Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Davis, Collins, ‘Melo
Gerald Wallace has never been shy about voicing his opinions. He recently suggested to reporters, including Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, that the trade deadline does not serve the same purpose that it used to:
“Now I don’t think it’s about teams trying to get better, or teams making trades to try and improve. Now it’s about teams trying to get rid of guys to get under the salary cap, or get under the luxury tax. It’s a different situation as trades go nowadays. Teams are all looking to save as much money as possible now.”
Let’s look at the latest from the Atlantic:
- The Raptors wouldn’t be afraid to add a player who was waived in a buyout deal, but it would have to be the “right guy,” tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The team currently rosters the league maximum 15 players, so they would need to release someone in order for anything to happen.
- Glen Davis thought he was heading to the Clippers, but Kevin Garnett‘s effort to recruit the former LSU star to the Nets has him reconsidering his options, according to Kyler (Twitter links).
- The Nets locker room would welcome the openly gay Jason Collins, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. However, Bondy notes that the team would prefer to land Davis.
- Carmelo Anthony wasn’t thrilled the Knicks stood pat at the deadline, but he realizes front office decisions are out of his hands, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com examines what a buyout deal would mean for Metta World Peace, Beno Udrih, and the Knicks. Earlier today, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News said each of the two players was close to reaching an agreement to part ways with New York.
Western Notes: Brooks, Brewer, Rockets
MarShon Brooks isn’t accustomed to a significant role, but he’s ready to play as a member of the Lakers. His impressive performance against the C’s last night left some wondering if he considered the matchup a “revenge game,” but Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com passes along that Brooks doesn’t harbor any resentment toward his old team. “You know what, a lot of people think I should be mad at the Boston Celtics,” Brooks said. “But I guarantee you that there’s no one happier for me than Brad Stevens and [Celtics assistant] Jay Larranaga.” Here’s more from the West..
- After being waived by the Rockets, Ronnie Brewer tells Mark Berman of My FOX Houston he will look to land with another team. “The NBA is a business,” the 28-year old said. “You got to accept the decision. You have to go back to the drawing board and continue to work and hopefully a team can pick you up for the remainder of the season.”
- It appears that the Rockets are unlikely to pursue anyone in the buyout market, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Feigen says the indications are that Houston is done making moves for the year.
- The Thunder assigned rookie Andre Roberson to the D-League again on Friday, as Oklahoma City’s D-League affiliate announced (Twitter link).
- J.J. Barea admits to anxiety in the days leading up to the trade deadline, but he’s ready to move on and continue his recent strong play for the Timberwolves, reports Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
- Shannon Brown would like to re-sign with the Spurs, but there’s interest from other teams if that doesn’t happen, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). San Antonio would have to sign him for the rest of the season, since he’s already been on a pair of 10-day deals with the team.
- Chad Forcier is a player development coach for the Spurs, and his presence in San Antonio might influence whether the team pursues the likely-to-be waived Metta World Peace. Mike Monroe of Spurs Nation has the details.
- Sam Amick of USA Today weighs in on the trade that sent Steve Blake to the Warriors and thinks it could end up paying dividends for Golden State.
- Jan Vesely and Aaron Brooks are excited for new roles on the Nuggets, writes Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
Knicks Notes: Durant, Udrih, Buycks
The Knicks didn’t pull off a deadline trade, so they will need to look to the future in their quest to surround Carmelo Anthony with other star caliber players. This is assuming of course that ‘Melo decides to return to New York next season. If the Knicks re-sign Anthony for the maximum salary this summer and ink another maximum-salary free agent in 2015, they probably won’t be able to afford Kevin Durant in 2016, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com explains.
More on the Knicks:
- The Knicks and two other clubs showed interest in Raptors guard Dwight Buycks before the deadline but Toronto showed no interest, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter).
- Sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com that the Clippers were negotiating with the Knicks about Iman Shumpert just to keep the swingman away from the Thunder, who also reportedly had interest (Twitter Link).
- It’s unlikely the Knicks and Beno Udrih will come to a buyout agreement, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. The Knicks were close to a deal to trade the point guard to the Nuggets before the deadline. Udrih though, hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a buyout yet, tweets Berman.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Lakers Rumors: Free Agents, Gasol, Deadline
Mike Bresnahan and Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times deem the notion of LeBron James joining the Lakers unlikely, note the Lakers’ lack of interest in Carmelo Anthony, and hear that the team isn’t high on Kyle Lowry, either. The Lakers do like Luol Deng, but they don’t want to overpay him, with the focus squarely on Kevin Love and Kevin Durant in the summers of 2015 and 2016, respectively.
“I don’t think that we’ll use our cap money to patch together a team for next year. We’re looking to bring something [big] to Los Angeles,” GM Mitch Kupchak said. “May take more than one year to build, I don’t know. But because we have a lot of money this summer doesn’t mean we’ll spend it all. We’ll spend it wisely.”
Here’s more from the purple-and-gold, who made a single deadline trade despite a multitude of rumors:
- Kupchak says the Lakers will “absolutely” consider re-signing Pau Gasol this summer, as Bresnahan and Pincus note in the same piece.
- The GM wouldn’t rule out negotiating an extension with Gasol that would keep him from free agency, but Kupchak calls it unlikely, since it would limit the team’s flexibility, tweets Bill Oram of the Orange County Register.
- The Lakers wound up remaining in tax territory through the deadline in spite of opportunities to escape. Kupchak says making a move purely to cut costs, without enhancing the roster in some way, is “not acceptable” for the Lakers franchise, as Oram also passes along (Twitter link).
Nuggets, Rockets Swap Hamilton, Brooks
The Nuggets announced that their deal sending Jordan Hamilton to Houston in exchange for Aaron Brooks is now official. It initially appeared Hamilton would be on his way to the Knicks, but it turns out he won’t have to travel quite as far.
Brooks, who had the option of declining the deal, fills Denver’s need for a point guard. Meanwhile, the swap makes it seven straight deadline in which Rockets GM Daryl Morey has swung a deal.
Brooks will likely see more playing time in Denver than he did in Houston, where he was stuck behind Patrick Beverley and Jeremy Lin. The Nuggets have been looking for a backup to Ty Lawson ever Andre Miller and coach Brian Shaw got in a public spat around New Year’s, prompting Denver to send Miller home. Denver agreed to trade Miller to the Wizards in a three-team arrangement today.
The Nuggets’ decision to send Hamilton to Houston instead of the Knicks appears to have stymied New York’s efforts to trade Beno Udrih, whom Denver would have received, since the Knicks had no other suitors left for the veteran point guard, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. All the interest in Hamilton is somewhat surprising, though the 23-year-old has made 11 starts for a banged-up Denver team this year, averaging career highs in an assortment of categories in his first significant playing time after mostly riding the pine during his first two NBA seasons. The small forward is nonetheless shooting just 39%.
Hamilton and Brooks will both be unrestricted free agents at season’s end. Denver elected to decline its 2014/15 option on Hamilton’s rookie scale contract before the season. Hamilton is making about $1.17MM, while Brooks gets the minimum salary.
Zach Links contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Shams Charania of RealGM.com first tweeted news of the deal.
Los Angeles Notes: Shumpert, Gasol, Lakers
The Knicks and the Clippers went back and forth on a deal involving Iman Shumpert, but ultimately they couldn’t come to an agreement. The final discussion between the two clubs was a deal that would have sent Darren Collison, Willie Green, and Matt Barnes to New York for Shumpert and Raymond Felton, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Meanwhile, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com hears that it was the Clippers and not the Knicks who backed out of the swap (Twitter link). More from L.A…
- Lakers big man Pau Gasol is “pretty confident” there will be desirable offers after the season when he’s a free agent, tweets Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Gasol added that he’s not holding any grudges against the Lakers over being in trade rumors, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- Gasol says that he wanted to stay with the Lakers, so he’s happy to have seen the trade deadline come and go, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said that a major factor in the Steve Blake trade was freeing up playing time to evaluate Jordan Farmar and Kendall Marshall, McMenamin tweets.
Atlantic Notes: Stevens, Rondo, Udrih
Celtics GM Danny Ainge thought the Suns were going to hire Brad Stevens over the summer before he got the chance, writes the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett. “When Ryan McDonough went to Phoenix, you know, Ryan and I had talked a lot about how much we liked Brad Stevens,” said Ainge. “I thought Ryan was going to hire Brad to go coach the Suns, but he didn’t and he got a great coach in Jeff Hornacek.”
- The Celtics have “just valued Rajon Rondo” more than any other club over the last eight years, Ainge told reporters, including Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Of course, the C’s got a ton of calls on their star guard but wound up holding on to him through the deadline.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised to see the Knicks negotiate a buyout with seldom-used guard Beno Udrih in the coming days.
- The Knicks wound up standing pat at the deadline and Begley has the goods on what happened or, rather, what didn’t happen.
Clippers, Knicks In Serious Talks On Shumpert
2:04pm: There will be no deal between the Knicks and Clippers, Wojnarowski tweets.
1:54pm: The Clippers and Knicks are engaging in “serious discussions” once more, according to Stein (Twitter link).
1:47pm: As of last night, the proposed deal between the Clips and Knicks was Darren Collison and Matt Barnes for Raymond Felton and Shumpert, Stein tweets.
1:41pm: The Clippers are having some last minute discussions on whether they should say yes or no to a deal for Shumpert, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
1:35pm: Shumpert’s MRI has revealed no tears in his left knee, only a mildly sprained MCL, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. He could miss two weeks, but that’s a whole lot better than what it could have been.
12:27pm: Shumpert to the Thunder isn’t likely, even if his MCL isn’t torn, Broussard tweets.
12:13pm: If Shumpert’s MRI looks OK, he could be headed to the Thunder for a first-round selection or to the Clippers, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Of course, the scan must show that his MCL is not torn.
7:35am: The Thunder are interested in Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr., a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. There’s a possibility Shumpert sustained damage to the MCL in his left knee last night that could keep him out for weeks, according to Berman, so that could dampen Oklahoma City’s enthusiasm. Hardaway is a “virtual untouchable,” Berman writes.
The Thunder have been looking for a two-way wing player via trade. Shumpert fits the bill defensively, and while he’s not a long-range artist, he’s a career 34.7% shooter from three-point range. Hardaway, a rookie, is making 39% of his three-point attempts this year.
Either player would fit into Oklahoma City’s $2.339MM trade exception that expires Friday. The Knicks have been demanding that a team either give up a first-round pick or take back Raymond Felton in a trade for Shumpert. Oklahoma City could wind up with a pair of 2014 first-rounders, so the Thunder would probably give up a pick rather than absorb Felton, though that’s just my speculation.
New York has been engaged on multiple teams on Shumpert, and the Knicks are trying to revive talks with the Clippers. Doc Rivers has long coveted Shumpert, Berman notes.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Knicks, Nuggets Close To Udrih, Hamilton Deal
12:13pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports puts the brakes on talks of a deal, reporting that the Nuggets are still considering several trades for Hamilton (Twitter link).
11:49am: The Nuggets have agreed to send Jordan Hamilton to the Knicks for Beno Udrih, having reached agreement on a deal that sends Andre Miller to Washington, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Wizards were also targeting Udrih, but they landed Miller instead, opening the door for Udrih to go to Denver.
The deal came together from talks the Knicks and Nuggets had about an Iman Shumpert-for-Kenneth Faried swap. Denver resisted that deal, but was apparently more receptive to the swap of the smaller names.
Hamilton makes about $1.17MM this year, the third season of his rookie scale contract. The Nuggets declined his fourth-year option before the season, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Udrih is on a one-year deal for the minimum-salary.
Wizards Show Interest In Udrih, Miller
THURSDAY. 8:20am: The Wizards have offered Maynor, Singleton and Trevor Booker, among others, in their search for a backup point guard, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Their interest in Udrih makes sense, since they offered him the same deal they wound up giving Maynor this past summer, Kennedy observes (Twitter links). Washington also made an identical offer to Mo Williams, Kennedy says, but he’s clearly not in the trade conversation.
FEBRUARY 19TH: The Wizards maintain their interest in Miller, tweets Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, who suggests Chris Singleton and Eric Maynor as possible trade bait for the Nuggets. It’s not clear whether the Wizards are thinking of including those guys in a deal, or if Zwerling is merely speculating.
FEBRUARY 11TH: Multiple reports in the past few days have indicated Washington’s interest in acquiring a backup point guard, and one of their primary targets is Beno Udrih, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Washington also covets Andre Miller, Stein tweets, but the Wizards have been unable to find a workable deal with the Nuggets.
Udrih quickly backed away last month from a report that he asked the Knicks to trade him. Still, New York didn’t seem averse to the idea at the time, and apparently the Knicks wouldn’t have minded receiving a second-rounder in return for Udrih, whom they believed was siphoning playing time from Toure’ Murry. Udrih hasn’t played since January 24th, while Murry has made five appearances in that span.
Though Nuggets GM Tim Connelly says the team has nothing “definitive” in the works for Miller, the Timberwolves still have an eye on the point guard, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Similarly, the Kings continue to express interest in Miller, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. I predicted that offers for Miller would improve closer to the deadline when I examined his trade candidacy last month.
Washington has been going with minimum-salary signee Garrett Temple as the backup to John Wall instead of Eric Maynor, whom the club used its biannual exception to sign this past summer.