New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Nowitzki, ‘Melo, Pelicans

June 20th, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Zach Randolph is No. 10 in the latest Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, but it seems like he’ll be off-limits to other suitors come July, as agent Raymond Brothers and the Grizzlies appear to be making significant progress toward a deal. That might have the effect of driving up the value of other free agents amid a class that’s highlighted by players with option clauses and restricted free agents. Here’s the latest on the Grizzlies and their Southwest Division rivals:

Dirk Nowitzki has encouraged the Mavs to consider signing Carmelo Anthony, but he nonetheless believes that ‘Melo ending up in Dallas is not a realistic outcome, as Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com observes. Still, a recent report indicated that the Mavs are among the three top teams on Anthony’s list of preferred destinations.
Executives around the league believe it’ll be an active offseason for the Pelicans, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. That’s in spite of more than $54MM in salary commitments for next season and comments from GM Dell Demps, who said in April that he wants to see more of the team’s existing core together.
Aaron Craft, Markel Brown, Viktor Gaddefors, Jordan Morgan and Ojars Silins are among the draft prospects who’ll work out for the Grizzlies on Sunday, the team announced.

Bulls In Lead For Carmelo Anthony

June 20th, 2014 at 1:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls are the team most likely to land Carmelo Anthony, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. It’s not entirely clear whether they’re more likely to end up with ‘Melo than the Knicks are, or if they’re the favorite among teams if ‘Melo decides not to remain in New York. The source nonetheless tells Zagoria that Anthony is “looking to leave” if the Knicks can strike a deal with one of the clubs on his wish list. That seems to indicate he’s looking at sign-and-trade scenarios, a path the capped-out Bulls would no doubt explore. Chicago, the Rockets and the Mavs are the teams most recently identified as Anthony’s preferred destinations.

Zagoria’s source reiterated Anthony’s desire to win now, and another recent report suggested that while he’d prefer to stay in New York, he knows his best chance to win is with another team. A dispatch from last week indicated that Anthony was leaning toward leaving the Knicks.

The Bulls are apparently willing to trade everyone except Derrick Rose to upgrade the team this summer, and they seem more focused on Anthony than trade candidate Kevin Love. Chicago would reportedly prefer to trade Carlos Boozer rather than use the amnesty clause to clear his salary, as there are doubts that owner Jerry Reinsdorf would OK an amnesty of Boozer, which would still force Reinsdorf to issue his paychecks, and a maximum contract for Anthony. A sign-and-trade with the Knicks could solve that dilemma.

Kevin Love Rumors: Friday

June 20th, 2014 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The draft is less than a week away, and while the event itself will be a game-changer for many teams, there’s a decent chance that the most noteworthy move Thursday night will involve six-year veteran Kevin Love. Here’s the latest as trade talk around the Wolves star grows ever louder:

The Warriors have pulled into the lead in the race for Love, sources tell Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe, though no deal is imminent, and the Wolves are in no hurry to make a trade, Holmes also hears.
The Wolves have interest in Harrison Barnes as they discuss various scenarios with the Warriors, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
The Celtics have so far offered a package of Kelly Olynyk, picks Nos. 6 and 17 in this year’s draft, and a future first-round pick, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Boston is willing to discuss different combinations as it seeks to satisfy the demands of the Wolves, but so far Minnesota hasn’t engaged in “true back-and-forth negotiation” with the Celtics, Bulpett writes.
If the Celtics can’t land Love, they’ll likely shift gears into a longer rebuilding that would eventually see them trade Rajon Rondo, Bulpett says in the same piece. A source tells Bulpett that an opposing team is ready to trade for Jeff Green if the Celtics are willing to let him go.
Still, in an appearance Thursday on ESPN, Rondo, who like Love can become a free agent next year, said he wouldn’t be upset if the Celtics didn’t end up with the Minnesota power forward, as Holmes notes in his piece. “No. I can’t go to sleep every night wanting to try to play with Kevin Love,” Rondo said. “Right now I’ve got to go with what we have now in our locker room and coach [Brad] Stevens, so that’s what I’m focused on now.”
The Bulls remain more zeroed in on Carmelo Anthony than Love, Stein writes in his piece, and the same goes for Houston, as Stein examines in a separate article. The Rockets are also readying a pitch to LeBron James should he be willing to listen, Stein adds.

Western Notes: Thompson, Sterling, Gay

June 19th, 2014 at 9:21pm CST by Ryan Raroque

With Andrew Bogut, Stephen Curry, and Andre Iguodala slated to make $10.6MM or more each next season and through 2016/17, a lucrative contract could be hard to come by for Klay Thompson in Golden State, writes Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. Keeping that in mind, one source tells Wojnarowski that Thompson would be open to being traded to the Timberwolves because it would increase his chances of receiving a max contract.

Klay’s father – former NBA champion Mychal Thompson – offered his thoughts on ESPN 710 radio today, suggesting that Klay would actually be unhappy in Minnesota. “If this (Kevin Love trade) happens, I will have to talk (Klay) down from the ledge” (Twitter link via Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press).

As Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune further transcribes from Mychal’s radio appearance, Klay’s disappointment would stem from missing out on the opportunity to play alongside Love on the Warriors.

Here’s more out of the Western Conference tonight:

Later in his piece, Zgoda says that Bill Duffy – Klay’s Thompson’s agent – will surely push for a max deal on his client’s next contract.
According to Donald Sterling’s lawyer, Donald’s mental competency has now been examined by other doctors and “the results are different,” tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
DeMarcus Cousins told Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that he reached out to Rudy Gay about staying on board with the Kings (Twitter link). Gay has a player option for 2014/15 worth just above $19.3MM.
Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger said that Nick Calathes will be back with the team next season, according to a tweet from Rob Fischer of FOX Sports (hat tip to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal). Calathes’ contract is non-guaranteed for the 2014/15 season.
Knicks director of player personnel Mark Warkentien and Pacers vice president of basketball operations Peter Dinwiddie are drawing interest from Memphis as potential add-ons to the Grizzlies front office, hears Chris Vernon of 92.9 ESPN (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: Kobe, Young, Scott, Warriors

June 18th, 2014 at 9:48pm CST by Alex Lee

In Brazil taking in the World Cup, Kobe Bryant indicated on Brazilian television that his knee is fully healthy and he is working tirelessly to ensure the Lakers bounce back from what was a difficult year, writes Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times. “We only have three players from last year’s team signed to contracts right now, including me. We don’t have a coach. It’s literally like starting from scratch,” said Bryant, who also reiterated his intent to play only two more years in the NBA.

Here is more news from the Pacific division:

Bryant presumably did not count Nick Young, who is likely to opt out of his deal, among the three players under contract with the Lakers. Speaking to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Young said on Wednesday that he would prefer to stay with the Lakers and would be willing to take a hometown discount if the team offered him “more years.” Medina believes the team likes Young, but is unlikely to offer role-player types more than a one year deal in hopes of preserving cap space.
Both Bryant and Young are surely paying close attention to the team’s coaching search. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reports (via Twitter) that all indications are that Byron Scott is the leading candidate to become the Lakers next head coach.
There were whispers on Wednesday that the Warriors might be willing to part with Harrison Barnes and David Lee in exchange for Tyson Chandler, according to Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News, who staunchly opposes the deal from Golden State’s perspective and quickly dismissed any possibility of it materializing.

Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Nets, Sixers, Love

June 18th, 2014 at 9:10pm CST by Alex Lee

Despite recent reports that he will not return to New York, Carmelo Anthony had some encouraging things to say about the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Asked about his meeting with team president Phil Jackson, Anthony said, “It was a great meeting with Phil. It went well.” Anthony was also questioned about the addition of new head coach Derek Fisher, who was also part of the sit down. “I like what Phil is doing,” Anthony said.

Here are some other tidbits from the Atlantic division:

The Nets are trying to buy their way into the latter portion of the first round next Thursday, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Bondy indicates that Brooklyn has $2MM to offer for a selection — presumably to a contending team with cap and/or roster issues — but cautions that it might not be enough. Brooklyn currently does not have a pick in either round of the draft.
Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines whether or not Sixers GM Sam Hinkie‘s paranoia will pay off in next week’s draft after Philadelphia media, hoping for a chance to interview Andrew Wiggins, were forced by police to leave the team’s practice facility on Monday afternoon.
Indiana product Noah Vonleh could be a nice backup plan for the Sixers should Wiggins and Joel Embiid go off the board before they pick, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
A league source tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe the Celtics are “not even in the top three” of the Kevin Love sweepstakes. According to Holmes’ source, the Timberwolves want to win now, which makes Boston’s best trade asset — a bevy of draft picks — much less appealing. However, Holmes opines that the C’s are determined to create an enticing offer for Minnesota and may look to get creative.
All signs point towards the Celtics retaining veteran assistant coach Ron Adams according to Holmes (via Twitter), who reported last week that Adams would interview with the Warriors about a position on Steve Kerr‘s staff.

Texas Rumors: Nowitzki, Rockets, Spurs

June 18th, 2014 at 10:03am CST by Chuck Myron

Dirk Nowitzki has said he wants the Mavs to keep in mind that he’s still a productive player when they negotiate a new contract for him this summer, but he doesn’t foresee a stumbling block, as he tells Brian Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com. The 2014 All-Star, who turns 36 on Thursday, hits unrestricted free agency July 1st.

“We all know that [owner Mark] Cuban took care of me for a long time. He was loyal to me,” Nowitzki said. “This deal is not going to be about squeezing out the last dollar. This is about being respected as a player that I still am, and that’s about it. There’s nothing more that we’re trying to squeeze out. We’ll just have to wait and see what the years and the final number are. I’m sure it’ll be very respectable for both sides.”

There’s more on the soon-to-be free agent who’s probably more likely to return to his current team than other player on the market amid the latest from the Texas Triangle:

Signing a deal that reduces Nowitzki’s nearly $23.9MM cap hold before the end of the July Moratorium will be crucial for the Mavs, and Nowitzki looks ready to cooperate in that regard, too, as Gutierrez notes in the same piece. Nowitzki also dismisses the idea that he couldn’t play with Carmelo Anthony and urges Mavs to consider signing ‘Melo, who reportedly has Dallas on his list of preferred destinations.
Anthony is also on the mind of Dwight Howard, who says he’d love to play with him or LeBron James but isn’t planning to recruit the stars to the Rockets, as he tells USA Today’s Sam Amick.
Gregg Popovich, who retains Spurs front office power in tandem with GM R.C. Buford, doesn’t plan on following up the championship with a splashy summer of moves, as Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press chronicles. “I haven’t sat down with R.C. and talked about what we want to do, but one would think it’s logical to not make major changes with the group,” Popovich said. “Usually we don’t make major changes anyway, so, I wouldn’t anticipate any.”

Knicks, Patty Mills Have Mutual Interest

June 17th, 2014 at 8:33am CST by Chuck Myron

Patty Mills would like to play in New York and see more minutes than he saw this past season, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks have long had their eyes on the Creative Artists Agency client and are looking to use the taxpayer’s mid-level on a starting point guard, according to Berman. Knicks president Phil Jackson denied a report that he’s told Raymond Felton to expect a trade, but Berman insists that the team will try to trade its incumbent starting point guard.

Mills, who’ll hit free agency next month, is riding a high after a strong performance as the backup point guard on the Spurs, having helped the team to the championship after losing weight at the behest of coach Gregg Popovich. The 25-year-old notched 10.2 points in 18.9 minutes per game during the regular season with impressive 42.5% three-point shooting, though his paltry 1.8 assists per game demonstrate that he’s not a pass-first point guard. Still, he was an efficient player, recording an 18.7 PER.

The Knicks are also reportedly likely to pursue Steve Blake as they seek to upgrade at the point with their limited flexibility. They’ll almost certainly be capped out to begin the offseason regardless of what Carmelo Anthony chooses to do, and they also seem destined to wind up in the tax, particularly if Anthony returns. That means they’ll probably be limited to the $3.278MM taxpayer’s mid-level to sign free agents from other teams at more than the minimum salary. It’ll be tough to find a starting point guard on that money, so going after a career backup like Mills who’s nonetheless on the upswing and might be ready to take on a starting role seems like the best bet.

San Antonio has Bird rights on Mills, so the Spurs can outbid the Knicks if they deem the point guard worthy of a significant raise on his $1.134MM salary. It’ll be interesting to see if Jackson, whose affection for Mills might not run as deep as others in the Knicks front office who have close ties to Mills’ agency, is willing to commit the full taxpayer’s mid-level to force the Spurs into a tough decision. The Zen Master’s preference for players and coaches with whom he’s familiar, as witnessed by his hiring of coach Derek Fisher and the Lamar Odom signing, could prompt him to lean toward Blake rather than Mills.

Eastern Rumors: ‘Melo, Fisher, Cavs, Chalmers

June 16th, 2014 at 2:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat won their fourth straight Eastern Conference championship this year, but like the last team to pull that off, the 1986/87 Celtics, they fell short of an NBA title. Miami certainly hopes it doesn’t repeat the fate that befell Boston, which failed to win another Eastern Conference title for 21 years after that. Here’s the latest from the East:

Carmelo Anthony would prefer to stay in New York, but he knows his best chance to win would be to leave, a source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. ‘Melo is reportedly leaning toward signing with a team other than the Knicks this summer.
Derek Fisher‘s contract to coach the Knicks runs for four years instead of five, as had been initially reported, according to TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Another report indicated the deal contains at least one team option, so perhaps it’s guaranteed for four seasons with a team option for the fifth, though that’s just my speculation.
It’s logical to suspect that David Blatt would prefer a head coaching job to an assistant’s post, but it seems he won’t wait around on the Cavs opening if they dally, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports explains. The Warriors and some close to the former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach believe that he’ll accept a job on Steve Kerr‘s Golden State staff if Cleveland doesn’t move quickly to hire him after its face-to-face interview with him this week, Wojnarowski hears.
The Cavs continue to pursue high-profile college coaches behind the scenes, Wojnarowski also writes in the same piece.
The Heat benched the slumping Mario Chalmers in Game 5, but the soon-to-be free agent hasn’t soured on Miami, as he tells fellow Yahoo! Sports scribe Marc J. Spears. “I hope we stay together,” Chalmers said. “I think we have a good thing going.”

Bulls Willing To Trade Joakim Noah

June 16th, 2014 at 8:46am CST by Chuck Myron

Derrick Rose is the only “untouchable” player as the Bulls actively seek improvements to their starting lineup, several sources tell Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. That would mean First-Team All-NBA center Joakim Noah and others are available, though Cowley doesn’t specify whether the Bulls are dangling anyone in particular in ongoing talks. Carmelo Anthony remains Chicago’s No. 1 target, but the team is making a hard push to trade for Kevin Love, too, Cowley writes, suggesting the team will also make a serious run at LeBron James should he hit free agency this summer.

Noah, 29, is coming off a career year, and he’s set to make $12.7MM next season on a contract that runs through 2015/16, so his value is probably at an all-time high. Still, he’d seemingly be the last player other than Rose whom the Bulls would be willing to give up, with Taj Gibson not far behind. Noah has tried to recruit Anthony to Chicago, but the center doesn’t want to sacrifice Gibson to obtain the Knicks star forward, according to Cowley. Bulls executives have also been reluctant to part with Gibson, but it seems the hesitancy of Chicago’s brass is loosening if it would mean landing an All-Star caliber player in return, as Cowley observes.

It’s “not by choice” that the Bulls are making Rose the only player off-limits, Cowley writes, and that appears to indicate that other teams have signaled to Chicago that they’re wary of the point guard’s health. Rose has been unavailable for all but one game in the last three postseasons because of injury, and he’s missed most of the past two regular seasons.

The Bulls are open to just about any scenario, but it’s doubtful the team would part ways with Tom Thibodeau, Cowley hears. Chicago could extract valuable draft choices for the former Coach of the Year, who remains under contract, but in spite of rumors, it’s almost always seemed a long shot that he wouldn’t return to coach the Bulls next season.