Northwest Rumors: Aldridge, Lillard, Hayward
LaMarcus Aldridge spoke to Jim Rome of CBS Sports Radio this week about the trade rumors that surrounded him this summer, chalking it up to passing frustration, as Ben Golliver of Blazer’s Edge notes in his transcript of the most notable passages.
“It was just me being overly emotional at the time,” Aldridge said. “Nobody wants to lose. I’m in my prime right now. At the time, I was a little emotional about not winning or what not. After I had time to talk to (Blazers GM) Neil (Olshey) and the team, I knew they were going to make some moves, bring some guys in.”
Aldridge is eligible to sign an extension, and when Rome asked whether he’d sign one, Aldridge said he’ll deal with the matter in the offseason. His decision will be a key story next summer, and as we await that, there’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Damian Lillard, the Blazers‘ other linchpin, doesn’t seem at all reticent about his willingness to commit to the team long-term, judging by his comments to Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune. “I love it here,” Lillard said. “Hopefully this is where I’ll always be. I’m not saying that just to be politically correct. I really hope so. My family likes it here. Hopefully it will be a career-long thing for me.”
- Gordon Hayward discusses this year’s steep increase in his on-court responsibilities with USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt. Hayward professes his love for the team and calls himself a “Jazz guy” in response to a question about his upcoming restricted free agency.
- Brian Shaw had been passed over multiple times for head coaching jobs, but before landing his Denver gig this summer he was confident he’d wind up with the Nuggets, Nets or Clippers, tweets Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
Acquisitions Who’ve Yet To Debut In 2013/14
Kobe Bryant‘s scheduled season debut tomorrow is receiving most of the headlines, but he’s not the only player hitting the floor for the first time in 2013/14. Otto Porter, the No. 3 overall pick this past June, made his first appearance for the Wizards last night, hours before Ray McCallum, the 36th overall pick, finally got in a game for the Kings.
One of the major story lines last year was Andrew Bynum‘s lost season with the Sixers, who had acquired him via trade the previous summer. There’s fear the Sixers might be stuck with another new player who’ll miss his first season in Philadelphia, as Nerlens Noel continues to recover from a torn left ACL.
Noel is among several players who either signed a contract or were traded this past offseason and have yet to make their 2013/14 debuts. Not all of them are missing time due to injury, as we detail here:
- Chase Budinger, Timberwolves: Out after left knee surgery.
- Isaiah Canaan, Rockets: On D-League assignment.
- Robert Covington, Rockets: On D-League assignment.
- Carlos Delfino, Bucks: Out after right foot surgery. His absence helped prompt the Caron Butler trade.
- Devin Harris, Mavs: Out after toe surgery.
- Carl Landry, Kings: Out after left hip surgery.
- C.J. McCollum, Blazers: Out after right foot surgery.
- Nerlens Noel, 76ers: Out after left knee surgery. May miss the entire season.
- Greg Oden, Heat: His ballyhooed preseason appearance notwithstanding, he continues to rehabilitate his surgically repaired knees.
- Emeka Okafor, Suns: Out after neck surgery. May miss the entire season.
- Chris Smith, Knicks: On D-League assignment.
- Brandan Wright, Mavericks: Out with a broken left shoulder.
Rockets Accelerate Push For Omer Asik Trade
5:11pm: The Rockets are also willing to take only one first round pick and a “good young” player for Asik, Racine Journal Times’ Gery Woelfel tweets.
12:40pm: The Rockets would take back a “high-level” power forward for Asik if they can’t find a team willing to give up a lottery pick, Amick adds via Twitter.
11:56am: Houston is still seeking a likely lottery pick in return for Asik, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
11:46am: The Rockets want to trade Omer Asik by December 19th at the latest, and have begun to more aggressively pursue discussions with other teams, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston wants to get a deal done by that date so that it could swap whomever it acquires for Asik in another deal in advance of the February 20th deadline. (Twitter links). The collective bargaining agreement prohibits over-the-cap teams from sending out anyone they obtain via trade in another deal for two months, unless that player is the only one the team trades in the subsequent deal.
A deal is most likely to happen between December 15th, when most free agents signed this summer become eligible to be traded, and the 19th, Stein tweets. The Rockets have reportedly been seeking a pair of first-round picks in return, though their targeting of the December 19th date suggests they’re also looking for current players. Two first-rounders would be quite a high cost, and indeed a rival GM recently described the Rockets’ asking price as “delusional.” Perhaps Houston GM Daryl Morey will become more willing to temper his expectations as his self-imposed deadline draws near.
The Blazers have apparently engaged the Rockets about Asik, while the Celtics have been linked to the big man as well. New Orleans is a long-rumored Asik destination, but the Pelicans don’t appear willing to part with Ryan Anderson. Asik’s price tag, which includes a nearly $8.4MM cap hit this season and next and a total of roughly $20MM in actual payments, seems to be scaring off the Bulls.
In any case, Stein gets the sense that an Asik trade is inevitable, comparing it to the team’s efforts to unload Thomas Robinson this summer to clear cap room for Dwight Howard (Twitter link).
New York Links: Carmelo, Shumpert, Kidd
Knicks fans have had little to celebrate this year, but they can point to last night’s blowout of the crosstown Nets for intra-city bragging rights. They may also glean some hope from today’s report that Carmelo Anthony believes he can convince Rajon Rondo to come to New York, since recruitment of Rondo, who isn’t a free agent until 2015, would seem to signal that Anthony wants to stick around New York for the long term. Here’s more on New York’s teams:
- Newsday’s Al Iannazzone speculates that the Knicks could trade Anthony if they believe he’ll leave in free agency, but I’d be shocked if New York counted itself out of this summer’s Anthony sweepstakes before it even began.
- The Knicks will have a tough time contending even if Anthony re-signs, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com, who believes a parting of ways would be best for both player and team.
- The struggles of the Nets and Knicks suggest the provisions in the collective bargaining agreement designed to protect small-market teams are working, fellow SI.com scribe Ian Thomsen observes. The failure of Brooklyn’s aging stars may dissuade other teams from copying the Nets’ approach, Thomsen adds.
- Iman Shumpert‘s resurgent play could make the Knicks less inclined to trade him, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- The Nets made Jason Kidd aware of all the consequences of demoting former lead assistant coach Lawrence Frank, including the negative perception it would entail for the franchise, a source tells ESPNNewYork.com columnist Ian O’Connor. The result is that the pressure is squarely on Kidd now, O’Connor writes.
- There’s plenty of blame on both sides of the Kidd/Frank saga, opines Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger.
- P.J. Carlesimo, the coach of last year’s Nets, is optimistic this year’s Brooklyn team can turn it around, as he tells D’Alessandro.
Kings, Raptors In Talks On Jimmer Fredette Deal?
11:14am: Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee hears conflicting information, and suggests that no talks are ongoing. Still, the connection between Raptors GM Masai Ujiri and Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro, who worked together in the Nuggets front office, should lead to plenty of rumors, Jones points out (All Twitter links).
10:43am: The Kings and Raptors are discussing a swap of Jimmer Fredette for Aaron Gray, tweets Kevin Bryant of Canada.com. The one-to-one deal would be a near even match of salaries, and it could take place before December 15th, since neither player signed new contracts in the offseason.
Fredette has been a frequent trade candidate, and Sacramento’s decision to decline its 2014/15 team option on him means he’s on an expiring contract, perhaps lifting his value. Gray is also in the last year of his deal. Fredette, the 10th overall pick in 2011, has appeared in just six games so far for the Kings, averaging 12.2 minutes per contest. Gray has seen even less playing time, appearing for a total of 20 minutes this season.
The Kings were reportedly taking an aggressive posture in trade talks as of last month, and they’ve already pulled off one deal, acquiring Derrick Williams for Luc Mbah a Moute. Hoops Rumors readers identified Fredette as the second most logical trade candidate, though I’m not sure if many would endorse a trade for so little in return. Gray is the 49th overall pick from the 2007 draft, and apart from having managed to stay in the league each season since, he doesn’t have much to offer in exchange for a former lottery pick. Perhaps there’s more to this deal, even though the salaries match. Both teams are interested in a swap, but there’s nothing imminent at this point, Bryant notes (Twitter link).
Heat Seeking Trade, Shopping Joel Anthony
Dwyane Wade‘s absences from the Heat lineup have grown frequent, and the team is pursuing trades that would either bolster the backcourt or allow Miami to clear a roster spot so it can sign a free agent replacement, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Heat want to deal from their surplus of backup big men, and are making Joel Anthony available, Windhorst writes.
Wade isn’t playing in back-to-backs, and Miami has six back-to-backs scheduled over the next six weeks. He missed Tuesday’s game against the Pistons, which wasn’t part of a back-to-back, with knee soreness, and last night’s game against the Bulls because of an illness. The Heat lost both games and are 2-3 overall without Wade this season.
The Heat have used three different starting shooting guards in those five games, highlighting the absence of Mike Miller, who was last season’s plug-in at the two when Wade was out. The Heat amnestied Miller over the summer.
Miami is carrying 15 players, the roster limit, so the team would have to either release a player or make a trade to add a free agent like Leandro Barbosa, Daniel Gibson or Richard Hamilton. The team could also release Michael Beasley or Roger Mason, both of whom are on non-guaranteed contracts, though Beasley has become a mainstay in the rotation and cutting Mason, a shooting guard, wouldn’t help the team’s backcourt depth.
It might not be easy to find a trade partner willing to take on Anthony, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel points out via Twitter. The 31-year-old is a rugged inside player, but he’s only 6’9″ and isn’t offensively gifted. He’s a former starter for the Heat who’s seen just 30 total minutes this season. Most troublesome is his contract, on which he’ll make $3.8MM this season with a player option for the same amount next year.
Carmelo Anthony Recruiting Rajon Rondo?
Rajon Rondo can’t become a free agent until the summer of 2015 and remains sidelined after an ACL tear, but his high school coach claims the recruitment process has already begun. Oak Hill Academy coach Steve Smith tells USA Today’s Jason Jordan that Carmelo Anthony is trying to woo Rondo to New York. Anthony also played under Smith at Oak Hill, but the Knicks star seems intent on opting out of his contract this summer, making his interest in recruiting a class of 2015 free agent to New York a potential sign that he wants to re-sign with the Knicks.
New York reportedly tried to trade for Rondo earlier this season in a deal involving Iman Shumpert, only to meet with refusal from Celtics GM Danny Ainge, who denies that any talk of a Rondo swap took place. It could be that the high school coach is making reference to these talks rather than free agency, insinuating that Anthony is lobbying the Knicks front office to pursue trading for Rondo and that the two stars have had their own private discussions about it. That’s just my speculation, of course.
Rondo is set to become one of the most sought-after free agents in 2015, assuming he returns to form after the injury and doesn’t sign an extension with the Celtics. The Knicks are set up to shed most of their bloated payroll after the 2014/15 season, making a Rondo signing a possibility.
Trade Candidate: Luol Deng
Luol Deng looks like a polarizing force in Chicago, where coach Tom Thibodeau is reportedly much more enamored with the 10th-year small forward than the front office is. Deng apparently remains somewhat bitter over the failure of extension talks this past offseason, and acknowledges that the likelihood he’ll be traded increased when Derrick Rose suffered his latest season-ending injury.
Deng, at 28, is averaging career highs in points and assists, and is close to his career-best mark in rebounds per game. A player who is experiencing such success in the prime of his career doesn’t usually find himself on the trade block. That’s nonetheless the situation he appears to be in, with the latest rumor connecting him to the Cavaliers in talks for Dion Waiters. Deng has never played with any other franchise and says he wants that to continue to be the case until he retires, but Deng’s agent, Herb Rudoy, insists his client will test free agency in the summer. Rival executives have estimated Deng’s market value to be anywhere between $11MM and $14MM, and if he continues his strong play this season, he could wind up on the high side of that range. That could have the cost-conscious Bulls scrambling to find some kind of return for him by the trade deadline instead of watching him depart for nothing in the summer.
The Bulls front office is reportedly enamored with Jimmy Butler, and there’s plenty to like. He’s shown ability on both sides of the ball and is averaging 4.8 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game, not shabby for a 6’7″ shooting guard. Best of all, he’s on a bargain rookie deal this season and next, though Chicago will have to decide on an extension this coming offseason. It’s easy to see how the Bulls could let Deng walk and insert Butler as their starting small forward, making do with a cheap replacement at shooting guard as they’ve done in the recent past with Keith Bogans and Richard Hamilton. Still, deleting a long-tenured Thibodeau favorite who’s made the last two All-Star Games isn’t a move most championship contenders would make.
Bulls management is privately expressing intent to re-sign Deng this summer, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe, but that may be easier said than done. The Bulls have about $64.1MM committed for 2014/15, not including salaries for their own 2014 first-round pick and the first-rounder that could come their way via the Bobcats. That plus a potential Nikola Mirotic signing could add about $4MM to their commitments. Take away $16.8MM with an amnesty of Carlos Boozer‘s contract, and the Bulls are left with $51.3MM, leaving plenty of room under the projected $75.7MM tax threshold for a new Deng contract. The thornier problem is 2015/16, when the Bulls would have roughly the same amount of existing commitments. That would be the first year of a new, potentially lucrative contract for Butler, demonstrating the possible either-or choice the Bulls face.
Chicago just paid its first luxury tax bill in 2012/13, and I’d be surprised if the team made it a habit. That will probably motivate GM Gar Forman and company to get what they can for Deng at the deadline. The Bulls are reportedly looking for a steal, prioritizing a young player and draft picks, if they trade Deng to an Eastern Conference team. Waiters is a depressed asset who hasn’t lived up to the promise the Cavs saw in him when they drafted him fourth overall last year. Cleveland would have throw more into that deal to make the salaries match, but there could be a workable trade there, at least from Chicago’s standpoint. Waiters would represent the sort of cheap shooting guard option the Bulls have had success with in the past, but unlike Bogans and Hamilton, he’d have upside. I’m not sure if he’d qualify as a steal, at least at this point, but he is a young player who might turn into one.
Of course, if Rose comes back from injury for the playoffs, that could change Chicago’s equation, putting the team back in the title hunt. Perhaps the Bulls would trade with Indiana for Danny Granger, a deal that could give the Bulls a potentially useful veteran player who could help them this season and might be willing to re-sign on the cheap this summer. That’s just my speculation, of course. But financial constraints require creativity, and a that’s what will be required of the Bulls to pull off the right sort of Deng trade.
Knicks Considering Allan Houston As Next Coach
Knicks assistant GM Allan Houston has seemed like a GM-in-waiting the last few years, but Frank Isola of the New York Daily News hears the team’s former shooting guard could soon fill a different role. Owner James Dolan is prepared to make Houston the team’s next head coach if Mike Woodson doesn’t turn the team around soon, Isola writes.
Dolan expressed confidence in Woodson’s ability less than two weeks ago, but the Knicks haven’t won since, and other reports suggest the team’s management is souring on its coach. The front office has apparently scolded Woodson for his public criticism of Iman Shumpert and is telling other teams that Woodson’s mishandling of Shumpert is obscuring the third-year swingman’s value.
Having Houston take over the coaching reins would be an odd move, but as Isola points out, the team’s preseason replacement of former GM Glen Grunwald with Steve Mills seemed to come out of nowhere. Houston made two All-Star games around the turn of the century as a player for the Knicks, becoming a favorite of Dolan’s. Houston failed to live up to an inflated contract he signed in 2001, but he’s remained in the good graces of the Knicks following his retirement as a player in 2005.
Odds & Ends: Nets, Shaw, Odom, Hansbrough
Divergent coaching styles and philosophies ultimately prompted Jason Kidd to demote Nets assistant coach Lawrence Frank, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com, but that doesn’t appear to be the only reason for the move. Frank has been badmouthing Kidd around the league, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has additional details on the troubled relationship between the two coaches. Here’s more on the Nets soap opera and the rest of the NBA:
- The Nets maintain their strong support of Kidd, and they still believe he’ll develop into an effective head coach, Mannix writes. Brian Shaw, whom the Nets passed on when they hired Kidd, has “thrilled” Nuggets brass so far, Mannix notes via Twitter.
- Lamar Odom isn’t yet performing basketball drills in workouts, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The earliest he could be ready to play is mid-January, Berger hears. The Clippers appear in no rush to sign him, even with other teams in the mix.
- Tyler Hansbrough wasn’t pleased with his limited role on the Pacers last season, and while he signed with the Raptors hoping to be a more integral part of his team, he never expected to become the starter he is now, as Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun details.
- A short-term injury to Mike James will force the Bulls to cut Marquis Teague‘s D-League assignment short, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The Bulls are down to 10 healthy players, but they don’t plan on signing anyone, Johnson says.
- Amid a rough week for the top four college prospects, Kansas center Joel Embiid‘s performance made him a legitimate candidate to become the No. 1 overall pick in June, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his latest Insider piece on the draft landscape.