Knicks, David Lee Spoke About Potential Deal
The Knicks and David Lee had talks about a would-be reunion while Lee was in the midst of a buyout with the Celtics earlier this season, as Lee said today to reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). Lee instead wound up signing with the Mavericks on a deal that gave him more than $2MM for the rest of this season. The Knicks, who are limited to the prorated minimum salary, couldn’t have paid him that much. Still, the veteran big man is poised to become a free agent this summer, when he’ll ostensibly have another chance to join the Knicks, the team for which he played his first five NBA seasons.
Lee was one of the players in an apparent trade proposal involving Carmelo Anthony that would have sent Lee from the Celtics to the Knicks last month. The Celtics and Lee’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, cooperated to try to find a new home for the two-time All-Star, but the buyout path proved more lucrative than a trade would have been. Lee gave up just $458,575 in the buyout, much less than Dallas is paying him on his new contract.
The thought of returning to the Warriors has crossed Lee’s mind, but he was ineligible to sign with Golden State during the buyout period because the team traded him to Boston just this past summer. He’ll be able to rejoin the Warriors as soon as July if he wants, but he recently told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he’d moved past any thought of returning to the Bay Area, and he’s spoken on multiple occasions about his contentment with Dallas.
The Mavs will have only Non-Bird rights on Lee, sharply limiting their ability to go over the cap to re-sign him, though Dallas, like the Knicks, will have the chance to open plenty of cap room in the summer ahead. The same isn’t true of the Warriors, who already have $73MM in guaranteed salary commitments with Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli headed for restricted free agency.
Brad Stevens Remains The Ideal Coach For The Celtics
- Boston was initially upset when Doc Rivers departed for the Clippers, but Brad Stevens remains the perfect coach to guide the Celtics through their rebuilding process, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “I would have been into it if I kept the job, obviously, but I just think it worked out the way it was going to work out,” Rivers said. “It’s a great situation for them, but I think it would have worked either way, honestly. But Brad comes in with great energy, with youth. Having had to rebuild twice, this would have been my third, and that’s hard to do. People don’t appreciate that. I mean, talk to Brad. He’ll tell you how hard it is — and in nine years he won’t want to do it again either.” Bulpett notes that Stevens is far better equipped to develop and relate to the franchise’s younger players, having joined the Celtics directly from the college ranks.
Celtics Assistant Coach Drawing College Interest
- Georgia Tech has reached out to Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga about the school’s head coaching job, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. The well-respected Larranaga interviewed for the Sixers job three years ago and has drawn mention as a potential candidate for other NBA openings since. Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reported last year that Larranaga wouldn’t leave the Celtics for a college job, but it’s unclear if that’s still his stance.
- Coty Clarke has returned to the D-League affiliate of the Celtics following the expiration of his second 10-day contract with Boston’s NBA club, reports Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link).
Celtics Made Lowball Offer For Kevin Love
The Cavs are confident LeBron James won’t leave in free agency again, but they understand that at least a slight chance exists that he would if they once more come up short in the postseason, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. James “lashed out” at his teammates during the players-only meeting that followed the firing of David Blatt, sources told Lowe, and many in the Cavs brass have kept a nervous eye on the signs of discontent that James has shown on the court. The four-time MVP has the power to press for changes. Lowe confirms that the Cavs and Celtics spoke about Kevin Love before last month’s trade deadline but hears the Celtics made a lowball offer. The ESPN scribe believes chances are strong that Cleveland will trade Love if the team doesn’t deliver in the playoffs, underscoring the unusual level of concern surrounding a team poised to grab the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Stevens: Versatile Forwards On Celtics Radar
- A versatile forward is what the Celtics probably want if they’re to fill their roster vacancy, coach Brad Stevens said today, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). Coty Clarke, whom the team has elected not to re-sign following the expiration of his second 10-day contract, would ostensibly fit that bill, but Boston prefers the flexibility of an open roster spot over another deal for him, wary of the possibility that an injury will create a need at another position, Himmelsbach wrote this weekend. Any new deal for Clarke would have to cover the rest of the season and the playoffs.
Celtics Rumors: Clarke, Crowder, Thomas, Smart
The Celtics won’t give Coty Clarke another contract after his second 10-day deal expires today, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston would have needed to sign the 6’7″ small forward for the rest of the season to keep him on the roster. A source told Himmelsbach the Celtics will consider bringing back Clarke in the future, but the team prefers to keep an open roster spot heading into the playoffs to guard against injury. Clarke, who spent most of the season with Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine, first signed with the Celtics on March 7th. He saw six minutes of action in three games.
There’s more this morning out of Boston:
- Jae Crowder, who hasn’t played since suffering a high ankle sprain March 11th, is considered day-to-day and could return this week, Himmelsbach relays in the same piece. There were initially fears that the injury could sideline Crowder through the first round of the playoffs.
- Isaiah Thomas, who on Saturday made his second trip to Phoenix since being traded in February of 2015, told Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic that this visit was much less emotional. “Everybody when I got to the arena was showing a lot of love, like the workers and all that,'” the All-Star point guard said. “It’s a place that I like. I like the city. When I was here, they showed me a good time. There’s no bad feelings no more. It was just that one game. Now, it’s just another team, another game.”
- Marcus Smart, whose recent shooting woes have led to trade speculation, impressed coach Brad Stevens with his all-around game in Saturday’s win, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Smart was just 2 of 7 from the field but had eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. “Those are the things that make Marcus special,” Stevens said. “Sometimes those go in a box score, sometimes they don’t. But he does them every game.”
Celtics Should Consider Trading Marcus Smart?
- Celtics point guard Marcus Smart has regressed offensively in his second season and his defense has been slipping as well, so as a result, Boston should consider trading him this offseason, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com opined on the “Toucher & Rich” show. “If you’re the Celtics, I think you have to give some thought to moving him this summer with how poorly he’s played,” Blakely said. “He isn’t making the progress you were hoping. Obviously every player goes through a slump where they’re not making shots, but certainly you have to wonder when is he going to snap out of this.” Blakely did add the caveat that if the team does decide to trade Smart, it should only be as part of a package to land a “transcendent” player, lest the Celtics risk giving up on Smart too soon.
Celtics Recall Clarke, Young From D-League
- The Celtics have recalled Coty Clarke and James Young from their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This concludes Clarke’s second assignment to the Red Claws and Young’s 11th.
Celtics Assign Young, Clarke To D-League
- The Celtics have assigned swingman James Young and power forward Coty Clarke to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Young’s 11th assignment on the season to Maine and Clarke’s second.
Turner Now Thriving; Crowder On The Mend
The Celtics‘ Evan Turner is finally getting past the burden of being the second player taken in the 2010 draft, and it’s showing in his performance, writes Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly. The sixth-year swingman, who is rumored to be an offseason target for the Knicks, has become a valuable contributor in Boston, averaging 10 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 games this season. Turner never became the star the Sixers hoped he would be when they selected him, and he seemed out of place during a brief stay in Indiana in 2014. However, Turner has put together two solid seasons with the Celtics and seems well-positioned headed into free agency. “I just feel like the freedom to come in and play in a system that doesn’t demand and expect, ‘Hey, you’re the second player chosen.’ He took some hits in that early path,” said Sixers coach Brett Brown. “I see, like in a lot of young guys, they find their stride at a little bit later date. I’m proud of him.”
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens says Jae Crowder should be back on the court in about two weeks, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. Crowder suffered a high ankle sprain in a March 11th game, and a report last week said he could be sidelined through the first round of the playoffs. But Stevens is more optimistic today, saying Crowder is making progress.