Nuggets Were Close To Eric Bledsoe Trade
Denver was in the “red zone” on a potential trade for Eric Bledsoe last month, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN. Complete details aren’t provided, but Lowe believes Phoenix would have received Emmanuel Mudiay and a first-round pick.
Negotiations with the Suns eventually fell apart and the Nuggets moved on, leaving them with an extremely young point guard duo in Mudiay and Jamal Murray.
“We chase every opportunity to improve ourselves,” said Denver GM Tim Connelly, who refused to comment directly on the Bledsoe talks. “We’ve had a lot of excellent players offered to us for our young talent. There’s a fine line between overvaluing your own players and being too aggressive chasing short-term results.”
The decision not to give up too much for Bledsoe is understandable, writes Lowe, who says he wouldn’t have made made the Nuggets title contenders this season or next. After that, he will be seeking a huge contract as a free agent in his 30s with a history of knee problems.
Lowe also notes that Denver had an opportunity to make a run at Kyrie Irving over the summer, but refused to include Murray in a potential deal. He believes a package of Murray, Wilson Chandler and a minimally protected first-rounder would have gotten the Cavaliers’ attention.
The experience issue at point guard was created just before the season started when the Nuggets elected to waive Jameer Nelson, who played 75 games last season and started 39. Denver worked out a deal to trade him to a lower-level team in exchange for a protected second-round pick, but pulled out because the front office didn’t want Nelson to be stuck on a team with no shot at the playoffs. He eventually signed with the Pelicans after clearing waivers.
“It was tough to see Jameer go,” coach Mike Malone said. “The players trusted him. I find value in veteran mentors. In our meetings, of course I brought up all the reasons it made sense to keep him. But you have to think big picture. It wasn’t like I was kicking and screaming. By the end, we were all on board.”
Devin Booker Talks Bledsoe, Hair Salon, More
- In a Q&A session with Nick Friedell of ESPN.com, Suns guard Devin Booker discusses the trade that sent Eric Bledsoe out of Phoenix, becoming the face of the Suns, and several other topics. The highlight of the conversation may have been Booker’s “no comment” when asked about the hair salon that Bledsoe supposedly didn’t want to be at when he published his infamous tweet last month.
Derrick Jones Excels During G League Assignment
- Prior to the Northern Arizona Suns’ Saturday game against Iowa, second-year forward Derrick Jones was assigned to the G League, according to a press release from the Suns. Jones played a big part in the club’s win last night, filling up the score sheet with 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.
Cavaliers Notes: Thompson, Monroe, Crowder, Smith
The Cavaliers should offer Tristan Thompson to the Suns for Greg Monroe, suggests Sam Amico of AmicoHoops. Amico reported last night that Cleveland is interested in Monroe, who was traded from Milwaukee to Phoenix this week and apparently has no long-term future with the Suns. The 27-year-old has averaged 14.0 points and 8.7 rebounds throughout his career, but fell out of the rotation in Milwaukee and has appeared in just five games this season.
Their salaries are similar, with Monroe making $17.8MM this year compared to Thompson’s $16.4MM, but Monroe has an expiring contract while Thompson is owed more than $36MM over the next two seasons. Acquiring Monroe would provide immediate help as Thompson is out for the next few weeks with a strained calf. Amico also notes that Thompson’s romantic involvement with actress Khloe Kardashian could bring an unwanted distraction to the Cavs’ locker room.
There’s more news out of Cleveland:
- Jae Crowder had a lot of adjustments to make during his first few weeks in Cleveland, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. One of the key pieces in the Kyrie Irving trade, Crowder has seen his role change several times in 13 games, starting at small forward and power forward and coming off the bench at both positions. Teammates have noticed how well Crowder has been able to handle all the different roles being thrown at him. “He’s such a huge X factor for us and can do so many things, it’s just tough because we’ve been asking him to play the 4, play the 3, guard the other team’s best player, score the basketball,” said Kevin Love. “He just has to find a way to go out there and play and compete because tonight that’s what he did and he was great for us.”
- J.R. Smith seems comfortable in the starting lineup again, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Smith started the season in a reserve role after the signing of Dwyane Wade, but was reinserted as a starter after Wade asked to come off the bench. Smith struggled with his shot throughout October, but has strung together three straight games in double figures. “I’m shooting the same shots, it’s just, they’re starting to fall,” Smith said. “For whatever reason it is, just happened earlier. Being aggressive earlier, trying to put the ball on the floor, get to the basket. Trying to get to the free-throw line. Just trying to be more aggressive, as opposed to waiting for it to come to me.”
- Kyle Korver, who re-signed with the Cavs for $22MM over three years, is providing more than just his play on the court, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. He is also serving as a shooting coach, helping Crowder and others with their mechanics.
Wolves Considered Mike James Before He Signed With Phoenix
- The Timberwolves aren’t surprised by the success of Suns point guard Mike James, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Minnesota considered signing the 27-year-old before he agreed to a two-way contract with Phoenix in July.
Cavaliers Have ‘Strong Interest’ In Greg Monroe
With a shortage of big men, the Cavaliers have turned their attention toward Greg Monroe and are considering an offer to the Suns, according to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.
The veteran power forward/center was shipped from Milwaukee to Phoenix this week as part of the Eric Bledsoe trade. The Suns reportedly don’t have any long-term plans for Monroe and would consider a buyout if they can’t move him in another deal.
The 27-year-old is in the final year of his contract with a $17.8MM salary. In addition to providing an inside presence, Monroe is a “team-first player,” according to Amico, who would be willing to sacrifice his stats for the chance to rejoin a contender.
Monroe appeared in just five games with the Bucks before the deal and had his minutes cut sharply to 15.8 per night. However, he is a proven scorer and rebounder who averaged 11.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in 81 games last season, then raised those numbers to 13.2 and 7.3 in the playoffs.
The Cavaliers need inside help after losing starting center Tristan Thompson to a strained left calf in a November 1 game. He was projected to miss three to four weeks, which puts him out for most of the month.
It’s not clear what the Suns might ask in return for Monroe, but Iman Shumpert [$10,337,079] and Channing Frye [$7,420,912] provide an almost perfect salary match. Shumpert, who was on the trading block throughout the offseason, has a player option for next year worth slightly more than $11MM, while Frye, who spent three seasons with Phoenix early in his career, has an expiring deal.
Amico adds that the Spurs and Nuggets have also expressed interest in Monroe.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/10/17
Here are the G League moves from around the basketball world today:
- The Timberwolves have recalled Marcus Georges-Hunt from their G League affiliate in Iowa, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune tweets. The forward scored 34 points in his lone game on assignment.
- The Grizzlies have assigned three players to the Memphis Hustle, their G League affiliate, a press release on the team’s official site says. Assigned are Ivan Rabb, Deyonta Davis and Wayne Selden.
- The Knicks have assigned Ron Baker and Damyean Dotson to their G League affiliate in Westchester, the team’s public relations department tweets.
- Per Scott Bordrow of The Arizona Republic, the Suns have recalled Derrick Jones Jr. from the Northern Arizona Suns, their G League affiliate. The high flyer scored 11 points in his one and only game with the G League squad thus far.
Woj: Suns Had Been Seeking Young Player And First-Rounder(s) For Bledsoe
- According to Wojnarowski, the Suns were initially seeking a good young player and a first-round pick – or two – in exchange for Eric Bledsoe. Of course, the return Phoenix got from Milwaukee in exchange for Bledsoe didn’t come close to that. Bledsoe’s value had taken a hit because of the public nature of the situation, but Marks points out that most teams already have solid point guards and weren’t ready to make a major trade so early in the season, further limiting the Suns’ options.
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Community Shootaround: Best Fit For Greg Monroe
Veteran center Greg Monroe, who continues to recover from a calf injury, reported to his new team on Thursday, but he admits he doesn’t know whether he’ll actually suit up for the Suns, per Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Monroe said yesterday that he – along with agent David Falk – spoke briefly to Ryan McDonough, acknowledging to the Suns’ general manager that he recognizes he may not fit into the team’s plans.
“I just told them I understand the plan they have in place and how they want to approach the season,” Monroe said. “I told them, ‘If you want me to play, I’ll always play. I’ll never be one not to want to play. If not, we’ll just work together and find the best option for everyone.’ But I’m more than happy to play here.”
Although Monroe says he was “blindsided” by the trade that sent him from Milwaukee to Phoenix in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, he’s unlikely to be caught off guard a second time. The Suns have a logjam at center and a report on the heels of this week’s trade indicated that the club likely won’t keep Monroe through the 2017/18 season.
Still, as I noted on Thursday, even though Monroe has an expiring contract, his $18MM salary won’t be easy to move, particularly if the Suns don’t want to take any future salary back. The Bucks had reportedly been exploring the trade market for Monroe off and on for the last year and hadn’t had much luck until this week, so there’s little reason to expect Phoenix to be able to find good value for the big man right away.
If the Suns don’t find a viable deal soon for Monroe, they’ll probably hang onto him for a little while rather than jumping right into buyout talks, but buying him out remains a possibility. In that event, Monroe would certainly clear waivers and then would be free to sign with any team except the Bucks.
What do you think? Is there a team out there that makes sense as a trade partner for the Suns in a Monroe deal? If he’s bought out, which club do you think would be the best fit for Monroe?
Jump into the comment section below to weigh in!
Five Trade Candidates Who May Be Difficult To Move
While trade rumors generally don’t gain a ton of steam until a little closer to the deadline, several candidates to be moved have emerged in the opening weeks of the 2017/18 season. Eric Bledsoe was the first to be dealt, with the Suns finding a taker for him more than three months before this season’s trade deadline.
However, with Bledsoe off the board, teams may find it difficult to find viable deals involving several of the other players on the trade block around the NBA. Several of the most noteworthy current trade candidates either have undesirable contracts or haven’t shown enough on-court value to make them worthwhile investments — or both.
Here’s a breakdown of five players who teams may have trouble moving – or at least finding fair value for – in advance of the 2018 trade deadline:
- Luol Deng, Lakers: Deng is in the second year of a four-year contract worth $72MM, one of the least team-friendly deals in the league. Deng is unhappy with his lack of a role in Los Angeles, and the Lakers – who want to clear enough cap room to make a run at multiple maximum-salary free agents in 2018, would love to accommodate a change of scenery for the veteran forward. As we heard earlier this week, the two sides are exploring trade or buyout possibilities. But trade interest is unsurprisingly “non-existent” and Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders suggests the Lakers don’t want to go the buyout route at this point unless Deng takes a huge discount, which his camp seems unwilling to do. So this situation remains in a holding pattern for now.
- Greg Monroe, Suns: Although Monroe can still be a productive player, he wasn’t a part of this week’s Bledsoe trade because of his on-court abilities — he was included because of his expiring contract. The Suns are reportedly unlikely to keep him through the season, but flipping him won’t be easy. Monroe is earning nearly $18MM this season, and it’s tricky to move a salary of that size without taking back a multiyear contract, something Phoenix isn’t all that interested in doing. There simply aren’t many teams that have a need for a player like Monroe and would have the ability to match up with what the Suns would want out of a deal.
- Tyson Chandler, Suns: If the Suns can’t find a viable deal for Monroe, finding one for Chandler won’t be any simpler. Chandler is a little more affordable than Monroe, at $13MM this season, but he has one more guaranteed year on his contract for 2018/19. A team desperate for rim protection and veteran leadership could be willing to take on his contract, but the Suns may need to sweeten the deal with a draft pick or another asset. Considering Chandler isn’t unhappy in Phoenix, it may make more sense to just be patient and wait until the offseason to seriously attempt to move him.
- Nikola Mirotic, Bulls: Forced to take sides in the Mirotic/Bobby Portis altercation, the Bulls’ locker room and front office appear to be united — they’re with Portis. It may seem counter-intuitive that the player on the receiving end of a punch that caused multiple facial fractures is now on the outs, but Portis has seemingly said and done all the right things since delivering that blow, and his dedication and work ethic are highly valued in the Bulls’ locker room. Understandably, Mirotic no longer wants any part of the situation, but he can’t be traded until January 15. And even when he becomes trade-eligible, the 26-year-old may not have a lot of value — he’s earning $12.5MM, and has provided inconsistent production throughout his first three NBA seasons. Plus, if he’s truly as culpable in the incident with Portis as the Bulls have suggested, suitors may have personality concerns.
- Jahlil Okafor, Sixers: Unlike the other players on this list, Okafor isn’t expensive — he’s earning just $5MM this season. He also isn’t past his prime, like Deng and Chandler. In fact, at age 21, he almost certainly hasn’t reached his prime yet. For those reasons, Okafor may not be difficult to trade, but the Sixers will have a very hard time extracting what they perceive to be fair value for 2015’s third overall pick. Okafor can’t crack Philadelphia’s rotation, and there are serious concerns about his defensive ability, limiting his appeal. Because the Sixers declined his $6.3MM option for 2018/19, Okafor also can’t receive a contract offer worth more than $6.3MM from the team that acquires him, and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, meaning he may just end up being a rental. A club is unlikely to surrender much for that.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.