NBA Interest
Mike Harris is running roughshod over the Chinese league since signing with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls late last month, and the Kings, Lakers, Jazz and Chicago Bulls are among the teams that have inquired about the 30-year-old power forward, reports Carson Sofro of HSB Camps. Sofro tells Hoops Rumors that Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin has been in touch with Harris on a weekly basis since Utah waived him in January, shortly before his contract would have become guaranteed for the season.
Harris struck for 55 points and 17 rebounds for Zhejiang on Sunday, and he’s averaging 32.5 points and 15.5 rebounds per contest with 45% shooting from three-point range. The long-range ability is a new wrinkle to his game, since he’s largely shied away from three-pointers in parts of four seasons with NBA clubs, missing all five career attempts.
Most Chinese contracts don’t include an NBA out, but China’s season ends early, and Harris is scheduled to return to the States shortly after the All-Star break, Sofro notes.
Central Rumors: Dumars, Monroe, Cavs
There has been chatter “for weeks” that Pistons president of basketball ops Joe Dumars is on shaky ground, writes Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who adds that no one around the league would be surprised if he’s replaced in time for next season. Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times hears similar sentiments about Dumars’ job security, so Maurice Cheeks might not be the only one heading out of Detroit (Twitter link). There’s more on the team that made the first coaching change of the season on Sunday amid our look at the Central Division:
- The Pistons continue to turn away calls about Monroe, according to Lowe, who thinks the team need not be in a hurry to pull off any major trade.
- The Cavs are willing to trade just about anyone on the roster short of Kyrie Irving, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his Insider-only “Tank Rank” piece. Ford casts Dion Waiters as the likely bait for a deal that would help improve the club, though it’s not clear whether that’s based on his reporting or if that’s merely educated speculation.
- New Cavs GM David Griffin will lead the way in the club’s approach to the trade deadline, but it’ll be a collaborative approach, with owner Dan Gilbert involved in the decision-making, a source tells Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
- Pacers players gave a lukewarm response when Kyler asked them about the signing of Andrew Bynum. Kyler hears that the Pacers won’t hesitate to waive the former All-Star and his $1MM guaranteed salary if he violates the club’s “low tolerance” policy for him.
- Terry Foster of The Detroit News wouldn’t be surprised to see Dumars step down this summer, realizing his fate. The News scribe believes the team’s decision to appoint John Loyer as interim coach for the rest of the season, rather than conduct an immediate search, signals owner Tom Gores’ lack of faith in Dumars.
Aldridge’s Latest: Gordon, Jackson, Monroe
TNT’s David Aldridge’s lengthy “Morning Tip” column on NBA.com has a strong trade deadline focus this week, as is only appropriate with 10 days left before the big day. We’ll dive into the highlights here:
- The Pelicans have been shopping Eric Gordon “for a while,” Aldridge writes, but an opposing GM says they’re not finding takers because rival teams realize that injuries have cut into the 25-year-old’s athleticism.
- Aldridge expects the Pistons to try to convince Phil Jackson, who served as a special advisor to the team this summer, to coach the club, but Aldridge notes it’s unlikely the Zen Master would do so.
- The Pistons aren’t giving up Greg Monroe unless it’s part of a blockbuster trade, and they’re hoping they can re-sign him this summer to a contract similar to the four-year, $49.4MM deal that Serge Ibaka inked with the Thunder in 2012. If not, Aldridge expects the Pistons to swallow hard and match a max offer sheet from another team.
- Kyle Lowry will probably remain with the Raptors through the deadline, but that’s not an indication that the Raptors are willing to pay a heavy price to re-sign him this summer, Aldridge writes.
- Aldridge hears plenty of trade chatter surrounding Kenneth Faried, and though the Nuggets deny it, Aldridge thinks there could be something to it. He’s up for an extension this summer, and if he doesn’t get one, he’ll be a restricted free agent in 2015. Denver wouldn’t be willing to give him an outsized payday as it stands, given its concerns about his defense, Aldridge writes.
- Grizzlies management is high on Ed Davis, who’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, and Aldridge examines how that affects the team’s willingness to retain Zach Randolph. Aldridge says the Wizards would prefer to acquire Davis rather than Randolph if they had a choice.
- Patty Mills will be a free agent at season’s end, but even amid increased playing time with the Spurs this season, he’s giving no thought to leaving for another team where he could have a larger role or make more money, according to Aldridge.
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.
Pelicans Looking For Upgrades At Deadline
The Pelicans are seeking trades that will improve the team in the short term, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his latest Insider-only “Tank Rank” piece. New Orleans (22-28) has the 11th-worst record in the league, as our Reverse Standings show, and Ford speculates that the team has given up hope of landing a top-five draft choice this year, which the Pelicans would need to do to keep the pick from going to the Sixers.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweeted last week that the Pelicans were “extremely active” in trade talks, while Steve Kyler wrote that New Orleans is open to trading Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans. USA Today’s Sam Amick seconded that report on the Gordon front. Coach Monty Williams didn’t play a healthy Evans in last night’s game against the Nets, but Ford’s report makes it seem unlikely Evans or any of the team’s other cornerstones will be moved between now and next week’s trade deadline.
It appeared late last month that the Pelicans were seeking a big man via trade, and that was before the club announced that center Jason Smith will miss the rest of the season. Ryan Anderson is likely out for the year, too, accentuating the need to get help on the inside for All-Star Anthony Davis.
Spears’ Latest: Carmelo, Bobcats, Wizards
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports hears there’s “no chance” the Knicks will trade Carmelo Anthony before the deadline. That’s no surprise, since most reports have suggested that New York’s top priority will be re-signing Anthony this summer, and the Knicks have batted down rumors of a trade with the Clippers. Spears stuffs a lot more into his latest power rankings, and we’ll pass along the best of it here:
- The Bobcats are “actively pursuing” a deal for perimeter shooting, Spears writes. Charlotte is looking to buy at the deadline.
- A source tells Spears that the Wizards will try to trade for a backup point guard, but there’s little optimism they’ll be able to find one. Washington has been using minimum-salary signee Garrett Temple in that role.
- The Kings are high on Isaiah Thomas, but that hasn’t stopped them from pursuing a true point guard, Spears observes.
- The Magic are willing to talk trade about everyone on their roster except Victor Oladipo, but no deals are close, according to Spears.
- The Timberwolves are more focused on making internal defensive improvements than a deadline trade, Spears writes.