New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Point Guard Rumors: Calderon, Telfair, Mavs

July 1st, 2013 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

With free agent rumors coming in fast, we have enough updates on point guards alone to dedicate a whole post to the position. Here's the latest:

Chris Broussard of ESPN.com hears the Pistons are intent on bringing back Jose Calderon (Twitter link), though an earlier report indicated that the team is unwilling to exceed a deal worth $7MM a year to re-sign him.
Sebastian Telfair has drawn interest from the Knicks, Nets, Heat, and Thunder, sources tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link).
Finding a starting point guard remains a top priority for the Mavericks, who hope to have Shane Larkin and Gal Mekel compete for backup minutes, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News suggests keeping an eye on Greivis Vasquez, though he's more of a secondary option for the Mavs, since the Pelicans may not be inclined to trade him even with Jrue Holiday on board.
The Jazz, who had plenty of free agents come off their roster last night, were no doubt busy, but they did reach out to Jamaal Tinsley, tweets Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Nemanja Nedovic, who says he's ready to come stateside next season if the Warriors want him, was "shocked" when Golden State drafted him. He had worked out for the Pistons, Cavaliers, Hawks, Knicks, and Bucks, but not the Warriors, prior to the draft (Twitter links via Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle and Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group).
The Sixers didn't extend a qualifying offer to Charles Jenkins, making him an unrestricted free agent, notes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Knicks Rumors: Camby, J.R. Smith, Copeland

July 1st, 2013 at 9:05am CST by Chuck Myron

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.

Odds & Ends: Barnes, Mavs, Rockets, Pistons

July 1st, 2013 at 3:46am CST by Luke Adams

Only one contract agreement has been reached so far on the first night of the NBA's 2013 free agent period, but that doesn't mean we weren't treated to plenty of news and rumors. Here are a few more odds and ends from a busy Sunday night:

In addition to all the other players they reportedly contacted tonight, the Lakers reached out to Matt Barnes, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reports that the Mavericks have expressed interest in Jose Calderon and Mo Williams. Even though MacMahon's report came before news broke that Dallas had agreed to sign Gal Mekel, it makes sense that the team would continue to seek a veteran point guard to complement rookies Mekel and Shane Larkin.
MacMahon adds (via Twitter) that now that Mekel is under contract, the Mavs are likely to trade the rights to 2009 second-round pick Nick Calathes, something that GM Donnie Nelson has hinted at.
After an encouraging meeting with Dwight Howard in Los Angeles, the Rockets will target players to complement him rather than fall-back options, says Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The team will meet with Corey Brewer and Mike Dunleavy next, according to Feigen (Twitter links).
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press spoke to Pistons owner Tom Gores about the process of hiring head coach Maurice Cheeks, the team's long-term vs. short-term prospects, and free agency.
Several NBA teams have expressed interest in point guard Bobby Brown, who played for four clubs between 2008 and 2010, tweets Shelburne.
Since they weren't released on or before June 30th, the 2013/14 contracts for E'Twaun Moore (Magic), Chandler Parsons (Rockets), Jason Smith (Pelicans), and Rodney Stuckey (Pistons) have become fully guaranteed. Paul Pierce's contract also became fully guaranteed, so it can be used in the Nets/Celtics swap that will be finalized later this month.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein rounds up the latest on a few early free agency rumors. We've already heard about most of the stories Stein addresses, such as the Nets leading the race for Kyle Korver, the Pelicans pursuing Tyreke Evans, and the Timberwolves and Bucks targeting Kevin Martin. However, there are a few notable tidbits from Stein, including word that the Thunder's odds of retaining Martin are dwindling.

Several Teams Interested In Chase Budinger

July 1st, 2013 at 12:48am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Free Agency Notes: Smith, Evans, Blazers, Kaman

June 30th, 2013 at 11:18pm CST by Zachary Links

It's officially the start of free agency! Here's the latest as we enter July..

A source tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (Twitter link) that the Pistons will absolutely not offer Josh Smith a max deal. We learned earlier today that Detroit is among the teams targeting the Hawks free agent.
The Pelicans will have a sizable offer sheet ready for Tyreke Evans when they meet with him tonight, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. We learned earlier tonight that New Orleans was set to be the first team to meet with the Kings guard. Meanwhile, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (Twitter link) that while the Pelicans got the first meeting with the 23-year-old, he will still do his due diligence on teams and the Kings are still in the mix.
The Blazers and the reps for center Chris Kaman are expected to meet face-to-face now that free agency is underway, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Both the unrestricted free agent and the club feel that it would be a "great fit" (link).
The Jazz and Lakers were the first two teams to inquire on Knicks free agent Chris Copeland tonight, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Evans, Iguodala

June 30th, 2013 at 10:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a quick look at the Southwest Division as the Mavs get their presentation ready for the summer's biggest free agent..

The Pelicans will have a face-to-face meeting with Tyreke Evans tonight after free agency commences at 11:01 central, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. We heard recently that the Kings won't simply let Evans go – they'll look to match his offer sheet or get something for him in a sign-and-trade.
Meanwhile, sources close to Evans tell Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (on Twitter) that he's not meeting with New Orleans tonight.
The Pelicans are expected to be one of several teams that make a push for Andre Iguodala, tweets John Reid of the Times-Picayune.
The Mavericks are preparing alternatives in the event that Dwight Howard turns them down, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.

Odds & Ends: Mayo, Martin, Noel, Bulls

June 30th, 2013 at 8:45pm CST by Zachary Links

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.

Pelicans Have Strong Interest In Andre Iguodala

June 30th, 2013 at 10:44am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pelicans have strong interest in free agent swingman Andre Iguodala, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets, Hawks, Pistons, Kings, Mavs, Warriors and Rockets are all in the mix as well, according to USA Today's Sam Amick (Twitter link). When Iguodala opted out of his contract with Denver this month, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports identified many of those teams, along with the Cavs, as likely to have interest in the Rob Pelinka client.

The Pelicans appear to be one of the most aggressive teams this offseason, already having pulled off a trade at the draft for Jrue Holiday, Iguodala's former teammate in Philadelphia. New Orleans is also said to be making Eric Gordon "very available" in trade talks. The Pelicans will have plenty of cap space available if they wish to make Iguodala a maximum-salary offer, but I'm not sure they'd need to go that far. The max for the nine-year veteran would entail a starting salary worth 30% of the salary cap, or around $19.5MM. He would have made $16.155MM had he opted in with Denver.

Among the other teams pursuing Iguodala, the Rockets and Mavs will focus first on higher priorities like Dwight Howard, as Amick tweets, also noting that the Warriors interest in Iguodala is likely only cursory, given their lack of cap space and proximity to the luxury tax line. The Warriors are pursuing Howard, too, but that, too, appears a longshot.

Odds & Ends: Howard, Haslem, Mavericks

June 29th, 2013 at 11:52pm CST by Spencer Lund

Dwight Howard's upcoming courtship with a host of teams, both longshots and more realistic destinations, is the talk of the league tonight and probably will be moving forward as we come up on the start of the NBA's free agency period, starting with the July moratorium from the 1st to the 9th.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports put a column up earlier tonight stipulating that Howard's first discussion will be with a large, and star-studded coterie of the Rockets' former Hall-of-Famers, current stars, coaches and executives, but next up will be with the Warriors and Hawks on Monday and Mavericks and Lakers on Tuesday.

ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi believes it'll be former coach, Phil Jackson, and his fiancee Jeanie Buss, who could be the final piece as to whether or not Howard stays with the Lakers or leaves for one of the other teams with the cap room to absorb a max deal (Twitter). Phil recently met with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, but both remained tight-lipped about what they discussed in that meeting (Twitter).

Let's look at more from Howard and others from around the league in yet another helter-skelter night in the NBA:

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Warriors are long shots in their bid to acquire Howard, and they'd likely have to dismantle some of the nucleus that reached the Western Conference Semifinals this past postseason. Kawakami also notes that despite their long odds at landing the big man, Warriors owner Joe Lacob has won a mini-victory just earning a spot on Dwight's free agency list this summer (Twitter).
Another possible Howard destination is with the Mavericks, and Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that any possible trade for the Celtics' Rajon Rondo would have to wait until after the Mavericks secure Howard because of salary cap stipulations.
If Howard doesn't sign with the Mavs, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News has plans for other free agent signings for the team this offseason.
Udonis Haslem revealed to the Associated Press today that he spent the second half of last season with the Heat suffering from a torn meniscus in his knee, which will require surgery soon. He's expected to be ready for training camp in the fall.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel notes that the Magic will guarantee guard E'Twaun Moore's contract for next season, after opting not to extend a qualifying offer to DeQuan Jones.
Al Iannazzone of Newsday says the Knicks GM Glen Grunwald will have to get creative this offseason if he's going to improve the Knicks' roster.
Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports the Wizards have promoted Pat Sullivan to assistant coach.
The newly-named Pelicans will look at small forwards in free agency this offseason, writes John Reid of the Times-Picayune.

Andre Iguodala Opts Out, Will Be Free Agent

June 28th, 2013 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 28TH: Iguodala has formally filed his paperwork to opt out, making his decision official, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard.

JUNE 14TH: Andre Iguodala has decided to opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, agent Rob Pelinka informed Nuggets CEO Josh Kroenke of the decision on Thursday.

"We are fully aware of Andre's intentions and he's well aware of how much we want him back," Kroenke said. "Andre us a huge priority for our organization."

While there appears to be mutual interest between Nuggets and Iguodala in a new deal, Denver is currently without a GM or coach, which makes the situation a little murkier. There will also be plenty of clubs vying for the 29-year-old's services. Wojnarowski names the Hawks, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Rockets, Pistons, and Pelicans as likely suitors.

An official decision from Iguodala is due by June 25th, but assuming he opts out, he'll be eligible for a new five-year contract from the Nuggets or a four-year deal from another team. He'll pass up a 2013/14 salary that Wojnarowski cites as $15.9MM, though various salary databases have it at $16.15MM — that salary included $250K in likely incentives, so perhaps those incentives are now listed as unlikely.

In any case, although I'm skeptical that Iguodala will land an annual salary that exceeds the approximate $16MM he would have earned on his current contract, he'll certainly be able to secure a significantly larger guarantee in a new long-term deal.