Central Rumors: Pistons, Redick, Bynum, Ayon
A pair of Central Division teams welcomed additions to their lineups last night, as J.J. Redick made his debut for the Bucks while Danny Granger saw his first action of the season for the Pacers. If and when Derrick Rose makes his way back to the Bulls this year, the Central's playoff-bound teams will be poised to enter the postseason on an upswing. Here's more on Redick, the Bucks, and other news from the Central:
- The Magic's pursuit of a first-round pick derailed talks the Pistons had about acquiring Redick, reports MLive's David Mayo. The Blazers' insistence on a first-rounder also put an end to Detroit's pursuit of J.J. Hickson, as we heard earlier, but according to Mayo, the Pistons never spoke to the Thunder about Will Bynum.
- The Spanish website El Contraataque is reporting that FC Barcelona is trying to engineer a buyout of Gustavo Ayon's contract with the Bucks so that he can sign a three-year deal worth the equivalent of $2MM annually with the overseas club (translation via HoopsHype). FC Barcelona acquired his Spanish league rights in October, but shortly thereafter, Ayon's agent, Emilio Duran, said his client is content to remain in the NBA. Milwaukee holds a $1.5MM team option on Ayon for next season.
- USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal that Kyrie Irving will be invited to a four-day tryout camp this summer in Las Vegas for Team USA's entry in the 2014 basketball World Cup.
Brigham On Future Contenders
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld has a new column examining which teams have a chance to be title contenders five seasons from now, taking into account possible moves in free agency and the ages of the teams' core players.
- Brigham believes the Thunder still have the brightest future, given that Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka will all be under 30 in five seasons.
- LeBron James' free agency will play a major role in determining the next title contender, Brigham writes. The health and effectiveness of Dwyane Wade will determine whether James stays with the Heat, but the Cavaliers and Lakers are also possible destinations.
- On that note, Brigham writes that, although Kyrie Irving is blossoming into a superstar, the Cavs will not be a contender unless James signs in Cleveland.
- The Bulls will still be contenders if Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah stay healthy, Brigham writes. He also notes that Nikola Mirotic will have come over to the NBA by then.
- The trade for Thomas Robinson added another young piece to the James Harden/Jeremy Lin core the Rockets have built, Brigham writes. Additionally, the team is still well under the cap and can add another high-level player via free agency.
- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge give the Blazers a solid core to build around, writes Brigham.
- Brigham writes that there will be uncertainty every year for the next five as to whether Chris Paul will still be with the Clippers.
- Even if Stephen Curry's ankles don't hold up, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes give the Warriors a good young core, Brigham says.
- Brigham writes that the Pacers have excellent cornerstone players in Roy Hibbert and Paul George.
Sam Presti Talks Brewer, Maynor, Roster Spot
The Thunder didn't participate in any major deals at the trade deadline, but the club did make a couple minor moves, sending Eric Maynor to Portland for cap relief and a trade exception, and acquiring Ronnie Brewer from the Knicks for a future second-round pick. General manager Sam Presti spoke to Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman about those moves and the team's plans for its empty roster spot. Here are the highlights:
On the decision to trade for Brewer:
"I think the opportunity to add a player like Ronnie without dipping into our immediate player rotation was something we feel like we needed to pursue. He brings a defensive mind-set, versatility as a perimeter defender, and he comes in with over 300 games started. But more impressive to us is the fact that he’s played for some organizations that we really have a lot of respect for. In addition to that, he’s a high-character, hard-working individual that we feel like is going to fit well with our current group."
On whether the Brewer acquisition was made with LeBron James and the Heat in mind:
"Well, I think just in today’s NBA one of the things that is certainly valued is versatility. And for our team, a team that wants to continually improve defensively and establish a standard of play on both ends of the floor, we want to try to be as flexible and versatile in styles of play as possible. But we certainly aren’t looking at one particular team because what’s served us well as an organization and as a team is to always focus on the next day. And if we’re starting to look at things down the line, I think that would be inconsistent and probably inappropriate for us."
On the Maynor trade:
"Obviously Eric is someone that we think very highly of, and I think he’s going to be a very productive player in the NBA for years to come. But we also recognize that he was going to have opportunities at the end of the season as a free agent, and we had to figure out the best way to maximize that situation given that he wasn’t playing on a consistent basis with us. The [$2.34MM] trade exception essentially gives us flexibility in terms of roster building, again, to try to make additions to our core group without infringing on that group. It’s going to give us flexibilities during the draft and also as we head into free agency. We’ll try to be as creative as possible, but we’re also going to be very disciplined with it."
On the Thunder's open 15th roster spot:
"I’m going to sit down with [assistant GM] Troy [Weaver] and [head coach] Scott [Brooks] and spend some time working through that and figuring out what direction we want to go. But it’s something that we want to evaluate, and I think we will look to do something in the future."
Kennedy On Trade Deadline Winners
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld posted a new column examining the reasoning why many teams opted to stand pat at the trade deadline rather than make any major deals. He also wrote that, although the trade deadline was relatively uneventful, it could set up an exciting summer of trades and free-agent signings.
Kennedy also ran down the teams he thought improved with deadline deals:
- Kennedy thinks J.J. Redick will be valuable to the Bucks as they push for a playoff spot.
- The Thunder added Ronnie Brewer at little cost, and Kennedy believes he will form a formidable perimeter defense tandem with Thabo Sefolosha.
- Kennedy praises Rockets GM Daryl Morey for acquiring the fifth pick in the 2012 draft, and believes Thomas Robinson will flourish in a better situation than the one he was in with the Kings.
- The Raptors picked up Sebastian Telfair, giving them a serviceable backup for Kyle Lowry at little cost, Kennedy writes, also noting that Telfair has strong relationships with several players already on the team.
- Kennedy praises the Blazers for acquiring much-needed bench help in Eric Maynor.
Recap Of Deadline Trades
A complete recap of trades that were completed before Thursday's trade deadline:
- The Houston Rockets traded Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns and Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, and Toney Douglas to the Sacramento Kings for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt, and a future second-round pick.
- The Miami Heat traded Dexter Pittman and a future second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Ricky Sanchez and cash considerations.
- The Washington Wizards traded Jordan Crawford to the Boston Celtics for Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Eric Maynor to the Portland Trail Blazers for a trade exception and the rights to Georgios Printezis. The Blazers waived Ronnie Price to clear a roster spot for Maynor.
- The Thunder also acquired Ronnie Brewer from the New York Knicks for a future second-round pick.
- The Atlanta Hawks traded Anthony Morrow to the Dallas Mavericks for Dahntay Jones.
- The Suns traded Sebastian Telfair to the Toronto Raptors for Hamed Haddadi and a future second-round pick.
- The Orlando Magic traded J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon, and Ishmael Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Beno Udrih, Tobias Harris, and Doron Lamb.
- In a separate deal, the Magic traded Josh McRoberts to the Charlotte Bobcats for Hakim Warrick.
- The Golden State Warriors traded Jeremy Tyler to the Hawks for a second-round pick. They also traded Charles Jenkins to the Philadelphia 76ers for an additional second-round pick.
Pistons Discussed Jason Maxiell, Will Bynum Deals
The Pistons were inactive on deadline day, having already been involved in their lone trade last month, when they acquired Jose Calderon from the Raptors. But that doesn't mean that Detroit wasn't exploring its options leading up to the deadline.
According to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News, the Pistons spoke to the Trail Blazers about swapping J.J. Hickson and Jason Maxiell. However, Portland wanted the Pistons to include a first-round pick, which Detroit was unwilling to do. Maxiell also drew some interest from the Spurs, reports Goodwill.
Besides Maxiell, another Piston on an expiring contract, Will Bynum, received a little interest. The Thunder inquired on Bynum before eventually trading Eric Maynor to the Trail Blazers and acquiring Ronnie Brewer from the Knicks, says Goodwill.
Thunder To Acquire Ronnie Brewer
2:37pm: The second-round pick heading to New York in the deal will be the Thunder's own 2014 selection, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
2:24pm: The Thunder and Knicks have agreed to a deal that will see Oklahoma City acquire Ronnie Brewer in exchange for a second-round pick, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (via Twitter). It was Mayberry who first reported that the Thunder were expected to land Brewer (Twitter link).
The Knicks had been shopping Brewer this week in an attempt to clear a roster spot, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com noted today. Now just carrying 14 players on their roster, the Knicks could take a flier on a free agent – perhaps Kenyon Martin, or Jermaine O'Neal if he receives a buyout – without having to release a player on a guaranteed contract.
For the Thunder, it was a small price to pay to add a solid defensive guard who had fallen out of the Knicks' rotation in recent weeks. Brewer, 27, had started 34 games for New York, but didn't seem to fit with the team nearly as well as he did with the Bulls' "Bench Mob" over the last couple seasons. So far this year, Brewer has recorded a career-low 10.2 PER.
Thunder To Send Eric Maynor To Blazers
2:27pm: The Blazers are sending the draft rights to Giorgio Printezis to the Thunder as part of the deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
2:14pm: Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman reports the Blazers will not send a draft pick to the Thunder (Twitter link). It's unclear exactly what Oklahoma City is getting for Maynor.
1:53pm: The Thunder will send Eric Maynor to the Blazers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, via Twitter. The teams had been in serious discussions about such a trade, as Stein tweeted just moments earlier. Portland will absorb Maynor with an exception, and is likely sending a draft pick to Oklahoma City, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If the Blazers aren't giving up anyone in return, that means they'll have to waive someone, since they're at the 15-man roster limit. Mike Tokito of The Oregonian tweets speculation that Elliot Williams could be the one to go.
Williams is attempting to make it back from a torn Achilles' tendon. The Blazers have a disabled player exception for Williams, but it's not worth enough to accomodate Maynor. Portland has a $2,247,740 trade exception from the Raymond Felton deal, and since teams are allowed to add $100K to trade exceptions to accomodate someone, that's how Maynor's $2,338,721 salary fits in.
Maynor had fallen out of favor in Oklahoma City, where he'd lost the backup point guard job to Reggie Jackson. The Thunder were holding out hope for a first-round pick in return as they shopped Maynor aggressively toward the deadline. The Raptors and Jazz had been linked to him in recent days.
The Blazers pick up a piece for their under-performing bench in the deal. Maynor will be a restricted free agent at season's end, and Portland will have the ability to match offers from other teams. Though he kept his interest quiet, Blazers GM Neil Olshey has had Maynor on his radar for more than a month, according to The Oregonian's Jason Quick (Twitter link).
Morning Rumors: Hickson, Pacers, Heat, Bulls
With the deadline less than five hours away and trade rumors picking up steam, here are a few miscellaneous rumblings from around the league:
- The Trail Blazers' chances of landing a first-round pick in exchange for J.J. Hickson don't look good at the moment, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
- In an effort to move below the tax threshold, the Warriors are still attempting to move bench players, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- Within the same tweet, Wojnarowski says the Pacers are shopping D.J. Augustin and his expiring contract.
- Wojnarowski's rumor-heavy tweet also includes word that the Heat are offering Dexter Pittman in deals.
- The Bulls are "pushing hard" to unload Richard Hamilton, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
- The Thunder have been seeking a first-rounder for Eric Maynor, but haven't found any takers yet, says Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter).
Thunder, Suns Not Discussing Gortat, Perkins
1:02pm: Coro follows up on his initial report, tweeting that apparently talk of a deal between the Suns and Thunder was just a "league rumor" during the All-Star break, rather than the two sides actually talking about it. So it sounds as if there's nothing to this one.
12:31pm: The proposed Gortat/Perkins deal is "not going to happen," according to John Gambadoro of 620 KTAR in Phoenix (via Twitter).
7:34am: According to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, the Thunder have been exploring a deal with the Suns that would send Marcin Gortat to Oklahoma City. In the hypothetical trade, the Suns would receive Kendrick Perkins, Jeremy Lamb, and a first-round pick from the Thunder in exchange for Gortat and P.J. Tucker.
Coro writes that the Suns would have some interest in Perkins, who would fit the team's new defensive culture, and that Phoenix likely would have drafted Lamb 14th overall last June had the Rockets not taken him two spots earlier.
Perkins' contract, which is more expensive and lasts a year longer than Gortat's, isn't viewed as a favorable one, and Lamb's stock may have fallen a little since last summer, so I'd imagine the first-round pick in the deal would be Toronto's pick. That choice, acquired by the Thunder in the James Harden trade, figures to be more valuable than any of Oklahoma City's own picks or the Mavericks' heavily-protected first-rounder.
Still, according to Coro, it's not likely that the Suns pull the trigger on a deal with the Thunder. Coro reports that it's more likely Phoenix simply stands pat to protect its future first-round picks and cap space, which should give the club room for a max free agent this summer. Small deals involving players like Sebastian Telfair or Jermaine O'Neal are also possible.