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Nuggets Waive Ronny Turiaf

March 18th, 2012 at 12:06pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Nuggets have waived center Ronny Turiaf after receiving the former Gonzaga star from the Wizards in the Nene trade that became official on Sunday. Turiaf, was acquired along with JaVale McGee and a second-round pick in a three-team trade with the Wizards and Clippers on March 15. He played four games with the Wizards this season, averaging 1.5 PPG and 3.1 RPG.

The 29-year-old Frenchman has played for the Lakers, Warriors, Knicks and Wizards over the course of his seven-year career. Per the new collective bargaining agreement, Turiaf may not return to the Wizards until after the season. There is no word on whether the former second-round draft pick by the Lakers plans to continue his NBA career or head overseas to play in Europe. 

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Kennedy On Williams, Buyouts, Nets, Magic

March 17th, 2012 at 4:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld chatted with readers this afternoon, and passed along a few intriguing nuggets. Here are the highlights:

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Nuggets Close To Long-Term Deal With Chandler

March 17th, 2012 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 9:34am: The Nuggets and Chandler are making progress as they negotiate a long-term deal, sources to close to the situation tell Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com.  The two sides are hoping to reach an agreement this weekend and Chandler's agent, Chris Luchey, will return to Denver tonight or tomorrow morning to resume talks.

THURSDAY, 4:32pm: The Nuggets and Wilson Chandler are nearing an agreement on a long-term contract for the restricted free agent, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). The Nuggets' trade of Nene earlier today helped the team create future cap flexibility for Chandler.

According to Stein, final parameters for the deal are still being discussed, but one scenario has Chandler earning $30MM over five years, with a team option for the fifth year.

Chandler and agent Chris Luchey had set a Friday deadline for negotiations with the Nuggets. If the two sides haven't reached a deal by then, Chandler intends to play in Italy for the rest of the season. Sitting out the season would enable the forward to be a restricted free agent again this summer, when more teams have the cap space to bid on him.

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Reaction To Clippers, Nuggets, Wizards Deal

March 16th, 2012 at 8:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

There were several components to yesterday's three-team deal between the Clippers, Nuggets and Wizards, but each team seems pleased with the centerpieces of the swap.

The Clippers are welcoming Nick Young with open arms as they plan to slide him into the starting shooting guard spot after last night's embarrassing loss to a Suns team that was without Steve Nash and Grant Hill. GM Neil Olshey had been working on the deal for 10 days but didn't expect it to happen, as he told Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld.

“I was actually surprised," Olshey said. "I didn’t think there was any way we would be able to acquire a player like Nick Young for a future second round pick.”

To be precise, the Clippers sent Brian Cook to Washington as well as a 2015 second-rounder.

One part of the deal amounted to an exchange of big men, with Nene going to Washington and JaVale McGee heading to Denver. Both sides were apparently glad to get rid of them, according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix (All Twitter links).

Mannix says several Nuggets were upset about Nene's contract negotiations, which dragged on past the start of the truncated training camp this year, and felt they contributed to what's been an off year for him so far. Yesterday, Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post also cited Nene's lack of readiness for the season. After signing a five-year, $65MM deal, injuries limited Nene to playing in just 28 of Denver's 43 games prior to the trade. He averaged 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, numbers that were fairly similar to last year's 14.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG, but his 16.8 PER was significantly lower than the 20.4 he posted in 2010/11. Mannix also heard that the move was in part prompted by the play of rookie Kenneth Faried, who has taken advantage of the absense of Nene and others and averaged 10.6 PPG and 8.1 RPG in March.

The Wizards, meanwhile, were "thrilled" to get rid of McGee, Mannix notes, before having to worry about re-signing the restricted free agent in the summer. McGee reportedly said he plans to ask for $14MM a year. 

 

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Nuggets Plan To Waive Ronny Turiaf

March 16th, 2012 at 8:37am CST by Luke Adams

With the Nuggets closing in on a long-term contract for Wilson Chandler, the team intends to waive Ronny Turiaf to clear a roster spot, according to GM Masai Ujiri (via Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post).

Turiaf was acquired from the Wizards yesterday in the three-team blockbuster that also sent JaVale McGee to Denver, with Nene heading to Washington. Turiaf had to be included in the deal to make the salaries match up, but clearly isn't a part of the Nuggets' plans. Assuming he's waived within the next few days, Turiaf should have the opportunity to clear waivers and join another team in search of a big man — if he signs eslewhere before next Friday, he would be eligible to play in the postseason for his new club.

Chandler, meanwhile, says he hopes to finalize his deal soon and join the team Sunday or Monday: "I’ve been back for over a month. It’s been tough sitting out and watching the games. Hopefully I can end it soon" (Twitter links via Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com).

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Hollinger On Deadline Deals

March 15th, 2012 at 8:35pm CST by Sean Highkin

ESPN.com's John Hollinger has posted grades for every trade that took place today. The post is only available to ESPN Insider subscribers, but here are the highlights:

  • The Nuggets were smart to shed Nene's contract, even if trading for JaVale McGee is a risk.
  • However, Hollinger views the Wizards' acquisition of Nene is an overreaction to McGee's contract demands.
  • For the Clippers, Hollinger doesn't believe Nick Young is a perfect solution, but that he's worth the risk since they didn't have to give up any significant assets.
  • Hollinger praises the Blazers' rebuilding effort in the Gerald Wallace trade, although he has reservations about the players they got back from Houston for Marcus Camby.
  • He doesn't think the Nets made a smart move giving up a lottery pick for short-term help when they risk losing Deron Williams at the end of the season.
  • Hollinger likes the Rockets' acquisition of Camby as a short-term pick-up to help them make a playoff run.
  • The Warriors' acquisition of Richard Jefferson is counterproductive to their efforts to tank for a draft pick, Hollinger writes. However, he praises the Spurs for shedding Jefferson's contract for Stephen Jackson's shorter one.
  • Hollinger questions the Cavaliers for taking on Luke Walton's expensive contract while giving up Ramon Sessions, but loves the deal for the Lakers, as Sessions is a massive upgrade at point guard over Derek Fisher and Steve Blake.
  • Hollinger likes the Sam Young acquisition for the 76ers, and while he doesn't believe losing him will shift the Grizzlies' playoff hopes one way or another, he questions whether it was necessary to shed him simply for cap reasons.
  • He sees the Leandro Barbosa trade as a low-risk deal for both the Raptors and Pacers, giving Indiana immediate help at shooting guard while freeing up room for other players to get more minutes in Toronto.
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Recap Of Trade Deadline Deals

March 15th, 2012 at 5:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

Here's the complete list of trades that took place this week leading up to the trade deadline earlier today:

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Nuggets, Wizards, Clips Agree To Three-Way Deal

March 15th, 2012 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

4:55pm: Lee clarifies (via Twitter) that the Hornets' pick heading to the Wizards is a 2015 selection. Lee also reports that Young was initially supposed to go to the Nuggets in the deal, but declined to surrender his Bird rights to go to Denver (Twitter link).

4:42pm: The draft pick the Clippers are sending to Washington is the second-round pick they acquired from the Hornets, so it should be an early second-rounder, tweets Michael Lee.

2:38pm: The Clippers have acquired Nick Young from the Wizards as part of a three-team trade, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, JaVale McGee is heading to Denver and Nene will go to Washington (Twitter link). Ronny Turiaf will also head to the Nuggets, with Brian Cook going to the Wizards, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post. The Wizards will receive a future second-round pick from the Clippers, says Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

For the Nuggets, the deal seems intended to create future cap flexibility. Ken Berger of CBS Sports hears Denver had been experiencing some "buyer's remorse" about Nene's long-term deal (Twitter link). The future cap space created could make the Nuggets more inclined to increase their offer to restricted free agent Wilson Chandler before his self-imposed Friday deadline.

The Wizards acquire what appears to be their center of the future in Nene. Presumably, amidst reports that McGee would seek $14MM annually in free agency this summer, Washington decided to acquire a big man they felt was worth that sort of commitment. Nene has four years and $52MM remaining on his contract after this season.

The Clippers, meanwhile, use the $3.8MM trade exception they received by trading Eric Gordon to absorb Young's salary. For the low cost of Cook and a second-rounder, they've added a two guard to help in a potential postseason run. Young has the ability to veto any trade he's involved in, but multiple reports have suggested he appears willing to approve this deal.

TNT's David Aldridge first tweeted that the Wizards and Nuggets were "in serious talks" about a deal involving Young, McGee, and Hilario.

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Failed Deals: Beasley, Crawford, Allen, Pierce

March 15th, 2012 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

You've read about the trades that were completed prior to the deadline, but there were also plenty of moves that didn't quite work out. Here are a few that have been reported so far:

  • The Lakers had been in talks to acquire Michael Beasley in a deal that would've sent Jamal Crawford and Derek Fisher to the Timberwolves, with Dallas' first-round pick going to the Blazers, says Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (on Twitter).
  • Crawford also could've gone to the Lakers, but the Blazers didn't want to take on Derek Fisher, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
  • Before they acquired Nick Young, the Clippers talked extensively with the Rockets about trading for Courtney Lee, tweets Sam Amick of SI.com.
  • The Clippers were also "this close" from acquiring Ray Allen, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
  • The Celtics had serious talks with several teams about both Allen and Paul Pierce, but nothing came together, says Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
  • Another interesting tidbit from Amick: He says the Nuggets tried to engage the Kings on Nene/DeMarcus Cousins swap about a month ago, but the Kings weren't interested (Twitter links).
  • The Bucks made a "strong late push" for the Hornets' Carl Landry, but couldn't work anything out, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
  • GM Otis Smith told John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com that the Magic explored many deals to bring in help around Dwight Howard, but that the risk/reward factor didn't make sense (Twitter link).
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Broussard On Pierce, Brooks, Curry, McGee, Daye

March 14th, 2012 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Chris Broussard has a ton of trade rumors in today's Insider-only piece. You can read his major update on Dwight Howard here, but let's dive into the rest of his rumors….

  • The Celtics offered Paul Pierce to the Blazers, though Broussard isn't sure who else would've been involved in the deal. Portland wasn't interested in Boston's proposal.
  • The Clippers are reluctant to trade Eric Bledsoe for Jamal Crawford because they believe Crawford will opt out of his contract at season's end, and Bledsoe will have more value at draft time, since there won't be many point guards available.
  • Ramon Sessions is unlikely to be moved unless the Cavaliers can get a first-round pick. Cleveland would try to trade for Jonny Flynn if they moved Sessions, though the Spurs have also expressed interest in Flynn.
  • The Cavs are also in talks with the Hornets about swapping Antawn Jamison for Emeka Okafor and a first-round pick.
  • Aaron Brooks is drawing interest from the Blazers and Kings, though the Suns hope to re-sign him. When Brooks returns from China, he can only sign with Phoenix. If he doesn't sign anywhere this season, he becomes a restricted free agent again this summer.
  • A second-round pick is likely all it would take for the Hornets to move Chris Kaman.
  • The Warriors preferred to deal Stephen Curry rather than Monta Ellis, but Curry's ongoing ankle issues hurt his trade value.
  • Broussard hears JaVale McGee will be seeking a contract worth $14MM annually this summer. Good luck with that, JaVale.
  • Wilson Chandler is seeking a deal starting at $7MM, which the Nuggets feel is too high, since that amount won't be prorated this season — Denver would prefer to start around $5MM.
  • The Pistons are shopping Austin Daye "all day every day" but not many teams are biting.
  • The Grizzlies would like to move Sam Young to get below the luxury tax line.
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