Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Ford’s Latest: Bucks, Smith, Randolph, Nuggets

February 6th, 2013 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Although Chad Ford's weekly chat at ESPN.com featured plenty of draft questions once again this week, Ford also addressed a number of trade questions and rumors. Many of Ford's answers focused more on his own opinions or speculation, but here are a few of the highlights from ESPN's NBA draft guru:

Ford is hearing that the Bucks are "very active" and that Samuel Dalembert isn't the only player they're actively discussing. Monta Ellis, Beno Udrih, and Ersan Ilyasova could all be had as well, according to Ford.
The Hawks would like to move Josh Smith, but the market for him isn't currently very strong and the team is still holding on to hope that Smith could help lure Dwight Howard to Atlanta this summer, says Ford.
Zach Randolph "looks like a marked man," according to Ford, though it's not clear whether he thinks the Grizzlies will trade Randolph in the next two weeks or further down the road.
Ford keeps hearing the Nuggets mentioned in trade scenarios, with Danilo Gallinari's and Wilson Chandler's names coming up most frequently.

Nuggets’ Interest In Garnett Not Reciprocal

February 6th, 2013 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have called the Celtics about Kevin Garnett, but Denver's interest isn't reciprocated by Garnett himself, according to Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post. Kiszla reports that the Celtics big man has "let it be known" through his representatives that he's not currently interested in joining the Nuggets.

For most players, that stance wouldn't mean a whole lot, but Garnett is one of a handful of veterans to negotiate a no-trade clause into his contract, giving him the ability to veto any deal. A report earlier this week suggested that the 36-year-old wouldn't give his consent to a trade unless Paul Pierce was also heading out of Boston — even then, KG would prefer to be dealt to a Los Angeles team, near his home in Malibu.

As Matt Moore of CBSSports.com notes, the Nuggets don't make a ton of sense as a potential destination for Garnett anyway, since Denver generally hasn't been eager to add age or money. Garnett also wouldn't necessarily be a fit with George Karl's up-and-down style of play. Still, Kiszla's report indicates that the Nuggets are exploring their options and would be open to making a deal if it helps improve their title chances.

Spears On Mozgov, Josh Smith, Rondo, Gay

February 5th, 2013 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports has been busy today, publishing a piece on Lindsey Hunter's adjustment to the head coaching job in Phoenix as well as posting Yahoo!'s weekly power rankings, which features the Spurs in the No. 1 spot once again. Spears' power rankings also feature a few tidbits of note, which we'll round up right here:

The Nuggets are getting plenty of calls about Timofey Mozgov, but aren't under any financial pressure to make a deal. They'll probably only move Mozgov for a "too-good-to-be-true offer," says Spears.
While there's still plenty of speculation that the Hawks could trade Josh Smith, interested teams have been keeping any talks very quiet.
A surgery date for Rajon Rondo's ACL still hasn't been set, as Rondo could seek opinions from as many as three doctors.
A source close to Rudy Gay tells Spears that the newest Raptor was happy about leaving the Grizzlies and should be a very good fit in Toronto — not only in the team's up-tempo offense, but in the city as well.

Northwest Notes: T’Wolves, Jazz, Nuggets

February 3rd, 2013 at 6:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Last night in Minnesota, the Timberwolves cruised to a 115-86 victory over the Hornets behind a season high 18 points from Dante Cunningham. However, the T’Wolves are eight games under .500 and are 2-8 in their last ten outings. Could a move be on the horizon? Here’s more on that and other news out of the Northwest Division..

All is quiet on the Timberwolves for the time being but the front office will reassess things after their current six-game homestand, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Recently, club president David Kahn stopped short of calling Nikola Pekovic “untouchable” as he did with Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love, but he did say that he hopes the big man will be part of the club for “years to come”.
With the trade deadline right around the corner, Jazz head scout David Fredman attended Saturday night’s aforementioned T’Wolves–Hornets game, according to Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune (on Twitter).
A lack of playing time has turned Timofey Mozgov into a trade candidate, but Nuggets coach George Karl wishes he could find more minutes for the soon-to-be restricted free agent, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.

Trade Exceptions Set To Expire At Deadline

January 31st, 2013 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

As our list of outstanding traded player exceptions shows, there are a number of trade exceptions that could be in play as this season's deadline approaches. A trade exception allows a team to absorb a salary without sending any salary out in return. For instance, with the $4.2MM exception the Grizzlies obtained when they traded Marreese Speights to Cleveland, Memphis could acquire one or more players who are earning $4.3MM this season ($4.2MM + $100K).

Trade exceptions, which cannot be combined, expire a year after they're initially acquired, so the TPEs that were created at last year's March trade deadline will expire if they go unused on or before February 21st. While the exceptions don't expire until March, teams obviously won't have the opportunity to use them during the few weeks after the deadline passes.

Most notable among those exceptions set to expire in March is the $13MM TPE the Nuggets obtained when they dealt Nene to Washington at the 2012 deadline. The Nuggets are very unlikely to use that entire exception, but it certainly gives them some added flexibility as they weigh their options over the next three weeks.

Here's the complete list of traded player exceptions that will expire if they go unused at the trade deadline:

Denver Nuggets: $13,000,000
Golden State Warriors: $3,294,960
Milwaukee Bucks: $2,506,500
Brooklyn Nets: $1,390,000
Brooklyn Nets: $1,377,383
Los Angeles Clippers: $1,223,166
Memphis Grizzlies: $1,184,750
Los Angeles Lakers: $854,389(*)
San Antonio Spurs: $854,389
Los Angeles Lakers: $544,340

(* This TPE was initially listed as $1,422,027 and had since been corrected.)

Warriors Unlikely To Make Move Before Deadline

January 31st, 2013 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors will be adding one potential impact player to their rotation for the season's second half, but he'll be returning from an injury rather than arriving via trade. According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, while Golden State is welcoming Andrew Bogut back to the lineup, it's highly unlikely that the team acquires another player via trade. One team source told Thompson that the odds of a Warriors move are "remote."

The Warriors wouldn't mind adding a big man, and Thompson mentions names like Timofey Mozgov and DeJuan Blair as potential fits. The club could also use a backup shooting guard or an athletic wing. However, acquiring anyone that fits that bill would likely require Golden State to give up a player it likes, in which case the team would prefer to stand pat.

The Warriors are also slightly above the luxury-tax threshold, so if anything compelled the team to make a move, it might be a desire to get out of tax territory. Still, Thompson believes the Warriors would have to shed a big contract like Richard Jefferson's or Andris Biedrins' to get below the tax line, which is extremely unlikely.

Even without Bogut for most of the season, the Warriors are exceeding expectations, having recorded a 28-17 record so far, good for fifth in the Western Conference.

Odds & Ends: Warriors, Splitter, Kings, Cousins

January 30th, 2013 at 11:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

Two-time MVP Steve Nash made his first trip back to the city where he enjoyed his greatest success, but his Phoenix return has been overshadowed by the first major trade of the year. It's been quite a busy evening, with Rudy Gay heading to the Raptors, retirement talk surrounding Kevin Garnett, and another weapon in the quiver for the Lakers. Here's even more from the Association:

Even with Andrew Bogut back, the Warriors still want to upgrade their front line and would love to trade for Timofey Mozgov or DeJuan Blair, Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reports. Still, chances of a move are "remote," a source tells Thompson.
Barring an unreasonable offer from another team, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News believes the Spurs intend to re-sign Tiago Splitter, who'll be a restricted free agent this summer (Twitter link).
In the tug-of-war between Sacramento and Seattle for the Kings, Jason Thompson says the California capital has the players on its side, notes Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.
Though he was one of the more prominent trade candidates earlier this season, DeMarcus Cousins claims he's unaware of his name having come up in trade talk, as Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe observes, passing along some revealing comments from the mercurial Kings center. "I'm a loyal guy," he said. "I'm a family-orientated guy. But not so much in this league. You've kind of got to look out for yourself most of the time and always do what's best for you."
The Mavs could have been involved in today's three-team deal, but reportedly refused to part with Vince Carter, and that was the right move, opines Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
No team has more former lottery picks under the age of 25 than the Jazz, and that has them set up for a bright future, writes Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News.

D-League Moves: Kevin Jones, Julyan Stone

January 30th, 2013 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any further moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

Rookie forward Kevin Jones has been re-assigned to the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers announced today in a press release. Jones didn't see any action during his recent stint with Cleveland, but has appeared in 15 NBA games so far. He has also excelled in his six contests with the Charge, averaging 23.8 PPG and 12.3 RPG.
The Nuggets have assigned Julyan Stone to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Stone, who missed more than two months of the season while recovering from right hip surgery, will join Quincy Miller, the other Nugget currently playing for the D-League's Iowa Energy.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Johnson, Oden

January 29th, 2013 at 11:00pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News says that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak will likely know by tomorrow about whether or not the NBA will approve their Disabled Player Exception for the injured Jordan Hill (Twitter link). With the roster currently at 14, an exception worth $1.78MM would be a very valuable asset for a team that would have otherwise only have a veteran's minimum deal or a small, pro-rated portion of their mini mid-level exception to offer free agents at this point during the season. You'll find the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links from around the NBA here:

Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge says the team currently has no needs and will wait and see what transpires over the next few weeks to get a better feel if a move has to be made or not (Adi Joseph of USA Today reports).
Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, who recently returned from an 11-game absence for family reasons, sounded like he wanted the team to keep Chris Johnson (LSU) and Mickael Gelabale for the rest of the season, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
Grizzlies guard Chris Johnson, whose 10-day contract is set to expire on Friday night, is making a strong case to be brought back for another deal, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. GM Chris Wallace described Johnson as a "seamless fit" so far.
Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald doesn't think the Heat are the best fit for Greg Oden, citing that if healthy, the former number one overall pick could find more playing time and a better comfort level elsewhere. Even if the team uses its taxpayer mid-level exception to land Oden this summer, Goodman thinks that the luxury tax impact might not be worth the investment either.
When asked directly about the possibility of playing for the Cavaliers, Oden replied: "I'm worried about the knee. That's it," later saying that it was too early for him to be thinking of a destination. Oden added that he wants to take his rehab slow, and that while he could possibly play today if he wanted to, he wants to avoid the risk of having the same setbackthat he had in Portland (Doug Lesmerises and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer report).

Trade Candidate: Timofey Mozgov

January 29th, 2013 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

There are plenty of big names rumored to be on the trade block as we approach this year's deadline, including Rudy Gay and Pau Gasol. Other players, such as Jose Calderon and J.J. Redick, are intriguing not just because of their expiring contracts, but because they could be the final piece of the puzzle for a contending team.

Timofey Mozgov, like Calderon and Redick, is on an expiring contract, but he's unlikely to be a real game-changer if he's moved at the deadline. Still, Grantland's Zach Lowe referred to the Nuggets big man as one of the league's "most available" players back in December, so that certainly makes him a trade candidate, even if he's not one of the more exciting ones out there.

Mozgov, 26, initially came to the Nuggets two years ago as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks. While Mozgov was hardly the centerpiece of that trade, he was a piece the Nuggets insisted be included, due to a belief that he could develop into a solid big man. While the Russian has shown flashes of that promise in his two seasons with the Nuggets, there just aren't enough minutes to go around anymore now that Denver's frontline includes JaVale McGee and Kosta Koufos, two young centers that have outproduced Mozgov.

Mozgov's best season came in 2011/12, when he averaged 5.4 PPG and 4.1 RPG while playing 15.6 minutes per contest. Those numbers won't turn many heads, but Mozgov's per-minute rates were solid, and he started 35 of his 44 games for the Nuggets, meaning he wasn't just playing against other teams' second-stringers. At 7'1", he should certainly have some appeal to teams in need of size in the middle, and according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post, Denver has been fielding plenty of calls about Mozgov since the beginning of the season.

One team that's been linked to Mozgov as a potential suitor is the Heat, a club that could use one more big body in the frontcourt to help Chris Bosh and its bigs shoulder the rebounding load. But as Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida pointed out earlier this month, there's not a perfect match between the two teams. Norris Cole, Miami's most appealing trade asset, doesn't fill a need for a Nuggets team that has Ty Lawson and Andre Miller at the point, and Cole's modest salary wouldn't be enough to match Mozgov's $3.14MM mark. I'm sure the Nuggets, who could use a shooter, would love to add Ray Allen ($3.09MM), but that's not the sort of price the Heat would want to pay for Mozgov.

Besides Miami, there are no particularly obvious suitors for Mozgov. The Warriors could be a fit if Andrew Bogut continues to be nagged by injuries, and the Celtics could use another big. But both teams are up against hard caps, making it difficult to add any salary, and Boston's plans have likely changed now that Rajon Rondo is out for the season. The Suns and Rockets, with cap space to absorb Mozgov's salary, could kick the tires — if they were to acquire Mozgov and liked what they saw over the season's final couple months, they'd have the first crack to re-sign him in July.

As Dempsey wrote in his previously-linked piece, Mozgov appears unlikely to remain in Denver past February 21st, simply because the Nuggets don't have room for him in their rotation. Nonetheless, it doesn't seem as if there will be a huge market for the big man. If he's moved and it's not part of a bigger deal, it's probably unrealistic to expect Denver to land much more than a second-round pick or a borderline rotation player in return.