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.
Bobcats, Bucks Close To Gary Neal Swap
11:28am: Caron Butler and Ben Gordon could also be involved, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
11:10am: Charlotte is trying to sell Milwaukee on the idea that acquiring Sessions makes it easier for them to trade Luke Ridnour, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
10:59am: The proposed deal would send Sessions to the Bucks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Sessions, making $5MM, earns more money than Neal’s $3.25MM, so apparently Kohl would have to get involved.
10:56am: The Bobcats and Bucks are nearing an agreement that would send Neal to Charlotte, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Still, Milwaukee owner Herb Kohl would have to sign off on an increase in team salary as part of the deal, according to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link).
THURSDAY, 6:45am: The Bobcats are trying to convince the Bucks to take on Ramon Sessions in return for Neal.
11:06pm: While they may be looking for a shooter, the Thunder’s interest in Neal could be overstated, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick also confirms interest in Neal from the Bobcats.
4:39pm: Woelfel adds the Suns, Wolves and Kings to the list of suitors for Neal (via Twitter).
1:15pm: The Bucks have progressed with several teams on the Neal front, but they’re still holding off on agreeing to a deal, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 12:29pm: The pursuit of Neal is the only active discussion the Bobcats are engaged in, with talks for Evan Turner having flamed out early, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
TUESDAY, 8:24pm: The Bobcats and Thunder are both interested in acquiring sharpshooting Bucks guard Gary Neal, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com and Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter links). Stein reports that Neal has been being openly shopped by Milwaukee since January, and we heard on Friday that the fourth year guard is unhappy with the Bucks. A recent Woelfel piece labeled Brandon Knight, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton as the only untouchable assets on the Bucks roster, so it’s not a surprise the club is open to moving Neal.
After a solid postseason performance with Spurs en route to finals loss versus Miami, Neal signed with Milwaukee on a two-year, $6.25MM deal. While he hasn’t put up extraordinary numbers so far this season, he’s proven throughout the course of his career that he can be a good shooter capable of putting up solid numbers on some nights.
Charlotte has been very active so far this deadline. News broke earlier today that they were close to a deal with the Bucks that would’ve brought in Neal and Caron Butler, but the alleged move fell through at the last minute. It’s unclear if a new deal would involve Butler, but reports have indicated the Bobcats are willing to give up a draft pick for the right price.
Neal’s other potential suitor, the Thunder, are said to be looking for a shooter. Neal would certainly welcome a move to Oklahoma City since we’ve heard reports suggesting he wants to play for a contender. The Thunder would have to send some salary out in return however, since trading for Neal would put the team over the tax line.
Northwest Notes: Love, Martin, Nuggets, Miller
While most any team would certainly have interest in acquiring Kevin Love, the Timberwolves reportedly have no intention of trading him. Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com tweets that the multitude of clubs seeking the big man’s services will continue to be turned away. Kevin Martin might not be so untouchable however, as Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times hears the sharpshooting two guard might be moved before Thursday’s deadline. Let’s round up the latest from the Northwest Division:
- Given the current state of their franchise, the Timberwolves might be wise to listen to offers for Love, opines Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Hamilton thinks the T-Wolves should find a taker on Love while his value is as high as it is right now.
- Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman is open to the idea of adding contributors to his team, writes Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press. “Any time you can add players that are going to help you, then you really have to look at it,” Adelman said. “If something gets serious, we’ll find out about it, but right now you have to listen to whatever is going on. It takes two, sometimes three (players), to make a deal.”
- Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post believes that Nuggets rookie coach Brian Shaw has handled the Andre Miller situation correctly. Miller hasn’t played since December, when he publicly disagreed with Shaw’s decision to keep him on the bench during a game. Rumors circulated yesterday about a possible deal that would send Miller to the Timberwolves, but nothing new has surfaced tonight.
- It’s been an exciting season for Thunder fans, as the team finds itself atop the Western Conference heading into the trade deadline. Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman takes a look at how the team should approach the coming days.
- The Thunder have assigned rookie Andre Roberson to their D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers, the team announced in a press release. Roberson has appeared in 22 games for the Thunder this season, averaging 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game.
Western Notes: McGee, Westbrook, McDonough
Nuggets center JaVale McGee has been out of action since November with a stress fracture in his left tibia. The team’s original plan was to allow McGee to take time to let his injury heal without having surgery. But now, with little progress having been made, the 7-footer has to decide whether or not to undergo season-ending surgery. A resolution on whether he will play again this season is expected by March 1st, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. His mother, Pamela McGee stated, “By March 1, we’ll know exactly what strategy to use and when he’ll be definitely be back, or not back.” McGee has been able to start doing lower-body activity such as light work on the elliptical machine, but the leg has not healed enough for McGee, or the Nuggets, to be confident the efforts will work to get him back on the court this season. McGee only appeared in five games this season and had averages of 7.0 PPG and 3.4 RPG.
More from the west:
- The Thunder might be getting Russell Westbrook back this week, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The team had announced back on December 27th that Westbrook had surgery on his right knee for the second time since late October. He was projected to be out until after the All-Star break without a specific return date. According to the article, Westbrook will be re-evaluated on Tuesday in Oklahoma City, which could open the door for a return against the visiting Heat this Thursday. Before his injury Westbrook averaged 21.3 PPG, 7.0 APG, and 6 RPG in 25 appearances. The Thunder are 22-8 without Westbrook, mainly due to the stellar play of Kevin Durant and his 31.5 PPG.
- Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald takes a look at the job GM Ryan McDonough has done in his first year with the Suns. He has the team in the enviable position of having the assets and picks for long-range planning, as well as fielding a team that can compete in the short term, writes Murphy.
Thunder Seeking Wing Player Via Trade
10:55pm: The Thunder are shopping for a two-way wing player, and not simply just a shooter, tweets Wojnarowski.
4:32pm: The Thunder are actively seeking a shooter as the deadline draws near, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Oklahoma City has a pair of trade exceptions, and Wojnarowski suggests the team will use those to take back salary in an uneven exchange.
Oklahoma City has a $6.5MM exception left over from the departure of Kevin Martin this past summer, as well as an exception worth $2,338,721 created in last year’s Eric Maynor trade. It’s most likely the Thunder would use the Maynor exception, which expires at the deadline, given the team’s proximity to the $71.748MM luxury tax line. Oklahoma City is about $2.2MM shy of that threshold.
Anyone the Thunder might be specifically targeting hasn’t been linked to the team in rumors of late. Oklahoma City reportedly has interest in Brandon Bass, but presumably the club is looking for an outside threat rather than a player with a mid-range game. The Thunder was eyeing Evan Turner earlier this year, but he’s shooting just 28.5% from behind the arc. The team is investigating the possibility of bringing career 36% three-point shooter Rudy Fernandez over from Spain, but that probably wouldn’t happen until after the season.
The Thunder could wind up with an additional late-first-round pick from Dallas, and GM Sam Presti might use that as trade bait. Oklahoma City gets the Mavs’ 2014 first-rounder if it falls outside the top 20. The pick is currently at No. 23, as our Reverse Standings show.
Thunder, Other NBA Teams Eye Rudy Fernandez
The Thunder are one of multiple NBA teams with interest in four-year veteran Rudy Fernandez, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. The 28-year-old shooting guard is under contract with Real Madrid of Spain through 2014/15, and is set to make slightly more than $4MM next season. That means he’d probably be looking for an NBA deal worth around $5MM per year to make it worthwhile for him to terminate his Spanish contract early, according to Sierra.
The Thunder have their full mid-level exception available, but using all of it on Fernandez would put them into the tax. Since most teams are similarly without enough financial flexibility, the possibility of Fernandez returning stateside will likely be stronger in the summer than it is now.
It’s unclear whether Fernandez’s deal includes an NBA escape clause, so any NBA team interested in signing him may have to engineer a buyout. He’s averaging 13.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists for Real Madrid, which has won 37 of its last 38 games.
Fernandez spent time with Real Madrid during the 2011 lockout, and he rejoined the club after the 2011/12 season, his last in the NBA. He’s put up 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game over his NBA career, with his best numbers coming as a rookie with the Blazers in 2008/09.
Northwest Notes: Brooks, Love
At age 39, Derek Fisher is improbably playing his best basketball as a member of the Thunder, writes Anthony Slater of NewsOK. The veteran has come up with big shots when needed and maintained an overall plus/minus rating of 97, while serving as Oklahoma City’s only backup point guard with Russell Westbrook sidelined. Here’s more from the division:
- A league executive believes the Thunder would be fine without Russell Westbrook, evidenced by their continued dominance this season in 29 games without him, and the exec tells Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders that the Thunder should consider trading Westbrook for a top-five draft pick (Twitter link).
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks tells Jeff Caplan of NBA.com he has no inclination about how the summer of 2016 will go for Oklahoma City. That’s when both Brooks’ and, more significantly, Kevin Durant‘s contracts are set to expire. “All the rhetoric about what’s going to happen three years from now, I kind of smirk and laugh about it,” Brooks said. “It’s crazy. Who knows? What our team believes in is what I believe in. I believe in coming to work everyday, I believe in giving your best, I believe in being solid on and off the court. Those are staples that this organization is about.”
- In the same article, Caplan describes the strong bond Brooks has with both Durant and Westbrook, and notes that there are some striking similarities with the Spurs, where stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili have all stayed with coach Gregg Popovich and the small market team rather than seeking more money elsewhere.
- Tom Haberstroh weighs whether Kevin Love should demand a trade in an ESPN Insider piece [subscription only]. The Timberwolves‘ 2013/14 struggles, a history of front office incompetence, and Minnesota’s cold weather are all factors that might motivate the superstar power forward to want out, but Haberstroh thinks the team’s misfortunes this year aren’t indicative of their true performance. The expected win total for the Timberwolves is 32-20, but poor fourth quarter play and close losses have saddled them with a 24-28 record, six games out of the playoffs. Haberstroh thinks the odds are good that Minnesota’s win totals start catching up to their statistical performance in the second half, giving Love a shot at the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Odds & Ends: Griffin, Green, Draft, Heat
The Nuggets and Grizzlies once offered their GM jobs to Cavs interim GM David Griffin, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, so Cleveland doesn’t exactly have an obscure talent at the helm as the trade deadline nears. Wojnarowski’s piece details some of the missteps of Griffin’s predecessor, Chris Grant, and points to the strong desire that Kyrie Irving held in 2012 for the team to draft Harrison Barnes rather than Dion Waiters. We passed along more from Wojnarowski in a pair of posts last night, and we’ll round up the latest from the NBA here:
- Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report hears the Celtics are unlikely to move Jeff Green and have their eyes on building around Green, Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger (Twitter link).
- Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com thinks Marcus Smart‘s fan-shoving incident has hurt his stock, but the main reason Goodman has Smart at No. 14 in his Insider-only mock draft is because his outside shot hasn’t improved. Goodman also details Bucks GM John Hammond‘s fondness for Joel Embiid and notes Thunder GM Sam Presti‘s affinity for Syracuse forward C.J. Fair.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel wonders if the Heat‘s decision to start Toney Douglas Tuesday night was a chance for the team to see what it has in him before the trade deadline. A Tuesday morning report suggested the Heat are prepared to waive Douglas if a more attractive option comes along.
- The Nuggets aren’t likely to be particularly active at the deadline, writes Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post, but even if they are, coach Brian Shaw says he won’t have much input on the team’s personnel decisions until after the season.
- Three-year NBA veteran Will Conroy, who played briefly for the Timberwolves last season, has signed with Rasta Vechta of Germany, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Conroy recently parted ways with another German team.
Odds & Ends: Trade Deadline, Roberson, Smart
Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders.com looks at three teams that will definitely be buyers at this years trade deadline. The Suns could look to add a big man, such as Josh Smith, Greg Monroe, Omer Asik, or Carlos Boozer. Acquiring a quality big could push the Suns into the second round of the playoffs, according to Ingram. The Knicks will try to add another star quality player to add alongside Carmelo Anthony, and aren’t likely to deal Anthony despite all the speculation. Ingram believes a point guard, such as Rajon Rondo or Kyle Lowry will be their primary target. He also thinks they will attempt to deal Amar’e Stoudemire to the Celtics. Lastly, he writes that the Bobcats will be looking to upgrade their wing position, and could deal Ben Gordon or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to facilitate a deal.
More from around the league:
- The Thunder have recalled Andre Roberson from the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League, the team announced via a press release. During his most recent assignment, Roberson averaged 20.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 28.5 minutes per contest. In 21 NBA games with the big club in Oklahoma City, the power forward has averaged 1.5 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 7.2 MPG.
- Former NBA player Johan Petro is set to sign a deal early next week to play in France, according to Matthieu Marot of Le Populaire du Centre (Twitter link; translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). A report yesterday indicated he was close to an agreement. Petro last saw action in the NBA during the 2012/13 season, when he averaged 3.6 PPG in 31 games for the Hawks.
- Last night’s incident in which Marcus Smart shoved a fan is unlikely to result in his draft stock falling, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Smart would have been a top-3 pick if he had entered last year’s draft, but shooting woes and a wealth of talent in this year’s draft have him as the second or third-ranked point guard, behind Dante Exum and possibly Tyler Ennis. Recent mock drafts have him being taken in the 6-10 range now, writes Zagoria. Smart is averaging 17.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 4.3 APG, while shooting 42% from the field and 28% from 3-point range.
Northwest Rumors: Blazers, Gallinari, ‘Melo
After the injured Russell Westbrook played his last game, the Thunder were tied with the Blazers atop the Northwest Division at 23-5. Since then, Oklahoma City has opened a four-game lead, even though Portland has been largely healthy. While the Blazers defense could use a boost if they’re to catch the Thunder, it’ll have to come from within, since coach Terry Stotts doesn’t expect the team will make any changes at the deadline, as he tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Here’s more from the Northwest:
- Danilo Gallinari tells Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post that he thinks he could have played on his surgically repaired left knee this season, but he says it wasn’t fully healed and he feared he’d shorten his career if he tried it out. He instead opted for another surgery that sidelines him for the season, but he expects to be ready for camp this fall.
- There’s no consensus around the league about who got the better end of the Carmelo Anthony trade nearly three years later, observes Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Some are withholding judgment until after the season, when the draft choice New York still owes the Nuggets could become this year’s No. 1 overall pick.
- The Thunder have assigned Andre Roberson to the D-League, the team announced. That makes it a half-dozen trips to the Tulsa 66ers for the rookie power forward, who’s still managed to start four games for the big club.