Southeast Notes: Bobcats, Magic, James
- The Bobcats have been involved in a few bold rumors today, and a league source tells the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell that there is a slim chance Georgetown forward Otto Porter falls to them at the fourth pick in Thursday's draft.
- If the Cavaliers do not take Nerlens Noel with the number one overall pick in Thursday's draft, the Magic will make him their first round pick with the second overall selection, according to Hoopsworld.com's Alex Kennedy.
- LeBron James said his ultimate goal would be to win a string of championships with the Heat, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Erik Spoelstra, and Pat Riley. But he wouldn't close the door on his options in free agency during the summer of 2014, writes FoxSports.com's Chris Tomasson.
Odds & Ends: McLemore, Draft, Kings, Jackson
A few random notes from around the league.
- Ben McLemore has hired Rodney Blackstock as his agent, according to a tweet from SportsBusinessJournal.com's Liz Mullen.
- Hoopsworld.com's Alex Kennedy details several draft prospects who're watching their stock rise in the days before the draft.
- The Kings have added Brendan Malone to be their coaching staff, according to the team. He's the father of head coach Mike Malone.
- According to Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears, the Suns are interested in using the 30th overall pick on Baylor guard Pierre Jackson. Other teams that worked him out are the Celtics, Knicks, Clippers, Spurs, and Blazers.
- The Mavericks have shown interest in signing Israeli point guard Gal Mekel, according to the Dallas Morning News' Eddie Sefko.
Clippers, Magic Having Bledsoe, Afflalo Talks
9:55pm: According to Orlando Sentinel reporter Joshua Robbins, any deal involving Afflalo and Bledsoe is not imminent.
7:56pm: The Clippers and Magic are further discussing a trade that could happen on or before draft day that would send Arron Afflalo, Andrew Nicholson, and a draft pick to Los Angeles for Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler, according to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, Ramona Shelburne, and Marc Stein.
Those are the pieces believed to be involved in current talks, but there are still a variety of alternatives, with Bledsoe and Afflalo being the two main figures.
Now that Doc Rivers has become the Clippers head coach, assuring Chris Paul will re-sign for five more years, Bledsoe is no longer needed as insurance. He's still incredibly talented and would help the Clippers in the short term, but the Magic are one of a half dozen teams pursuing Bledsoe's services.
It'd be wise for Los Angeles to cash out on their asset before he hits restricted free agency, maximizing their return to fill a larger need.
Eastern Notes: Garnett, Cavaliers, Nets, Hawks
A few notes from around the NBA's Eastern Conference.
- The Nets are inquiring about Kevin Garnett's interest to waive his no-trade clause and play in Brooklyn, according to New York Daily News reporter Stefan Bondy.
- Terry Pluto from the Cleveland Plain Dealer argues that the Cavaliers would be wise to trade the first overall pick in Thursday's draft, depending on what's available. Pluto covers most rumors he's heard, including the pick for Paul Pierce, Luol Deng, and LaMarcus Aldridge.
- The Nets will hold their final pre-draft work out on Wednesday, according to the team's official site. Louisville's Gorgui Dieng will be in attendance.
- Hoopsworld.com's Lang Greene believes the Hawks will be looking to package their two first round draft picks to make a trade on Thursday night.
- The Bucks and Pistons are two teams reportedly interested in free agent shooting guard J.R. Smith, tweets ESPNNY.com's Ian Begley.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Suns, Jordan
A few notes from around the league's Pacific Division.
- Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell sat down with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak to discuss how the team is attacking the offseason. When asked about Dwight Howard, Kupchak called the free agent center "our future."
- According to a tweet from SI.com's Chris Mannix, the Suns have officially added Jerry Sichting, Mike Longabardi, Kenny Gattison, and Mark West to head coach Jeff Hornacek's coaching staff.
- Clippers center DeAndre Jordan was rumored to be headed to the Celtics in exchange for Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett last week. Now that the NBA has made such a deal impossible, Jordan says he hopes Rivers accepts him as his center instead of Garnett, tweets Los Angeles Times scribe Brad Turner.
James Jones Exercises Player Option
Heat guard James Jones has exercised his player option for the 2013/14 season, remaining with the two-time defending champions for at least one more year, according to the team's official Twitter account.
Known solely for his ability to knock down three-point shots, other areas of Jones' game aren't seen as strengths. He played just 221 minutes last season, and only 33 in the playoffs.
James is set to make $1.5MM next season.
Danny Ainge On Rivers, Garnett, Pierce
Earlier today, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge conducted a press conference to address Doc Rivers' departure, as well as the team's immediate future surrounding the likes of Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, and how the team will fill its vacant head coaching position.
- Ainge told reporters he was ready for the upcoming rebuild, but that he wasn't sure if there would be complete renovation of the team's core players this summer or next, according to a tweet from ESPNBoston's Chris Forsberg.
- With regards the team's vacancy at head coach, Ainge said he has yet to contact or communicate with any candidates, tweets CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely.
- Blakely also tweeted Ainge's confirmation of earlier reports that the league has mandated the Celtics and Clippers make no trades with one another throughout the 2013/14 season.
- According to a tweet from the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, no decision has yet been made on what the team will do with Pierce and Garnett.
- Ainge confirmed that the team's star point guard, Rondo, had nothing to do with Rivers wanting to leave for Los Angeles (tweet).
- Ainge ruled himself out as an option to replace Rivers as Celtics head coach, according to a Forsberg tweet.
Doc Rivers To Become Clippers Head Coach
3:54pm: The Celtics have issued a press release announcing that they have allowed Rivers to pursue a coaching opportunity with the Clippers, and that Boston will receive a future first-round pick as compensation. With the deal now finalized, GM Danny Ainge will meet with the media at 5:30 central time today, according to a second press release.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have officially announced that Rivers will serve as the team's head coach and senior VP of basketball operations, with a media session scheduled for Wednesday.
2:23pm: Rivers has signed his deal with the Clippers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
TUESDAY, 1:33pm: A source tells Murphy that Rivers is expected to fly to Los Angeles today and sign his contract with the Clippers tomorrow. The Clips also figure to formally introduce Rivers as their new head coach tomorrow after he inks his deal.
3:50pm: According to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, the NBA has yet to formally approve the Rivers transaction. A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com hears that the hold-up is related to Rivers and the Clippers still ironing out the details of the head coach's new contract (Twitter link). I'm guessing that the NBA is fine with the compensation agreement — it's just a matter of the Clippers finalizing the details from their end.
MONDAY, 2:29pm: A league source tells Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link) that the NBA has approved the compensation agreement for Rivers, which will send a first-round pick to the Celtics.
SUNDAY, 5:26pm: Pending league approval, the Clippers and Celtics have reached an agreement that will result in Doc Rivers becoming head coach of the Clippers, writes ESPNBoston reporter Jackie MacMullan. In exchange for letting Rivers out of his current contract with the team, the Celtics will receive an unprotected first round pick in 2015 from Los Angeles.
The Clippers will pick up the remaining three years remaining on Rivers' contract, worth $7MM annually, $21MM total, tweets Los Angeles Times reporter Brad Turner.
In a move unrelated to this deal, the Celtics are also trying to trade longtime franchise player Paul Pierce for a first round pick. If they are unable to to secure a deal before June 30 (the deadline on Pierce's contract that makes his $15.3MM contract guaranteed next season), they'll look to move him this February before the trade deadline.
According to a tweet from ESPNLA.com's Ramona Shelburne, the Clippers were prepared to hire either Byron Scott or Brian Shaw as their head coach, if Boston didn't accept their offer of an unprotected first round pick in 2015.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Gentry, Cavaliers, Warriors
A few random notes from around the league:
- Now that his head coach for the past six years is with the Clippers, there's a growing belief Kevin Garnett will play at least one more season with the Celtics before retiring and joining his former coach, Flip Saunders, in a ceremonial ownership role with the Timberwolves, according to Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski.
- Also in that same report from Wojnarowski, the Celtics will likely hold onto Paul Pierce instead of waiving him before June 30th, with the hope that a team will offer a first-round pick for his services between now and the trade deadline.
- Former Suns head coach Alvin Gentry could join Doc Rivers' staff with the Clippers, according to a tweet from Wojnarowski. Gentry is also still a candidate to become head coach of the Grizzlies or an assistant with the Lakers.
- Hoopsworld.com's Jabari Davis lists six free agent possibilities for the Warriors to pursue this offseason.
- The Cavaliers aren't enamored with all the first overall pick has to offer, and they've considered trading it since the lottery. Cleveland.com's Mary Schmitt Boyer dives deep into some possibilities the team might have.
- If Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is selected before the Bucks make their first round pick (15th overall selection), the team could look to pick Jamaal Franklin, writes JournalTimes.com's Gery Woelfel.
Draft Notes: 2003 Draft, Adams, Centers
A few notes regarding the NBA draft, which approaches this week.
- ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst gives an exhaustive take on the 2003 NBA draft, a day that changed the NBA forever, and ushered in a whole new generation of franchise-dependent talent. Windhorst's take shows just how important the NBA draft is, and why teams are wise to value their picks.
- The News-Herald's Bob Finnan ranks the top centers available in this year's draft.
- USAToday's Adi Joseph looks forward to this week's draft by breaking down the various needs of each team in the league.
- NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper tweets that former Pittsburgh center Steven Adams will work out with the Kings on Monday. Sacramento has the number seven pick, which is slightly higher than where Adams was originally projected to go.