Clippers, Bucks Discussing Bledsoe, Redick?
5:17pm: The Clippers and Redick will be meeting soon, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
3:36pm: There are rumblings that the Clippers and Bucks are discussing a potential deal that would send Eric Bledsoe to Milwaukee and J.J. Redick to Los Angeles, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).
Having reached a verbal agreement with Chris Paul on a maximum-salary contract, the Clippers have seemingly shifted their focus to acquiring a shooting guard to pair with Paul in the backcourt. Although free agents like O.J. Mayo and Tony Allen have been mentioned as possible targets, L.A.'s best way to acquire an impact player may involve using Bledsoe as trade bait.
While it's not clear how far talks between the Clippers and Bucks have progressed, it's easy to see why such a deal would appeal to both teams. Redick is coming off the best year of his career and would give the Clippers a deadly sharpshooter from the outside, while Bledsoe (and perhaps Caron Butler's expiring contract) would be an excellent haul for a Bucks team looking to acquire or retain backcourt help. Since Redick is a free agent, a sign-and-trade agreement would be required — that would allow the Clippers to offer him more than the mid-level exception.
We also heard earlier this afternoon that the Clippers haven't ruled out the possibility of trading Bledsoe to the Magic in a deal for Arron Afflalo.
Free Agent Notes: Bobcats, Nets, Blazers, Bucks
More free agent updates? More free agent updates! Let's round them up….
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer confirms a report that the Bobcats are going after Al Jefferson, but though the team is said to be a likely suitor for O.J. Mayo, he doesn't appear to be in their plans, at least for now.
- The Nets are interested in Shaun Livingston as a potential backup to Deron Williams, tweets Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Jason Quick of the Oregonian reports (via Twitter) that the Trail Blazers will speak to the reps for Matt Barnes and Francisco Garcia today or tomorrow.
- The Bucks are one of a half-dozen teams interested in Zaza Pachulia, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
- Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien and head coach Dave Joerger were meeting with free agent guard Tony Allen earlier today, according to Chris Herrington of the Memphis Flyer (via Twitter).
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link) that his team hasn't been making calls to free agents today. No big surprise there, considering the rebuilding direction in which the C's are headed.
- Ainge did tell Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link) that he made a courtesy call to Dwight Howard to see if there was any interest on Howard's end in a sign-and-trade to Boston, but the answer, of course, was no.
- With the exception of Chris Andersen, the Heat aren't entering free agency with their eye on any specific free agents, opines Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Expect to see Garrett Temple back with the Wizards, says J. Michael of CSNWashington.com, tweeting that an agreement could come later this week.
Knicks Rumors: Camby, J.R. Smith, Copeland
The major news out of New York is last night's agreement on a trade that will bring Andrea Bargnani to the Big Apple. Marcus Camby is one of the players headed to the Raptors in return, and he caused a stir overnight, releasing a statement in which he said "it was unfortunate that I didn't get a meaningful chance to contribute" with the Knicks this past season, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Camby also said that while he has an affinity for Toronto and Raptors fans, he wants to be with a title contender and will evaluate his options, Spears tweets. Since Camby's under contract through 2015, he doesn't appear to have many options, and this morning he backtracked a bit via Twitter, at least on the Knicks side of the affair, thanking the Knicks and their fans for their treatment of him during his time in New York (hat tip to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com). Zwerling has much more on the Knicks this morning, so let's dive in:
- J.R. Smith agreed to meet last night with Knicks coach Mike Woodson and members of the team's front office to discuss a future in New York for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year.
- Plenty of teams are in the market for Chris Copeland, and a source tells Zwerling that the Pelicans and Bucks are prepared to make attractive bids for the forward. The Jazz and Lakers were the first two teams to inquire about Copeland when free agency started last night.
- A source close to Kenyon Martin is "confident" that the veteran wants to return to the Knicks, Zwerling writes.
- The Knicks are interested in Aaron Brooks, who was waived Sunday by the Rockets. Leon Rose, Brooks' agent, also reps Bargnani, Carmelo Anthony and Smith.
- DeJuan Blair is not a candidate to join the Knicks because of the team's limited financial flexibility, Zwerling hears.
Several Teams Interested In Chase Budinger
9:44am: There is strong mutual interest between Budinger and the Bucks, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
12:48am: As expected, Flip Saunders and a Timberwolves contingent is meeting with free agent wing Chase Budinger in San Diego, as Sean Deveney of the Sporting News tweets. However, the Wolves aren't the only team interested in signing Budinger.
According to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), the Pelicans, Bucks, Pacers, and Mavericks all have some level of interest in Budinger. Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News adds the Lakers to that list of potential suitors (Twitter link), though Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times hears that Budinger will likely receive more than the $3.18MM mini mid-level that the Lakers can offer (Twitter link).
Budinger, 25, missed most of the 2012/13 season with a knee injury, but provides excellent outside shooting when healthy.
Bucks Pursuing Jeff Teague
The Bucks' backcourt is a state of flux this offseason, with Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, J.J. Redick, and Mike Dunleavy all now officially on the free agent market. As the team considers its own free agents and eyes outside possibilities, Jeff Teague has emerged as a target, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
Teague, 25, received a qualifying offer from the Hawks, so Atlanta has the ability to match any offer sheet the young guard signs with a rival team. It's also an Atlanta connection that has the Bucks pursuing Teague in the first place — according to Stein, former Hawks coach Larry Drew is encouraging his new team to go after his old point guard.
Bucks Have Redick Sign & Trade Opportunities
Sign-and-trade opportunities are emerging for the Bucks and J.J. Redick, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Meanwhile, there haven't been any talks on a return to Milwaukee.
We heard earlier today from Wojnarowski that it was appearing less and less likely that the shooting guard would be back in a Bucks uniform next season. Redick came to Milwaukee at the deadline in a six-player deal with the Magic. Between the two teams, Redick averaged a career-high 14.1 PPG in 30.5 minutes per contest.
Odds & Ends: Delfino, Knicks, Redick, West
The Knicks have an interest in Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks, who were waived by the Rockets earlier today, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Brooks also has interest (Twitter links) in signing with New York and it helps that he is represented by CAA, the same company that represents J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony. Here’s more from around the Association..
- It’s appearing less and less likely that J.J. Redick will return to the Bucks in free agency, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
- The Pacers‘ top priority in free agency remains re-signing David West, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Sources say that a meeting is expected soon, if not tonight, then tomorrow.
- Andrei Kirilenko is a free agent again, but Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune (on Twitter) cautions that AK is not a fit for the Jazz right now based on the dollars and years it would take to sign him.
- The frontrunners for Gigi Datome are the Celtics and Grizzlies, according to an Italian report passed along by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The small forward was named Serie A Regular Season MVP and ended the year averaging 16.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 48 games.
Odds & Ends: Mayo, Martin, Noel, Bulls
Here's the latest from around the Association as we gear up for the start of free agency..
- The Jazz, Bucks, Timberwolves, Clippers, Blazers, Bobcats, and Bulls are all likely suitors for Mavs guard O.J. Mayo, USA Today's Sam Amick tweets. Mayo is expected to turn down his $4.2MM option this summer and it makes a lot of sense considering the number of teams with major cap space to burn.
- Kevin Martin is expected to draw interest from the Bucks, Pelicans, Timberwolves, Mavericks, and Pistons, as well as the Thunder, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Before Nerlens Noel fell to pick No. 6, the Pelicans were entertaining the idea of trading that selection to the Bobcats for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe notes amid his weekly roundup.
- Drastic change isn't likely to blow through the Windy City for the Bulls this summer, writes Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. There's still a lot of moving pieces for the club, but the major shifting probably won't come until the summer of 2014 for the Bulls.
- The Wizards face some tough decisions with free agency approaching, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Washington obviously won't be in play for any of the elite free agents this summer and they have their sights set on less-thrilling goals, like retaining small forward Martell Webster.
- We hear similar news out of Portland, where Joe Freeman of The Oregonian cautions fans not to expect anything too crazy out of the Blazers. Of course, there have been rumblings over LaMarcus Aldridge's discontent.
Pacers, Bucks, Knicks Eyeing Tony Allen
The Grizzlies will meet with Tony Allen soon in an attempt to keep the unrestricted free agent from the Pacers, Bucks and Knicks, who are in pursuit, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Clippers coach Doc Rivers, in charge of the team's front office, would love to work with Allen again after doing so when they were both Celtics, but it's not clear how competitive an offer from L.A. would be, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).
Allen was a member of the All-Defensive First Team this season, and has built a reputation as one of the most fearsome perimeter defenders in the league. The 31-year-old has only averaged double figures in scoring once during his nine-year career, and his 26.7 minutes per game this past season were a career high. Still, his teams have traditionally been among the best in the NBA, and some of the hardest to score against.
The Raymond Brothers client has said he believes he'll remain in Memphis, but understands that the Grizzlies may not come up with enough money to keep him. Allen made $3.3MM in 2012/13, but when I examined his free agent stock in April, I thought he would probably merit offers with a starting salary around $5.15MM, the value of the mid-level exception. That would put the taxpaying Knicks out of the running, unless they can clear a hefty amount of salary from their books. A report last month indicated the Cavs were also interested in Allen, and they, like the rest of the teams said to be chasing Allen, have greater flexibility.
Wolfson On Mayo, Budinger, Belinelli, Iguodala
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities covers a broad spectrum of Minnesota sports in his weekly Scoops column, but with the NBA draft just completed and free agency about to start, his focus this week is on the Timberwolves. Let's dive in:
- Wolfson writes that Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders may meet with O.J. Mayo this week, and Wolfson adds via Twitter that there's a strong belief that the meeting will indeed take place, around the same time Saunders meets with Chase Budinger.
- Minnesota is also considering Marco Belinelli.
- The Wolves are unlikely to go after Andre Iguodala, and his high price tag isn't the only reason.
- A source tells Wolfson that while the Wolves like Bucks big man Ekpe Udoh, who was rumored this week to be part of a trade for Luke Ridnour, the team is getting plenty of offers for Ridnour, and Minnesota may wind up with a more attractive player than Udoh in return.
- Bojan Dubljevic, whom the Wolves took 59th overall, will remain in Europe for at least two more years.
- Another rumor around draft time had the Wolves swapping the No. 26 pick for MarShon Brooks, but such a deal was "never that close," Wolfson writes.
- Greg Stiemsma has left agent Mike Naiditch, and the Priority Sports Agency will now handle his representation.