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Bulls, Thunder In Lead For Pau Gasol

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:45pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 10:45pm: The Bulls and Thunder are the most intriguing destinations to Gasol at this time, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

10:37am: Stein counters that the Thunder do believe they have a legitimate chance of landing Gasol, though whether he’d take a sizable discount to sign with Oklahoma City remains a question (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 9:00pm: The Thunder view a run for Gasol as a “long shot” since they can only offer the mid-level but they also believe it’s “worth a try,” a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (via Twitter).

8:24pm: Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook made a come-to-OKC pitch directly to Gasol today in Los Angeles, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

7:15pm: Sources say the Bulls’ rising interest in Gasol is a reflection of concern that they can’t convince Carmelo Anthony to leave the Knicks, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein adds (link) that Gasol is giving legit consideration to joining the Spurs if he looks at places where money is scarce. Gasol likes the Spurs in part because of Gregg Popovich‘s ability to manage minutes as well as the international flavor of the roster, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

6:05pm: The Thunder have come on strong with Gasol and have been described as the “frontrunner” for him, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

5:30pm: The Bulls are zeroed in on wooing Carmelo Anthony, but they’re also eager to add Pau Gasol if things don’t work out on that front. The Spaniard is their top target after the Knicks star and Chicago officials will be traveling to L.A. on Thursday to sit down with him, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

The Bulls and Thunder have emerged as two new top-flight teams in the hunt for Gasol, Stein tweets. Gasol has been drawing considerable interest from multiple suitors since free agency kicked off earlier this week.

Meanwhile, the Spurs are among the teams that made contact with Gasol on Wednesday, according to Joe Goodman of the Miami Herald. LeBron James and Anthony might be stealing the big headlines right now, but it won’t be long before Gasol is among the hottest free agents available.

Carmelo Anthony Rumors: Thursday

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony is doubling up on meetings again after visiting the Rockets and Mavs on Wednesday. He’s seeing both the Lakers and the Knicks today in Los Angeles. We’ll round up the latest ‘Melo updates here:

Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) gets the sense that the Rockets are fully focused on Carmelo and are merely on the outskirts of the LeBron James chase, as much as they’d like to be a factor there.
The Knicks have concluded their free agent meeting with Anthony, and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link) is reporting that as expected, the team offered Anthony the maximum five-year, $129MM deal that he was eligible to receive.
Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link) confirms the Knicks offer as well as the earlier report that the Lakers offered Anthony a four-year, $96MM deal.
Broussard also tweets that Anthony did not give the Knicks an answer or a timetable tonight. He will take the holiday weekend to think things through.

Earlier updates:

Anthony has been pursuing a conversation with Pau Gasol about playing together on the Knicks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The time of today’s meeting with the Lakers was changed, and it might conclude before Kobe Bryant can arrive back in town to be in attendance, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). He’s going to try to meet with Anthony later, Shelburne adds.
People around Anthony believe he plans on making up his mind this weekend as he spends time at his home in Los Angeles, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Knicks owner James Dolan won’t be present for today’s meeting, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Team president Phil Jackson, coach Derek Fisher and GM Steve Mills are instead all flying in.
Rival suitors appear to be increasingly pessimistic about their chances of prying ‘Melo from the Knicks, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. But the Lakers, for their part, weren’t short on confidence going into today’s meeting, as Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding writes.
Though the Bulls reportedly floated the idea of a $16MM annual salary for ‘Melo, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune says they didn’t discuss financials much, if at all, with the Bulls instead generally communicating that they’d secure the necessary cap flexibility (Twitter link).
The Bulls see the Knicks as their only real competition for Anthony, and they’re selling Gasol on the idea that they could sign both him and Anthony, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The meeting that ‘Melo had Wednesday with the Mavs was all business and lacked the elaborate flair that accompanied his visits with Chicago and Houston, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details.

And-Ones: Gasol, Knicks, Lakers, Marion

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:08pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There won’t be a decision from Pau Gasol anytime soon as to where he will be signing, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com. This is despite the pleas and pitches he has received from Carmelo Anthony and numerous teams, notes Aldridge.

And-Ones: Monroe, Pacers, Rambis, Stephenson

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

None of the executive, scouts, and agents with whom Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press spoke over the last two years said they considered Greg Monroe worthy of a maximum-salary contract. The reported interest from the Magic is “lukewarm at best,” as Ellis writes amid his look at Monroe’s market value and options. Here’s more from around the league:

The league projects that the Pacers will wind up having made $7MM in 2013/14, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reports. The league says they’ll have lost $14MM on their own but made $18MM through revenue sharing and another $3MM via luxury tax payouts.
Lakers assistant coach and head coaching candidate Kurt Rambis has agreed to become an assistant coach for the Knicks, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The Knicks had reportedly offered him a four-year deal worth about $1.2MM a year.
Chicago has spoken with Lance Stephenson, but the Bulls see him merely as a fallback option and feel like his asking price is more than they’ll be willing to pay, reports Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Agents and union officials are looking to change the perception that stars should take paycuts for the benefit of their teams, as Sean Deveney of the Sporting News details.
The Magic and Suns are pursuing Patrick Patterson, according to David Baumann of CBS Sports Radio Orlando (Twitter links).
An executive with an Eastern Conference team told Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News that his club was preparing a multiyear deal for Patty Mills but halted its pursuit when news of Mills’ shoulder injury surfaced. Mills wound up with a three-year, $12MM deal from the Spurs.

Free Agent Rumors: ‘Melo, Bulls, Lakers, Ariza

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony will meet with the Knicks in Los Angeles today after he finishes his visit with the Lakers, report Chris Broussard and Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Marc Berman of the New York Post had speculated that an L.A.-based meeting between Carmelo and the Knicks could take place, since Anthony, team president Phil Jackson and coach Derek Fisher all have homes in the area. Here’s more on ‘Melo and other news from the third day of NBA free agency:

The Bulls floated a $16MM annual salary figure to Anthony during their meeting on Tuesday, a source tells Berman for the same piece.
The Lakers had planned to largely to hold off and hoard cap flexibility for the summer of 2015, but the team has shifted gears and become more “proactive” this summer, Berman also hears.
Trevor Ariza told agent Rob Pelinka to try to work out a deal with the Wizards before he explored options with other teams, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post. The Wizards are confident in their ability to re-sign the small forward and don’t plan on any major moves until they strike a deal with Ariza. Still, Broussard counts the Wizards among the teams with interest in fellow small forward Luol Deng (Twitter link), so it seems the team has a contingency plan.
The Pacers reportedly reached out to Rodney Stuckey, but Broussard hears Indiana has no plans to pursue the combo guard (Twitter link).
It’s unlikely that the Heat will wind up with as much as $12MM in money to spend beneath the cap, as they’ve reportedly been telling free agents, observes Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick (on Twitter). They’ll probably remain above the cap, according to Skolnick, leaving the $5.305MM mid-level exception as their most lucrative tool.
The Clippers have strong interest in Toure’ Murry, tweets Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal, and they’ve spoken with Jordan Farmar, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Billups, Livingston, Carmelo

July 2nd, 2014 at 10:56pm CST by Zachary Links

While Chauncey Billups has a number of coaching, front office, and media opportunities available to him, he hasn’t decided if he wants to retire and walk away from the game just yet, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “As far as me playing, I feel really good right now for the first time in a long time – in two or three years,” Billups said. “I know that in the right situation, I can really help a team win. But it would take the right situation. I’m not going to play just to play. I have nothing left to prove and I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish playing basketball, so it would take the right situation for me to play.” The guard spent last season with the Pistons and saw just 19 games of action.

It sounds like Shaun Livingston had strong interest from several other clubs, including the Heat, before he agreed to sign with the Warriors, tweets Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post looks at where the Nets stand after losing Livingston to the Warriors.
If the Bulls are worried about their chances of landing Carmelo Anthony, that should give an indication of the long odds that the Rockets, Mavs, and Lakers are up against, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. He posits that the Knicks‘ confidence through the process might be justified.
The Sixers have expressed interest in Kent Bazemore, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. As previously reported, the Jazz, Hawks, Celtics, Mavs, Lakers, Suns, and Bulls also have interest in the guard.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter) gets the sense that the Hornets are unlikely to land a big fish free agent this summer.

Bulls Plan To Amnesty Carlos Boozer?

July 2nd, 2014 at 10:33pm CST by Zachary Links

10:33pm: The Bulls told Boozer it’s a possibility he will be amnestied or used in a sign-and-trade but have made no final decisions, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

10:00pm: Carlos Boozer may have played his last game in a Bulls uniform. A source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that Boozer’s departure is a “done deal” and says that the forward’s camp has been informed of the decision. NBA: Chicago Bulls at Orlando Magic

Under the amnesty provision, Boozer still will be paid the $16.8MM he’s due next season, but it won’t count against the salary cap. The Bulls, of course, would have preferred to use Boozer’s expiring contract in a sign-and-trade scenario but they haven’t found any suitable offers. The Bulls obviously don’t want to pay Boozer for nothing, but they want to reallocate that space for something better, even if it’s not Carmelo Anthony.

As we learned last night, even if they’re able to convince Melo to come to Chicago, the Knicks have zero interest in taking on Boozer in an S&T deal. Even though others in the Knicks’ front office were warmer to the idea since Boozer’s contract could be used in a mid-season deal for someone like Kevin Love, Phil Jackson didn’t want to entertain the idea.

Of course, nothing has officially happened with Boozer just yet. The amnesty window runs from July 10th through the 16th.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Carmelo Anthony Rumors: Wednesday

July 2nd, 2014 at 8:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Carmelo Anthony free agency tour takes on a Texas theme today as the Leon Rose client visits the Rockets this morning and the Mavs in the afternoon. Here’s the latest on the No. 2 free agent in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings.

The Mavs are determined to work on ‘Melo until the end but plan to move on quickly to Chandler Parsons and Luol Deng if snubbed, tweets Stein.
Anthony’s meeting with the Mavericks ended after two-plus hours, significantly shorter than his six hour meeting with the Rockets, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Anthony may attend the World Cup Final in Brazil on next Sunday and his deal, likely to remain with the Knicks, should be done by then, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
Anthony spent about ten minutes talking privately to Rockets stars Dwight Howard and James Harden during his visit in Houston, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Anthony gave off the impression that it would be hard for him to leave New York, but reiterated that winning was his priority, a source said. The Rockets feel that their meeting with ‘Melo went “well,” writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Anthony has landed in Dallas and will soon meet with the Mavericks after his six-hour pow-wow with the Rockets earlier today in Houston, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Mavs, unlike the Bulls and Rockets, are going for a low-key approach with ‘Melo. The location of the meeting is being kept secret so that Mark Cuban can keep the media at bay (link).
Anthony won’t be in Dallas long, as he’ll be flying out of Dallas tonight to Los Angeles so that he can meet with the Lakers tomorrow, tweets Dwain Price of the Star Telegram.
Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss wasn’t at the the team’s pitch meeting to Dwight Howard last July, but she’ll be present for Thursday’s visit with Anthony, as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com details. The relationship between Jeanie and fellow co-owner Jim Buss, who oversees the team’s basketball operations, has greatly improved of late, as sources told fellow ESPN scribe Ramona Shelburne, who contributed to the same piece.
Anthony has been focused on the health of Derrick Rose as he ponders signing with the Bulls, as Adrian Wojnarowski said Tuesday in an appearance on Fox Sports Live (Twitter link). Rose staged a private workout Tuesday to demonstrate his health to the visiting Anthony, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
The Mavs will try to sell ‘Melo on the strength of Rick Carlisle‘s coaching, the selflessness of Dirk Nowitzki, the quality of the rest of the roster and the front office’s pedigree and plan for the future, as Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com details.
Phil Jackson might not want Carlos Boozer back in a sign-and-trade for Anthony with the Bulls, but some in the Knicks front office think he would make sense, tweets Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal. Boozer can still score and, perhaps more importantly, he could be a good trade chip as an expiring deal, which could help in a play for Kevin Love (link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Waiters, Monroe, Morrow, Bucks

July 2nd, 2014 at 4:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Central Division has been a hub of activity again today, with the Pacers striking a trio of deals a day after the Pistons reached agreements with Jodie Meeks and Cartier Martin. Here’s the latest from the NBA’s busiest division in free agency so far:

The Cavs aren’t actively shopping Dion Waiters in spite of apparent interest from around the league, but a source close to the shooting guard tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that Waiters believes there’s a strong chance he’ll be dealt.
Multiple sources told Grantland’s Zach Lowe that Greg Monroe would sign his qualifying offer if Josh Smith remained on the roster, but Monroe’s camp denies it, and Lowe calls it an “empty threat” that represents the exercise of the restricted free agent’s only true leverage.
The Pistons are no longer interested in Anthony Morrow after coming to terms with Meeks and Martin on Tuesday, reports John Reid of The Times Picayune. The Pelicans have been in contact to see if they can reach a deal to re-sign him, according to Reid, who suggests the Thunder and Bulls are suitors, too.
Bucks owner Marc Lasry admitted it was a mistake to keep GM John Hammond in the dark about the team’s negotiations with Jason Kidd, observes Andrew Wagner of The Associated Press. He also apologized to former coach Larry Drew for the way the club handled his ouster, as USA Today’s Sam Amick noted earlier.

Free Agent Rumors: LeBron, Deng, Jamison

July 1st, 2014 at 11:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Suns managing partner Robert Sarver expressed confidence in his club’s chances of luring LeBron James to Phoenix, writes Bob Young of the Arizona Republic. “We are in a good position,” he said. “We have a lot to offer, too, with the depth of our roster compared to some of the other teams. We think we have a favorable opportunity, but obviously he’ll make his decision when he wants to make it. He’ll look at the facts and make a decision.”

Luol Deng would welcome the chance to return to the Bulls, agent Ron Shade told Sam Amick of USA Today. “There’s always going to be a part of him that belongs to Chicago, and part of Chicago that belongs to him,” Shade said. “There were no hard feelings (about the trade). Moving forward, he’d look to have an amicable relationship (if he played with the Bulls).“
Free agent forward Antawn Jamison, 38, is in good shape and is not contemplating retirement, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
Kent Bazemore has meetings lined up with the Spurs next Tuesday followed by the Celtics next Wednesday, sources tell Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter).
Anthony Morrow, one of the league’s best shooters, has received interest from 12 teams around the league since free agency began, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.
With Shaun Livingston out of the picture for the Nets, one option for the mini mid-level exception is Bojan Bogdanovic, league sources tell Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (on Twitter).
In addition to the previously reported Hornets and Blazers, Josh McRoberts has drawn interest from the Mavs, Cavs, Heat, Clippers, Knicks, Spurs, Suns and Lakers, a source tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (on Twitter).