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Suns, Heat, Pelicans Agree To Trade

February 19th, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:46pm: John Reid of The Times-Picayune has Cole going to New Orleans in the deal. In his summary, it’s Cole, Hamilton and Williams to the Pelicans and Salmons to the Suns. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the Suns getting Miami’s 2017 and 2021 first-rounders, Salmons and Danny Granger (Twitter links). Miami’s 2017 pick is top-seven protected and the 2021 selection is unprotected, Coro notes. However, there’s confusion even among some executives, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

4:17pm: Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today has Hamilton headed to the Pelicans and not the Suns (Twitter link).

2:28pm: Cole and Salmons are part of a larger deal involving Goran Dragic, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Cole, Justin Hamilton and two first-round picks go to Phoenix for Dragic and Zoran Dragic, while Salmons goes from New Orleans to Phoenix. Shawne Williams head to New Orleans (All Twitter links).

2:17pm: The Pelicans are acquiring Norris Cole from the Heat, a source tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). John Salmons is headed to Miami, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

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Goran Dragic Rumors: Thursday

February 19th, 2015 at 1:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The intensity of trade chatter surrounding Goran Dragic picked up Wednesday, when the guard said flatly of Phoenix’s front office, “I don’t trust them anymore.” We’ll use this post to round up the Dragic rumors as today’s 2pm Central time trade deadline approaches, with any additional updates on top:

  • The Heat are in the lead for Dragic as the Suns continue to talk with multiple teams, and while the Suns continue to send signals they won’t trade him, no other team wants to believe that, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

12:30pm update:

  • The Suns are holding firm to their preference to move Isaiah Thomas rather than Dragic, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (on Twitter).  Dragic was designated as the heir apparent to Steve Nash and owner Robert Sarver wants to keep it that way.

9:37am update:

  • The Heat are offering two first-round picks for Dragic, but Sarver is still resistant to a trade, according to Broussard (Twitter link).

9:16am update:

  • The Suns want a first-round pick and a “young player with significant potential” or two first-rounders in return if they’re to part with Dragic, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Nik Stauskas and a first-round pick were among the assets the Kings were willing to offer, league sources tell the Yahoo! scribe. The timing of Dragic’s trade request is what’s upsetting Sarver, Wojnarowski hears.

8:57am updates:

  • The Kings are growing hesitant to make a deal for Dragic, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). There’s “no way” that Dragic will sign a long-term deal with the Kings, Pacers, Rockets, Celtics, or any other team that’s not among his preferred destinations, a source tells Broussard (Twitter link).
  • Dragic’s trade request has miffed Suns owner Robert Sarver, who’s refusing to go along with it, at least at this point, league executives tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • The Knicks are offering a package for Dragic that includes Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jose Calderon, Broussard tweets.
  • No deal between the Suns and Lakers involving Dragic appears likely, a source tells Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
  • The ability to offer a fifth year in a new contract this summer, which is the exclusive domain of whichever team holds his Bird rights, won’t have much sway on where Dragic decides to sign, a source tells USA Today’s Sam Amick. Of course, Bird rights also give a team the opportunity offer raises of 7.5% instead of 4.5%.
  • There’s “nothing of substance” to the reported interest of the Celtics in either Dragic or Reggie Jackson, given the ability of both to hit free agency this summer, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald hears. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge spoke of his hesitancy to “get rid of multiple draft picks for players with uncertainty in the free agent market” in a radio appearance this morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).
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Goran Dragic Rumors: Wednesday

February 18th, 2015 at 11:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The ultimatum that Goran Dragic‘s agent, Bill Duffy, issued to the Suns late Wednesday when he told them his client wouldn’t re-sign with the team this summer set in motion of flurry of trade rumors surrounding the league’s reigning Most Improved Player. We’ll round up the rest of today’s Dragic news here, with any additional updates added to the top:

  • The Suns are trying to attach Zoran Dragic to any trade packages involving his brother, Goran, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The Suns signed Zoran to a two-year contract last summer, largely as a way to make Goran feel more comfortable with re-signing with the organization, Wojnarowski notes.

11:20pm update:

9:18pm update:

8:20pm update:

  • The Suns’ asking price for Dragic is a young player with significant potential and a first-round draft pick or two first-round picks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.

7:24pm update:

  • Coro’s full piece has more of Dragic’s input. “They give promises, OK. It’s hard. But at the same time, I wish them all the best,” Dragic said of the Suns. “They were great to me the past five years. I’m always going to have a good memory about Phoenix fans and the city. I just hit that point of my career that it’s better for me and my family to move on.”

3:53pm update:

  • The Suns are still resisting any Dragic deals and remain active in their attempts to trade Thomas instead, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Still, Dragic’s camp has complained to GM Ryan McDonough multiple occasions this season, Deveney hears.

2:01pm update:

  • Dragic told reporters today that he wants out of Phoenix because his role changed, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links). “I don’t feel comfortable with the situation,” Dragic said. The guard also called out the Suns front office. “I don’t trust them anymore,” he said.

1:39pm update:

  • The Knicks and Lakers lack the motivation, as well as the assets, necessary to make a competitive offer for Dragic because they know they have the cap flexibility to sign him in free agency this summer even without his Bird rights, Wojnarowski writes.

12:43pm update:

  • The Suns are more focused on talking with the Celtics, Rockets, Kings and others than with any of Dragic’s preferred destinations, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

11:47am update:

  • There’s a decent chance the Suns would attach Miles Plumlee to Dragic in a trade, Stein reports (on Twitter). The Knicks and Lakers reportedly have interest in both Dragic and Plumlee.

10:55am update:

  • Teams that have spoken with the Suns remain unconvinced the team will trade him, as it appears Phoenix is willing to call Dragic’s bluff and tempt him with the five-year deal that no other team could offer if the Suns keep him through the deadline, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter links).

10:15am update:

  • The Lakers and Knicks top Dragic’s preferred locations, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Phoenix offered Isaiah Thomas instead to the Lakers last week after the purple-and-gold made a pitch for Dragic, but the Lakers rejected that idea, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com adds to Stein’s story. The Suns this week showed a willingness to talk about a Dragic deal with the Lakers if they removed the top-five protection on the pick L.A. owes Phoenix, but the Lakers turned down that idea, too, Shelburne also reports.
  • The lack of minutes that the Suns are giving Zoran Dragic is believed to be part of Goran’s frustration with the team, Stein writes in the same piece.

8:34am updates:

  • The Pacers are conveying the sense that they want to stand pat, and while the prospect of a Dragic trade will be tempting, it’s hard to see Indiana putting together a package that convinces the Suns to trade him there, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). Wojnarowski on Tuesday noted interest from the Pacers and heard that they were a team that Dragic might be willing to commit to.
  • Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report hears a somewhat different story on the Pacers, whom his sources say are instead looking to move one of their high-salaried veterans to create the cap flexibility necessary to sign Dragic this summer. They’re believed to be willing to trade anyone aside from Paul George to accomplish that, Bucher writes. Bucher suggests that the team would be less willing to trade Roy Hibbert than David West or George Hill.
  • The Suns want a first-round pick as part of any package for Dragic, sources tell Bucher for the same piece.
  • Dragic is the No. 1 target of the Rockets, Bucher hears. It’s likely that the Rockets would give up Patrick Beverley in a trade for Dragic, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
  • Assuming Beverley wouldn’t head out in a trade that brings Dragic to Houston, Beverley’s free agent stock would go down, and Beverley and Dragic are both BDA Sports clients, Wojnarowski notes (Twitter link). Dragic has signaled an unwillingness to make a long-term commitment to the Rockets.
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Suns Intend To Trade Goran Dragic

February 18th, 2015 at 7:55am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 7:55am: The Celtics are jumping into the Dragic sweepstakes, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who indicates that they have an outside shot at this point (All four Twitter links). They have attractive assets and, like the Rockets and Kings, are willing to trade for Dragic without assurances he’d re-sign this summer, Stein adds. Part of the reason all three are on board with doing so is their belief that the chance to offer him a five-year deal this summer instead of one that covers only four seasons is a crucial edge, according to Stein. Only teams with a player’s Bird rights may offer a player a five-year deal, as Stein points out, and any club that trades for Dragic at the deadline inherits his Bird rights.

11:51pm: The Kings want Dragic “bad,” a source told Spears (Twitter link). Sacramento could conceivably deal Jason Thompson and Nik Stauskas to clear enough cap space to make Dragic a max contract offer this summer, the Yahoo! scribe adds.

11:45pm: The Rockets have an interest in acquiring Dragic, but he has privately expressed the fear that Houston would later deal him if he signed with the franchise long-term, Wojnarowski relays.

10:17pm: The Pacers are also a possible destination for Dragic, Wojnarowski reports.

9:50pm: There are a total of seven teams listed that Dragic would prefer to play for, Amick tweets.

9:34pm: Dragic’s preferred teams also include the Knicks and the Heat, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).

9:30pm: The Rockets, despite their interest in Dragic, are not one of the teams likely to secure a long-term commitment from the guard, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.

9:26pm: Dragic’s agent Bill Duffy provided the Suns with a list of teams that Dragic would prefer to be traded to, which included the Lakers, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports adds.

9:21pm: When asked if there was any scenario in which Dragic would stay in Phoenix, a source close to him told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), “Don’t think so.”

9:17pm: The Suns have informed Dragic that the team will accept his request for a trade and will work to move him before the deadline, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Dragic’s agent had informed the team that his client would not re-sign with the Suns this summer, Sam Amick of USA Today reports.

2:03pm: Dragic’s discontent with the crowded Phoenix backcourt is growing, and several league sources tell Wojnarowski they believe that the Suns have to move Thomas before July to have a chance at re-signing Dragic. Still, there’s a “strong belief” that Dragic will re-sign with Phoenix if he once more finds the comfort he used to have there, Wojnarowski writes, citing Dragic’s strong relationship with coach Jeff Hornacek and GM Ryan McDonough as well as his enjoyment of playing with his brother, Zoran. It’s not out of the realm of possibility the Suns will trade Dragic before Thursday’s deadline, but it’s extremely unlikely, according to Wojnarowski.

TUESDAY, 11:20am: An opposing team would have to give up a young player with All-Star potential and a draft pick for the Suns to even consider trading Dragic, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter links). It’s far more likely the Suns would deal Thomas or Gerald Green, Wojnarowski hears. Phoenix is making Green available, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders wrote earlier this morning when he identified the Knicks as a team with interest in Dragic.

3:37pm: Dragic’s agent has plans to meet with the Suns on Tuesday, but Phoenix remains determined to re-sign the guard this summer, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

2:52pm: The “sense” is that the Suns are ready to deal Dragic rather than see him walk in free agency this year, Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck tweets.

MONDAY, 1:18pm: Phoenix is inclined to keep Dragic, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes in his weekly power rankings column.

SATURDAY, 7:50am: The Suns are more apt to try and trade Isaiah Thomas than to deal Dragic prior to the deadline to restore their roster balance, Marc Stein of ESPN.com  reports (Twitter link).

1:49pm: The latest version of Stein’s story backs off the assertion that the Lakers plan a max offer to Dragic, saying only that the team intends to propose a four-year deal that would be worth as much as $80MM if it approaches max territory. In any case, Stein also passes along comments Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby made to Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic indicating that Phoenix will be proactive at the trade deadline.

“I would take the fifth, generally, on any of these specific trade rumors,” Babby said. “What I would say is I expect us to be active. And what I mean by that is we’re not going to just sit here and wait for the phone to ring. We’ll be initiating calls to every team, and taking the temperature of what’s out there and what’s available. And it wouldn’t surprise me at all if we do something between now and next Thursday.”

FRIDAY, 11:08am: The Heat are the latest team rumored to have interest in Goran Dragic, but the Rockets and Lakers, who’ve been eyeing him for months, appear poised to take another go at him before Thursday’s trade deadline, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston hopes to talk seriously with Phoenix about a deal in the coming days, sources tell Stein, while the Lakers presumably would like the same as they plan a max offer for him in free agency this summer, Stein also hears. Phoenix has been turning away suitors for Dragic of late, but sources tell Stein that the Suns have been trying to get a read all season on whether the reigning Most Improved Player will re-sign when them this summer. Dragic plans to turn down a $7.5MM player option for next season and hasn’t ruled out leaving Phoenix.

The 28-year-old acknowledged this month that he’s felt frustration with Phoenix’s crowded backcourt, according to Stein. His numbers, including minutes and shot attempts, are down this season after a career year in 2013/14. GM Ryan McDonough acknowledged fault this week for overloading the team’s backcourt, which also includes Eric Bledsoe and Thomas, both of whom the Suns signed to long-term deals this summer, and 2014 first-round pick Tyler Ennis.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey and company would still like to make another significant addition this season after adding Corey Brewer and Josh Smith, Stein writes. Dragic, whom the Rockets have already tried to trade for this season, as Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today wrote last month, would be the biggest boost of the season for Houston, which is without Dwight Howard for at least another three weeks. The Rockets no longer have a trade exception of $1MM or more to use, but they have a better store of trade chips than the Lakers do, as I wrote when I examined Dragic’s trade candidacy.

The Suns are reportedly seeking a first-round pick in return for Dragic. They already have the Lakers’ first-rounder this year unless it falls within the top five selections. The Rockets will send the Lakers their first-round pick if they make the playoffs this year, but Houston has a protected first-rounder coming from the Pelicans.

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Wojnarowski’s Latest: Prince, Clippers, Nelson

February 17th, 2015 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Thursday’s NBA trade deadline creeping ever closer, things are going to heat up rather quickly. The reports that the Suns are looking to trade Goran Dragic are likely just the beginning of what should be an interesting couple of days around the NBA. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relayed some of the latest deadline rumors from around the league:

  • The Celtics are continuing to try to include Tayshaun Prince in a trade package, but if unable to find a taker, the team will work out a buyout arrangement after the deadline, Wojnarowski notes.
  • After missing out on Amar’e Stoudemire, who is reportedly on his way to Dallas once he clears waivers, the Clippers’ best chance to improve their roster will be to sign a free agent, Wojnarowski opines. Los Angeles may attempt to sign Prince if he is waived by Boston, Wojnarowski adds. The Blazers are also interested in Prince, the Yahoo! scribe relays.
  • The Clippers have dangled Jamal Crawford in an effort to acquire a first round draft pick that the team could use to nab the Nuggets‘ Wilson Chandler or Arron Afflalo, the Yahoo! scribe adds. Los Angeles continues to show interest in the Suns‘ Gerald Green as well, Wojnarowski reports.
  • Los Angeles had scouted Lance Stephenson recently, but the Clippers never engaged in discussions with the Hornets regarding the mercurial guard, Wojnarowski relays.
  • There are several teams around the league that are hoping Jameer Nelson reaches a buyout arrangement with the Nuggets, Wojnarowski notes. Denver currently has no plans to cut the veteran point guard loose, adds the Yahoo! scribe.
  • Wolves president Flip Saunders has shown little inclination that he wishes to deal Kevin Martin and Thaddeus Young, Wojnarowski relays.
  • Teams that miss out on acquiring Afflalo may take a look at nabbing the Wolves‘ Chase Budinger, Wojnarowski writes. While teams like Budinger’s ability to spread the floor, his $5MM player option is a deterrent for some interested franchises, the Yahoo! scribe adds.
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Knicks, Lakers Interested In Miles Plumlee

February 17th, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks and Lakers are eyeing Miles Plumlee as the trade deadline approaches, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter links). Amick suggests that Plumlee would welcome a trade from the Suns, which seems in line with the notion that agent Mark Bartelstein has been working with the team to try to find a trade partner, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last month. The Suns have also sought a first-round pick for the center, Stein also heard, a return they’ve seemed highly unlikely to obtain. It’s unclear whether the Knicks and Lakers are willing to pay that price.

Neither New York nor Los Angeles wants to compromise cap flexibility for the future, but Plumlee is due to make only about $2.109MM next season in the final year of his rookie scale contract, as Amick points out. He’ll nonetheless be extension-eligible this fall, meaning he could command a significant raise for 2015/16 depending upon his performance.

Phoenix recently took the starting center job away from Plumlee to give it instead to former No. 5 overall pick Alex Len after Plumlee started 78 times last season. He’s seeing just 18.6 minutes per game this season.

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Kyler’s Latest: Dragic, Deng, Garnett, Lawson

February 17th, 2015 at 10:09am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have engaged the Suns in talks as they keep an eye on Goran Dragic, just as the Lakers have done, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. The Knicks and Lakers would be on board with trading for a player whom they could otherwise just wait to sign outright in free agency this summer, like Dragic, but it doesn’t seem that either would give up major assets in any such swap. Kyler has plenty more new information with the trade deadline just two days off, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

  • Miami is open to trading Luol Deng, according to Kyler, who suggests that the veteran small forward isn’t garnering the sort of interest it would take for him to be traded. Kyler also lists Norris Cole, Chris Andersen and Danny Granger as players the Heat are making available, which jibes with earlier reports on all three.
  • Golden State is “more than” interested in Kevin Garnett, Kyler hears, which advances a suggestion from Grantland’s Zach Lowe on Monday that the Warriors would like to try to convince Garnett to waive his no-trade clause. The 20th-year veteran reportedly has no plans to seek a buyout.
  • The Bucks are “being linked” to Ty Lawson, Kyler writes, though it’s unclear just what sort of interest is there.
  • The Bulls would think about trading Tony Snell for a veteran shooting guard who fits what they’re looking for, Kyler writes. Still, while Chicago is speaking generally about doing some deals before the deadline, the team doesn’t appear to be willing to give up what it would take, according to Kyler.
  • The Suns are making Gerald Green available, according to Kyler.
  • Charlotte has interest in Wilson Chandler, but the Hornets would prefer to trade for Arron Afflalo, as Kyler hears. That’s the reverse of the Blazers‘ apparent preference. The Bulls are “sniffing at” both players, too, Kyler adds, nonetheless casting doubt once more on whether Chicago is willing to give up the assets necessary to swing a deal.
  • Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas have come up in trade rumors, but it’s more likely that the Raptors deal someone on an expiring contract, according to Kyler, naming Landry Fields, Tyler Hansbrough and Amir Johnson as examples.
  • Sources close to the Pacers tell Kyler that David West is likely to opt in with the Pacers for next season, when his contract calls for him to make $12.6MM.
  • There is “a sense” that the Magic are making Ben Gordon and Luke Ridnour available, Kyler says.
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Knicks Waive Amar’e Stoudemire In Buyout Deal

February 16th, 2015 at 12:33pm CST by Zachary Links

12:33pm: The Knicks have waived Stoudemire, the team announced via press release, making the buyout deal official. It’s still unknown just how much Stoudemire gave back.

“Amar’e’s period as a Knickerbocker has come to pass, at his request. His time here should be marked by recognizing his effort – it was 100%,” Knicks team president Phil Jackson said in the statement. “As we move forward in structuring this team, we will look for players that exhibit his desire to win.”

The Knicks are left with 14 players on their roster. GM Steve Mills said in the team’s release that he and Stoudemire had developed a “long-term friendship” that would remain in place as they parted ways, and Stoudemire, in his quote as part of the statement, expressed gratitude to the organization, saying, “Once a Knick, always a Knick.”

MONDAY, 7:35am: The Blazers aren’t in the mix, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears (Twitter link).

SUNDAY, 11:15pm: The Clippers, Blazers, Suns, and Raptors are expected to pursue Stoudemire, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).

11:04pm: Stein (link) adds the Cavs to the list of teams that are not actively pursuing the veteran.

11:00pm: The Grizzlies and Warriors are not pushing to sign Stoudemire, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

10:40pm: The Clippers and Mavericks have strong interest in Stoudemire but the Spurs are a dark horse “with [a] level of intrigue,” according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

10:12pm: The Knicks and Amar’e Stoudemire reached a buyout agreement on Sunday night, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).  The big man’s camp has been discussing a buyout with the club for quite some time.

Stoudemire, 32, is in the final year of a massive five-year contract worth nearly $99.744MM that pays him almost $23.411MM this season.  The veteran has averaged 12.0 PPG and 6.8 RPG in 36 games (14 starts) for the blue and orange this season.  Stoudemire has a rather respectable 19.7 PER on the year and his 6.8 boards per game is a good improvement over his averages from the previous two campaigns.

Even though he has not found individual success with the Knicks, STAT was said to be conflicted about the idea of a buyout.  Still, Stoudemire’s reps were pushing for a deal and the Knicks had no intention of re-signing him this summer as they look to push their resources towards younger talent.

“All possibilities at this point are still open,” Stoudemire said of his own buyout possibility. “The door is still open for that. But at the same time, I am with the Knicks now. I got to stay optimistic about things and what we are doing here. I can’t really focus on the future because it’s not here. We still have a couple weeks left before it’s all said and done. It’s a decision I have to make with my family to figure out the best scenario for the near future.”

The Mavs are reportedly the favorites to sign Stoudemire should he buy his way off the Knicks and clear waivers.  Of course, with a $23MM+ salary, Stoudemire would be a mortal lock to pass through waivers unclaimed.  Besides Dallas, the Clippers and Warriors are said to be interested as well.  Marc Berman of the New York Post recently wrote that it’s “quite possible” that Stoudemire would return to the Suns this summer and speculated that the Magic would have interest in the central Florida native this summer, though it’s not clear what the interest level would be from either team if Stoudemire were to reach free agency mid-season.

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And-Ones: Knight, Lopez, OKC, Clippers

February 15th, 2015 at 11:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Impending restricted free agent Brandon Knight says he’s in a “great situation” with the Bucks, but that’s no guarantee that he’ll want to stay put, Susan Bible of Basketball Insiders writes.  “Well, speaking for myself, I would want to go into a situation where I can win,” Knight said regarding what factors he’ll consider in free agency. “I think that’s the biggest thing. Winning has to be a priority. I’m pretty sure if you ask any top free agent, winning is going to be the main thing.” Here’s more from around the Association..

  • An executive told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links) that the Thunder and Nets are the most aggressive teams in trade talks. The two teams want to make a move and they may wind up trading with each other.  He adds that OKC’s interest in center Brook Lopez is real and he wouldn’t be surprised to see a deal involving him go down.
  • The Clippers have been trying very hard to make a trade, but they don’t have the assets to swing a worthwhile deal, so they’ll instead try and sign bought out players to bolster their roster, Kennedy tweets.
  • When asked whether the frigid weather would scare him off from signing in New York, Blazers big man LaMarcus Aldridge responded, “It’s cold everywhere,” Sean Deveney of the Sporting News tweets.
  • Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders gathered quotes from Aldridge, Knight, and other prospective Knicks free agent targets regarding their thoughts on the team and the city.
  • Any deal the Suns make would be made in the name of building an elite team down the line, not a fringe playoff team now, as Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes.  Meanwhile, both Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic have been mentioned in recent trade rumors.
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Western Notes: Kings, Karl, Matthews, Suns

February 15th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The hiring of George Karl as coach of the Kings shows that second-year GM Pete D’Alessandro has won a power struggle in Sacramento, writes Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. D’Alessandro and Karl have a history together with the Nuggets, as do Kings assistant GM Mike Bratz and analytics expert Dean Oliver. It was the GM who pushed for Karl’s hiring and prevailed despite rumored opposition from minority owners and star player DeMarcus Cousins. “I think any time there’s a coaching vacancy, if you’re a serious team, and George Karl is a free agent, he should be the first name that pops into your mind,” D’Alessandro said. “He’s top tier, both in terms of basketball acumen and what he has accomplished.”

There’s more from the Western Conference:

  • As Karl assembles a staff, a name to watch is Tim Grgurich, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The veteran coach could be Sacramento’s top assistant next season.
  • In New York for Saturday’s three-point shooting contest, the Trail Blazers’ Wesley Matthews didn’t sound like a man with plans to leave Portland, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “To be honest with you, I haven’t even really thought about being a free agent, man,” Matthews said in response to a question. “I’m extremely happy in Portland and we have a great thing going there and that is where my mind is.” Matthews, who has become one of the elite three-point threats in the NBA, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
  • The Suns are more apt to try and trade Isaiah Thomas than to deal Goran Dragic before the trade deadline and the guard understands the trade rumors surrounding his name, writes Shlomo Sprung of Sheridan Hoops. “I can’t comment on it too much just because it’s out of my control,” Thomas told Sprung. “The game of basketball, especially the NBA, is a business and nobody is ever safe. You just have to be professional and come to work every day.” Thomas signed a four-year deal worth slightly more than $27MM last offseason.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

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