Bobcats, Lakers Talk Gasol, But Trade Unlikely
The Bobcats and Lakers have spoken about Pau Gasol, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, but Bonnell’s source cast the notion of a trade between the teams as unlikely. Charlotte is wary of giving up a “significant” first-round pick for Gasol, who’s on an expiring contract and might not want to re-sign, Bonnell writes.
Still, the ‘Cats are aggressively pursuing deals as the deadline nears. They were moving closer to a deal to acquire Caron Butler and Gary Neal from the Bucks but those talks fell apart in recent days, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. They’ve been connected to Evan Turner, Brandon Bass, Taj Gibson and others in the past few weeks.
Most of the chatter surrounding Gasol of late has involved the Suns. Phoenix and the Lakers appear to be in a standoff regarding draft compensation, though those teams have been expected to rekindle talks before the deadline.
Spears On Rondo, Lin, Barnes, Turner
Can the Rockets keep soaring past the All-Star break? In his latest power rankings, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports brings Houston up from No. 7 to No. 4, putting them right behind the Heat, Pacers, and Thunder. Will they make a big splash in the days to come to hold their spot? Spears has the goods on that and more..
- According to a source, the Kings offered the Celtics Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore, and two picks for Rajon Rondo. However, Rondo wasn’t interested in re-signing with Sacramento.
- While the Rockets would love to trade Omer Asik, a source says they won’t trade reserve Jeremy Lin due to the scoring value he brings.
- Sources tell Spears that Warriors executives have informed forward Harrison Barnes that, barring a blockbuster offer, he will not be traded before Thursday’s deadline. Recently, Warriors owner Joe Lacob said that he hopes to keep Barnes for the long haul.
- The 76ers want to move Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes and could act as a third team in a significant trade.
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey is in the final year of his deal but Spears hears that he has impressed GM Masai Ujiri.
- The Pelicans could be trading guard Austin Rivers and the rights to D-League guard Pierre Jackson between now and Thursday.
- The Kings are in the market for a veteran backup point guard who can push the ball up the floor.
- With several teams looking for backup point guards, Bucks veteran Luke Ridnour could be on the move.
Odds & Ends: Sixers, Spurs, Ilyasova, LeBron
Defense may win championships, but it doesn’t mean much in the All-Star game. Tonight the Eastern Conference topped the West 163-155 behind the stellar play of Kyrie Irving, who had 31 points and 14 dimes. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- The 76ers have held trade discussions with all 29 other NBA teams and are believed to be the most active in talks leading up to the deadline, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. General Manager Sam Hinkie & Co. are seeking future draft picks in compensation for Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, and Thaddeus Young. Teams view the 76ers as an organization willing to acquire an expiring contract and they’re still not budging on their demand of high first round picks.
- The Spurs would love to acquire Young or Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova, but no one is sure how they can make that happen, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- Cavs owner Dan Gilbert recently opened up about his decision to write an open letter after LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I would’ve reworded the language in The Letter, but I don’t regret sending a letter out to our fan base,” Gilbert said. “People forget the letter was not to LeBron, it was to our fan base. If I had to do it again, for sure, I would’ve reworded several parts of it. But I think it definitely needed a strong statement from me at that time. I keep a couple binders on my desk and I have a binder of the responses to The Letter from the people of Cleveland.” Late last week we rounded up more of Gilbert’s thoughts on the state of his franchise.
Ersan Ilyasova Requests Trade
Ersan Ilyasova concedes he has some strong emotional attachments to the Bucks organization and to Milwaukee, but he admits his allegiance to the team is being severely tested these days, according to The Racine Journal Times. As the team’s longest-tenured player, Ilyasova has become dismayed about the front office’s penchant for making radical personnel changes. Multiple sources have said that he has expressed a desire to be traded, apparently having had his fill of the Bucks’ continual rebuilding project. For the record, Ilyasova declined to comment on whether he or his agent, Andy Miller, had requested a trade.
Speaking about those personnel changes, Ilyasova noted how the team went to the Eastern Conference playoffs during the 2009/10 season and then made wholesale roster changes the following offseason. The result was a 35-47 record in 2010/2011. Then, after making the playoffs last season, the team brought in 11 new players an have won only nine games this season, and are on the way to the worst record in team history.
The Bucks are still searching for the right team chemistry, and according to the article, are willing to trade anyone on the roster outside of John Henson and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ilyasova is arguably the Bucks’ best trading chip and several teams are believed to be interested in him. For the season, Ilyasova is averaging 10.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, in 27.1 MPG.
Ilyasova isn’t the only player on the team wanting out of Milwaukee. In the same article it was noted that Gary Neal and his agent, David Bauman, have talked to GM John Hammond in recent weeks about the possibility of a trade. Neal wants to play for a contender, instead of coming off the bench for a rebuilding team. Milwaukee remains agreeable to helping Neal move onto a competitive team, tweeted Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. He was signed to a two-year, $6.5MM contract this past summer. For the season, Neal is averaging 10.2 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.6 APG,
Also from the Racine Journal Times post, Pelicans guard Eric Gordon said before Wednesday night’s game that he’s “heard the Bucks have had interest in him for some time.” Gordon is reportedly on the trading block, though his contract for $14.2MM this season, $14.9MM next season, and a player option of $15.5MM in 2015/16 would make it difficult for the Bucks to fit him into their budget.
Eastern Notes: Boozer, Ridnour, Nogueira
The general opinion around the league has been that the Bulls will use the Amnesty Provision on Carlos Boozer after the season. But during last nights broadcast of the Bulls/Nets game, TNT’s Craig Sager had a different opinion, writes Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders.com. Sager has heard that the team might not Amnesty Boozer after all. Sager stated, “He (Boozer) told me tonight that he has been assured that he will not be traded by next week’s deadline, nor will the team buy out the final year of his contract this summer unless they can land a superstar who is too good to pass up.” If superstar was the word used, writes Brigham, then that could be referring to if the team could somehow lure either LeBron James, or Carmelo Anthony to sign with the Bulls this summer.
More from around the East:
- Several teams have called the Bucks about Luke Ridnour, including Washington and Sacramento, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The Bucks are also fielding calls about their young players, as teams aren’t sold that owner Herb Kohl is serious about going through the pain of a youth movement. But the message from the Bucks has been consistent. They have taken the stance that barring a significant offer, their young assets are staying put, writes Berger.
- Also from the Berger article, he writes that the trade dynamics are much more fluid than at recent deadlines, especially in the East. Several teams are on the borderline between pulling back and positioning for a better draft pick or making a move to push for a playoff spot. For example, with 30 losses each, the Bobcats and Pistons are on the cusp of an almost hopeless postseason venture as the seventh or eighth seed, which would almost certainly mean a first-round sweep at the hands of Indiana or Miami. According to Berger, the quandary is that they’re also only five games out of the fourth spot, which could deliver home-court advantage in a winnable first-round series.
- Lucas Nogueira‘s decision to leave the care of Hawks doctors and rejoin his team in Spain was his and not the Hawks’, notes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription only). Still, there’s no indication that the team is upset with his choice.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Rumors: Sanders, Celtics, Bulls
A few Eastern Conference teams have picked up their play of late, but there are still only four East clubs with a record of .500 or better as the All-Star break arrives. Here’s the latest on the NBA’s weaker half:
- Larry Sanders will be out at least six weeks after surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone, the Bucks announced. The team has reportedly been rejecting trade offers for the center, and today’s news makes it seem even less likely that he’ll be dealt.
- Danny Ainge is “more open to a deal than most” NBA executives as the deadline approaches, but rivals believe he’d like to hang on to his future draft picks while adding as little money to the Celtics books as he can, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
- The Bulls have been at 12 players since February 1st, and they were facing a Saturday deadline to add to their roster, but the league has granted the team an exception to its two-week limit on 12-man teams, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter link). Chicago can stand pat until Monday.
- Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick identifies Caron Butler as a player the Heat may target if the Bucks agree to a buyout after the trade deadline, citing mutual admiration between the veteran small forward and Miami’s front office. Skolnick also says Butler or Shawn Marion could become a free agent replacement for Shane Battier this summer, when Battier is likely to retire (video link).
Western Rumors: Udrih, Clippers, Gordon, Jazz
Beno Udrih played three seasons for the Spurs, and Marc Berman of the New York Post thinks the veteran journeyman might end up back in San Antonio before the deadline passes. The Knicks have been trying to find suitors for Udrih, and former New York GM Scott Layden, now in the front office of San Antonio, was at attendance for Wednesday’s Knicks game. It might be too early to make assumptions, but it’s certainly possible Udrih might be on the move some time soon. Here’s more out of the Western Conference..
- Chris Paul wasn’t necessarily a fan of the Hornets franchise, but his love for the city of New Orleans made for a difficult move to the Clippers. Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports recaps the blockbuster deal that paired Paul with Blake Griffin in Los Angeles.
- A well placed source tells Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders that the Bucks aren’t interested in Pelicans guard Eric Gordon (Twitter link). Ingram hears Milwuakee doesn’t have any interest in dealing for oft-discussed guard.
- The Jazz would be wise to find a suitor for Gordon Hayward, suggests Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders in his weekly chat. Kennedy thinks Hayward might command max dollars from a rival team as a restricted free agent, but there’s still some doubt whether he’s worth that kind of money.
- Kennedy also believes the Lakers would be better off trading Pau Gasol for some assets that could help the team down the road. At this stage in his career, Kennedy thinks Gasol would like to play for a winner, so he might be likely to leave LA in free agency.
Central Notes: Bucks, Bulls
The Bucks are playing the Pelicans tonight, and Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times suggests Milwaukee brass will pay close attention to opposing guard Eric Gordon amidst trade rumors about the 25-year-old (via Twitter). Gordon has not been linked to the Bucks in any reported discussions, however. Here’s more from around the division:
- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, GM Gar Forman, and injured point guard Derrick Rose all spoke to reporters at a charity function, and both Forman and Rose are working under the assumption that the former-MVP will be out for the rest of the season per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune and Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. (Twitter links.)
- At the same event, Thibodeau said he watches tape of Nikola Mirotic whenever he can. The coach says he hasn’t had a chance to speak with the 6’10” sharpshooter that the Bulls hope to sign away from Real Madrid this summer. (Twitter link)
- Thibodeau also said that Carlos Boozer will retake the starting power forward spot for the Bulls when he returns from injury, per Johnson (Twitter link). The Bulls have been getting a longer look at Taj Gibson in Boozer’s absence, and Gibson’s continued career year could have ramifications for his own contractual performance bonuses, as well as the team’s willingness to amnesty Boozer before next season.
- We rounded up the Pistons and Cavs earlier tonight.
Odds & Ends: Griffin, Green, Draft, Heat
The Nuggets and Grizzlies once offered their GM jobs to Cavs interim GM David Griffin, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, so Cleveland doesn’t exactly have an obscure talent at the helm as the trade deadline nears. Wojnarowski’s piece details some of the missteps of Griffin’s predecessor, Chris Grant, and points to the strong desire that Kyrie Irving held in 2012 for the team to draft Harrison Barnes rather than Dion Waiters. We passed along more from Wojnarowski in a pair of posts last night, and we’ll round up the latest from the NBA here:
- Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report hears the Celtics are unlikely to move Jeff Green and have their eyes on building around Green, Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger (Twitter link).
- Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com thinks Marcus Smart‘s fan-shoving incident has hurt his stock, but the main reason Goodman has Smart at No. 14 in his Insider-only mock draft is because his outside shot hasn’t improved. Goodman also details Bucks GM John Hammond‘s fondness for Joel Embiid and notes Thunder GM Sam Presti‘s affinity for Syracuse forward C.J. Fair.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel wonders if the Heat‘s decision to start Toney Douglas Tuesday night was a chance for the team to see what it has in him before the trade deadline. A Tuesday morning report suggested the Heat are prepared to waive Douglas if a more attractive option comes along.
- The Nuggets aren’t likely to be particularly active at the deadline, writes Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post, but even if they are, coach Brian Shaw says he won’t have much input on the team’s personnel decisions until after the season.
- Three-year NBA veteran Will Conroy, who played briefly for the Timberwolves last season, has signed with Rasta Vechta of Germany, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Conroy recently parted ways with another German team.
NBA Unlikely To Expand To Seattle Soon
Concerns about the future of the Bucks in Milwaukee, pending TV negotiations, and dilution of on-court talent have prompted commissioner Adam Silver to tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com that the league has no plan in place to put an expansion team in Seattle. Silver lauded Seattle as a “wonderful” market and says that it would be beneficial to the league to have a team there, but he’s maintains that the league is nonetheless holding off on any expansion.
“I and the owners will look at not only dilution of economic opportunities with one more partner to divide national and international money but also dilution of talent,” Silver said. “Right now are already making comments about the (Eastern Conference), so is the ideal time to be adding another 15 or 30 players to the league? Ultimately I’m responsible for the financial and competitive health of a 30-team league and while we made tremendous strides in the last collective bargaining agreement, we’re still not there yet. We don’t have 30 profitable teams in the NBA and while we’ve made progress, there are still teams that aren’t competitive enough.”
It’s unlikely Silver and the league will seriously consider expansion to any city until the situation in Milwaukee is resolved, Windhorst writes. City leaders have been reluctant to fund maintenance to the Bucks’ existing arena, and it could be an uphill battle for the Bucks to secure public money for a new building. The team’s lease at the Bradley Center expires in 2017.
The willingness of a Seattle investment group fronted by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer to pony up $800MM in their pursuit of the Kings has Mavs owner Mark Cuban eager to infuse their money into the league. Still, the NBA is set to begin negotiations on a new national TV deal, and until it’s known just how much networks are willing to pay for broadcast rights, teams will likely be unwilling to let a new team in on a share of that revenue, Windhorst explains.