Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Blazers, Fisher, Kaman, Rockets

March 17th, 2012 at 12:50pm CST by Zachary Links

If you've gotten a little too caught up in March Madness, don't worry. We'll get you caught up with a look at what's happening around the Association ..

After dealing Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace at the deadline, Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld.com wonders what's next for the Blazers.
The Wizards would be willing to accommodate Brian Cook if he wishes to play elsewhere, a league source told Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Cook’s agent Mark Bartelstein said on Saturday the two sides will likely engage in buyout discussions this week.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is sad to see longtime teammate Derek Fisher leave, writes Dave Menamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Rockets will likely buy out Fisher's contract, but the new Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits the veteran from rejoining the Lakers.
Hornets General Manager Dell Demps now says that the club is open to offering center Chris Kaman an extension at the end of the season, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Kaman's name was involved in trade talks but ultimately wound up staying put. It's still possible that the Hornets could buy out the big man, allowing him to latch on with a contender.
General Manager Joe Dumars said that the Pistons stood pat at the trade deadline because there were no quality offers on the table, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Plenty of deals were put in front of Dumars but none of them were enticing enough for him to pull the trigger.
The Rockets' moves at the trade deadline were solid but the club didn't make the kind of blockbuster that some were expecting, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Commissioner David Stern & the NBA did a tremendous job facilitating the new lease agreement between the Hornets and the state of Louisiana, writes John DeShazier of the Times Picayune. The new deal will keep the Hornets in New Orleans through 2024.

Spurs Close To Signing Patrick Mills

March 16th, 2012 at 3:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs are finalizing a contract with former Blazers guard Patrick Mills, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated tweets that it will be a two-year deal.

Amick adds via Twitter that the deal will include a player option in the second year, worth about $1MM. The Blazers renounced Mills' rights this morning, the team confirmed via Twitter.

According to a tweet from Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, the Pistons also wanted to sign Mills. The Rockets were interested in the guard, too, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported earlier today. The Spurs were also reportedly interested in Derek Fisher, whom the Rockets are rumored to be buying out. San Antonio was searching for a point guard after the abrupt retirement of T.J. Ford this week, who was subsequently shipped to Golden State for financial reasons in the Stephen Jackson-Richard Jefferson deal. The Warriors have waived Ford, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Mills, a 2009 second-round pick out of St. Mary's College, averaged 5.1 points and 1.5 assists in two seasons as a backup in Portland. He signed with a Chinese team earlier this season, but has received FIBA clearance to join an NBA team.

Failed Deals: Nets, Bucks, Kaman, Pistons

March 16th, 2012 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after yesterday's trade deadline, we rounded up a few near-deals that didn't quite get done. Reports continue to trickle out about offers that were turned down and trades that were close, so let's cover a few more:

Appearing on KNBR in San Francisco, Ric Bucher of ESPN.com reported that the Nets offered Brook Lopez to the Bucks for Monta Ellis shortly after Milwaukee acquired Ellis from Golden State (hat tip to RealGM.com). Unsuprisingly, the Bucks turned it down, according to Bucher.
Bucher added that the Warriors could have acquired Chris Kaman from the Hornets in exchange for Brandon Rush, Kwame Brown's expiring contract, and a second-round pick, but chose to land Bogut instead (link via RealGM).
The Pistons were also in on Kaman, offering the Hornets one of their big contracts along with a future first-round pick, says Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Ben Gordon is the only Piston whose contract would've worked in a one-for-one deal.
After turning down that offer, the Hornets countered with Carl Landry for Jason Maxiell and an unprotected 2012 first-rounder, says Goodwill. The Pistons rejected that one.

Trade Rumors: Hinrich, Pierce, Pistons, Crawford

March 15th, 2012 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA's 2:00pm trade deadline is upon us, but teams who are close to deals could still be given a little leeway to finalize things. Here are a few of the latest rumors:

Kirk Hinrich will remain a Hawk through the deadline, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Hawks and Bobcats will stand pat, says Steve Kyler of Hoops World (Twitter link).
Interest in Paul Pierce picked up today, but a deal isn't likely because the Celtics' asking price is too high, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
The Pistons received and made phone calls, but likely won't make a deadline deal, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Joe Freeman of The Oregonian tweets that the Blazers are still working on a Jamal Crawford trade, but a deal doesn't look likely, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).

Wizards Still Shopping McGee, Blatche

March 15th, 2012 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards president is still pursuing trades and a source with knowledge of the situation tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that the Wizards may strike a pre-deadline deal.

A league source tells Lee that Washington's demands for McGee are "reasonable," as the Wizards are seeking an NBA starter. However, the Wizards are having problems matching McGee's modest $2.5MM salary in any deal without involving players like Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche who understandably aren't drawing much interest.

Teams have been reluctant to even listen to pitches involving Blatche, says Lee. The Wizards tried to engage the Pistons on Blatche in recent weeks, but were quickly rebuffed.

Pistons Have Turned Down Offers For Daye

March 14th, 2012 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have turned down trade offers for Austin Daye, including a couple from Western Conference teams, according to Vince Goodwill of the Detroit News (on Twitter).

Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported today that the Pistons have been shopping Daye "all day every day," but that not many teams are biting. If Detroit has turned down offers for the 23-year-old, presumably there's a disparity between the Pistons' asking price and the packages being offered.

Daye, the 15th overall pick in 2009, has fallen out of the Pistons' rotation in recent weeks, playing less than 10 total minutes in three games over the last month.

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.

Central Notes: Bulls, Pistons, Sessions

March 14th, 2012 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have already made a big splash, and may not be done dealing, but other Central Division teams don't seem to be expecting much activity before tomorrow's deadline. Here's the latest out of the division:

The Bulls aren't expected to make any major moves before the deadline, a source tells Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times. It seems that re-signing Mike James may be the biggest move Chicago makes this week.
No trades are imminent for the Pistons, says coach Lawrence Frank. Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press says Detroit would love to move the Ben Gordon or Charlie Villanueva contracts if they could find a taker.
Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer makes an argument for why the Cavaliers should trade Ramon Sessions, noting that it wouldn't necessarily ruin the team's playoff chances. The Magic are the latest team to be linked to Sessions.

Amico On Jamison, Pistons, Evans, Calderon

March 12th, 2012 at 7:15pm CST by Michael Pina

In his latest column updating us on a few rumors from around the league, Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com had a conversation with Cleveland forward Antawn Jamison about the likelihood he could be moved before Thursday's deadline. Traded four times in his 14-year career, the veteran believes that with the Cavaliers currently sitting just a game behind New York for the eighth and final playoff spot, that the team will keep him instead of making a move just to save money. Jamison's name has been mentioned in trade speculation with Charlotte, Atlanta, and New Orleans, Amico said, but the 35-year-old is firm in believing he'll stay put.

With his team now in the hunt for a playoff seed, Detroit GM Joe Dumars has "probably called every team twice" looking for a move that could improve the Pistons. Young standouts Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight are the team's only two players who're off the table.
Of all the popular names being discussed in a deadline deal—including Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, and Monta Ellis—Toronto's Jose Calderon is the most likely to be dealt. I believe a team like the Lakers would be prime to acquire the sure-handed point guard (Calderon leads the NBA in assist to turnover ratio) who's a career 38.1% shooter from the three-point line and has familiarity playing with Pau Gasol from Spain's national team.
Ever since he fell out of favor in Keith Smart's rotation, Sacramento has been trying to rid themselves of J.J. Hickson. The forward has been one of the league's biggest disappointments this season. The Kings are also apparently open to moving everyone on the roster except for DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus Thornton, which means Tyreke Evans could be available.

Minor Moves: Macklin

March 11th, 2012 at 1:32pm CST by Michael Pina

According to MLive.com's David Mayo, Detroit announced today that they will be sending Vernon Macklin down to the D-league's Fort Wayne Mad Ants. The move is in direct response to Charlie Villanueva's long-delayed return from an ankle injury.

The six-foot, 10-inch Macklin has played 19 games for the Pistons this year, averaging 1.4 PPG and 0.9 RPG in just over 4 MPG.