Jared Dudley Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Durant, Anderson, Mahinmi

July 1st, 2016 at 8:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Durant‘s meeting with the Clippers has concluded, and Durant was “blown away” by the team’s presentation, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter). It’s hard to know yet exactly what that means, since Durant was also reportedly impressed with the Warriors‘ pitch earlier in the day — it would probably be more newsworthy if Durant had been unimpressed by one of the teams’ presentations. In any case, the former MVP has sit-downs with the Spurs and Celtics on tap for tomorrow, then is expected to meet with the Heat on Sunday – and possibly the Thunder again after that – before making his decision.

Let’s check in on a few more free agent updates from across the NBA…

The Raptors had a meeting today in Los Angeles with free agent forward Ryan Anderson, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Times. Toronto inquired on Anderson at the trade deadline as well, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets, but the team would have to clear salary from its cap – and possible let Bismack Biyombo go – in order to have any shot at signing him.
Ian Mahinmi won’t return to Indiana, with the Pacers set to add Al Jefferson, but Mahinmi has no shortage of suitors, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter links). Aldridge identifies the Spurs, Wizards, Timberwolves, Hornets, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Magic as clubs in the mix for the free agent center.
The Nets have put a two-year, $18MM offer on the table for Jared Dudley, who is still receiving interest from the Jazz and Suns, reports John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link).
The Spurs, Nets, and Bulls have expressed interest in free agent big man Jordan Hill, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link).
The Timberwolves have been very active, reaching out to many free agents during the first day of July. Jamal Crawford and Randy Foye were among the players to receive a call from the Wolves today, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune, respectively (Twitter links).
Veteran big man Kris Humphries is a strong candidate to return to the Nets, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). Brooklyn was one of six teams mentioned as a potential Humphries suitor earlier today.

Western Rumors: Anderson, Rockets, Bazemore

July 1st, 2016 at 6:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are scheduled to meet with Ryan Anderson on Saturday morning, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The Kings are also still in the mix for Anderson, writes James Ham of CSN California — Sam Amick of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that Sacramento reached out to the veteran forward right when free agency opened last night. According to Amick (via Twitter), Anderson still has at least four serious suitors, including Houston and Sacramento.

Here are several more free agent rumors and updates from across the Western Conference:

The Timberwolves have expressed “strong interest” in Kent Bazemore, according to Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Minnesota is in the market for a veteran wing, having reached out to Luol Deng as well. Of course, the Wolves also made an effort to trade for Jimmy Butler during last week’s draft.
The Jazz are scheduled to have a second meeting today with free agent sharpshooter Jared Dudley, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links). Jones cautions that both sides still have multiple options in play, with Dudley generating “real interest” from the Suns too.
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets that he keeps hearing the Kings don’t intend to sign Rajon Rondo.
With his free agency underway, Trail Blazers RFA Allen Crabbe has changed his representation, hiring Aaron Mintz and Ty Sullivan of CAA Sports, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link).
The Spurs have expressed some interest in free agent big man Willie Reed, sources inform Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Dewayne Dedmon, a Magic restricted free agent, has drawn interest from the Warriors, a source tells Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

FA Rumors: DeRozan, Crawford, Clippers, Dudley

July 1st, 2016 at 12:47am CST by Luke Adams

Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News has updates on a pair of free agent shooting guards, reporting (via Twitter) that the Sixers and Lakers have inquired tonight on DeMar DeRozan, who is meeting with the Raptors in Los Angeles. Toronto remains the strong favorite to re-sign DeRozan. Wolfson also tweets that Jamal Crawford has received calls tonight from the Sixers, Knicks, Clippers, Magic, and Heat.

Here’s more from across the NBA:

In addition to reaching out to Crawford tonight, the Clippers also met with Austin Rivers in Orlando and Jeff Green in Miami, doing due diligence on their pending free agents, tweets Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. After meeting with the Clips, Rivers is expected to talk to the Knicks and possibly the Trail Blazers on Friday, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link).
The Nets, Jazz, and Suns are among the teams in pursuit of Jared Dudley, with the Wizards also in the hunt to bring back the veteran sharpshooter, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein. Utah had a meeting with Dudley tonight, according to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
League sources continue to tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) that the Kings may be preparing a “significant” offer for restricted free agent Dion Waiters. The Thunder would have the opportunity to match an offer sheet, but may not be aggressive in trying to retain Waiters now that they have Victor Oladipo.
The Thunder were indeed among the teams to reach out to Al Horford tonight, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. A Thursday report indicated that Oklahoma City has its eye on Horford as part of its pitch to keep Kevin Durant.
Speaking of Durant, during The Vertical’s free agency show tonight, Wojnarowski said that Jay-Z and Roc Nation tried to push Durant to take a free agent meeting with the Nets, but KD dismissed that idea (Twitter link via Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily).

Free Agent Notes: Crawford, Howard, Dudley

June 29th, 2016 at 8:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With free agency set to begin on Friday, here’s the latest news, notes and updates from around the league:

Unrestricted free agent Jamal Crawford has meetings set with the Clippers, Knicks, Magic, Mavericks and Heat for when the free agent signing period kicks off, Brad Turner of The Los Angels Times reports (via Twitter).
The Trail Blazers are potentially interested in signing unrestricted free agent center Dwight Howard to a short-term deal, Sam Amick of USA Today relays.
The Wizards want to re-sign unrestricted free agent Jared Dudley, but the Jazz are expected to make a run at the forward this summer as well, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
Unrestricted free agent forward Solomon Hill has four meetings scheduled for when the free agent signing period commences, though his former squad, the Pacers, are not among the franchises on the agenda, Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star tweets.
The Blazers are expected to be very active in free agency this offseason, but one player who isn’t on the team’s radar is power forward Ryan Anderson, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com relays (on Twitter). Anderson is expected to be in high-demand around the league this summer.
On team that is indeed interested in Anderson are the Jazz, who plan to be aggressive this offseason in recruiting free agents, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. However, Utah is unlikely to land the stretch-four, Jones adds, classifying Luol Deng and Hill as more realistic targets.
The Clippers are interested in re-signing unrestricted free agent center Cole Aldrich, but will face competition from the Suns and Magic for the big man’s services, Turner tweets.
Restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas is open to returning to Houston and noted that the Rockets would be the first team he will meet with once the free agent period opens this Friday, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). The big man earned $2,288,205 for his work this past season.

Northwest Notes: Allen, Crabbe, Dudley

May 12th, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen regaled his team with an emotional speech regarding how proud it made him by overachieving this season, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com relays. “What he said came from the heart,’’ point guard Damian Lillard said. “You could hear it in his voice. He really meant what he was saying. He saw that we left it out there, and he saw how bad we wanted it. And he felt it, he felt what we did.’’ The players noted that the owner’s faith in them never wavered, even when the team struggled early in the campaign, Quick adds. “All owners aren’t connected to their teams like that,” swingman Gerald Henderson noted. “To a lot, their teams are just an investment. But he is committed and invested into the team, not just with his money. He is a clear basketball fanatic, a Blazers fanatic. I think he loves his players, and that’s pretty cool.’’

It remains to be seen just how impressed Allen was by Portland’s 2015/16 campaign, as the team is reportedly set to open extension talks with coach Terry Stotts this summer. Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Allen Crabbe is excited about his upcoming restricted free agency this summer but had all positives to say about the Trail Blazers, his incumbent team, in exit interviews today, notes Erik Gunderson of The Columbian (Twitter link). Henderson, who’s hitting unrestricted free agency, was a reserve this season for the Blazers but said he places less of a priority on starting than he used to, instead favoring a chance to win and play a role that fits, Gunderson tweets.
The Jazz want to arrange interviews and workouts with University of Utah center Jakob Poeltl and Weber State power forward Joel Bolomboy, as Walt Perrin, the team’s vice president of player personnel, told Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune.
In response to a fan’s question on Twitter, soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Jared Dudley noted that the Timberwolves‘ young roster reminded him of the Bucks’ and that he could envision himself playing in Minnesota next season if the team is interested in his services.
The Wolves interviewed former North Carolina power forward Brice Johnson today, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN relays (via Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Grizzlies, Dudley, ‘Melo, Blatt

May 12th, 2016 at 10:42am CST by Chuck Myron

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace stressed the need for the team’s next coach to focus on player development and communicate with the front office and said the team is prepared to pay whatever’s necessary to make the right hire as he spoke Wednesday in an interview with Peter Edmiston on WHBQ-AM (See all six Twitter links here). The extension and pay raise that the Jazz gave Quin Snyder on Friday helped fuel former Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger‘s frustration with the Memphis front office, which was in no rush to give him a similar deal, a source acknowledged to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Wallace, in the interview with Edmiston, also downplayed the significance of a dinner he had with former coach Lionel Hollins, which led to speculation that the Grizzlies are interested in rehiring him.

“Why can’t you have a bite to eat and catch up with an old friend?” Wallace said. “Why can’t you [do] that in today’s world?”

See more from Memphis and the rest of the NBA:

Wallace also pointed to the autonomy of the Grizzlies front office when it comes to shaping the roster. “We make the final decision on the personnel brought into the organization,” Wallace said to Edmiston. “The buck stops with me on that.”
Soon-to-be free agent Jared Dudley expressed interest in joining the Timberwolves, said he’d take a fan’s proposal of a three-year, $25MM deal from the Bucks and added that he’s enjoy playing for Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry again as the Wizards forward conducted a Q&A Wednesday on Twitter (All five Twitter links here). Dudley also addressed the Raptors, saying Toronto is a great city and that players love playing there but lamenting the high taxes, and he said he thinks Frank Vogel is the best available head coach.
It’s a “gross exaggeration” to say Carmelo Anthony likes the idea of the Knicks hiring David Blatt, league sources told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, refuting an earlier report. It’s unclear whether Anthony would support or oppose a Blatt hiring, as he hasn’t expressed any opinion thus far, Begley hears.

Wizards Notes: Brooks, Durant, Dudley

April 22nd, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The specter of a head coaching vacancy on the Lakers intrigued Scott Brooks, but Washington’s quick work to secure him on a five-year, $35MM deal cut off both the Lakers, who’ve yet to decide on the fate of Byron Scott, and the Rockets, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets. Houston reportedly made him one of the favorites for its job but still has interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff in place. All five seasons of Brooks’ contract with the Wizards will be guaranteed, Aldridge hears (Twitter link), and his $7MM annual take ties him with Rick Carlisle for the highest salary among NBA coaches who don’t also have player personnel control, notes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post (Twitter link). See more on the impending Brooks hiring and other issues from the nation’s capital:

The Brooks deal, which will pay him more than double the roughly $3MM a year that Randy Wittman was making, signals that owner Ted Leonsis is planning to spare no expense in free agency this summer, even if Kevin Durant takes a pass on returning to his native D.C., argues Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
Brooks would still be coaching the Thunder if Durant really had his heart set on playing for him, one league source told Bontemps for the same piece. Some of Durant’s friends who spoke with Chris Mannix of The Vertical cast serious doubt on the idea of Durant playing for the Wizards.
Jared Dudley would prefer to re-sign with the Wizards this summer, but he wants to do so with the security of a three-year contract, as he tells Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. That jibes with an earlier report from J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic, who wrote that Dudley was open to returning to Washington as long as the team fired Wittman, a move that took place last week. Dudley would also like to see the Wizards re-sign Alan Anderson and Garrett Temple, as Castillo relays.

Wizards Notes: Grunfeld, Dudley, Wittman

April 14th, 2016 at 4:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld will head the team’s search for a new coach in the wake of Randy Wittman‘s dismissal today, as Grunfeld told reporters, a remark that appears to remove lingering doubt about the executive’s future with the team, observes J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Earlier reports conflicted about Grunfeld’s job security, though he’s under contract through next season.

See more from Washington, where the Wizards reportedly have strong interest in Scott Brooks and others, as we passed along in our Wittman story.

Wizards players concluded that they couldn’t rely on the team’s coaches when they held a players-only meeting in January that veteran Jared Dudley organized, and Dudley criticized the coaching staff’s lack of adjustments in March, Michael notes, suggesting Wittman changed Dudley’s role in retaliation.
John Wall wants to see the Wizards re-sign soon-to-be free agents Dudley, Alan Anderson and Garrett Temple, Michael writes in a separate piece. Anderson is enthusiastic about a new deal with the team, and while Dudley is open to returning as long as Wittman isn’t around, he’s looking for the security of a long-term contract, according to Michael, who speculates Dudley is unlikely to be back.
The partial guarantee on Wittman’s salary for next season is $500K, sources tell Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post (Twitter link), so the Wizards are still responsible for paying that much to the fired coach.
Wittman issued a statement in which he said he believes the team is headed in the right direction as he thanked the organization for the opportunity to coach, as Castillo relays via Twitter.

Southeast Notes: Morris, Humphries, Fournier

March 3rd, 2016 at 9:31am CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards are giving Marcin Gortat more minutes down the stretch of late, and he prefers playing with Jared Dudley and Wizards trade acquisition Markieff Morris at power forward instead of Kris Humphries, who went out in the trade for Morris, notes J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic.

“It’s opportunities, being the guy who’s pretty much played the whole fourth quarter. I didn’t have that opportunity in the first 50 games,” Gortat said. “I’m definitely excited about playing more minutes. I think just having Markieff or Jared next to me in the starting lineup it’s a much better fit for me than Kris Humphries. Not picking on him but he just didn’t fit with me well. He’s a totally different player than Keef or Jared. I feel more comfortable playing with them.”

Gortat called Morris “a great teammate” and said the controversy surrounding him in Phoenix was overhyped, quipping that “we’re not giving him towels to throw at people,” a reference to the towel Morris tossed in former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek‘s direction in the midst of a December game, as Michael also relays. See more on the Wizards, and on Humphries, amid news from the Southeast Division:

The Wizards are likely to allow their $2,806,750 disabled player exception expire, Michael hears, writing in a separate story. Washington couldn’t use the majority of it anyway without going over the tax line. The deadline to use it is a week from today.
Soon-to-be restricted free agent Evan Fournier would like to re-sign with the Magic, observes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. GM Rob Hennigan has refuted the idea that the team isn’t entirely sold on the swingman, and reports indicated the Magic were hesitant to trade him at the deadline. “I really like to play for this team. I’m having my best year so far. There’s no reason for me to leave,” Fournier said.
The Hawks dipped into their room exception to sign Humphries to his deal for the rest of the season, giving him an even $1MM and not the prorated minimum salary as previously reported, reveals Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). That gave Humphries an even exchange on the buyout market, since he gave up $1MM to secure his release from the Suns, Pincus notes (on Twitter). Atlanta has about $900K left on its room exception in the wake of the Humphries signing.

Wizards Notes: Trade Targets, Dudley, Temple

February 15th, 2016 at 8:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Wizards shouldn’t regard taking on a long-term salary as a deal killer if they want to make noise in the playoffs, Ben Standig of CSN Mid-Atlantic opines. While Washington has diligently cleared cap space to make a run at Kevin Durant this offseason, it is only three games out of the eighth spot in the East and can’t pin all of its hopes on free agency, Standig continues. Power forwards such as Thaddeus Young, Markieff Morris, Tobias Harris, Ryan Anderson and even Blake Griffin are the type of players the Wizards should consider if they’re serious about a playoff push, instead of staking all their hopes on landing Durant, Standig adds.

In other notes regarding the Wizards:

Jared Dudley has exceeded all expectations as the team’s stretch four, Michael writes in his All-Star break evaluation. Dudley cost the Wizards virtually nothing in the offseason trade with the salary-dumping Bucks, Michael continues, but he’s emerged as Washington’s undersized power forward ahead of Nene and Kris Humphries. He’s also the quarterback of the defense, making the right rotations and trying to cover for other players’ mistakes while calling for adjustments when needed, Michael adds. Dudley, who is making $4.375MM, is one of many Washington players with expiring contracts.
Shooting guard Garrett Temple also gets a high mark from Michael, who notes that Temple is the only starter with a positive net rating. Michael doesn’t believe that’s a statistical quirk but rather speaks to Temple’s ability to finish in transition, hit open jumpers and keep the ball moving while also establishing himself as the club’s top one-on-one defender. Temple is providing all this while making $1.1MM on an expiring deal.