Celtics Sign Ryan Hollins, Waive Chris Wilcox
The Celtics have officially signed Ryan Hollins and waived Chris Wilcox, according a team release. The moves leave Boston with a full roster of 15 players.
Hollins, 27, was waived by Cleveland earlier this week. The 7'0" center has struggled this season, averaging 3.7 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 24 games for the Cavaliers. However, the Celtics were in need of frontcourt depth, having lost Wilcox to a heart condition and Jermaine O'Neal to season-ending wrist surgery. Wilcox was facing unrestricted free agency at season's end, so Boston will just have to pay his salary for the rest of 2011/12.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com first reported that the Celtics were expected to land Hollins, while USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt reported an agreement had been reached.
Celtics Expected To Sign Hollins, Waive Wilcox
2:54pm: The Celtics will sign Hollins after he clears waivers and passes a physical, tweets USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt. If Hollins still needs to pass through waivers, the signing is far from official, as we learned with J.J. Hickson. But it appears Boston will land Hollins later today.
1:43pm: The Celtics are working on a contract for the recently waived Ryan Hollins, and are expected to cut Chris Wilcox if they land Hollins, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
Hollins, 27, parted ways with the Cavaliers earlier this week in a move Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal characterized as a mutual decision. The Celtics, in need of a big man after losing Jermaine O’Neal for the season and missing out on Ronny Turiaf, were reported to be the frontrunners to land Hollins. Blakely adds that the Celtics may continue to search for a big man even if they sign Hollins (Twitter link).
Wilcox is sidelined for the rest of the season due to a heart issue which required surgery. Cutting him would open up a roster spot for the Celtics, though his $3MM cap figure for this year would remain on the team’s books. Wilcox is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Celtics Rumors: Allen, Garnett, Pierce, Rondo
With the Celtics' Big Three of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett potentially playing their last season together in Boston, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports talked to the Celtics stars about the trade deadline, the offseason, and their history. Spears also shares a few interesting trade and free agent tidbits along the way. Here are the highlights:
- The Heat are expected to make a strong push to sign Allen this summer, a source tells Spears. Miami will almost certainly be a taxpaying team next season, so the club would only have a mini mid level exception to offer the sharpshooter.
- Allen on the possibility of returning to the Celtics in free agency: "First of all, the team has to be willing to have me back. Then you have to look around to see what’s acceptable and who is capable of having me on the team and then you go from there. It’s hard to really say."
- Coach Doc Rivers wouldn't be surprised to see Allen or Garnett, who are on expiring contracts, back in Boston next year: "I think people assume they won’t be back next year. I don’t know why there is that assumption. [Garnett and Allen] are free agents, but you can sign your own free agents last time I checked…. I don’t know if we will sign them both. We may sign one. But they’ve been great for us. Our [free agents] are probably the best ones and we will have the most money."
- Rivers added that he thinks Garnett's first choice would be to return to Boston.
- According to Spears, the Celtics were seeking first-round picks in exchange for Allen or Garnett at the trade deadline. Their asking price for Pierce was "a young star," and they were also only willing to move Rajon Rondo for an elite player.
Celtics Frontrunners To Sign Hollins
The Boston Herald is reporting that the Celtics are considered by league sources to be the frontrunners to land free agent center Ryan Hollins when he clears waivers.
Hollins was waived on Tuesday by the Cavaliers, and the Celtics have been rumored to be interested, especially in light of the news that Jermaine O'Neal will miss the remainder of the season.
Hollins, 27, averaged 3.7 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 24 games with the Cavaliers this season. He is in the final year of a three-year deal worth $7MM, and is making $2.4MM this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Buyout Updates: Hickson, Hollins, Cook
Boris Diaw is the latest player to be bought out by his team, as he and the Bobcats parted ways today. Rumors continue to swirl about where he and other free-agents-to-be could land, with the latest report suggesting Diaw could be headed for San Antonio. Here are the most recent updates on where bought-out players could sign, and who might receive a buyout next:
- J.J. Hickson is still expected to sign with the Warriors if and when he clears waivers, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick.
- In addition to sharing a few notes on what the Cavaliers' offseason could bring, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio provides an update on Ryan Hollins in his weekly chat — the big man is drawing interest from the Celtics and Mavericks, according to Amico.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star adds the Pacers to the list of potential suitors for Hollins (Twitter link).
- Brian Cook is unlikely to pursue a buyout from the Wizards, his agent tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Atlantic Notes: Williams, D’Antoni, Celtics, Diaw
Dwight Howard's decision to waive his early termination option and remain in Orlando may have surprised his agent, writes Ken Berger of CBS Sports. According to Berger, Dan Fegan was "telling anyone and everyone that Dwight was Brooklyn-bound." D12's unexpected decision is a reminder that no one knows exactly what a player is thinking, Berger says, pointing out that the same goes for Deron Williams, who will explore free agency this summer.
Here are a few more notes out of the Atlantic Division:
- Speaking of Williams, he told reporters, including Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post, that he's looking forward to the Nets' new arena in Brooklyn: "[The Barclays Center] is going to be state of the art, it's going to be the best arena in the NBA hands down. I’m excited to see it when it’s complete and hopefully play there."
- Nothing that happens for the rest of this season will affect Williams' decision on whether or not to sign with the Nets this summer, tweets Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger.
- Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo thinks Mike D'Antoni will return to the sidelines soon, but says it won't happen for his team, according to Mark Hale and Marc Berman of the New York Post. Colangelo says the Raptors are "in the first year of what I hope will be a long-term relationship" with coach Dwane Casey.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com fields reader questions in a mailbag focused on potential free agent pickups for the Celtics.
- Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com wonders if Boris Diaw, who agreed to a buyout with the Bobcats, could be a candidate to sign with the Celtics.
Latest On Buyouts: O’Neal, Powell, Heat
Earlier tonight we took a look at last year's buyout recipients and how they've fared since. Now let's dive into some of the buyout rumblings from this evening:
- Contrary to what we heard before, Jermaine O'Neal insists he and Celtics GM Danny Ainge never had talks about a buyout, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link). O'Neal says he did what he could to get his injured left wrist back in playing shape, Dan Duggan of the Boston Herald reports, but simply couldn't avoid season-ending surgery. One of the procedures he's considering could be career ending, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- J. Michael Falgoust and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today round up the buyout candidates. There's not much new here, but they do add the Nuggets to the list of teams interested in Josh Powell, which includes the Suns and Celtics.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel shared a few Heat-related items after Miami's 99-95 comeback win over the Suns tonight. Even though Derek Fisher appears headed to the Thunder, he thinks Mike James or Anthony Carter would be better point guard pickups because of their defensive abilities. And, after an inauspicious first career start by Dexter Pittman, the need to sign another center, like Ronny Turiaf, is as pressing as ever.
Thunder, Heat Frontrunners For Derek Fisher
3:42pm: Fisher is in "advanced negotiations" to sign with the Thunder after he clears waivers, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Oklahoma City has the advantage over Miami because the Thunder have more financial flexibility and can offer Fisher a larger role, says Stein.
3:03pm: Sources close to Fisher expect him to sign with the Thunder if he clears waivers, according to Sam Amick of SI.com (Twitter link).
12:48pm: The Spurs are still expecting to sign Mills and don't plan to talk to Fisher, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
12:08pm: The Celtics and Bulls aren't interested in Fisher, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Berger adds that Fisher is expected to discuss "ideas and concepts" with the Spurs, Heat, and Thunder.
8:05am: The Thunder and Heat have emerged as the favorites to sign Derek Fisher, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Fisher, who was bought out by the Rockets, is expected to clear waivers tomorrow.
The Spurs are also believed to have some interest in Fisher, but San Antonio is still hopeful about completing a deal with Patrick Mills. Stein adds that signing with Chicago is something that "strongly interests" Fisher, but the Bulls are focused on signing a big man, possibly Ronny Turiaf.
According to Stein, there are a couple factors that could work in the Thunder's favor in the race for Fisher: The veteran point guard now shares an agent with Kevin Durant, and Oklahoma City has a good chance to face Fisher's old team in the Western Conference playoffs. Unlike the Heat, however, the Thunder don't have an open roster spot, so they'd need to waive someone to clear room for Fisher.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that the Rockets allowed Fisher's agent to speak to "about six teams" during buyout negotiations to gauge interest. Knowing there were contending teams interested in bringing him aboard, the 37-year-old felt comfortable giving up the final year of his contract (Twitter links).
Kyler On Arenas, Hickson, Turiaf, Fisher, Powell
In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler checks in on a few free agents and free-agents-to-be, providing updates on their potential destinations. Let's round up the highlights….
- Gilbert Arenas is expected to take a physical and finalize his deal with the Grizzlies today.
- The Pacers, Cavaliers, and Raptors, who all have enough cap space to easily absorb J.J. Hickson's $2.35MM salary, won't be placing waiver claims.
- A number of teams are interested in Ronny Turiaf but "word is" the forward will likely decide between the Celtics and Heat. Like Hickson, he doesn't figure to be claimed on waivers by clubs with cap space.
- The Lakers have extended an offer to Derek Fisher to join the team's basketball operations staff. However, it doesn't appear Fisher is ready to retire just yet. We heard earlier today that the Thunder and Heat are the favorites to land the longtime Laker.
- Josh Powell is drawing interest from the Suns and Celtics, as Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reported last night. I believe Powell signed in Switzerland late in February, and I haven't seen any reports that indicate he's parted ways with Neuchatel. The Swiss regular season has ended though, so perhaps Powell is lining up an NBA job for when he returns. Since he hasn't played for an NBA team this season, he can sign after March 23rd and still be eligible for the postseason.
Odds & Ends: Blazers, Bulls, Hornets, Lakers
With the Bulls' 85-59 victory over the Magic this evening, Tom Thibodeau reached 100 victories and hit that mark in the least time of any coach in NBA history. Here's more on Chicago and the rest of the league..
- Blazers interim GM Chad Buchanan originally wanted the Nets 2012 first-round pick sans protection in the Gerald Wallace deal but compromised in the end for top-three protection, tweets Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge.com.
- Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com spoke to a number of Bulls players and people around the team about the prospect of picking up a free agent. The general feeling around the club is that while they would gladly welcome a new acquisition, they don't feel as though they need one to win.
- David Aldridge of NBA.com takes a look back at the deadline deals that went down and also the ones that didn't. Aldridge opines that the Hornets, Wolves, and Hawks all should have made moves rather than stand pat.
- Most of the big names in this summer's free agent class are veterans on the downslope of their career, writes Sam Amico of FOXSportsOhio.com.
- The Celtics, Suns, and Pacers will all be flush with cash this summer, writes Larry Coon for ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Teams with limited cap flexibility going forward include the Bulls, Heat, and Lakers.