Gilbert Arenas Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Nash, Hinrich, Arenas

February 29th, 2012 at 7:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

The tightest divisional race in the NBA is in the Pacific, where the Clippers lead the Lakers by a single game. As packed together as the Western Conference is, that single game would represent the difference between the third seed and the sixth seed if the playoffs began today. Here's what's happening in the far west:

Steve Nash and Lamar Odom could be trading places, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The move would get the slumping Odom closer to his beloved L.A. beaches and reunite Nash with his old friend Dirk Nowitzki. The rumor comes as the Suns and Nash continue to dance around the issue of a trade, as both player and team are not interested in a deal unless the other asks first. The Mavs would have to throw a little extra into the deal to make the salaries match up under cap rules.
The Lakers have inquired about Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich, according to a tweet from Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Hinrich is averaging career lows across the board, including his 19.9 MPG, after missing the first month of the season with a left shoulder injury. At 31, though, he's still probably closer to his prime than either Steve Blake, 32, or Derek Fisher, 37, the Lakers' pair of veteran point guards.
Rumors of Gilbert Arenas joining the Lakers have slowed down of late, and that's because he wants to make sure he's in top condition first, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Arenas doesn't want to ruin what could be his last chance in the NBA, Kyler says.
The city of Sacramento will contribute $255.53MM to the new arena, the total cost of which has been bumped up to $391MM, according to details of the deal reached Monday, write Tony Bizjak, Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee. The city council will vote to approve the terms of the plan agreed to by city officials, the Kings, the NBA and several private companies.
Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles says the report that the Lakers turned down an offer of Michael Beasley because of tax concerns demonstrates how the team will be limited like never before under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Gilbert Arenas Talks Lakers, Health, Howard

February 20th, 2012 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent Gilbert Arenas worked out for the Lakers recently, but there are no indications he's close to a deal with Los Angeles. Arenas sat down for a lengthy interview with SI.com's Sam Amick, in which he discussed a handful of topics, including the Lakers workout, his health, his former teams, and much more. Here are a few highlights from the informative two-part piece:

Because he's still rehabbing and working his way toward full health, Arenas says he doesn't expect to sign anywhere until at least the All-Star break.
Arenas spoke to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak at his L.A. workout, but wouldn't comment on what the two discussed.
The platelet-rich therapy Arenas underwent last month has improved his health immensely: "I'm jumping and moving like before I got injured, like it's basically '06 again. My explosiveness, my jumping ability, my quickness — it feels like I never got injured."
Arenas talks to Dwight Howard every day, but says he doesn't know where Howard will end up next season and beyond: "I have no idea [if Dwight will stay], because like any big decision you're going to go back and forth every day."
Howard and Arenas have talked about playing together again, which could still technically happen in Orlando next year if the former Wizard sits out this whole season, according to Arenas. I believe CBA rules prohibit an amnestied player from rejoining his old team for the duration of his contract, but presumably Arenas has been advised on this loophole. Regardless, I expect the odds of Howard and Arenas both wearing Magic uniforms next season are close to zero.

Pacific Notes: Smith, Brown, Arenas, Howard

February 14th, 2012 at 7:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Paul is confident about the Clippers' chances of landing J.R. Smith when the former Nugget returns from China, but Smith's Twitter profile suggests a number of teams are in play, including one he hasn't been linked to yet. Smith's Twitter bio simple reads: "NYK? LAL? LAC? CHI? ORL? iNDI?" While there's no guarantee the 26-year-old is deciding between just those six teams, the Magic are an interesting inclusion, given the uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard. Hoops Rumors readers voted the Clippers as the frontrunner for Smith yesterday.

Here are a few more items out of the Pacific Division:

Lakers coach Mike Brown confirmed that he spoke with free agent guard J.R. Smith today over the phone, tweets J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today.
Shannon Brown signed a one-year deal with the Suns prior to the season because he thought he'd get a chance to play and increase his value, but it hasn't been working out that way, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
In a series of tweets, Ramona Sherburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com explains why she thinks the Lakers should sign Gilbert Arenas, assuming he's healthy.
Looking at a few realistic trade destinations for Dwight Howard, ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) evaluated how Howard's potential teammates would complement the star center. Hollinger determined that the Clippers' Chris Paul would be the best partner for Howard, while the Lakers' Andrew Bynum would be the worst.

Gilbert Arenas Rumors: Monday

February 13th, 2012 at 7:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday, we heard that Gilbert Arenas worked out in Los Angeles with the Lakers in attendance. Here are the latest updates following that workout, as the free agent guard continues to seek an NBA job….

Kobe Bryant, who earlier indicated he'd have no problem with the Lakers signing Arenas, gave further endorsement of such a move today, reports Andrew Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles. Bryant said, "It certainly wouldn't hurt, that's for sure."
Warriors consultant Jerry West also attended Arenas' workout, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. However, Golden State doesn't have interest in Arenas — West was "just watching," Wojnarowski hears.
Sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles that Arenas looked "slimmed down" and "explosive" at Sunday's workout.
Adding Arenas is viewed as a low-risk move by the Lakers, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Kyler adds that L.A. is reluctant to make any significant subtractions from their roster via trade, preferring to explore internal changes or use their trade exception before considering any major deals.
Some league sources believed that Arenas was waiting to see whether Dwight Howard was traded so he could play with D12 on his new team, according to SI.com's Sam Amick.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, Bulls

February 12th, 2012 at 9:48pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

Teams in three of the top markets in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks, are struggling through disappointing seasons (though the Knicks have picked up lately under the promise of Linsanity). A fourth big-market club, the Chicago Bulls, now has a potential injury problem.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports officials from the Lakers attended a private workout for Gilbert Arenas. Arenas was amnestied this off-season by the Orlando Magic, and is hoping the same knee procedure that benefited Kobe Bryant in the off-season can produce similar results.
Amare Stoudemire returns Monday and Al Iannazzone of Newsday wonders how the Knicks' offense will look when Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony return. Stoudemire seems a natural fit alongside Lin. His skill set has always been maximized alongside a pick and roll point guard. Anthony, however, is one of the best isolation scorers in the NBA and the ball tends to stop in his hands.
Derrick Rose sat Sunday's game against the Celtics out with a back injury and will meet with some specialists Monday in Chicago reports Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Times. Rose had similar back issues in high school, but this is the first time he's had trouble since. The Bulls lack the star power of some of the other team, but compensate with their depth and chemistry. That chemistry, however, still depends on Rose operating near peak form.
Brandon Bass is ailing, and Jermaine O'Neal is often injured. The Celtics have been looking for front court depth for some time. Today they got some good minutes from rookie JuJuan Johnson and veteran Chris Wilcox writes Green Street's Mike Petraglia.
Paul Flannery of WEEI.com wonders if Rajon Rondo is the centerpiece of the next generation of Celtics, or will he prove to be too unorthodox for a team minus three future Hall of Famers?

Lakers Notes: Arenas, Bryant, Lin

February 10th, 2012 at 7:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers are in New York tonight for the fifth game of a six-game road trip, their longest of the season. Here are a few dispatches from their travels:

Kobe Bryant is on board with the possibility of the Lakers signing Gilbert Arenas, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes at the end of his piece today. The Lakers are reportedly considering inking Arenas for the veterans' minimum.
Nets swingman DeShawn Stevenson says he's seen Gilbert Arenas lately, and says the free-agent point guard "looks great, a lot thinner," tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
L.A. Times beat writer Mike Bresnahan tweets that Knicks rookie Jeremy Lin was on the Lakers' radar before the season began. Lin's family had been given indication that the Lakers would take him with the 58th pick in the 2010 draft, writes Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register, but they went with the recently waived Derrick Caracter instead.

Lakers Open To Looking At Gilbert Arenas

February 8th, 2012 at 3:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Consider at least one team interested in Gilbert Arenas' Los Angeles workout this week. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is awaiting details on Arenas' workout and is open to attending, reports Ken Berger of CBS Sports. One source tells Berger that the Lakers "are going to take a look" at Arenas.

Arenas has been a free agent since being amnestied by the Magic. It's unclear which teams besides the Lakers may be in attendance at his open workout, though we heard yesterday that the Clippers, the other local club, aren't interested.

If the Lakers were to offer a contract to Arenas, it could only be worth the veteran's minimum salary.

Clippers Not Interested In Gilbert Arenas

February 7th, 2012 at 7:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Clippers have "zero" interest in free agent Gilbert Arenas, a source tells David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link). Los Angeles will presumably be on the lookout for guards following tonight's news of Chauncey Billups' season-ending Achilles injury.

Arenas is actively looking for work and scheduled an open workout in Los Angeles for later this week. The Lakers have been linked to the 30-year-old but it's not yet known if they'll be in attendance.

Amnesty Clause Victims: Where Are They Now?

February 6th, 2012 at 10:09pm CST by Daniel Seco

Prior to the start of the 2011/2012 NBA season, the league ratified a new CBA under which teams could rid themselves of a bad player contract. The amnesty clause allows for teams to waive one player's contract and not have it count against the cap nor pay any luxury tax on that salary. According to the CBA, the amnesty clause may be used one time on a player signed prior to the 2011/2012 season. Teams were not forced to use the clause before the start of the current season as the proverbial "get out of jail free" card remains in play through the 2015/2016 campaign.

Let's check in and see where the players who were amnestied back in December are now:

Baron Davis: The former UCLA star was amnestied by the Cavaliers, acquired by the Knicks and has not played yet this season due to injury.
Chauncey Billups: After being sent to New York in the Carmelo Anthony trade, Billups was later amnestied by the Knicks, acquired by the Clippers and is currently averaging 14.8 PPG and 4.1 APG.
Charlie Bell: Bell is currently playing in the Lega Basket Serie A with the Pepsi Caserta after being amnestied by the Warriors.
James Posey: The former Heat small forward was amnestied by the Pacers and is currently a free agent.
Gilbert Arenas: Hibachi was amnestied by the Magic and will be hosting an open workout in Los Angeles later this week with hopes of securing an NBA contract.
Travis Outlaw: The former Starkville High School graduate was amnestied by the Nets, later acquired by the Kings where he is averaging 3.1 PPG and 1.5 RPG in limited minutes.
Brandon Roy: With injuries making his contract an untenable situation for the Trail Blazers, Portland amnestied Roy, leading to his retirement.

Gilbert Arenas Schedules Workout In L.A.

February 6th, 2012 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

Looking to land an NBA job, Gilbert Arenas has scheduled an open workout in his hometown of Los Angeles for later in the week, reports Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News. Arenas has been a free agent since the Magic exercised their amnesty clause to waive him prior to the season.

It's not clear yet which teams might be on hand to watch the workout. While the Lakers have been in touch with Arenas and are thought to be considering him, they haven't decided whether they'll attend, says Teaford.

Arenas, 30, began last season with the Wizards and was eventually dealt to the Magic in a swap of oversized contracts that sent Rashard Lewis to Washington. Arenas averaged a career-low 10.8 points per game in 2010/11, and was amnestied by Orlando with three years and about $62MM remaining on his six-year contract. The Magic continue to have to pay Arenas, but his salary no longer counts against their cap.