Kyler’s Latest: Bledsoe, Marion, Warriors, Deng
With the 2013 draft now just two days away, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tackled some of the most frequently mentioned trade rumors, passing along the latest updates he's heard on Eric Bledsoe, Shawn Marion, and others in today's NBA AM piece. Here are the highlights:
- A rumored deal that would send Bledsoe and Caron Butler to the Magic in exchange for Arron Afflalo may also include Andrew Nicholson and/or a 2015 draft pick going to the Clippers, says Kyler. L.A. appears to be exploring all its options for Bledsoe, but if no team tops Orlando's offer, a trade could happen on draft night.
- While the Mavericks are denying that Marion would be attached to a deal involving the No. 13 pick, Kyler is hearing that there are two scenarios on the table that include Marion and the pick. One is with the Cavaliers, while the other is with the Pelicans. A Marion deal isn't necessarily Cleveland's top priority, however, and the fact that Marion has yet to officially exercise his 2013/14 player option may also be complicating discussions.
- The Warriors would like to trade into the draft and pick up a late first-round pick, but given the team's proximity to the tax line, adding a guaranteed rookie salary to the books may not make sense for Golden State.
- Breaking down the latest Luol Deng rumors, Kyler notes that it makes sense for Deng to play out the final year of his contract with the Bulls, but adds that he's heard a couple sources describe an eventual Deng trade as "inevitable."
- Following up on the rumor that the Cavaliers tried to acquire LaMarcus Aldridge, Kyler says there are rumblings the Suns made a play for Aldridge as well. It seems unlikely that the Trail Blazers would move the big man at this point, but there's certainly a market for him.
- Kyler confirms that the Timberwolves, who have been very aggressive over the last few weeks, tried to make a play for MarShon Brooks involving the No. 26 pick.
Odds & Ends: Kobe, LeBron, Rivers, Roy, Mavs
We covered many of the pertinent points from Sam Amico's latest NBA report at FOX Sports Ohio earlier today in a post that rounded up today's Cavs rumors. But Amico's piece also features a few more notable tidbits, including word of the Blazers exploring moving up in the draft, the Bucks preparing to make a splash, and league executives beginning to believe Dwight Howard will sign with the Rockets. In addition to Amico's notes, we're hearing plenty of news and rumors from around the league, with the draft just three days away, so let's dive in….
- Although Kobe Bryant has talked in the past about possibly retiring when his current contract ends in 2014, he recently said on Brazilian television that he could see himself playing for "another three or four years." Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times has the details and a link to the video clip.
- A year from now, we could be looking forward to a sequel to The Decision, as LeBron James decides whether to exercise the 2014 opt-out in his contract with the Heat. For now though, LeBron tells CNN's Rachel Nichols that he hasn't thought about potential free agency, and will address it when the time comes (link via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel).
- A source tells TNT's David Aldridge that Doc Rivers will have more say in the Clippers' basketball decisions than he did for the Celtics.
- While he stopped short of officially declaring his NBA career over, Brandon Roy acknowledged to ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton that it's no secret his basketball days are "numbered" (Twitter links).
- With Chris Paul seemingly on track to re-sign with the Clippers, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes that the Mavericks will have to move on to their Plan B at point guard, and identifies a few possible targets.
Cavs Rumors: Marion, Pierce, Varejao, Deng, Clark
Armed with four of the top 33 picks in the draft, plenty of cap space, and young talent, no team has the potential to be more active over the next week than the Cavaliers, who also hold the first overall pick in Thursday's draft. The team is at the subject of several rumors today, so let's round up the highlights….
- Previous reports have suggested that the Mavericks are looking to shed Shawn Marion's salary and have talked to the Cavaliers about a possible deal. However, sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein that while Cleveland is interested in Marion, the Mavs aren't necessarily eager to deal him, and Dallas hasn't had any trade discussions involving Marion.
- The Marion situation is an odd once, since the veteran forward still hasn't officially exercised his player option for next season, and would have to do so if he were to be traded this week. Marion has until Friday to make a decision on the option. I would guess if he's dealt, it will happen in July, when that option has already been picked up and teams like the Cavs will be able to absorb his salary in their cap space.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio has different details on Marion than Stein's, writing that the Cavs have talked to Dallas about Marion and are debating whether or not they'd want to take on his salary. Based on where Stein and Amico are located, I'd guess Stein's sources are connected to the Mavs and Amico's to the Cavs, so there could be some level of posturing happening from those sources on one or both sides.
- At least ten teams have been in contact with the Cavs about the No. 1 pick, according to Amico, who says the Pelicans and Kings are among the most recent calls. Amico echoes what we've heard in the last several weeks, noting that Cleveland's asking price is high.
- According to Amico, the Cavs' talks with the Celtics about Paul Pierce aren't as serious as they've been portrayed elsewhere, and Cleveland's reported offer of the 31st and 33rd picks isn't necessarily "the entire truth."
- One team has inquired about Anderson Varejao, but the Cavs haven't been too receptive so far, says Amico.
- Amico also reports that the Cavs have talked to the Timberwolves about a draft trade, but that Cleveland isn't too keen on moving down to ninth — the Cavs would rather stay in the top five or six if they trade down.
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game wrote yesterday (via Sulia) that the Cavs have some level of interest in Luol Deng. Amico hears from sources that the Cavs "may have floated" the idea of a package that would include the No. 19 pick and a young player like Tyler Zeller.
- One general manager tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that the Cavs haven't been "aggressively" shopping the first overall pick, but "it's been out there."
- According to Deveney, the Cavs figure to pursue power forwards in free agency, and one source says Earl Clark will be among the club's top targets.
Mavs, Raptors, Others Interested In Gal Mekel
After leading Maccabi Haifa to an upset win for the Israeli championship, Gal Mekel may be ticketed for an NBA roster this coming year. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the list of NBA teams eyeing the Israeli point guard continues to grow, with the Raptors and Mavericks among the latest teams to show interest.
On the heels of what Stein's sources call an "eye-opening" workout with the Bucks, Mekel will audition for the Mavs today, according to Stein. It's not clear whether the 25-year-old has workouts lined up with the Raptors or any other team, but Stein says the Hawks, Pacers, and Grizzlies have also registered some level of interest. The Jazz, who invited Mekel to training camp last fall, continue to monitor his progress as well.
According to Stein, Mekel has begun to convince NBA talent evaluators that he could immediately produce as a rotation player, especially after Pablo Prigioni successfully made the leap to the Association last season after a career overseas. Mekel, a former Wichita State guard, averaged 13.3 PPG and 5.4 APG in Israel in 2012/13, earning league MVP honors for the second time in the last four years.
Western Notes: Mavericks, Clippers, Oberto
We've already mentioned the "draft and stash" philosophy earlier in the night, and that's what Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News thinks the Mavericks might do if they don't trade their 13th pick in this year's draft. He says they're eyeing German point guard Dennis Schroeder if they choose to keep the pick, which has been considered unlikely as they go for broke at another title with Dirk Nowitzki not getting any younger.
Nowitzki would help fellow German Schroeder mesh with the team, and the Mavs are looking for point guard help after Darren Collison failed to inspire a lot of confidence last season when the team missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1999/00 campaign. Schroeder can also be stashed if the Mavs don't feel he's ready to come in and play heavy minutes in the rotation.
- Former Spurs forward Fabricio Oberto may have hinted at a possible return to the NBA as a part of the Spurs' coaching staff in an interview with Argentinian journalist Julian Mozo, reports Dan McCarney of the Express-News.
- Bob Young of the Arizona Republic says the Suns will wear long-sleeved jerseys, like the Warriors did last season, in an effort to improve faltering merchandise sales.
- Lakers executive and owner, Jeanie Buss, spoke with the Los Angeles Times' Eric Pincus about her confidence in the team despite Dwight Howard's uncertain future as an unrestricted free agent, and their luxury tax issues after the CBA.
- Pincus also offers his thoughts on the Clippers' head coaching candidates after they failed to reach an agreement with the Celtics to let Doc Rivers out of his contract (Sulia link). As reported earlier today, the Clippers have started preliminary contract discussions with Brian Shaw and Byron Scott.
- Speaking of coaching searches, with all their interviews completed, the Grizzlies now only need to select a coach, writes Ronald Tillery in the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Jerry Sloan spoke with Mike Sorenson of the Deseret News about his decision to accept an advisory role with the Jazz.
- Joe Freeman at the Oregonian looks at draft prospect Peyton Siva as the Trail Blazers' possible 10th pick this Thurday.
- Star-Tribune reporter Jerry Zgoda goes through five possible draft selections with Minnesota connections, and details Flip Saunders' first draft with the Timberwolves as head of basketball operations after replacing David Kahn earlier this summer. Saunders was the coach for the Wolves under then-general manager Kevin McHale from 1995-2006.
Draft Workout Updates: Friday
With just six days left until the 2013 draft, NBA teams continue to bring in prospects to work them out and gather as much information as they can. Here are the latest updates on workouts taking place today, over the weekend, and early next week:
- Allen Crabbe will work out Tuesday with the Bucks and Wednesday for the Nets, reports Scott Howard Cooper of NBA.com. Crabbe, widely projected as a late first-rounder at best, made it a priority to visit the Bucks, who have the No. 15 pick (Twitter links).
- Mason Plumlee wasn't on the list the Pistons released of players with whom the team has met, but he was scheduled to work out for Detroit on Friday, according to MLive's David Mayo.
- We heard about Vander Blue's workout with the Bucks today (below), and Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel notes that Blue has also auditioned for the Mavs, Spurs, Hawks, Sixers, Pistons and Magic, with another workout on tap for Monday with the Grizzlies.
Earlier updates:
- Anthony Bennett will visit the Bobcats on Saturday, though his injured rotator cuff will prevent him from working out, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
- Pelicans GM Dell Demps traveled Friday to get a close look at Victor Oladipo, sources confirmed to John Reid of The Times Picayune.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com passed along a list of players who met with the Pistons this past week: Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, C.J. McCollum, Cody Zeller, Derrick Nix, Dexter Strickland, Augusto Cesar Lima, Jared Berggren, Kenny Boynton and Karron Johnson (All Twitter links).
- The Kings updated the workout schedule on their website, which shows Shabazz Muhammad, Doug Anderson, A.J. Davis, John Dickson, Mfon Udofia and Kwame Vaughn coming in Saturday. McCollum will be in for a workout on Monday, Cowbell Kingdom's James Ham tweets.
- Today's workout for the Timberwolves is expected to be the last one for the team, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, adding that Mason Plumlee, Kelly Olynyk, Colton Iverson, and Christian Watford were in attendance.
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution passes along a couple tweets from Gorgui Dieng, surmising that the big man appears to be in Atlanta for a workout with the Hawks.
- The Suns' workout today is headlined by Glen Rice Jr., according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, who has the full list of participants in a pair of tweets.
- Vander Blue, Grant Jerrett, Brock Motum, Dejan Musli, Nemanja Nedovic, and Andrew Smith are working out for the Bucks today, according to the team's PR Twitter feed.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. and Erick Green will be among the prospects working out for the Nets on Monday, the team announced in a press release.
- Hardaway Jr. was also among the prospects who worked out for the Clippers today, along with Tony Snell, Ricky Ledo, and Reggie Bullock (link via Eric Patten of Clippers.com).
- The Pacers announced today that they'll work out a a handful of prospects tomorrow: Matt Dellavedova, Angel Sharpless, Jamaal Franklin, Zeke Marshall, and Jeff Withey.
Cavs, Mavs In ‘Serious’ Talks About Shawn Marion
The Cavaliers are engaged in "serious" discussions with the Mavericks about acquiring Shawn Marion and the No. 13 pick in exchange for the No. 19 pick, sources tell Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com. Such a deal would have to be contingent on Marion opting into the final season of his contract, worth $9,316,796, though the veteran small forward is likely to do so. It would also have to include other players unless it took place next month, since the Cavs, with about $55MM in team salary for 2012/13, won't be far enough under the cap to absorb Marion's salary straight up until the league calendar flips to 2013/14 in July.
The Cavs view Marion as an upgrade over incumbent small forward Alonzo Gee, and they're targeting another small forward, Sergey Karasev, for the No. 13 pick they'd acquire in a deal for Marion, according to Kotoch. The Cavs are also willing to package the 31st and 33rd selections on draft night if they see a prospect they like available during the latter part of the first round. If the draft were held today, Alex Len would be the Cavs' choice for the No. 1 pick, Kotoch writes, though Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times hears Otto Porter is at the top of Cleveland's draft board (Twitter link).
As he unveils the latest version of his mock draft, Kotoch lists the Mavs, Timberwolves and Blazers as teams seeking to trade their first-round picks, as he's done in the past. Dallas is aggressively trying to unload its No. 13 pick, as a source told Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News this week that there's no chance the player taken with that selection winds up on the Mavs roster next season. Chad Ford of ESPN.com linked the Cavs, as well as the Thunder and Knicks, to discussions for the Dallas pick, with the Mavs' desired return as either a 2014 first-rounder or the willingness to take on Marion's contract.
The Mavs are seeking to clear the necessary cap space to sign a marquee free agent this summer, and while moving Marion's salary would be a key component in doing so, I'd be a little surprised if Dallas acquired the 19th pick as part of a deal with the Cavs. The savings between the cap hold for the No. 13 pick ($1,655,300), and the No. 19 selection ($1,223,200) would be minimal.
Western Notes: Suns, Mavericks, Jazz
A well-deserved congratulations to the Heat for winning the NBA Championship as well as the Spurs for putting up a hard fought series. As we wrap up one of the more memorable Finals matchups in recent history, here are some of tonight's news and notes out of the Western Conference:
- Paul Coro of AZ Central says that Suns GM Ryan McDonough could use one of his three draft picks on an international player under contract and keep him overseas for more seasoning before bringing him over. Coro adds that if Phoenix doesn't select a center with their fifth overall pick, it could certainly be a targeted position with their 30th.
- Given their draft history, Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW thinks that the Mavericks will either trade this year's pick or draft an international player with the intent of keeping him overseas as to not take up any of this summer's salary cap space. If they do keep the pick, Sefko thinks that they'll look at either Michael Carter-Williams or Dennis Schroeder. In a separate piece, Sefko boldly predicts that the Mavs will wind up with Dwight Howard this offseason.
- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin is excited to have Jerry Sloan involved with the franchise again, writes Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times thinks that the Clippers going after Doc Rivers at the expense of a first round pick is a no-brainer.
Western Links: Clippers, Kirilenko, Spurs, Nuggets
DeAndre Jordan told Yahoo! Sports Radio (link via WEEI.com) today that he'd be happy playing for either the Clippers or Celtics next season, and Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld took a detailed look at what L.A.'s cap situation would look like if the team were to acquire Kevin Garnett in exchange for Jordan. But the long-rumored deal that would send Garnett and Doc Rivers to the Clippers appears to be in trouble, as the latest reports suggest the NBA has serious misgivings about approving a move that wouldn't be in accordance with the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
As we wait to see whether the two teams will be able to come up with a solution that satisfies the NBA, let's check out a few more items from around the Western Conference:
- A decision on Andrei Kirilenko's 2013/14 player option is due by June 29th, but the T-Wolves forward tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune that he doesn't expect to make a decision until after next Thursday's draft. Whether Kirilenko opts in or out will have a significant impact on Minnesota's cap situation, considering the option is worth $10MM+.
- Responding to a report indicating that DeMarcus Cousins could ask to be traded if he doesn't receive a maximum-salary extension from the Kings this offseason, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders whether it's possible for the Mavericks to trade for Cousins.
- As we prepare for what should be an exciting Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Jay Caplan of NBA.com breaks down quotes from Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Gregg Popovich, wondering if this could be the last run for the Spurs as we know them.
- During his introductory press conference today, new Nuggets GM Tim Connelly told reporters, including Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post, that he's eager to get to work with CEO Josh Kroenke on the team's roster and that he's optimistic about re-signing Andre Iguodala. As Dempsey writes in a separate piece, the Nuggets seem to be targeting shooters in the draft, based on their latest workouts.
Odds & Ends: Bucks, Mavs, Nuggets, Jones
As we all wait with bated breath for game seven tomorrow night between the Heat and the Spurs, let's round up some odds and ends from around the NBA on this Wednesday night:
- Craig Brackins, Tyler Honeycutt, and Mickell Gladness are among the NBA free agents at a mini-camp being held by the Bucks this week, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com explains how the Early Bird exception could help the Mavericks re-sign Brandan Wright this summer.
- While the Mavs are likely to move their first rounder, Mark Cuban tells MacMahon that any rumors about that deal that involve a Shawn Marion salary dump are false.
- In an offseason that's already seen them lose a head coach, a GM, and an assistant GM, the Nuggets will lose two more executives from their front office, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post outlines.
- The Jazz, who officially brought Jerry Sloan back to the organization earlier tonight, are close to naming Brad Jones their new bench assistant, tweets Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune. Jones was previously an assistant coach for player development for the team.