J.J. Redick

Eastern Notes: Pierce, Sixers, Bynum, Vogel

It’s more than reasonable for the Celtics to consider cashing out on an aging Paul Pierce for young assets to be used towards rebuilding, opines Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld.  In another season and a half, the veteran could retire or walk away from Boston with no compensation.  His trade value may never be as high as it will be now through the 2013 draft, and this may be the time to act, according to Brigham. Here's more from around the Eastern Conference.

  • Sixers GM Tony DiLeo told reporters, including Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com, that the team will try to stay in contention for a playoff spot until Andrew Bynum gets back, and may make short-term upgrades that don't cut into next summer's cap space. 
  • DiLeo also said the Sixers "are still looking at Andrew as a long-term solution," indicating they still plan on trying to re-sign him this summer.
  • The extension Frank Vogel signed with the Pacers this week runs through 2014/15, and will pay the coach $2MM per season, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
  • J.J. Redick doesn’t want to be traded away from the Magic, but after hearing from GM Rob Hennigan that several teams have expressed interest, he's girding himself for the possibility, writes John Denton of Magic.com.
  • The Heat signed Josh Harrellson and Jarvis Varnado to ten-day contracts simply to stall for time until something better comes along, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.  The Heat can get a better sense of what might be available to add at either the trading deadline or buyout deadline.
  • Anderson Varejao's injury isn't devastating to his long-term trade value, as The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer examines.

Zach Links of Hoops Rumors also contributed to this post.

Kyler On Dwight, Hornets, Beasley, Gay, Magic

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com answered some questions from his Twitter followers on Saturday regarding various free agency and trade rumors.

Earlier updates:

Odds & Ends: Redick, Turkoglu, Lakers, Livingston

Let's round up some Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:

Wolves Rumors: Pekovic, Varejao, Redick, Hayward

Despite Kevin Love leaving last night's game against the Nuggets in the second half, the Timberwolves managed to do something only the Heat had accomplished this season: Win in Denver. The victory pulled the Timberwolves within a half-game of the Nuggets, and into a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. As the Wolves continue jockeying for position in the West, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities rounds up plenty of rumors out of Minnesota. Here are the highlights:

  • While a trade is a possibility for the Timberwolves, David Kahn figures to wait for a few weeks to make any decisions, as he assesses what sort of impact Ricky Rubio will have.
  • With Nikola Pekovic in the final year of his rookie deal, his price figures to soar next year, perhaps to close to $10-12MM annually. As such, Wolfson speculates that the Wolves could explore deals involving Pekovic.
  • The Wolves have discussed Anderson Varejao with the Cavaliers, though those talks were "brief."
  • Owner Glen Taylor is willing to go into the luxury tax in 2013/14 if the right opportunity presents itself.
  • The Wolves like J.J. Redick a lot, but it would probably take Derrick Williams and a future first-rounder to get Orlando's attention. Wolfson adds in a tweet that there are certain teams that might give up more for Williams, but the Magic probably aren't one of those teams.
  • The Martell Webster compensation case between the Wolves and Trail Blazers is closed, but it's not known when the league will make an announcement. Minnesota is expected to receive no more than a second-round pick and/or cash.
  • Minnesota is expected to release Lazar Hayward before his contract becomes guaranteed. The team has talked to Josh Childress, but he's only interested in a guaranteed deal for now. Daequan Cook, recently cut by the Rockets, isn't on the Wolves' radar.
  • If Greg Oden is eventually healthy enough to return to the NBA, the Timberwolves would be among the interested teams.

Wolves Rumors: Redick, Williams, Love, Varejao

Ever since the Wolves released Josh Howard following news of his ACL tear yesterday, we've heard plenty about potential replacements, as a roster spot on a team contending for a playoff spot has many NBA hopefuls salivating at the opportunity. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN has provided many of the updates via Twitter, and he's collected those rumors along with plenty of other Wolves-related scuttlebutt in his latest piece. We'll round up the highlights here. 

  • Wolfson earlier today mentioned former Sonic Mickael Gelabale as one of the players reaching out to the Wolves about the open roster spot, and Gelabale's agent has contacted all 30 teams about a return to the NBA for his client, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Charania also hears that the Wolves are unlikely to sign any wing player until after Christmas. 

Earlier updates:

  • Minnesota would be "heavily" in the mix for J.J. Redick if the Magic decide to put him on the market. Derrick Williams' name has come up in connection with Redick in the past, but it'll take more than Williams to get a deal done, Wolfson hears. Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game listed the Wolves among a handful of likely trade partners earlier this week.
  • Kevin Love made a few hearts jump in Minnesota earlier this month when he questioned his future with the franchise, but according to Wolfson, no teams have called the Wolves' front office to ask about Love's availability.
  • Anderson Varejao is still "very much on the Wolves' trade radar," but Tyreke Evans is not, Wolfson writes.
  • The Wolves aren't thinking of signing Chris Douglas-Roberts, who's been the second-leading scorer in the D-League this season at 22.7 points per game after the Mavericks waived him at the end of training camp.
  • Though Howard's minimum-salary contract was non-guaranteed, he'll recoup some money from an insurance policy.
  • The Wolves own the draft rights to Serbian power forward Nemanja Bjelica, and the Wolves are entertaining the possibility of bringing him to the NBA next season. Wolfson provides a scouting report from an executive who likes his offense better than his defense.

Trade Rumors: Gasol, Hawks, Bucks, Bobcats

The trade deadline is two months and one day away, and we'll be hearing a lot about trade candidates in the coming weeks. HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler provides an update on a few teams and players we're likely to hear more about soon. 

  • While Kyler believes it's "inevitable" the Lakers will trade Pau Gasol, he doesn't think there's much of a market for him, having heard there are only three or four teams in the mix. No one is offering a "home run" deal, and trading Gasol now would mean selling low. The Lakers would like to swap Gasol for a pair of players on less lucrative deals who would be better fits, but no such deal is out there at the moment. L.A. has a full roster with 15 players, and the team would like to open up a spot. Kyler speculates that the Lakers could move Jordan Hill, Devin Ebanks, Darius Morris or Darius Johnson-Odom for a second-round pick or a backup point guard.
  • The Hawks want to trade some of their expiring contracts for a player who can help the team this season, but they won't make a deal unless it's an obvious win. They still want to have enough cap space to fit Dwight Howard or Chris Paul on the team, and with only about $18.5MM in commitments for next season, not including cap holds for free agents like Josh Smith, whom they're optimistic about re-signing and, according to Kyler, not planning to trade. The Hawks could probably add a player who helps now while maintaining enough flexibility this summer.
  • We heard yesterday that the Bucks have told Brandon Jennings they'll match any offer he'll get in restricted free agency. That makes Monta Ellis the more likely to be traded among the team's pair of backcourt aces, but Kyler hears that there are teams with interest in both. If Milwaukee elects to hang on to Jennings and Ellis, it isn't worried about losing either in free agency.
  • Everyone on the Bobcats is available in a trade, a source tells Kyler. That's not a shock, considering the team has lost 13 in a row, but Kyler cautions that Gerald Henderson probably won't be dealt unless it's as part of a package with others.
  • While the Magic are open to sending J.J. Redick away in a deal that offloads other contracts, the team doesn't want to let him go, as GM Rob Hennigan and the revamped front office has become more fond of the veteran two-guard than they were at the beginning of the season.
  • Kyler believes the Raptors must trade Jose Calderon to recoup value for him before he becomes a free agent next summer, and while it seems like Andrea Bargnani is headed out of Toronto, too, uncertainty about GM Bryan Colangelo's future is complicating potential deals.
  • If the Jazz remain in the playoff picture, a deal is less likely, but if not, Utah will look to unload one of its big men for draft picks and players on rookie contracts.

Magic Rumors: Redick, Davis, Buyouts

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel hears from scouts who say J.J. Redick is the Magic's best trade chip, but Schmitz doesn't think the team can get fair value back for him, and urges the Magic to re-sign him this summer, given his commitment to the club. The Sentinel columnist also passes along a few noteworthy rumors, and we'll round them up here.

  • Redick tells David Baumann of Sports Talk Florida that he wouldn't be "blindsided" by a trade, though the team is reportedly in no rush to deal him (hat tip to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld). Redick also points out that since he's on a three-year deal, he's ineligible to sign an extension this season.

Earlier updates:

  • Redick said that he and his wife love Orlando and that he remains committed to the team "as long as we're going the way we're going," which Schmitz interprets to mean that Redick is satisfied as long as the team is taking the necessary steps toward contention. Still, Redick said he'd have to "weigh" playing for a team already in the title picture if such a club makes him the right offer in free agency.
  • The effect of last night's shoulder injury notwithstanding, scouts have told Schmitz that the improvement of Glen Davis has made Big Baby a more intriguing trade target. Davis is in the second year of a four-year, $25.7MM deal, but the 26-year-old is averaging career highs in nearly every category. A Davis trade would hurt the team now, Schmitz argues, but help the Magic down the road.
  • The Magic aren't opposed to buyouts, according to Schmitz. Still, they're already on the hook for more than $4.56MM to three players — Quentin Richardson, Christian Eyenga and Justin Harper — who are no longer on the roster. My guess is that the Magic might be looking more closely at buyouts for Hedo Turkoglu and Al Harrington next summer, when their contracts become partially guaranteed, but that's just my speculation. 

Magic Won’t Rush To Trade Redick

It would surprise no one if J.J. Redick were moved before the February trade deadline, but there's no urgency on the part of the Magic, a source tells Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (on Twitter).  Many have speculated that the Magic will move the 28-year-old guard as the club isn't likely to contend in the next couple of years.

After a rough 5-10 start, Orlando has gone 6-3 and would like to stay competitive for as long as they can this season.  If Redick is moved, it will be for a younger talent and/or a draft pick, acqusitions that won't help in the short-term.  Also, the potential suitors for Redick aren't anywhere near making their best offer.  The likeliest trade partners include the Bulls, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Bucks, and Jazz. 

The Bulls were interested in Redick as a free agent and Memphis is said to have expressed recent interest in him.  Bucher hasn't heard directly that Minnesota, Milwaukee, and Utah have talked to Orlando, but he writes that Redick fits their systems and/or fills a need.

Recently, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld opined that he didn't see a Redick deal as likely because the guard fits with the culture that the Magic are trying to establish.  Redick is in the final season of a three-year, $20.19MM contract.

Kyler On Gasol, Redick, Varejao, Lakers, Fredette

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld took to Twitter today to field a variety of trade-related questions from his followers. Some of Kyler's tweets were particularly notable, so let's round up the highlights below (all links go to Twitter)….

Odds & Ends: Redick, Kapono, Brand, Grizzlies

The Wizards will be looking to win their first game of the season tonight, while the Spurs and Grizzlies will aim to be the first teams to nine wins. As we await the evening's seven-game slate, let's check out a few odds and ends from around the NBA:

  • J.J. Redick is on an expiring contract and there's been speculation that he's a candidate to be traded, but if it were up to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic would keep Redick and re-sign him at season's end.
  • Jason Kapono and Greek team Panathinaikos finalized a contract agreement last week, but the deal may have hit a sang after complications with Kapono's wife's pregnancy, according to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. The two sides are in constant contact to determine whether Kapono will be able to travel to Greece this week, but there's a chance the contract could be voided.
  • Speaking to Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld, Elton Brand talked about the 76ers' decision to amnesty him this summer, noting that the team informed him of its intentions early on and that there are no hard feelings there.
  • Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio talked to Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace about putting together a team that's off to the best start in the NBA this year.
  • Current Knicks GM Glen Grunwald acquired Tyson Chandler and a number of other players during the last two offseasons, but Donnie Walsh deserves plenty of credit too for the Knicks' turnaround, considering the moves he made before Grunwald took over, says George Willis of the New York Post.
  • After all the offseason additions the team made, the Clippers will now have to figure out how to balance minutes and egos, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
  • Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if Juan Dixon will be the latest NBA veteran to use the D-League as a means of auditioning for NBA clubs.