Stein’s Latest: Celtics, Grizzlies, Cavs, Suns, McCants
Marc Stein of ESPN.com has posted his latest Weekend Dime column, which features updates on a variety of trade-related topics from around the NBA. Here are the highlights:
- GMs around the league view the Celtics as likely to make a move. They have interest in J.J. Redick, and executives speculate that they may finally decide to move Paul Pierce or Rajon Rondo.
- Some GMs believe a three-team trade is possible that would send Pierce to the Grizzlies, Rudy Gay to the Lakers, and Pau Gasol to Boston.
- After their trade with the Cavs this week, the Grizzlies' roster is down to 11 players and they have 14 days to sign at least two players to meet the minimum requirement of 13. Memphis looked at Delonte West but decided against signing the veteran guard, Stein reports.
- Stein notes that Memphis received three separate trade exceptions in the trade. Marreese Speights landed them an exception worth $4.2MM, while Wayne Ellington's was worth $2MM and Josh Selby's was worth $762,195.
- Although the Cavaliers think highly of Speights and have wanted him for years, the forward is already drawing interest from other teams and could be moved before the February 21 trading deadline. Stein identifies Daniel Gibson and Omri Casspi as the other two Cleveland players most likely to be traded.
- The Suns are said to be shopping Jared Dudley, Marcin Gortat, and Luis Scola in light of the team's struggles this season. It should be noted that Scola, having been claimed after being waived with the amnesty clause, cannot be traded until after this season.
- Stein's column also featured a Q&A with 28-year-old former lottery pick Rashad McCants, who is playing with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League in hopes of eventually making another run at an NBA career.
Odds & Ends: Magic, Webster, Leonard, Speights
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes that the Magic's recent losing streak is a difficult adjustment for the team's veterans, who are used to playoff contention.
- Schmitz also writes that the Magic have yet to identify a permanent starter at the small forward position.
- Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press catches up with former Timberwolves forward Martell Webster, who has found a steady role and better injury luck this season with the Wizards.
- Joe Freeman of the Oregonian writes that Trail Blazers rookie center Meyers Leonard found a new perspective on his role while missing several weeks with an ankle injury.
- Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer notes that the Cavaliers have coveted big man Marreese Speights for several years. They acquired him this week from the Grizzlies.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Blazers, Grizzlies, McCants
Even after pulling off one deal that used up a chunk of their leftover cap space, the Cavaliers are still aggressively exploring the trade market, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Of course, as Amico adds, about 20 other teams are doing the same thing, and there's no guarantee the Cavs will make another move before February 21st. Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:
- When weighing trade possibilities, Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey is looking for players who are good influences in the locker room as well as good fits on the court, as he tells Ian Thomsen of SI.com.
- Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien isn't expecting the Grizzlies to make another deal before the trade deadline, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- The Mavericks' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, officially announced today that they've added former UNC standout Rashad McCants. We heard yesterday that McCants may be on his way back to the Legends.
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld examines the teams that will have the most cap flexibility going forward.
- Robert Dozier, who was in camp with the Heat during the preseason, has signed with the Alaska Aces in the Philippines, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
D-League Moves: Josh Selby, Cory Joseph
Here are today's D-League assignments and recalls, with additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Cavaliers have assigned newly-acquired Josh Selby to the Canton Charge, according to a team release. Selby was one of three players the Cavs landed from the Grizzlies, along with Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington, in exchange for Jon Leuer.
- Involved in his third transaction in the last two days, Cory Joseph has been re-assigned to the Austin Toros, the Spurs announced today in a press release. When Joseph was assigned to the D-League yesterday, I noted that the timing was unusual, considering the Spurs were set to be without Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard last night. The team apparently reached the same conclusion, quickly recalling Joseph in time to dress against the Hornets, though he didn't appear in the game.
Fallout From Cavs/Grizzlies Trade
The Cavaliers and Grizzlies hooked up today for the first trade of 2013, and though it was by no means a blockbuster, it's not without significant implications. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors looked this morning at how the trade affects Rudy Gay, and the swap already set off a series of other moves. The Cavs waived Jeremy Pargo to fit the three incoming players on their roster, while Memphis signed Chris Johnson (the small forward from Dayton, not the center from LSU who's with the Timberwolves). The Grizzlies reportedly considering a handful of others for the other roster spot they have to fill to get up to the league minimum of 13 players.
There's other news in the wake of the trade this evening, and we'll round it up here:
- Amico, characterizing the deal as a clear win for the Cavs, delves into what the trade means for Cleveland, speculating that the expiring contracts of Luke Walton, Omri Casspi and Daniel Gibson could be part of the team's next deal.
Earlier updates:
- While Marreese Speights upgrades the team's corps of inside players in the short term, the first-round draft pick is what most interested the Cavs, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. Boyer also breaks down the details of the protection attached to the pick.
- Neither Cavs GM Chris Grant nor Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace plans to step back from discussions about other deals, as both are still aggressively pursuing other trades, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
- Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com, in an Insider-only piece, examines the winners and losers of the swap, naming new Memphis owner Robert Pera the biggest winner of all for avoiding the tax this season.
D-League Moves: Jones, Nets, Grizzlies, Rockets
We’ll track Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls right here, with additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Rockets announced today that they have re-assigned forward/center Donatas Motiejunas to the Vipers. The move will create roster space for Terrence Jones, who was recalled earlier today.
- The Nets announced that have assigned forward Tornike Shengelia and guard Tyshawn Taylor to the Springfield Armor. This will be the second stint for both players in the D-League this season. Shengelia was a practice favorite of former coach Avery Johnson.
- On the heels of their trade with the Grizzlies, the Cavaliers have recalled Kevin Jones from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Jones, who was assigned to the Canton Charge just yesterday, helped lead the team to a 78-69 victory over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, racking up 25 points and 11 boards.
- The Rockets will recall Terrence Jones from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. In his four D-League stints this season, Jones has appeared in 12 games, averaging 19.1 PPG and 9.8 RPG.
Cavs Acquire Speights, Ellington From Grizzlies
The Grizzlies and Cavaliers have offically finalized a deal that sends Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby and a protected first-round draft pick to Cleveland in exchange for Jon Leuer, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Cavaliers have waived Jeremy Pargo to clear room on their roster for the incoming players.
Memphis has been at the center of a number of trade rumors this month, a result of the team's reported desire to get below the tax line. While most of those rumors have involved more expensive players like Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph, I noted last week that Speights was another candidate to be dealt, since moving his $4MM+ salary would be enough to get the Grizzlies out of the tax. That's essentially what Memphis is doing in this deal with the Cavs, moving Speights along with Ellington's $2.08MM expiring contract. Selby and Leuer are a wash, earning identical $762,195 salaries.
Cleveland has the room to absorb Ellington's and Speights' salaries under the cap, while the Grizzlies will move below the tax line for 2012/13. Memphis should also obtain a handful of trade exceptions in the transaction, worth the amount of Speights', Ellington's, and Selby's salaries — $4,200,000, $2,083,042, and $762,195 respectively.
Speights, 25, was a productive rotation piece for the Grizzlies last year after the team acquired him from the 76ers, starting 54 contests for the club and averaging 8.8 PPG and 6.2 RPG. However, he has seen a reduced role in Memphis this season, with his minutes being reduced from 22.4 per game to 14.5. Because he was playing on a one-year contract (excluding his second-year player option) following his rookie deal, the forward had the rights to veto a trade, but he agreed to be dealt to the Cavs due to that lack of playing time in Memphis, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
For the Cavaliers, Selby and Memphis' pick act as sweeteners to compensate the Cavs for taking on salary, including Speights' $4.52MM player option for 2013/14. Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld wrote yesterday that Selby, who excelled in the Summer League in July, was waiting for an opportunity to try to translate that success to the regular season. He figures to have a better chance to receive that opportunity in Cleveland.
Meanwhile, the first-rounder heading to the Cavs is protected from 1-5 and 15-30 in 2015 and 2016, before being top-five protected in 2017 and 2018 and unprotected in 2019. Like the first-rounder that was traded by the Raptors to the Rockets (and eventually to the Thunder) over the summer, the unique protection makes it a likely lottery pick.
Despite clearing Speights from next year's books, the Grizzlies still project to be likely taxpayers in 2013/14 and '14/15, so as Grantland's Zach Lowe points out (via Twitter), the club could explore more cost-cutting deals in the summer. The trade also brings the Grizzlies' roster to 11 players, two below the NBA minimum, so free agent signings will be required. Memphis is currently considering Delonte West and Bill Walker, among others.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links), Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter links), Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (all Twitter links), and Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link) were all involved in breaking various details of the story.
D-League Moves: Lamb, Orton, Jones, Tyler
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Thunder have re-assigned Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton to the Tulsa 66ers, tweets Adam Zagoria.
- The Cavaliers have re-assigned Kevin Jones to the Canton Charge, the team announced today in a press release. Jones has seen limited action in Cleveland this season, but was very productive in five games for the Charge, averaging 23.6 PPG and 12.6 RPG.
- Jeremy Tyler has been recalled from the D-League, the Warriors announced today in a press release. Tyler was sent to Santa Cruz yesterday and helped the Warriors' affiliate pull out a 96-95 win over the Erie BayHawks.
- The Bucks have recalled Doron Lamb from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the club announced today (Twitter link). After being assigned to the D-League for the first time on January 12th, the rookie appeared in two games, averaging just 7.5 PPG while shooting 22.7% from the floor.
Amico On Cavaliers, Gibson, D-League
According to a tweet from FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico, the Lakers are said to be interested in Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson, but they don't have much to offer.
Regardless, Gibson, who's set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, probably will not return to Cleveland next season, as Amico is reporting the team will let him walk if they can't move him in a deal before February's deadline. Gibson's ability to knock down three-pointers would make him a great fit in Mike D'Antoni's system.
- The Cavaliers have an open roster spot after waiving Samardo Samuels earlier this month, and they could be looking at the D-League to fill it. Some possible options are Micheal Eric and Arinze Onuaku.
Aldridge On Hawks, Smith, Batum, LeBron
NBA.com's David Aldridge has his new weekly column up, and as usual, it's packed full of interesting notes, quotes, and stories. Let's take a look at some highlights….
- The Hawks' Larry Drew was the NBA's Coach of the Month in December, but as we saw with Avery Johnson, that doesn't always guarantee job security. The Hawks have dropped eight of their last ten and there has been speculation around the league that GM Danny Ferry is waiting for the end of the season to remove Drew and hire Mike Brown. For his part, Ferry says that he has enjoyed working with Drew and plans to discuss his future with him after the season.
- Ferry acknowledged that he made decisions this summer with the idea of freeing up cap space down the line. It was a plan that he knew wouldn't yield a world-beating Hawks team in 2012/13. "I had no preconceived notions," Ferry said. "We were in a situation where we had six guys back and we were going to have to fill the roster with six guys to stay under the tax. Ownership gave me permission to go over the tax, but I didn't think there was anything we were going to be able to do to be a contender even over the tax."
- Prior to his suspension, Josh Smith told Aldridge that he had a great deal of confidence in the Hawks' core and believed that they could be a couple pieces away from contending.
- Nicolas Batum's says that his lucrative new deal hasn't put pressure on him and has instead left him feeling liberated. The forward is averaging 16.8 PPG with 5.9 RPG per game this season which are both career highs.
- There has been some buzz about a possible return to the Cavaliers for LeBron James in 2014, but Aldridge believes that Cleveland will still be more than two years from contending with a core including Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters.