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Lance Thomas, Pelicans Moving Toward Deal

August 8th, 2013 at 4:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Less than a month after being released by the Pelicans, Lance Thomas is working toward a new deal with the team, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Charania reports that it looks likely the two sides will work something out, though the Pacers have also expressed interest in Thomas.

Thomas, 25, initially joined the Pelicans when they were the Hornets, inking a pair of 10-day contracts before signing a rest-of-season deal in 2011/12. The former Duke forward spent the 2012/13 season with the team as well, and had a non-guaranteed salary for the coming season. However, he was cut when the Pelicans cleared the cap room to bring Tyreke Evans aboard.

In his 101 games with the Pelicans, Thomas averaged 3.1 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 12.6 minutes per contest. He also recorded an identical PER of 10.1 in each of his two seasons.

If Thomas reaches an agreement with the Pelicans it will likely be for the minimum salary, since the team is capped out. New Orleans also has its $2.65MM room exception available, but I'd be surprised to see the club use any of it on Thomas.

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Odds & Ends: Clippers, Cousins, Pacers, Self

August 6th, 2013 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

While a few of the more notable games on the 2013/14 NBA schedule have already been reported, the full slate won't be announced until later this afternoon. As we look forward to the 5:00 CT announcement, let's check out a few odds and ends….

  • Chris Paul's new five-year contract with the Clippers makes him one of the NBA's only players locked up through 2018, but Paul believes the team's other long-term fixture will be crucial to L.A.'s success. "I think our team will definitely go as Blake [Griffin] goes," Paul told Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
  • Grantland's Zach Lowe examines the case of DeMarcus Cousins, exploring whether it makes sense for the Kings to try to lock him up or to explore potential trades.
  • Popeye Jones will join Pacers coach Frank Vogel's staff, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • At Brandon Knight's introductory presser, Bucks GM John Hammond told reporters, including Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that the team is "by no means" in tanking mode for 2013/14.
  • Kansas coach Bill Self hasn't ruled out the possibility of someday leaving the NCAA for an NBA job, as he told Michael Baldwin of the Oklahoman. "It hasn't really tempted me because I haven't had that many people talk to me about it," Self said. "But at some point and time, sure, I think it would. It would be great to be able to match wits with the best athletes in the world, but I'm certainly happy where I'm at."
  • Bobby Brown is flying to New York to meet with the Knicks, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. Brown is under contract with a Chinese team, but has until August 15th to sign an NBA deal and opt out.
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Several Teams Interested In Lou Amundson

August 2nd, 2013 at 12:39pm CST by Zachary Links

There are a number of teams anxiously awaiting Greg Oden's free agent decision today and  many of those clubs all seem to have a common Plan B.  Some of the same teams that are pursuing the former No. 1 overall pick are also showing interest in free agent  Louis Amundson, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

The Heat, Kings, and Mavericks, who are all finalists for Oden, have registered some level of interest in the well-traveled 30-year-old (link).  The Hawks, Knicks, and Pacers are also looking into Amundson.

The UNLV product averaged 1.9 PPG in 9.5 minutes per contest for three teams last season.  In seven career NBA seasons with eight diffeent clubs, Amundson has career averages of 3.7 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 12.8 minutes per contest.

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Odds & Ends: Harrington, Ebanks, Mo Williams

July 30th, 2013 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Al Harrington recognizes that he's a candidate to be traded or bought out by the Magic, but tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he's healthier and believes he can still contribute, wherever he lands.

"Whatever situation I can get to where I can help a team win, that's what I want to do," Harrington said. "I don't want to play 36 minutes or none of that. Play 20, 25 minutes, just help mentor the young guys and stuff like that."

Here's more from around the NBA:

  • Former Laker Devin Ebanks has received interest from the Hawks, Bucks, Bobcats, and Nuggets, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
  • In his latest column on the Suns, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic says that agent Arn Tellem was "five minutes away" from a deal for J.J. Redick with another team before the Suns and Clippers proposed the three-team trade that sent him to Los Angeles. Coro also notes that the Pacers had expressed interest in Luis Scola for months before acquiring him.
  • Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien met with Mo Williams today in Memphis, tweets Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
  • Within an excellent piece on the Thunder, Grantland's Zach Lowe shares a few interesting details on Kevin Durant's max contract and Oklahoma City's cap and tax situation.
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Odds & Ends: Scola, Celtics, Heat, Suns

July 29th, 2013 at 10:11pm CST by Zachary Links

While Jason Kidd shocked everyone by becoming the head coach of the Nets just weeks after retiring, his co-Rookie of the Year in 1994/95 is going to go down a more conventional path.  Grant Hill told Johnny Esfeller of IMG Academy that he is looking into a career in broadcasting and speaking with some of the major networks out there.  The charasmatic and thoughtful Hill should make for a natural on TV, whether he's on color commentary or a studio analyst.  Here's tonight's look around the Association..

  • The Pacers' acquisition of Luis Scola makes them an even bigger threat to the Heat, opines Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.  Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard noted that Scola isn't just a strong basketball addition, but he should also be a great fit for Indiana's locker room.
  • If Rajon Rondo is not ready to go at the beginning of the 2013/14 season, it's possible that the Celtics could slide undrafted rookie Phil Pressey into the starting role as he's the only other point guard on the roster, writes Marc D'Amico of Celtics.com.  However, Boston also has two other players on its roster in Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee who can handle the one-guard duties in short order and there's even a chance that Rondo will be in action for opening night.
  • The Heat know that the rest of the Eastern conference is quickly catching up them, writes Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.
  • The additions of Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee fit the Suns' offseason goal of increasing athleticism across the roster, writes Matt Petersen of Suns.com.  
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Odds & Ends: Pacers, Billups, Mavs, Reinsdorf

July 27th, 2013 at 10:53pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Mavs have had a busy offseason, since there was so much turnaround after loading up on expiring contracts last season with a chance to nab Dwight Howard or Josh Smith in free agency this summer. Since they failed to land any of the upper-tier free agents, they decided to surround 35-year-old Dirk Nowitzki with mid-tier acquisitions in an attempt to get Dirk a second title, but without spending their way out of contending for the free agents next summer when Dirk, Shawn Marion and others have their contract's expire.

Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram listed all the Mavericks from last season who will be playing on different rosters next season (Twitter): O.J. Mayo is on the Bucks, Elton Brand and Jared Cunningham joined the Hawks, Darren Collison signed with the Clippers, Chris Kaman joined the Lakers after they failed to re-sign Howard, and Anthony Morrow joined an improved Pelicans team. Two former Mavs are still unsigned, though, as Price tweets: Rodrigue Beaubois and Mike James. 

Here are a few more tidbits as the NBA comes up on the end of the free agency period…

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Pacers Acquire Luis Scola From Suns

July 27th, 2013 at 2:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:31pm: The Suns have also confirmed that the trade is official, via their website.

2:06pm: The Pacers have announced the trade in a press release.

"I’m very, very excited to play for the Pacers," Scola said, as part of the Pacers statement. "They are one of the top three teams in the NBA with a good shot to win a championship. I think it’s a great team and this is a great opportunity. I can’t wait."

1:39pm: The Pacers and Suns have reached an agreement on a trade that sends Luis Scola to Indiana, tweets USA Today's Sam Amick. Paul Coro notes that the framework of the deal, reported earlier by Amick and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, will send Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee and Indiana's lottery-protected 2014 first-round draft pick to Phoenix in exchange for Scola (Twitter link).

The move strengthens the Pacers as they attempt to overcome the Heat, who've knocked them out of the playoffs the past two seasons. Scola will be of particular help on the offensive end, where he's a career 14.2 points-per-game scorer, and he'll improve a second-unit that lagged far behind Indiana's starting lineup last season. The Suns claimed him off amnesty waivers from the Rockets last summer, and the inexpensive bid helped faciliate the deal with Indiana. Scola will make more than $4.5MM this year, with a non-guaranteed $4.868MM in 2014/15.

Suns GM Ryan McDonough reunites with Green, whom the Celtics drafted 18th overall in 2005, when McDonough was beginning to work his way up Boston's front office chain of command. Green will make $3.5MM this year and next as part of a three-year contract he signed with the Pacers last summer, before he wound up buried on coach Frank Vogel's bench. Plumlee, the 26th overall pick in 2012, was even farther down the Pacers depth chart, appearing in more D-League games (15) than NBA contests (14) last season.

The jewel of the deal for Phoenix appears to be the pick, which will almost certainly be at the back end of the first round. Still, the Suns are in line for three first-rounders in next year's talent-rich draft, including their own, as SB Nation's Paul Flannery points out (Twitter link). Sending the 33-year-old Scola out will allow the team to develop more of its young talent, and perhaps shave a few wins from its total, giving the team a better chance at the top overall pick.

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Pacers Nearing Trade For Luis Scola

July 27th, 2013 at 1:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:34pm: Green, Miles Plumlee, and a protected 2014 draft pick are the parts headed to Phoenix in the proposal, Wojnarowski tweets. USA Today's Sam Amick tweets that the pick is lottery protected. Marc Stein of ESPN.com notes that the deal is still a proposal at this point, so it looks like a formal agreement has not yet been reached (Twitter link).

SATURDAY, 12:56am: The "early word" is that the Pacers will send Gerald Green and draft considerations to Phoenix in exchange for Scola, Stein reports. The teams are still discussing the specifics of the picks headed Phoenix's way (Twitter links).

FRIDAY, 10:50pm: The Suns and Pacers are having "serious" talks about a trade that would ship Luis Scola to Indiana, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The teams are close to an agreement, Wojnarowski also tweets, but the deal won't involve Danny Granger, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).

The Pacers have been pursuing Scola for weeks, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), though both front offices have been keeping the news quiet. The Pacers re-signed starting power forward David West this summer, and they also brought in Chris Copeland. Centers Roy Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi are on long-term deals, so there wouldn't seem to be an immediate fit for Scola, unless one of Indiana's big men is headed to Phoenix. 

As Stein notes, the news originated in Scola's native Argentina, where Juan Sebastia, Scola's publicist, tweets tonight that Scola is headed to the Pacers, and that the deal will become official Saturday. Scola is set to make a little more than $4.5MM this season, with a non-guaranteed $4.868MM on the books for 2014/15. The Suns are under the cap, but the Pacers are over it, so Indiana would have to give up about $3MM in salary to make the deal work if Scola is the only player Phoenix is giving up.

The Pacers could make a straight-up acquisition of Scola work with either Mahinmi or Gerald Green, or they could aggregate the salaries of Lance Stephenson, Miles Plumlee and Orlando Johnson. West and Copeland are ineligible to be traded until the middle of next season because they signed new deals this summer.

The 33-year-old Scola has been remarkably durable in his six-year NBA career, missing just eight regular season games, all of them in 2010/11. His minutes declined somewhat last year in his first season with the Suns, who claimed him off amnesty waivers after the Rockets cut him in a cap-clearing move. He notched 12.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 26.6 minutes per game in 2012/13, with a 16.7 PER that's nearly identical to his career mark of 16.9.

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Pacers Notes: George, Granger, Scola

July 27th, 2013 at 9:57am CST by Zachary Links

While a healthy Danny Granger undoubtedly makes an already stacked Indiana team even scarier, some outsiders are concerned that his presence will stunt the growth of Paul George.  George, however, doesn't see things that way.  “Even my second year in the league and my rookie year, we were still able to play off one another,” George told Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. “I didn’t have as big of a role as I do now, but we still did a good job playing off one another.”  Here's more out of Indiana..

  • With the addition of Luis Scola, the Pacers might have the best team in the Eastern Conference, argues Tom Ziller of SBNation.com.  Indiana managed to reach the conference finals and take the Heat to seven games last season despite having a weak bench and any upgrade to that unit goes a long way for them.  
  • Scola will definitely help the Pacers, but the offense-driven games of the veteran forward and newly-signed guard Chris Copeland give Zach Lowe of Grantland (via Twitter) some pause.  The deal for Scola is expected to be finalized today.
  • George, who has said that he wants to stay with the Pacers long-term, feels that talks are going well and both sides are on the same page, writes Scott Agness of NBA.com.
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Odds & Ends: Hill, Team USA, Cousins

July 25th, 2013 at 11:14pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Opting to stick around for youth basketball camps he sponsored in Texas, Pacers guard George Hill understands that his decision to forego his commitment to Team USA training camp on short notice could hurt his chances at future invitations (IndyStar.com). USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo's reacted to Hill's decision: "We expected him here, and he withdrew…Until I really get the answer, I don't know what else to tell you. I just don't think it's fair to comment one way or the other until I have facts, out of courtesy and respect."

Here are a few more miscellaneous rumblings to pass along from tonight:

  • Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter) hears that the Kings will be meeting with DeMarcus Cousins' agent Dan Fegan in the near future to discuss a contract extension. 
  • Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets that early next year, Colangelo will announce another pool of 25-28 players for next summer's World Cup competition.
  • Though he almost chose the Mavericks at the request of his son, Jermaine O'Neal passed on the chance to return home and ultimately chose to join the Warriors for the opportunity to be a part of something special (Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News). 
  • Eric Koreen of the National Post introduces us to Bill Bayno, Jesse Murmuys, and Jama Mahlalela – some of the new faces on the Raptors' assistant coaching staff. In another piece, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun gathers some of head coach Dwane Casey's thoughts on Jonas Valanciunas and DeMar DeRozan and their improvement this summer. 
  • Zach Harper of CBS Sports is puzzled by Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum's statement to Cleveland media that he's never played for a city that really supported their team, coming from someone who developed and enjoyed plenty of success with the Lakers. 
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