Odds & Ends: Deng, Batum, Jennings, Warriors
Eight years ago today, the Rockets made one of the biggest trades in team history, sending Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to the Magic in exchange for Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines. GM Daryl Morey and the Rockets may have been looking to make a similarly big splash this June, but draft day came and went without a major trade from Houston. Still, if nothing else, the Rockets accumulated a ton of talent Thursday night, drafting Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, and Terrence Jones with their three first-round picks.
Here are a few more Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
Timberwolves To Continue Pursuit Of Pau Gasol
The Timberwolves reportedly made attempts to acquire Pau Gasol earlier in the 2011/12 season, and it appears the team's pursuit of the Lakers big man will continue into the offseason. Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press reports (link via Yahoo! Sports) that when the T-Wolves offered Derrick Williams to Charlotte for the No. 2 pick, it would have been part of a bigger move to land Gasol. While that deal didn't happen, Minnesota is expected to keep trying to acquire the Spaniard this summer, says Krawczynski.
Bobcats Turned Down Derrick Williams Trade
The Bobcats reportedly have five offers for the No. 2 pick on the table, but there's at least one proposal from the Timberwolves that isn't being considered. According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link), the T-Wolves offered Derrick Williams for the second overall pick and were quickly turned down by Charlotte.
Lakers Rumors: Gasol, Flynn, Roy, Hill
A flurry of trade rumors surounded the Lakers and Pau Gasol yesterday, with Los Angeles reportedly "very open" to discussing Gasol trades. While Wednesday's round of rumors had L.A. potentially landing everyone from Josh Smith to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (in the form of a top-five pick), I wouldn't be surprised if Pau is a Laker at the end of the day. There still seems to be a divide between what the Lakers hope to get for Gasol and the Spaniard's actual trade value, given his sizable contract. Here are a few more Lakers swirling around on the morning of draft day though:
Kahn On Roy, Shved, Rubio, Draft, Eliyahu
A day after acquiring Chase Budinger from the Rockets, Minnesota formally introduced the newest Timberwolf in an afternoon press conference. While the T-Wolves gave up their first-round pick and only hold the No. 58 pick in tomorrow night's draft, president of basketball operations David Kahn says the team isn't done making moves, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). Here's what Kahn had to say on a few other T-Wolves topics (all Twitter links):
Timberwolves Acquire Chase Budinger
The Timberwolves have sent the No. 18 pick in the draft to the Rockets in exchange for Chase Budinger, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter). The Rockets also included the rights to Israeli forward Lior Eliyahu in the deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo! Sports.
Bulls, Mavs, Pacers Interested In Brandon Roy
As Brandon Roy prepares to make an NBA comeback, rumors surrounding the former Trail Blazer have begun to heat up. Last week we heard that new Warriors GM Bob Myers would "absolutely" call Roy to express interest, and yesterday a report suggested that the Timberwolves were preparing a two-year offer for the 27-year-old. We can add at least three more potential suitors to the mix, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Bulls, Mavericks, and Pacers have serious interest in Roy.
Sixers, Wolves, Celtics Pursuing Jamal Crawford
Although Jamal Crawford was planning to opt out of his contract, he extended his decision deadline for his player option two weeks, until June 29th. This move allows the Trail Blazers to try to find a suitable trade partner for Crawford on or before draft night. If the Blazers find a destination Crawford likes, he could agree to exercise his player option and be dealt. And according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, there's no lack of trade interest in Crawford. The Blazers are fielding offers from a number of teams, with the 76ers, Timberwolves, and Celtics among the most active suitors.
Timberwolves Set To Offer Roy Two-Year Deal
The Timberwolves are set to offer Brandon Roy a two-year contract, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com. The former Portland star sat out the 2011/12 season due to health concerns stemming from a lack of cartilage in his knees. After being amnestied by the Trail Blazers, Roy is free to sign with any team in the league. While many thought the former All-Star had permanently retired from the NBA, Roy has been training in Seattle in hopes of making a return for the 2012/13 season. The 27-year-old remains a health concern but has received an endorsement from Wolves assistant coach Bill Bayno, who has previously worked with Roy in Portland.
Draft Updates: Monday
A number of the rumors we've already covered today involve the draft in some way, whether it's the Rockets looking to acquire top-10 picks to flip for Dwight Howard, or the Bulls' disinterest in trading Luol Deng for a package that includes the Warriors' No. 7 pick. But there are still so many draft-related odds and ends out there that we'll continue to publish daily Draft Updates posts this week, for the latest news on workouts and rumors about what teams are thinking. Here are today's items, with the newest additions added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- New Bobcats head coach Mike Dunlap thinks trading the team's No. 2 pick to strengthen its roster with multiple players makes sense, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com).
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says Rockets head coach Kevin McHale is pleased with the depth of talent available in the draft but would like to add another veteran to his current roster.