Hoops Links: Thomas, Jackson, Seattle, Celtics
On this date in 1996, we witnessed a rather active trading deadline day as six trades involving 19 players took place. The Heat shook things up more than anyone as they acquired Tim Hardaway and Chris Gatling from Golden State, Walt Williams and Tyrone Corbin from Sacramento, and Tony Smith from Phoenix. Of course, the 1995/96 deadline had nothing on this year’s deadline. In total, we saw a dozen trades involving 39 players and 17 teams.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…
- Green Street discussed the Celtics’ deadline moves, including Isaiah Thomas.
- Six Championship Drive looks at Reggie Jackson and what he can do in Detroit.
- Kingdome Of Seattle Sports sees the Clippers as Seattle’s second NBA team.
- Posterized Basketball wonders which way the Celtics will go.
- Slam Dunk Zone wonders if Dikembe Mutombo is a Hall of Famer.
- Clips Nation wants to do away with intentional fouls off the ball.
- Posting And Toasting says the Knicks need another Pablo Prigioni.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week..
- The Trade Rumors App is getting glowing reviews! If you haven’t already, download it today to keep up with the latest from Hoops Rumors, MLBTradeRumors, and Pro Football Rumors.
- More than half the teams in the league took part in a whirlwind NBA trade deadline and Chuck Myron recapped all the deals.
- Eddie Scarito asked you to pick the winners in each deal.
- The trade deadline was intense, but we gave you all the reading material you needed to be prepared. The Trade Candidate series profiled many of the players who were rumored to be on the move.
- Chris Crouse asked you if the Rockets will advance to the second round.
- Chuck ran down the expiring trade exceptions.
- If you missed Chuck’s chat, check out the transcript here.
Week In Review: 2/16/15 – 2/22/15
Wow, what a week! With so much going down, you might have missed something. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with our Week In Review..
- The Heat, Pelicans, and Suns pulled off a three-way deal that sent Goran Dragic to Miami. In that swap, Miami got both Goran and Zoran Dragic, the Pelicans got Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton, and cash, and the Suns got John Salmons, Danny Granger, Miami’s 2017 first-round pick (top seven protected) and Miami’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick. Salmons was waived as part of the deal.
- The Pistons, Thunder, and Jazz got together for a three-way deal that saw Reggie Jackson go to the Pistons and Enes Kanter head to OKC. Days earlier, Jackson’s agent requested a trade.
- The Suns got Brandon Knight in a three-way deal with the Bucks and Sixers. The Bucks’ haul included Michael Carter-Williams while the 76ers got the Lakers’ 2015 first-round choice (top-five protected).
- The Nuggets expected that Afflalo would command $9-10MM a year in a new contract this summer.
- Chris Bosh‘s season is over after doctors discovered blood clots in both of his lungs.
- Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was ruled out for the rest of the season.
- Dragic reportedly views the Lakers as a “perfect fit” and would love the opportunity to join the team in free agency this summer, though another report indicated that the Heat were the No. 1 team on his list of preferred destinations given to the Suns by his agent. The Pacers and Rockets were among the teams also interested in the guard before he was sent to Miami.
- The Nets sent Kevin Garnett to the Wolves for Thaddeus Young. The Wolves reportedly want to re-sign Garnett for another two years when his contract expires this summer, and he’s expected to take them up on that.
- The Blazers shipped Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee to the Nuggets. The Nuggets, meanwhile, intend to waive forward Victor Claver.
- The 76ers acquired JaVale McGee and OKC’s 2015 first-round choice from the Nuggets. The Sixers have no intention of buying out the big man.
- The Jazz and Kendrick Perkins agreed to a buyout and he’ll sign with the Cavs if/when he clears waivers. The big man liked Dallas, but the interest wasn’t reciprocated by the Mavs.
- The Pistons brought Tayshaun Prince back to Detroit. Prince was previously set to discuss a buyout with Boston.
- The Bucks and Larry Sanders completed a buyout deal. He apparently has no plans to pursue another deal in the NBA this season. The Mavs and Clippers have some degree of interest in Sanders.
- GM Mitch Kupchak says the Lakers don’t intend to focus on building around the aging Kobe Bryant and won’t mortgage their future to give Bryant one final shot at a championship.
- The Magic were willing to trade third-year forward Maurice Harkless and wanted a first-round pick or a “talented young player” in return for him.
- The Celtics acquired point guard Isaiah Thomas from the Suns in exchange for Marcus Thornton and the Cavaliers’ 2016 first round draft pick, which is top-10 protected.
- The Sixers traded K.J. McDaniels to the Rockets for Isaiah Canaan and a second-round pick.
- There is a growing feeling among GMs and league executives who are interested in signing Ray Allen that the veteran guard won’t play this season.
- The Wizards sent Ramon Sessions to the Kings for Andre Miller.
- The Rockets got Pablo Prigioni from the Knicks for Alexey Shved and a pair of second-round choices.
- Amar’e Stoudemire joined the Mavs after he reached a buyout with the Knicks.
- The Pistons are likely to sign John Lucas III for the rest of the season.
- The Nets and Thunder appeared to be on the verge of a deal sending Brook Lopez to OKC for Reggie Jackson, but it didn’t wind up happening. The Bucks also had interest in Jackson.
- The Clippers looked into trading for Gerald Green and Perry Jones III but never came close to a deal. The team reportedly dangled Jamal Crawford in trade talks also and he seemed glum about it.
- The Pelicans and Thunder completed a small deal which saw Ish Smith go to New Orleans. Smith was waived soon after.
- Cole drew interest from multiple teams.
- The Bucks had strong interest in Taj Gibson and some interest in Cole.
- Andrei Kirilenko will sign with CSKA Moscow once he clears waivers.
- Jared Sullinger will miss the remainder of the season because of a metatarsal stress fracture in his left foot.
- Draymond Green has interest in the Pistons but the Warriors made it clear again that they intend on matching any offer for him.
- The Sixers were eyeing Wolves forward Chase Budinger so that they could add draft picks and work out a buyout deal.
- The Mavs waived Ricky Ledo.
- There’s reportedly tension between the Nuggets and Ty Lawson. The Celtics and Nuggets had exploratory conversations about a deal involving Lawson.
- David Blatt’s job security is on firmer ground because LeBron James has gained respect for him.
- It sounds like Jeremy Lin probably won’t be back with the Lakers next season.
- The Celtics may or may not have pursued DeMarcus Cousins.
- Soon after being acquired by the Nuggets, Thomas Robinson was bought out. He has since had conversations with the Spurs, Nets, Suns, Heat and Hornets.
- Gary Neal wants a buyout but he might not get it.
- The Wolves brought up Anthony Bennett‘s name in trade discussions and they were in pursuit of Kevin Seraphin.
- The Pistons contacted the Nets about Joe Johnson.
- The Bucks dangled Ersan Ilyasova, O.J. Mayo, and John Henson.
- The Bucks waived Kenyon Martin.
- Minnesota’s Shabazz Muhammad will undergo season-ending finger surgery.
- The Hawks were open to dealing shooting guard John Jenkins.
- The Knicks and Lakers were eyeing Miles Plumlee before he went to the Bucks in a three-way deal.
- The Magic seem inclined to let interim head coach James Borrego finish the season in that position. The general belief is that Borrego will have a chance to have the interim tag removed and stay beyond the end of the season if he performs well down the stretch.
- The Wolves signed Lorenzo Brown to a two-year deal with a club option for 2015/16.
- The Sixers signed Tim Frazier to another 10-day deal.
- The Suns decided to sign Earl Barron to a 10-day pact.
- A number of teams were eyeing Kevin Martin if he were to buy his way out of his deal with the Wolves.
- Free agent Jermaine O’Neal has tabled the idea of signing with an NBA team this season.
- The Pelicans released Toney Douglas from his 10-day deal.
- The Spurs signed Reggie Williams for the rest of the season.
- The Kings signed David Stockton to a 10-day deal.
- The Pelicans waived Shawne Williams.
- The Pistons signed Quincy Miller to a 10-day contract.
- The Nuggets signed Joffrey Lauvergne after all.
- The Warriors signed James McAdoo for the season.
- The Grizzlies signed JaMychal Green to another 10-day deal.
- Austin Daye joined the Magic’s D-League affiliate.
- The Knicks are thinking about signing second-round pick Thanasis Antetokounmpo.
- The Heat signed swingman Henry Walker to a 10-day contract.
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban said the team intends to sign Bernard James to a second 10-day deal, and then for the remainder of the season once that pact expires.
- Former NBA player Ivan Johnson signed with Talk N Text in the Philippines.
Mavericks Re-Sign Bernard James
SATURDAY, 11:17am: The second 10-day signing is official, Dallas announced in a press release.
11:21pm: Mavs owner Mark Cuban said the team intends to sign James to a second 10-day deal, and then for the remainder of the season once that pact expires, Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.
THURSDAY, 1:15pm: The Mavericks have reached agreement on a second 10-day contract with center Bernard James, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter). James’ current 10-day deal is scheduled to expire on Saturday.
James had been playing with the Yao Ming-owned Shanghai Sharks since shortly after the Mavs waived him at the end of the preseason, but the Sharks failed to make the Chinese Basketball Association playoffs, allowing the 30-year-old big man to become a free agent and circle back to Dallas.
James recently told Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News that the time he spent overseas with the Sharks made him a better player.
“It was huge,” James said. “It kind of got me back to feeling like myself again. I’m not hesitating. I’m believing in my game. It was good to play major minutes and having a team really rely on me.“
James appeared in one game for the Mavs before the All-Star break, scoring 9 points and grabbing 3 boards against the Jazz.
Warriors Sign James McAdoo For Season
3:04pm: The signing is official, the Warriors announced.
1:46pm: The Warriors have agreed to sign James Michael McAdoo for the rest of the season with a partial guarantee for 2015/2016, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). That pact will be completed barring a conflicting buzzer-beating trade, Spears adds.
McAdoo, 22, has averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.3 RPG in four games for the Warriors this season. Prior to the 2014 draft, McAdoo spoke with Hoops Rumors about his collegiate career and NBA goals.
Tayshaun Prince, Celtics To Discuss Buyout Friday
Tayshaun Prince‘s camp plans to engage the Celtics in buyout talks tomorrow, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald tweets. The Celtics were working to move Prince in a trade but they have been unable to get that done with the deadline fast approaching.
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald recently heard that Prince had the most trade value of any of the pieces the C’s would be willing to move. However, teams were hesitant to part with a second-rounder in exchange for the 34-year-old.
A buyout has been rumored for some time and Prince himself has been antsy to join up with a contender.
“Obviously I want to be in a winning situation,” Prince said in late January. “Everybody wants to be in a winning situation, make no mistake about it, especially toward the end of your career. But at the end of the day, it’s about doing what’s right and going out there and having fun. If you get to the point where I am in my career after all these years, you just want to go out there and have a chance to win and do the right things.”
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said last month that he hoped to keep Prince for the balance of the season. Right now, however, it sounds like Prince could be days away from donning a different uniform.
Western Notes: Lin, Green, Rockets
Numerous NBA sources outside of Jeremy Lin’s camp and the Lakers are skeptical either party would want a reunion, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Still, Lin isn’t really opening up about his future with anyone and he says that he has declined to discuss his impending free agency even with his family and his agent. More from the Western Conference..
- Draymond Green is flattered by talk that connects him to his hometown Pistons, but he told KNBR that he’s focused on winning with the Warriors, Jimmy Durkin of the Mercury News writes.
- “I know I am a free agent,” Green told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “Everyone knows it. But I can honestly say I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it.” The Warriors standout is averaging 11.1 PPG and 8.3 RPG this season.
- The Rockets sent Nick Johnson and Clint Capela to the D-League, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). This marks Capela’s fifth trip to the D-League and Johnson’s fourth.
- Blazers GM Neil Olshey gave up very little in exchange for a player he knows and likes in Arron Afflalo, John Canzano of The Oregonian writes. Portland, he writes, added offensive punch in the second unit with very little sacrificed.
Nuggets Notes: Chandler, Clippers, Kings
The Nuggets are creating some $18MM in trade exceptions from their pair of deals today, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes, so it appears they’re using some of their existing trade exceptions to accommodate Thomas Robinson, Will Barton and Victor Claver in the Arron Afflalo deal. That would allow Denver to create a $7.5MM exception for Afflalo. With JaVale McGee headed out to the Sixers with apparently no players coming back, the Nuggets stand to be able to make another exception worth $11.25MM, the equivalent of McGee’s salary. Trade exceptions can’t be combined, but those would nonetheless be powerful weapons. Of course, neither of the trades are official yet, so details could change. In the meantime, here’s more on the busy Nuggets:
- The Celtics took the Nuggets’ temperature on a few deals this week, but Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (on Twitter) hears that the inquiries were more “probing” than anything. Needless to say, those talks didn’t get far.
- Now that Barton is officially with the Nuggets, the feeling is that he could last with Denver as both he and GM Tim Connelly are Baltimore guys, Jabari Young of Comcast SportsNet Northwest tweets.
- The Nuggets are unlikely to move Wilson Chandler today, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). The Blazers and Clippers were the main teams in the mix for him but they’re both out of the running for different reasons. The Blazers already got Arron Afflalo and the Clippers don’t have the assets necessary to pull something off.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) heard that the Nuggets were seeking two first-round choices for Chandler.
- Chandler made a change in representation and he will now be represented by Roc Nation NBA agents Rich Kleiman & Joe Branch, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). To keep up on everyone’s representation, check out Hoops Rumors’ Agency Database.
- Several teams, including the Kings, are waiting to see if Denver’s asking price for players drops, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets. Mannix also identified the Blazers as a team waiting to see if the sticker price would drop, but that was before the Afflalo deal.
- The Kings were interested in Afflalo, but Denver’s asking price of a first-round pick and a good young player kept them at a distance, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Knicks Waive Amar’e Stoudemire In Buyout Deal
12:33pm: The Knicks have waived Stoudemire, the team announced via press release, making the buyout deal official. It’s still unknown just how much Stoudemire gave back.
“Amar’e’s period as a Knickerbocker has come to pass, at his request. His time here should be marked by recognizing his effort – it was 100%,” Knicks team president Phil Jackson said in the statement. “As we move forward in structuring this team, we will look for players that exhibit his desire to win.”
The Knicks are left with 14 players on their roster. GM Steve Mills said in the team’s release that he and Stoudemire had developed a “long-term friendship” that would remain in place as they parted ways, and Stoudemire, in his quote as part of the statement, expressed gratitude to the organization, saying, “Once a Knick, always a Knick.”
MONDAY, 7:35am: The Blazers aren’t in the mix, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears (Twitter link).
SUNDAY, 11:15pm: The Clippers, Blazers, Suns, and Raptors are expected to pursue Stoudemire, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
11:04pm: Stein (link) adds the Cavs to the list of teams that are not actively pursuing the veteran.
11:00pm: The Grizzlies and Warriors are not pushing to sign Stoudemire, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
10:40pm: The Clippers and Mavericks have strong interest in Stoudemire but the Spurs are a dark horse “with [a] level of intrigue,” according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
10:12pm: The Knicks and Amar’e Stoudemire reached a buyout agreement on Sunday night, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). The big man’s camp has been discussing a buyout with the club for quite some time.
Stoudemire, 32, is in the final year of a massive five-year contract worth nearly $99.744MM that pays him almost $23.411MM this season. The veteran has averaged 12.0 PPG and 6.8 RPG in 36 games (14 starts) for the blue and orange this season. Stoudemire has a rather respectable 19.7 PER on the year and his 6.8 boards per game is a good improvement over his averages from the previous two campaigns.
Even though he has not found individual success with the Knicks, STAT was said to be conflicted about the idea of a buyout. Still, Stoudemire’s reps were pushing for a deal and the Knicks had no intention of re-signing him this summer as they look to push their resources towards younger talent.
“All possibilities at this point are still open,” Stoudemire said of his own buyout possibility. “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 Mavs are reportedly the favorites to sign Stoudemire should he buy his way off the Knicks and clear waivers. Of course, with a $23MM+ salary, Stoudemire would be a mortal lock to pass through waivers unclaimed. Besides Dallas, the Clippers and Warriors are said to be interested as well. Marc Berman of the New York Post recently wrote that it’s “quite possible” that Stoudemire would return to the Suns this summer and speculated that the Magic would have interest in the central Florida native this summer, though it’s not clear what the interest level would be from either team if Stoudemire were to reach free agency mid-season.
And-Ones: Knight, Lopez, OKC, Clippers
Impending restricted free agent Brandon Knight says he’s in a “great situation” with the Bucks, but that’s no guarantee that he’ll want to stay put, Susan Bible of Basketball Insiders writes. “Well, speaking for myself, I would want to go into a situation where I can win,” Knight said regarding what factors he’ll consider in free agency. “I think that’s the biggest thing. Winning has to be a priority. I’m pretty sure if you ask any top free agent, winning is going to be the main thing.” Here’s more from around the Association..
- An executive told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links) that the Thunder and Nets are the most aggressive teams in trade talks. The two teams want to make a move and they may wind up trading with each other. He adds that OKC’s interest in center Brook Lopez is real and he wouldn’t be surprised to see a deal involving him go down.
- The Clippers have been trying very hard to make a trade, but they don’t have the assets to swing a worthwhile deal, so they’ll instead try and sign bought out players to bolster their roster, Kennedy tweets.
- When asked whether the frigid weather would scare him off from signing in New York, Blazers big man LaMarcus Aldridge responded, “It’s cold everywhere,” Sean Deveney of the Sporting News tweets.
- Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders gathered quotes from Aldridge, Knight, and other prospective Knicks free agent targets regarding their thoughts on the team and the city.
- Any deal the Suns make would be made in the name of building an elite team down the line, not a fringe playoff team now, as Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. Meanwhile, both Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic have been mentioned in recent trade rumors.