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Western Notes: Mavs, Dirk, Calathes, Woodson

July 9th, 2014 at 7:57pm CST by Cray Allred

The Mavs‘ top three free agent targets for next summer are LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, and Kevin Love, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas. Here’s more from out West:

Dirk Nowitzki has already agreed to re-sign with the Mavs at a discounted rate, but Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the Rockets have a standing max offer with the future Hall-of-Famer.
Nick Calathes says he hasn’t asked the Grizzlies to release him, even though it would be to his financial benefit if they did, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal details. He’s on a non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary this season, and the team seemingly intends to keep him, Two European teams loom with three-year, $6.5MM offers, but Calathes is undecided about whether he prefers to remain with the Grizzlies or sign overseas, as he tells Tillery. “Once you see a big offer on the table you’re going to think about it,” Calathes said. “You think about it always. That kind of money obviously can change your life. I’m playing the game I love so I’m real blessed. Whichever way it goes, I’m going to be happy.”
Mike Woodson will return to the bench next season as a member of Doc Rivers‘ assistant coaching staff with the Clippers, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Since being fired by the Knicks at the close of this past season, Woodson has maintained his interest in returning to the bench, but hadn’t been linked with any teams seeking a head coach this offseason.
Chris Mannix of SI.com suggests that patience on the part of the Wolves could pay off regarding Love, as additional suitors with better assets could surface once the biggest free agent movements are done (via Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Carmelo Anthony Likely To Re-Sign With Knicks

July 9th, 2014 at 5:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:38pm: In addition to Anthony’s enthusiasm about the Calderon addition in New York, ‘Melo believes the Knicks have a shot at landing Pau Gasol this season, a friend of his tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.

3:36pm: Agent Leon Rose tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that Anthony has not made a decision yet between the Knicks and Lakers (Twitter link). The wording of Shelburne’s tweet seems to suggest those are the only two teams still in consideration, but that remains unclear.

3:24pm: The Knicks haven’t been told of any decision, but they have no reason to believe that Anthony will sign elsewhere, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

3:16pm: A source cautions to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that Anthony has yet to render a decision, and the teams that have pursued him have received no definitive word (Twitter link).

2:58pm: Carmelo Anthony is ready to announce that he’ll re-sign with the Knicks, barring a change of heart at the last minute, a person close to Anthony tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. The person, a friend of Anthony’s, said that Anthony has been hesitating in an effort to make sure he finds the team with the best chance to win a title, and that Anthony is pleased with New York’s acquisition of Jose Calderon.

Anthony will make an announcement Thursday, the friend added, saying to Isola that Anthony “believes in Phil,” a reference to Knicks president Phil Jackson. Sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that within Anthony’s camp, the general belief has been that the idea was to take the maximum salary from the Knicks, a roughly $129MM contract over five seasons, and push for a trade later if necessary (Twitter link).

Presumably Anthony will be signing for the max, which the Knicks offered during their meeting with the star forward last week. Still, there reportedly remains a distinct possibility that he’d agree to take his max salary of nearly $22.5MM this season and raises lower than the maximum 7.5% that New York could give him in subsequent years.

The Knicks were seemingly the front-runners at different points throughout the process, though the latest dispatch cast it as a two-team race between New York and the Lakers. The Bulls seemed like the next most likely destination, followed by the Rockets and the Mavs, with whom Anthony also met. The Heat seemed like a darkhorse, but they hadn’t really been in the discussion, Wojnarowski hears, and Anthony hadn’t even been able to reach LeBron James as of a few days ago, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter links). ‘Melo reportedly dreams of pairing up with James in New York.

Mavs Aggressively Courting Chandler Parsons

July 9th, 2014 at 3:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:58pm: Executives around the league expect the Mavs to tender Parsons a “major offer sheet” at some point, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick.

MONDAY, 8:28pm: Dallas is waiting for confirmation that they won’t be able to land James or Anthony before extending an offer sheet to Parsons, a source tells Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.

2:46pm: The Mavs are making a push to sign restricted free agent Chandler Parsons to an offer sheet, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Dallas can come to an agreement on the offer sheet at any time, but Houston’s three-day window to match wouldn’t start until Thursday, the first day after the end of the July moratorium.

Parsons has been a popular man since free agency began with the Bulls, Wolves, Lakers, Suns, and Celtics also showing varying degrees of interest in the Rockets’ restricted free agent. The ramped up pursuit of Parsons could be a sign that Dallas feels they’re on the outside looking in when it comes to LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. Luol Deng has also been mentioned as a possible Plan B for the Mavs if they were unable to land one of this summer’s top two free agents.

Cavs Eye Chandler Parsons As LeBron Fallback

July 9th, 2014 at 11:12am CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs harbor strong interest in Chandler Parsons, and he would be the team’s first target should LeBron James decide to sign elsewhere, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Cavs are going after Ray Allen, Mike Miller and James Jones in an effort to woo LeBron, but Parsons appears to be an option for them independent of the four-time MVP, since Cleveland has more than $20MM in cap flexibility after today’s agreement to unload Jarrett Jack.

Parsons, a restricted free agent, is in high demand, as the Mavs are apparently readying an aggressive courtship of the small forward once they know for sure they won’t land LeBron or Carmelo Anthony. The Suns, Celtics, Lakers, Bulls and Wolves have also been linked to him since the start of free agency, but the Rockets can match any team’s offer.

The Cavs have also reportedly eyed Trevor Ariza for their cap space in the event they don’t land LeBron. Channing Frye was also a target, but he already agreed to a deal with the Magic.

Knicks Fear That ‘Melo Eyes Pairing With LeBron

July 8th, 2014 at 8:35am CST by Chuck Myron

There’s a growing belief within the Knicks organization that Carmelo Anthony is hesitating to make his decision while the possibility of joining LeBron James on either the Heat or the Lakers still exists, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. That’s similar to the notion that ‘Melo is holding out to see if Chris Bosh signs with the Rockets and helps clear the path for Anthony to join James on the Heat, an idea that representatives from five teams raised to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). In any case, there seems to be a sense of unease coming from the Knicks, as some within the team expected ‘Melo would have made his call on where to sign by Monday, Stein tweets.

It nonetheless seems unlikely that Anthony and James will pair up. Bosh’s preference is reportedly to remain in Miami with James, so a scenario in which Bosh would vacate Miami while James would stay seems especially far-fetched. Still, Anthony seemed on Monday to be “torn,” as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News wrote, casting the Knicks, Bulls and Lakers as front-runners for the high-scoring forward. The Rockets and Mavs aren’t completely out of the running, according to Isola, but the Rockets believe Anthony won’t accept their max contract offer, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.

The Knicks and Lakers have reportedly made max offers to Anthony as well, though Knicks president Phil Jackson is still encouraging him to take less, as Berman writes. The capped-out Bulls would likely end up having to give ‘Melo significantly less than the max, even if they made a series of moves to open up cap room.

And-Ones: Bosh, Rockets, ‘Melo, Thunder

July 7th, 2014 at 11:28pm CST by Charlie Adams

Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski told FOX Sports 1 that Chris Bosh told the Rockets something that they don’t want to hear: “I want to be in Miami, I want to play with LeBron [James],” (link via Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders). More from around the league..

Carmelo Anthony is “torn” over where to spend the prime years of his career, a friend of the Knicks All Star forward tells Frank Isola of the Daily News. Anthony, 30, is still debating his next move with the Knicks, Lakers, and Bulls as his top three choices, the source claims.
The Knicks are feeling uneasy about the Melo situation, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. Meanwhile, the Bulls are encouraged by his indecisiveness, writes Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks met today with Pau Gasol, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
In his introductory press conference, new Nets coach Lionel Hollins presented himself as a very different man than Jason Kidd, writes Mitch Abramson of the Daily News.
A bunch of teams, including the Warriors, concluded early after July 1st that Channing Frye would get more than the mid-level exception, tweets Zach Lowe of Grantland. However, teams didn’t expect him to land with the Magic. Frye is set to ink a four-year, $32MM pact with Orlando.
Kobe Bryant is recruiting Steve Blake and Caron Butler to the Lakers, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
Blazers point guard Mo Williams is scheduled to meet with the Mavericks tomorrow, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

Rockets Intensify Pursuit Of Chris Bosh

July 7th, 2014 at 11:54am CST by Zachary Links

MONDAY, 11:54am: Conversations between Bosh’s camp and the Rockets continue today even as Bosh’s preference remains to continue playing with James on the Heat, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Part of the pitch the Rockets want to make to Bosh is that he wouldn’t have to play center with Dwight Howard next to him, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.

SUNDAY, 10:28pm: Bosh still hasn’t spoken directly with the Rockets, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

10:26pm: The Rockets have ramped up their pursuit of Chris Bosh and are “heavily engaged” in trying to convince the All-Star power forward to leave the Heat in free agency, sources tell Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

The Rockets haven’t been formally told that they’re out of the running for Carmelo Anthony but they have gotten more serious about Bosh in the hope that LeBron James will leave the Heat. It’s widely assumed throughout the league that Bosh will only be willing to leave Miami if James goes first. However, the ESPN duo says that the Heat remain the favorites at this time to sign Bosh.

Sources say Bosh remains willing to take slightly less than his value on the open market to return with the Heat if James and Dwyane Wade are also coming back and if Heat president Pat Riley can upgrade the current roster. But nearly a week into free agency, sources say Bosh has felt compelled to consider other options himself. He won’t come cheap, though. Bosh would expect a four-year maximum offer of $96MM to leave Miami for Houston or any other suitor.

And-Ones: Early, Bazemore, Lin, Nets

July 6th, 2014 at 9:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The Knicks may have gotten the steal of the draft when they selected Cleanthony Early with the 34th pick, opines Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The article also notes that Early plans on using his draft night slide as motivation, saying, “At the end of the day, they made their decision, they made their choices, and they’re going to have to live with that, they’re going to have to stick with that. I’m going to have to live with that, I’m going to have to stick with that. But the only difference is, the way my heart is set up and the way I am, I’m going to use it as motivation. It fires me up. If I ever feel like I am being overlooked or I feel like I got something to prove, I’m willing to accept that challenge. The only thing I have to do is get in the gym and continue doing what I’ve been doing.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Trevor Mbakwe‘s contract with Germany’s Bamberg has opt out clauses for both the NBA and the Euroleague, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
It’s been a strange ride for the Nets that got even stranger when Jason Kidd left town, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Reports of a deal between the Hawks and Kent Bazemore are premature but Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that he has a face-to-face meeting with Atlanta tomorrow.
The Sixers are willing to trade with the Rockets for Jeremy Lin, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, but Philly wants a first rounder included in any deal.
The Cavs are trying to create a maximum salary slot for LeBron James, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Cleveland is searching for a third team to take Marcus Thornton from the Nets, so the Cavs could then unload Jarrett Jack, Wojnarowski reports.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Miller, Kings, Bledsoe, Pelicans

July 6th, 2014 at 10:58am CST by Eddie Scarito

Mike Miller is scheduled to meet with the Nuggets today, reports John Martin of ESPN929.com. The article also notes that the Grizzlies made an initial offer of two-years and an annual salary between $2.4MM and $2.9MM. The Thunder, Rockets, and Trail Blazers are all reportedly interested in Miller’s services, notes Martin.

Mavs Notes: Anthony, Hayward, Gasol

July 6th, 2014 at 8:28am CST by Eddie Scarito

A source told Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Carmelo Anthony is going to re-sign with the Knicks and that his inclusion of the Mavericks on his recruiting trip was a “charade.” Anthony has also met with the Lakers, Bulls, and Rockets.