Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Wallace, Grizzlies, Fisher

July 9th, 2012 at 10:28pm CST by Luke Adams

We're into the home stretch of the July moratorium, and it won't be long before all the moves that have been agreed upon in the last week are made official. In the meantime, teams have two more days to prepare for the next stage of free agency, and the rumors continue to swirl. You can track all of the contract agreements to date using our Free Agent Tracker, and you can follow many of today's free agent rumors right here, with the latest up top….

There's a "pretty good chance" that Ben Wallace will return to the Pistons next season, a source tells Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.
A source told The Commercial Appeal (via Twitter) that it's unlikely that the Grizzlies will sign Russian guard Alexey Shved. Shved allegedly received offers from the Grizzlies, Cavs, and T'Wolves.
However, the Grizzlies are working to bring veteran guard Willie Green to Memphis, The Commercial Appeal tweets. The soon-to-be 31-year-old averaged 7.6 PPG last year for the Hawks.

Earlier updates:

A source with knowledge of Derek Fisher's free agency situation told Sam Amick of SI (via Twitter) that a return to the Thunder is possible, but the Cavs are the frontrunner at the moment. The Nets and Mavs are also possibilities but the Bulls and Knicks have gone in different directions (Kirk Hinrich and Jason Kidd, respectively).
Antawn Jamison told David Scott of the Charlotte Observer that he will probably decide "in a week or so" on whether he’ll finish his NBA career with the Bobcats. Aside from the Bobcats and the Warriors, the veteran says he'll probably only consider title contenders.
Courtney Lee confirmed he's interested in the Celtics, but said they're one of eight teams with interest in him, and added that the money has to be right (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe).
Aaron Brooks has yet to talk to anyone but the Rockets, he tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
The Mavericks have talked to Brazilian center Rafael Hettsheimeir, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. However, while a Portuguese report suggests Dallas has made a contract offer, the Mavs have yet to do so, says Caplan.
Yi Jianlian is drawing interest from Panathinaikos and other teams overseas, but he remains focused on signing an NBA deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Meanwhile, after spending the 2011/12 season in Greece, Joey Dorsey is drawing interest from some NBA teams, tweets Wojnarowski.
The Mavericks are expected to resume talks with unrestricted free agent point guard Ramon Sessions today, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
Courtney Lee met with the Celtics this weekend and Boston is interested in a sign-and-trade for him, but a number of other teams have Lee on their radar as well. Between ESPN.com's Marc Stein and SI.com's Sam Amick, the following teams are listed as suitors for Lee: The Timberwolves, Hawks, Pacers, Mavericks, Suns, Bulls, and Wizards.
According to Stein (Twitter link), Rockets coach Kevin McHale met with free agent point guard Aaron Brooks on Sunday night.

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Lawrence On Bird, Hibbert, Gordon, Brooks

July 7th, 2012 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Larry Bird was leaning toward a return as Pacers president, former Celtics teammates tell Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, until owner Herb Simon nixed the idea of adding a scorer to the team during a meeting with Bird in late June, shortly before Bird resigned June 26th. Bird was considering an offer for Eric Gordon, Lawrence writes, but Simon, who has a net worth of $1.8 billion, doesn't want to pay the luxury tax. Though Indiana has only about $36MM in guaranteed salaries for next season, the Pacers likely couldn't have brought aboard Gordon, who's signed an offer sheet with the Suns for the maximum four years and $58MM, and retained all their free agents without becoming a tax team. Bird's concerns about his shoulder and back were also reasons he stepped down, but the 55-year-old NBA legend left the door open for a return to another team's front office. Lawrence has more from around the league, and we've got the highlights here:

Free Agent Rumors: Redd, Camby, Stiemsma

July 6th, 2012 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Brandon Roy, Jason Kidd, and Jamal Crawford were among the players to reach agreements with new clubs yesterday, while Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lin agreed to lucrative offer sheets that their current teams are expected to match. What will Friday bring? Here are the latest rumors on a number of free agents still on the market:

The Suns and Bulls are the two teams "most heavily in the mix" for Michael Redd, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
Marcus Camby will meet with the Heat tomorrow and the Knicks next, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Feigen adds that Camby likely won't meet with the Rockets until there's resolution on Omer Asik.

Earlier updates:

Free Agent Rumors: Mavs, Dragic, Orton, Blazers

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Day 3 of NBA free agency is underway, and the July free agent period hasn't lacked for action so far. We'll use this space to track a number of updates on second- and third-tier free agents as the day continues. Here's the latest:

The Warriors, Lakers, and Bobcats are all interested in Antawn Jamison, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc J. Spears.
The Mavericks might clear cap space for next summer when Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are unrestricted free agents, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.
Ersan Ilyasova's agent has said his client is seriously considering a "big offer" from a European club, according to HoopsHype.com.
The Timberwolves continued negotiation with Nicolas Batum, Greg Stiemsma, and Jordan Hill on Tuesday, but no deal was reached, writes TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.

Earlier updates:

Chauncey Billups and Spencer Hawes won't be possibilities for the Trail Blazers, says Jason Quick of the Oregonian (Twitter links).
The Thunder, Hornets, and Wizards have expressed interest in Roger Mason, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard.
Brandon Roy met with the Warriors in the Bay Area on Sunday, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Cavaliers and Knicks have expressed some interest in restricted free agent Sonny Weems, says Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Pacers may be a long shot for Jamal Crawford, but the club has "legitimate interest" in Carlos Delfino, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
GM David Kahn and the Timberwolves like Greg Stiemsma and "talked numbers" with his agent, but no offer was made, says Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). The two sides will meet again on Friday.
The Clippers continue to have interest in Jason Terry and J.R. Smith and are talking with both players' reps, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. I imagine the Clips view those players as alternate options if they miss out on Jamal Crawford and Ray Allen.
The Pacers are expected to meet with Gerald Green and Ian Mahinmi in the coming days, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
Antawn Jamison will meet with the "very interested" Bobcats on Thursday and Friday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Jamison has previously talked about a desire to finish his career in his hometown of Charlotte.
The Trail Blazers have reached out to Chauncey Billups, who is exploring all his options, says Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
If the Pacers decide not to match Portland's offer sheet for Roy Hibbert, they'll turn their attention to Chris Kaman and JaVale McGee, according to ESPN.com's Ric Bucher.
J.R. Smith's brother tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that he expects J.R. to return to the Knicks.
Terrence Williams is drawing interest from the Kings, Pistons, and Suns, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Daniel Orton has emerged as a potential free agent target for the Thunder, tweets Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
The Suns are still meeting with Goran Dragic and will likely meet with him again in the next few days, tweets Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
Now that Deron Williams is headed to the Nets, the Mavericks will target Steve Nashand Jeremy Lin, and focus on re-signing Jason Kidd, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Dallas is not sure whether or not they'll go after Goran Dragic.

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Kennedy On Paul, Williams, Beasley, Ebanks

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:27pm CST by Michael Pina

Despite turning down a three-year, $60MM offer from the Clippers when free agency started, Chris Paul is acting like someone who plans on staying in Los Angeles for a long time, writes Hoopsworld.com reporter Alex Kennedy. Paul has been working the phones and setting up face to face meetings with free agents, selling them on joining him for a chance at winning multiple championships. Paul is eligible after the 2012/13 season to sign a five-year, $110MM contract should the Clippers offer it.

Free Agent Rumors: Lin, Hinrich, Kaman, Nash

July 2nd, 2012 at 10:07pm CST by Luke Adams

While a report surfaced last night suggesting that the Knicks may be reluctant to match a backloaded offer to Jeremy Lin, it doesn't appear that such an offer will come from Brooklyn. According to TNT's David Aldridge, the Nets haven't reached out to Lin, and appear to be viewing Steve Nash as Plan B if they can't lock up Deron Williams. Let's round up a few more free agent tidbits from around the league….

While an earlier report (linked below) from K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune suggests the Bulls will only offer the minimum to Kirk Hinrich, Johnson says he's now emerging as the team's top target (Twitter link).
Chris Kaman had a "positive" meeting with the Pacers today, but no offer was made, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes Lin and Nash may be an either/or proposition for the Knicks.

Earlier updates:

Lin has received interest from a number of teams, including the Raptors, Mavericks and, contradicting Aldridge, the Nets, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes. At least one of those teams has considered making Lin a backloaded offer, according to Kennedy.
Lin and fellow restricted free agent Greg Stiemsma have withdrawn from the USA Olympic select team. Lin is off the team because of contract concerns, as Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets, and Stiemsma is nursing a foot injury, tweets Howard Beck of The New York Times.
Jamal Crawford will spend Tuesday with the Clippers, frontrunners for his services, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The Celtics, Sixers, Suns and Wolves are also interested.
It's likely the Bulls won't pick up C.J. Watson's option, but that could change if they don't match Omer Asik's offer sheet from the Rockets, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Restricted free agent Devin Ebanks has drawn the eye of the Magic, Thunder, Nets, Hawks and 76ers, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
The Warriors, one of the teams on Brandon Roy's list of finalists, would like to bring him aboard, but can't afford to commit cap space to someone whose status is so uncertain, says Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group, who adds that if Roy is unwilling to sign for the minimum, it's unlikely he'll be a Warrior (Twitter link).
The Bulls are pursuing Derek Fisher, write Ramona Shelburne and Nick Friedell of ESPN.com, and the Heat, Mavs and Thunder are also on the radar for the veteran guard. The report also confirms the team's interest in Brandon Roy (linked below).
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com hears that John Lucas III is a good bet to re-sign with the Bulls (Twitter link).
Marco Belinelli is drawing interest from teams targeting shooting guards, and the Mavericks are one possibility for him, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Berger also tweets that interest in unrestricted free agent centers Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby has increased since Omer Asik agreed to a deal with the Rockets.
Goran Dragic is expected to meet with Rockets officials today in Houston, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has been in contact with Brandon Roy about the possibility of signing with Chicago, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Roy has met with the Timberwolves and Mavericks, and intends to meet with the other three clubs on his wish list before making a decision, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
While they're rumored to have interest, the Cavs haven't made an offer to Alexey Shved, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
Chris Wilcox, recovering from aortic surgery, has been cleared for full-court contact, his agent tells TNT's David Aldridge.
Steve Novak is drawing heavy interest, as nearly a dozen teams contacted his representatives yesterday, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman says the Knicks are targeting Anthony Tolliver as a possible alternative if Novak gets away.
The Suns and Pistons are among the teams pursuing Michael Beasley, according to Sam Amick of SI.com.
Amick also says the Raptors, Suns, Nets, Hornets, Lakers, and Rockets have expressed some interest in Goran Dragic.
The Bulls' talks with Kirk Hinrich have focused on the veteran's minimum, which is unlikely to get it done with eight teams in the mix, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
The Wizards have reached out to a handful of their own free agents as well as John Lucas III and Hinrich, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Jonny Flynn is receiving interest from the Hawks in addition to the Cavs, says Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.

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Thunder Retain Scott Brooks

July 2nd, 2012 at 8:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder and coach Scott Brooks have finalized a new four-year deal with coach Scott Brooks, the team announced. It's a four-year deal worth about $18MM, reports Royce Young of DailyThunder.com. The team will hold a press conference to announce the signing Tuesday.

Free Agent Rumors: Terry, Lewis, Bass, Young

July 1st, 2012 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

As the first day of free agency continues, reports continue to pour in on teams reaching out to certain players, perhaps to schedule meetings or make contract offers. We've rounded up plenty of those items already today, but we'll use this space to follow a few more updates, as they come in….

Odds & Ends: Miller, Mavs, Martin, Cavs, Olympics

July 1st, 2012 at 2:45am CST by Luke Adams

Brad Miller decided earlier this year to retire at season's end, and went on an emotional note in April, receiving a standing ovation in his final game with the Timberwolves. But according to agent Mark Bartelstein, it's "not a certainty" that his client will retire, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.

I have to wonder what Miller's contract situation is, for the T-Wolves' sake — his $5.1MM 2012/13 was only partially guaranteed, so if he'd been waived by June 30th, he would've received $848K of it. If he'd officially filed for retirement, he would have forfeited the salary. But if neither of those things happened, will Miller still be on Minnesota's books for $5MM+? We'll have to wait for some clarification on that front, but in the meantime, here are some odds and ends from around the league, as free agency begins:

Odds & Ends: Rockets, Magic, Wolves, Green

June 30th, 2012 at 12:32am CST by Chuck Myron

With less than 24 hours to go until teams can officially begin negotiating with free agents, the focus has shifted from the draft and incoming rookies to where NBA veterans will end up. No free agent is more coveted than Deron Williams, but he's narrowed his choices to the Mavs and Nets. There are plenty of quality players left for other teams, however, including Roy Hibbert and Eric Gordon, whom the Rockets will target, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, adding that the team is also going after Omer Asik. Here's more on the free agent plans of teams around the league and other late-night news: