Central Notes: Pacers, Varejao, Deng
The Pacers aren’t looking for Danny Granger trades, but they wouldn’t be averse to such a move if they came across the right deal, as we passed along yesterday. Team president Larry Bird can envision re-signing both Granger and Lance Stephenson in free agency this summer, as Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star noted in his piece, but that could be a tight squeeze unless owner Herb Simon relents on his no-tax pledge, a change of heart Bird seems to hope for. Here’s more on the teams looking up at the first-place Pacers in the Central Division standings:
- The Cavs would have had to relinquish either Anderson Varejao or a first-round pick to acquire Jeff Green if they had acted as a facilitator in a rumored three-way trade, and that’s a price they were unwilling to pay, as Bob Finnan of The News-Herald notes in his weekly column. Finnan also suggests that Asik’s agent, Arn Tellem, wouldn’t have been on board with any trade that sent Omer Asik to Cleveland, where he would back up Andrew Bynum.
- Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com is convinced the Bulls will trade Luol Deng before the deadline if the right offer comes along, in spite of a report that the team is determined not to deal him. Still, Friedell admits Deng’s $14.275MM salary makes him tough to fit into a swap.
- The Bulls are giving recent signee D.J. Augustin heavy minutes, and that indicates that the team will keep him around as the backup point guard this season, Friedell writes in a separate piece.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer checks in with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s emerging as a contributor for the Bucks just months after Milwaukee used the 15th overall pick on the then-18-year-old small forward.
- Schmitt Boyer talks trades and other Cavs-related topics in her latest mailbag column.
Bulls Determined Not To Trade Luol Deng
10:14pm: The Bulls prefer to keep Deng past the trade deadline and try to work out a fair deal on a new contract in the summer, but it’s “misleading” to suggest the team wouldn’t accept any trade offer, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Johnson spoke with an executive from another team who interprets the notion that the Bulls are determined not to trade Deng as a signal that Chicago has been getting lowball offers. The Bulls haven’t initiated any talks, but they’ve fielded calls from front offices inquiring whether they’re anxious to move Deng for financial reasons. The answer the Bulls have given to those questions has been a “no.”
8:48am: NBA teams have been inquiring about Luol Deng‘s availability recently, as the Bulls have lost 13 of 16 games and slipped to 9-16. However, according to ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst, the Bulls are “determined” not to trade Deng. Windhorst reports that the Bulls are confident they can re-sign Deng next summer, despite not reaching an extension agreement with him earlier this year.
Given the Bulls’ spot in the standings, the absence of Derrick Rose for a second straight season, and the team’s looming luxury tax bill, league executives felt the Bulls would be interested in offloading some salary prior to the trade deadline, writes Windhorst. But it seems, with two months to go before that deadline arrives, that moving Deng isn’t in the club’s plans.
We heard yesterday that the Bulls weren’t actively shopping Deng, despite the fact that the odds of a contract extension appeared to be “almost nil.” The two sides were about $5-6MM per year apart in contract talks, according to that report, and it sounded as if Deng was bracing for the possibility of a trade. Of course, the 28-year-old is considered one of Tom Thibodeau‘s favorite players, so any deal would open up a new can of worms between the franchise and its head coach.
Deng has played as well as ever so far this season, averaging a career-high 19.6 PPG and 4.1 APG to go along with 7.0 RPG and a 17.8 PER. The veteran small forward is earning about $14.28MM in the final season of a six-year contract.
Latest On Luol Deng
The Bulls have won just three of their last 15 games, and will face another tough challenge tonight, as they play the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Chicago’s continued struggles could increase the odds of a Luol Deng trade, but according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, GM Gar Forman has not been making calls about Deng. However, he has fielded a few inquiries from other teams.
As the Bulls continue to weigh their options when it comes to moving Deng, the likelihood of a contract extension for the All-Star forward is “almost nil,” according to Cowley, who says the two sides are about $5-6MM per year apart. That’s a significant gap, but it’s not totally surprising. Deng will probably be looking for a deal in line with his current salary of $14MM, while the Bulls would likely prefer to reduce his annual salary to something closer to $10MM, to maintain enough flexibility to sign Nikola Mirotic next summer.
Cowley writes that the scenario in which the Bulls trade Deng becomes more realistic as long as the team’s slide continues, and the 28-year-old sounds like he has braced himself for that possibility.
“I’m mature enough to understand that I can’t worry about things I can’t control,” Deng said. “If I wake up tomorrow, they call me and they tell me otherwise, then that’s what it is. I can’t control that. That’s their job, and they’ve got to do their job. That’s a decision they have to make on what they feel is best for the team.”
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Waiters, Nene, Pistons
After losing in Indiana last Tuesday, the Heat will get another shot at the Pacers tonight, this time in Miami. As we look forward to the evening’s showdown between the only two Eastern teams that look like title contenders, let’s round up a few notes from around the conference….
- The Bulls are considering their options with Marquis Teague and D.J. Augustin, and could ultimately end up trading the former or waiving the latter. If that happens, the team may re-sign the recently waived Mike James, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).
- Dion Waiters moved quickly to shoot down yesterday’s report that he wanted to be traded from the Cavs to the 76ers, and Michael Kaskey-Blomain of the Philadelphia Inquirer hears from a source that the Sixers are unlikely to land Waiters anyway.
- Addressing the trade rumors surrounding Waiters and Anderson Varejao, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown suggested those reports were laughable, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- While he has said in the past that he may retire before the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, Wizards big man Nene acknowledged in a Q&A with Grantland’s Zach Lowe that he’d be open to playing beyond that date, health permitting.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com fields Pistons-related questions from readers in his latest mailbag, including inquiries on the futures of Greg Monroe and Rodney Stuckey in Detroit.
Odds & Ends: Asik, Gasol, Wolves, Mirotic
With December 15th in our rearview and the trade deadline two months ahead of us, things should start to heat up quickly, as our Luke Adams noted in his Trade Season Primer. Here are some trade-related rumors as well as some odds and ends from around the league on Tuesday night:
- With two days remaining until the Rockets self-imposed December 19th deadline, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that there is a consensus expectation that Omer Asik will be moved in a three-team deal in which he ends up in Boston or Philly.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports adds the Cavs and the Hawks to Stein’s list and says that there is a fifth mystery team in the mix for the center’s services. (Twitter links)
- Meanwhile, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that he is hearing that an Asik deal may go down on Wednesday, though he cautions that nothing is definite.
- Kennedy also writes about the possibility of the Lakers finally pulling the trigger on a deal to send the disgruntled Pau Gasol out of Los Angeles, opining that while the team has overvalued the Spaniard in the past, the combination of his contract, his struggles this season and his issues with Mike D’Antoni may finally be enough for the Lakers to move him.
- As Tim Faklis of Canis Hoopus writes, the Timberwolves don’t have the assets to complete another significant trade this season. Faklis concludes that any deal could only involve some combination of Dante Cunningham, Luc Mbah a Moute, Alexey Shved and/or Shabazz Muhammad. Referencing Faklis’ story, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that the Wolves are limited in their flexibility and that he is told to expect “status quo” in Minnesota for now.
- We know that not only have the Bulls met with Nikola Mirotic, but that they’re aggressively trying to bring him over from Spain for next season. Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago tweets that the Bulls “love” Mirotic and that if they get him stateside this summer that it should be considered their big offseason move. To put that into context, Friedell adds that the Bulls consider Mirotic more valuable than the top-10 protected first round pick of the Bobcats that they own. (Twitter links)
Latest On Dion Waiters
In the latest addition to the Dion Waiters saga, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report reports that the Cavaliers guard “wants out” of Cleveland and that the Sixers and the Bulls have emerged as his top two suitors, with Waiters preferring his hometown presumably in hopes of being the go-to guy in Philly. Zwerling, who has been dialed into the situation, cites a source close to Waiters who adds that the guard is unhappy coming off the bench and playing second fiddle to Kyrie Irving. Zwerling speculates that Evan Turner of the Sixers or Luol Deng of the Bulls could be dangled for Waiters, opining that both potential destinations are good fits for the shoot-first guard out of Syracuse.
With the Cavaliers hosting Portland tonight, reporters were able to catch up with Waiters in the locker room prior to the game. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio writes that Waiters reiterated that he is happy in Cleveland and that he denied expressing any desire to be traded. Waiters, who said he is growing tired of being the center of trade speculation, again made comments that imply he thinks the media is reaching with these reports. This is a tough one to call right now, as we have conflicting reports as to whether or not Waiters is happy in Cleveland as well as whether or not the Cavs are shopping him.
Bulls Notes: Waiters, Mirotic, James
Unsurprisingly, the Bulls have struggled without their star player, losing eight of 11 games since Derrick Rose suffered a meniscus injury that figures to end his season. Chicago came into tonight’s game against the Magic with a 9-13 record, which, believe it or not, would be good enough for a playoff spot in the East if the season had ended yesterday. Here’s the latest on the Bulls:
- Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) is hearing chatter about the possibility of the Bulls or Sixers landing Dion Waiters from the Cavs.
- Sources close to the situation tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com that the Bulls are doing everything they can on the buyout front to be able to bring Nikola Mirotic to the NBA next season. We learned earlier this week that Chicago, which holds Mirotic’s draft rights from 2011, met with the Real Madrid forward with the hope of bringing him stateside. Now, Stein wonders if the Bulls, after cutting Mike James today, will see their forward-thinking plan through and move Luol Deng and/or Carlos Boozer before the deadline.
- Speaking of James, Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if the veteran guard might return to the D-League to audition for NBA teams again.
- The Bulls held steady at No. 10 in Chad Ford’s latest Tank Rank piece at ESPN.com (Insider link), with Ford writing that coach Tom Thibodeau would “throw a fit” if the Bulls started trading players like Deng and Boozer.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Thibodeau, Knicks
If the Celtics trade for Omer Asik and get Rajon Rondo back they’ll probably win the Atlantic while still in their rebuilding process, opines Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). Yesterday, Marc Stein of ESPN.com cautioned that the C’s are a team to watch in the Asik sweepstakes. More out of the East..
- It would be foolish of the Bulls to entertain parting ways with coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. For his part, the defensive wizard reiterated his desire to stay in Chicago. “I got a great job here, I got a team that I love, and all I think about is our team,” Thibodeau said. “I look forward to this challenge.”
- “[J.R. Smith] would have a market if playing well and showing he is healthy,’’ one NBA general manager told Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks aren’t allowed to trade the troubled guard before January 15th.
- It was recently reported that the Lakers are weighing whether to propose a swap of Pau Gasol for Knicks big man Tyson Chandler and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com looked at the pros and cons from New York’s perspective.
- Bucks owner Herb Kohl announced that he’s seeking additional investors to create an ownership group committed to keeping his club in Milwaukee, writes Rich Kirchen of The Business Journal. Kohl has retained the services of Allen & Co., the same New York City firm that he had in 2003 when he ultimately decided to spurn an offer to sell the Bucks to Michael Jordan.
- Commissioner David Stern issued a statement in support of Kohl and his bid to get a new arena for the Bucks and keep them in Milwaukee (via Eric PIncus of the Los Angeles Times on Sulia).
- Without a new arena, the Bucks are a prime target for the city of Seattle as they look to replace their Sonics, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Bulls Waive Mike James
The Bulls announced that they have officially released Mike James. Chicago’s roster now stands at 13.
The veteran guard signed with the Bulls on September 27th and appeared in seven games with Chicago, averaging 0.3 ppg, 0.9 apg in 5.4 mpg. It would appear that the Bulls let James go so that they could give more burn to younger guards Marquis Teague and the recently-signed D.J. Augustin.
Even though the Bulls are struggling without star guard Derrick Rose, their 9-13 record would still be good for the No. 8 seed in the East if the playoffs started today. However, today’s move could be a sign that Chicago is more concerned with next season than the current campaign.
Odds & Ends: Thibodeau, Lowry, Jazz, Bobcats
Despite some speculation to the contrary, Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times insists that Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau isn’t going anywhere. It was recently reported that the Knicks could make a run at the defensively-minded coach. More from around the Association..
- With the Nets unwilling to give up a first-round pick for Kyle Lowry and the Knicks saying they won’t part with a first rounder or Tim Hardaway Jr., Al Iannazone of Newsday (on Twitter) wonders if the Knicks will wind up caving.
- The Jazz announced that they have assigned rookie guard Ian Clark and rookie center Rudy Gobert to its D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam. Gobert, a 7’1″ rookie center has made 17 appearances for the Jazz in a reserve role, averaging 2.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.82 blocks in 10.7 minutes. Clark, 22, has appeared in eight games as a reserve for the Jazz, averaging 2.8 points in 8.8 minutes.
- The accountability of first-year coach Steve Clifford sets a good tone for the Bobcats, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
- Blazers forward Dorell Wright doesn’t sound terribly upset about the Sixers‘ decision to not re-sign him. “You see what direction they were going in. That was not in my plan at all,” said Wright, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- Magic officials have challenged Andrew Nicholson to become more physical since taking him with the 19th overall pick in the 2012 draft and he’s finally responding, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.