Eric Maynor

Kennedy On Trade Deadline Winners

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld posted a new column examining the reasoning why many teams opted to stand pat at the trade deadline rather than make any major deals. He also wrote that, although the trade deadline was relatively uneventful, it could set up an exciting summer of trades and free-agent signings.

Kennedy also ran down the teams he thought improved with deadline deals:

  • Kennedy thinks J.J. Redick will be valuable to the Bucks as they push for a playoff spot.
  • The Thunder added Ronnie Brewer at little cost, and Kennedy believes he will form a formidable perimeter defense tandem with Thabo Sefolosha.
  • Kennedy praises Rockets GM Daryl Morey for acquiring the fifth pick in the 2012 draft, and believes Thomas Robinson will flourish in a better situation than the one he was in with the Kings.
  • The Raptors picked up Sebastian Telfair, giving them a serviceable backup for Kyle Lowry at little cost, Kennedy writes, also noting that Telfair has strong relationships with several players already on the team.
  • Kennedy praises the Blazers for acquiring much-needed bench help in Eric Maynor.

Recap Of Deadline Trades

A complete recap of trades that were completed before Thursday's trade deadline:

Thunder To Send Eric Maynor To Blazers

2:27pm: The Blazers are sending the draft rights to Giorgio Printezis to the Thunder as part of the deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

2:14pm: Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman reports the Blazers will not send a draft pick to the Thunder (Twitter link). It's unclear exactly what Oklahoma City is getting for Maynor.

1:53pm: The Thunder will send Eric Maynor to the Blazers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, via Twitter. The teams had been in serious discussions about such a trade, as Stein tweeted just moments earlier. Portland will absorb Maynor with an exception, and is likely sending a draft pick to Oklahoma City, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If the Blazers aren't giving up anyone in return, that means they'll have to waive someone, since they're at the 15-man roster limit. Mike Tokito of The Oregonian tweets speculation that Elliot Williams could be the one to go.

Williams is attempting to make it back from a torn Achilles' tendon. The Blazers have a disabled player exception for Williams, but it's not worth enough to accomodate Maynor. Portland has a $2,247,740 trade exception from the Raymond Felton deal, and since teams are allowed to add $100K to trade exceptions to accomodate someone, that's how Maynor's $2,338,721 salary fits in.

Maynor had fallen out of favor in Oklahoma City, where he'd lost the backup point guard job to Reggie Jackson. The Thunder were holding out hope for a first-round pick in return as they shopped Maynor aggressively toward the deadline. The Raptors and Jazz had been linked to him in recent days.

The Blazers pick up a piece for their under-performing bench in the deal. Maynor will be a restricted free agent at season's end, and Portland will have the ability to match offers from other teams. Though he kept his interest quiet, Blazers GM Neil Olshey has had Maynor on his radar for more than a month, according to The Oregonian's Jason Quick (Twitter link).

Morning Rumors: Hickson, Pacers, Heat, Bulls

With the deadline less than five hours away and trade rumors picking up steam, here are a few miscellaneous rumblings from around the league:

  • The Trail Blazers' chances of landing a first-round pick in exchange for J.J. Hickson don't look good at the moment, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
  • In an effort to move below the tax threshold, the Warriors are still attempting to move bench players, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • Within the same tweet, Wojnarowski says the Pacers are shopping D.J. Augustin and his expiring contract.
  • Wojnarowski's rumor-heavy tweet also includes word that the Heat are offering Dexter Pittman in deals.
  • The Bulls are "pushing hard" to unload Richard Hamilton, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
  • The Thunder have been seeking a first-rounder for Eric Maynor, but haven't found any takers yet, says Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter).

Raptors Eyeing Telfair, Ridnour, Maynor

As we heard earlier, ESPN's Chris Broussard reports that the Raptors are in the market for a point guard and have been in talks with the Suns about moving Sebastian Telfair (Twitter link). Additionally, this ESPN report (which credits Broussard and Marc Stein) says that Toronto also has interest in Timberwolves' guard Luke Ridnour and Eric Maynor of the Thunder. 

Since dealing Jose Calderon, the Raptors' point guard rotation has consisted of Kyle Lowry and John Lucas III. While Lucas has been productive as of late (scoring in double figures in the team's last four games), his assist numbers have been low enough to understand why Toronto could be looking to add a pure playmaker off the bench. 

Berger On Bledsoe, Celtics, Bulls, Warriors, Maynor

In his latest piece for CBSSports.com, Ken Berger echoes a rumor we've heard recently, writing that concerns about increasing luxury-tax penalties may make teams reluctant to deal this week. While there may be something to that idea, I'd be surprised if we don't end up seeing a handful of trades consummated by Thursday afternoon at 2:00pm CST. And Berger also shares the latest on a few possibilities, so let's round up the highlights from his column:

  • The Clippers are willing to listen on Eric Bledsoe inquiries, but are reluctant to move him as long as there's even the slightest doubt that Chris Paul will re-sign this summer.
  • Talks between the Clippers and Celtics involving Kevin Garnett are dormant for now. Rival execs believe that Danny Ainge recognizes that if he trades Garnett, he'll probably have to trade Paul Pierce as well, and vice versa. If the C's don't blow things up, moving Jason Terry to get under the luxury tax will also be a consideration.
  • Other teams who could attempt to get under the luxury tax: The Bulls, by moving Richard Hamilton, and the Warriors, who could try to deal a couple of minimum-salary players like Jeremy Tyler, Kent Bazemore, or Charles Jenkins.
  • Bergers suggests that Eric Maynor, who we heard is being shopped by the Thunder, could be a fit for the Jazz, but Utah is "consumed with the dilemma" of whether to trade Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap. I'm sure if Oklahoma City approached the Jazz with an offer, they'd listen, but it doesn't sound like a priority for Utah at the moment.
  • The Timberwolves are aggressively shopping draft picks in an attempt to acquire wing help. We heard a similar report from Adrian Wojnarowski last night.

Thunder Aggressively Shopping Eric Maynor

The Thunder aren't expected to make another blockbuster move in the next couple days, but a smaller deal is a possibility. Such a move could include Eric Maynor, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Oklahoma City is "aggressively shopping" Maynor.

Maynor, 25, was considered one of the league's more promising young backup point guards coming into the season, but has lost his place in the Thunder's rotation to Reggie Jackson. Since Christmas Day, Maynor has only appeared in 11 games for Oklahoma City, never playing more than 10 minutes.

Despite Maynor's lack of playing time, the Thunder's asking price remains high, according to Broussard. The former 20th overall pick has some value due to his contract. He's earning about $2.34MM this season, and will be eligible for restricted free agency at season's end, so his team could either extend him a qualifying offer or simply let his cap hit come off the books this summer.

Spears On Spurs, Smith, Maynor, Knicks, Grizzlies

Not content to simply rank the NBA's teams, one through 30, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports also includes plenty of interesting trade rumors and nuggets within his power rankings. Here are the items of note from Spears in this week's installment:

  • The Spurs, who used to employ current Hawks GM Danny Ferry, are among the teams interested in Josh Smith.
  • Eric Maynor has been drawing some interest, and Spears suggests that he could be a fit for the Jazz, the team that initially drafted him.
  • The Knicks are still trying to decide whether they should wait on injured bigs Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace or sign a free agent.
  • Zach Randolph appears safe in Memphis, but the Grizzlies could still try to make a deal using one or more of their seven trade exceptions.
  • Spears hears from a source that it's been nearly three weeks since the Raptors and Bulls last discussed a Carlos Boozer/Andrea Bargnani swap.
  • No Suns player is untouchable via trade.
  • Talks between the Bobcats and Nets involving Kris Humphries and Ben Gordon remain at a standstill.

Thunder ‘Open-Minded’ About Eric Maynor Swap

Coming into the season, there figured to be a competition for the Thunder's backup point guard spot between second-year man Reggie Jackson and Eric Maynor, who returned from missing most of last year with a torn ACL. Jackson has gained the upper hand, and with Maynor's rookie deal set to expire at the end of the season, several other teams have asked the Thunder about Maynor's availability, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Still, Spears says GM Sam Presti and company are inclined to keep Maynor, even as they keep open minds about the possibility of trading him.

A report about a month ago indicated the Sixers had explored the possibility of acquiring Maynor, who hasn't seen as many as 10 minutes in a game since December 17th. He's putting up career-worst numbers almost across the board, and wasn't particularly efficient even before his injury. The VCU product's best per-36-minute averages for points (10.8) and assists (7.5) were set during his rookie season, when the Jazz traded him to Oklahoma City. His career PER is a below-average 11.1.

The Thunder passed on an extension for Maynor before the season. If they don't trade him, they'll have to decide whether to tender him a $3.351MM qualifying offer before July 1st that would allow the team to retain the right to match offers for him when he hits free agency in the offseason. Maynor, the 20th pick in the 2009 draft, makes $2.339MM this year.

Northwest Notes: Williams, Lillard, Thunder

The latest links and updates in the Northwest Division on Thursday: