Heat Expressed Interest In Timofey Mozgov
The Heat have expressed interest in Timofey Mozgov, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). However, Wojnarowski adds that it's "hard to see a path" to a deal between the two teams.
Because Mozgov is earning about $3.14MM this season, the Heat would have to send out $2.5MM+ to make a deal work. They could offer Norris Cole, James Jones, and a draft pick, but the Nuggets probably wouldn't have much use for Cole or Jones' contract, which includes a player option for next season.
Mozgov has also been linked to the Timberwolves, Knicks, and Bobcats this week.
Bobcats Discussed Timofey Mozgov, J.J. Hickson
The Bobcats engaged in talks with the Nuggets for Timofey Mozgov and the Trail Blazers for J.J. Hickson, but neither discussion gained any traction, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Wojnarowski reports that Gerald Henderson would have been an outgoing piece for Charlotte in both scenarios.
This isn't the first time we've heard about the Bobcats attempting to deal from their shooting guard depth in an effort to land a big man — the club reportedly explored a Ben Gordon/Kris Humphries swap with the Nets, though those talks didn't get serious. Gordon and Humphries both have one more expensive season remaining on their contracts, while Henderson, Mozgov, and Hickson are all on expiring deals.
Despite the fact that Mozgov and Hickson are heading for free agency this summer, it appears neither player will come cheap in a trade. The Nuggets reportedly turned down an offer from the Timberwolves for Mozgov that included a first-round pick. Meanwhile, Hickson has the ability to veto any trade, so it's probably unlikely that he'd be willing to give up his Bird Rights to be sent to the NBA's worst team.
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.
Knicks Inquired On Timofey Mozgov
As tomorrow's trade deadline approaches, the Knicks are debating whether they'll try to add another big man or roll the dice with Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby and their nagging health concerns. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, one potential target the Knicks inquired on is Nuggets big man Timofey Mozgov.
Mozgov, 26, is a former Knick, having been part of the deadline deal two years ago that sent Carmelo Anthony to New York. The big man, who has fallen out of the Nuggets' regular rotation in the last year of his contract, is drawing interest from a number of teams besides the Knicks.
While the Nuggets are receiving calls on Mozgov, multiple reports have indicated that they're unlikely to move him unless they're blown away by an offer. According to a report last night, Denver has already turned down a proposal from the Timberwolves that included Brandon Roy and a first-round pick.
Given the Nuggets' asking price, I'd be surprised if the Knicks could put together an acceptable package for Mozgov. Whether or not they land him now though, the Knicks plan to target Mozgov in free agency this summer, according to Berman.
Rudy Gay Talks Grizzlies’ Exit, Raptors’ Future
Before the Grizzlies traded Rudy Gay to the Raptors last month, one avenue they explored was a deal with the Nuggets, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. Tomasson tweets that Denver turned down an offer that would have involved sending Danilo Gallinari to Memphis in a deal for Gay. All parties involved seem happy with the way things eventually turned out, and Sam Amick of USA Today spoke to Gay about the forward's exit from Memphis and the deal that sent him to Toronto. Here are the highlights from the conversation:
On telling a Toronto radio station that he missed "nothing" about Memphis:
"Obviously that was just out of a little bit of anger. There were a lot of people in Memphis and a lot of relationships I left in Memphis that I'll always have. I'm so thankful for the city doing what they've done for me up until now."
On whether he saw the trade coming:
"It was a total shock to me. I never went to any of (the new management) and told them that I wanted to be traded. I've never done that. The summer before, I did. I said this team has a chance to be a competitor in the West, and we're going to be good, but if you plan on doing anything – this is the summer before – I said I want to express to you that I may be wanting to move on."
On why he expressed an openness to a trade last summer:
"It was a post-dominated team, and I didn't get a chance to have a guy who you could say was a stone-cold guy who you went to all the time. A couple games it'd be Marc [Gasol], then it'd be me, and then it'd be Zach [Randolph], you know what I mean? So at that point, I was like, 'I want to see what I can do with an open floor.' And I got that (in Toronto), but as long as we were winning, I'd like to see myself as a great teammate. And as long as we're winning, I'll do whatever, just be on the perimeter and open the floor for the big fellas, then that's what I'll do."
On staying in Toronto long-term:
"I've played six games. I don't know about (re-signing), but I love the organization. I possibly could be here for the rest of my career, but who knows."
On the Raptors' outlook:
"I'm excited about this team — excited about the possibilities of how good we can be. It was kind of a mixture of feelings when it first happened, getting traded and not knowing anything and one day thinking you're competing for a championship and the next day you're getting shipped off somewhere. It was a mixture of feelings… and now I've just got to embrace where I'm at. I'm happy I'm a Raptor right now…. I want to see this team be a good team, to be a playoff team again."
Nuggets Turn Down Roy, Draft Pick For Mozgov
According to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nuggets have rebuffed an offer from the Timberwolves that would have sent Brandon Roy and a first-round draft pick to Denver in exchange for center Timofey Mozgov.
Roy has been reportedly included in many of Minnesota's offers, with hopes that his contract (non-guaranteed for 2013-14) could serve as a selling point to teams looking for financial relief. According to a tweet by Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN in Minneapolis, the offered pick would be from the Grizzlies (owed to Minnesota in this year's draft).
The Timberwolves aren't holding out hope that the 6'6" guard will ever be ready to play in the NBA again, and it is believed that any team interested in taking the former star understands that also. Wojnarowski says that GM David Kahn would be interested in negotiating a buyout, possibly after the trade deadline if Minnesota is unable to include him in a deal.
With the emergence of Kosta Koufos in Denver coupled with the fact that Mozgov is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in July, the Nuggets have been trying to find a suitable trade partner in order to avoid possibly having to match an expensive offer sheet for the Russian center.
Nuggets Likely To Stand Pat Despite Offers
Many teams want to engage the Nuggets in trade talks before the deadline, given Denver's stockpile of versatile players, but GM Masai Ujiri still appears unlikely to make a move, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). That's in line with coach George Karl's comments from a little over a week ago that there's only a slim chance the team will do a deal. The Nuggets have a $13MM trade exception that's the largest among those set to expire at the deadline, so that could be part of the reason teams continue to try to get the Nuggets to rethink their stance.
The Nuggets have hit the All-Star break in fifth place in the Western Conference, but despite a favorable schedule down the stretch, there are doubts about how far the team can go. Though Denver's front office is "projecting calm," the most common prediction that executives from other teams have about the Nuggets' playoff chances is that they'll be eliminated in the second round, as Grantland's Zach Lowe revealed this week.
Denver gauged the Celtics' interest in trading Kevin Garnett, but KG wouldn't waive his no-trade clause to head there. The Nuggets have fielded plenty of calls about Timofey Mozgov, though they appear unlikely to move the soon-to-be restricted free agent unless they get an overwhelming offer. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reported Friday that the Nuggets have interest in J.J. Redick, but conversation about him has dried up of late, since Redick, a free agent this summer, wants to stay in Orlando. Instead, the team could pursue a small-scale deal involving Wilson Chandler, Corey Brewer or Anthony Randolph, Amico wrote.
Mozgov, Brewer and Julyan Stone are the only Nuggets on expiring contracts this year. Andre Iguodala is set to make $16.155MM in the final year of his deal next season, but he has an early-termination option, and whether he exercises that seems likely to be the most significant storyline of the offseason for the Nuggets. He hasn't committed one way or the other, but he's expressed a desire to stick around in Denver.
Amico On Smith, Nets, Nuggets, Sixers, Thunder
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio has just published a piece rounding up a few of the latest trade rumblings from around the NBA, so let's dive in and tackle the highlights….
- Josh Smith is viewed by Amico's sources as a near-lock to be moved, though there's no consensus on where he'll be headed. The Nets, Suns, and Mavericks are mentioned as potential destinations, with the Spurs in the mix as well.
- One source isn't so sure the Hawks will move Smith by next Thursday: "They won’t just give the guy away. (Smith) is practically an All-Star. You can deal with the contract situation later."
- The Nets haven't completely given up on the idea of making a play for Dwight Howard, but they'd likely need to get a third team involved. I'd consider that one a real long shot.
- While the Nuggets are fairly content with their roster at the moment, they could explore a smaller move involving someone like Wilson Chandler, Corey Brewer, or Anthony Randolph. Denver has some interest in J.J. Redick, but Amico says conversations have "all but disappeared after he indicated he wants to stay with the Magic."
- The Bulls and 76ers have started to get more active in trade talks within the last week.
- The Raptors have engaged the Sixers in trade talks involving Andrea Bargnani, though it's not clear what would be going Toronto's way in a hypothetical deal — Spencer Hawes is one possibility.
- After losing twice to the Heat this season, the Thunder are "strongly considering" making a move to bolster their lineup, according to Amico.
Odds & Ends: Smith, Sixers, Noel, Exceptions
As we've seen, the Josh Smith rumors have been frequent and plentiful. While Smith is aware of the buzz, the veteran forward seems unaffected, reports Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld via a series of tweets. Per Kyler, Smith has asked his family to refrain from bringing up media reports to him since he attempts to block that stuff out. While he is flattered to hear how many teams are interested, Smith's mind is on the present and he says the Hawks have yet to discuss the situation with him. While it certainly looks like there is a solid chance he will be traded, Smith reminds us that his name has been mentioned in rumors before to no avail. (Kyler tweets are listed here)
Smith's Hawks are in Orlando tonight – one of 12 games on the NBA schedule on Wednesday. Let's round up all the odds and ends from around the league here for the night:
- The Sixers are not interested in trading Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner for Josh Smith, tweets the Philadelphia Inquirer's John Mitchell, citing two league sources. Philly has reportedly been dangling that duo and may be considered sleepers in the Smith sweepstakes.
- Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times tweets that he keeps hearing Smith will end up as a member of the Celtics.
- In light of the news that Nerlens Noel suffered a torn ACL on Tuesday, Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld drops the Kentucky freshman to No. 4 in his mock draft. Similar to what we heard from Jeff Goodman earlier, Koutroupis suspects that Noel will remain in this year's draft despite the injury, referencing the strength of next year's field. To me, since Noel will likely miss a sizeable chunk of next year with the Wildcats if he were to stay in school, it makes more sense to leave and rehabilitate his knee under NBA trainers if he can go anywhere in the top 10.
- Several general managers still consider Noel a top-5 pick, while one has him slipping to between 10-12 if he comes out, tweets SI's Chris Mannix. Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader, quoting Draft Express' Jonathan Givony, writes that the prevailing wisdom is that Noel is still a lock for the top-5. Givony believes Noel could still go No. 1 overall. Roberts adds that young NBA players that have suffered similar injuries have not had long term effects.
- In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Bradford Doolittle points to the Nuggets ($13MM), Magic ($17.8MM), Grizzlies ($7.5MM) and Bulls ($5MM) as teams with Traded Player Exceptions worth $5MM or more. The Nuggets may just have the urgency (their exception expires March 15) and the ability (it's large enough to acquire a significant piece) to make utilizing their exception worth it, Doolittle says. While Memphis is likely to use their modest exception, Orlando and Chicago will likely refrain.
D-League Moves: Pittman, Miller, Stone
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page:
- Dexter Pittman has been recalled from the D-League by the Heat, according to a team release. Pittman averaged 9.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG in three games during his most recent stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
- The Nuggets have recalled Quincy Miller and Julyan Stone from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. While Miller has averaged 11.3 PPG for the Iowa Energy in 23 D-League games, Stone struggled during his stint with the club, going scoreless in his last four contests. Neither player figures to see much action with the Nuggets, but they'll provide depth for tonight's game in Brooklyn, particularly if Andre Iguodala, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and JaVale McGee remain sidelined.