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Teams With Open Roster Spots

March 19th, 2012 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

After the flurry of trades, signings, and releases around the league in the last week, it's gotten challenging to keep track which clubs still have the flexibility to make roster moves. To make things a little easier, here's our list of teams who currently have fewer than the maximum 15 players on their rosters, and could add a player without releasing anyone:

76ers: 14
Bulls: 14. When Mike James' second 10-day contract expires, the Bulls will have two open roster spots. They also reportedly have some interest in Leon Powe.
Clippers: 14. The Clips are still deciding whether to sign Bobby Simmons for the rest of the season with their final roster spot.
Grizzlies: 13. Memphis is looking at Gilbert Arenas for one of its openings.
Heat: 14. Miami could fill its final roster spot with a player who is bought out of his contract this week.
Hornets: 13. 14th man Jeff Foote just had his 10-day contract expire.
Jazz: 14
Kings: 14
Lakers: 14
Pacers: 14
Pistons: 14
Raptors: 13
Rockets: 14. Houston will open up a second roster spot when Derek Fisher clears waivers.
Spurs: 13. San Antonio is expecting to add Patrick Mills with one of its open roster spots. Even if the Spurs finalize Mills' deal, they'll still have a pair of open spots after Eric Dawson's second 10-day deal expires.
Suns: 13
Warriors: 13
Wizards: 14. 14th man Edwin Ubiles is on a 10-day contract.

Note: The Nets currently have 15 players on their roster, but will open up a spot when Jerry Smith's 10-day contract expires.

Minor Moves: Henry

March 18th, 2012 at 1:37pm CST by Michael Pina

The Hornets have sent Xavier Henry to the D-league’s Iowa Energy, according to the New Orleans Times Picayune’s John Reid. Now in his second season, the former lottery pick has appeared in 25 games for New Orleans this season, and is posting averages of 5.0 PPG and 1.9 RPG. He was acquired from Memphis in a three-team trade in January that also included the Sixers.

The move was most likely made because Eric Gordon is soon to return from a knee injury that’s plagued him all season long. There is no expected timetable for Henry’s return.

Odds & Ends: 76ers, Pistons, Hornets, Barbosa

March 18th, 2012 at 11:17am CST by Daniel Seco

With recently-acquired players beginning to make their respective debuts with new teams, let's take a look around the league to see what's going on before the first of eight Sunday games gets underway.

John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Sixers had little reason to make a deal prior to the trade deadline. With a young nucleus, the team had little to gain and much to lose in tinkering with the roster. The Sixers are currently in first place in the Atlantic Division.
None of the Pistons' unhappy players were traded at the deadline, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
John Reid of The Times-Picayune says the Hornets should benefit in free agency now that they have a long-term plan in place to keep the team in New Orleans. Reid makes mention of the fact that David West expressed concern over the club's future in New Orleans and perhaps didn't remain with the team as a result.
Leandro Barbosa is excited to join the Pacers and help the team solidify its playoff standing, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.

Central Notes: Nocioni, Pistons, Kaman, Walton

March 17th, 2012 at 6:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls are the class of the Central Division and the league, topping the NBA with a 36-10 mark heading into tonight's game with the Sixers. Here's what's happening with a couple of other teams in the division trying to build toward what Chicago has now:

Don't expect to see Andres Nocioni back with the Bulls as the team would add a shooting guard or a big man if they were to make an addition, tweets Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. The Sixers released the forward this morning.
According to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, the Pistons were not in the running for Patrick Mills, who is close to joining the Spurs (Twitter link). That contradicts an earlier report from Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Langlois also looks at the patient approach of Pistons GM Joe Dumars and passes along that Detroit may look to sign Chris Kaman, a Michigan native, as a free agent in the offseason.
New Cav Luke Walton, acquired this week in the Ramon Sessions deal, said he and Lakers coach Mike Brown "weren't on the same page" in L.A., according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Nonetheless, Walton was still caught off guard by the trade. Cleveland coach Byron Scott is complimentary of Walton's skills and basketball IQ, but isn't sure what his role will be, Amico writes.

Kennedy On Williams, Buyouts, Nets, Magic

March 17th, 2012 at 4:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld chatted with readers this afternoon, and passed along a few intriguing nuggets. Here are the highlights:

He rounded up the buyout candidates, listing Chris Kaman, Derek Fisher, Jermaine O’Neal, Shawne Williams, Boris Diaw, Marquis Daniels, Brian Cook and Ronny Turiaf.
Kennedy says he's been told free agent-to-be Deron Williams wants to play in Dallas, he and predicts the point guard winds up with the Mavs.
Since Dwight Howard's option only covers one more season, Kennedy wouldn't rule out the Nets pursuing D12 again next year.
The Magic won't go after Derek Fisher if he's bought out by the Rockets, but they may try to work a sign and trade with restricted free agent Ryan Anderson this summer as they try to get creative to bring in the talent necessary to appease Howard.

Odds & Ends: Blazers, Fisher, Kaman, Rockets

March 17th, 2012 at 12:50pm CST by Zachary Links

If you've gotten a little too caught up in March Madness, don't worry. We'll get you caught up with a look at what's happening around the Association ..

After dealing Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace at the deadline, Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld.com wonders what's next for the Blazers.
The Wizards would be willing to accommodate Brian Cook if he wishes to play elsewhere, a league source told Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Cook’s agent Mark Bartelstein said on Saturday the two sides will likely engage in buyout discussions this week.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is sad to see longtime teammate Derek Fisher leave, writes Dave Menamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Rockets will likely buy out Fisher's contract, but the new Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits the veteran from rejoining the Lakers.
Hornets General Manager Dell Demps now says that the club is open to offering center Chris Kaman an extension at the end of the season, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Kaman's name was involved in trade talks but ultimately wound up staying put. It's still possible that the Hornets could buy out the big man, allowing him to latch on with a contender.
General Manager Joe Dumars said that the Pistons stood pat at the trade deadline because there were no quality offers on the table, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Plenty of deals were put in front of Dumars but none of them were enticing enough for him to pull the trigger.
The Rockets' moves at the trade deadline were solid but the club didn't make the kind of blockbuster that some were expecting, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Commissioner David Stern & the NBA did a tremendous job facilitating the new lease agreement between the Hornets and the state of Louisiana, writes John DeShazier of the Times Picayune. The new deal will keep the Hornets in New Orleans through 2024.

Failed Deals: Nets, Bucks, Kaman, Pistons

March 16th, 2012 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after yesterday's trade deadline, we rounded up a few near-deals that didn't quite get done. Reports continue to trickle out about offers that were turned down and trades that were close, so let's cover a few more:

Appearing on KNBR in San Francisco, Ric Bucher of ESPN.com reported that the Nets offered Brook Lopez to the Bucks for Monta Ellis shortly after Milwaukee acquired Ellis from Golden State (hat tip to RealGM.com). Unsuprisingly, the Bucks turned it down, according to Bucher.
Bucher added that the Warriors could have acquired Chris Kaman from the Hornets in exchange for Brandon Rush, Kwame Brown's expiring contract, and a second-round pick, but chose to land Bogut instead (link via RealGM).
The Pistons were also in on Kaman, offering the Hornets one of their big contracts along with a future first-round pick, says Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Ben Gordon is the only Piston whose contract would've worked in a one-for-one deal.
After turning down that offer, the Hornets countered with Carl Landry for Jason Maxiell and an unprotected 2012 first-rounder, says Goodwill. The Pistons rejected that one.

Louisiana Announces Hornets’ Lease Agreement

March 16th, 2012 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

1:14pm: The agreement has officially been announced. You can read the details of Governor Jindal's statement via the Times-Picayune.

10:57am: Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal will announce later today that the State of Louisiana and the Hornets have reached an agreement that will keep the team in the city through 2024, with no opt-out clause, reports Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The agreement will also include a guarantee from the NBA that an All-Star Game will take place in New Orleans before 2024.

According to Smith, the state legistature will be asked to approve a capital bond issue of about $50MM, which will be put toward arena improvements. The improvements will allow the Hornets to generate additional revenue and will relieve the state from providing annual subsidies to the team.

The terms of the lease agreement must be accepted by the the new owner of the Hornets when the team is purchased. Smith says that the announcement by the State of Louisiana will indicate to NBA commissioner David Stern that the ball is in his court for consummating a purchase of the franchise.

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New Orleans Pelicans

Hornets To Keep Kaman?

March 15th, 2012 at 10:39pm CST by Sean Highkin

New Orleans Hornets GM Dell Demps told the Times-Picayune's Jimmy Smith that the Hornets do not plan to buy out center Chris Kaman after failing to trade him before Thursday's deadline.

"Everything is always a possibility," Demps said. "I mean there's no reason to say I'm certain, 100 percent sure. There's always a possibility. I never want to say never. But our intention is to keep Chris."

Kaman, who is in the final year of a contract paying him $14MM this season, was one of the most talked-about trade pieces leading up to the deadline, with speculation that a buyout was likely if the Hornets did not move him. He would have then become a very attractive free agent signee for a contending team, with the Heat and Celtics rumored to be showing interest. However, Demps' comments indicate that this isn't the plan and he will remain in New Orleans for the rest of the season.

Failed Deals: Beasley, Crawford, Allen, Pierce

March 15th, 2012 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

You've read about the trades that were completed prior to the deadline, but there were also plenty of moves that didn't quite work out. Here are a few that have been reported so far:

The Lakers had been in talks to acquire Michael Beasley in a deal that would've sent Jamal Crawford and Derek Fisher to the Timberwolves, with Dallas' first-round pick going to the Blazers, says Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (on Twitter).
Crawford also could've gone to the Lakers, but the Blazers didn't want to take on Derek Fisher, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Before they acquired Nick Young, the Clippers talked extensively with the Rockets about trading for Courtney Lee, tweets Sam Amick of SI.com.
The Clippers were also "this close" from acquiring Ray Allen, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
The Celtics had serious talks with several teams about both Allen and Paul Pierce, but nothing came together, says Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Another interesting tidbit from Amick: He says the Nuggets tried to engage the Kings on Nene/DeMarcus Cousins swap about a month ago, but the Kings weren't interested (Twitter links).
The Bucks made a "strong late push" for the Hornets' Carl Landry, but couldn't work anything out, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
GM Otis Smith told John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com that the Magic explored many deals to bring in help around Dwight Howard, but that the risk/reward factor didn't make sense (Twitter link).