Mavs Favorites To Ink Amar’e Stoudemire
TUESDAY, 2:25pm: The Warriors “would definitely have some interest” in Stoudemire if he buys his way out of his Knicks deal, writes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
FRIDAY, 11:29pm: If Amar’e Stoudemire opts to pursue a buyout arrangement with the Knicks, the Mavericks would be considered the front-runners to sign the oft-injured big man, Tim MacMahon and Marc Stein of ESPN.com report. Stoudemire has said that he’s unsure if he would indeed seek a buyout from New York, and he will use the upcoming All-Star break to make his decision.
“All possibilities at this point are still open,” Stoudemire said regarding the possibility of a buyout. “The door is still open for that. But at the same time, I am with the Knicks now. I got to stay optimistic about things and what we are doing here. I can’t really focus on the future because it’s not here. We still have a couple weeks left before it’s all said and done. It’s a decision I have to make with my family to figure out the best scenario for the near future.”
The Mavericks are still interested in inking Jermaine O’Neal, and are prepared to clear the necessary roster space to sign both players, the ESPN scribes add. Dallas’ roster count is currently at 14 players, which means that the team would need to release a player or make an unbalanced trade in order to add both men to the team. The Mavs have been shorthanded in the frontcourt since dealing away Brandan Wright in the trade that netted them Rajon Rondo from the Celtics, which makes both O’Neal and Stoudemire extremely valuable pieces to Dallas.
The ESPN duo also report that Dallas will still be seeking to add a big man on a 10-day deal while O’Neal continues to try and work his way back into NBA shape. It should be noted that while the Mavs are reportedly the frontrunners to ink O’Neal, the player hasn’t publicly announced which team he intends to join, and has only hinted at making a return to the NBA.
Stoudemire, who is in the final season of a five-year, $99.7 million contract with the Knicks, is averaging 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 24.9 minutes per contest. The 32-year-old is currently nursing an ankle injury, but he has played well this season for a floundering Knicks team.
The Knicks reportedly engaged in internal discussions about a buyout for Stoudemire earlier this season, and team president Phil Jackson spoke with the Sixers this summer about a trade, but no deal was struck. With Stoudemire earning $23,410,988 this season, finding a trade partner prior to the February 19th deadline will likely be an impossible task, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports opined. The final day that Stoudemire could be waived and still be eligible to appear in the postseason for another team is March 1st.
Spurs Ink Reggie Williams To 2nd 10-Day Deal
9:45am: The signing is official, according to the team’s twitter feed.
FRIDAY, 10:53pm: The Spurs intend to sign Reggie Williams to a second 10-day contract, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Williams’ initial 10-day deal expires tonight. If the swingman is indeed re-signed, then he will continue to occupy San Antonio’s 15th and final roster spot.
The 28-year-old was with the Heat on a training camp deal, but he failed to make the opening night roster and then caught on with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, last month. When initially inked by San Antonio, Williams had taken the place of JaMychal Green, with whom the Spurs failed to reach agreement on a new deal after his initial 10-day arrangement had expired.
In just two appearances for the Spurs this season, Williams has averaged 1.0 point in 4.0 minutes of action per contest. His career numbers through five seasons in the NBA are 8.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG. Williams’ career slash line is .459/.368/.745.
And-Ones: Shaw, Lakers, Early, Marble
There is still a strong belief within the Nuggets front office that Brian Shaw can become an elite NBA coach, Chris Mannix of SI.com writes. Denver’s GM Tim Connolly also reiterated that the franchise has no intention of firing Shaw this season. In his two seasons in Denver, Shaw’s overall record is 55-77, including a fourth place finish in the Northwest Division in 2013/14.
Here’s more from the West:
- Shaw admitted that the all of the trade speculation regarding the Nuggets‘ players has become a distraction to the team, Mannix adds. “When you hear your name swirling around in trade rumors, it can’t help but have an effect on most people,” Shaw said. “But I say now and I say to them, it’s something we can’t control. As a player I was traded a few times. I can say to them until I’m blue in the face that they should continue to play and control what you can on the floor, but you are still going to think about it. It’s still going to have an effect on you. But whatever happens is going to happen. It’s part of the business and we have to deal with it.”
- The Knicks have recalled Cleanthony Early from their D-League affiliate in Westchester, the team has announced.
- The staff over at ESPNLosAngeles.com discussed the Lakers‘ point guard situation, and the consensus was that Jordan Clarkson, whom Los Angles selected with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, has been a pleasant surprise this season and should factor into the Lakers’ future plans. The 22-year-old rookie out of Missouri is averaging 6.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 27 appearances, including six starts.
- The latest player rankings for the 2015 NBA draft were released by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, and the updated list sees Ohio State star D’Angelo Russell shooting all the way up to the No. 2 spot. In addition, Kristaps Porzingis has dropped out of the top five for the first time this season.
- Flip Saunders, the Wolves‘ president of basketball operations, said that since Minnesota’s roster is finally healthy, the team intends to send Glenn Robinson III to the D-League for seasoning, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune tweets. Minnesota has yet to assign a player to the D-League this season, as our tracker shows.
- Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders examined the Lakers roster and ran down where each player stands in regard to the franchise’s future.
- The Magic have recalled Devyn Marble from the Erie BayHawks, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel tweets. This concludes Marble’s second sojourn of the season to the D-League.
Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 2/1/15-2/7/15
In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have added a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:
“With Hassan Whiteside tearing it up in Miami, do the Heat still look to try and acquire Brook Lopez?” — Robert R.
Well Robert, first off, there has been conflicting information regarding the Heat’s interest in trading for Lopez. Pat Riley had come out last week and denied reports of a proposed deal that would have sent Chris Andersen, Norris Cole and Josh McRoberts to the Nets for Lopez. Granted, Riley publicly denying a trade proposal doesn’t mean it didn’t occur, and both Cole and McRoberts have been mentioned as trade candidates, so there is probably some level of truth to Miami taking a shot at Lopez.
As for Whiteside, he is certainly making a name for himself lately, and he’s become the main reason to watch the Heat play this season. I’m still not 100% sold on Whiteside being a long-term dominant big man in the league. His sample size this season is far too small to accurately predict his future performance, and it seems unlikely that he would be able to maintain the same energy and momentum that he is currently providing. But Whiteside is certainly stating his case to factor into the Heat’s future plans with performances like his 24 point, 20 rebound explosion versus Minnesota on Wednesday night.
But if the price was reasonable, then sure, I could see the Heat pulling the trigger on a deal to nab Lopez. But with Whiteside performing as well as he is, and his non-guaranteed salary for 2015/16 only $981,348, it would be unlikely that Miami would still actively pursue Lopez. I like what Lopez can bring to a team, but his limited defense, ball-stopping ways on offense, and his injury history make Lopez too big a risk at this point. Plus, there’s no guarantee that he would remain with the Heat past this season if they acquired him. Lopez hasn’t publicly stated his intentions regarding his $16,744,218 player option for 2015/16. If I’m the Heat, I avoid Lopez and stick with Whiteside. But keep in mind that Whiteside could be rather expensive to keep after next season when he hits free agency. As thankful as he may be to the Heat for giving him the opportunity to show his stuff, I would be very surprised if he gave Miami a discount on his next deal. Whiteside’s path to the NBA is a true journeyman’s tale, and he’ll likely look to cash in big when he has the opportunity.
“The Suns seem to have taken a step back since last season. Do they hold onto their three point guards (Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas, and Goran Dragic)? If not, who is the most likely to be traded?” — Bradley
Technically, the Suns have four point guards on their roster. Don’t forget about Tyler Ennis, whose potential I’m still rather high on. But on to your question. I don’t see Phoenix moving Thomas, Dragic, or Bledsoe before the deadline. Phoenix seems to be rather fond of its three point guard set, and there isn’t a major demand for big money point men currently. There are a number of teams in need of help at the one spot right now thanks to injuries, but I don’t see any of them making a serious play for Phoenix’s guys. Most of the teams needing a floor general are seeking backup-type players on team-friendly contracts, which doesn’t quite describe the Suns’ trio.
However, the one major caveat here is if GM Ryan McDonough gets the sense that Dragic isn’t going to re-sign with the team, then it’s entirely possible that he gets moved for the right return. There will be quite a few teams that will take a run at signing Dragic this summer, and since he can also play shooting guard full-time, that increases the potential market for the player. My gut feeling is that Phoenix will hold onto him, as well as Thomas and Bledsoe, for the remainder of the season. I do believe that the Suns will try and make some significant changes this offseason, and I can’t shake the feeling that Dragic will head elsewhere this summer. But for now, unless McDonough is blown away by an offer, which would likely require a star-caliber player to be included, I don’t see Phoenix making a major deal in the next two weeks.
“Where does Greg Monroe end up next season? Any chance he could return to Detroit?” — Kyle M.
There’s always a chance that Monroe could return to Detroit, but it’s unlikely. If he wanted to remain in Motown he would have simply signed an extension with the team instead of playing for Detroit’s $5.48MM qualifying offer and risking an injury that could harm his future earnings. With the team’s improved play since jettisoning Josh Smith, things may have changed, but I still don’t see Monroe wearing a Pistons jersey next season.
As for where Monroe is likely to end up, my money is on him going to the Knicks. New York will have plenty of cap space to throw around, and Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge are unlikely to leave their current teams, which will leave Phil Jackson desperate to make an impact move with his wealth of available cap space. Monroe would immediately upgrade the Knicks’ roster, as well as be a nice complement to Carmelo Anthony. Plus, the Knicks are one of the teams likely to overpay for Monroe, which never hurts a franchise’s chances of landing a player. If New York doesn’t nab Monroe, my second choice for his destination would be the Rockets.
“The East seems to be wide open right now as far as the playoffs are concerned. Which Eastern Conference team do you think will make the biggest splash on the trade market before the deadline?” — Zeke
This has been an odd season in relation to roster moves thus far, which makes the next two weeks extremely difficult to predict. With the East as open as it is regarding the playoffs, there should be quite a few teams that will be looking to add an impact player or two before the deadline with the hopes of snagging a playoff spot. The two Eastern Conference teams that are poised to have the biggest potential impact on the trade front are Brooklyn and Charlotte.
The Hornets will still likely look to trade Lance Stephenson, and I believe they will do everything within their power to cut ties with the mercurial swingman. The problem for Charlotte is that teams around the league are leery about adding Stephenson to their respective locker rooms, which is something that the Hornets should have considered prior to signing him. Sometimes you get exactly what you expect, and Stephenson has lived up to the reputation he made for himself in Indiana thus far. On the right team, Stephenson could be the missing piece for a playoff run. But only a team with a strong locker room could maximize what Stephenson has to offer, while avoiding the pitfalls his attitude and personality bring with him.
But it’s the Nets who could make the biggest splash prior to the deadline. With the team reportedly looking to deal Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Lopez, that is a significant amount of talent and salary in play. While it’s doubtful that Brooklyn would nab a true star player in return, dealing any one of those players would not only change the identity of the Nets. Each of those players, if healthy, could be game-changing acquisitions for teams willing to take on cap hits of that magnitude.
That’s all the space that I have for this week. Thanks to all those who sent in their questions. I’ll be back next Saturday to answer a whole new batch. So fire away and keep filling up my inbox with your inquiries.
Eastern Notes: Gibson, Prigioni, Muscala
The Bulls have made no calls to other teams about trading Taj Gibson , a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, who indicates that the team is especially reluctant to part with Gibson given health concerns surrounding Joakim Noah. The Raptors, Suns, Pistons and Trail Blazers are reportedly interested in the sixth-year veteran.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni, whom the team has reportedly been trying to trade for a second round draft pick, says that he is extremely focused on staying in New York, and doesn’t wish to be dealt, Marc Berman of The New York Post reports (Twitter link). Prigioni also revealed that he recently injured his hip during a workout, Berman notes. The full extent of his injury, nor its impact on the Knicks’ efforts to find a taker for Prigioni, isn’t yet known.
- Steve Kerr was Knicks team president Phil Jackson‘s first choice to replace Mike Woodson as head coach this past offseason, but Kerr accepted the coaching job in Golden State instead. Kerr’s Warriors currently possess the NBA’s second best record, while the Knicks have floundered to a 10-40 mark. When asked if he has thought about what might have been if he had come to New York instead of heading to Oakland, Kerr said, “Sometimes I lie when I say I haven’t thought about stuff. But I’m not lying this time. I haven’t thought about the Knicks at all,” Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link).
- The Hawks have assigned Mike Muscala to the Iowa Energy, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be Muscala’s fourth trek of the season to Iowa.
- Marcus Thornton knows that his expiring contract makes him a likely candidate to be dealt by the Celtics, but the veteran would love to remain in Beantown, Ben Rohrbach of WEEI 93.7 FM writes. “No, I’m not thinking about that,” Thornton said regarding the February 19th trade deadline. “Whatever happens, happens. I would like to stay here. Who wouldn’t? We’ve got a good thing going, but like I said, it’s not controllable. I can’t control it, so whatever happens, happens.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Rondo, Johnson, Davis
The Mavericks still haven’t ruled out surgery for Rajon Rondo, who suffered orbital and nasal fractures earlier this week, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). For now, the point guard will miss at least the next three contests, and Dallas is hoping that a prolonged rest will abate the need for any invasive procedures, and a longer period of inactivity as a result, Stein adds.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Lakers swingman Wesley Johnson has signed with Jeff Austin and Omar Wilkes of Octagon Sports, Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal reports (Twitter link). Johnson was previously represented by the Landmark Sports Agency. The 27-year-old, who is making $981,084 this season, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Ed Davis has also left Landmark Sports and will now be represented by Leon Rose of the Creative Artists Agency, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News reports. Davis will reportedly turn down his player option with the Lakers worth $1,100,602 for 2015/16 in order to pursue a long-term deal in free agency.
- Former Clippers point guard Jordan Farmar‘s contract with the Turkish team Darussafaka Dogus calls for him to make $800K for the remainder of the season, Can Pelister of TrendBasket.net reports (Twitter link; hat tip to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com). Since Farmar’s new contract is for less than the $816,482 one-year veteran’s minimum salary, Los Angeles will not be able to recoup any of the money it owes Farmer through set-off rights.
- Ivan Johnson has been waived by the Texas Legends, the Mavs‘ D-League affiliate, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link). The reason for the release is likely because Johnson has secured an overseas deal, Pilato adds. In seven D-League appearances this season, Johnson has averaged 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game.
Southeast Notes: Vaughn, Heat, Walker
A number of coaches around the NBA have taken issue with the way in which the Magic fired former coach Jacque Vaughn, Chris Mannix of SI.com writes. Said one NBA coach, “We get hired to eventually get fired. But what they did to Jacque was disrespectful.” The main complaint about the team’s handling of Vaughn relates to how the franchise left Vaughn to face a daily barrage of questions regarding his job status instead of either simply pulling the plug on him sooner, or giving Vaughn a public endorsement to ease the media scrutiny, Mannix adds.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Heat team president Pat Riley and his staff want to bolster their roster at the deadline but lack the assets to make a deal, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. Still, that would seem to indicate that the club doesn’t intend to be a seller, though that is merely my speculation.
- Kemba Walker is expected to miss approximately five more weeks while recovering from knee surgery, but the Hornets‘ point guard says that he won’t rush his recovery and risk re-injuring himself, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “Right now I’m taking things slow. I want to be 100% when I come back,” Walker said. “I started riding the bike two days ago. As the weeks go by, I’ll do more and more.”
- After enduring the previous two rebuilding seasons, Magic GM Rob Hennigan and CEO Alex Martins both expected greater improvement and player progress than the team displayed this season, which is what ultimately led to Vaughn being fired, John Denton of NBA.com writes. “We went into the season wanting to see some progress and see some growth and we just didn’t feel like we were seeing the kind of growth that we wanted to see,’’ said Hennigan. “That led us to this point. We find ourselves in a little bit of a rut right now. We’ll call it what it is, but I’ll always say that it’s a road bump and not a road block. We will get through this, but it doesn’t make it any easier when you have to make the type of decision that we made the other day.’’
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Borrego, Smart, Draft
Magic interim coach James Borrego has played a major role in developing Nikola Vucevic into a dangerous low-post player, John Denton of NBA.com writes. “J.B. is my guy and that’s who I have worked with on a daily basis, watched the film with and talked about games with,’’ Vucevic said. “He’s a guy that I have a great relationship with and he’s a great guy. He always stays positive and brings energy to practice to pump us up. I know this will be tough for him because he was close with Jacque [Vaughn], but it’s on us as players to support [Borrego] and help him the best that we can.’’
Here’s more from around the league:
- Rookie Marcus Smart is beginning to earn the trust of the Celtics‘ coaching staff, and the team has shown improvement since Smart took over as the starting point guard after Rajon Rondo was dealt to Dallas, Julian Edlow of WEEI 93.7 FM writes.
- While the prospects for the 2015 NBA draft aren’t getting the hype that last year’s class did, there are still a number of intriguing players heading into the league. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com ran down the top 30 prospects according to the league insiders he has spoken with. The top three players available in the 2015 draft according to Howard-Cooper are Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
- Amid Syracuse’s subpar season, senior Rakeem Christmas has worked his way from relative obscurity to being a potential first round draft pick this June, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv writes. “He wasn’t on the board before,” one veteran NBA scout told Zagoria. “He’s averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds, he shoots over 72% from the free-throw line. There aren’t a lot of big guys who do that. He’s an example of a guy staying four years made all the difference. He would’ve made a mistake if he came out; he wasn’t going to the NBA. But you stay in all four years and work it…It’s interesting. I think he’s a bubble guy now, end of the first, beginning of the second [round].”
Ed Davis Intends To Opt Out For 2015/16
Lakers forward Ed Davis intends to opt out of his contract for next season, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News reports. The big man’s deal contains a player option worth $1,100,602 for 2015/16. Davis prefers to secure his long-term future rather than opting in for short-term security, Medina notes. “I’m hoping for a long-term deal,” said Davis, who has until June 25th to make his final decision regarding his option. “I’d love to return here [Los Angeles]. I know this will turn around eventually.”
Davis had previously rejected a long-term rookie scale extension offer from the Grizzlies back in October of 2013 that would have paid him $5MM to $6MM annually, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (subscription required). The big man decided against signing an extension with Memphis because he was reportedly displeased with his playing time, Tillery notes. This led Davis to leave Memphis as a free agent and to ink a two-year, $2MM deal with the Lakers last July.
Los Angeles may still elect to try and re-sign Davis, but its priorities this offseason revolve around the NBA draft and trying to attract a max-level free agent, Medina notes. But Davis’ future with the Lakers will likely hinge on what sort of free agent market will develop for his services, Medina adds. The 25-year-old told Medina that he “definitely” understands the financial risk that turning down his player option will entail.
The 6’10” former first-rounder out of North Carolina is enjoying a solid season for the floundering Lakers, and has benefited from the season-ending injury to 2014 lottery pick Julius Randle. Davis is averaging 8.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game. His career numbers are 7.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.1 BPG. His career slash line is .549/.000/.584.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Early, Magic
Scott Skiles has been mentioned as a candidate to take over as coach of the Magic, but he has a reputation as being difficult for players to get along with, Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype writes. Keyon Dooling, who played for Skiles when both were with the Bucks, thinks that Skiles will do better in his next coaching job, Sierra notes. “Skiles is a high-pedigree coach,” Dooling said. “A lot of times when coaches get fired, they get better at wherever they were weak. [If he gets the Orlando job] I think he’ll be better in how he deals with players this time. During my time in Milwaukee, he had an average relationship with the players. I don’t think it was great, I don’t think it was bad. His work ethic, X’s and O’s and game-planning were his strengths. Where he fell short is maybe with people.”
Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:
- The Knicks have assigned Cleanthony Early to their D-League affiliate in Westchester, the team announced. This will be Early’s second trip of the season to the D-League.
- Tobias Harris says that the Magic need to rally around interim coach James Borrego, John Denton of NBA.com writes (Twitter link). “We have to have his back. We have to want to win and play hard and do all that we can do to help [JB].“
- The Sixers were pleased with the production that they received from Larry Drew II, but the rookie was caught in an unfortunate numbers game that prevented Philadelphia from signing Drew for the remainder of the season, Max Rappaport of NBA.com writes. “Flexibility,” coach Brett Brown said when asked why the team didn’t sign Drew for the rest of the 2014/15 campaign. “The trade deadline is coming up, and we need flexibility. We may see [Larry] again. Who knows? What I do know is he was an ‘A’. He did everything and some, and it doesn’t prohibit us from revisiting him [in the future] at all.”
- Jacque Vaughn became the fall guy for the Magic, who are in the third season of their rebuilding project and appear to be heading in the wrong direction as a franchise, Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel writes.
- One of the issues that the Magic‘s front office had with Vaughn was his inconsistent use of Harris and Maurice Harkless, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Both players received sporadic playing time under Vaughn, which didn’t sit well with Orlando’s GM Rob Hennigan and CEO Alex Martins, Schmitz notes.