Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Rumors: Jackson, Knicks, Smith

July 6th, 2015 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Reggie Jackson shakes off skepticism about the contract he agreed to with the Pistons and believes he’ll prove to be a bargain, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports. Jackson will become the highest-paid player in team history when he signs the five-year, $80MM contract that was hammered out on Sunday night. He was a backup behind Russell Westbrook with the Thunder until the Pistons acquired him as their starting floor leader at the trade deadline. “It’s a small sample size; I understand people see the small size and all that,” Jackson said to Ellis. “A lot of these players getting deals have been starters their whole career and are hitting game-winning shots and other things like that. In about two or three years I hope everybody says Reggie Jackson is underpaid.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

The Knicks may offer their $2.814MM room exception for teams under the cap to Alexey Shved, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. According to the source, Shved, who played 16 games with the Knicks last season, has two other NBA teams interested as well a handful of European offers, a source told Berman. Veterans Caron Butler and Willie Green are two other players that the club is considering with its room exception, Berman adds.
J.R. Smith wants a three-year commitment from the team on his next deal, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Haynes seconds the notion that Smith is unlikely to end up re-signing with the Cavs, as it seems like Cleveland doesn’t want to invest long-term in him. The Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto wrote earlier that Smith “pretty much signed his exit papers” from Cleveland when he opted out. But Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that the team has not abandoned its pursuit of Smith and desires to keep the 2014/15 core intact.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd and GM John Hammond denied a report that Kidd would take over the team’s operations, Tamira Madsen of the Associated Press reports. The report from onmilwaukee.com also claimed Hammond would be reassigned within the Bucks organization or possibly leave the team but Kidd told the AP that was false. “There is no friction, there is no announcement,” Kidd said.

And-Ones: Drummond, Farmar, Mekel

July 6th, 2015 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons could reap greater cap flexibility for next summer if they wait until then to sign Andre Drummond as a restricted free agent instead of giving him an extension this summer, but the team will leave that choice to the Jeff Schwartz client, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Drummond reportedly wants an extension, so it would seem it’s a strong bet he’ll end up with one before the October 31st rookie scale extension deadline. Here’s more from around the NBA and related circles:

Jordan Farmar has signed with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team announced (hat tip to David Pick of Eurobasket.com). Agent Tony Dutt searched for NBA deals for the point guard who spent part of last season with the Clippers, but found nothing, as Pick hears (Twitter link).
Maccabi Tel Aviv management pushed for the deal with Farmar, while the coaches were higher on former Mavs and Pelicans point guard Gal Mekel, according to Pick, who earlier reported that Mekel and the team had a verbal agreement on a three-year deal with NBA out clauses (Twitter links). However, fellow Israeli club Hapoel Jerusalem is still pursuing Mekel, who remains in talks with teams from the NBA and Europe, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss clarified in a radio appearance on KPCC-FM last week that this past year was the first on brother Jim Buss‘ three-year window to guide the team to at least the Western Conference Finals, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com details. Jim Buss would resign his job as executive VP of basketball operations if the Lakers aren’t back to that point by the end of the 2016/17 season, his sister said.
The Lakers, Heat, Knicks, Suns and Pelicans have expressed interest in Justin Hamilton, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). The Timberwolves elected not to retain the right to match offers for him when they decided against making a qualifying offer.
Serge Ibaka failed to meet an incentive worth $100K this past season, so his cap hit for the Thunder for this coming season shrinks by that amount, to $12.25MM, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). That’s unlikely to matter for the Thunder, who are expected to be well above the cap and exceed the tax line. Ibaka’s salary for tax purposes will be determined based on the bonuses that he either triggers or doesn’t trigger this coming season, whereas last season’s figures only affect his cap number.
The Nuggets are hiring German national team coach Chris Fleming, former Magic assistant Wes Unseld Jr., and Kings assistants Ryan Bowen and Micah Nori as assistants to new head coach Michael Malone, reports Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. They’ll join Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney, who’s also reportedly joining the Denver coaching staff.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Stoudemire, Hollins, Rivers

July 5th, 2015 at 12:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The agreement to trade for Roy Hibbert caps another dismal free agent season for the Lakers, according to Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. L.A. passed on Jahlil Okafor in the draft because team officials were confident they could land a big man through free agency, he writes. But LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Greg Monroe all chose to go elsewhere. Bresnahan notes that the pattern of free agents turning down the Lakers began with Dwight Howard two years ago and has included Carmelo Anthony and Pau Gasol.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

Outside of money, the Lakers don’t have much to offer free agents, writes J.A. Adande of ESPN.com. That was evidenced by the team’s disastrous first presentation to Aldridge, which reportedly focused more on the off-court advantages of Los Angeles than on basketball matters, Adande claims. Teams need to have good players to attract great players, he states, and the Lakers are struggling to reach the first step.
Amar’e Stoudemire was expected to speak with Clippers President of Basketball Operations Doc Rivers Saturday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The forward has interest in several teams, including the Clippers, Mavericks and Pacers, Wojnarowski adds. The Clippers have roughly $2.2MM in exception space left to sign a player beyond the league minimum.
The Clippers have had conversations about bringing Ryan Hollins back, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Hollins played for Doc Rivers when he coached in Boston as well as in his first season as the coach of the Clippers.
Austin Rivers will probably be a late signing for the Clippers, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Los Angeles has limited Bird Rights on the free agent guard and can offer up to $3,110,796MM per season, which Washburn speculates will be the best he receives in a shrinking market.
Justin Holiday is unlikely to return to the Warriors, Washburn writes in the same story. The free agent guard will probably leave the defending champs to seek more playing time.
In addition to the Kings‘ max offer, Tobias Harris also received interest from the Celtics, Pistons, Pelicans and Grizzlies, among others, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. The Lakers and Knicks were not among the teams to reach out to Harris, Kennedy adds (Twitter link).

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Central Notes: James, Jackson, Bucks

July 4th, 2015 at 8:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James won’t begin contract talks with the Cavaliers until negotiations with Tristan Thompson are completed, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Cleveland is trying to reach a new deal with the 24-year-old, but talks are currently stalled. Thompson and the Cavaliers discussed a deal this week worth more than $80MM.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Free agent guard Reggie Jackson was part of the crowd for the Pistons‘ summer league opener today in Orlando, writes Terry Foster of The Detroit News. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said there is no indication Jackson is negotiating with other teams and the team hopes to meet with him soon to work out a new contract. He took Jackson’s presence today as a positive step. “It is a sign he wants to be here,” Van Gundy said.
After they agreed to terms with Greg Monroe earlier this week, Zach Lowe of Grantland believes the Bucks will look to trade away one of their frontcourt players.
The agreement between Khris Middleton and the Bucks came together so fast that other teams didn’t even get a real chance to speak with the 23-year-old, Lowe writes in a separate piece.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post

Atlantic Notes: Carroll, Crowder, Stauskas

July 3rd, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

DeMarre Carroll said the Raptors “blew me away” when the team came to meet him to make the pitch that ultimately yielded their four-year, $60MM deal, and he canceled meetings with the Pistons, Suns and Knicks, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. The Pistons were willing to give the forward $14MM a year, but Toronto countered with its offer to outbid them, a source said to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

Here’s the latest out of the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks were one of the teams in pursuit of Jae Crowder before he re-signed with the Celtics, league sources told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
The Sixers planned to select Nik Stauskas with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but were beaten to the punch by the Kings, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Philly ended up selecting Elfrid Payton before dealing him to the Magic for the draft rights to Dario Saric, Pompey adds. The Sixers are poised to acquire the shooting guard from Sacramento.
Philly GM Sam Hinkie‘s waiting game may end up working to the Sixers‘ advantage, Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. With the NBA salary cap set to increase over the coming seasons, there will be far more teams with cap space than without, and Philadelphia’s stockpiling of draft picks and young assets could give the franchise an advantage, Sielski notes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Harris, Barea, Matthews

July 1st, 2015 at 11:38pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jamal Crawford (Clippers), Jon Leuer (Suns) and Anthony Tolliver (Pistons) had their salaries fully guaranteed when they remained on their respective rosters Tuesday, as the schedule of salary guarantee dates indicates, along with Robert Sacre (Lakers) and Chris Kaman (Blazers), as we previously noted. Matt Barnes (Grizzlies) joins that group today, while Langston Galloway (Knicks) and Markel Brown (Nets) pick up partial guarantees of $220K and $100K, respectively. Cory Jefferson was originally thought to have a partial guarantee coming his way if he stuck on the Nets roster through today, but he’ll remain non-guaranteed until July 15th, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the league:

The Magic would not be willing to match a max salary offer sheet to restricted free agent forward Tobias Harris, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe relays (Twitter link). The Hawks could be a potential suitor, though Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders noted previously that Atlanta’s level of interest in Harris was dependent on how the team’s pursuit of its own free agents, DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap, went. Millsap is reportedly set to ink a three-year, $58MM pact with Atlanta, and Carroll is on his way to the Raptors after inking a four-year, $60MM contract.
Free agent point guard J.J. Barea is leaning toward signing with the Heat, David Aldridge of TNT tweets. Barea appeared in 77 games for the Mavs last season, averaging 7.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 17.7 minutes per contest.
The Raptors and the Mavericks are still battling over free agent Wesley Matthews, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. Toronto is still in on Matthews despite signing Carroll, Stein notes.
The Wizards have expressed interest in free agent swingman Alan Anderson, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post tweets.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Wright, Asik, Crowder, Lin

July 1st, 2015 at 9:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In the wake of losing free agent big man Tyson Chandler to the Suns, the Mavericks reached out to center Brandan Wright, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com tweets. Wright, whom the team dealt as part of the package to acquire Rajon Rondo from the Celtics last season, agreed to a three year, $18MM deal with the Grizzlies earlier this evening. Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Pelicans are in discussions with free agent Omer Asik about the center re-signing with the team, John Reid of The Times Picayune tweets. Blazers‘ free agent big man Robin Lopez doesn’t appear to be an option for New Orleans at this point, Reid adds.
The Mavericks are intent on adding depth at point guard this offseason, and were one of the first teams to reach out to free agent Jeremy Lin, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). Dallas has also touched base with Patrick Beverley, J.J. Barea, and Nick Calathes, Tim MacMahon tweets.
The Clippers and Mavericks are among the teams that have expressed interest in free agent point guard C.J. Watson, Kennedy relays (Twitter link).
The Mavericks and the Celtics are the frontrunners to sign free agent swingman Jae Crowder, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (via Twitter).
The Pelicans and Mavs have both been in contact with free agent forward Richard Jefferson, Chris Mannix of SI.com relays (on Twitter).
The Rockets are intent on re-signing Corey Brewer, and Houston was the first team to contact the swingman when the free agent signing period commenced, Kennedy tweets.
The Pelicans, Rockets, and Knicks have expressed interest in unrestricted free agent center Kendrick Perkins, Royce Young of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
Denver’s top priorities in free agency are to re-sign Jameer Nelson and Will Barton, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. The Nuggets are strong contenders for Nelson, and the general expectation is that they’ll keep Barton, as Dempsey details. The team would also like to re-sign Darrell Arthur but expects the Pistons, among others, to make a run at him, Dempsey writes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Davis, Shumpert, Brewer, Hill

July 1st, 2015 at 8:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers are set to ink Paul Pierce to a three year, $10MM deal, which will eliminate a major roster weakness of a season ago. Los Angeles is also looking at Wesley Johnson, Jeremy Lin, Corey Brewer, and Willie Green, Sam Amick of USA Today notes (on Twitter). Though it’s not clear if the addition of Pierce will end the Clippers’ potential pursuit of Brewer and Johnson, both of whom can man the three spot.

Here’s more out of the Pacific Division:

The Lakers were one of the first teams to reach out to restricted free agent Iman Shumpert, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. Shumpert is set to ink a four-year, $40MM deal to return to the Cavaliers.
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers has reached out to representatives of free agent Glen Davis, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Davis appeared in 74 games for Los Angeles in 2014/15, averaging 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per contest. Rivers also has been in contact with Caron Butler‘s representatives, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times adds (via Twitter).
If the Kings are unable to land Rajon Rondo, the team could look to sign Brewer, Chris Mannix of SI.com relays (Twitter link). There is some measure of support to ink Brewer within Sacramento’s front office, Mannix adds. Two other teams have contacted Rondo, Mannix adds, though Sacramento still is the frontrunner.
The Clippers’ hope was that re-signing center DeAndre Jordan would aid the team in landing Pierce, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). It’s unclear if the team promised Pierce that Jordan would return, prompting him to sign, or if the veteran decided to join L.A. regardless of whether or not the big man will be his teammate next season.
The Lakers have expressed interest in re-signing center Jordan Hill, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. Hill’s representatives also fielded several calls from other interested teams, Medina adds. Los Angeles declined its $9MM team option on Hill for 2015/16.
The Clippers had checked with Brewer’s representatives if the mini-mid level amount would be enough to sign him, and were told they had no shot at that amount, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
The Kings, Clippers, and the Knicks have all expressed interest in free agent forward Dahntay Jones, Kennedy tweets.
In addition to the Lakers, teams showing interest in free agent Ed Davis are the Knicks, Pistons, Trail Blazers, and Celtics, Medina relays (Twitter link).
Free agent Leandro Barbosa said that he and the Warriors have mutual interest, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group tweets, translating a story from from Folha da Região in Barbosa’s native Brazil.

Blazers Dream Of Aldridge, Greg Monroe Pairing

July 1st, 2015 at 4:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Blazers’ top goal is to sign both LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe, The Oregonian’s Jason Quick reports (Twitter link). Conflicting reports paint a confused picture of whether Portland still has a realistic shot to land Aldridge, but Monroe has the Blazers on a list of four teams with which he plans to meet.

Portland has about $24.9MM in guaranteed salaries on its books, not counting whatever Al-Farouq Aminu would make on his new four-year $30MM deal. A max deal for Aldridge would start at an estimated $18.96MM and a max for Monroe would begin at an estimated $15.8MM, though those figures stand to rise with a new, higher salary cap projection. Assuming those maxes don’t grow too much higher, it would leave just about enough to squeeze in Aminu’s deal, though the Blazers only have seven players on their roster at present, so they would be hit with about $2MM in roster charges plus Aminu’s salary for next season. So, it’s likely the Blazers would either have to clear some salary via trade, buyout, or release via the stretch provision.

In any case, it seems like a long shot, but it does appear to indicate that Monroe is the team’s primary target aside from Aldridge.

Free Agent Rumors: Gasol, Carroll, Green, Lin

July 1st, 2015 at 10:21am CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies and Marc Gasol are likely to reach a deal, as long expected, today or Thursday, as TNT’s David Aldridge hears (Twitter link). Gasol and Grizzlies owner Robert Pera are both in Spain today, working out the details on a new deal, a source tells TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). While we wait for what appears to be an inevitable conclusion for the Arn Tellem client, here’s more from the first day of free agency:

The Pistons are believed to have spoken to DeMarre Carroll overnight, according to Terry Foster of the Detroit News.
New York would reportedly like to meet with Danny Green, and that interest appears mutual, as “anybody turning down a meeting with them would be crazy,” Green said to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I don’t think people are scared of the Knicks,’’ Green said. “They’re rebuilding. … Some guys want to go where they’re already winning. They get a couple of good pieces this summer, I’m sure it’ll attact more guys.’’
Jeremy Lin heard from the Lakers overnight, and the Mavericks, Grizzlies, Pacers, Bulls and Clippers, a league source told Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Still, Lin appears unlikely to re-sign with the Lakers, Media opines on Twitter.
The Lakers reached out to Wayne Ellington overnight, and the Cavaliers, Warriors, Wizards, Spurs and Hawks also showed interest, Medina reports in a separate piece.
Willie Green and the Knicks have engaged in preliminary discussions, speaking twice since free agency began overnight, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.
Mike Dunleavy had no shortage of interest from others, but he’s quite pleased about his new deal with the Bulls, as he expressed to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). “I’m thrilled to be back,” Dunleavy said. “It’s a really fair deal. I’m looking forward to playing for [coach Fred Hoiberg] and love our team.”
The Magic‘s apparent four-year, $80MM offer to Paul Millsap has executives more optimistic that Orlando won’t match offers for restricted free agent Tobias Harris, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com had speculated as much earlier.