Jimmy Butler Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Notes: Valentine, Payne, Wade

February 25th, 2017 at 8:52am CST by Austin Kent

The Bulls didn’t end up shipping off Jimmy Butler at the deadline, as had been rumored, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t thinking about their future. General manager Gar Forman spoke with ESPN Chicago Friday about the organization heading forward. Forman noted that the trade the club did make (Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott for Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne), will free up more time for rookie Denzel Valentine.

In the same conversation Forman reveals that they tried to trade for Payne on draft night last June but were unable to. He mentions that they “absolutely loved” him coming out of the draft and think he’ll be a player for their future.

Later in the discussion, when the topic turned to Fred Hoiberg, Forman said that he foresees the head coach coming back to in 2017/18. For more insights about the Bulls, consider listening to the full 20-minute chat at ESPN.

There’s more out of Chicago:

Veteran guard Dwyane Wade doesn’t have a clear read on whether or not the Bulls’ front office would want him to pick up his player option this summer and return to the team for 2017/18. “I haven’t had that conversation about next season with the guys,” he told Nick Friedell of ESPN. “[…] I take my option seriously and I always look into what’s the best thing for me to do.” For now, Wade adds, he just wants to play basketball.
The Bulls will have a better idea of what shape their rebuild will take this offseason, writes Neil Johnson of ESPN Analytics (Insider). Johnson asks if the Bulls can truly rebuild around Jimmy Butler or whether, by retaining him, they’re delaying the inevitable.
For what it’s worth, Jimmy Butler told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that he has faith in the Bulls’ front office and is exactly where he wants to be.
Newly acquired guard Anthony Morrow caused a bit of a stir when it was announced that he’d wear No. 1 with his new club. The veteran quickly changed course when Bulls fans protested at the thought of him wearing Derrick Rose‘s former number.

Celtics Rumors: Deadline Talks, Jones, Yabusele

February 24th, 2017 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Celtics were frequently linked to Jimmy Butler and Paul George in the days and hours leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline, ESPN’s Zach Lowe hears that talks never got really “serious” with the Bulls, who didn’t seem overly motivated to trigger a rebuild by moving Butler. Meanwhile, appearing on CSNNE, Chris Mannix of The Vertical suggests that the Celtics probably weren’t close to getting George either, having drawn “a line in the sand that they weren’t going to cross.”

There were conflicting reports on whether the Celtics made one or both of their Nets picks available, but Mannix suggests that Danny Ainge was willing to discuss both the 2017 and 2018 selections, while sources tell Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald that the C’s made those picks available “separately” in trade offers. However, according to Bulpett, in their discussions with the Bulls, the Celtics wanted protections on that 2017 pick.

Mannix adds that Boston was also reluctant to package multiple players like Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown with its picks. As Lowe explains, Ainge and the Celtics weren’t able to find a package that left them feeling comfortable about both their present and its future, so they decided to hang onto their assets for now and revisit trade scenarios down the road.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

In Bulpett’s piece (linked above), The Herald reporter notes multiple times that the ability to be a major player for a max free agent this summer seemed to be a high priority for Ainge and the Celtics as they considered potential trades.
If Boston had the chance to acquire an impact player in a favorable deal at the deadline, the team certainly would have been willing to give up that chance at max space, but Bulpett says the team has projected a “seemingly odd confidence” about its opportunities this summer, given the inherent uncertainty in free agency and the draft. “The fact (Ainge) was so comfortable waiting for the draft and summer scares the (expletive) out of me,” one rival league executive told Bulpett.
In a piece for The Vertical, Chris Mannix makes a case for why it was perfectly fine for the Celtics to stand pat at the deadline, while A. Sherrod Blakely lays out a similar argument in an article for CSNNE.com.
Terrence Jones, who will be an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers, has some interest in the Celtics, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
According to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Ainge hinted during a radio appearance today that draft-and-stash prospect Guerschon Yabusele may join Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine after the Chinese Basketball Association’s season ends.

Bulls Notes: Rondo, Butler, Hoiberg, Gibson

February 23rd, 2017 at 9:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls don’t plan to buy out Rajon Rondo, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. GM Gar Forman confirmed that tonight, telling reporters the organization would rather hold onto the veteran point guard and use his contract as a trade chip in the offseason. Rondo signed a two-year deal with Chicago in July, but only $3MM of his $13,397,000 salary for next season is guaranteed before June 30. Rondo’s time with the Bulls has been a disappointment, as he was benched briefly, then relegated to the second unit. Although he has been effective in that role, there’s no guarantee it will continue after today’s trade for Cameron Payne.

There’s more post-deadline news out of Chicago:

The Celtics were willing to include one of the Nets’ first-rounders in trade talks for Jimmy Butler, but sources tell Johnson that Boston wanted to place protections on it (Twitter link). The scope of those protections was not released.
Bulls executive John Paxson says the organization wouldn’t commit to rebuilding without “certainty” and never got close to that in any of the offers for Butler (Twitter link). He acknowledges that trade discussions with the Celtics will probably start again by June, and insists Chicago’s playoff fate won’t factor into the decision on Butler (Twitter link).
Paxson hasn’t wavered in his support for coach Fred Hoiberg, saying there has been growth in his second season behind the bench (Twitter link).
The deal that sent Taj Gibson to Oklahoma City was made to create more playing time for Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine (Twitter link). “When you’re trying to develop a team with young players, you need them to get on the floor,” Paxson said (Twitter link).
Gibson said he knew of eight teams that were trying to trade for him (Twitter link). “The hardest part was seeing people’s faces on the way out,” Gibson said in a radio interview. “It’s family.”
Gibson would consider coming back to Chicago “at the right price,” tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. He will be a free agent this summer after making $8.95MM this season. Gibson also indicated that he would consider being a coach with the Bulls when his playing days are finished (Twitter link).

Hawks Made ‘Aggressive’ Offers For George, Butler

February 23rd, 2017 at 8:40pm CST by Luke Adams

8:40pm: Although the Hawks’ offers for George and Butler didn’t feature core players, one source tells Stein (Twitter link) that they included “more” than three first-round picks.

With extra picks on hand for 2018 and 2019, Atlanta theoretically could have offered a 2017 first-round pick, a 2018 first-rounder, and two 2019 first-rounders, and still would’ve adhered to the Ted Stepien rule.

4:43pm: The Hawks weren’t necessarily considered likely to make a big splash today and ultimately didn’t do so, but according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter), it wasn’t for lack of trying. Stein reports that the Hawks made “aggressive” draft-pick-centric trade offers for both Paul George and Jimmy Butler.

Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Twitter link) reported shortly after the trade deadline passed that the Hawks had been working on multiple “big deals” that didn’t come together, and these wouldn’t certainly qualify. GM Wes Wilcox had mentioned in the days leading up to the deadline that Atlanta wouldn’t hesitate to use its collection of draft picks to seek out roster upgrades — the Hawks have extra first-round picks in 2018 (from Minnesota) and 2019 (from Cleveland).

Reports on the talks between the Celtics and Bulls suggested that Chicago had wanted to acquire rotation-ready players in any deal for Butler, so a package heavy on draft picks may not have appealed to the club. As for the Pacers, even though team ownership was receptive to trade offers, president Larry Bird was determined to “swat away all pitches,” per Stein.

The Pacers were also said to have turned down a “monster” offer from the Nuggets, though ESPN’s Zach Lowe notes that Denver was reluctant to include Jamal Murray in that package. The Nuggets would have brought in trade assets from a third team in that scenario, per Lowe.

Meanwhile, though Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical suggested this afternoon that the Celtics had been willing to include both Nets’ first-round picks in talks for George and Butler, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that Boston never formally made the 2017 pick available in Butler discussions. Even if the C’s had been willing to include one or both picks for either player, it’s not clear whether the team would have sought to add protection those selections.

Eastern Notes: Hawks, Celtics, Butler, Knicks

February 23rd, 2017 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Whether it’s via trade or free agency, the Hawks are planning to add a third point guard to their roster, head coach Mike Budenholzer said today (Twitter link via Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution). Dennis Schroder has had a very solid season in Atlanta, but Malcolm Delaney has been up and down as his backup, and the team doesn’t really have additional depth at the position.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

On The Vertical’s live trade deadline show, Adrian Wojnarowski suggested that one reason the Celtics and Bulls haven’t moved forward in Jimmy Butler talks is because the Bulls would want at least a couple players capable of joining their rotation immediately, and Boston is more interested in using draft picks in a potential package.
The Knicks have yet to budge on their insistence that the Timberwolves add an additional player or draft pick to a Ricky Rubio/Derrick Rose swap, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. As Begley notes, it’ll be interesting to see if either side budges before the deadline.
J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com takes a closer look at why the Wizards targeted Bojan Bogdanovic and were willing to give up a first-round pick for him.

Latest On Paul George

February 23rd, 2017 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

12:12pm: “More than a few” rival teams believe the Celtics have a real shot to land George today, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein (Twitter link). However, Wojnarowski tweets that the C’s have no significant traction yet on either George or Jimmy Butler.

10:43am: On the heels of his last George update, Wojnarowski has issued another one, tweeting that the Celtics have now introduced a Nets pick into the discussion. ESPN’s Zach Lowe notes that it’s the 2017 first-rounder (Twitter link). However, Boston has yet to meet the Pacers’ asking price.

10:35am: The Pacers and Celtics had preliminary talks regarding George, but those discussions won’t move forward unless – or until – the C’s put the Nets’ pick on the table, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Wojnarowski doesn’t specify which of the Nets’ picks he’s referring to, but I’d imagine the 2017 first-rounder would be the Pacers’ preference.

10:00am: The Pacers have shown a willingness this week to listen to inquiries on Paul George, but Indiana’s asking price on the star forward is “off the charts,” tweets Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. A league source who spoke to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders echoed that sentiment, suggesting that George would be “massively expensive” to obtain. That source said that his own team didn’t have anywhere close to the assets to pursue such a deal.

[RELATED: Lakers inquired on Paul George]

Outside of the fact that it would take a huge package to pry George away from the Pacers, potential suitors will be apprehensive about making a deal because they know that he wants to win in Indiana, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. As Haynes explains, George’s top preference would be to ultimately re-up with the Pacers, while the Lakers would be his Plan B. The All-Star forward wouldn’t be willing to commit long-term to a team besides those two.

Meanwhile, as has been previously reported, a recent meeting between George and Pacers owner Herb Simon prompted Indiana to more seriously consider all of its options with PG13, since he indicated during that meeting that he wants to stay with the Pacers for the long term only if the team can be a serious contender. Haynes tweets that the meeting between George and Simon was “cordial,” with no ultimatum given.

Celtics Rumors: Butler, George, Bogut, Fultz

February 23rd, 2017 at 11:16am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics remain hopeful of acquiring either Jimmy Butler or Paul George before the trade deadline but it’s more likely they’ll hold onto their main assets, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reports.

One sticking point is that GM Danny Ainge is reluctant to part with the first-round pick the Net owe them this summer via a swap of positions, Bulpett continues. An agent with connections to the potential deal between the Bulls and Boston informed Bulpett that Ainge’s unwillingness to deal the pick scuttled preliminary discussions. The Pacers would likely want that same pick as part of any deal involving George, Bulpett speculates.

Unless a blockbuster deal is worked out that would give them a serious chance of supplanting the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics have no real incentive to move their most prized assets, the thinking goes in the Boston front office. According to another league executive, teams have offered solid veterans to Boston but Ainge only wants to a “real star” for those assets, Bulpett writes in a separate column.

Other nuggets involving the Celtics possible moves:

Andrew Bogut, whom the Mavs agreed to trade to the Sixers today, could be re-routed to the Celtics, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets. However, ESPN’s Chris Haynes tweets that Philadelphia is expected to engage in buyout talks with the veteran center.
Ainge wants to remain a player in this summer’s free agent market unless he can obtain a franchise cornerstone today or via the draft, according to Bulpett. If the Celtics end up holding onto the Nets pick, Washington freshman Markelle Fultz could be the player they’re coveting.
A lesser trade involving a forward such as the Grizzlies’ JaMychal Green or Suns’ P.J. Tucker remains a possibility, Bulpett adds.

Trade Rumors: Suns, Okafor, Butler, Favors

February 23rd, 2017 at 1:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have expressed some interest in trading for Knicks forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, reports Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter). Kuzminskas has averaged 14.6 MPG in 47 contests in his rookie season in New York, chipping in 6.0 PPG and 1.9 RPG. He’s under contract next season at a rate of about $3MM before he becomes eligible for restricted free agency in 2018.

Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:

Within his latest rumor notebook for HoopsHype, Alex Kennedy writes that rival executives believe Sixers big man Jahlil Okafor is much more likely to be moved at the deadline than Nets center Brook Lopez. Kennedy notes that Okafor has received interest from the Kings, while Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer says the Lakers could be in the mix for Okafor. In a non-trade item, Kennedy also adds the Heat to the list of potential suitors for veteran free agent Larry Sanders.
Appearing on NBA TV on Wednesday, TNT’s David Aldridge suggested that the Bulls would insist on Jae Crowder in any package for Jimmy Butler, and the Celtics would be very hesitant to include him, given his role in Boston’s rotation and his extremely team-friendly contract. Brian Robb of 98.5 The Sports Hub (Twitter link) passes along Aldridge’s full comments. Meanwhile, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune reports that the Sixers inquired on Butler, but were rebuffed by the Bulls.
Based on his knowledge of the offers the Jazz have received, agent Wallace Prather doesn’t expect the club to move his client Derrick Favors before Thursday’s deadline, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. However, Prather acknowledged that things could change as the last minute.
After reporting earlier on Wednesday that the Thunder were eyeing Wilson Chandler, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets that the Nuggets forward is no longer on OKC’s radar. Still, Amick didn’t rule out the possibility of the Thunder circling back to Chandler if other options fall through (Twitter link).

Eastern Rumors: PG-13, Celtics, Rose, Bulls

February 22nd, 2017 at 10:12pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Earlier tonight, we passed along the latest notes and rumors from the Western Conference. Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:

Teams around the league believe that the Pacers are simply looking to gather information on the market for Paul George rather than shopping him, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets.
Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter link) hears that there have not been any “substantial talks” between the Celtics and the Pacers or Bulls this week.
There’s a feeling around the league that the Knicks “would give Derrick Rose away” in a trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Facebook Live link). Rose has recently been linked to the Wolves.
In the same segment, Wojnarowski adds that he believes the Bulls may be interested in Jahlil Okafor regardless of whether they trade Jimmy Butler. Wojnarowski added that the Sixers would need at least a first-round pick to part with Okafor while the Bulls are likely to try and offload Nikola Mirotic in an Okafor deal.
Wojnarowski adds (same piece) that the Bulls are firmly behind coach Fred Hoiberg. The organization wants to make it work with the former college coach and if Chicago trades Butler, the franchise could put together a team that’s much younger and possibly better suited for Hoiberg’s coaching style.
Reggie Jackson‘s trade value is at an all-time low and Wojnarowski (same piece) doesn’t envision the Pistons trading him at the deadline.
The Hawks acquired Ersan Ilyasova earlier today and Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link) hears that the team isn’t done dealing.
The Raptors continue to offer Jared Sullinger and a draft choice to teams as they look for help on the wing, Sam Amico of Amico Hoops tweets.

Pacers Gauging Trade Market For Paul George

February 22nd, 2017 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers are gauging the trade market for Paul George and assessing their All-Star forward’s value, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

According to Wojnarowski, Indiana has engaged with teams on “parallel fronts” this week. As we heard last Friday, the Pacers are exploring ways to upgrade their current roster, dangling their 2017 first-round pick and looking to convince George to eventually re-sign. However, Wojnarowski says that the team has also considered the possibility of moving George and rebuilding around young center Myles Turner. The franchise will make a decision on which path to take by Thursday afternoon.

As Wojnarowski writes, there’s no urgency for the Pacers to move George at this time, since he remains under contract through the 2017/18 season. Pacers sources have told Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that George isn’t available, and I expect it would take a massive offer for Indiana to change its stance on the 26-year-old.

Still, for the Pacers, keeping George isn’t without its risks. The Celtics, who have been linked to George and Jimmy Butler, are widely viewed as having the strongest trade assets for a potential blockbuster, so if Boston makes a serious play for Butler this week, that could potentially take a tantalizing package off the table for Indiana.

Additionally, according to Wojnarowski, George is considering re-signing with the Pacers in 2018, but has also mulled the possibility of joining his hometown Lakers. Indiana – or any team that trades for George – could run the risk of losing the star forward to L.A. next summer.