Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Monitoring Greg Oden

January 17th, 2013 at 6:54pm CST by Sean Highkin

Earlier Thursday, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported that several teams, including the Celtics, are interested in signing center Greg Oden, the former top overall draft pick who last played in the NBA in 2009. Celtics president Danny Ainge told Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com that the Celtics are keeping tabs on Oden's progress.

"Yeah, so we're monitoring Greg, like all the NBA teams are, but we have not attempted to sign him," Ainge said Thursday. "But we are monitoring him and having (conversations) with his people just to see where he's at."

Given that Oden will likely not be ready to play this season, Ainge said the Celtics would look at him as a future investment.

"I don't think (he'd be ready to play this year)," Ainge said. "I don't know any of that for sure, but I would suspect that anybody that would sign him would have their eyes looking more towards his contribution in the future than now."

Leandro Barbosa Denies Making Trade Request

January 17th, 2013 at 5:28pm CST by Luke Adams

5:28pm: Ainge told Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com that Barbosa has not brought any trade request directly to him. He explained Barbosa's frustration with his playing time but denied that the veteran guard has asked to be traded:

"I think it's been hard for [Barbosa] not to get an opportunity to play as much as he's wanted, but we have said from the beginning, even before he signed here, that minutes might be difficult to come by, because we were deep at that position, and he still chose to come here," Ainge said. "Actually, early in the year he played more than I expected him to play, and he played pretty well. So I think that we have had a couple of conversations, just about his role and where it went and he seemed satisfied with it. But he's never demanded or asked to be traded or any of those things at all."

2:14pm: Barbosa strongly denied that he wants to be traded by the Celtics, and denied making the statements passed along by ESPN Brazil, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter links). "No, I want to play," Barbosa said. "I want to be here. That's it."

1:10pm: In a recent radio interview, Leandro Barbosa revealed that he has asked to be let go by the Celtics, according to an ESPN Brazil report (hat tip to Sportando). It's not clear whether Barbosa is hoping for a trade or a buyout, since he talks about wanting to return to Brazil, but either way, it doesn't seem like it's an option team president Danny Ainge is eager to pursue.

It's possible that some details of the story are being lost in translation, but it's not hard to see why Barbosa may be frustrated with his role in Boston. The 30-year-old is playing just 10.7 minutes per game, by far his lowest mark since entering the league, despite a PER (15.4) that's in line with his career average. Additionally, he's earning a minimum salary for the Celtics after making $7.6MM in 2011/12, the final season of a five-year contract.

Barbosa's comments suggest that the Celtics would like to keep him on the roster for depth purposes, but with Avery Bradley back in the lineup, there aren't enough minutes to go around for all of the team's backcourt players. Barbosa is certainly someone to keep an eye on as the trade deadline approaches, since he could earn more minutes for a team in need of an inexpensive scorer.

Berger On NBPA, Mavs, Grizzlies, Oden, Young

January 17th, 2013 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

It's been months since Derek Fisher, Billy Hunter, and the NBPA were making headlines, but the law firm hired to look into how the Players' Association has spent its money and conducted its business is nearly ready to release the results, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. While it's not clear exactly what the report will reveal, several players believe the union needs a change in leadership, and are hoping Hunter will step down from his post even if the report exonerates him of any wrongdoing, according to Berger.

The latest edition of Berger's "Postups" column also features some trade rumblings, so let's round those up….

Mark Cuban's declaration this week that the "Bank of Cuban" is open was met with indifference by some rival executives, who don't see many attractive assets on the Mavericks besides Dirk Nowitzki. "I don't think anybody is in a hurry to get [Chris] Kaman or [Elton] Brand and all that stuff," a rival executive said. "Unless he's trying to take a contract that's loaded."
Since Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien is determined to make a good basketball trade rather than just dumping salary, there's a growing sense that Memphis will hang on to Rudy Gay and others, and deal with the team's cap and tax issues over the summer. I suggested as much when I looked at the Grizzlies' cap situation earlier this week.
While Greg Oden doesn't expect to return to action until next season, he hopes to sign with an NBA team in the next month to get into a training and conditioning program with a club. The Celtics are monitoring Oden's progress, and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com reports that the Spurs and Cavaliers have also expressed interest.
Berger suggests that Nick Young is worth keeping an eye on as the trade deadline approaches, since his expiring contract could be valuable for a team in need of a scorer. The Sixers are currently four games out of a playoff spot — if they fall any further back, it definitely wouldn't surprise me to see them consider selling off pieces like Young.

Ford On Cousins, Gortat, Gay, Celtics

January 16th, 2013 at 7:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Damian Lillard is the odds on favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award right now, but there's still plenty of games to be played, said Chad Ford of ESPN.com in today's chat. The Hornets' Anthony Davis is back in action and very much in the picutre while Andre Drummond can't be ruled out either. Here's more from Ford..

There is a lot of interest around the league in DeMarcus Cousins, but from what Ford can gather, no GMs have had any success in making progress with the Kings on trade talks so far. The Kings appear to want to hold onto him, though plenty can change in the next five weeks.
Even though the Suns are eager to make a move, Ford sees Marcin Gortat remaining with Phoenix beyond the February 21st trade deadline. It's more likely that the club parlays their draft picks into pieces that are ready to contribute more immediately.
Ford believes that Rudy Gay is as good as gone in Memphis. The new ownership group is looking for ways to tighten their belt and moving the forward is the quickest way to accomplish that. Recent comments by coach Lionel Hollins against analytics would appear to be a shot at recent hire John Hollinger and, by extension, the thinking of the Memphis front office.
The Suns, Wizards, Magic, and Mavericks could all be trading away their lottery picks this summer as they'll look to win sooner rather than later. However, this isn't a terribly strong draft and it's far from a seller's market.
Danny Ainge is downplaying the trade talk surrounding the Celtics but Ford doesn't seem to be buying it. If there's a great deal out there for Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, or anyone else, Ford expects him to pull the trigger.

Players Still Ineligible To Be Traded

January 15th, 2013 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

Today is January 15th, which means that a number of players who had been ineligible to be traded until this point are now free to be moved by their respective teams. As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors outlined last month, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Ersan Ilyasova, and Jeff Green are among the players who weren't eligible to be dealt until today.

However, in addition to rules that keeps players from being traded until December 15th or January 15th, the CBA also includes a stipulation that a team must have a player on its roster for three months before being able to trade him. That means guys who have signed contracts since October 15th are still ineligible to be dealt.

Here are the players who can't be traded quite yet, along with the dates they'll become trade-eligible:

Leandro Barbosa (Celtics): January 18th
Daniel Orton (Thunder): January 31st
Shaun Livingston (Cavaliers): February 15th

Because the trade deadline arrives on February 21st, players signed after November 21st won't become trade-eligible until after the season. Here are the guys who fit that description:

Jeff Adrien (Bobcats)
James Anderson (Rockets)
Patrick Beverley (Rockets)
Daequan Cook (Bulls)
Kevin Jones (Cavaliers)
Mickael Pietrus (Raptors)
Garrett Temple (Wizards)

In addition to recent signees, players who were claimed off amnesty waivers last July are also ineligible to be traded until July 2013. Some amnesty victims, like Andray Blatche, cleared waivers without being claimed and signed new contracts, so they're trade-eligible now, but the following players can't be moved this season:

Elton Brand (Mavericks)
Brendan Haywood (Bobcats)
Luis Scola (Suns)

Finally, players on 10-day contracts, such as Dominic McGuire, Maalik Wayns, and Josh Harrellson, also won't be trade-eligible at any point this season, even if they eventually receive rest-of-season contracts.

Atlantic Rumors: Bynum, Celtics, Carlesimo, Green

January 14th, 2013 at 7:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers have lost 16 of their last 22 games to fall into ninth place in the Eastern Conference, but Andrew Bynum provided a glimmer of hope Monday, telling reporters, including John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that he's feeling minimal pain in his knees and hopes to make his season debut around the All-Star break. While the Sixers continue to wait for their prize summer acquisition, here's the latest on their Atlantic Division rivals.

Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge believes the five weeks or so between now and the trade deadline will be crucial, but as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe details, Ainge is satisfied with what he's seeing from his squad, which has won five in a row. "Right now we don’t have a real need and we have players like Jason Collins and Leandro Barbosa who we really like and are hardly playing, so I don’t really see a need to bring someone else in, at least at this moment," Ainge said. "We’re happy with our roster and we’re looking for improvement but we feel like we have plenty of bodies and Chris Wilcox should be back in not too long. I don’t think there’s any need to bring in someone right now to sit on the end of our bench."
Joe Johnson doesn't put too much stock in the interim tag on coach P.J. Carlesimo's title and regards him as the full-fledged boss of the Nets, as he tells Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Gerald Green was squeezed out of the Nets' plans this season when they used their taxpayer's midlevel exception on Mirza Teletovic instead, Bondy notes, but Green nonetheless has affection for recently fired coach Avery Johnson, who helped him resurrect his career.
Mike Woodson has reached J.R. Smith in ways other coaches haven't, Newsday's Al Iannazzone examines.

Eastern Notes: Pierce, Sixers, Bynum, Vogel

January 12th, 2013 at 4:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

It’s more than reasonable for the Celtics to consider cashing out on an aging Paul Pierce for young assets to be used towards rebuilding, opines Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. In another season and a half, the veteran could retire or walk away from Boston with no compensation. His trade value may never be as high as it will be now through the 2013 draft, and this may be the time to act, according to Brigham. Here's more from around the Eastern Conference.

Sixers GM Tony DiLeo told reporters, including Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com, that the team will try to stay in contention for a playoff spot until Andrew Bynum gets back, and may make short-term upgrades that don't cut into next summer's cap space.
DiLeo also said the Sixers "are still looking at Andrew as a long-term solution," indicating they still plan on trying to re-sign him this summer.
The extension Frank Vogel signed with the Pacers this week runs through 2014/15, and will pay the coach $2MM per season, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
J.J. Redick doesn’t want to be traded away from the Magic, but after hearing from GM Rob Hennigan that several teams have expressed interest, he's girding himself for the possibility, writes John Denton of Magic.com.
The Heat signed Josh Harrellson and Jarvis Varnado to ten-day contracts simply to stall for time until something better comes along, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Heat can get a better sense of what might be available to add at either the trading deadline or buyout deadline.
Anderson Varejao's injury isn't devastating to his long-term trade value, as The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer examines.

Zach Links of Hoops Rumors also contributed to this post.

Kyler On Dwight, Hornets, Beasley, Gay, Magic

January 12th, 2013 at 3:34pm CST by Sean Highkin

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com answered some questions from his Twitter followers on Saturday regarding various free agency and trade rumors.

Just as they plan to make a run at Chris Paul (link below), the Hawks will aggressively pursue Dwight Howard as well, Kyler says.
Hornets GM Dell Demps tells Kyler he wants to give his roster more time to play together, so New Orleans is unlikely to be active at the deadline.
The Lakers almost traded for Michael Beasley last year, but Kyler can't see them doing so again (Twitter links).
Kyler speculates that the Wizards are the most logical destination for Rudy Gay.
The Magic, who possess a trade exception worth more than $17.8MM from the Dwight Howard deal, aren't likely to use it for a "splashy" move.
If the Magic deal away J.J. Redick, he'll look to sign with a contender as a free agent this summer.

Earlier updates:

Kyler tweets that the Hawks intend to make a strong push for Chris Paul this summer. The Bobcats will also attempt to lure him, but Kyler does not think he will leave the Clippers.
Kyler says that Andrew Bynum will be seeking a max contract on the open market, although there is some doubt that he will get such an offer. He points to the Rockets as one team willing to take a gamble.
The Magic value J.J. Redick highly, and it would cost several draft picks for them to move him.
Kyler sees the Grizzlies' recent Rudy Gay trade discussions as an attempt to understand roster value.
If Derrick Williams continues his strong play, Kyler thinks the Timberwolves may opt to move Kevin Love instead.
The Celtics may be open to trading Paul Pierce, Kyler writes, if the return makes them more competitive right now.

Atlantic Notes: Martin, Knicks, Nets, Brooks

January 12th, 2013 at 10:57am CST by Zachary Links

Yesterday, we learned that the Lakers have lost big man Jordan Hill for the season, leaving many to speculate that they could be interested in the services of Kenyon Martin. However, another signature franchise on the opposite end of the country could beat them to the punch. Here’s more on that and other news out of the Atlantic..

With Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace out, it might be time for Knicks to check in on Kenyon Martin or another available power forward/center, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday. However, a league source said the Knicks haven’t called about Martin at this point and coach Mike Woodson says they’ll probably stand pat for now. It’s also worth noting that Tyson Chandler is still banged up and Amare Stoudemire is on a minutes limit.
The Nets‘ new-look bench, anchored by standout Andray Blatche, has given the Nets an extra boost during their current hot streak, writes Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post. MarShon Brooks has also shined under new head man P.J. Carlisemo, which should silence any trade speculation for the time being. Brooks averaged just 11 minutes per contest under Avery Johnson.
Jared Sullinger may be in his first year with the Celtics, but he is defying the rookie label, writes CSNNE.com’s A. Sherrod Blakely. Sullinger has impressed as of late and will be an even greater asset for Boston if he can stay out of foul trouble.

Berger On Gay, Pierce, Stoudemire

January 11th, 2013 at 5:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

Earlier today, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported that 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov, who previously attempted to buy the Golden State Warriors, is interested in buying the Kings from the Maloof brothers and keeping the team in Sacramento. For a full recap of Berger's information and other reports that have emerged today regarding a potential Kings sale, keep an eye on HoopsRumors.com's roundup.

Berger wrote another column today that features updates on several high-profile players who may be on the move at the trading deadline. Here are the highlights:

Berger gives an update of the rumors surrounding the Grizzlies' efforts to move Rudy Gay. The Warriors, Suns, Raptors, and Kings have shown the most interest in trading for the seven-year veteran, whom Berger writes the Grizzlies are looking to move primarily to avoid paying luxury tax.
Berger writes that the Suns' offer would be centered around Jared Dudley, draft picks, and the ability to absorb the majority of Gay's contract. The Raptors could offer Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon, although the Grizzlies are looking to get at least one good young player in return.
A potential deal with the Warriors is unlikely, writes Berger, because it would likely involve Memphis taking back either Andris Biedrins or Richard Jefferson, neither of whom the Grizzlies have any interest in.
Berger writes that the Knicks are open to trading Amare Stoudemire for cap relief, although he does not believe it likely that a team would be willing to trade for him given his health and contract.
Berger is more optimistic that the Celtics would be able to move Paul Pierce if they were so inclined, because his contract is only partially guaranteed for next season and he is still performing at a high level.