Odds & Ends: Onuaku, Collins, Johnson, Faried
Danny Granger was the biggest name involved in a deadline deal and Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee explains why that might have been the case. “We’ve seen a trend toward teams being much more cautious and careful about how aggressive they are about trading for longer-term contracts, and that’s because of the luxury tax,” Tom Penn, an ESPN analyst and former Blazers vice president of basketball operations told Jones. “The other major change in the new deal is draft picks have become more coveted, and that’s because teams can no longer throw cash into trades as aggressively.” The old CBA allowed clubs to include as much as $3MM in a trade. The current CBA says that teams can only trade up to $3.2MM on the year. More from around the league..
- The Cavs announced that they have recalled Arinze Onuaku from the Canton Charge of the D-League. Onuaku has appeared in 27 games for the Charge this season with averages of 14.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 24.2 MPG.
- Even with the Nets‘ signing of Jason Collins and the Clippers’ agreement with Glen Davis, those teams are still possible destinations for Ivan Johnson, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
- Charania spoke with Kenneth Faried about all the trade talk surrounding him leading up to the trade deadline on Thursday. “I’m not surprised at all that my name was in trade situations, because I am a good player and people do want me,” the Nuggets forward said. “It just makes me that much more aware of how many other teams want me and like me.”
- Sometimes, the best moves are the ones that you don’t make. Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders argues that the Rockets didn’t need a blockbuster deal at the deadline.
- Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal wonders if the Knicks would have signed Collins.
Odds & Ends: Griffin, Knicks, Granger, Gordon
The Cavs have quietly reached out to at least one alternative candidate for their GM opening outside of interim David Griffin, reports Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. However, Lloyd says ownership is giving Griffin a fair shot at the job based on how he performs the rest of the season, and won’t be generating rumors that could distract him from the task at hand. Here’s more from around the league:
- Knicks Coach Mike Woodson confirmed to reporters, including Newsday’s Al Iannazzone, that the Knicks have agreed with both Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih on buyouts, but wouldn’t expound on the causes for either: “I can’t say anything went wrong,” Woodson said. “They weren’t in the rotations. I’m not going to linger on it. We’re buying them out.”
- In a separate piece, Iannazzone says that the Knicks offseason can’t be as quiet as their trade deadline was, since the team will be trying to upgrade their roster around Carmelo Anthony, whom they hope to re-sign over the summer. Iannazzone thinks that the expiring contracts for Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Andrea Bargnani could become movable assets along with Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert, who have already been involved in a lot of trade speculation.
- While Danny Granger‘s buyout is still a “distinct possibility,” nothing is imminent, as the initial trade between the Sixers and Pacers is not yet official, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles.
- On a related note, Shelburne tweets that Ben Gordon‘s buyout talks with the Bobcats are progressing slowly as well.
- A group post at Basketball Insiders looks at players that they think should have been, but weren’t traded before Thursday’s deadline. Iman Shumpert, Rajon Rondo, and Pau Gasol, made the list.
- J.J. Barea told The Star Tribune that he didn’t want any of the trade rumors surrounding him leaving the Timberwolves before the recent trade deadline to come to fruition: “You never really want to get traded. I think I’m in a good situation here, and I think we have a good group of guys with a good staff.”
Cavs Notes: Irving, Deng, Jack, Zeller
Interim Cavs GM David Griffin tells Bob Finnan of The News-Herald that no player in Cleveland is “untouchable,” including Kyrie Irving. “As a franchise, it is my philosophy that absolutely no one is untouchable in any area. Why would you ever do that? It doesn’t make any sense to me.” says Griffin. “That doesn’t mean anybody’s ever going to go away, either, because untouchable and tradable are different things. I don’t want to get into semantics, but untouchable is a ridiculous word.” Here are some more Cavs notes from Finnan’s article:
- Griffin also told Finnan that it was “exhilarating” to be at the front of negotiations through the trade deadline for the first time. “It was a lot of fun,” he said. “Running it and being the name of record are different. I’ve run the trade deadline and I’ve been the one to have to make sure all the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed. But I was never the one in the paper tomorrow that’s going to be a moron. That part for me was unique. That experience was different.”
- Sources tell Finnan that the Cavs worked unsuccessfully to move Luol Deng, Jarrett Jack, and Tyler Zeller before the trade deadline. Griffin says that the Cavs didn’t come close to moving Deng.
- Finnan says there were some talks of the Cavs trying to trade for Pierre Jackson, the unsigned Pelicans rookie who is headed to Turkey.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Hawes, Turner
New arrivals Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour are excited to play for the playoff-hopeful Bobcats, they tell Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. “It’s fun to be in a playoff hunt,” said Ridnour. “You definitely sense a hunger on this team and in the town that we can make the playoffs.” Here are some more notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York takes a look at the Knicks‘ cap space in coming years. Assuming New York can re-sign Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks are currently looking at their first bit of breathing room in the 2015/16 season, when five players from the current roster could remain under contract. With just around $21MM in cap room estimated at that time, it would be difficult for New York to add much around another max-contract free agent if they were able to land one of their targets like Kevin Love or Rajon Rondo.
- Spencer Hawes is another player moving from the bottom of the East to a team in playoff contention, and the new Cavs center told reporters including of Bob Finnan of The News-Herald, “Now I feel like it’s a chance to hit ‘reset’ and get acclimated for this stretch run.” Hawes says he expected to be traded, but hadn’t thought of Cleveland as his likely destination.
- Evan Turner took to Twitter to express his appreciation for his time with the Sixers fans and organization, as transcribed by James Park of Sheridan Hoops. Turner’s had spent his entire career with the team that took him second-overall in the 2010 NBA draft prior to this week’s trade to the Pacers.
- Turner’s agent tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that Turner is “ecstatic” to be playing for the Pacers. Beck’s full article looks at how a change of team will also include changed expectations for Turner, who never lived up to his lofty draft status in Philadelphia.
Odds & Ends: Miller, Sessions, Deng, Brown
Andre Miller was excited when he got word he had been traded, reveals Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “I was ready to go,” said Miller. “I’m glad it’s over. I’ve been sitting around for about a month and a half. I’m happy to be here.” He’ll have the opportunity to help the Wizards make some noise in the East after sitting on the bench since late December. Let’s round up some news from around the NBA:
- According to HoopsHype, 20 of the 50 most discussed trade candidates wound up being dealt by Thursday’s deadline.
- Ramon Sessions is content being back with the Bucks, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinal. The Bucks selected Sessions 56th overall in the 2007 draft.
- The deadline deal between the Bobcats and Bucks is now official per a tweet from Charlotte’s PR account, so Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour can now play playoff-hopefuls in Charlotte.
- Luol Deng will be a free agent at season’s end, and if he chooses to walk away from the Cavaliers, he’s likely to be pursued by the Mavs, Lakers, Celtics, Magic and Bobcats, hears Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.
- The Bulls and Spurs are among the teams interested in signing the recently waived Antawn Jamison, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).
- Shannon Brown is coming off his second 10-day with the Spurs, and although his play for San Antonio was less than stellar, he’s drawing interest from the Rockets, Heat, Bulls, and Knicks, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
- It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Heat sign two free agents in the coming week, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, who notes Miami has an open spot from the Roger Mason deal, and also could waive Toney Douglas if they’re interested in more than one guy (Twitter link).
- An official press release from the Cavaliers revealed the team has assigned Arinze Onuaku to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Onuaku had been playing for the Charge before signing a 10-day deal with Cleveland but didn’t have his rights owned by the Cavs.
- Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest.com explores what went wrong during Pierre Jackson‘s tenure in the D-League.
- David Stern laid the foundation for continuing growth in the NBA, and Carol Cain of the Detroit Free Press looks back on what he was able to accomplish during his tenure as commissioner.
Cavs Sign Onuaku To 10-Day Contract
The Cavs have signed Arinze Onuaku to a 10-day contract, the team announced today. Onuaku inked a deal with the Pelicans last summer, but the club waived his non-guaranteed contract in November. Onuaku went undrafted out of Syracuse in 2010, but executives around the league have been praising his abilities for at least a year, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
After parting with New Orleans, Onuaku hooked up with the D-League affiliate of the Cavs, the Canton Charge. While in the D-League, he put up impressive averages of 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game and caught the attention of acting Cavaliers GM David Griffin.
This move will help further supplement Cleveland’s frontcourt depth after acquiring Spencer Hawes at Thursday’s trade deadline. The Cavs will be looking to make a late run to sneak into the playoffs, as the club currently sits four games back from the eighth and final playoff seed. With this signing, Cleveland’s roster now sits at a league maximum 15 players.
Central Notes: Deng, Pacers, Bulls
Anthony Bennett appears to have turned around his season, averaging nearly 20 minutes per game this month for the Cavs, with a boost in production. “I’m just more relaxed on the court, going out there not really thinking about too much, not thinking about the plays or who needs to get the ball where. I just need to go out there play my game, play hard, rebound and then things will start flowing,” Bennett said, according to Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Here’s a look at what else is happening around the Central Division:
- Cavs guard Jarrett Jack was a heavily discussed trade candidate as the trade deadline came and went, but tells Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer that the rumors didn’t affect him much.
- In the same piece, Luol Deng said that all of the contract talk from this year has been “exhausting,” and that his perspective on the Cavs is incomplete as he heads toward free agency, when he will decide whether to stay with the team that traded for him earlier this year: “It’s just the same thing everybody wants. The guy who brought me here [former GM Chris Grant] is not here, and now we have [current GM David Griffin] and Griff is an interim. Those two guys are who really brought me here. I really don’t know if Griff is going to be the GM or what’s going on. I know the direction the organization is going and how everything has been set up. I’ve been happy with that from day one.”
- The Bulls might be interested in adding Ben Gordon if the Bobcats buy out his contract as expected, per Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Gordon was an impact player for Chicago in his first five seasons in the NBA.
- Speaking of the pool of players being bought out or waived, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said that any player added by Chicago won’t wind up a forgotten man on the end of the bench, per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
- The Pacers are sad to lose former face of the franchise Danny Granger after Thursday’s trade with the Sixers, but the team isn’t questioning the front office’s championship-or-bust mentality that brought about the trade, writes Mark Montieth of NBA.com.
Odds & Ends: Miller, Neal, Cavs, Warriors
In a radio appearance this morning with William Qualkinbush on WCCP-FM in Clemson, South Carolina, I praised the Pacers‘ acquisition of Evan Turner and deemed the inability of the Suns to find a taker for Emeka Okafor and his expiring contract a missed opportunity. There’s plenty more reaction to Thursday’s trade deadline amid our latest look around the NBA:
- The Nuggets are relieved to move on from the Andre Miller situation, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. For his part, GM Tim Connelly took the high road when discussing the 37-year-old guard. “There’s always going to be issues that pop up,” said Connelly. “There’s no villain here. Unfortunately what happened, happened. We have to have the full support of our coach. I think it’s important that everyone understands that is Brian (Shaw)‘s locker room. (Miller) was out of character. He’s a pro. I’m sure he’s excited to move on to D.C. and help that team make a playoff push.“
- Gary Neal didn’t see a whole lot of playing time with the Bucks and head coach Larry Drew acknowledged that the rapid progress of rookie Nate Wolters was partially responsible for that, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. Neal will now hope to see more burn with the Bobcats.
- GM David Griffin says the Cavs will “take a swing at someone” in an effort to fill the open roster spot that Thursday’s trade created, notes Bob Finnan of The News-Journal.
- The Warriors would have more interest in Earl Clark than Glen Davis, tweets Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Both hit waivers today and should become free agents on Sunday.
- The Hawks have recalled Jared Cunningham from the D-League, the team announced. The 24th overall pick in 2012 has made 22 appearances for the Bakersfield Jam this year and only five for Atlanta.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Lakers Rumors: Free Agents, Gasol, Deadline
Mike Bresnahan and Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times deem the notion of LeBron James joining the Lakers unlikely, note the Lakers’ lack of interest in Carmelo Anthony, and hear that the team isn’t high on Kyle Lowry, either. The Lakers do like Luol Deng, but they don’t want to overpay him, with the focus squarely on Kevin Love and Kevin Durant in the summers of 2015 and 2016, respectively.
“I don’t think that we’ll use our cap money to patch together a team for next year. We’re looking to bring something [big] to Los Angeles,” GM Mitch Kupchak said. “May take more than one year to build, I don’t know. But because we have a lot of money this summer doesn’t mean we’ll spend it all. We’ll spend it wisely.”
Here’s more from the purple-and-gold, who made a single deadline trade despite a multitude of rumors:
- Kupchak says the Lakers will “absolutely” consider re-signing Pau Gasol this summer, as Bresnahan and Pincus note in the same piece.
- The GM wouldn’t rule out negotiating an extension with Gasol that would keep him from free agency, but Kupchak calls it unlikely, since it would limit the team’s flexibility, tweets Bill Oram of the Orange County Register.
- The Lakers wound up remaining in tax territory through the deadline in spite of opportunities to escape. Kupchak says making a move purely to cut costs, without enhancing the roster in some way, is “not acceptable” for the Lakers franchise, as Oram also passes along (Twitter link).
Odds & Ends: Pacers, Smith, Deng, Lowry
We saw plenty of trades go down before the deadline and Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders looked at the winners and losers. The Pacers top the list of winners for their acquisition of former No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner. While the Wizards and Warriors also get nods, Koutroupis says that the Lakers and Knicks should have done more. Here’s tonight’s look around the league..
- Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders has six trades that should have happened at the deadline. Among Brigham’s more interesting proposals: a hypothetical swap that would have sent Josh Smith from the Pistons to the Cavs in exchange for Luol Deng.
- Kyle Lowry wasn’t moved at the deadline today and Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun takes that as a sign that Raptors GM Masai Ujiri believes that he will re-sign him after this season.
- The trade deadline didn’t have a lot of stars changing uniforms in part because teams are zeroed in on the summer of 2015, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “More and more you have teams that are already looking ahead to (the summer of 2015),” one GM said. “You are going to see teams really be reluctant to give out long-term deals going forward, and it is because everyone wants to keep their cap flexible to see if they can shake something out next year.”
- Josh Akognon is headed to the Delaware 87ers of the D-League, according to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest.
- Kobe Bryant was sad to see Steve Blake go, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.