Chauncey Billups Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Chauncey Billups Talks Kyrie, Turning Down Cavs Job

July 25th, 2017 at 5:11pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Chauncey Billups says that he knew Kyrie Irving was unhappy when Billups interviewed for the Cavaliers‘ GM position last month, passes along Brian Windhorst of ESPN. On Tuesday, Billups gave an interview on the Vic Lombardi Show on Altitude Sports 950 AM in Denver, in which he provided his opinion on Irving’s trade request and explained why he turned down an offer to be Cleveland’s general manager.

Billups, on Irving:

“[Irving’s trade request] didn’t surprise me. I knew as [the Cavs] were doing their due diligence on me I was doing the same thing on them. I knew so much about the situation that the rest of the world doesn’t know. But it’s unfortunate, man, because [Irving is] a special talent. So much of what he’s been able to accomplish on and off the floor has been as the beneficiary of having LeBron James. You’re getting everything you want. You get all the shots you want, you’re playing for a great coach who’s letting you go to work, when the game is on the line they’re coming to you, you’re playing on TV every week. To me, I don’t get it. Everybody has their own desires. Maybe he wants to be Russell Westbrook and go try to win the MVP and get all the shots. That’s the only sense I can make of it, and to me that doesn’t make sense.”

Billups, on turning down the Cavaliers GM offer:

“The whole [possibility of] LeBron leaving the next year, to be honest that didn’t bother me that much. Here’s why: When you have an opportunity to really put something together and put your imprint on it — rebuilding is a beautiful thing if [they’re] going to have the patience with you. What bothered me more than if LeBron left or not was that I didn’t think they had great assets if you have to do a rebuild. It was more that than Bron. Bron and I have always had an amazing relationship.

Billups, on where things stand for him now:

“It was a great process. That team is a great team, a lot of expectations, lot of pressure involved with that team. But I didn’t mind that. That’s kind of been my entire career, the stress and pressure. At the end, in my spirit, it just didn’t quite feel like it was the right time at the end. It was one of those gut things. So I took myself out of consideration. I felt good about it. Dan and I talked afterwards and I thanked him for giving me such a good opportunity. … We will remain friends. I don’t need the job. I love my life. I love this ESPN thing; it’s been fun. And I’ll just wait until it feels right.”

Cavs Offered Chauncey Billups Below-Market Deal

July 5th, 2017 at 11:13pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Cavaliers were unable to reach an agreement with Chauncey Billups to make the former point guard their new president of basketball operations and Marc J. Spears and Chris Haynes of ESPN.com report that a deal never consummated in part because the team gave Billups a low-ball offer.

Cleveland reportedly initially offered Billups an annual salary of $1.5MM. League sources tell the pair of ESPN scribes that $4MM is viewed as the typical starting point in negotiations for that type of role. The Cavs eventually raised the offer to $2MM per season, though it wasn’t enough to entice the 40-year-old. Koby Altman, who is the Cavs’ assistant GM, is currently in charge of team president responsibilities.

Billups has no prior experience on the management side, but he is considered around the league as a “future front-office star.” He recently said that he intends to pursue a front office role at some point in the future.

Chauncey Billups Withdraws From Consideration For Cavs’ Job

July 3rd, 2017 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

11:53am: Billups met with Gilbert at least twice to discuss the Cavs’ position, but didn’t confer at all with LeBron James or LeBron’s agent Rich Paul, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. According to Vardon, Cleveland’s offer was believed to be in the range of $2-3MM annually, and Billups was seeking more.

11:24am: In his full report on Billups’ decision, Wojnarowski passes along a statement from his ESPN colleague.

“I have great respect for [owner] Dan Gilbert and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and I greatly appreciate the discussions we had regarding their organization,” Billups said. “As I have conveyed before, ultimately I would like to lead a team’s basketball operation and be a part of a successful franchise. But presently, the timing just isn’t right to delve into that role in Cleveland. In the meantime, I will continue to focus on broadcasting and my other business endeavors.”

10:52am: Chauncey Billups, who was reportedly offered the top position in the Cavaliers’ front office, has withdrawn from consideration, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

Cleveland extended an offer to Billups prior to last month’s draft in the hopes of making him the team’s new president of basketball operations, but the process has dragged since that point. The two sides reportedly went back and forth, with the former All-Star guard making a counter-offer to the club. But ultimately, it appears the Cavs and Billups couldn’t agree on an arrangement that would work for both sides.

Reports had indicated that Billups had some apprehensions about the job, since he likes his current role as an NBA analyst and didn’t necessarily want to uproot his family. He was also believed to have concerns about the fact that LeBron James could leave next summer, as well as the prospect of having to be objectively critical about head coach Tyronn Lue, who is a close friend.

ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reports (via Twitter) that concerns about staffing and money may also have been sticking points for Billups, who has received a raise from ESPN, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter links).

With Billups out of the mix, it’s not clear who the next man up on the Cavs’ wish list might be. In the wake of David Griffin‘s departure from the franchise last month, Cleveland quickly zeroed in on Billups, so no other candidates have really been linked to the job.

Since Griffin’s exit, assistant general manager Koby Altman has essentially been serving as the de facto GM for Cleveland, making him a potential candidate for the full-time job. The team has reached tentative deals with Kyle Korver and Jose Calderon since free agency opened on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cavaliers Notes: James, Randolph, Osman, Billups

July 1st, 2017 at 11:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James doesn’t plan to do any recruiting for the Cavaliers this summer, reports Dave McMenamin 0f ESPN.com. The move may be a protest against the organization’s decision not to re-sign David Griffin, whom James supported. Regardless, it’s a change in behavior for the team’s most prominent player, who lobbied Kevin Love, Mike Miller and others to come to Cleveland in prior years.

The Cavaliers have been targeting two veterans to serve as backups: point guard Jose Calderon, who signed with the team today, and power forward Zach Randolph. Other teams chasing Randolph have more money to offer than Cleveland does, and McMenamin suggests that a call from James might tip the scales in the Cavs’ favor, but so far nothing has happened.

There’s more tonight out of Cleveland:

In the absence of a GM, assistant GM Koby Altman is handling free agency, McMenamin adds in the same story. The Cavaliers are still negotiating with Chauncey Billups to take over the front office, and he has been in touch with Altman and owner Dan Gilbert regarding the team’s strategy. However, Billups seems in no rush to accept the job and will make his BIG3 League debut on Sunday.
The Cavs are talking to draft-and-stash prospect Cedi Osman about joining the team next year, McMenamin relays in the same piece. The 6’8″ forward out of Macedonia was the 31st pick in the 2015 draft and was part of the deal that sent Tyus Jones to the Timberwolves.
Cleveland’s GM job has lost some of its appeal, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Cap concerns, front office turmoil and the possibility that James might leave next summer have created a difficult situation for whomever steps into the position.
The signing of Calderon displays the dangers of the repeater tax, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.com. Adding the veteran guard only counts $1.5MM against the cap, but it raises the Cavs’ tax bill from $16.4MM to $20.4MM.

Cavs To Make Contract Offer To Kyle Korver

June 30th, 2017 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

12:30pm: The Spurs, Lakers, and Clippers are also expected to have interest in Korver, per Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. We can add those potential suitors to the Pelicans and Bucks, who are noted below.

11:57am: The Cavaliers are expected to make a contract offer to Kyle Korver when free agency opens early on Saturday morning, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. While details of that offer aren’t yet known, it will likely come at 12:01 am ET on Saturday, per Vardon.

Because the Cavaliers traded for Korver during the season, they acquired the veteran’s Bird rights along with him, which will allow them to make him a contract offer without any restrictions. However, the team will have to seriously consider the tax implications of an offer to Korver. Cleveland projects to be well over the tax line already, and repeater tax penalties will be significant.

There are also several other teams believed to have interest in Korver. Vardon names the Pelicans and Bucks as two clubs likely to be among the suitors for the veteran sharpshooter, though it remains to be seen how aggressive those teams – or others – will be.

In addition to eyeing a new deal for Korver, the Cavaliers have also had discussions with Turkish forward Cedi Osman, a draft-and-stash prospect who was the 31st overall pick in the 2015 draft. However, with no cap room and only the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.192MM) at their disposal, the Cavs’ ability to offer a significant contract will be limited, especially if they intend to use that MLE on someone else. As Vardon notes, Carmelo Anthony remains on the club’s radar as a probable target if he’s bought out, though there’s no indication that the Knicks are leaning toward that option.

The Cavaliers continue to operate without a full-time president of basketball operations or GM in place. We heard earlier this week from ESPN’s Jeff Goodman that Chauncey Billups and the Cavs remained in talks after Billups issued a counter-offer to the team, but there is still no resolution. Assistant general manager Koby Altman has essentially been Cleveland’s acting GM.

Cavs Rumors: Trade Talks, Shumpert, Frye, Billups

June 27th, 2017 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Although an ESPN report classified pre-draft trade talks between the Cavaliers, Nuggets, and Pacers regarding Paul George and Kevin Love as “serious,” Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com spoke to a source who downplayed the rumor, suggesting a deal was never close and is unlikely to happen now.

Vardon suggests that the Pacers “obviously weren’t interested” in their end of the potential trade, which is corroborated by Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. According to Amico, the Cavaliers and Nuggets both wanted to get something done, but the Pacers were hesitant. Amico notes that the exact details of the proposed offer aren’t known, but Indiana likely would’ve received one player from Cleveland and at least two from Denver, including Kenneth Faried.

Here’s more from out of Cleveland:

The Cavs are having trouble finding teams willing to take on the contracts of Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye, according to Amico, who says Cleveland would like to move both players before training camp. One GM of a lottery team tells Amico that his club may be willing to trade for Frye later, but only after waiting to see how his roster takes shape in free agency. Amico adds that Shumpert may have been discussed in talks with the Pacers.
The Cavaliers have discussed a possible three-way trade with the Knicks, but Carmelo Anthony‘s stand-off with Phil Jackson appears to be complicating New York’s chances of getting anything major done, says Amico.
In a piece for Basketball Insiders, James Blancarte wonders if Love is being undervalued by NBA fans and observers. If that’s the case, NBA execs may be guilty of it too — Amico writes that teams have thus far been unwilling to offer a ton for Love since it’s widely known the Cavs are looking to move him.
The Cavs still have no resolution on their front office situation. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported on Sunday evening (via Twitter) that talks between the team and Chauncey Billups were ongoing, with no immediate resolution anticipated. Nearly two full days later, there have been no real updates. Cleveland reportedly offered Billups a five-year deal to become the team’s new president of basketball operations.

Pluto’s Latest: George, Love, Ingram, Butler

June 25th, 2017 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers want to make a Paul George deal while they can still get value, but they aren’t interested in taking back Kevin Love from the Cavaliers, according to Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. Indiana is focused on getting young players and draft picks in return for its star forward, who has announced that he will opt out of his contract next offseason and has expressed a desire to return to his hometown of Los Angeles and play for the Lakers.

The Pacers proposed a deal to the Lakers involving Brandon Ingram, the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft. However, Magic Johnson, L.A.’s president of basketball operations, doesn’t want to part with Ingram, who averaged 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 79 games as a rookie.

Pluto passes on several other tidbits in his latest column:

The Celtics could have as many as 10 first-rounders over the next three years and seem like a natural facilitator to take on Love and get George to Cleveland in a three-team trade. But an unidentified NBA executive tells Pluto the Celtics also want George and are more likely to deal with the Pacers directly.
The Bulls weren’t interested in Love either, which is why the Cavaliers had little chance of trading for Jimmy Butler. Chicago has gotten tired of being mediocre and is looking for young talent to start rebuilding around. However, Pluto says most of the league iwas “stunned” that the Bulls couldn’t get more than Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and a swap of first-rounders in return for Butler. The Celtics reportedly offered a better package that included several future draft picks.
The Cavaliers are still waiting to hear if Chauncey Billups will accept their GM offer. Sources tell Pluto that Billups has been pursuing a GM job for more than a year, so it’s not clear why there’s a delay. Billups has never worked in an NBA front office, Pluto notes, so he would need to hire an experienced executive as an assistant. A top candidate is George David, a former assistant GM with the Pistons who has a background in scouting.

Southeast Notes: Howard, Billups, Frazier, Wade

June 24th, 2017 at 3:31pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Dwight Howard, recently traded to the Hornets from the Hawks, discussed his excitement to be in Charlotte, relays Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Howard spoke glowingly about his new owner, Michael Jordan:

“I’d just done a 2 ½-hour workout. After I was done talking to him, I wanted to jump back into the gym. That’s how he motivated me. You’re talking about the greatest basketball player to ever play. For him to call you on the phone and say, ‘I believe in you!’ ”

Howard also discussed his reunion with head coach Steve Clifford, his disappointment of lasting just one season with him hometown team, and how he will make a difference in the Charlotte community.

Here’s more from the Southeast division:

Hawks GM Travis Schlenk says that three or four teams were interested in trading for Dwight Howard, but the Hornets made the best offer, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal- Constitution.
While the Cavaliers await a decision from Chauncey Billups, another team covets the former NBA Finals MVP’s wisdom in the front office: the Hawks, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Billups recently interviewed for a front-office position with Atlanta.
Hornets GM Rich Cho says the team will be looking for a backup point guard and more overall depth in free agency, tweets Jordan Greer of The Sporting News.
The Magic‘s new president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman, explains why the team traded two picks in a deep draft, reports Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Weltman explained: “We felt that at a certain point that the draft flattened out, and once we got past that point, we had three more picks, and we didn’t want to bring four rookies in. So what we did is we tried to identify kids that we thought could possibly be there later that we liked as much [as a] higher [pick]. And could we defer those assets [and] move them along to maybe turn them into future pieces and still come up with something that we liked?”
The Wizards believe that Tim Frazier can contribute right away, reports Chase Hughnes of CSN Mid-Atlantic, in an interesting piece full of great quotes from Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld and head coach Scott Brooks.
Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that Dwyane Wade, who has come up often as a Heat target this offseason, is not necessarily leaving Chicago so soon despite the Bulls’ obvious entrance into rebuilding mode after dealing Jimmy Butler on draft day.

Cavs Rumors: George, Butler, Billups, James

June 22nd, 2017 at 8:40am CST by Dana Gauruder

While the front office is in a state of upheaval, the Cavs are continuing to work the phones to shake up the roster, as Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net reports. With GM David Griffin out of the picture, front office holdovers Koby Altman and Mike Gansey are on the verge of making multiple trades, including a potential blockbuster, Amico continues. They are still trying to acquire Pacers All-Star forward Paul George despite George’s well-documented desire to play for the Lakers when his contract expires after next season, Amico adds.

Some other nuggets from Amico:

The Cavs are far apart in any talks with the Bulls to acquire All-Star Jimmy Butler but there is no traction to rumors that Cleveland players have told Butler to “stay away” from the organization.
Chauncey Billups has been offered the top executive position and members of the organization anticipate he’ll take the job, despite reservations about leaving ESPN. He’ll make a decision today or Friday.
LeBron James has been receiving updates about the team’s plans to upgrade the roster.
James wasn’t mad, just surprised, about owner Dan Gilbert’s inability to come to an extension agreement with Griffin.

Cavs Offer Chauncey Billups Top Front Office Job

June 21st, 2017 at 11:21pm CST by Luke Adams

11:21am: The Cavs have offered Billups a president of basketball operations position, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who tweets that Billups remains undecided on accepting. According to Sam Amico of USA Today (Twitter link), Billups is weighing the fact that LeBron James could leave next summer, as well as considering the prospect of being objectively critical about Tyronn Lue, who is a close friend.

10:41pm: The Cavaliers have offered Chauncey Billups a five-year contract to run the team’s front office, reports Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Sources with knowledge of the discussions tell Lloyd that Billups has yet to formally accept the offer.

Billups has been viewed as the odds-on favorite to replace David Griffin as the head decision-maker in Cleveland’s front office since Griffin and the Cavs announced on Monday that they were parting ways. According to reports, Billups met with owner Dan Gilbert on Tuesday, then returned for a second meeting on Wednesday.

Lloyd writes that Gilbert and Billups spent the day on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena, with Billups being introduced to many of the executives who would be working under him if he takes a position with the Cavs.

If Billups accepts the Cavs’ reported offer, he figures to take on the role of president or vice president of basketball operations. Although he has never worked in an NBA front office before, Billups would likely have final say on personnel decisions, though I expect the Cavs would add a veteran executive to the mix for day-to-day matters, perhaps with a GM title.

Gilbert and assistant GM Koby Altman have continued to run the Cavs’ front office since Griffin’s departure, with the team reportedly being aggressive in seeking out possible trades.