Bucks Talk With Pelicans About Monroe, Eye Teague
WEDNESDAY, 10:43am: Teams that have called the Bucks about Monroe aren’t gaining traction in talks, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, who heard from one source who said no chance exists that the big man will end up in a trade. At least one other source also told Zillgitt that Monroe won’t be traded.
5:08pm: New Orleans and Milwaukee have had only exploratory talks, sources tell John Reid of The Times Picayune, who nonetheless hears from league sources that Monroe, a New Orleans native, would prefer to play for his hometown Pelicans.
TUESDAY, 8:58am: The Bucks have had a dialogue with the Pelicans about Greg Monroe and are one of a handful of teams that have been “kicking the tires on” Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, reports Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Monroe is obtainable if a team gives Milwaukee a “decent” first-round pick, according to Lowe, but the Pelicans have been reluctant to part with their 2016 first-rounder even if protection for the top few picks is involved, sources tell Lowe. New Orleans has dealt its first-round pick three years in a row.
Northwest Notes: Rubio, Martin, Foye, Green
Bucks coach Jason Kidd, who holds sway over the team’s personnel decisions, has a longstanding admiration for Ricky Rubio, and while the Timberwolves haven’t been looking for Rubio trades, they’re likely to do so this summer, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Other recent reports have indicated that Rubio is currently on the block, though Minnesota doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to deal him for the time being, judging by Wojnarowski’s reporting. See more from Minnesota amid the latest from around the Northwest Division:
- Timberwolves shooting guard Kevin Martin is unlikely to end up in a trade unless he turns down his player option, worth nearly $7.378MM for next season, league sources told Wojnarowski for the same piece. Martin probably won’t do that, since he’d have a tough time making up that money on the free agent market this summer.
- Randy Foye‘s eminently positive locker room presence appeals to the Nuggets, who won’t be quick to give him up, according to Wojnarowski. The Heat reportedly have interest, and Wojnarowski suggests others do as well.
- Erick Green, whose second 10-day contract with the Jazz expired Sunday, will return to the D-League affiliate of the Kings, a league source tells Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link).
- Joey Dorsey, whom the Nuggets acquired in the Ty Lawson trade this past summer and later waived in a buyout, has left Turkey’s Galatasaray and will sign with Barcelona of Spain, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter links).
Heat Notes: Dragic, Bosh, Trade Targets
The Heat not surprisingly have interest in soon-to-be free agent Mike Conley, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald passes along via Dan Le Batard of ESPN Radio, and Miami is open to hearing offers for Goran Dragic, Jackson writes. However, the Heat are in no hurry to trade their point guard. The Heat like Jeff Teague and Al Horford, but Miami would need to find a third team to involve in a deal to get Atlanta the assets it wants for them, according to Jackson. DeMarcus Cousins and Jahlil Okafor have also held appeal to Miami, at least as of earlier this season, a source who has spoken with the Heat told Jackson. Moreover, the Heat want to further reduce their luxury tax bill and add a shooter, and they’re continuing to try to make the playoffs despite the health scare for Chris Bosh, who has an encouraging prognosis for his long-term health once his latest blood clot issue is resolved, Jackson reports.
See more from Miami:
- The most likely course of action regarding Bosh’s health would probably knock him out for three months, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, though agent Henry Thomas told Winderman that it’s too soon to know what will happen.
- The Heat probably wouldn’t benefit from missing the playoffs as much as they did last year when they snagged the No. 10 pick and Justise Winslow, making Bosh’s situation potentially devastating for the franchise, contends Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Miami’s first-round pick is again top-10 protected, but lottery and draft-night luck played in the Heat’s favor last year.
- Jackson lists Mirza Teletovic, Jerryd Bayless and Wayne Ellington as “options” for the Heat as they look for a shooter, though it’s not entirely clear whether the Heat are indeed interested in them.
Central Notes: Augustin, Carter-Williams, Harris
The Pistons are a bit thin in their backcourt after today’s trade of Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova to the Magic in exchange for combo forward Tobias Harris, Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com writes. As a result of the trade Detroit is now combing the market for a veteran guard it can add to its rotation, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports relays (via Twitter). Some potential targets for the Pistons include Thunder point guard D.J. Augustin, Kings playmaker Darren Collison and Mo Williams of the Cavaliers, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press notes (Twitter links).
Here’s the latest from the Central Division:
- Bucks point guard Michael Carter-Williams has been told by the team that he will not be traded prior to Thursday’s deadline, Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets. The 24-year-old, who is said to be “undeniably gettable,” was also told the same thing by the Sixers last season prior to being shipped to Milwaukee, Spears notes, so he’s likely to take any assurances with a grain of salt.
- Cavs superstar LeBron James believes he and his teammates need to tune out outside distractions and criticism and focus on the task at hand if the team is to make strides during the second half of the season, Marla Ridenour of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. “There’s so much talk about what we should be, we should do this, we shouldn’t do that. The only thing that matters is what we come together and talk about and how we prepare every single night and our coaching staff putting us in position to win,” James told Ridenour.
- The Pistons are excited by the athleticism and versatility that Harris will provide them, David Mayo of MLive relays.
- Orlando likely could have netted a better return if it had waited to deal Harris until this summer, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post opines in his examination of the Harris/Jennings/Ilyasova trade. The scribe notes that the trade was a big win for the Pistons, who now possess a solid core of players who are 25 years of age or younger to build around, and though Orlando did receive the veterans it craved, unless this deal was the first in a series of trades, it failed to improve the Magic as a team, Bontemps concludes.
Timberwolves Interested In Miles Plumlee
The Timberwolves are interested in acquiring center Miles Plumlee from the Bucks, a source told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The club is trying to move shooting guard Kevin Martin and power forward Adreian Payne and is also willing to deal point guard Ricky Rubio, the source also told Broussard.
Plumlee was moved into Milwaukee’s starting lineup just before the All-Star break in an effort by coach Jason Kidd to shake things up on his disappointing club. Otherwise, Plumlee’s role has been limited most of the season. He’s averaging 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.5 minutes over 33 games. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported in December that the Bucks were shopping Plumlee.
It would be the second time in as many seasons Plumlee would be moved just before the trade deadline if the Timberwolves acquire him. Plumlee was part of a three-way deal involving the Bucks, Suns and Sixers last season that included Brandon Knight and Michael Carter-Williams. He made 107 starts in 134 games with Phoenix after playing 14 games during his rookie campaign in 2012/13 with the Pacers.
The Timberwolves have paired up Gorgui Dieng and rookie sensation Karl-Anthony Towns in their lineup but have lacked depth up front because of nagging foot issues plaguing former starting center Nikola Pekovic.
Previous reports have indicated that Martin, Payne and Rubio were available, with Martin also drawing buyout interest if he’s not dealt. The Bucks appeared to have at least passing interest in Martin as of about a month ago.
Eastern Notes: Monroe, Carter-Williams, Love
Greg Monroe isn’t available but Michael Carter-Williams is “undeniably gettable,” sources tell Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. That conflicts with one side of an earlier report indicating that Milwaukee had let other teams know it was open to giving up Monroe for the right price, but it confirms the other part, about the team’s willingness to trade Carter-Williams just a year after acquiring him from the Sixers at last year’s deadline. The Bucks are turning away calls on Jabari Parker, Stein and Windhorst also write. See more from the Eastern Conference:
- Cleveland has made it clear it wants a star in return for Kevin Love, not the role players and draft picks the Celtics are offering, league sources tell Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Some executives around the league are growing stronger in their belief that the Cavs are more likely to entertain Love trades in the summer than they are now. the ESPN scribes add.
- The market is strong for the first-rounders that the Sixers have from the Thunder and Heat this year, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, and with a below-average draft class and several teams devoid of first-round selections, it would be wise for Philadelphia to thinking about trading the picks, Marks opines.
- The Heat have recalled Jarnell Stokes from the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). Miami sent Stokes, whom the team is reportedly dangling in search of a second-round pick and tax relief, on assignment late last week so he could play in the D-League All-Star Game this past weekend, notes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter).
Central Notes: Bucks, Pistons, Pacers
“I don’t know if we have any action going on, so there shouldn’t be anybody worried about the rumors if it entails the Milwaukee Bucks,” Kidd said. “This is our team. As a professional athlete, the small print says there could be a trade at some point in your career. Sometimes expected, sometimes not. You have to be able to handle that. But right now, this is our team. There’s no one coming in and there’s no one leaving.”
Here’s more from around the Central Division:
- Acquiring Ryan Anderson from the Pelicans at the deadline would make sense for the Pistons, but the power forward wouldn’t be enough of an upgrade to discard Ersan Ilyasova, which would likely be the result if Detroit wanted to re-sign Anderson in the summer, David Mayo of MLive writes. Adding Anderson, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, would help stabilize the one unsecured position for the Pistons, Mayo adds. It would likely take point guard Brandon Jennings, who is presumably headed out of Detroit via free agency, to land Anderson, Mayo writes. On the other hand, the idea that Jennings automatically is gone in free agency is premature because many teams have point guards locked up, as Mayo points out.
- Ian Mahinmi, who is in the final year of his contract with the Pacers, has dealt with a variety of injuries this season, his first as a full-time starter with an increased workload, and he’s looking to prepare his body for the second half, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star details.
Central Notes: James, Anthony, Vasquez, Bulls
LeBron James is dismissing rumors of a three-team deal that would bring Carmelo Anthony to Cleveland, according to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. “It’s false. That’s the only thing I can look at and see — it’s false,” James told reporters today at All-Star practice in Toronto. James added that he’s not concerned with trade talks involving the Cavaliers. Anthony, also in Toronto for All-Star weekend, said he won’t waive his no-trade clause. “There’s always some trade [stuff] going, I don’t pay attention to those rumors,” Anthony told SiriusXM NBA Radio. “I’m not going anywhere.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The rumored deal doesn’t make sense for the Cavaliers, argues Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Fedor notes that since Tyronn Lue took over as coach, he has been emphasizing ball movement and trying to get away from isolation plays. Fedor says Anthony won’t help with that transition. The trade would send Kevin Love to the Celtics, who have been chasing the power forward for years. Love could be made available, Fedor writes, because his production has been up and down and he has been a poor fit with James and Kyrie Irving.
- Bucks point guard Greivis Vasquez, who has been sidelined since having ankle surgery in December, expects to be back on the floor in three to four weeks, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Vasquez has appeared in just 16 games this season, averaging 7.1 points and 4.4 assists. Making $6.6MM this year, Vasquez will be a free agent this summer after being acquired from the Raptors in a trade last June.
- The Bulls couldn’t expect to get equal value back in a trade for Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol or Taj Gibson, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. He notes that Gasol is likely to opt out of his contract this summer, but adds that dealing away the 35-year-old center would doom Chicago’s playoff hopes.
Central Notes: Lue, Dinwiddie, Bayless
New Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue, who is a student of Phil Jackson‘s coaching style, has no qualms about taking LeBron James to task for any mistakes, a practice that has been well-received by James thus far, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “The thing with Phil is he did all of his coaching in practice,” Lue said. “He always held Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal more accountable than anyone else on the team. It always starts at the top and trickles down to the bottom. If you can get the respect of your best players, everyone else will fall in line. That was the biggest thing with Phil, like, in a game he’d let you figure it out and let you play, but in practice he’s coaching.”
As for James’ response to Lue’s methods, the coach told McMenamin, “It’s been good, so far. He understands what we’ve got to do to get to the point we want to get to. It’s not personal. It’s just teaching and correcting. If I can teach and correct him, like I said, other guys will follow in line. We can’t be afraid to do that and hold him accountable.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Pacers coach Frank Vogel expects the team’s roster to remain untouched through the trade deadline, as he said Wednesday, according to Scott Agness of VigiliantSports (Twitter link).
- Spencer Dinwiddie will be with the Pistons after the All-Star break instead of on D-League assignment, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter links). Dinwiddie said last month that GM Jeff Bower told him he’d be in the D-League the rest of the season. The Pistons recalled Dinwiddie on Tuesday, but that was so their doctors could look at his sprained ankle.“We’ll weigh what’s best for him and what’s best for us. Initially, we’ll bring him back. I’d like to see him now,” Van Gundy said.
- Bulls power forward Taj Gibson believes this year’s Chicago squad has more talent than the one that made it to the 2011 Conference Finals but doesn’t play hard for each other the way the 2010/11 team did, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tweets.
- The Bucks coaching staff is pleased with the improvement combo guard Jerryd Bayless has demonstrated shooting the ball from beyond the 3-point line, Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes. “He has worked extremely hard at it and put a lot of time into it,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He is not short on confidence, so right now he is shooting the three at a very high level.” Bayless, who is earning $3MM this season, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Central Notes: Sanders, Hoiberg, Christmas
Former Bucks center Larry Sanders plans to attempt an NBA comeback, but he wants to address other opportunities first, as he tells Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. People close to the 27-year-old who abruptly walked away from the game in the middle of last season tell Charania that he’s serious about a return sooner rather than later, but Sanders said to the Vertical scribe that he has no timetable and first wants to continue growing his management company for artists, designers and photographers.
“Once my art, music and passions off the court feel stable, I will look into coming back,” Sanders said. “I still love basketball. I want stability around me, and part of my mindset to leave was not to put all my eggs in one basket. I feel highly valuable on any team. There aren’t a lot of people who can bring my game to a team. I still play basketball all the time, staying in shape. I will need to make sure the situation is right for me.”
Sanders was reportedly drawing preliminary interest from the Mavericks at the start of this past season. The Bucks are paying Sanders nearly $1.866MM each season through 2021/22 through the terms of the stretch provision and his buyout arrangement. See more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls are a flawed team, not the championship-caliber bunch that the front office thought, which makes it tough to figure why management and the players remain in place from last season instead of coach Tom Thibodeau, contends Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune.
- Still, Bulls players are taking the blame for their own inconsistency, and new coach Fred Hoiberg has support from key figures, including Mike Dunleavy, a coach’s son and respected veteran voice, as Tribune scribe K.C. Johnson details.
- Cavaliers training camp cut Dionte Christmas has been released for a second time this season from an overseas team, international journalism David Pick observes (Twitter link). AEK Athens parted ways with the one-year NBA veteran swingman, the team announced today (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The Greek club signed him last month shortly after Israel’s Hapoel Holon let him go, and Athens reportedly planned to keep him for the balance of the season as of just a few weeks ago.