Amar’e Stoudemire Still Considering Buyout
5:44pm: Stoudemire reiterated that he will use the upcoming NBA All-Star break to decide whether or not to ask the Knicks to work out a buyout arrangement with him, Josh Newman of SNY.tv notes. “We’ll discuss that after the break,” Stoudemire said. “Right now, I’m focused on the rest of the season. We’ve got four games before the break, so I’m focused on that right now. I’ll keep you guys posted, man. Right now, we’ve got games in front of us today and tomorrow. We’ve got a lot going on, so I’ll keep you guys posted.”
9:32am: The Knicks have yet to speak with Stoudemire about a buyout, sources told Ian Begley of ESPN.com earlier this week.
12:54am: Amar’e Stoudemire‘s recent comments seemed to engender the belief that he wouldn’t ask the Knicks to agree to a buyout deal, but he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he plans to think about doing so over the upcoming All-Star break. The 32-year-old, who’s in the final year of a massive five-year contract worth nearly $99.744MM that pays him almost $23.411MM this season, nonetheless emphasized to Spears his strong affection for the Knicks organization and living in New York. Meanwhile, the Knicks are more focused on talking buyout with Andrea Bargnani, a league source tells Spears.
“All possibilities at this point are still open,” Stoudemire said of his own buyout possibility. “The door is still open for that. But at the same time, I am with the Knicks now. I got to stay optimistic about things and what we are doing here. I can’t really focus on the future because it’s not here. We still have a couple weeks left before it’s all said and done. It’s a decision I have to make with my family to figure out the best scenario for the near future.”
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers has spoken of his intention to fill the team’s pair of open roster spots with players who come free during “buyout season,” as Spears points out, speculating that they could become candidates to sign Stoudemire if he hits the market. The Mavs and Blazers are also looking for big men, Spears notes. Marc Berman of the New York Post wrote that it’s “quite possible” that Stoudemire would return to the Suns this summer and speculated that the Magic would have interest in the central Florida native this summer. It’s not entirely clear whether any of those teams would have interest in Stoudemire later this season, but if the Happy Walters client is willing to accept the minimum salary, he’d surely have no shortage of teams in pursuit.
Stoudemire is averaging 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game for the Knicks this season, and the rebounding average is by far his best since 2011/12. A 19.4 PER shows he’s still efficient in the playing time he sees, which persistent knee trouble and other ailments have limited in recent years. The Knicks have nonetheless been appreciative of his professionalism throughout his health struggles and the team’s woes on the court, Spears writes. Stoudemire tells Spears that he’s interested in playing several more years and said earlier this week that he expected to soon have a conversation with Knicks officials about a future with the team beyond this season.
“My heart always lies with the Knicks,” Stoudemire tells Spears. “My loyalty is with [Knicks owner] Mr. [Jim] Dolan. I feel like New York is my home now. I feel like I’m a New Yorker for sure.”
The Knicks reportedly engaged in internal discussions about a buyout for Stoudemire earlier this season. Team president Phil Jackson and company apparently spoke with the Sixers this summer about a trade, but it’ll be “virtually impossible” for the Knicks to find a taker for his bloated salary before the February 19th trade deadline, according to Spears. The Knicks have reportedly shopped Bargnani recently, though it has appeared as though the team was putting off buyout talks with him until after the deadline passes. The last day that either Stoudemire or Bargnani could hit waivers and still be eligible to appear in the postseason for another team is March 1st. That effectively sets the date as a buyout deadline, since there’d be little reason for either to give up salary if they couldn’t join another club for the postseason.
Hawks Trying To Woo Ray Allen
4:56pm: The Hawks have indeed had discussions with Allen’s representatives about coming to Atlanta, but nothing appears to be imminent at this time, Vivlamore tweets.
8:27am: The Hawks are trying to convince Ray Allen to consider signing with them when and if he decides to play in the NBA this season, though the Cavs remain the favorites to land the 39-year-old, tweets Ryen Russillo of ESPN Radio. Still, coach Mike Budenholzer, acting as the team’s GM in place of Danny Ferry, who’s on a leave of absence, said he’s reluctant to tinker with a roster that’s won 34 of its last 37 games, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes.
“For us to be open to improving the group and adding more depth, with Thabo [Sefolosha] healthy or without Thabo healthy or without Thabo having this injury, it’s kind of the same mindset,” Budenolzer said. “We really like our group. You are hesitant to do anything. There is a little more opportunity for a six- to eight-week window but I don’t think it changes much if at all.”
Sefolosha, who plays the same position Allen does, is about a week into a six-to-eight-week timetable for recovery from a strained calf. Still, Sefolosha plays a much different style than the sharpshooting Allen, the league’s all-time leading three-point shot-maker. The Hawks have a full roster of 15 players signed through the end of the season, as our roster counts show, so they’d have to eat someone’s salary to accommodate Allen. Still, they have slightly more than $3MM worth of cap space to throw at the Jim Tanner client, who this past summer signaled a strong desire for more than the minimum salary should he return to the NBA this season.
Cleveland only has the minimum to give, and the same is true of the Wizards, who are reportedly Allen’s most aggressive suitor. Russillo wrote in December that he’d heard that Allen would make his decision in February, though Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote last week that people around the league increasingly believe that Allen knows the team he’d like to play for, and is simply deciding whether he wants to play at all. The Clippers, Grizzlies, Bulls and Spurs are other teams linked to Allen within the past few months. The Warriors seemed to have abandoned their earlier interest.
Jordan Farmar To Play In Turkey
1:26pm: The sides have reached a deal, Carchia reports (Twitter link).
1:21pm: Former Clippers point guard Jordan Farmar is close to signing with Darussafaka Dogus, sources tell Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. The Cavs reportedly backed off after showing preliminary interest in signing Farmar shortly following his release from the Clippers in a buyout deal last month. It’s unclear how lucrative the Turkish deal would be, but if it’s greater than $816,482, the Clippers could recoup some of the guaranteed money they still owe Farmar, unless the sides decided to waive the right of set-off when they struck the buyout deal.
The Kings reportedly had discussions about a swap of Farmar for Ramon Sessions while Farmar was still with the Clippers, but it’s unclear if Sacramento has any interest in signing him as a free agent. The 28-year-old Farmar saw a career-low 14.7 minutes per game with the Clippers this season and he expressed disappointment with his limited role. Farmar and agent Tony Dutt agreed to give up nearly $950K to get out of the Clippers contract, which was to run through next season with a player option.
Farmar has played in Turkey before, with Anadolu Efes during the 2012/13 season, as Carchia points out. He was briefly overseas with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2011/12.
And-Ones: Stoudemire, Nuggets, Kenyon, Bucks
It’s “quite possible” that Amar’e Stoudemire would return to the Suns when he becomes a free agent this summer, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, who speculates that the Magic might have interest in the native of central Florida. In any case, he’s not looking to buy out his contract and hit free agency at any point this season, since he doesn’t want to uproot his family and would prefer the Knicks retain his Bird rights and the flexibility that comes with them, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The Knicks remain open to trading him, but it’s unlikely that they do, Kyler says, and Stoudemire said Wednesday that he doesn’t anticipate a swap. While we wait to see how it turns out for the big man who’s making more than $23.4MM this year, here’s more from around the league:
- The general belief is that the Nuggets are seeking a first-round pick in return for Wilson Chandler, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. The Blazers and Clippers have interest, as Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post reported last month, but I speculated when I examined Chandler’s trade candidacy that it’s unlikely that Denver reaps a first-rounder for him.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson confronted Kenyon Martin last month shortly after Martin made public comments indicating that the team didn’t have any interest in re-signing him this past offseason, a Bucks official tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- A key figure in the Wisconsin state legislature said Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal for $220MM worth of public funding for a new Bucks arena has “no chance” to receive legislative approval unless the city and county pony up funds, too, reports Scott Bauer of The Associated Press. The NBA can take over the Bucks in 2017 if no arena is in place.
Deveney’s Latest: Afflalo, Jackson, Hill
The NBA trade deadline is just over two weeks away and the front office activity around the league is sure to ramp up as February 19th rapidly approaches. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News ran down a number of tidbits regarding players who are on the trading block. Here are some of the highlights:
- The Nuggets have discussed dealing Wilson Chandler but would prefer to trade Arron Afflalo instead, Deveney notes.
- The trade market for Reggie Jackson is much weaker than the Thunder expected, Deveney adds.
- Lakers center Jordan Hill remains a hot commodity despite Los Angeles informing interested teams that he isn’t available, Deveney reports. Hill is out with a quad injury that could sideline him until the deadline has passed, but the Sporting News scribe expects the interest in the big man to remain high.
- Los Angeles is willing to deal Jeremy Lin if it could nab an asset in return, but the market for the Lakers‘ point guard has been weak, Deveney notes.
- Bulls forward Taj Gibson has been linked to a number of interested teams around the league over the past few months, including the Raptors, Suns, Pistons, Trail Blazers, and an unspecified team from Los Angeles, Deveney relays.
- The Wolves are open to the idea of trading Mo Williams, but with his team friendly salary and Minnesota’s young backcourt, the franchise isn’t desperate to make a deal, Deveney adds.
- The Pistons are seeking backcourt depth in the wake of Brandon Jennings‘ injury and Jonas Jerebko is Detroit’s best available trade chip, Deveney opines. The Pistons have depth at the forward position and would like to deal Jerebko for a point guard, notes Deveney.
- The Lakers have had their eyes on Suns guard Goran Dragic all season, but Los Angeles lacks the assets needed to get a deal done, the Sporting News scribe notes.
- Kemba Walker‘s injury could change the Hornets‘ willingness to make a trade, but the team would still prefer to move Lance Stephenson, Deveney notes. There is still the possibility that talks with the Nets could start again for the mercurial guard, and the Pacers and the Knicks also remain possible destinations for Stephenson, Deveney reports.
Amico On Nets, Lawson, Williams, Kings
With the NBA trade deadline just over two weeks away, many GMs from around the league are certain to be burning up their phone plan minutes while trying to improve their teams for a playoff run, or for others, trying to clear as much cap space as possible for the summer’s free agent signing period. Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio ran down a number of rumors from around the league. Here are some of the highlights:
- The Nets have been seeking trade partners for Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams, but they are looking to receive assets in return, and not to just dump salary in the deal, Amico notes. “I’ve talked to Brook about it, I’ve talked to Joe, I’ve talked to Deron,” Brooklyn GM Billy King said. “The players all know it’s part of the business, but we’re not looking just to get rid of these guys just because they’re saying they’re gonna do that. We’re exploring things that make sense as people call, but we’re not going to be making a trade to make a trade. That’s foolish.“
- Brooklyn had originally spoken with the Kings regarding a possible deal for Williams over a month ago, but those discussions have since died out, Amico adds. The Nets had also discussed a trade with the Hornets involving Johnson and Lance Stephenson.
- The Nuggets appear to be willing to trade point guard Ty Lawson, but Denver’s asking price is currently high enough that it is scaring away inquiring teams, the FOX Sports scribe notes.
- The Timberwolves are willing to deal Mo Williams, and the Kings are interested, Amico hears. Other teams reportedly interested in the veteran guard are the Pistons, Heat, Cavs, and Clippers.
- Barring a sudden turnaround in Sacramento, the odds are against Tyrone Corbin being retained as coach for next season, Amico notes. In addition to Kings executive Chris Mullin being a potential replacement, both Tyronn Lue and Larry Drew will be considered candidates as well, Amico adds.
Clippers Re-Sign Dahntay Jones For Season
5:02pm: The signing is official, the team has announced.
TUESDAY, 3:20pm: The Clippers have officially signed Jones for the remainder of the season, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
MONDAY, 5:29pm: The Clippers will re-sign Dahntay Jones for the rest of the season after his second 10-day contract expires tonight, coach/executive Doc Rivers told reporters, including Dan Woike of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). Jones first joined the Clippers back on January 14th.
The Jazz brought the 10-year veteran Jones to training camp this past fall, but they released him before the start of the regular season. The 34-year-old went without a deal last season, save for a preseason stint with the Bulls, and, prior to this stint in L.A., he last appeared in an NBA regular season game with the Hawks in 2012/13. He averaged 14.4 points in 29.3 minutes per game with 38.5% three-point shooting for the D-League Mad Ants this year.
Over the last few weeks, Jones has logged 29 minutes across eight games for the Clippers, scoring four points and pulling down one rebound.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Warriors, Curry
Many NBA teams are deathly afraid of paying the luxury tax, but Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob says that Golden State has no fear in that regard. The Warriors have more than $77.5MM in salary committed to just eight players for next season, and that doesn’t include a new deal for soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green. Still, Lacob & Co. are apparently willing to pay the price if it means being in championship contention. Here’s more from the Pacific Division..
- The Clippers would like to acquire a wing player with more size, but they discovered when they came up empty in their pursuit of Jeff Green that they don’t have trade assets that other teams find attractive enough to part with such a player, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. The Spencer Hawes signing for the full $5.305MM mid-level exception helped drain the team of assets and flexibility, as Lowe explains, adding that most league executives nonetheless praised the Hawes signing when it took place.
- Despite the pull of a Charlotte homecoming, Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News believes that Stephen Curry will want to stay with the Warriors for the long term. You never know what can happen between now and the summer of 2017, but Curry seems comfortable in Golden State despite having a new coach and the Warriors are showing that they can win this season.
- Shaun Powell of NBA.com wonders if new owner Steve Ballmer is disappointed with what he’s seen out of the Clippers so far. As an executive, many have wondered if Doc Rivers has been making wise choices. His only meaningful addition has been Hawes, a jump-shooting big man who hasn’t connected all that often this season. Meanwhile, Rivers dealt for son Austin Rivers to help fortify a bench that is thin beyond Jamal Crawford and it remains to be seen whether that will get the job done.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
D-League Moves: Mavs, Warriors, Cavs, Magic
Mavs reserve point guard Ricky Ledo was in a three-way tie for the most D-League assignments this season when I examined D-League trends last week, but he’d been stuck on eight assignments for a while. He’d spent the early part of the season pinging back and forth between the Mavericks and the D-League Texas Legends, but his latest assignment stretched nearly a month. It’s over as of today, as the Mavs have recalled him, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. The end of the stint, which began January 9th, is likely tied to Rajon Rondo‘s broken nose and orbital bone that will sideline the All-Star for at least three games. Ledo is far from the only one on the move today, as we detail:
- Festus Ezeli has returned to the Warriors from his first D-League assignment of the season, the team announced. The former 30th overall pick blocked a total of six shots over 42 minutes in two games with the Santa Cruz Warriors, but he averaged only 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
- The shuttle continues for Joe Harris, whom the Cavaliers have recalled from his fourth D-League stint in the past two weeks, the team announced. The rookie swingman has put up 18.8 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 34.3 MPG in four D-League appearances this season, all of them since January 21st.
- The Magic have assigned Devyn Marble to the D-League for the second time this year, the team announced. The 56th pick from the 2014 draft, who’s started seven NBA games this season, spent nearly a week in the D-League a month ago, averaging 20.0 PPG in 38.0 MPG.
- Former first-round picks Reggie Bullock and Archie Goodwin are officially back with the Suns after twin D-League assignments that began January 29th, the team announced. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reported Sunday that the recalls would take place.
- The Clippers will reassign C.J. Wilcox to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (Twitter link). Wilcox has appeared in five games for Fort Wayne this season, averaging 13.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest.
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Barbosa, Hawes, Bryant
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is using the 1990s Bulls as his blueprint for building a winner with Golden State, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Kerr, who won three NBA titles as a player in Chicago, learned about being demanding from teammate Michael Jordan. “I think that’s a standard that championship teams understand — that there’s a bar that’s set and you’re trying to reach that bar each night,” Kerr said. “You’re not so much playing against all these different opponents; you’re almost playing against your own standards.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Despite not playing much, Leandro Barbosa has become a team leader for the Warriors, according to Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle. The 32-year-old guard leads the other reserves in regular competitions after practice and is being credited for helping them improve. “He understands the value and the importance of the work ethic for the guys who don’t see a lot of playing time,” Kerr said. “He started that routine. It’s a shooting contest, competitive and fun. I think it’s a big reason why we’ve had good bench play this year.” Barbosa has a one-year, minimum-salary contract and will be a free agent in July.
- When the Clippers signed Spencer Hawes over the summer, the plan was for the eight-year veteran to play close to starter’s minutes while spacing the floor with his three-pointers. However, Hawes finds himself playing fewer minutes than in any season since he was a rookie. The big man acknowledges that he’s struggling with the transition to being a bench player, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times writes.
- Kobe Bryant may have had his third straight season cut short by injury, but Carmelo Anthony has no doubt the Lakers star will be back next year, reports Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. Bryant had surgery this week to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder and is expected to be out of action for about nine months. He will turn 37 in August and has a contract worth $25MM next season. “Oh, he’ll be back,” Anthony said. “He’s going to prove to everybody that he’s coming back. He’ll be back for sure.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.