Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Rumors: Rondo, Knight, Neal

March 9th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Rajon Rondo considers it an “honor and a compliment” that Kobe Bryant is trying to recruit him to the Lakers, but the point guard said Sunday that his focus is on the present day with the Mavericks, notes Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Rondo on Sunday didn’t deny interest in playing for the Lakers, Holmes adds in a separate piece, but Bryant downplayed the significance of his conversations with Rondo on Sunday when the Lakers star chatted with Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. There’s more on the Mavs’ most significant in-season acquisition amid the latest from around the West:

The Celtics had “serious doubts” about whether Rondo was worth the max before trading him in December, and that was one of the reasons Boston pulled off the swap, sources told Holmes for the second of his two pieces linked above. That echoes a recent dispatch from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who heard that it’s unlikely the Mavs point guard receives a full max deal in free agency this summer.
Several GMs who spoke with Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops believe Brandon Knight is worth $12MM a year. The Suns traded for Knight, a restricted free agent at season’s end, at last month’s deadline.
Gary Neal was reportedly angling for a buyout from the Timberwolves last month, but he said this weekend that he’d love to stay with Minnesota, observes Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders hinted at interest in a long-term future with the guard whose deal expires this summer, as Hartman also relays. “A lot of people questioned whether we were going to keep him, but I said from the beginning he was a guy that we traded for that we liked,” Saunders said. “We wanted him to come in and we were hoping it could be a long-term-type situation, but we’ll wait and see.”

Pacific Notes: Dragic, Frye, Whiteside, KG

March 5th, 2015 at 2:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Goran Dragic likes “everything” about the Heat, but he’ll still consider all options, including the Lakers, when he’s a free agent in the summer, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Dragic did speak highly of the Lakers organization and their history of winning, but he was also highly complimentary of Miami. “I’m really comfortable. I feel great,” Dragic said. “Miami is a nice city. People are nice. The system is good. I like coach. I have all good words for them.” Here’s more from the Pacific Division…

Channing Frye agreed to a four-year, $32MM deal with the Magic in July when the Suns could not commit to him as they pursued the likes of LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Later, Suns owner Robert Sarver said in an interview that the 31-year-old only gave him three minutes to match Orlando’s offer and Frye takes exception to that, as Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “We’d been talking for months ahead of time,” Frye said. “I don’t know where that came from. It didn’t go down like that. I just don’t do business like that. That doesn’t even make sense in the realm of business. Orlando did a good job of selling me on the future and showed that they wanted me.”
After the Heat topped the Lakers 100-94 on Wednesday night, big man Hassan Whiteside took the opportunity to remind everyone that his breakout season could have gone down in purple and gold. “I worked out for the Lakers. I thought they could use me. I guess not,” Whiteside said, according to Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). Whiteside has become so valuable for Miami that he was made untouchable in trade talks around the deadline along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers would have loved to coach Kevin Garnett again, but he’s happy to see him back in Minnesota, calling the reunion “awesome,” Arash Markazi of ESPN.com writes.

Goran Dragic On Suns, Heat, Wade

March 5th, 2015 at 12:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Goran Dragic expressed regret earlier this week about his comments regarding the Suns prior to the trade deadline, calling them “too harsh.” The guard regretted his comments so much that he reached out to Suns owner Robert Sarver to apologize.

“We had a good conversation—he was always there for me and my family,” Dragic told Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. “He knew that I was not going to re-sign with them, so I wanted to do something before the trade deadline and hopefully they could get some players or some picks. I really appreciated what he did—trading me.”

Dragic spoke with Zwerling about a wide range of topics this week and the Bleacher Report scribe wrote a lengthy piece from the guard’s perspective going over his time with Phoenix and his transition to Miami. The entire article is worth a read, but here’s a look at a few of the highlights:

On how the Heat tried to acquire him years ago

My No. 1 wish was to go to Miami, who I found out later had tried to get me a couple of years ago when I was in Houston. Miami offered everything—a great market, great players, their championship mentality. They always want to do well, and I think that it was a good fit for me. I was pushing for this situation, but I still didn’t know if the Suns were going to send me there. I was in a tough spot, but things worked out in the end.

On his relationship with Dwyane Wade

I felt that right away when D-Wade texted me as soon as I landed in Miami. He is just unbelievable. He’s a future Hall of Famer and he’s such a nice guy, humble guy. I already have a close bond with him and spend a lot of time talking to him about basketball. I didn’t have a player like that in Phoenix.

On Chris Bosh

After my first game against the Pelicans, which we lost, I sent Chris a text message, “You were missed tonight. Looking forward to playing with you. We’ll do our part here, and when you’re back, we’ll be ready to go.” I haven’t had a chance to talk to him; he’s with his family. I’m looking forward to meeting him in person. I played a lot of games against him and he always gave us problems.

Pacific Notes: Nash, Dragic, Suns, Divac

March 4th, 2015 at 9:16am CST by Chuck Myron

Steve Nash hasn’t made any formal pronouncements regarding the end of his career, but he’s under no illusions that he’ll be coming back to the NBA, as he made clear Tuesday on The Bro Jake Show on TSN Radio 1040 Vancouver, as TSN.ca transcribes. Nash’s contract with the Lakers expires at season’s end.

“I never worked as hard as I did the last 18 months, two years, twice a day almost every day to try to just give it that one last year,” Nash said. “And I finally just had to admit that it’s just not meant to be.”

Nash added that he accepts the situation because “I gave it everything I possibly could.” While we wait for the 41-year-old to finally close the book on his career, here’s more from around the Pacific Division:

The Suns promised Goran Dragic before last summer’s sign-and-trade acquisition of Isaiah Thomas that they wouldn’t add to an already crowded backcourt, multiple league sources tell Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick.
A lack of leadership and dispassionate, inconsistent play from the Suns doesn’t exactly make the franchise attractive to marquee free agents who want a winning situation, opines Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic.
Vlade Divac‘s new position as vice president of basketball and franchise operations for the Kings technically puts him on top of the team’s basketball staff, but the practical implications of that aren’t as clear-cut, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. The team’s official announcement of Divac’s hiring, released after Voisin’s story, indicates that Divac will be advising the front office and coaching staff.

Western Notes: Frye, Leonard, Collison

March 3rd, 2015 at 8:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Channing Frye is upset with the Suns’ management, who made some critical comments last week regarding the veteran big man’s departure to the Magic as a free agent last summer, John Denton of Magic.com tweets. Phoenix’s owner Robert Sarver had said that Frye didn’t give the Suns an opportunity to match Orlando’s four-year contract offer. “I think we have to take what that front office says with a grain of salt,” Frye said in response to Sarver’s comments. “I think right now they need to focus on their own team. I think we had many negotiations between [us and] the Suns,” Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel relays.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

There’s plenty at stake for the Spurs over the next few months, but nothing that happens this spring will alter the value of the max or near-max contract Kawhi Leonard is set to receive in restricted free agency this summer, as Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News believes.
Former Nuggets coach George Karl feels no sense of glee at Denver’s struggles without him, as he said last week, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Karl has sympathy for Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke, Spears notes.
Darren Collison underwent successful surgery today to repair a core muscle issue, the Kings have announced. Collison will begin rehabilitation immediately and is expected to be out for approximately six weeks.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Suns Sign Earl Barron To Second 10-Day Pact

March 3rd, 2015 at 12:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:33pm: The deal is official, the Suns announced.

10:13am: The Suns and center Earl Barron have reached agreement on a second 10-day deal, a league source told Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). His first 10-day contract with Phoenix expired Monday. It’ll be the third time Barron has inked with the Suns this season, including his training camp deal.

The ninth-year veteran failed to make it to opening night with the team, but the Suns retained his D-League rights and he’s spent much of the season with Phoenix’s affiliate. Barron averaged 20.2 points and 10.9 rebounds in 32.6 minutes per game across 27 appearances for the D-League Bakersfield Jam, but he’s seen just 5.5 MPG in his five-game stint with the big club, his first NBA regular season action since 2012/13.

Phoenix has just 13 players signed through the end of the season after its flurry of deadline moves. So, GM Ryan McDonough and company would continue to have flexibility even if they re-sign Barron for the season, which they’d have to do to bring the 33-year-old back once his latest 10-day deal expires.

Kyler’s Latest: Love, Monroe, Gasol, Leonard

March 3rd, 2015 at 10:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The trade deadline is in the past and the focus is shifting to the draft and this year’s class of free agents. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders takes a broad look at free agency for the summer ahead, passing along a number of noteworthy tidbits from his conversations around the league. His entire NBA AM piece is worth a read as he examines the outlook for several teams, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

The Celtics are planning to target marquee free agents this summer, with Kevin Love atop their list, followed by Greg Monroe, Kyler writes. Marc Gasol and restricted free agents Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are others in Boston’s sights, sources tell Kyler. It appears the Celtics will look to re-sign Brandon Bass to a salary lower than the $6.9MM he’s making this season, Kyler suggests, also indicating a likelihood that the Celtics renounce Jonas Jerebko‘s rights. That wouldn’t preclude a new deal with Jerebko, something that Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reported earlier that the Celtics would like, though it does indicate that the C’s aim to open cap space. That’s a path of questionable merit, as I examined.
There’s a “sense” that the Sixers will make a play for Monroe, too, as well as Butler, Tobias Harris and Reggie Jackson, according to Kyler.
Monroe, Love and Rajon Rondo are at least willing to meet with the Lakers this summer, Kyler hears, though Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge are long shots for the team, the Basketball Insiders scribe cautions. Still, chatter is connecting the Lakers to just about every would-be free agent, including Jackson and Brandon Knight.
It’s unlikely that Rondo gets a full maximum-salary deal in free agency this summer, league sources tell Kyler, who surmises that teams would float short-term max offers instead. A full max from the Mavs would entail a five-year deal with 7.5% raises, while other teams can offer four years and 4.5% raises.
Sources also tell Kyler that they believe Monta Ellis will opt out this summer, which is no surprise given his level of play and the $8.72MM value of his player option.
Kyler also gets the sense that Paul Millsap is content with the Hawks and would like to stay for the long term, though it appears Atlanta is eyeing an upgrade at DeMarre Carroll‘s small forward position.
The Spurs will make Gasol their top free agent priority this summer, Kyler writes, though the team will have trouble signing him if Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili return at salaries comparable to the ones they’re making. In any case, San Antonio was believed to be the team with the most interest in Monroe last summer, Kyler adds.

And-Ones: Griffin, McGee, Dragic, Garnett

March 2nd, 2015 at 10:11pm CST by Charlie Adams

Clippers forward Blake Griffin could return as early as Sunday’s game against Golden State, Arash Markazi of ESPN.com tweets. Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Griffin is running “full tilt” and participating in shooting drills, Markazi adds. Griffin has been sidelined since early February with a staph infection in his right elbow and was expected to miss four-to-six weeks. We’ll round up more from the league below..

Waiving JaVale McGee, who has one year and $12MM remaining on his contract, is a good indicator the Sixers will not pursue any top free agents next season, Tom Moore of Calkin Media tweets. McGee was released by Philadelphia on Monday, meaning he’ll still have the opportunity to sign with a playoff contender.
Suns management believes that Goran Dragic‘s representatives spent part of the All-Star break convincing the point guard to push Phoenix into trading him, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The BDA Sports client nonetheless insists his motives were his own, as Coro notes.
Doc Rivers called Kevin Garnett‘s allegiance to the Timberwolves “almost nutty loyalty,” recalling that KG twice held up being traded to Boston during his first stint playing in Minnesota since he didn’t want it to appear he was “bailing” on the Wolves. Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press has the full story.
The 2014/15 season has been a memorable one for the Knicks, but not for the right reasons. Still, Derek Fisher is confident that New York will have a chance to lure quality free agents this summer, as Fred Kerber of the New York Post details.

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Thomas, Mudiay, Nets

March 2nd, 2015 at 6:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Isaiah Thomas was stunned when the Suns dealt him right before the trade deadline but he wasn’t surprised the Celtics wanted him, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports. Thomas, who has three years and approximately $19.76MM remaining on his contract after this season, expected Goran Dragic to be traded but thought he’d remain with the club that acquired him in a sign-and-trade deal with the Kings last summer, according to Kennedy’s story. Boston’s Danny Ainge was the first GM to contact Thomas when the free agency period began in July and had been intrigued by Thomas’ skills since Thomas was a college prospect, Thomas told Kennedy. Thomas, who was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday, is excited about his role with the Celtics and hopes to remain with the team in the long term, Kennedy adds.

In other news around the league:

Marquee draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay is once more playing with China’s Guangdong Southern Tigers months after it appeared his overseas stint was at an end, as Nick Bedard of Basketball Buddha notes. Mudiay is the No. 2 ranked prospect in Eddie Scarito’s Hoops Rumors Prospect Power Rankings, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him third and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has the point guard fourth.
Mirza Teletovic, a restricted free agent after the season, wants to remain with the Nets, Alex Raskin of the Wall Street Journal tweets. Teletovic is out for the season after he was diagnosed with multiple blood clots in his lungs in January. Teletovic was averaging 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 40 games this season before the diagnosis.
The Hawks recalled Mike Muscala from the D-League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced on Monday, Muscala, who appeared in six games with the Mad Ants, is averaging 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 20 games with Atlanta this season and gives the club some frontcourt depth.
The Sixers wanted to give JaVale McGee an opportunity to finish out the season with a playoff team, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said to Mannix it was “the right thing to do.” Several playoff teams are interested in McGee, who was acquired by the Sixers in a trade last month.

Suns Rumors: Dragic, Knight, Granger

March 2nd, 2015 at 11:46am CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns traded a conditional first-round pick for backup big man Brandan Wright in January, but the Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas deadline-day trades seemed to represent a different philosophical tack. GM Ryan McDonough told TNT’s David Aldridge recently that there is little use for the team to sacrifice the future for the present, as Aldridge writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.

“I think we’re realistic about where we are in the league, especially in the Western Conference,” McDonough said. “We could have done things to load up. Giving away picks or taking on contracts may have given us a short-term bump but it wouldn’t have helped us toward our goal of building a championship contending team.”

While we wait to see if the organization shifts back toward win-now mode in the summer, here’s more from the Valley of the Sun:

Dragic expressed regret today for his remarks shortly before the trade deadline in which he said he didn’t trust the Suns front office, notes Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. The new Heat point guard said he felt he was “too harsh” and should have shown more restraint, and he expressed his gratitude toward Suns owner Robert Sarver. McDonough also used the term “harsh” to describe the comments he and president of basketball operations Lon Babby made after the deal that sent Dragic, who has planned to opt out and hit free agency this summer, to Miami.
Still, Dragic rejects the notion that he’s selfish, as McDonough and Babby seemed to imply he was, according to Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. “It’s hard, but I know it’s not true,” Dragic said, as Lieser notes in his piece. “That’s their opinion. I cannot do nothing else. Everybody has their own opinon. It’s a, how you say, free country. Everybody can speak freely and it is what it is.”
The Suns thought after Dragic met with Sarver not long ago that Dragic had committed to staying with them long-term if they traded Thomas, a source tells Aldridge. That predated Dragic’s “harsh” comments prior to the deadline.
The trade that sent Brandon Knight to the Suns took Knight by surprise and, at first, made him angry, as he tells Aldridge. “Initially, I was,” Knight said. “Initially, after the trade, you’re kind of upset. But for me, I look at the bright side of things. The Suns gave up a lot to get me. So it’s someone that wanted me. A system where I can flourish offensively. And we’ve got a lot of young talent. So I take the bright side of things.”
Danny Granger and the Suns had discussed the idea of a buyout, but they missed Sunday’s deadline for Granger to hit waivers and remain playoff-eligible for other teams. Still, McDonough told Aldridge on Sunday that Phoenix was “keeping an open mind” regarding the forward’s future with the team.