Mavericks Exploring Trade For Beno Udrih
1:29pm: If Udrih isn't used as part of a larger deal, the Bucks will likely send him to Dallas for Dahntay Jones and Rodrigue Beaubois, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
8:49am: The Bucks are one of the league's most active teams leading up to today's deadline, and figure to explore larger deals right up until 2:00pm. However, if the club doesn't move Beno Udrih and his expiring contract in one of those larger trades, Milwaukee could send him to the Mavericks, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
Udrih, who is averaging just 18.4 minutes per game for the Bucks, is overpaid at $7.37MM, but that salary could make him an attractive chip for a team like the Mavs, who are looking to clear cap room for the coming summer. It's not clear if Dallas would send out lesser expiring deals in the hypothetical trade, or whether they'd move a player like Shawn Marion, who is under contract beyond this season.
Celtics, Mavericks Eyeing Jordan Crawford
12:45pm: Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com is hearing that the Mavs aren't heavily involved in the hunt for Crawford (Twitter link). It looks to me as if a deal between the Celtics and Wizards that swaps Melo and Crawford could be the most likely outcome.
12:21pm: The Mavs and Celtics continue to lead the way for Crawford, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter). However, talks may go down to the wire, as the Wizards are "waiting this one out," tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
11:20am: We can add another team to the mix for Crawford. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (via Twitter), the Mavericks have also discussed a Crawford deal with the Wizards.
9:37am: The Celtics are looking to add perimeter scoring and are considering Jordan Crawford as a target, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Broussard reports that the Celtics are dangling Fab Melo in trade talks, as we heard yesterday.
For his part, Crawford appears to be unhappy with his role in Washington and would likely welcome a trade. In discussing both Melo and Crawford as trade candidates, I noted that their small salaries may make it difficult for the C's and Wizards, respectively, to find a match. However, since Crawford's $1.2MM salary is a near match for Melo's $1.25MM, it wouldn't be hard to build a deal around the pair.
Western Notes: Kings, Garnett, Mavs, Wolves
Most around the league are surprised by the Kings' involvement in a cost-cutting deal that sent away Thomas Robinson, the fifth pick of this past June's draft this evening, Grantland's Zach Lowe hears (Twitter link). It's just the fifth time a team has traded a top five pick in his rookie season, ESPN Stats and Info tweets. The Kings weren't expected to be involved in any deals as their ownership situation is resolved, but ultimately they didn't hesitate to jump in at the last moment. Here's more on that trade and from around the West as the hours tick down until tomorrow's 2:00pm Central time deadline:
- If Kevin Garnett is traded, it will be to the Clippers or not at all, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes.
- The Mavs are making Brandan Wright, Rodrigue Beaubois and Dominique Jones available in return for draft picks, but won't compromise future cap space, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (All Twitter links).
- J.J. Barea, Luke Ridnour and Derrick Williams are all available from the Wolves, Berger also tweets.
- Marcus Morris is averaging 18.4 minutes per game this month for the Rockets, and he was seeking more before the trade that sent him to the Suns, tweets Sam Amick of SI.com.
- There's a decent chance the Blazers get involved in serious trade talks, but it would likely be about smaller moves, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune sums up what looks to be a quiet deadline for the Jazz, who aren't interested in trading for anyone on a long-term deal unless they get a core player in return.
Bucks Rumors: Redick, Udoh, Jennings, Dalembert
The Bucks are reportedly one of the teams most determined to make a deal before Thursday's trade deadline, and today has has brought more rumblings from out of Milwaukee, so let's dive right in and check out the latest….
- Although the Bucks like J.J. Redick, the Magic aren't enamored with anything Milwaukee has offered so far, according to Sam Amick of Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
- Yesterday's report on trade talks between the two teams suggested that Orlando had extended an offer of Redick for Luc Mbah a Moute and a first-round pick, but Amick and Zillgitt seem to suggest that offer may have come from the Bucks' side. The Magic don't like Mbah a Moute's contract, according to the USA Today report.
- Ekpe Udoh is also drawing interest around the NBA, according to the USA Today duo.
Earlier updates:
- Brandon Jennings appears to have moved alongside Larry Sanders and John Henson as the players the Bucks consider "untouchable," according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
- The Mavericks had been the team most interested in Jennings, but they'd been pessimistic all along about their chances, knowing that the fourth-year guard is the closest thing Milwaukee has to a face of the franchise since the team traded Andrew Bogut a year ago, says Stein.
- Although Samuel Dalembert was once considered one of the players most likely to be moved this season, the Bucks appear more inclined to keep him (and his expiring contract) after his solid recent play filling in for Sanders, according to Stein.
- Stein also covers the latest on the Bucks' talks with the Hawks regarding Josh Smith, which we've recapped in our post dedicated to today's Smith rumors.
Wolves Rumors: Kirilenko, Mayo, Mozgov, Redick
Here's the latest on the Timberwolves from Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities….
- General manager David Kahn isn't convinced he'll be able to make a deal by tomorrow's deadline, but it won't be from lack of trying, says Wolfson. The T-Wolves have made Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea, Derrick Williams, and Brandon Roy available as they explore trade options.
- The Wolves have received more calls about Andrei Kirilenko than anyone else, but the club won't move the Russian forward, barring a "too-good-to-be-true offer."
- Minnesota's top priority is a wing player with size. The team reached out to the Mavericks about O.J. Mayo, but was rebuffed, according to Wolfson.
- The Wolves like Timofey Mozgov and view him as a good value in free agency this summer, but are unlikely to reach a compromise on a trade with the Nuggets.
- To acquire J.J. Redick or Avery Bradley, the Wolves would have to give up Williams and a first-round pick, according to Wolfson. That's not happening for Bradley and is very unlikely for Redick.
- Rick Adelman and the Wolves like Courtney Lee and are keeping an eye on him, but they didn't want to offer four years in free agency last summer, so the contract could bother them.
- Adelman told season ticket holders that the Wolves' goal is to re-sign Nikola Pekovic this summer. However, some team sources aren't sure Pekovic is worth $11MM annually, and question his ability to stay healthy, says Wolfson.
Sefko On Jennings, Dwight, Dalembert
Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW doesn't think the Mavericks will engage in any trades before Thursday, saying that the team's biggest issue – namely their rebounding deficiencies – will have to improve with the personnel they already have. He also participated in a chat with fans about trade deadline rumblings, and you can read some of the highlights here:
- Sefko says that the Mavs won't have much luck if they want to go after Brandon Jennings, being that his asking price would be too high for them to reach.
- Dallas hasn't been turned off by the way Dwight Howard's tenure has gone in Los Angeles, and Sefko thinks the Mavericks' chances of landing him over the summer notably improve if the Lakers fail to make the playoffs.
- Bucks center Samuel Dalembert would make sense as a trade target, but Milwaukee's price tag may be too high, especially if they want a young player in exchange.
- Sefko puts the Mavericks' chances of making a deal at 25%.
- While talking about the draft may be a little premature, Dallas would be wise to target a guard or a swingman once the NBA Draft comes along in June, says Sefko.
HoopsWorld’s Latest: Randolph, D12, 2014, Ellis
Steve Kyler and Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld both have new pieces up, in which they address various trade candidates or possibilities. Let's dive in and cover the highlights….
- Zach Randolph is "all but untouchable" for the Grizzlies this week, according to Kyler. While Memphis is still expected to make a move or two using its trade exceptions, the club would have to be blown away to consider moving Randolph.
- Sources tell Kennedy that there's a non-zero chance the Lakers will move Dwight Howard this week, which is something we've heard from Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio and from Kennedy himself. Howard hasn't asked for a trade and isn't expected to do so, so a deal is very unlikely, but there's no guarantee D12 will remain in Los Angeles through the deadline, according to Kennedy.
- If the Lakers are fielding calls on Howard, the Rockets, Mavericks, and Hawks, three teams frequently linked to the All-Star center, are expected to make inquiries.
- When weighing trade offers this week, teams will be cognizant of their salary commitments for 2014 and beyond, says Kennedy. Like 2010, the 2014 free agent class is expected to be particularly star-studded, so plenty of teams are attempting to preserve cap space for that summer.
- League sources expect Monta Ellis to opt out of his contract this summer and look to sign with a contender, since he's tired of being on losing teams, according to Kennedy. It's worth noting that the 26-25 Bucks aren't technically a "losing team," but I suppose being one game above .500 doesn't exactly qualify Milwaukee as a contender.
Spears On Oden, Kings, Gordon, Ridnour, Bucks
In the last pre-trade-deadline installment of his weekly power rankings, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports shares trade nuggets for a good chunk of the NBA's 30 teams. We've already heard many of them, but here are a few of Spears' notes of interest:
- Agent Mike Conley tells Spears that his client Greg Oden likely won't sign with a team until the offseason. We've heard that the Cavaliers and Bobcats are preparing to make Oden offers after the trade deadline, so if he really waits until the summer to sign, it would strongly suggest to me that he prefers to go to the Heat. Miami can only offer a minimum-salary contract at this point, but would have the mini mid-level exception available again in July.
- The Kings prefer to let a new ownership group inherit the team as is, so they likely won't make any moves at the deadline.
- Eric Gordon figures to remain with the Hornets through the deadline, but the club may explore potential trades involving Gordon this summer.
- A source tells Spears that, contrary to previous reports, the Timberwolves aren't actively shopping Luke Ridnour.
- The Bucks doubt that they'll move either Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis this week, even though both players could become free agents in the summer.
- Mark Cuban would like to make a trade that makes Dirk Nowitzki the Mavericks' second-best player, according to Spears. I have a hard time believing there's a deal out there like that for Dallas.
- The Pistons are expected to stand pat at the deadline.
Odds & Ends: Luxury Tax, Mavs, Draft, Wiggins
Tonight's look around the Association as we approach Thursday's trade deadline..
- In his latest blog entry on CBA FAQ, Larry Coon looks at the cumulative effects of the luxury tax on teams. Going back to 2002, the Warriors, Bobcats, and Bulls have been the biggest beneficiaries of the tax pool. Meanwhile, the Mavericks and Knicks have been amongst the most penalized in the league, paying $192.8MM and $150.4MM, respecitvely.
- The 2013 NBA Draft class is so weak that more than a half dozen prospects from the 2014 Draft class would go No. 1 this year, one NBA GM told Adam Zagoria of SNY. “It’s a historically weak draft that, as a result, you’re going to see a lot more guys putting their name in knowing they’ll go higher in this draft, even though they may not be ready, just because next year’s class has such incredible depth that they could actually play better and improve and drop their draft status next year,” said the GM.
- Speaking of the 2014 draft, Canada's Andrew Wiggins figures to be the top selection. The 6-foot-8 forward could just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to strong talent from north of the border, Zagoria writes.
Odds & Ends: Knicks, Randolph, Josh Smith
Kyrie Irving is willing to listen to any pitch LeBron James might make about joining forces on the Cavaliers in 2014, a source tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who wonders if All-Stars from around the league will use this weekend to hatch plots to form more superteams. While we wait to hear if any such whispers emanate from Houston, here's the latest from the Association:
- Jared Zwerling, speaking with fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Ian Begley, says he's hearing the Knicks will "hold tight" and not make a move before the trade deadline (video link).
- Zach Randolph agrees with owner Robert Pera's view that the Grizzlies are stronger after the Rudy Gay trade, as Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal details.
- The Grizzlies have reportedly assured Randolph that he won't be traded, and the power forward spoke today about his desire to remain in Memphis. Jeff Zillgitt and Kevin Spain of USA Today have more.
- Trade candidate Josh Smith talked about dealing with speculation about his post-deadline address and his belief that he deserves a max deal with Lang Whitaker of GQ.
- Jeff Teague believes rumors involving Smith and others have been a huge distraction for the Hawks, as HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram tweets.
- Billy Hunter ally and former players union executive vice president Maurice Evans told Jason Whitlock of FoxSports.com he's received a letter warning him to stay away from tomorrow's meeting that will decide whether Hunter remains executive director. Evans, who has not played in the NBA this season, also contends the only reason Derek Fisher signed with the Mavs is so he could remain union president and engineer Hunter's exit.
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy checks in with a few points to keep in mind as the trade deadline approaches.