Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Ross, Blatt, Pistons

February 18th, 2015 at 10:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Terrence Ross is unlikely to be dealt by the Raptors before Thursday’s trade deadline, Michael Grange of SportsNet reports. Raptors GM Masai Ujiri tells Grange that it’s too early to give up on Ross, even though Ross’ playing time has dropped from 31.1 minutes in December to 20.9 in January and 22.0 for February. “I would be shocked if we did something with Terrence,” Ujiri said to Grange. “Trust me. I can’t tell you more how I totally don’t think that would happen before Thursday.” Ross has been rumored to be part of a package that could deliver a quality big man such as the Pacers‘ David West.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

David Blatt’s job security is on firmer ground because LeBron James has gained respect for him, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports. James, who did not give Blatt ringing endorsements earlier in the season, called him “great” and added that Blatt has handled his first season as the Cavs coach “extremely well so far, and I’m happy to be playing for him.“
The Cavs have recalled Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. Harris has played in seven games for Canton this season, averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 32.3 minutes per contest.
Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy says that things are quiet on the trade front for Detroit, and that it was doubtful the team would make a move prior to the trade deadline, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press tweets.
Free agent Jamaal Tinsley has turned down 10-day contract offers from the Pistons, Hornets, and Wolves, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link). Tinsley appeared in eight games for the Jazz last season.
Sixers coach Brett Brown said the team will get another point guard in time for its next game, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Pompey did not elaborate on whether that would occur by trade or free agent signing.
Suspended Sixers forward Andrei Kirilenko is a likely buyout candidate, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com tweets. Philadelphia would prefer to trade him for assets but it’s expected that won’t happen and the team will wind up buying Kirilenko out, Mazzeo adds.
Brandon Bass made it clear that he has no interest in a buyout, as Jay King of MassLive relays (Twitter link). Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck identified him as a likely buyout candidate last week.

Eddie Scarito and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Jermaine O’Neal Halts Comeback Attempt

February 16th, 2015 at 4:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Free agent Jermaine O’Neal has tabled the idea of signing with an NBA team this season, as he reveals in a pair of posts on his Instagram account. Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweeted minutes earlier that the Mavs, long considered the front-runners for the 18-year veteran, wouldn’t be signing him for the time being. Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com hears (Twitter link) that O’Neal has been unable to get his body in shape to play, a sentiment that O’Neal backs up in his messages. Still, the Mavs will keep an eye on him, MacMahon adds.

O’Neal traveled to Germany around the holidays for a treatment to help his knees, and his recovery from that procedure appeared to be the only stumbling block to a deal between the 36-year-old and the Mavs. Dallas had reportedly been holding open a roster spot for O’Neal, having only temporarily filled it with a 10-day contract with Bernard James, but it now appears that it will go to Amar’e Stoudemire, who’s bought his way off the Knicks. Still, the Mavs were prepared to open roster spots for both, as Stein and MacMahon wrote earlier this month.

Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said in December that he felt his team had a “pretty good” chance to land either O’Neal or Josh Smith, but it appears Dallas will have to make do with neither, unless O’Neal reboots his comeback attempt. The Cavs, Clippers, Warriors and Blazers all reportedly had interest in the Arn Tellem client at one point or another this season, too, but Dallas maintained a solid lead for much of the process. O’Neal played a key role for Golden State last season as the primary backup to Andrew Bogut.

Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Thunder, Lopez

February 16th, 2015 at 1:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

Most around the league expect LaMarcus Aldridge to re-sign with the Trail Blazers this coming summer, as he said he would, but an executive from an opposing team told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that the Blazers are “very, very scared” that he’ll walk in free agency. The exec cautioned that it’s probably just “paranoid” thinking on their part, but this weekend, peppered with questions from the New York media, Aldridge praised Phil Jackson, the city of New York, and said he’d be a fit for the triangle offense, Deveney notes. The power forward has largely declined to talk specifics about his upcoming free agency since just before training camp, when he repeated his intention to re-sign with Portland. Here’s more from a busy Northwest Division:

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams are off-limits for the Thunder, but the team is open to trading everyone else for the right offer, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
It’s unlikely the Nuggets trade Jameer Nelson, in spite of interest from the Wizards, Heat and Cavs, given GM Tim Connelly‘s long-held desire to have the point guard on the team, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post,
The Nuggets would like to trade JaVale McGee more than any other player on their roster, but the team is making Gary Harris and Jusuf Nurkic untouchable for any deal, Dempsey adds in the same piece. Grantland’s Zach Lowe also reported today that Nurkic is off-limits.
The Blazers would like to add a small forward, given Nicolas Batum‘s inconsistency this season, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes amid his weekly power rankings.
Sources tell Kennedy they believe the Timberwolves are open to trading some of their veterans for the right return (Twitter link). Still, president of basketball operations and coach Flip Saunders has said he doesn’t intend to do any more deals.
The Blazers and Pelicans are worth keeping an eye on as the Wolves continue to try to honor Chase Budinger‘s trade request, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).

Knicks Waive Amar’e Stoudemire In Buyout Deal

February 16th, 2015 at 12:33pm CST by Zachary Links

12:33pm: The Knicks have waived Stoudemire, the team announced via press release, making the buyout deal official. It’s still unknown just how much Stoudemire gave back.

“Amar’e’s period as a Knickerbocker has come to pass, at his request. His time here should be marked by recognizing his effort – it was 100%,” Knicks team president Phil Jackson said in the statement. “As we move forward in structuring this team, we will look for players that exhibit his desire to win.”

The Knicks are left with 14 players on their roster. GM Steve Mills said in the team’s release that he and Stoudemire had developed a “long-term friendship” that would remain in place as they parted ways, and Stoudemire, in his quote as part of the statement, expressed gratitude to the organization, saying, “Once a Knick, always a Knick.”

MONDAY, 7:35am: The Blazers aren’t in the mix, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears (Twitter link).

SUNDAY, 11:15pm: The Clippers, Blazers, Suns, and Raptors are expected to pursue Stoudemire, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).

11:04pm: Stein (link) adds the Cavs to the list of teams that are not actively pursuing the veteran.

11:00pm: The Grizzlies and Warriors are not pushing to sign Stoudemire, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

10:40pm: The Clippers and Mavericks have strong interest in Stoudemire but the Spurs are a dark horse “with [a] level of intrigue,” according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

10:12pm: The Knicks and Amar’e Stoudemire reached a buyout agreement on Sunday night, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). The big man’s camp has been discussing a buyout with the club for quite some time.

Stoudemire, 32, is in the final year of a massive five-year contract worth nearly $99.744MM that pays him almost $23.411MM this season. The veteran has averaged 12.0 PPG and 6.8 RPG in 36 games (14 starts) for the blue and orange this season. Stoudemire has a rather respectable 19.7 PER on the year and his 6.8 boards per game is a good improvement over his averages from the previous two campaigns.

Even though he has not found individual success with the Knicks, STAT was said to be conflicted about the idea of a buyout. Still, Stoudemire’s reps were pushing for a deal and the Knicks had no intention of re-signing him this summer as they look to push their resources towards younger talent.

“All possibilities at this point are still open,” Stoudemire said of his own buyout possibility. “The door is still open for that. But at the same time, I am with the Knicks now. I got to stay optimistic about things and what we are doing here. I can’t really focus on the future because it’s not here. We still have a couple weeks left before it’s all said and done. It’s a decision I have to make with my family to figure out the best scenario for the near future.”

The Mavs are reportedly the favorites to sign Stoudemire should he buy his way off the Knicks and clear waivers. Of course, with a $23MM+ salary, Stoudemire would be a mortal lock to pass through waivers unclaimed. Besides Dallas, the Clippers and Warriors are said to be interested as well. Marc Berman of the New York Post recently wrote that it’s “quite possible” that Stoudemire would return to the Suns this summer and speculated that the Magic would have interest in the central Florida native this summer, though it’s not clear what the interest level would be from either team if Stoudemire were to reach free agency mid-season.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Wiggins, Jazz

February 15th, 2015 at 6:55pm CST by Zachary Links

LaMarcus Aldridge figures to be among the most sought-after free agents this summer and it’s safe to say that he’s probably heard a few recruitment pitches this weekend in New York City. On Saturday, Aldridge cited “winning and being happy” as his top priorities in free agency and the Blazers certainly hope that they can sell him on both fronts. A look at the Northwest Division..

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter) sees Lorenzo Brown sticking with the Timberwolves for the remainder of the season. However, he doesn’t envision any news on that front today. The Wolves can wait a few days and see if they need that roster spot for trade purposes between now and the deadline. In a later tweet, Wolfson (link) said a new deal “will happen.” Brown’s second 10-day deal expires after Sunday night.
Timberwolves rookie Andrew Wiggins has no regrets about the trade that sent him from Cleveland to Minnesota, Holly MacKenzie of The National Post writes. “I think it was the best move for me,” Wiggins said this weekend. “It gave me more room and put me in a position where I could grow up faster. In the league, that’s always what’s best for you.” Wiggins also noted that the deal has given him a chance to “shine.” The guard is averaging 15.2 PPG with 4.3 RPG and 1.9 APG in 34.5 minutes per game. Needless to say, Wiggins wouldn’t be seeing that kind of burn with the Cavs.
As one of the teams sending multiple players to All-Star Weekend, the Jazz have to feel pretty good about how they’ve been evaluating, drafting, and developing talent, EJ Ayala of Basketball insiders writes. Rudy Gobert seems like a potential cornerstone for Utah and they have plenty of other talented young players who could be a part of their core with Dante Exum, Trey Burke, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, and Rodney Hood.

Central Notes: Monroe, LeBron, Haywood, Allen

February 13th, 2015 at 2:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Stan Van Gundy insists that the Pistons won’t trade Greg Monroe, citing his hope that the big man will re-sign this summer as well as the team’s playoff chase, as Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News observes. Monroe has a de facto no-trade clause and agent David Falk has said he doesn’t want to be dealt.

“It’s not gonna happen,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t know where Greg’s head will be in the offseason, but we’re still hopeful of Greg Monroe for the long term. And with him going into free agency, you won’t get a lot, maybe a pick. I’m not gonna walk in that locker room and give up a piece like that and then tell the guys we’re trying to make the playoffs. They deserve the chance to ride this out. You never say never to anything, but I can tell you about 99.9%, Greg Monroe’s not going anywhere.”

The Lakers reportedly asked the Pistons about Monroe earlier this month, but it seems like their chance to nab him won’t come until the summer, when he’ll be an unrestricted free agent. There’s more on the Pistons amid the latest from around the Central Division:

Van Gundy also said that he won’t trade a first-round pick but is willing to take on a short-term salary dump from another team, Wojnowski notes in the same piece.
LeBron James expressed fondness for Madison Square Garden today while speaking to reporters for All-Star weekend, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays (Twitter link). Still, it’d be a stretch to suggest that the Cavs star, who has a player option for next season, has any interest in playing for the Knicks. “If I could have 82 regular season games anywhere they’d be at Madison Square Garden, because it’s the mecca of basketball,” James said.
The Cavs believe Brendan Haywood is “done” as an on-court contributor, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes in his Final Thoughts column. Of course, Haywood continues to have value thanks to his unique contract, and the Cavs are reportedly shopping him in advance of the deadline.
The Bulls seem like a less likely contender for Ray Allen than they had been, as Sam Smith of Bulls.com opines in his latest mailbag column.

Cavs Notes: James, Harris, Allen

February 12th, 2015 at 8:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James‘ decision last summer to sign a two-year contract with a player option after this season was not only motivated by the ability to take advantage of the rising salary cap and make a higher salary but also to give him maximum leverage, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com writes. Shelburne adds that James and NBPA president Chris Paul will encourage their membership to fight for more flexible contract structures and a greater piece of the league revenue pie when the players union can opt out of the current CBA in 2017. Here’s more from Cleveland:

The Cavaliers have re-assigned Joe Harris to the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This is the sixth trek of the season to Canton for Harris, who has appeared in six games for the Charge this season, averaging 18.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 33.2 minutes per game.
Cleveland has been in contact with free agent Ray Allen‘s representatives in recent days, but the veteran guard has still not made a decision on where, or if, he will play this season, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal reports.
James feels a sense of urgency to win a championship this season even though he and Kevin Love, who can opt out of his deal after the season, are expected to remain with the club long-term, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.com. The facts that James has hit the age of 30 and has logged more than 41,500 minutes in his career also figure into his thinking.

Central Notes: Pistons, Gutierrez, Cavs

February 11th, 2015 at 6:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The only way the Pistons would part with one of their players on a rookie contract at the deadline is if they receive a star or another such deal in return, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy says, adding that the team is open to becoming a deadline buyer, as MLive’s David Mayo notes. “Yeah. But again, depending on what you have to give up,” Van Gundy said of upgrading at the deadline. “We don’t want to be making sacrifices down the road. If it was a matter of just spending more money, yes, we definitely would. But if it’s a matter of us giving up what we think are valuable assets, and it was just for a rental for the rest of the year, probably not.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Bucks GM John Hammond struck a similar tone about his team Tuesday, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. “Look, the big picture for us is becoming a championship-caliber organization,” Hammond said. “For us to get short-sighted and say, ‘Let’s try to win today’ and replacing any thought of moving forward into the future, I think we’re all aware that’s not who we want to be. Anything we’re looking at today is still hopefully going to be focused on acquiring a piece or talking about adding pieces that can be long-term players for this organization.”
The early season trades that the Cavaliers had made are paying dividends for the franchise, John Zitzler of Basketball Insiders writes. Cleveland has shown significant improvement as a team since acquiring Timofey Mozgov, who has been the most vital addition, but the play of both J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert have also been a boon, Zitzler adds. GM David Griffin deserves praise for identifying the Cavs’ biggest weaknesses and promptly addressing them, the Basketball Insiders scribe adds.
The Bucks won’t sign Jorge Gutierrez to a deal for the rest of the season unless they make a move to free up a roster spot, Hammond told reporters, including Andrew Gruman of Fox Sports Wisconsin (Twitter link). That indicates the team expects Larry Sanders back from his suspension at some point this season, since Gutierrez, on day No. 5 of his second 10-day contract with the team, is in the extra roster spot that the suspension allows for.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Cavaliers Shop Brendan Haywood

February 10th, 2015 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs are shopping backup center Brendan Haywood with the intent of acquiring a backup point guard or inside player, according to Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal wrote last month that the “whispers are growing louder” that Cleveland would part with Haywood’s subtly valuable contract before it reaches its full value as a trade chip this summer. That’s because there’s a strong chance that the Cavs will remain over the tax line come July, which would mean that they couldn’t bring in players via sign-and-trade. That would limit the value of Haywood’s $10,522,500 non-guaranteed salary for next season, giving the Cavs reason to dangle Haywood to teams that could take full advantage of his contract this summer.

Haywood’s cap hit is slightly less than $2.214MM this season, though he’s drawing a total of $9.798MM, with the difference coming from the Mavs, who waived Haywood via amnesty in 2012. The Cavs wouldn’t be able to reap a high-salaried player in return for him before the February 19th trade deadline, thanks to the league’s salary-matching constraints that take cap hits and not amnestied salary into account. Yet they might be able to extract better draft compensation or a higher caliber of player than they would otherwise, given the value of Haywood’s deal to other clubs.

Keeping Haywood’s contract would still have appeal to the Cavs even if they stay above the tax line, since they could use his salary to trade for a player already under contract who’s making 125% plus $100K of Haywood’s $10,522,500 non-guaranteed salary come July. The Cavs only have about $26.340MM in commitments next season against a tax that’s projected to come in at $81MM. However, that doesn’t include salary for LeBron James, Kevin Love, J.R. Smith or Mike Miller, all of whom have player options, or new deals for soon-to-be restricted free agents Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova. That $26.340MM figure doesn’t count Timofey Mozgov‘s team option or Haywood’s non-guaranteed salary, either.

The trade value of Haywood is almost entirely tied to his contract, though he did make one start this season in between the time Anderson Varejao tore his Achilles tendon and Cleveland’s acquisition of Mozgov. The 35-year-old Haywood has nonetheless played only 5.3 minutes per game across 17 appearances after missing all of last season with injury.

LeBron Likely To Opt Out, Sign Two-Year Deal

February 10th, 2015 at 9:16am CST by Chuck Myron

LeBron James is “widely expected” to opt out of his contract this summer and sign a new contract that covers two years with a player option for the final season, just like the one he signed this past offseason, writes Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. It’ll almost certainly be another maximum-salary arrangement with the Cavs, as James made it clear that he has no intention of leaving Cleveland again. James is intent on making the “appropriate business decision”, even if it means changing teams this summer, as Northeast Ohio Media Group scribe Chris Haynes heard in December. However, James has said on multiple occasions that he signed his existing short-term deal to maximize his earnings and not to set up an early exit from the Cavs.

Vardon estimates that the maximum salary for a player with 10 or more years of experience, like James, will swell to about $23MM next season. That would give James roughly $1.5MM more than he’d make on his option, which is worth about $21.573MM. Regardless of where the league sets the maximum salary, which won’t be determined until July, James can sign for up to 105% of his approximately $20.644MM salary from this season. The value of the player option is 104.5% of his salary this year, so as long as James is in line to command the maximum salary, as he assuredly will be, opting out will be the wise financial play.

It also makes financial sense for James to sign another short-term deal. The Cavs will only have his Non-Bird rights this summer, so the second season of his deal could again represent no more than 104.5% of the salary in the first year of the contract. Plus, most league executives assume the salary cap will zoom to around $90MM for 2016/17, and that would send maximum salaries skyrocketing with it. So, the ability to once more hit the market and reap part of the influx of the league’s new television deal is surely enticing for the Rich Paul client.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com first wrote in July that James would probably continue to sign short-term deals. Inking another two-year pact with a player option, as Vardon pegs him likely to do, would give James the greatest amount of guaranteed money possible while still allowing him the chance to hit free agency again in 2016. Contracts signed under the most recent collective bargaining agreement can only contain one option year, unlike the deal that James signed with the Heat, which contained two options.

The ability for James to leave so soon has made the Cavs a “little uncomfortable”, Windhorst wrote in October, even though it seems highly unlikely he leaves. Another short term deal would keep pressure on the Cavs front office to cater to James, who, as Vardon points out, wants the team to keep spending to maintain a championship-caliber roster. Still, given the backlash James would engender if he were to once more desert Cleveland, the pressure on GM David Griffin and company might be overstated.