Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kyler On Paul, Pierce, Garnett, Bledsoe, Jordan

June 24th, 2013 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

While replacing Vinny Del Negro with Doc Rivers on the bench may be worth a first-round draft pick on its own, the Clippers' decision to send the Celtics an unprotected 2015 pick was also closely tied to Chris Paul's future in Los Angeles. As Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes in today's NBA AM piece, the Clippers hiring Rivers virtually cements Paul re-signing long-term with the club when free agency begins next month.

The NBA still has to approve the Rivers transaction, but that shouldn't be a problem now that Kevin Garnett and other players aren't involved in the deal, so Kyler takes a look at the next steps for both the Celtics and Clippers once Doc officially changes addresses:

The Cavaliers have expressed "serious interest" in acquiring Paul Pierce, but according to Kyler, they're offering a pair of early second-round picks, while the Celtics are reportedly seeking a first-rounder. Kyler echoes what we heard last night, suggesting that Boston isn't averse to keeping Pierce beyond June 30th, guaranteed his full $15MM+ salary, since the team still feels he could be traded for good value later on.
According to Kyler, there have been reports indicating the Timberwolves have interest in re-acquiring Garnett. I'm not sure exactly which reports Kyler is referring to — Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities speculated about the idea earlier this month, but said his sources shot it down. And Adrian Wojnarowski indicated last night that a reunion between Garnett and the Wolves could happen eventually, but in an off-court, ownership capacity.
In any case, Kyler points out that trading KG still makes sense for the Celtics, and with the NBA unlikely to approve a move to the Clippers, other suitors like the Wolves could get involved (though I think Minnesota is far from Garnett's likeliest destination).
The Clippers have long been reluctant to move Eric Bledsoe until they can officially lock up Paul long-term. Now that CP3 appears to be a lock to re-sign, L.A. may begin shopping Bledsoe in earnest. According to Kyler, there has been no shortage of suitors with offers for the young point guard.
Sources tell Kyler that the team isn't worried about bringing back DeAndre Jordan after he was at the center of trade rumors, feeling that Rivers will be able to mend that fence. However, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter), there's still a belief that Jordan will be moved. It may not happen right away though, as the Clippers take time to consider their options.

Clippers, Celtics Nearing Doc Rivers Deal

June 23rd, 2013 at 4:56pm CST by Zachary Links

4:57pm: The Clippers and Rivers are working on the length of the deal, tweets Wojnarowski.

4:56pm: The Clippers believe that Chris Paul will soon notify them that the acquisition of Rivers clinches his signature on a max deal when he can legally sign on July 1st, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

4:30pm: The deal will see the Clippers trade a 2015 unprotected first-round pick to the Celtics, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

4:02pm: The Clippers and Celtics are nearing a deal to allow Doc Rivers to become the next coach of the Clippers, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Rivers and the Clippers are working on the language of a five-year, $35MM deal and no agreement will be in place until those details are finalized. It appears that the deal will send a first round pick out east to Boston in exchange for the rights to Rivers.

The longtime C's coach told the Clippers that he was no longer interested in the position on Friday, but Paul pressured L.A. management to fork over a first round pick to get the deal done. Wojnarowski concludes that Rivers' telling the Clps he no longer had interest in the job and the Celtics setting a Friday deadline for a deal were negotiating postures to get the Clippers to up their offer.

Rivers went into the weekend planning to decide his future with the Celtics and sources said he had been leaning strongly toward returning next season to fulfill the three years and $21MM left on his deal. With the Celtics set to rebuild, several sources say that Boston wanted draft-pick compensation over paying for an elite coach.

Western Notes: Mavericks, Clippers, Oberto

June 22nd, 2013 at 10:04pm CST by Spencer Lund

We've already mentioned the "draft and stash" philosophy earlier in the night, and that's what Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News thinks the Mavericks might do if they don't trade their 13th pick in this year's draft. He says they're eyeing German point guard Dennis Schroeder if they choose to keep the pick, which has been considered unlikely as they go for broke at another title with Dirk Nowitzki not getting any younger.

Nowitzki would help fellow German Schroeder mesh with the team, and the Mavs are looking for point guard help after Darren Collison failed to inspire a lot of confidence last season when the team missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1999/00 campaign. Schroeder can also be stashed if the Mavs don't feel he's ready to come in and play heavy minutes in the rotation.

Here's what else is happening around the Western Conference on the first Saturday night since the 2012/13 NBA season concluded.

Former Spurs forward Fabricio Oberto may have hinted at a possible return to the NBA as a part of the Spurs' coaching staff in an interview with Argentinian journalist Julian Mozo, reports Dan McCarney of the Express-News.
Bob Young of the Arizona Republic says the Suns will wear long-sleeved jerseys, like the Warriors did last season, in an effort to improve faltering merchandise sales.
Lakers executive and owner, Jeanie Buss, spoke with the Los Angeles Times' Eric Pincus about her confidence in the team despite Dwight Howard's uncertain future as an unrestricted free agent, and their luxury tax issues after the CBA.
Pincus also offers his thoughts on the Clippers' head coaching candidates after they failed to reach an agreement with the Celtics to let Doc Rivers out of his contract (Sulia link). As reported earlier today, the Clippers have started preliminary contract discussions with Brian Shaw and Byron Scott.
Speaking of coaching searches, with all their interviews completed, the Grizzlies now only need to select a coach, writes Ronald Tillery in the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Jerry Sloan spoke with Mike Sorenson of the Deseret News about his decision to accept an advisory role with the Jazz.
Joe Freeman at the Oregonian looks at draft prospect Peyton Siva as the Trail Blazers' possible 10th pick this Thurday.
Star-Tribune reporter Jerry Zgoda goes through five possible draft selections with Minnesota connections, and details Flip Saunders' first draft with the Timberwolves as head of basketball operations after replacing David Kahn earlier this summer. Saunders was the coach for the Wolves under then-general manager Kevin McHale from 1995-2006.

Clippers Have Talked Contract With Scott, Shaw

June 22nd, 2013 at 4:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:39pm: It’s not clear whether Scott is the front-runner for the job, according to Broussard, whose report includes word from Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that the Clippers intend to go after Rivers one more time once they have an alternative lined up. Broussard also points to the close relationship between Chris Paul and Scott, who was CP3’s coach in New Orleans.

4:25pm: The Clippers began contract talks with Scott after his interview Tuesday, and they did the same Wednesday with Shaw, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports. Sources tell Turner that Scott and the Clippers are “getting there, but still talking,” with no agreement in place yet (All Twitter links).

4:01pm: The Clippers initiated discussion Friday night about the financial framework of a contract with coaching candidate Byron Scott, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. The team has not had similar talks with Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins, two of the others that the team considers its primary alternatives to Doc Rivers.

The progress toward an agreement with Scott could signal that the Clippers are finally ready to move on from their pursuit of Rivers, whom the Celtics have been unwilling to release from his contract for the Clips’ offer of a second-round pick. Scott interviewed for the job on Tuesday, and his meeting with owner Donald Sterling went “very well,” Broussard noted earlier this week. Scott reportedly hasn’t interviewed with another team since the Cavs fired him more than two months ago. Scott and the Clippers had preliminary discussions about the job weeks ago.

Scott has been employed as an NBA head coach for at least part of each of the last 13 seasons. He’s 416-521 overall with the Nets, Pelicans (then Hornets) and Cavs. Four of his teams have reached the playoffs, including his back-to-back Finals squads with New Jersey.

If the Clippers hire Scott, Hollins and Shaw could turn to the Nuggets, where both are candidates, as is former Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro. Shaw has also been a candidate for the Sixers job, and the Grizzlies are looking for a new coach as well.

At the end of May, Hoops Rumors readers selected Scott as most likely to land the Clippers job among a field of six choices that didn’t include Rivers. Though much has changed since then, readers may still wind up being correct.

Draft Rumors: Saturday

June 22nd, 2013 at 3:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Raptors don't have a pick in either round, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears they're trying to acquire a second-rounder, if not a first-round choice, by draft time (Twitter link). That echoes comments that GM Masai Ujiri made in interviews last week indicating his desire to trade for a pick, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun points out via Twitter. There are sure to be more rumors about teams exchanging picks in the coming days as one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent memory approaches. Here's more:

The Blazers posted profiles of today's workout participants on the team website, though Peyton Siva, the first player on the list, sprained an ankle before the audition and didn't take part, as fellow prospect Mike Muscala tells The Oregonian's Joe Freeman (Twitter link). Muscala, Elijah Johnson, Michael Snaer, Chris Evans and Jackie Carmichael were the others in for the workout.
Siva will consult his agent about whether to pull out of his final two scheduled workouts, for the Pacers and Clippers, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).
Muscala will fly to Cleveland, ostensibly to work out for the Cavs, according to his Twitter feed (hat tip to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune).
C.J. Aiken was scheduled to work out Monday for the Sixers, but he'll instead be doing so for the Pistons that day, agent Stephen Pina tells Tom Moore of Phillyburbs.com. It will be Aiken's second audition for Detroit.
The Celtics will work out big men Kelly Olynyk and Lucas Nogueira next week, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
Carrick Felix set a conditioning run record at a Suns workout today that also included Reggie Bullock, Solomon Hill, James Southerland, Brandon Triche and Elias Harris, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (All Twitter links).
Brandon Paul has worked out for 14 teams, as he details to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.

Shawne Williams To Work Out For Several Teams

June 22nd, 2013 at 2:29pm CST by Zachary Links

2:29pm: The Nets are in the mix for Williams as well, HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus tweets.

11:57am: Former Knick Shawne Williams will return to New York on Monday to audition for the orange-and-blue, agent Happy Walters told Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks are trying to add more scoring pop to the roster at the small forward position now that Carmelo Anthony is viewed as their power forward.

“Shawne loved his time there,’’ Walters said. “He’ll be the first to tell you. But it is also about where he’d get playing time.’’

The Williams camp is concerned because the Knicks found a promising forward in Chris Copeland. However, Copeland is a free agent and the Knicks may be unable to re-sign him because they would have to dip into their $3.1MM mini mid-level exception to keep him.

There's plenty of competition for Williams, however. Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni coached Williams in New York and wants him back and has also has scheduled a workout for him. The Knicks also are competing against the Clippers and the Bulls for his services.

Williams has had personal troubles in recent years but thrived in New York in 2010/11, averaging 7.1 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 20.7 minutes per contest. His last NBA season was in 2011/12 with the Nets, where he didn't find the same success.

Latest On Celtics/Clippers Talks

June 22nd, 2013 at 1:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

Yesterday we heard that the Celtics/Clippers deal involving Doc Rivers was dead, only to later come across reports that such trade talks would continue. More continues to come in about the on-again, off-again saga, much of it courtesy Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald and Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. Here’s what we know:

A source tells Murphy that the deal is dead, despite insistence from the Clippers camp that it will be revived. Discussion about a Kevin Garnett-for-DeAndre Jordan trade is probably dead as well, Murphy writes.
Rivers is still in contact with Danny Ainge and deliberating over whether he’ll return to Boston for next season, and the decision is not necessarily tied to whether the Celtics will rebuild, Murphy says.
The Celtics postponed Friday’s press conference with Rivers and Ainge until Monday because the Clippers wanted to discuss a deal again, according to Holmes.
Holmes hears that Rivers wants to continue coaching in the NBA, despite his well-documented misgivings about doing so with a rebuilding team. Yet sources tell Holmes that Rivers could wind up returning to broadcasting, where his salary would not match what he could get as a coach, because it might be too awkward to go back to the Boston bench at this point. Even so, Celtics management maintains that they would welcome him back.
As Holmes points out, the Clippers were prepared to give up a first-round pick for Rivers earlier this week when it appeared there was a second, separate deal involving Garnett. Now that the two sides have pushed the Garnett talk to the backburner under pressure from the league, the Clippers only seem willing to relinquish a second-rounder for Rivers.
Holmes hears from sources who believe the Clippers never intended to pull of a deal with the C’s, and were merely trying to make it seem as though they were to appease Chris Paul.
A source tells Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com that Rivers and Rajon Rondo had a locker-room altercation that nearly turned into a physical confrontation. “An intense dislike” for Rondo is part of Rivers’ motivation for leaving the Celtics, Sheridan writes. Rich Levine of CSNNE.com tweets his doubts that such an incident took place, and believes that if it did, it may have happened as far back as 2010.
In a separate piece, Holmes notes that Celtics assistant coach Mike Longabardi has accepted a position on Jeff Hornacek‘s coaching staff with the Suns. He’s the only Celtics assistant to have depared the team this offseason.

Draft Workout Updates: Friday

June 21st, 2013 at 10:30pm CST by Luke Adams

With just six days left until the 2013 draft, NBA teams continue to bring in prospects to work them out and gather as much information as they can. Here are the latest updates on workouts taking place today, over the weekend, and early next week:

Allen Crabbe will work out Tuesday with the Bucks and Wednesday for the Nets, reports Scott Howard Cooper of NBA.com. Crabbe, widely projected as a late first-rounder at best, made it a priority to visit the Bucks, who have the No. 15 pick (Twitter links).
Mason Plumlee wasn't on the list the Pistons released of players with whom the team has met, but he was scheduled to work out for Detroit on Friday, according to MLive's David Mayo.
We heard about Vander Blue's workout with the Bucks today (below), and Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel notes that Blue has also auditioned for the Mavs, Spurs, Hawks, Sixers, Pistons and Magic, with another workout on tap for Monday with the Grizzlies.

Earlier updates:

Anthony Bennett will visit the Bobcats on Saturday, though his injured rotator cuff will prevent him from working out, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps traveled Friday to get a close look at Victor Oladipo, sources confirmed to John Reid of The Times Picayune.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com passed along a list of players who met with the Pistons this past week: Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, C.J. McCollum, Cody Zeller, Derrick Nix, Dexter Strickland, Augusto Cesar Lima, Jared Berggren, Kenny Boynton and Karron Johnson (All Twitter links).
The Kings updated the workout schedule on their website, which shows Shabazz Muhammad, Doug Anderson, A.J. Davis, John Dickson, Mfon Udofia and Kwame Vaughn coming in Saturday. McCollum will be in for a workout on Monday, Cowbell Kingdom's James Ham tweets.
Today's workout for the Timberwolves is expected to be the last one for the team, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, adding that Mason Plumlee, Kelly Olynyk, Colton Iverson, and Christian Watford were in attendance.
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution passes along a couple tweets from Gorgui Dieng, surmising that the big man appears to be in Atlanta for a workout with the Hawks.
The Suns' workout today is headlined by Glen Rice Jr., according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, who has the full list of participants in a pair of tweets.
Vander Blue, Grant Jerrett, Brock Motum, Dejan Musli, Nemanja Nedovic, and Andrew Smith are working out for the Bucks today, according to the team's PR Twitter feed.
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Erick Green will be among the prospects working out for the Nets on Monday, the team announced in a press release.
Hardaway Jr. was also among the prospects who worked out for the Clippers today, along with Tony Snell, Ricky Ledo, and Reggie Bullock (link via Eric Patten of Clippers.com).
The Pacers announced today that they'll work out a a handful of prospects tomorrow: Matt Dellavedova, Angel Sharpless, Jamaal Franklin, Zeke Marshall, and Jeff Withey.

Nuggets To Interview Vinny Del Negro

June 21st, 2013 at 9:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nuggets will interview Vinny Del Negro this weekend for their coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Del Negro is the third coaching candidate to sit down this week with Tim Connelly, the Nuggets new executive vice president of basketball operations. Lionel Hollins did so on Wednesday, while Brian Shaw had his interview Tuesday.

Del Negro has been out of work for exactly a month, after he and the Clippers parted ways. A client of well-respected agent Lonnie Cooper, Del Negro has also been linked to the Celtics, who could be seeking a head coach if Doc Rivers doesn't return.

When the Clippers let go of Del Negro, they told him they'd do whatever they could to help him find his next job. It appears that policy may wind up benefiting the Clippers as much as Del Negro, since blocking Hollins and Shaw from the Nuggets job could leave them available for the Clippers, who've interviewed the two of them along with Byron Scott. The Clippers are reportedly using the availability of all three candidates as leverage in their negotiations with the Celtics over Rivers.

The Nuggets have suffered from an exodus of coaches and executives in the past month. Former GM Masai Ujiri left to take over the Raptors front office, and Denver forced out coach George Karl. Pete D'Alessandro, who had been serving as an assistant to Ujiri in Denver, became GM of the Kings, bringing another Nuggets executive with him. Today the Kings officially hired Nuggets director of player personnel Mike Bratz as assistant GM, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee notes.

Door ‘Not Closed’ On Celtics, Clippers Deal

June 21st, 2013 at 8:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rasputin of NBA trade rumors appears to be alive once more, as executives tell Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that the Clippers will make another play on Monday for Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Reports on two occasions, including earlier today, have indicated that talks between the two teams were at an end, but one executive said to Turner tonight that, "The door is not closed yet on getting a deal done." Still, Rivers' agent has told the Clippers he's no longer interested in coaching the team, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that Chris Paul, a proponent of bringing Rivers to L.A., has been displeased with the fallout of what looked to be a failed deal.

The Clippers appear willing to be patient for a Rivers deal because Brian Shaw, Lionel Hollins and Byron Scott, their alternative coaching candidates, aren't likely to leave the market anytime soon. Two of those three haven't been offered a job by another team, according to Turner, adding that Scott hasn't even interviewed with anyone aside from the Clippers.

Boston is seeking a 2014 first-round pick in return for allowing Rivers out of his contract, which has three more seasons left on it. The Clippers are only offering a second-rounder. Clippers owner Donald Sterling and Rivers have negotiated a five-year, $35MM deal, but there's been a growing doubt around the NBA that Sterling really wants to pay that much, according to Wojnarowski.

The Celtics and Clippers have been engaged in talks involving only Rivers and draft picks since commissioner David Stern expressed this week that the league was unlikely to approve any deal that gave the appearance that Rivers was being traded in tandem with players. Such a deal would violate the collective bargaining agreement, and even though the teams appeared to be trying to structure a deal involving Kevin Garnett that would be separate from the Rivers transaction, it appeared that, too, would be vetoed. The Celtics and Clippers may attempt to circle back to a Garnett deal once the Rivers situation is resolved.

Rivers and Ainge will reportedly talk throughout the weekend in hopes of reaching a resolution on his future with the Celtics by Monday, when the team has a press conference scheduled.