Nuggets Plan To Waive Ronny Turiaf
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).
Hollinger On Deadline Deals
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.
Recap Of Trade Deadline Deals
Here's the complete list of trades that took place this week leading up to the trade deadline earlier today:
- On Tuesday, the Warriors sent Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
- The Warriors then flipped Jackson to the Spurs for Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford, and a first-round pick on Thursday.
- The Grizzlies traded Sam Young to the 76ers for the rights to former second-round pick Ricky Sanchez.
- The Pacers acquired Leandro Barbosa from the Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
- The Blazers entered rebuild mode by trading Gerald Wallace to the Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a 2012 first-round draft pick with top-3 protection.
- Portland also sent Marcus Camby to the Rockets for Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, and a second-round pick.
- The Rockets acquired Derek Fisher from the Lakers as well as the Mavericks' 2012 first-round pick (from the Lamar Odom trade) for Jordan Hill.
- The Lakers also traded for Ramon Sessions, sending Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a 2012 first-round pick to the Cavaliers and also receiving Christian Eyenga. The Cavs will also have the ability to swap the Heat's 2013 pick (which they own from the LeBron James sign-and-trade) with the Lakers' pick that year.
- The Nuggets, Wizards, and Clippers agreed to a three-team deal that will send Nene, Brian Cook, and a future second-round draft pick to Washington; Nick Young to the Clippers; and JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver.
Nuggets, Wizards, Clips Agree To Three-Way Deal
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.
Failed Deals: Beasley, Crawford, Allen, Pierce
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).
Broussard On Pierce, Brooks, Curry, McGee, Daye
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.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Chandler, World Peace, Ellis
No trades have been agreed upon yet, but with less than 48 hours remaining until Thursday's trade deadline, it shouldn't be long before we see our first deadline deal of 2012. In the meantime, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA:
- The Cavaliers have expressed interest in former Blazers guard Armon Johnson, tweets Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge. Johnson was waived by Portland to make room for Joel Przybilla.
- Wilson Chandler and agent Chris Luchey are meeting with Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri and team president Josh Kroenke today to discuss a contract for Chandler, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Chandler's self-imposed deadline to work out a deal is Friday.
- Metta World Peace is researching retirement, according to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. Pincus clarifies that World Peace would be using the threat of retirement as leverage if the Lakers amnesty him next season, so he wouldn't be claimed by a team he didn't want to join.
- It doesn't look like a deal will happen, but Zach Lowe of SI.com explains why acquiring Monta Ellis could have been a good basketball move for the Magic.
- ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) and NBA.com's Shaun Powell provide buyer's guides for the trade deadline.
Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Nuggets, Wall, Warriors
A day after losing to the Lakers, the Celtics return to the Staples Center to face the Clippers and try earn one win in Los Angeles. That contest figures to be the highlight of an evening schedule that also includes the Bobcats and Hornets squaring off in a battle of Conference cellar-dwellers. While we wait for the first of tonight's seven games to tip off, let's round up a few odds and ends:
- The Grizzlies have been active in trade talks, but haven't been discussing their primary players, reports Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.
- Zach Lowe of SI.com hears that the Nuggets are being "very quiet" as the trade deadline nears (Twitter link).
- The Wizards' only untouchable player, John Wall talked to Michael Lee of the Washington Post about the team, trade options, and his performance.
- The Monta Ellis vs. Stephen Curry could finally come to an end for the Warriors this week, writes Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. Meanwhile, Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com looks at some centers the Warriors are reportedly pursuing this week.
- Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside examines some D-League players who could benefit from deadline deals and earn NBA contracts in the coming weeks.
- The Clippers have recalled Travis Leslie from the Bakersfield Jam, as Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles writes. Leslie had been assigned to the team's D-League affiliate on March 2nd.
Chandler Sets Friday Deadline For Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are in an advantageous position when it comes to dealing with restricted free agent Wilson Chandler. Until the summer, Chandler has no options other than Denver. The Nuggets, understandably, are taking their time to reach the best deal possible for their organization. According to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy, Chandler has issued a deadline for the Nuggets for this Friday. Some notes from Kennedy's report:
- Chandler has been open to signing a one-year deal, which would make him an unrestricted free agent heading into the summer. The Nuggets are seeking a longer commitment. Since Chandler returned past the March 1st deadline to sign an offer sheet with other teams, the Nuggets remain his only option for playing in the NBA this season. Without competing bids, the Nuggets are the only team setting his market value.
- An artifical deadline set by Chandler essentially has two threats to back it up. He can either sit out the remainder of the season and enter restricted free agency this summer, or he can opt to head overseas until the summer.
- All indications point to Chandler wanting to remain in Denver long-term, and the Nuggets wanting him, which generally means a deal will be completed.
- Some credit must be given to the Nuggets organization for properly utilizing, or at least taking advantage of, restricted free agency. Restricted free agency was a holdover from the previous CBA designed to allow teams to keep their players without going over market value. The problem was so few teams properly used it, opting to overpay their own players before someone else theoretically could. Chandler is a great asset to have, for the right price. The Nuggets are doing a great job of holding the line to ensure they sign him for that.
Northwest Notes: Crawford, Thunder, Nuggets
Despite a rough night for some of its teams, the Northwest Division is the NBA's best division from top to bottom. The 31-9 Thunder trail only the Bulls for the league's best record despite a loss to the Cavs tonight, and the last-place Blazers, at 19-21, are just two games below .500 even though they've been struggling lately. Here's a look around the division:
- Blazers guard Jamal Crawford says if teams who are thinking of trading for him hesitate because they're worried he'll turn down his $5.225MM player option next year, those teams can simply ask him whether he'd like to stay next year, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes tweets that he interprets this as Crawford saying he's open to a trade.
- The Thunder could be in the mix for a backup point guard, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. The team likes Reggie Jackson, but they're not sure if they want to continue to go with the rookie in that role.
- Nuggets.com writer Aaron J. Lopez sat down for an interview with team president Josh Kroenke, son of owner Stan Kroenke. The younger Kroenke says the team is "still in active talks" with restricted free agent Wilson Chandler, and that they're "working hard on trying to add him." Unlike last year, the Nuggets don't need to make a move at the deadline, Kroenke says, though GM Masai Ujiri will be ready should a deal arise.