Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: NBPA, Cook, Bogans

January 14th, 2014 at 9:30pm CST by Zachary Links

A quick look around the Association..

With a key hearing approaching in Billy Hunter‘s lawsuit against the National Basketball Players Association, the union has hired one of the defendants in the civil case: Derek Fisher‘s former business manager, Jamie Wior, three people familiar with the situation told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Wior and Fisher, the former union president, are co-defendants in a lawsuit that Hunter filed against the NBPA for wrongful termination. The L.A.-based publicist and business manager played a behind-the-scenes role in the 2011 lockout.
Former Heat, Bulls, and Thunder guard Daequan Cook has been waived by Ukraine’s Budivelnyk Kyiv, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The former NBA sharpshooter has played eight games with the Ukrainian team (4.8 PPG), four in Euroleague (9.0 PPG) and four in Superleague. He’s already back in the United States, according to Carchia.
The Celtics announced earlier this evening that guard Keith Bogans has been excused from the team indefinitely for personal reasons but the press release notes that the veteran remains under contract with the club. The veteran has been vocal with his frustration over not seeing playing time in Boston.

Southwest Rumors: Motiejunas, De Colo, Hairston

January 14th, 2014 at 2:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

The chances that Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin will be involved in a trade this year appear to be waning by the day, but that won’t preclude Daryl Morey from making some kind of deal between now and the February 20th trade deadline. He’s been the most active GM at the deadline over the past six seasons, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News points out. Many Rockets players aren’t sold on the idea that the team needs to make another deal, feeling the team can win the title as constituted, Deveney reveals. There’s plenty more on the Rockets as we look around the Southwest Division:

The Rockets are more likely to trade for a shooter than for a big man, Deveney writes in the same piece.
The Celtics were involved in trade talks for Donatas Motiejunas, but those discussions have since died, as Virginijus Bulotas, the international agent for the Rockets reserve, tells Lithuania’s SportoTV (translation via HoopsHype). The Mavs have also held interest in Motiejunas, who has reportedly been “desperate” for playing time as the Rockets and his U.S.-based agent, Arn Tellem, place calls with other teams.
Turkey’s Fenerbahce is interested in Spurs guard Nando De Colo, according Javier Maestro of Encestando (translation via Sportando). De Colo has bounced back and forth between San Antonio and the Spurs’ D-League affiliate, but it doesn’t sound like the Spurs have any interest in letting him go. De Colo will be a free agent at season’s end, so perhaps the France native will return overseas then.
The D-League affiliate of the Mavs has officially acquired P.J. Hairston, the club announced. The move was widely expected once Hairston signed with the D-League, since the Texas Legends had first dibs in the league’s waiver system. The Mavs and all other NBA teams are ineligible to call him up this season, since Hairston has yet to enter the NBA draft. The former North Carolina shooting guard is 32nd on the DraftExpress list of 2014 draft prospects and 41st on the board at ESPN.com.

Jerryd Bayless Wants To Remain With Celtics

January 14th, 2014 at 9:29am CST by Chuck Myron

Jerryd Bayless has led an itinerant NBA life, bouncing between five teams in five and a half years in the NBA. He’s a free agent at season’s end, so he could make his stay in Boston a short one after just having arrived via trade from the Grizzlies last week. Instead, he’d prefer to stay in green for a lot longer, as he tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

“Would l like to find a home? Of course,” Bayless said. “I would love to be here for the rest of my career if I could and find some stability.”

The 25-year-old guard said to Blakely that he’s expressed those sentiments to GM Danny Ainge and coach Brad Stevens. Ainge and the rest of the C’s front office have coveted Bayless for a long time, Blakely notes, so it seems there’s a decent chance the 2008 lottery pick will get to stick around beyond this year.

Bayless is making $3.135MM in the final season of a two-year deal he signed with Memphis in 2012. The Celtics have his Early Bird rights, so they can re-sign him for up to four years with a starting salary in the neighborhood of $5.5MM. The precise starting salary Bayless could receive won’t be known until after the July Moratorium, when the NBA will determine the average salary for the season, but he’ll be eligible for at least $5,486,250, which is 175% of his pay for this year.

Regardless, I’m not sure the Celtics or any other team would be willing to go quite that high, and just how well he meshes in Boston after Rajon Rondo returns from injury will go a long way in determining how much Bayless will command. Still, he’s off to a strong start, if his 15 fourth quarter points last night are any indication.

Odds & Ends: Love, Spurs, Lee, Thunder

January 13th, 2014 at 10:16pm CST by Zachary Links

With the Wolves struggling and Kevin Love‘s frustration level rising, clubs are likely salivating at the chance to land him via trade. However, Sam Smith of NBA.com hears that Love, a free agent in the summer of 2015, favors the Knicks and Lakers. In Smith’s mind, there really isn’t a point to trading for the forward if he isn’t willing to extend his deal or re-sign with your club. More from around the Association..

The Spurs announced that Danny Green will miss about four weeks with a broken left hand, but the team isn’t likely to sign a replacement, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
Michael Cohen of the Commercial Appeal chatted with new Grizzlies guard Courtney Lee and those who helped shape his game. “He’s a system guy. He’s not Paul George. He’s not this alpha male-type player. You put him in a specific role on a good team with good players, and that’s where he’s really strong. That’s what we see in him here,” said Stu Lash, Grizzlies director of player personnel and basketball development.
Thunder GM Sam Presti told a local sports radio station that while he’ll do his “due diligence” on the trade market, he’s happy with where the team is currently, tweets Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman.
Jerryd Bayless can do more for the Celtics than just help their finances, writes ESPNBoston.com’s Chris Forsberg.

Eastern Links: Brown, Celtics, Bucks, Bulls

January 10th, 2014 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets will look to become the second New York team in two days to knock off the Heat, when Brooklyn and Miami play at the Barclays Center tonight. While we look forward to that matchup, one of 12 games on the evening’s slate, here are a few notes from around the Eastern Conference:

As expected, the Sixers have recalled Lorenzo Brown after a one-game stint with the Delaware 87ers, the team announced today in a press release. Philadelphia assigned Brown to the D-League yesterday, and he contributed 22 points and seven rebounds in a loss to the Texas Legends.
In his latest mailbag for ESPNBoston.com, Chris Forsberg tackles questions on Jeff Green’s long-term fit in Boston and what sort of moves the Celtics will make next.
The Bucks sit at the “top” of our 2013/14 NBA reverse standings, which means it’s probably time to start looking ahead to the draft rather than the playoffs. Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel does just that, examining a few potential candidates for Milwaukee if the team lands a top draft pick.
Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com examines how the Bulls‘ decision to trade Luol Deng might affect the long-term future of Derrick Rose.

Atlantic Notes: Smith, Nets, Sixers, Walker

January 8th, 2014 at 6:20pm CST by Charlie Adams

News broke today that the Knicks are trying to find a trade partner willing to take on the often controversial J.R. Smith. It doesn’t sound like it’ll be easy for the club to find a suitor, but Knicks Journal’s Keith Schlosser writes it would be “addition by subtraction” if the team is able to deal Smith, even if they don’t get any real assets in return. Schlosser notes that Tim Hardaway looks poised to take on a bigger role for the Knicks, and sending out Smith would give the rookie guard more minutes to showcase his impressive skills.

Here’s a look at the rest of tonight’s news from around the Atlantic Division:

The Nets aren’t expected to use the disabled player exception they were granted yesterday, reports Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Kerber hears from a source that it’s “unlikely” Brooklyn ends up using the exception since for each $1MM the club would spend on adding a player, the team would end up paying $4MM in luxury taxes.
The 76ers are not going to be relocating to New Jersey, writes Mike Sielski from the Philly Inquirer. Rumors circulated about a potential move earlier this season, and fans became nervous that the rumors may be coming to fruition when the club revealed via press release that it was set to deliver a “major announcement” tomorrow. However, sources tell Sielski that the team won’t be leaving Philadelphia anytime soon, and the announcement will simply introduce a new sponsorship deal.
Ty Walker of the D-League’s Main Red Claws has drawn interest from a few clubs, including the 76ers. The defensive-minded center went undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2012 and received interest as a possible training camp invitee last summer. Shams Charania of RealGM has the details.
In his latest piece for the Boston Herald, Steve Bulpett reveals that although Doc Rivers isn’t calling plays for the Celtics anymore, part of the veteran coach will always remain in Boston. “It was just hard for me. I’m not sure anyone can understand,” said Rivers on his departure from the C’s, “I fell in love with where I was at, but after the season I realized I just didn’t want to get into the whole rebuilding thing.“

Ford On Young, Cavs, Lakers, Bulls, Draft

January 8th, 2014 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

As usual, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford devoted half of his weekly chat to NBA talk and the other half to draft chatter. He provided a handful of interesting tidbits this week on both subjects, so let’s check in on several of the highlights….

According to Ford, the Cavaliers flirted with acquiring Thaddeus Young from the Sixers in a deal for Andrew Bynum, but Philadelphia wanted Cleveland’s own 2014 first-rounder, which was a non-starter.
Danny Ainge keeps saying the 2014 draft class is overrated, which Ford interprets to mean that the Celtics GM actually loves it.
The Lakers are “living in a fantasy land” when it comes to their asking price for Pau Gasol, says Ford, adding that L.A. wanted more from the Cavs for Gasol than what the Bulls got for Luol Deng.
Ford doesn’t think the Bulls are done dealing, noting that there have been a lot of trade whispers about Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer. I imagine Chicago would be much more inclined to part with Boozer and/or Hinrich than Noah.
NBA execs who value advanced metrics are concerned about Julius Randle‘s lack of steals this season (one in 385 minutes). While NBA teams still like Randle a lot, no GM or scout has suggested recently to Ford that his team would take the Kentucky big man first overall.
The Magic and Kings “really like” Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart.
“Virtually every GM in the league is in love” with Joel Embiid, who remains in the mix for the first overall pick.
Ford hears that a Mormon mission after this season isn’t out of the question for Jabari Parker, which prompted him to ask several GMs where they’d take the Duke forward if he declared for the draft and announced he was going on a two-year mission. Surprisingly, a few still said they’d take Parker first overall, says Ford.

Celtics Release Ryan Gomes

January 7th, 2014 at 10:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have waived Ryan Gomes, the team announced today in a press release. Gomes had been a member of the Thunder this season, and was moved to Boston as salary filler in today’s three-team trade that saw the Grizzlies land Courtney Lee. Because Gomes’ contract was non-guaranteed, the C’s won’t be on the hook for his full-season salary.

Gomes, 31, only appeared in five games for the Thunder this season, playing a total of 34 minutes. After signing a minimum-salary contract in the offseason, the veteran forward saw his first NBA regular-season action since playing for the Clippers in 2011/12.

The Thunder’s decision to trade Gomes to the Celtics is cap-related. While Gomes’ full-season salary won’t be on Boston’s books, the salary he earned until now will still apply to the Celtics’ cap. Oklahoma City sent cash considerations to the C’s in the deal, making it worthwhile for Boston to assume Gomes’ modest cap hit, while the Thunder free up a little cap space to take on salary in a later deal, if they so choose.

Grizzlies Acquire Lee In Three-Team Trade

January 7th, 2014 at 10:21am CST by Zachary Links

10:21am: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Celtics and Thunder. OKC’s release notes that the Thunder will also receive the Sixers’ 2014 second-rounder from the Grizzlies in the deal. However, that pick is heavily protected and will only be conveyed if it falls between 51 and 55. The Thunder also sent cash considerations to the C’s in the move.

TUESDAY, 10:10am: In addition to landing Lee, the Grizzlies will receive a 2016 second-round pick from the Celtics, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). The C’s will acquire Bayless and Gomes, while the Thunder will receive a conditional 2017 second-rounder from the Grizzlies, says Tillery. The deal is expected to be finalized today to give Boston the chance to waive Gomes before 4:00pm central time.

MONDAY, 7:32pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that the Thunder will get involved in the deal with Ryan Gomes heading from Oklahoma City to Boston. This would allow OKC to get some wiggle room with regards to the luxury tax line and possibly set up another deal. The C’s, meanwhile, are expected to waive Gomes.

Stein adds (on Twitter) that there should be some second-round picks involved as well.

7:48am: The two sides have reached an agreement, according to Stein. It doesn’t sound like the trade will involve any additional pieces besides Bayless and Lee, which is a bit of a surprise. I wouldn’t have expected the Celtics to be able to move Lee for an expiring contract, since it was less than three weeks ago that a report suggested a lack of leaguewide interest in him. In any case, it appears as if the Grizzlies and C’s will finalize the deal at some point today.

SUNDAY, 4:29pm: The Celtics are in advanced discussions on a deal to acquire Jerryd Bayless from the Grizzlies, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The swap would involve Boston guard Courtney Lee.

In late December, the Grizzlies reportedly offered Bayless to the Lakers in return for Jodie Meeks. Memphis came into this season with high hopes, but their 15-18 start apparently has them wanting to make big changes. Bayless, 25, has averaged 8.0 PPG and 2.0 APG, numbers that are his lowest since his rookie year.

Lee was a client of Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien and front office exec Stu Lash when they were agents. The guard has already seen his name on Hoops Rumors quite a bit this season as he was linked to a proposed deal that would have sent him and Brandon Bass to Houston for Omer Asik. Of course, those talks fizzled. Swapping Bayless for Lee also figures to please Grizzlies exec John Hollinger as Lee boasts a career-best PER of 15.3 this season compared to Bayless’ 11.2, his worst total since 2008/09.

Lee, who appears headed to the fifth team of his professional career, finds himself stuck behind Avery Bradley in the rotation and only figures to see his role shrink further when Rajon Rondo comes back to action. While his efficiency rating has been strong, it’s happening off of a career-low 16.8 minutes per game.

Bayless is in his walk year and is earning just $3.135MM while Lee makes $5.23MM this year, $5.45 next year, and $5.675MM in his final year. It’s possible that Boston will include a draft pick in the trade if they’re getting another expiring contract or a solid talent along with Bayless in the swap since the Grizzlies are taking on a three-year deal in Lee. The Grizzlies are close to the luxury tax threshold and the Celtics are even closer, so that should play a factor in the proposed deal.

Assuming no trade exceptions are used in the swap, Memphis would have to add at least one more player for the salaries to match up, so the deal may expand beyond Bayless and Lee. However, Boston has a TPE from the Paul Pierce trade while the Grizzlies have one from the Rudy Gay swap, so it’s possible for the teams to make the move without including additional players.

Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Nets, Raptors, C’s

January 6th, 2014 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

Regardless of whether or not Carmelo Anthony plans to re-sign with the Knicks, the team should trade him, opines Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Beck argues that even if Carmelo stays, building a contender around him would be tricky, and that the Knicks would be better off starting the retooling process now. Multiple league executives agree with that assessment, with one suggesting that an ideal trade partner for New York would be “a team that so wants a star and so wants it now and will do anything to get it, and that thinks Carmelo is still a star.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

The Nets have re-assigned Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. It’s the fourth time each player has been assigned to the Springfield Armor this season, though like their first three assignments, there’s a good chance this one will be brief.
If the Raptors acquire a player in the next few weeks, it should probably be a big man, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who says that even having a young big at the end of the bench would help the team.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com explain the Celtics‘ motivations for swapping Courtney Lee for Jerryd Bayless, with financial considerations playing a large role. Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com also caught up with Avery Bradley and Jeff Green, who weighed in on the move, wishing Lee the best in Memphis. The deal is expected to be finalized later today.