D-League Notes: Barron, Moultrie, Hairston
A pair of reports earlier today revealed that Othyus Jeffers is set to rejoin the Iowa Energry while Jarvis Varnado, Jeffers’ teammate in Des Moines for the time being, is drawing interest from several NBA clubs. Here’s a look at more news from around the D-League:
- Another former member of the Energy, Earl Barron, has inked a deal to play in Lebanon with Moutahed, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. After making his NBA debut in 2005, Barron has played for seven different NBA clubs and seen action in 121 D-League contests.
- We heard yesterday that the Sixers assigned Arnett Moultrie to the D-League following comments he made on Monday about frustration over a lack of playing time. However, Tom Moore of Calkins Media hears that the assignment to Delaware is unrelated to Moultrie’s venting, and that the big man will return to Philly once he meets certain conditioning standards (Twitter links).
- It’s been nearly a month since P.J. Hairston joined the D-League’s Texas Legends, and he’s still trying to move on from his playing days as a Tar Heel. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com suggests that now is the time for Hairston to focus on impressing NBA executives to improve his draft stock.
- Thunder GM Sam Presti recently sat down and discussed his club’s innovative use of its D-League affiliate with Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman.
Western Rumors: Clippers, Aldridge, Gay
Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com examine the chances that the Clippers could wind up with LeBron James this summer, calling them “perhaps the most serious competitor” the Heat will face for the four-time MVP. The Clippers aren’t set to have cap space, but Miami had to pull off some last-minute moves to open up room for their free agent haul in 2010, and a source close to James tells the ESPN.com scribes that James will consider teams without cap room. It would require the Heat to cooperate, and league executives believe they’d ask for Blake Griffin as part of a sign-and-trade, according to Windhorst and Shelburne. While we wait to see if that scenario plays out, here’s more from the West:
- LaMarcus Aldridge says he’ll make “winning and happiness and making sure my worth is valued” his priorities in his next contract negotiations, and tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that he wants to wait until summer to talk about an extension. That’s the same timetable Blazers owner Paul Allen said he’ll take shortly after Aldridge revealed he’d be open to an extension.
- Rudy Gay tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com that he isn’t leaning one way or another about whether to exercise his player option this summer, but he says he appreciates the on-court freedom the Kings have given him since December’s trade.
- The Suns have assigned Archie Goodwin to the D-League, the team announced. The rookie performed well on his first trip to the Bakersfield Jam late last month, averaging 29.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in a pair of games.
- Andre Roberson is back from yesterday’s assignment to the D-League, the Thunder announced. The power forward put up 20 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday for the Tulsa 66ers.
Odds & Ends: Embiid, Boozer, Turner
Jeff Goodman of ESPN released his report about Joel Embiid “strongly considering” a return to Kansas for his sophomore season, noting that while the Cameroon native recently stated he didn’t feel ready for the NBA, those feelings could change depending on his development over the rest of the year. Earlier this evening, we noted that Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog relayed the first scoop from Goodman via Twitter.
After tonight’s game against Baylor, Embiid spoke with reporters: “I’m not even thinking about (going pro) right now…I’ll make a decision after the season, but I’m definitely considering coming back to school.”
Many NBA executives told ESPN.com that Embiid is their frontrunner to be selected first overall in June, according to Goodman. The Kansas center – who admittedly thought of redshirting prior to the start of the season – is averaging 11.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 2.7 BPG thus far during his freshman campaign, and is reportedly shocked at the impact he’s been able to make.
Here are the rest of the notable links we’ve gathered up tonight:
- Carlos Boozer hasn’t been happy with being benched in favor of Taj Gibson once the fourth quarter rolls around, letting reporters know about his frustration on Monday: ‘‘I think I should be out there, but it’s [Tom Thibodeau’s] choice,…He makes the decisions out there. I play; I don’t coach. He coaches, so he decides that. But, honestly, he’s been doing that a lot since I’ve been here, not putting me [in the game] in the fourth quarter. Sometimes we win. More times than not, we don’t. But that’s his choice’ (Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times).
- Boozer continued: ‘‘It’s very frustrating, especially when I’ve got a great game going or what have you. Obviously, as a competitor, you want to be out there to help your team win. Especially when the game is close, you can do things that can help your team win. And not being out there, all you can do is really cheer them on. But that’s [Thibodeau’s] choice.’’
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweeted that nothing has changed since the beginning of the season regarding the Timberwolves’ interest in 76ers guard Evan Turner. Although Minnesota covets Turner, President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders is still not willing to include a first rounder that Philadelphia would want in return.
- During his chat with readers, Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW downplayed the possibility that the Bucks would deal Larry Sanders. Additionally, Sefko doesn’t believe that the Mavericks would be interested in pursuing the Milwaukee big man, especially with frontcourt positions already occupied by Samuel Dalembert, DeJuan Blair, and Brandan Wright.
- Sefko doesn’t foresee the Mavs making a huge splash on the trade market, saying that if any move is to be done, it’ll involve players at the bottom of the roster instead of the top. One deal he thinks would make sense involves trading Wayne Ellington for an expiring contract, thus allowing Dallas to free themselves of $2.5MM next season.
- As for the Pau Gasol sweepstakes, Sefko gets the sense that Dallas has at least made cursory inquiries and labels their chances at landing him as a “long-shot.” As for LeBron James potentially becoming available this summer, Sefko says that not being among the top on the list of preferred destinations won’t deter the team from making their free agent pitch.
- With the Thunder owning and operating their D-League affiliate Tulsa 66ers, it has allowed Oklahoma City to create an infrastructure which maximizes player development, writes Anthony Slater of NewsOK.
Northwest Notes: Miller, Harden, Jazz
Andre Miller‘s estrangement from the Nuggets has driven down his value, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Sources from around the league tell Deveney they believe the Timberwolves, who are eager to add a guard, and the Kings are the main contenders for Miller. If Miller is to suit up for the Nuggets again, he’ll have to approach them about the idea, since the team isn’t going to reach out to him, coach Brian Shaw says, according to Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. Here’s more from the Northwest:
- James Harden wouldn’t tell Henry Abbott of ESPN.com whether he’d have signed with the Thunder if they had offered him the same max extension the Rockets did. Still, he says he could have envisioned a long-term future in OKC under the right circumstances, pointing to his strong relationship with his ex-teammates.
- The Jazz are unlikely to make a move before the deadline, unless a significant offer for Marvin Williams or Richard Jefferson emerges, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider only).
- The Thunder have assigned Andre Roberson to the D-League, the team announced via Twitter. Oklahoma City often shuttled a handful of players back and forth from the Tulsa 66ers last season, but Roberson is the only one they’ve sent down this year.
Sixers Intensify Push To Trade Evan Turner
The Sixers are becoming more aggressive in their pursuit of a trade before the deadline, and Evan Turner is at the forefront of their efforts, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The Thunder had interest in Turner earlier this year, and the Suns had discussions with the Sixers about acquiring him, but there’s no movement on either front, according to Deveney, who hears that Philly’s insistence on draft compensation for Turner has held up talks.
Philadelphia is reportedly seeking first-round picks in trades for Turner, Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young. Turner is slated for restricted free agency this summer, but he would become an unrestricted free agent if the Sixers decline to tender a more-than-$8.7MM qualifying offer. One GM tells Deveney that he’d be reluctant to give up assets for a player he could simply sign outright in a few months.
The trade chatter is no surprise to Turner, who tells Deveney that he’s not at all fazed by it, and that he never expected to receive an extension when he was eligible for one this past offseason. The former No. 2 overall pick is averaging a career-high 18.4 points per game on a depleted Sixers roster.
Southwest Notes: James, Thunder, Mavs
The latest out of the Southwest Division..
- The Grizzlies are considering picking up Mike James on a 10-day deal, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). The guard inked a 10-day pact with the Bulls on January 22nd but Chicago allowed it to lapse rather than sign him to a second one.
- The Thunder announced that they have recalled forward Andre Roberson from the Tulsa 66ers. Roberson, who is very familiar with the trip from Oklahoma City to Tulsa at this point, recorded two double-doubles while averaging 14.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.75 steals, 1.75 blocks and 31.3 minutes in four games during his most recent assignment. Overall, the forward is averaging 15.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.45 steals, 1.45 blocks and 35.2 minutes in eleven games with Tulsa.
- The Mavericks announced today that they have recalled rookie guard Shane Larkin from the Texas Legends of the D-League. Larkin has played in 32 games for the Mavericks and is averaging 3.6 points and 1.8 assists in 12.5 minutes per contest.
Odds & Ends: Durant, ‘Melo, Rockets
There are plenty of things to look forward to tonight in the NBA, including the announcement of the All-Star game reserves as well as the follow-up showdown between the Warriors and Clippers, whose Christmas Day match-up gave us a taste of how intriguing the playoff atmosphere in the Western Conference could be come April. Shortly after the 105-103 loss, Clippers forward Blake Griffin spoke about being ejected and didn’t seem too happy with Golden State:
“If you look at it, I didn’t do anything and I got thrown out of the game. It all boils down to they (referees) fell for it…To me, it’s cowardly basketball. I don’t know their intentions, but it worked…If I knew the answer I’d probably be in a different position. Tonight I got two technicals for nothing.”
Although Warriors coach Mark Jackson continues to insist that LAC-GSW isn’t a rivalry, Matt Moore of CBS Sports provides the evidence which suggests otherwise. In the meantime, here are some links to pass along from around the Association this afternoon:
- Kevin Durant‘s decision this summer to sign with Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports agency came from a desire to enhance his off-court marketing, and it had nothing to do with his feelings about Oklahoma City, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
- An agent with ties to the Knicks tells Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling that he thinks Carmelo Anthony is “too Hollywood” to choose the Bulls in free agency and prefers New York or Los Angeles instead.
- Some executives around the league were put off by the public negotiating the Rockets did when Omer Asik was on the block, and other front-office types were annoyed with Houston’s boasts after the Dwight Howard signing, as Zwerling reports in the same piece.
- The Bulls would be “ecstatic” if Nikola Mirotic signed this summer for the mid-level exception, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. He’s almost certainly referring to the non-taxpayer’s mid-level, which would allow for a starting salary of $5.305MM.
- Marco Belinelli says the Bulls didn’t make an offer to re-sign him this past summer, and he finds that surprising, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com observes. The Bulls chose to sign Mike Dunleavy instead, reportedly because they felt he was a better fit with Derrick Rose.
- Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays a report from El Mundo Deportivo that China and Russia have decided to withdraw their bids from the FIFA World Cup Wild Card. Ryan Wosltat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter) says that with those two teams out of the picture and Brazil, Greece, and Turkey locks for the tournament, then Canada should have a shot to make it as well.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Nets Eyeing Kevin Durant For 2016
The Nets are planning to pursue Kevin Durant when his contract expires after the 2015/16 season, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Brooklyn is set to have plenty of cap room in the summer of 2016, in spite of the team’s record payroll for this season, so it’s no surprise that GM Billy King and company have set their sights on the player most likely to be the top prize on the market that year.
Durant became the first major NBA client of Jay Z and the Roc Nation Sports agency earlier this year. Jay Z is a former minority owner of the Nets, though Durant has maintained that the hip hop icon will have no influence on his choice of teams, Bondy notes.
The three-time NBA scoring leader has dropped “odd hints,” as Marc Stein of ESPN.com put it in October, that he’s anxious to win a championship as the Thunder have shed key pieces in cost-cutting moves. The three-time NBA scoring leader said this past fall that he’s “not thinking that far down the line” with regard to 2016, and that he’s content in Oklahoma City, though he’s not sure what his future holds.
An Eastern Conference executive told Bondy that he believes Durant will leave the Thunder, though the exec acknowledged that it would be difficult for the five-time All-Star to find a better sidekick than Russell Westbrook, whose contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2017. The Nets could have room enough to sign another marquee free agent to pair with Durant in 2016, since their only commitment for the following season is the final year of Deron Williams‘ deal, worth $22.3MM. Williams has an early termination option he can exercise in the summer of 2016, so there’s a chance his money won’t be on the Nets’ books. Brooklyn also has a team option it can decline on Mason Plumlee‘s rookie scale contract.
Durant appears headed for his first MVP award as he averages a career-high 31.3 points per game, which puts him far out in front in the race for what would be his fourth scoring title. There’s little doubt that teams around the league are considering the chances they could bring him aboard two summers from now, just as Oklahoma City will surely do all it can to retain him.
Several Trade Exceptions Set To Expire
The February 20th trade deadline will bring an end to swap talk until the end of the season, and it also coincides with a day that an asset will vanish for a half-dozen NBA teams. Those clubs all have trade exceptions that expire on February 21st, the one-year anniversary of last year’s trade deadline. Trade exceptions can be used to claim a player off waivers, so it’s possible one of the six teams could make such a move on the 21st, but waiver claims are rare, so the trade deadline will effectively make these exceptions go away.
Another team faces a much more accelerated timetable if it wants to use its pair of exceptions that expire Thursday. The Grizzlies created two exceptions in the Rudy Gay trade that transpired on January 30th, 2013. They already missed last week’s deadline to use two exceptions, worth $2,083,042 and $762,195, that came about via last year’s three-for-one deal. Still, it seems there’s little chance that Memphis will make a move today or tomorrow that would allow the team to use its exceptions from the Gay trade, as I explain below.
Grizzlies
- $2,264,453 (Expires 1/30/14) — Memphis used most of what once was a $7,489,453 exception generated via the Gay trade to accommodate Courtney Lee‘s $5.225MM salary earlier this month.
- $1,300,000 (Expires 1/30/14) — The Grizzlies also created this exception in the same trade that sent Gay to the Raptors. The $1.3MM is a vestige of Hamed Haddadi‘s salary. Still, with less than $1MM separating Memphis from luxury tax territory and little talk of a deal in the works, it seems doubtful that the Grizzlies will use either of these exceptions.
Heat
- $854,389 — This exception is left over from the trade that sent Dexter Pittman to the Grizzlies, but it doesn’t provide much flexibility, since it could only be used to a minimum-salary player or a pro-rated contract.
Knicks
- $854,389 — Created in the deal that sent Ronnie Brewer to the Thunder, this exception will be of little use, just like Miami’s expiring trade exception. New York can only use it to absorb a minimum-salary player or a pro-rated contract.
Magic
- $1,500,000 — The J.J. Redick deal already netted Orlando a key piece of its core in Tobias Harris, and the Magic could reap more even more benefits if they use this exception created from the salary of Gustavo Ayon, who also went to Milwaukee in the Redick trade.
Thunder
- $2,338,721 — Oklahoma City created this exception in the Eric Maynor trade last year, and it seems there’s a decent chance the Thunder will use it. They can use nearly the entire exception without going over the luxury tax line to bolster their roster for the playoffs.
Warriors
- $762,195 — Much like the trade exceptions for the Heat and Knicks, Golden State has limited flexibility. The only way the Warriors can use the exception they created when they shipped Jeremy Tyler to the Hawks is if they acquire a rookie or one-year vet making the minimum salary or another veteran on a pro-rated deal.
Wizards
- $314,387 — Washington already used most of this exception, originally valued at $1,198,680, to absorb Malcolm Lee‘s salary in the trade that brought in Marcin Gortat at the beginning of the season. The only sort of player the Wizards could acquire with the remaining portion of the exception, created when they offloaded Jordan Crawford, is someone on a tiny pro-rated contract. And that acquisition would have to come as a waiver claim, since no one with a salary small enough to fit is eligible to be traded.
To see all of the league’s outstanding trade exceptions, check out our updated list, which you can access year-round on the Hoops Rumors Features menu on the right side of the website.
Royal Ivey To Sign With Chinese Team
TUESDAY, 9:02am: Ivey will play with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia.
MONDAY, 8:58am: The Thunder’s reunion with guard Royal Ivey was brief, as the 32-year-old is accepting an offer from a Chinese team and won’t sign another 10-day contract with Oklahoma City, reports Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. The 10-day deal he signed with the Thunder on January 16th expired after Saturday’s win against the 76ers.
Ivey appeared in only two games for a total of five minutes in his latest stint with Oklahoma City. The Harlem native also played for the Thunder during the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons. The Thunder had ostensibly brought back Ivey to provide depth in the wake of Russell Westbrook‘s injury, though it doesn’t appear they needed to call on Ivey for any significant playing time. It’s unclear whether Oklahoma City had any interest in bringing him back on a second 10-day deal.
Slater doesn’t say which Chinese team Ivey is joining, but he could be eligible to return to the NBA as early as next month if his team in China fails to make the playoffs. Regardless of which Chinese team he signs with, the Jim Tanner client will have a shot at returning to American soil before the NBA regular season is over.