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Nets Likely To Part Ways With Andrea Bargnani

February 16th, 2016 at 6:59am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 6:59am: Colangelo and Rosas are still in the race for the GM job, Wojnarowski clarifies (on Twitter).

MONDAY, 11:24am: Andrea Bargnani is among the players almost certain to work a buyout with their respective teams if they’re not traded by Thursday’s 2pm Central deadline, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. It’s not surprising to see David Lee and J.J. Hickson as the other names on Wojnarowski’s short list of buyout candidates, since Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck reported earlier this month that the Celtics intended to either trade Lee or do a buyout, while the Nuggets have apparently been shopping Hickson. Bargnani is in the first season of a two-year deal for the minimum salary that includes a player option for next season and is averaging only 13.8 minutes per game, by far the fewest of his 10-year NBA career.

Still, it’s difficult to gauge just what the Nets will do with their personnel, since they’re in the midst of hiring a new GM. Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas and Spurs assistant GM Sean Marks continue to talk with the team as it moves toward second interviews this week, league sources told Wojnarowski. The general consensus around the NBA as of Friday held that former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo would ultimately emerge with the gig, as Beck reported then, though Colangelo and Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas aren’t necessarily out of the running, Wojnarowski indicates. Chris Broussard of ESPN on Thursday identified Colangelo, Karnisovas and Marks as the front-runners for the job that’s been vacant since the Nets removed Billy King from the position last month.

Regardless of whom the Nets choose as GM, he’ll be only one part of a committee that will hire the team’s next coach, Wojnarowski also writes. Various reports have indicated that some combination of team chairman Dmitry Razumov, board member Sergey Kushchenko, CEO Brett Yormark and owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s holding company president Irina Pavlova comprise the committee in charge of the GM search. The new GM will join that group in its efforts to find a coach, according to Wojnarowski. The Nets hope to draw from a pool of coaching candidates that includes NBA head coaching veterans Jeff Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau and Spurs assistant Ettore Messina. Mike Mazzeo and Marc Stein reported last month that Brooklyn had strong interest in Thibodeau, and Stein later identified Messina as a candidate, but this appears to be the first legitimate link between the Nets and Van Gundy.

Whomever ends up coaching the Nets likely won’t have Bargnani, unless the team speeds through the process. March 1st represents the de facto buyout deadline, since it’s the last day any player can hit waivers and still be eligible to play for another NBA team in the postseason.

Celtics Rumors: Lee, Thomas, Horford, Love

February 14th, 2016 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The trade deadline is just four days away, but the Celtics don’t feel any urgency to make a deal, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. A league source told Murphy that Friday’s rumored three-team trade with Cleveland and New York “never existed” and that Boston hasn’t talked to the Rockets about acquiring Dwight Howard. The Celtics are willing to add a player for the right price, but they believe everyone currently in play is overpriced. The source said that includes the Hawks’ Al Horford, whom the Celtics don’t want to invest heavily in because of his looming free agency. Boston had interest in the Nuggets’ Danilo Gallinari, but the source said that would-be deal was “a dead issue” before it was even reported.

There’s more this morning out of Boston:

The Celtics haven’t found any teams interested in David Lee and his $15.5MM contract, Murphy writes in the same piece. The source said Lee has “no value” around the league, even though his expiring deal presents an opportunity for cap relief this summer.
Isaiah Thomas recently became a recruiter when a player from another team asked him about the benefits of Boston, Murphy adds. Thomas, who used the reputation of coach Brad Stevens as one of his selling points, wouldn’t offer any clues as to who the player was. “The coaching staff is great and the organization is 100% – it’s A1,” Thomas said. “I told him, You watch us. It’s fun to watch us. We were joking around the locker room about how everyone likes to watch the Boston Celtics, and how hard we play.”
The unidentified player may have been Horford, speculates A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. He noted that Thomas smiled and said, “I didn’t say that” when asked if it was Horford he was talking about. A late replacement pick for the All-Star Game, Horford is trying to focus on business as usual despite the trade talk. “I’m going to continue doing what I do,” he said. “I can’t control the speculation that’s going on.”
It’s unlikely the Celtics can get Kevin Love from Cleveland without a third team involved, Blakely said in an interview on SportsNet Central. Blakely explained that Boston has enough young players and draft picks to make a deal happen, but such a move wouldn’t get Cleveland any closer to a championship.

Western Notes: Cousins, Trades, Thunder

February 13th, 2016 at 11:43pm CST by ChrisCrouse

DeMarcus Cousins doesn’t believe he’s in the best situation with the Kings, Ken Berger of CBS Sports writes. “I prefer to be in a perfect situation,” Cousins deadpanned, “but that’ll never happen.” The center described the perfect situation as one where everyone is happy before reiterating that it just won’t happen. “There’s nothing in life that’s perfect,” the 25-year-old said. Cousins will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2017/18 campaign.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Oklahoma City has a pair of trade exceptions that are set to expire at the trade deadline Thursday, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman notes in a piece that analyzes the Thunder’s trade assets. The team has a $2.2MM trade exception from last year’s Reggie Jackson trade and a trade exception worth roughly $861K from last season’s Ish Smith deal.
If the Rockets look to make drastic changes, Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer would be realistic trade targets for Oklahoma City, Horne opines in the same piece. The scribe also names Courtney Lee and P.J. Tucker among the players on the market who would be good fits for the Thunder.
The Thunder shouldn’t be making trades to try to bridge the gap between them and Golden State, and they especially shouldn’t consider dealing away Serge Ibaka, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman argues.

And-Ones: Nets’ GM Search, International Players

February 13th, 2016 at 10:38pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The team could hire their next GM in the coming days, but no specific deadline is in place, according to Alex Raskin of The Wall Street Journal.

The general consensus around the league is that the job is Bryan Colangelo’s to lose. Other candidates include Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas, Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, former Cavs and Hawks GM Danny Ferry and Spurs assistant GM Sean Marks. Raskin notes that all the candidates have a background in international basketball, something that will be important for the Nets. Brooklyn doesn’t control its own draft pick until 2019, so acquiring talent through atypical means will be key to putting together a successful roster, Raskin opines.

Here’s more from around the league:

Owner Mikhail Prokhorov expects to be personally involved with the interviewing process while in Brooklyn on Wednesday when the Nets officially open their new training center, Raskin reports in the same piece.
The Spurs were able to trade Tiago Splitter to the Hawks last offseason in part because they had targeted Boban Marjanovic as his replacement, Raskin adds in the same piece. Marjanovic, who went undrafted in 2010, signed a one-year, $1.2MM deal with San Antonio in July.
The Nuggets‘ second round gamble on Nikola Jokic during the 2014 draft is paying tremendous dividends, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post contends in a piece that examines the Serbian’s journey to the NBA.

Southwest Notes: Howard, Morey, Davis, Grizzlies

February 13th, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dwight Howard‘s risks have become greater than his potential reward, writes Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW. Sefko advises the Mavericks against pursuing Howard, whom they tried to get in free agency nearly three seasons ago. He notes that the league’s trend remains toward smaller and more athletic centers, and even among traditional big men, Howard is falling behind DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond. With the Rockets going through a disappointing season and Howard expected to opt out of his contract this summer, Houston’s front office has reportedly explored possible deals before next week’s deadline. Sefko notes that former teammate Chandler Parsons is likely to recruit Howard, but adds that Parsons can also opt out this summer, so his future in Dallas isn’t certain.

There’s more news from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets need to make a deal before the deadline to shake up their chemistry, argues Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. After reaching the Western Conference finals last season, Houston stumbled into this year’s All-Star break at 27-28 and in ninth place in the conference. “We’re generally an active team,” GM Daryl Morey said of the trade deadline. “I mean we won’t force anything. They’re not many windows where you get a chance to upgrade your team. We’ll have to look at it very closely.”
Pelicans center Anthony Davis doesn’t want to be one of those NBA stars who has a strong say in personnel moves, tweets Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate. “I trust our organization,” Davis said. “Whatever they decide to do, of course they’re going to make sure I’m involved with it. I don’t go out [and say] ‘Let’s do this, let’s do that.’ I try to let them handle that and they come to me, and we all sit down collectively and try to figure out what’s the best move.”
Missing the playoffs, which is a possibility for the Grizzlies in the wake of Marc Gasol‘s injury, would also affect the organization on draft day, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Memphis sent this year’s first-round pick to Cleveland in 2013 along with Marreese Speights in a salary-shedding deal. Denver currently owns the rights to the pick, thanks to the Timofey Mozgov trade, but it’s protected for both the top five selections and spots 15-30. The Grizzlies would keep the pick if they make the playoffs but likely have to give it up if they fall short of the postseason.

Atlantic Notes: Shaw, Howard, Mbah a Moute

February 13th, 2016 at 1:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Brian Shaw is reportedly a candidate for the Knicks head coaching position, and despite not having run the triangle offense during his tenure in Denver, Shaw said he could coach any system, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I was 12 years involved in it as a player and coach,’’ Shaw told Berman. “The funny thing about it is everybody makes a big deal about the triangle. Almost every team in the league runs different aspects. They’re not dedicated solely to the triangle. It’s something that will always be ingrained in me — the fundamentals of that offense. In Denver, I didn’t run the triangle. I could adapt to any style the personnel dictates.’’

The former Nuggets coach also hopes he isn’t solely judged by his performance in Denver, which was marred by injuries and player unrest, Berman adds. “It was a situation I don’t really feel I was able to succeed in,’’ Shaw said. “I don’t think anyone placed in that situation could’ve succeeded. I hope I’m not judged on the year-and-a-half I was there more so than the 27 years prior to that I’ve been involved in the NBA.’’

Here’s more regarding the teams of the Atlantic Division:

Despite the reports that the Celtics are targeting Rockets center Dwight Howard, team executive Danny Ainge is reluctant to part with assets for a short-term rental, a description Howard would potentially fit, since he can opt out of his deal this summer, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes. While Boston is looking to make a significant trade prior to Thursday’s deadline, it won’t get itself caught up in a bidding war for players, and the franchise is willing to stand pat, Himmelsbach adds. “This team is not in it for the short term,” a league source told Himmelsbach regarding the Celtics. Boston has also been linked to Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony, both of whom are under contract beyond this season.
Luc Mbah a Moute believed he would be back with the Sixers this season, but the team went in a different direction instead, leading the combo forward to sign with the Clippers after his deal with the Kings fell through. For his part, Mbah a Moute is pleased with how things turned out and he has found his niche in Los Angeles, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “It’s a life lesson, you know,” Mbah a Moute said. “It’s always something good when everything bad happens. You never know. When you go through it, it’s kind of tough. It’s always something that better comes out of it.“

Rockets Engage Teams About Dwight Howard

February 12th, 2016 at 9:55am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 9:55am: The talk with other teams is more a matter of due diligence than not, Rockets sources tell ESPN’s Chris Broussard, who spoke in an appearance on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike” show (audio link). One NBA GM tells Broussard that the Rockets have been gauging interest in him for about a month but have been surprised that no team has put forth an overwhelming offer.

3:08pm: The Raptors showed no interest when the Rockets reached out to them about Howard, league sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).

2:41pm: Neither Howard nor Fegan has asked the Rockets for a trade, Fegan said in a statement to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). The agent also said that he isn’t privy to what the Rockets are doing, which would seem to counter the idea that they were working together.

THURSDAY, 1:25pm: The Rockets have engaged teams in trade talk about Dwight Howard and are working with agent Dan Fegan to find a new home for the former All-Star center who intends to opt out of his contract this summer, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Uncertainty surrounding whether either side wants to continue their partnership has prompted Houston to take action, Wojnarowski writes, noting that Howard is still expected to seek a max deal starting at a projected $29.3MM salary for next season once he turns down his roughly $23.282MM option.

Howard becomes the most significant name on the trade market, though the 30-year-old’s game isn’t what it used to be. He makes more than $22.359MM this season, a difficult salary to match for, and a 15% trade kicker worth about $600K further complicates the matter, as The Vertical’s Bobby Marks notes (on Twitter). Houston would have to pay him that amount in the event of a trade, but it would count as part of Howard’s incoming salary for whichever team would acquire him.

Howard, James Harden and GM Daryl Morey had an extended chat after Houston’s loss to Portland Wednesday, one that dropped the Rockets to ninth in the Western Conference, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN said in an appearance on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike” show (audio link), and as RealGM transcribes. Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff was also involved, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, who notes that Howard made comments about the rest of the season with the Rockets (Twitter link), a hint that he doesn’t expect to be traded. Howard and Harden have no personal qualms, The Vertical’s Chris Mannix tweets, countering earlier reports, which Howard and the Rockets vehemently denied, that Howard was dissatisfied playing a secondary role to Harden.

The Celtics reportedly had a brief exchange with the Rockets about Howard within the past few weeks, but Houston’s asking price has been high, as Mannix reported earlier this month. Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald wrote then that the Rockets had made efforts to trade Howard, even if the Celtics talk didn’t go anywhere.

What should the Rockets seek in return for Howard? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Texas Notes: Bickerstaff, Howard, Parsons

February 11th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff says his team must use the All-Star break to try to come together as a cohesive unit, which is not currently the case in Houston, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com relays. “We’re broken,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s that simple. We’re a broken team, and we all need to use this break to figure out how we’re going to impact change. If we don’t want to impact change, then we need to be made aware of that, too, and we’ll go in a different direction. We can’t continue to go out and play this way. It’s easy to see it’s a fragmented bunch. You can’t win that way.” When asked what about the team is broken, center Dwight Howard said, “I’m not going to talk about what’s broken. It’s all we do is we talk about the issues that we have. Nobody is being positive.”

Jason Terry also complained about the team’s lack of rapport, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays (Twitter links). “The chemistry is not where you like it. I’ve seen worse. It’s not functioning as a unit. Do we like to play with each other?” The shooting guard did note that the players and coaches should be able to make the necessary changes and Terry wasn’t sure if there would be any roster changes made prior to next week’s trade deadline, Feigen adds. Terry was overheard walking through the team’s media room on Wednesday night saying, “No chemistry with that group. [Expletive] horrible,” Watkins tweets.

Here’s the latest from the Lone Star state:

Howard said he did not ask the Rockets to trade him, seconding what his agent Dan Fegan said earlier today, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) relays. “Dan’s statement is true. I have not asked the Rockets to trade me,” said Howard. “Nor have I talked about right trades. I want to win. I want this situation to work. I chose this team. And I’m not running because we have been faced with some adversity.“
Despite the Mavericks‘ lack of depth at point guard, Dallas should consider trading Raymond Felton and his expiring contract to a team looking to clear payroll for next season, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports opines in his deadline primer for the Mavs. Felton, 31, is averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 27.1 minutes per contest on the season.
The return to form by Chandler Parsons has the Mavericks optimistic about their chances of becoming a factor in the West after the All-Star break, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “I’m feeling great,” Parsons told Sefko. “It’s some of the best basketball I’ve ever played in my career. My body feels great. I’m as confident as I’ve ever been. And I’m in a good place. Coach is getting me the ball in good spots. But it’s not really about me. It’s about the team and getting the highest possible seed we can and be playing as well as we can at the end.”

Western Notes: Kings, Clippers, Rockets, Warriors

February 11th, 2016 at 2:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings will try to make defensive improvements at the trade deadline, GM Vlade Divac said on “The Grant Napear Show” on CBS Sports 1140 in Sacramento, tweets James Ham of CSN California. The Rockets would prefer to add a shooter via trade, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). The Clippers are expected to assess their need for a backup point guard with Austin Rivers injured, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). The Warriors, meanwhile, aren’t looking to fix what isn’t broken, as GM Bob Myers said in a radio appearance on 95.7 The Game, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link).

“It’d have to be something unbelievable to really mess with the chem & the personnel on the team,” Myers said.

See more from the Western Conference:

Divac acknowledged that he was thinking about making a coaching change and had full authority to do so, but simply decided against it, as he said in an appearance on “The Grant Napear Show” on CBSports 1140 in Sacramento, notes Sean Cunningham of KXTV-TV in Sacramento (Twitter link). However, the resistance that Kings minority-share owners put up against eating the rest of George Karl‘s salary also played into the decision to keep the coach, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com said today in an appearance on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike” show (audio link), and as RealGM transcribes. That jibes with an earlier suggestion from Sam Amick of USA Today. Vivek Ranadive owns a controlling share of the team, but it doesn’t constitute a majority of the franchise, Windhorst points out.
Communication with management didn’t go smoothly for former Kings coach Tyrone Corbin last season, as he said this week on SiriusXM NBA Radio’s “NBA Today” show (Twitter link; audio link). “It was a mess. The organization was kind of playing it both ways,” Corbin said.
Bryce Dejean-Jones and the Pelicans have only slightly different figures in mind, Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate hears, advancing his earlier report that the rookie shooting guard is in talks with the Pels and other teams (Twitter links). The shooting guard is seeking a two- or three-year deal following the expiration of his second 10-day contract with New Orleans on Wednesday, Kushner adds. The Pelicans are ineligible to sign him to any more 10-day deals.
The Rockets offered Josh Smith more money in free agency last summer than the minimum-salary deal he signed with the Clippers, Rockets GM Daryl Morey said on the “Chad, Joe & Lo” show on 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area (audio link; transcription via HoopsHype). Smith wound up with the Rockets anyway via trade.

Cavs Interested In McLemore, Ariza, Joe Johnson

February 11th, 2016 at 1:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers are one of multiple Eastern Conference teams with strong interest in Ben McLemore, league sources tell Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cleveland would quickly snap up Joe Johnson if he works a buyout with the Nets, Haynes also hears from league sources, though it doesn’t look like he’s one of the Cavs’ trade targets. Trevor Ariza is also on Cleveland’s radar, Haynes adds, as are Kyle Korver and Jared Dudley, as previous reports indicated, but it’s highly unlikely Cleveland ends up with one of those three, according to Haynes, who paints McLemore as the more obtainable target.

The Kings have so far resisted offers for the shooting guard, Haynes writes, but it’s widely known around the league that agents are pushing to get their players out of Sacramento amid organizational turmoil there, Haynes also reports. Trade candidate Rudy Gay wouldn’t mind a deal that ships him out of town, but the Kings haven’t found any offers for him that pass muster, Haynes hears.

Cleveland isn’t connected to Gay, but it’s a matter of when, not if, the Cavs will make a move of some sort, according to Haynes. The Cavs have been seeking a three-and-D wing player and have been linked to multiple names, including Omer Asik, who’s a center, and Tyreke Evans, who has an injury that threatens to wipe out the rest of his season. They’ve reportedly explored trading Timofey Mozgov, having met with rejection on that front from the Kings and also engaging in talks with the Pelicans that didn’t bear fruit.

Johnson said recently that he wouldn’t dismiss the idea of a buyout from his contract with the Nets, which expires at season’s end, and the Heat, like the Cavs, reportedly want to make a run at him if he shakes free from Brooklyn. One source close to Johnson told Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders that Johnson is “miserable” with the Nets and would welcome a change. His nearly $24.895MM would make a trade difficult, so a buyout appears a more feasible route.