Tonight's D-League assignments..
Jonas Jerebko and Rodney Stuckey are the two Pistons players other teams ask about most, and sources tell Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that while Detroit is likely to wait to make another major move until summer, a smaller deal isn't out of the question. "You have already had the main course. You aren't getting seconds," a source told Ellis, referencing the Jose Calderon/ Tayshaun Prince swap before adding, "You might get dessert."
While we wait to bite into the sweet spot of trade deadline chatter in the days to come, here's more of what we're hearing from the Eastern Conference:
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday evening:
The Miami Heat are unlikely to make a trade before Thursday's deadline, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Pat Riley has a history of making splashy moves at the deadline, dating back to the mid-1990s when he acquired Tim Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn. But Winderman writes that these moves have decreased in recent years, and there isn't any indication that he will make a move before Thursday.
Winderman writes that the most attractive trade asset the Heat have is the Sixers' lottery-protected 2013 first-round pick, acquired for the rights to Arnett Moultrie in June of 2012. Joel Anthony and Mike Miller are unlikely to be moved due to their contracts, and Winderman notes that Miller is very likely to be waived via the amnesty clause this summer. Mario Chalmers could be moved, but Winderman does not believe there is a deal out there for the point guard that the team must make.
Kyrie Irving is willing to listen to any pitch LeBron James might make about joining forces on the Cavaliers in 2014, a source tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who wonders if All-Stars from around the league will use this weekend to hatch plots to form more superteams. While we wait to hear if any such whispers emanate from Houston, here's the latest from the Association:
Despite Mark Cuban's belief that adding an overpaid player with a massive contract would be a huge mistake considering the framework of the current CBA, Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas wonders if the Mavericks would explore trading for Hornets guard Eric Gordon as a possible fallback option if the team falls short in its effort to land Dwight Howard this summer. On another note, Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops explains why it would be wise for Dallas to deal Vince Carter and Shawn Marion for expiring contracts and draft picks now if they want to give themselves a legitimate chance at going after Howard, Chris Paul, or Andrew Bynum in upcoming free agency.
Here are more of this evening's odds and ends:
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page:
WEDNESDAY, 10:53am: Sources tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that Oden appears to be leaning toward the Cavaliers.
MONDAY, 1:58pm: The field of suitors for Greg Oden may have decreased by one, as Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reports (via Twitter) that the Heat have removed themselves from the running. Miami had been considered one of the frontrunners for Oden, according to a report last month.
On Friday, we heard that the Cavaliers were preparing to make Oden a contract offer after the trade deadline. Amico confirms that report, adding that the Bobcats are also expected to make an offer. While the Cavs have about $4MM in cap space that they could use for their offer, the Bobcats have a pro-rated portion of the $2.5MM mini mid-level exception available.
Although Oden isn't expected to appear on the court until the 2013/14 season, his agent has suggested he may sign a contract this season in order to rehab with an NBA club. If the former first overall pick were to wait until the summer to sign, perhaps the Heat could re-emerge as an option, since they'd have their $3MM taxpayer mid-level exception available at that point. That's just my speculation though — it's not clear if an inability to offer more than the minimum this year is the reason why the Heat are out of the running for Oden.
In addition to the Heat, Cavs and Bobcats, the Celtics, Spurs, Pacers, Hornets, and Mavericks have also been mentioned as potential destinations for Oden.
The Spurs offered forward DeJuan Blair to the Pistons and discussed a deal involving him with the Raptors, but nothing has come of those talks so far, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Broussard hears that the Celtics, Heat, and Trail Blazers are among the teams that could have interest in the 23-year-old.
Blair has been considered a trade candidate for quite some time and there has been friction between him and the club ever since he was effectively 86'd from the rotation in the 2012 postseason. The Pitt product is seeing less playing time than ever this season, averaging 13.9 minutes per contest versus 20.2 per game over the previous three years in San Antonio.
Recently, it was reported that the Warriors also have interest in acquiring Blair.
Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..