Amico On Sonics, Sixers, Wizards, Mavs
Today’s a good day to be a Seattle resident and there could be even more good news on the horizon for the city. Once commissioner Adam Silver settles into his new job, bringing an NBA team back to Seattle could be at the top of his list, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes. Whether that’s by relocation or expansion, league sources say, is yet to be determined. The league is not totally against adding a 31st team and it’s certainly not in favor of relocation. Here’s more from Amico’s column..
- In addition to the Suns, the Clippers and Hawks are also intrigued by Sixers trade candidate Evan Turner. In addition to Turner, the 76ers are also very open to moving forward Thaddeus Young and center Spencer Hawes.
- The Wizards look to be playoff-bound and are open to making a deal to complement their trio of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Nene Hilario. Amico says that fans shouldn’t be surprised if they get in on the Turner/Young/Hawes sweepstakes before the trade deadline.
- The Mavericks haven’t been talked about in the rumor mill all that much but they could pull the trigger on a trade between now and February 20th. The Mavs feel as if they’re a piece away from challenging the likes of the Thunder, Spurs and others, so if they can get Turner for a draft pick they’ll do it.
Suns Considering Deal For Pau Gasol
4:00pm: The main reason the teams haven’t agreed on a deal involving Gasol is that the Lakers want a pick for this year’s draft that would be higher than what the Suns currently have to offer, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Phoenix could have as many as four picks, but the best of them would come in at only No. 17 right now. The Lakers are also in the exploratory stage with other teams about deals, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
MONDAY, 10:36am: In confirming Stein’s report, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic says the Suns and Lakers have indeed spoken about a Gasol-Okafor swap, a detail that wasn’t initially clear. The discussion is just one of many exploratory talks in which the Suns have engaged, Coro writes.
SUNDAY, 4:41pm: The Suns are exploring the feasibility of a trade for Lakers big man Pau Gasol, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Of course, the big man is on an expiring contract and earning ~$19.3MM for the year.
The Lakers have reportedly been adamant about not compromising their future cap flexibility in any deal for Gasol. As Stein notes, the Suns could use the $14.5MM expiring contract of injured big man Emeka Okafor to get a deal done. Even though there’s a significant gap between their salaries, there’s a disparity of less than $5MM and the deal wouldn’t put the Suns over the tax apron so it would be kosher under the CBA.
The 33-year-old is no stranger to criticism but he has performed reasonably well in the face of another year that’s been chock full of trade rumors. Gasol is averaging 17.0 PPG and 10.2 RPG with a PER of 19.1 that puts him No. 12 among centers. It’s not his best work, but the Spaniard still has plenty to contribute to a contender.
The Okafor idea sounds like it could be of interest to the Lakers, but they had a similar opportunity earlier this year when the Cavs were dangling the contract of Andrew Bynum. The Lakers reportedly backed away from those talks and insisted on getting an impact player in exchange for Gasol.
Clippers Sign Sasha Vujacic
MONDAY, 12:02pm: The Clippers have officially announced the signing, via press release.
SUNDAY, 3:05pm: It now looks like Vujacic will ink his 10-day deal with the Clippers tomorrow, Turner tweets. The plan is for the guard to meet the club in Denver and suit up tomorrow night (link).
2:12pm: The Clippers are close to signing Sasha Vujacic to a 10-day deal, sources tell Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Los Angeles has long been known to have interest in the veteran guard.
Vujacic took his physical and could sign as soon as Tuesday, according to Turner. Ostensibly, Vujacic’s first crack at making the Clippers roster passed him by when the club signed Hedo Turkoglu to a deal covering the remainder of the season. However, after opting not to re-sign Darius Morris after his deal expired, the club had an opening on the roster and a void to fill in the backcourt.
Over parts of seven seasons in the states, mostly with the Staples Center’s other tenants, Vujacic averaged 5.6 PPG and 1.3 APG in 15.9 minutes per game. He also showed that he can fill a stat sheet during a run with the Nets in 2010/11 where he put up 11.4 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 28.5 minutes per contest.
Grizzlies Sign Darius Morris To 10-Day Deal
MONDAY, 11:10am: The Grizzlies have signed Morris to a 10-day contract, according to a press release from the team
SUNDAY, 9:29pm: Darius Morris is meeting with Grizzlies coaches tonight in Oklahoma City and is expected to sign a 10-day deal with Memphis tomorrow, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). Morris saw his second 10-day deal with the Clippers expire towards the end of January.
The Grizzlies worked Morris out in December after Quincy Pondexter was lost to injury so they have some level of familiarity with the guard. The 23-year-old appeared in 10 games for the Clippers averaging 5.4 MPG with 0.9 PPG and 0.5 APG.
If Morris puts pen to paper with the Grizzlies, it’ll be his fourth NBA stop in just two years. Morris has also seen stints with the Lakers and Sixers over the last two seasons.
Hoops Links: Turner, Lakers, Knight, Stern
On this date in 1996, the Bulls’ 99-84 road win over the Lakers – with Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson meeting on the court for the first time since Game 5 of the 1991 NBA Finals – set, at the time, a record as the highest-rated NBA game ever on cable TV. The telecast on TNT earns a 7.1 rating and a 13.1 share, being viewed in an average of 4.75 million homes. The rating mark stood until the May 21, 1996 Bulls-Magic playoff game. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere..
- Atlas Bowled offers a primer on economics in the NBA.
- Hoop76 says the Sixers shouldn’t trade Evan Turner…yet.
- Legion Report wonders how long the Lakers’ struggles will continue.
- Bucksketball breaks down Brandon Knight‘s game.
- Cowbell Kingdom bids farewell to David Stern.
- Hardwood Paroxysm talks Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, email it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Southwest Notes: James, Thunder, Mavs
The latest out of the Southwest Division..
- The Grizzlies are considering picking up Mike James on a 10-day deal, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). The guard inked a 10-day pact with the Bulls on January 22nd but Chicago allowed it to lapse rather than sign him to a second one.
- The Thunder announced that they have recalled forward Andre Roberson from the Tulsa 66ers. Roberson, who is very familiar with the trip from Oklahoma City to Tulsa at this point, recorded two double-doubles while averaging 14.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.75 steals, 1.75 blocks and 31.3 minutes in four games during his most recent assignment. Overall, the forward is averaging 15.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.45 steals, 1.45 blocks and 35.2 minutes in eleven games with Tulsa.
- The Mavericks announced today that they have recalled rookie guard Shane Larkin from the Texas Legends of the D-League. Larkin has played in 32 games for the Mavericks and is averaging 3.6 points and 1.8 assists in 12.5 minutes per contest.
Pacific Notes: Williams, Warriors, Brooks
Sasha Vujacic has been on the Clippers’ radar for quite some time now and it looks like they’re finally on the verge of signing him. The veteran guard has already undergone a physical and he is expected to be in a Clippers jersey tomorrow night when Blake Griffin & Co. take on the Nuggets. The move will give L.A. some extra reinforcements as Chris Paul is sidelined with a separated shoulder. More out of the Pacific..
- With Manny Harris‘ second 10-day deal set to lapse and Pau Gasol still on the mend, don’t be surprised to see the Lakers give Shawne Williams another look, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Williams is right around the corner from the Lakers after recently hooking on with the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
- The Warriors are putting their plans for a gorgeous new stadium in San Francisco on hold by about a year (and possibly longer), write Philip Matier and Andrew Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle. Recently, Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob acknowledged that it would be tough for the club to get to their new home by the original target of 2017.
- Speaking of the Warriors, they announced that they have recalled Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League. Both players were assigned to Santa Cruz on Saturday and participated in the team’s 110-105 victory over the Bakersfield Jam at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz. Bazemore registered a game-high 25 points, along with three rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block in 33 minutes, while Brooks added six points, two assists, one rebound and a steal in 22 minutes. To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments and recalls, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
Hoops Rumors Originals
A look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff over the past week..
- Chuck Myron examined Kyle Lowry as a trade candidate.
- Will the Raptors be sellers? Most of you say no.
- Chuck looked at the midseason signees on multi-year deals.
- Emeka Okafor probably won’t do much on the court this season but he figures to be a coveted trade piece. Chuck explains why the Suns big man will field calls over the next few weeks.
- Most of you say Joel Embiid will be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
- Here’s a look at trade exceptions that are set to expire courtesy of Chuck.
- We asked you to vote on the biggest All-Star snub.
- Did you miss out on Chuck’s Monday chat? Check out the transcript here.
- This week we launched our sister NFL site, ProFootballRumors.com, headed by former Hoops Rumors lead writer Luke Adams.
- Get the Hoops Rumors app today!
Week In Review: 1/27/14 – 2/2/14
The Wizards are high on Pistons big man Greg Monroe, but as it stands, he’s not going anywhere. Detroit has informed clubs calling on Monroe that they won’t be trading him between now and the February deadline. Here’s our look back at the week that was..
- Adam Silver officially took over as commissioner.
- The Pacers signed Andrew Bynum to a $1MM deal for the rest of the season. They swear it has nothing to do with keeping him away from the Heat.
- The Lakers, Wizards, and Bobcats have asked the Bulls about Taj Gibson.
- The Nets are eyeing Kevin Durant for 2016.
- Nate Robinson is done for the year.
- The Nuggets could activate trade candidate Andre Miller.
- Luol Deng was reportedly not happy to be traded to the Cavs, GM Chris Grant is expected to lose his job at the end of the year, and Kyrie Irving wants to go to the Knicks. Yikes.
- For his part, Irving denies that he wants out of Cleveland.
- Danny Granger and C.J. Miles are drawing interest.
- The Rockets are shopping Francisco Garcia.
- Several GMs would be surprised if Rondo gets moved. Meanwhile, the guard quickly cut off extension talks with the Celtics. The Knicks still want him.
- Mark Tatum is the new deputy commissioner.
- The Pelicans inked Luke Babbitt to a two-year deal.
- Tyshawn Taylor was acquired by the Maine Red Claws.
- The Bobcats are expected to be buyers at the trade deadline.
- Emeka Okafor could be a trade chip for the Suns.
- The sense around the league is that the Raptors will keep Kyle Lowry according to one report while another says that they’re actively shopping him.
- Daequan Cook is headed to Germany.
- Dante Exum will enter the 2014 draft.
- The Suns signed Leandro Barbosa for the rest of the season.
- The Spurs signed Shannon Brown and released Othyus Jeffers.
- The Hawks signed Cartier Martin to a 10-day deal.
- Shawne Williams is headed to the D-League.
- Royal Ivey signed with the Guangdong Southern Tigers.
- The Celtics re-signed Chris Johnson. They won’t re-up Vander Blue.
- The Hawks aren’t keeping James Nunnally.
Pacers Planning To Sign Andrew Bynum
SATURDAY, 9:22am: The Pacers have made the signing official via a team press release. No details of the contract were released per team policy.
SATURDAY, 9:07am: Bynum will sign with the Pacers today, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Bynum is in Indiana with agent David Lee, and a resolution to his new destination appears close, over a month after his initial suspension with the Cavs. Five teams were still in the hunt the center’s services, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Chris Broussard.
FRIDAY, 10:04pm: The Pacers are planning to sign Andrew Bynum, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (via Twitter). While there’s no deal in place yet, talks are very serious, according to Windhorst (link).
Candace Buckner of the Indy Star first reported that the Pacers were meeting with Bynum and agent David Lee tonight. Sam Amick of USA Today (on Twitter) adds that a deal could be completed by the morning.
The Pacers may not have a major need for Bynum but the desire to block the Heat from signing them could be part of their motivation. Meanwhile, the Heat aren’t willing to pay more than the minimum salary which could prove to be a serious sticking point. Most Hoops Rumors readers believe that Bynum will remain unsigned through the season according to a recent poll.