J.J. Redick

Western Notes: Howard, Grizzlies, Roy, Kings

As we look forward to an evening schedule that includes a Lakers/Timberwolves contest in Minnesota, Dwight Howard, who will miss tonight's game, is heading back to Los Angeles to undergo a platelet rich plasma procedure, the Lakers announced today in a press release. Here's the latest from around the Western Conference on D12 and a number of other topics:

  • Ken Berger of CBSSports.com spoke to both Howard and Kobe Bryant about the All-Star center's impending free agency and future in Los Angeles.
  • ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton (Insider link) thinks it's worth keeping an eye on J.J. Redick as a potential Grizzlies target, since his salary would fit in the team's new $7.49MM trade exception. However, Pelton notes that a swap would likely have to include Ed Davis, and it's not clear whether Memphis would flip Davis or if the team views him as Zach Randolph's eventual replacement.
  • Grizzlies owner Robert Pera believes the team's two recent trades have made Memphis a "far more dangerous playoff team," as Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal documents.
  • Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins wasn't quite as bullish on the club's latest moves, as he weighed in on the Rudy Gay trade after last night's game: "When you have champagne taste, you can't be on a beer budget," Hollins said, according to John Rohde of the Oklahoman. "It's a small market and I understand the economics of being in a small market."
  • In speaking to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Brandon Roy suggested that coaching may be in his future if he has to end his playing career prematurely again. Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com cautions Roy that the development process of a coach involves a lot of drudgery, and wonders if Roy is the sort of "special, driven person" that could succeed as an NBA coach.
  • Potential Kings bidder Ron Burkle is part of a group that's in the running to buy Anschutz Entertainment Group, according to Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. However, the bid for AEG shouldn't affect his ability to make an offer for the Kings.

Kyler’s Latest: Pierce, Josh Smith, Redick, Lakers

HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler chimed in with roundup of trade rumors in advance of the Rudy Gay deal, and though his info about that swap quickly became outdated, he delivered much more from around the league. Let's hit the highlights here:

  • The Celtics were entertaining offers for Paul Pierce before Rajon Rondo went down with a torn ACL, but for the moment they want to evaluate their team in the wake of the injury before making a move. Pierce wants to retire with Boston, and Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge and company will consider his special place in the team's history in deciding whether to move him. The C's will seek deals for their other players first.
  • Though rumblings seem to indicate Josh Smith may be on his way out of Atlanta, the Hawks haven't considered any deal for him to this point. Still, Kyler believes that if they decide to deal Smith, they already know where they can send him. According to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, the Raptors probably aren't one of the teams that would make a deal for the power forward (Twitter link).
  • More than half the league has tried to trade for J.J. Redick, but the Magic have rebuffed all offers for the soon-to-be free agent. The Magic front office has kept Redick informed about all the possible deals, and it seems more than likely he'll opt to re-sign this summer.
  • The Lakers continue to discuss Pau Gasol deals, but as it stands now, they're more likely to hold off until the summer, when they'll know whether Dwight Howard, a free agent, will be back. 
  • Kyler also shares Lang Greene's pre-trade video interview with Raptors coach Dwane Casey, and catches up with Greivis Vasquez and new Grizzlies big man Jon Leuer, who revealed that it was former teammate Kyrie Irving who broke the news to him about last week's trade.

Odds & Ends: Rondo, Dragic, Speights, Rumors

With seven NBA games on the docket for Monday night, here are some odds and ends from around the Association:

  • J.J. Redick has made Orlando his home and hopes to stay, he told Michael Scotto of RealGM.  But Redick also realizes that trade speculation is inevitable and therefore has stayed in close contact with his agent and the Magic general manager Rob Hennigan.
  • Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge provides a transcript of an interview of Neil Olshey in which the Blazers GM discusses his team's roster and potential future moves.
  • Andrei Kirilenko handpicked Minnesota as his destination this offseason because he found the roster intriguing as well as conducive to his game.  Unfortunately, due to the Timberwolves' long list of injuries, Kirilenko has yet to find out if his vision was as good as it seemed this offseason, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
  • Danny Ainge said that he fully expect Rajon Rondo to be ready for training camp come October, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.  How realistic that truly is will go a long way in determining the Celtics' next move.
  • Despite sitting at 15-30 and in last place in the Pacific division, the Suns have a reason for optimism in Goran Dragic, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld.  Dragic, Page says, is the most important piece of Phoenix's rebuilding plans. 
  • We've already heard that Marreese Speights could be moved before the trade deadline despite rumors that the Cavaliers have coveted him for years.  The Plain Dealer rounds up some Speights-related buzz, linking to a Sam Amico article that says whether the team keeps Speights depends on whether it can do so without sacrificing its financial flexibility.  Amico, of Fox Sports Ohio, says that Speights will likely opt out of his deal after the season and seek a payday. 
  • Sean Deveney of Sporting News addresses several popular rumors that are floating around the NBA of late, the most notable of which include Rudy Gay, Paul Pierce and Pau Gasol.

Magic Want Picks, Young Talent For Redick

Ric Bucher of CSNBayArea.com reports (via Sulia) that the Orlando Magic are asking for picks and young talent on a rookie contract if they are to deal J.J. Redick before the February 21 trade deadline.

Bucher also says that, while the Celtics and Pacers are known to be interested in acquiring Redick, they lack the pieces to meet the Magic's asking price. As such, it is unlikely that he will be dealt before the deadline.

Redick, 28, is averaging 14.9 PPG and 4.4 APG, both career highs, in his final season with the Magic. He is due to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Kyler On Grizzlies, Magic, Redick, Leonard

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com answered some questions from followers on his Twitter account Saturday morning, addressing a variety of trade rumors and speculation.

Stein’s Latest: Celtics, Grizzlies, Cavs, Suns, McCants

Marc Stein of ESPN.com has posted his latest Weekend Dime column, which features updates on a variety of trade-related topics from around the NBA. Here are the highlights:

  • GMs around the league view the Celtics as likely to make a move. They have interest in J.J. Redick, and executives speculate that they may finally decide to move Paul Pierce or Rajon Rondo.
  • Some GMs believe a three-team trade is possible that would send Pierce to the Grizzlies, Rudy Gay to the Lakers, and Pau Gasol to Boston.
  • After their trade with the Cavs this week, the Grizzlies' roster is down to 11 players and they have 14 days to sign at least two players to meet the minimum requirement of 13. Memphis looked at Delonte West but decided against signing the veteran guard, Stein reports.
  • Stein notes that Memphis received three separate trade exceptions in the trade. Marreese Speights landed them an exception worth $4.2MM, while Wayne Ellington's was worth $2MM and Josh Selby's was worth $762,195.
  • Although the Cavaliers think highly of Speights and have wanted him for years, the forward is already drawing interest from other teams and could be moved before the February 21 trading deadline. Stein identifies Daniel Gibson and Omri Casspi as the other two Cleveland players most likely to be traded.
  • The Suns are said to be shopping Jared Dudley, Marcin Gortat, and Luis Scola in light of the team's struggles this season. It should be noted that Scola, having been claimed after being waived with the amnesty clause, cannot be traded until after this season.
  • Stein's column also featured a Q&A with 28-year-old former lottery pick Rashad McCants, who is playing with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League in hopes of eventually making another run at an NBA career.

Celtics Have Increasing Interest In J.J. Redick

Even before a poor outside-shooting performance against the Knicks last night, the Celtics had "ramped up their interest" in acquiring J.J. Redick from the Magic, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). According to Stein (Twitter link), adding some frontcourt size remains Boston's top priority, but the team would also like to find a way to add Redick, if possible.

Although we heard earlier in the season that the Magic would be in no rush to trade Redick, a recent report suggested that the team would be open to making a move if it's unsure about its ability to re-sign the sharpshooter this summer. Redick, who is in the final year of his contract, has posted career-best marks of 14.9 PPG and 16.4 PER, and will reportedly be seeking a raise on this season's $6.19MM salary.

This isn't the first time we've heard about the Celtics' interest in Redick, as David Baumann of SportsTalkFlorida.com reported last week (via Twitter) that the C's "covet" the 28-year-old. In order to make any trade work financially, Boston would have to send out at least a few million in salary, and that's assuming the Magic wouldn't try to include any of their less-desirable contracts. When Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities discussed potential Timberwolves' interest in Redick three weeks ago, he noted it would take Derrick Williams and a first-round pick to get Orlando's attention, so the Duke product won't come cheap.

Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors took an in-depth look at Redick's trade candidacy last week.

Odds & Ends: Redick, Crawford, James, Crowder

Just as we crossed into the final month before the trade deadline, the first deal of the new year went down today, and the action will no doubt pick up going forward. Here are a few more notes from a busy evening.

  • J.J. Redick, an unrestricted free agent at season's end, wants a raise on his $6.19MM salary, but the Magic want him to take a hometown discount, reports USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt. If the team doesn't believe it can re-sign him when the trade deadline rolls around, Zillgitt won't be surprised to see the Magic trade Redick, since they don't want to lose him without any return.
  • The Wizards are looking to make moves, and Jordan Crawford is drawing the most interest of any of the players they'd make available, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler reveals, noting rookie Bradley Beal isn't among the players they're dangling, Kyler adds.
  • Damion James is heading back to the D-League's Bakersfield Jam, as the Nets have opted not to renew his 10-day contract, which expires tonight, tweets NetsDaily.com.  
  • Jae Crowder's contract with the Mavs is fully guaranteed through next season, but he doesn't want that to be the end of his tenure in Dallas, where he wants to play his entire career, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reveals.
  • Elliot Williams, who tore his left Achilles tendon in September, isn't ruling out the possibility he could return at some point this season, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The league, believing he was done for the year, has already granted the Blazersdisabled player exception, but the team will get to keep it even if he makes it back.
  • Ben Baroff of SheridanHoops.com believes there will be more deals similar to today's Cavs-Grizzlies trade in the years to come, as luxury tax penalties become more severe.
  • Amid another round of Dwight Howard rumors, Nets brass has assured Brook Lopez he won't be traded, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Redick, Magic

Ric Bucher of CSN Bay Area (Sulia link) hears that the trade rumor involving Rudy Gay to the Suns in exchange for Jared Dudley and Michael Beasley was leaked in order to facilitate more offers from around the league. In terms of the Grizzlies dealing Gay for luxury-tax purposes, Bucher notes that the Wizards and Warriors only have trade pieces that would relieve Memphis of the super luxury tax in two years, but not after this season. You can find more of tonight's miscellaneous notes from the Association here:

  • David Baumann of Bright House Sports Network tweets that the Celtics covet J.J. Redick as a possible trade target before February's trade deadline. 
  • Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel provides a primer of what the Magic front office has to think about heading into next month's deadline. He thinks that GM Rob Hennigan might want to deal for more young players and draft picks while shedding salary, adding that Redick, Glen Davis, Arron Afflalo, Jameer Nelson, and Josh McRoberts are among the team's most tradeable assets. Lastly, Robbins thinks that Orlando is unlikely to part with Nikola Vucevic and that the team has almost no interest in dealing for Rudy Gay
  • Noting that Chris Johnson had been a member of Timberwolves' training camp before the season, Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press says that his familiarity with the team provided an advantage during the team's search for help at center. 
  • The recent struggles of Nuggets swingman Andre Iguodala prompted him to admit after today's practice that he's "probably behind the curve" and has had trouble finding his comfort level this season (Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post reports).  
  • HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (Sulia link) anticipates a quiet trade deadline for the NBA considering a busy offseason that saw 31 deals involving 96 players. 
  • Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld looks at Jeff Teague, one of four players who are guaranteed to remain in Atlanta beyond this season, as a viable long-term investment for the Hawks

Market For Rudy Gay Dwindling?

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com reports that the interest among teams in trading for Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay is not high, and although Memphis is continuing to shop Gay, the underwhelming offers may force them to wait until the offseason to move him and Zach Randolph.

Kennedy does not expect the Grizzlies to receive a young star or a high-upside rookie in return for Gay, naming Phoenix's Jared Dudley and Orlando's J.J. Redick as two potential players they could expect to land. Although Wizards rookie guard Bradley Beal was briefly discussed as a possible centerpiece for a Gay trade, Washington no longer has any interest in trading him.

Kennedy writes that much of the reluctance of teams to trade for Gay comes from his contract, which pays him $16.4MM this season, $17.8MM in 2013/14, and $19.3MM in 2014/15.