Free Agent Notes: White, Bell, Fisher
- Doc Rivers says the Celtics are close to signing D.J. White to a deal in hopes of providing depth off the bench as a big man, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter). The team would like to bring in one more frontcourt player to add to the roster.
- The Lakers remain hopeful the Jazz buy out the remainder of Raja Bell's contract so that the veteran can sign with Los Angeles, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The 36-year-old shooting guard would be counted on to provide strong defense and long-distance shooting.
- Derek Fisher remains another option available for the Lakers as the long-time veteran is eager to return to the court, writes Kennedy (on Twitter). Fisher continues to work out regularly in Las Vegas and has stayed in close contact with Kobe Bryant since being traded to the Rockets last season.
Eastern Notes: Bucks, Warrick, Ohlbrecht
The calm after the deadline storm has teams reconfiguring lineups and making minor moves to fill out open roster spots for the remainder of the season or simply the next 10 days. Let's catch up around the Eastern Conference for the latest news and stories making headlines.
- The Bucks made the move to acquire J.J. Redick with the mindset of winning this season, according to ESPN.com (courtesy of the Associated Press). With a deep backcourt, Milwaukee will look to secure the seventh or eighth seed and shoot its way beyond the first round of the playoffs.
- Don't expect Hakim Warrick to be out of work long if the Magic decide to release the former Syracuse star, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Bonnell points to the Celtics as a possible landing spot to help provide depth off the bench.
- D-League big man Tim Ohlbrecht reportedly turned down a 10-day contract from the Celtics, says Sportando. The German center has spent the season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers where he has averaged 13.3 PPG and 7.3 PPG.
- Nets GM Billy King denies having had any interest in signing the newest member of the Knicks, Kenyon Martin, as the team already has enough frontcourt players at this point in the season, says Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Sixers, Shumpert, Kleiza
The Celtics are in the market for a free agent big man, and we heard this morning that the club is considering signing D.J. White to a 10-day contract. White isn't the only player Boston has its eye on, however. According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Jerome Jordan, Tim Ohlbrecht, Shavlik Randolph, and Louis Amundson are among the other players being considered by the Celtics.
Here are a few more post-trade-deadline notes out of the Atlantic Division:
- 76ers GM Tony DiLeo spoke to the media about acquiring Charles Jenkins in what he calls a "no-risk" move, and said that he talked to every NBA team about potential trades before the deadline (video link via NBA.com).
- As Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets, DiLeo also said that re-signing Andrew Bynum remains "Plan A" for the Sixers, but that the team's cap flexibility allows for "Plan B"s as well.
- Knicks GM Glen Grunwald told ESPN Radio that the Knicks had "a number of inquiries" on Iman Shumpert, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- While Nets fans may be disappointed that the club couldn't land Josh Smith yesterday, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post thinks hanging on to assets will benefit the team in the long run.
- Although a Lithuanian report suggested that injury woes could put Linas Kleiza's career in jeopardy, the forward told reporters today that's not true, and that he expects to return soon (Twitter link via Holly MacKenzie of Sportsnet).
Garnett Turned Down Trade Pitch From Paul?
At various times leading up to yesterday's trade deadline, we heard that the Celtics and Clippers were exploring a potential swap that would have sent Kevin Garnett to L.A. and perhaps Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan to Boston. There were conflicting reports yesterday about whether the two sides were revisiting talks, but in any case, no deal was consummated.
However, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, the primary roadblock to the trade wasn't necessarily an unwillingness from the Clippers or Celtics to reach an agreement — it was Garnett's unwillingness to waive his no-trade clause. Bulpett hears from a league source that Chris Paul reached out to KG and told him that if was open to joining the Clips, Paul would make it happen. However, Garnett expressed a desire to remain with the Celtics, according to Bulpett.
The Clippers had reportedly been reluctant to trade Bledsoe in any deal before being 100% sure that Paul will re-sign with the team this summer, so it's unclear if the two sides could have finalized a trade even if Garnett had approved a move. Ultimately, despite rumors that suggested the Celtics were exploring possible deals involving Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo, all three C's players remained in Boston through the deadline. The club's only move consisted of acquiring Jordan Crawford from the Wizards.
Celtics Eyeing D.J. White
The Celtics bolstered their backcourt with the acquisition of Jordan Crawford yesterday, but trading Jason Collins in the deal still leaves the team a little light on frontcourt bodies. In their search for free agent help, the Celtics are considering signing D.J. White to a 10-day contract, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
White, 26, played four NBA seasons with the Thunder and Bobcats, and was actually reasonably productive for Charlotte last season, averaging 6.8 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 18.9 MPG over 58 contests. He didn't land an NBA contract in free agency last summer though, instead heading overseas to play in China with the Shanghai Sharks.
As we heard near the end of January, the Sharks fell out of contention for a CBA playoff spot, so White is eligible to return stateside now that his season is over in China. The 6'8" forward averaged 21.6 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 32 games for Shanghai this year.
Even after signing Terrence Williams to a 10-day contract, the Celtics only have 13 players on their roster, so the club wouldn't have to release anyone to clear room for White or another free agent.
Recap Of Deadline Trades
A complete recap of trades that were completed before Thursday's trade deadline:
- The Houston Rockets traded Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns and Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, and Toney Douglas to the Sacramento Kings for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt, and a future second-round pick.
- The Miami Heat traded Dexter Pittman and a future second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Ricky Sanchez and cash considerations.
- The Washington Wizards traded Jordan Crawford to the Boston Celtics for Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Eric Maynor to the Portland Trail Blazers for a trade exception and the rights to Georgios Printezis. The Blazers waived Ronnie Price to clear a roster spot for Maynor.
- The Thunder also acquired Ronnie Brewer from the New York Knicks for a future second-round pick.
- The Atlanta Hawks traded Anthony Morrow to the Dallas Mavericks for Dahntay Jones.
- The Suns traded Sebastian Telfair to the Toronto Raptors for Hamed Haddadi and a future second-round pick.
- The Orlando Magic traded J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon, and Ishmael Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Beno Udrih, Tobias Harris, and Doron Lamb.
- In a separate deal, the Magic traded Josh McRoberts to the Charlotte Bobcats for Hakim Warrick.
- The Golden State Warriors traded Jeremy Tyler to the Hawks for a second-round pick. They also traded Charles Jenkins to the Philadelphia 76ers for an additional second-round pick.
Free Agent Rumors: Celtics, Oden, Amundson, Bell
With the trade deadline officially behind us, the next important date on the NBA's calendar arrives on March 1st. If a player who has been on an NBA roster this season is released after that date, he'll be ineligible to be on the postseason roster for any new team he joins. So we could see a number of players agreeing to buyouts and hitting free agency in the next week. Here are a few of the latest rumblings related to free agency:
- Danny Ainge expects the Celtics to add a free agent big man soon, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- After the Heat opened up a roster spot by trading Dexter Pittman today, Miami re-emerged as a potential destination for Greg Oden, as agent Mike Conley tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. "We're going to get him down there for a visit," Conley said of Miami.
- Tomasson adds within the same piece that free agent big man Louis Amundson would "love" an opportunity to sign with the Heat.
- The Cavaliers are still kicking the tires on Oden as well, and have had him in for a couple visits, GM Chris Grant told reporters today (Twitter link via Bob Finnan of the News-Herald).
- Now that the Jazz can no longer trade Raja Bell, the club may revisit a buyout. If the two sides reach an agreement, the Lakers would have interest in signing Bell, reports Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
Celtics To Acquire Jordan Crawford
2:16pm: The Wizards will also acquire Jason Collins from the Celtics in the trade, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
12:46pm: The Wizards have agreed to a deal that will send Jordan Crawford to the Celtics, reports TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter). Boston will send Leandro Barbosa to the Wizards, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The teams are still working on the details of the trade, but Fab Melo will not be headed to Washington, Aldridge hears (Twitter link). Crawford "desperately" wanted the Wizards to trade him, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, and that's in line with previous reports indicating the swingman was unpleased with his reduced role of late.
The Mavs reportedly jumped into discussions for Crawford as well, but the Celtics seemed to have the inside track as the deadline approached. An Eastern Conference executive told Michael Lee of the Washington Post last night there was likely "very little" the Wizards could get for Crawford, and indeed that appears to be the case, as Washington is getting a player who's out for the year with a torn ACL in his left knee. In taking back Barbosa's expiring deal for the minimum salary, the Wizards essentially clear Crawford's salary, worth $1.2MM this year and $2.6MM next season, off their books. The Wizards had an open roster spot going into the trade, but they could waive Barbosa at any point this season to free up more room if they wish, though they'll have to keep paying Barbosa's salary either way.
Adding Crawford for Barbosa adds a little salary to Boston's books, but still allows them to stay below their $74.307MM hard cap for the season. Following his injury, the C's sought to use Barbosa to increase their flexibility, as they considered waiving him to create room on the roster, or, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe suggested, using him as trade ballast as they're doing with the Wizards. Nonetheless, a one-for-one deal involving Barbosa was unexpected, Washburn tweets.
Crawford is averaging 13.4 points and 3.7 assists this year, similar to the third-year player's career numbers. He's seen his minutes drastically reduced, to 12.4 per game this month from 35.8 in December, with the return of John Wall from injury and the emergence of rookie Bradley Beal. He was used on the ball as the Wizards struggled to find a solution in Wall's absence at point guard this year, so perhaps he could help Boston's current shorthanded situation at the position.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors contributed to this post.
Josh Smith Rumors: Thursday
We're counting down the hours until today's 2:00pm CST trade deadline, and Josh Smith still appears likely to be on the move sometime before then. In yesterday's round-up of Smith rumors, we passed along word from HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy that "source after source" indicates Smith will be dealt today. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports the same thing, writing that the Hawks are expected to trade their veteran forward for the best deal that won't hurt their long-term financial flexibility. We'll track today's Smith rumors right here, with the latest added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Nets are still "hanging by a thread" in the Smith talks, tweets TNT's David Aldridge. Milwaukee still appears to be the leader, Aldridge confirms.
- The Suns are essentially out of the running for Smith, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who adds that the Bucks are viewed as the favorites (Twitter link).
- The Bucks and Hawks are still "seriously engaged" in talks for Smith, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- The Rockets appear to be out of the mix for Smith, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
Earlier updates:
Celtics, Mavericks Eyeing Jordan Crawford
12:45pm: Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com is hearing that the Mavs aren't heavily involved in the hunt for Crawford (Twitter link). It looks to me as if a deal between the Celtics and Wizards that swaps Melo and Crawford could be the most likely outcome.
12:21pm: The Mavs and Celtics continue to lead the way for Crawford, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter). However, talks may go down to the wire, as the Wizards are "waiting this one out," tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
11:20am: We can add another team to the mix for Crawford. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (via Twitter), the Mavericks have also discussed a Crawford deal with the Wizards.
9:37am: The Celtics are looking to add perimeter scoring and are considering Jordan Crawford as a target, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Broussard reports that the Celtics are dangling Fab Melo in trade talks, as we heard yesterday.
For his part, Crawford appears to be unhappy with his role in Washington and would likely welcome a trade. In discussing both Melo and Crawford as trade candidates, I noted that their small salaries may make it difficult for the C's and Wizards, respectively, to find a match. However, since Crawford's $1.2MM salary is a near match for Melo's $1.25MM, it wouldn't be hard to build a deal around the pair.