Latest On Andrew Bynum
Here’s the latest on the NBA’s hottest soon-to-be free agent..
- The Knicks one of a few teams who have not at least made an inquiry into Andrew Bynum, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks may have decided that they have enough interesting personalities on their club as it is.
- Bynum’s preference would be to hook on with the Heat, with the Clippers as his second favorite, a source tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
- It doesn’t sound like the Clippers will be in on Bynum however, write Arash Markazi and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. “I honestly haven’t given it a lot of thought, I can tell you that,” coach Doc Rivers said of searching for a big man. “We’ve had very few discussions about anyone big right now. We’re far more focused on the perimeter part of our team.“
Fallout, Leftover Details From Deng/Bynum Trade
Late last night, the Cavaliers and Bulls struck 2014’s first deal, and arguably the most interesting swap of the ’13/14 season so far, with Chicago sending Luol Deng to Cleveland in exchange for Andrew Bynum‘s contract and several draft picks. In our story on the trade last night, we made note of a few potential ramifications of the deal, including the possibility of the Cavs re-signing Deng in July, and the effect that losing the All-Star forward will have on the Bulls’ chances of a high lottery pick. There are many other leftover details related to the trade to round up though, so let’s dive right in and tackle a few of them….
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last night that Deng turned down a three-year, $30MM extension offer from the Bulls before the team decided to trade him. In his full piece on that news, Woj notes that Chicago was unwilling to go as high as $12-13MM over four or five seasons for the 28-year-old.
- Following up with more details on those extension talks, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link) hears there’s a chance the two sides also discussed a four-year, $40MM contract, while Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets that Deng’s reps may have been looking for a deal in the $15-16MM per year range.
- Although the Bulls will sneak below the tax threshold when they waive Bynum, that move will leave them with 12 players, one short of the league minimum. ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst points out (via Twitter) that adding a player today for the prorated veteran’s minimum would still keep the Bulls below the tax, albeit not by much. Chicago also doesn’t have to add a 13th player immediately, since teams can drop to 12 for up to two weeks at a time, so the club could retain a little flexibility by waiting, then signing players to 10-day contracts.
- More financial details from Windhorst (Twitter link): Chicago’s total payroll and tax savings add up to more than $20MM+, and the Bulls will also receive another $2-3MM when this year’s tax money is dispersed, assuming team payroll remains below the $71.748MM threshold.
- A source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that this likely won’t be the last trade of the season for either the Bulls or the Cavs (Twitter link).
- The Cavs had been trying for “quite some time” to move the Kings‘ first-round pick, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The pick isn’t quite as valuable as Cleveland’s other first-rounders, since its protection, combined with the Kings’ recent futility, could result in it eventually becoming a second-round pick. The first-rounder is top-12 protected this year, then top-10 protected from 2015 to 2017. Lloyd adds that the Cavs tried to give the pick back to Sacramento or loosen the protection in various deals before sending it to Chicago.
- Pau Gasol and the Lakers were connected to the Cavs frequently over the last week, but L.A. remained adamant about receiving a young player or premium pick from Cleveland, which wasn’t going to happen, tweets Amico. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein adds (via Twitter) that acquiring Deng was always the Cavs’ dream scenario, which is why the team was willing to send picks to the Bulls, but not the Lakers.
- According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link), the Lakers still believe they have other ways to get under the luxury tax after not landing Bynum. In my opinion, that’ll be pretty difficult.
- In his trade story at ESPN.com, Windhorst adds the Knicks to the list of teams expected to have interest in Bynum once he clears waivers.
- The Bulls created a modest trade exception in the deal, worth the difference in Deng’s ($14,275,000) and Bynum’s ($12,250,000) salaries: $2,025,000.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News writes that the Cavs completed this trade with Kyrie Irving‘s long-term future in mind, while ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell says that the divorce of Deng and Tom Thibodeau may lead to an adjustment period for both guys over the next few weeks.
Cavaliers Acquire Luol Deng For Bynum, Picks
The Cavaliers and Bulls have reached an agreement on a trade that will send Luol Deng to Cleveland in exchange for Andrew Bynum and draft picks, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter). ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst confirms that the Cavs have acquired Deng (Twitter link), while team owner Dan Gilbert also tweeted confirmation of the deal, welcoming Deng to Cleveland.
According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link), the Bulls will receive a first-round pick and a pair of second-rounders from the Cavs in the swap, in addition to Bynum. The first-rounder will be the Kings’ 2014 pick, which is top-12 protected, while the second-rounders will be Portland’s 2015 and 2016 picks, according to an official release from the Cavs. The Bulls will also have the rights to swap first-rounders with the Cavs in 2015, but only if Cleveland’s pick doesn’t fall in the lottery, tweets Lloyd.
Although the Cavs will surrender a handful of draft picks in the deal, the move fills a giant need for the team, with Deng assuming a starting small forward role that has changed hands several times since LeBron James left for Miami in 2010. The Cavs also find a taker for Bynum, who had fallen out of favor in Cleveland, and was being shopped to the Lakers and Jazz, among other teams. So for now, Pau Gasol and Richard Jefferson will remain in L.A. and Utah, respectively, though both veterans are on expiring deals and could be involved in more trade rumors before February 20th’s deadline.
As for the Bulls, several recent reports had indicated that the team was reluctant to move Deng, still believing that he could be re-signed next summer. However, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), the 28-year-old turned down a three-year, $30MM extension offer from Chicago last week, which was a prelude to this trade. The deal gives the Bulls the opportunity to dip below the tax this season and to add future assets, as well as greatly increasing the odds that the club will land a prime spot in the 2014 draft lottery.
Assuming the Bulls officially waive Bynum on Tuesday, as ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell confirms they will (Twitter link), the team will shed $8.275MM in payroll by paying Bynum’s $6MM guarantee rather than Deng’s $14.275MM salary. According to ShamSports’ salary figures for Chicago, that would reduce team payroll to about $71.01MM, giving the club a little breathing room below the $71.748MM luxury tax line.
The long-term ramifications of the deal will be worth keeping an eye on over the next several months. While the Cavs’ dream scenario for the summer of 2014 is believed to revolve around bringing LeBron back to Cleveland, the team will now have a very viable alternative in Deng, with his Bird rights in hand heading into free agency.
For the Bulls, coach Tom Thibodeau may not be entirely on board with the trade, since he was considered Deng’s biggest fan. A December report also indicated that Derrick Rose wasn’t eager to go through a rebuilding process in Chicago, so it’ll be interesting to see how aggressively the team retools during the offseason, perhaps amnestying Carlos Boozer and bringing Nikola Mirotic stateside.
Meanwhile, Chicago now technically holds the rights to three 2014 first-rounders: Their own pick, the Bobcats’ pick, and the Kings’ pick. However, the latter two are heavily protected. Charlotte’s first-round pick is top-10 protected in 2014, top-eight protected in 2015, and unprotected in 2016. Sacramento’s first-rounder is top-10 protected in 2015, 2016, and 2017, after being top-12 protected this season. If the pick doesn’t change hands by 2017, Chicago would receive the Kings’ 2017 second-rounder instead.
If and when the Bulls waive Bynum, he’ll likely go unclaimed on waivers, meaning he’ll be eligible to sign with any team besides the Cavs as soon as this week. The Clippers and Heat are believed to be among his preferred destinations.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Andrew Bynum Rumors: Monday
Sunday brought several updates on the Cavaliers’ trade talks involving Andrew Bynum, but things have been quieter so far today. Although there’s still a little time for the Cavs to send Bynum to a team that plans to waive him by tomorrow’s contract guarantee deadline, the clock is ticking, and Cleveland’s window of opportunity won’t be open much longer. As we wait to hear whether Bynum will be on the move or staying put, here are Monday’s items on the former All-Star:
- Talks between the Lakers and Cavs are ongoing, with three-team possibilities still in play and the Cavs pushing for resolution by the end of the day, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. While some sources say a deal is close, Amico cautions that they were saying the same thing yesterday (Twitter links).
- Multiple executives not directly involved in talks for Bynum are hearing that the Kings could be involved in a potential deal as a facilitator, tweets Amico.
Earlier updates:
- The Cavaliers have yet to find a suitable offer, and while they continue to pursue a possible trade, it looks “highly unlikely” that they’ll move Bynum, says Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Assuming no deal is made, the Cavs can still save $6MM+ themselves by waiving the big man tomorrow.
- With Richard Jefferson available as a trade chip, the Jazz remain a possible trade partner for the Cavs, but Utah isn’t as involved as other clubs, a source tells Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
- The Cavs approached the Grizzlies recently to ask about acquiring Zach Randolph, in a deal similar to the proposed Pau Gasol swap with the Lakers, tweets Amick. However, Memphis wasn’t interested, and isn’t in the mix for Bynum.
- As we heard late last night from ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, talks between the Cavs and Lakers were expected to continue into Monday, though there have been no updates on those negotiations yet today.
Lakers Notes: Gasol, Roster, Williams
Noting that it wouldn’t be a normal season if Pau Gasol wasn’t at the center of several trade rumors, Kobe Bryant once again voiced his support for his longtime teammate yesterday, as he has done several times in the past.
“How much more am I supposed to support a guy, besides making a Pau flag and riding in there on a horse with Spanish-colored paint on my face like I’m the Spaniard William Wallace or something?” Bryant asked, according to Greg Beacham of The Associated Press. “I don’t know what else to do.”
As trade rumors continue to swirl around Pau, let’s round up a few more Lakers items….
- The Lakers’ trade talks involving Gasol aren’t limited to just their discussions with the Cavaliers, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes in his latest power rankings piece.
- According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, the Lakers are still weighing whether or not to keep all 15 players on their roster beyond tomorrow, which would ensure that all 15 contracts become fully guaranteed for this season. In Shelburne’s view, Shawne Williams, who has fallen out of the rotation, is the only candidate to be released, but even he will likely remain on the roster (Twitter links).
- In a story for ESPN LA, Shelburne focuses on Gasol, who acknowledged that there’s a chance yesterday’s game was his last one as a Laker: “Yeah, it could’ve. Any game could be your last game. It’s not something you think about very often. It could be due [to] an injury or a trade, anything like that, but I’m happy with the way that I’m playing. In the last few games I’m giving it everything I have, and that’s all I can do.”
Andrew Bynum Rumors: Sunday
Today is the day the Cavs would like to reach agreement on an Andrew Bynum deal with the Lakers, though as we saw with the Rockets and Omer Asik, a self-imposed deadline doesn’t always spur action. Coming to terms today would allow the players involved 48 hours to complete their physicals in advance of Tuesday, the final day that whatever team left holding Bynum’s contract can waive him and save $6.25MM of his $12.25MM salary. Bynum could become more difficult to trade after that point, which helps explain Cleveland’s eagerness to deal quickly. Here’s the latest:
- The Cavs and Lakers failed to reach a deal by end of the weekend but talks are expected to continue as the Cavs weigh other deals, according to Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The Cavs are considering two deals other than the Lakers possibility, one of which is sending Bynum to Utah for Richard Jefferson.
- Some execs say the Lakers are out, the Bulls and Jazz are in, and the Grizzlies could even be in the mix on Bynum, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports.
- The Lakers were also looking to swap first round picks and inquired on Anderson Varejao but they were rebuffed, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- The Cavs also remain reluctant on sending a future first-round draft pick to the Lakers, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. L.A. could save $20MM+ on a Gasol-Bynum deal, but the Lakers’ insistence on more than salary-cap relief from the Cavaliers – such as Waiters or a draft pick – has been a significant hurdle in discussions. Meanwhile, the Cavs are willing to part with a second-round pick in a Bynum-for-Jefferson deal, which Cleveland officials believe is likely enough return to make the transaction worth the Jazz’s trouble. However, the two sides haven’t picked up talks over the weekend.
- As the Lakers push for assets in Gasol-Bynum discussions, the Cavs have refused to include Dion Waiters in talks, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
- The only asset other than Bynum that the Cavs have offered to the Lakers is a second-round pick, and that’s not enough for L.A., as USA Today’s Sam Amick writes. The Cavs would have to include at least one other player to make a Bynum/Pau Gasol trade meet salary-matching requirements, but the teams haven’t discussed any Cavs other than Bynum. For now, the teams are in a standoff, with the Cavs aware that the deal would help the Lakers avoid the luxury tax while the Lakers feel the Cavs would prefer to receive immediate help in return for Bynum.
- The Lakers maintain their insistence that they will only trade Gasol for a valuable asset, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter).
- The Cavs indicate that trade talks are progressing, but while the Lakers “begrudgingly” admit the discussion has been revived, they deny that a deal is close, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
- Gasol’s camp is skeptical that a deal goes down today, Amick tweets.
Lakers, Cavs Rekindle Bynum/Gasol Talks
Although it was rumored two days ago that the trade talks between the Cavaliers and Lakers had stalled, Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com are reporting that talks between the teams have started back up and progressed throughout the day today.
In fact, according to the ESPN report, the talks have progressed so rapidly the Cavaliers are hoping to have the trade completed by tomorrow. The reasoning for the deadline tomorrow is because a trade needs 48 hours to be finalized and Andrew Bynum‘s contract becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not released by Tuesday. The Lakers (and other teams) are looking at trading for Bynum as an easy way to lower their payroll (via immediately waiving Bynum) in the middle of a season. This is especially important to the Lakers as they are trying to avoid the dreaded repeater tax.
According to Windhorst and Shelburne, the Lakers desire to obtain a young player or a draft pick in exchange for Pau Gasol appears to be what has been stalling the trade talks all along.
Eastern Notes: Pacers, Young, Harrellson
The Pacers announced their recall of Solomon Hill from the D-League today, a move that came none too soon for the rookie, as Scott Agness of Pacers.com details. Hill averaged 29.5 minutes in two games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, about 10 fewer minutes per game than Pacers teammate Orlando Johnson saw during his assignments to the D-League last season.
“The D-League is for developing talent and I didn’t get a chance to play,” Hill said. “I sat the whole fourth quarter. It’s like, is it really a developmental league? I’m very grateful for the opportunity to play with the Mad Ants organization, but in order for me to try to develop, I have to be on the floor. That just makes me think about my next trip, if I want to go back down there. I’m kind of not tempted to go back down there now just because if I go down there and play 25 minutes after a two-hour drive, it’s like, am I really developing?”
Hill went on to say that he still feels like he got something from the experience, but it’s a reminder that the continued growth of the D-League will face some resistance. Pacers coach Frank Vogel doesn’t believe in sending players to the D-League if they don’t want to go, so don’t count on seeing Hill in Fort Wayne again. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Any team in the league would love to have Thaddeus Young, an NBA executive tells Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News, who calls the forward the Sixers‘ best trade chip. Young says to Cooney that he wants to be in a winning situation, but he laughs off the notion that he’s disgruntled with the Sixers.
- This time around, Josh Harrellson doesn’t have to worry as much about Tuesday’s contract guarantee date, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. The Pistons forward didn’t survive the cut with the Heat last season, but this year, he’s a rotation player and much more likely to stick.
- As the Cavs ponder their options with Andrew Bynum, the Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto implores the team to make a move to upgrade its roster and stick to its plan of striving for a playoff berth this season.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat should consider making a run at the recently waived Hedo Turkoglu. Rashard Lewis more or less already has the role that Turkoglu would fill as a big man with range, even if there’s no such thing as too much three-point shooting, Winderman writes.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Lakers Rumors: Bynum, Gasol, Marshall
The Cavs are zeroing in on the Lakers as a potential trade partner for an Andrew Bynum deal, but it doesn’t appear as though the Lakers seem eager to play along. They believe there are ways of avoiding the luxury tax that don’t involve unloading Pau Gasol, and according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, they feel like it’s increasingly unlikely they’ll find middle ground with Cleveland (Twitter link). Here’s the latest from Lakerland as the team surveys its position:
- “Marshall Madness,” has lifted the Lakers, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. D-League pickup Kendall Marshall wasn’t seeing much playing time in his first five games on the roster, but injuries to Xavier Henry and Jordan Farmar forced coach Mike D’Antoni to call his number. Since then, he’s responded quite well and showed the kind of potential that made him a lottery pick just a couple of years ago. The point guard racked up 20 points and 15 assists in the Lakers’ 110-99 win over the Jazz on Friday.
- Marshall took notice when the Jazz cut Jamaal Tinsley and replaced him with Diante Garrett. “I know that the Jazz let go of a guard earlier this year and I didn’t get a call, so I kind of felt a certain way about that,” Marshall said, according to Bill Oram of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
- Six-year NBA veteran and former Laker Von Wafer is headed to the D-League, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Wafer last played in the NBA D-League in 2006, when the Lakers assigned him to the Fort Worth Flyers. He most recently played for the Shanghai Sharks, and averaged 27.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in five games. The 28-year-old will likely play during the NBA D-League Showcase, which is scheduled to begin Sunday.
- Pau-Orthez of France announced the signing of Eric Boateng, who spent camp with the Lakers this fall (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The 28-year-old center had been playing with La Union in Argentina, Carchia notes.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Central Notes: Bulls, Carmelo, Bynum, Dunleavy
It wouldn’t make sense for the Bulls to go out and sign Knicks star Carmelo Anthony this summer, writes Sam Smith of NBA.com in his latest mailbag. Yes, Anthony would be a tremendous scoring threat when paired with a healthy Derrick Rose, but it would probably call for Chicago to amnesty Carlos Boozer, let Luol Deng walk, and move Taj Gibson. Earlier today, we heard that the Knicks have discussed one possibility for trading Anthony internally. Here’s today’s look at the Central Division..
- No one knows where Andrew Bynum will end up, but Sam Amico of FOX Sports throws out five ideas for where the Cavaliers big man could land. One of Amico’s ideas is shipping the disgruntled big man to the Nets for Paul Pierce.
- Mike Dunleavy may be known for his long-distance shooting, but he offers much more than that on the court, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Dunleavy inked a two-year deal with Chicago worth the mid-level exception this past offseason.
- Coach Tom Thibodeau said the Bulls haven’t ruled out sending rookie Erik Murphy to the Iowa Energy of the D-League at some point, Johnson writes.
- Caron Butler pushed to be traded from the Suns to the Bucks because he didn’t want to be lost in Phoenix’s youth movement. Now, the veteran is fighting for burn in Milwaukee’s own youth push, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.