J.j. Barea Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Kings, Garnett, Mavs, Wolves

February 20th, 2013 at 9:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Most around the league are surprised by the Kings' involvement in a cost-cutting deal that sent away Thomas Robinson, the fifth pick of this past June's draft this evening, Grantland's Zach Lowe hears (Twitter link). It's just the fifth time a team has traded a top five pick in his rookie season, ESPN Stats and Info tweets. The Kings weren't expected to be involved in any deals as their ownership situation is resolved, but ultimately they didn't hesitate to jump in at the last moment. Here's more on that trade and from around the West as the hours tick down until tomorrow's 2:00pm Central time deadline:

If Kevin Garnett is traded, it will be to the Clippers or not at all, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes.
The Mavs are making Brandan Wright, Rodrigue Beaubois and Dominique Jones available in return for draft picks, but won't compromise future cap space, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (All Twitter links).
J.J. Barea, Luke Ridnour and Derrick Williams are all available from the Wolves, Berger also tweets.
Marcus Morris is averaging 18.4 minutes per game this month for the Rockets, and he was seeking more before the trade that sent him to the Suns, tweets Sam Amick of SI.com.
There's a decent chance the Blazers get involved in serious trade talks, but it would likely be about smaller moves, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune sums up what looks to be a quiet deadline for the Jazz, who aren't interested in trading for anyone on a long-term deal unless they get a core player in return.

Wolves Rumors: Kirilenko, Mayo, Mozgov, Redick

February 20th, 2013 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest on the Timberwolves from Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities….

General manager David Kahn isn't convinced he'll be able to make a deal by tomorrow's deadline, but it won't be from lack of trying, says Wolfson. The T-Wolves have made Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea, Derrick Williams, and Brandon Roy available as they explore trade options.
The Wolves have received more calls about Andrei Kirilenko than anyone else, but the club won't move the Russian forward, barring a "too-good-to-be-true offer."
Minnesota's top priority is a wing player with size. The team reached out to the Mavericks about O.J. Mayo, but was rebuffed, according to Wolfson.
The Wolves like Timofey Mozgov and view him as a good value in free agency this summer, but are unlikely to reach a compromise on a trade with the Nuggets.
To acquire J.J. Redick or Avery Bradley, the Wolves would have to give up Williams and a first-round pick, according to Wolfson. That's not happening for Bradley and is very unlikely for Redick.
Rick Adelman and the Wolves like Courtney Lee and are keeping an eye on him, but they didn't want to offer four years in free agency last summer, so the contract could bother them.
Adelman told season ticket holders that the Wolves' goal is to re-sign Nikola Pekovic this summer. However, some team sources aren't sure Pekovic is worth $11MM annually, and question his ability to stay healthy, says Wolfson.

Sixers’ DiLeo Denies Bynum Trade Talk

December 16th, 2012 at 6:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Before the tipoff of tonight's Sixers-Lakers game, Philadelphia GM Tony DiLeo made it known that the club has not had trade discussions about center Andrew Bynum, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Newspapers. DiLeo also rejected the notion that the Sixers have talked to the Timberwolves about swapping forward Dorell Wright for point guard J.J. Barea.

A recent piece by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports intimated that the 76ers have talked about trading the injured big man and cited one source as saying that the club was fishing for a starting caliber center. When asked if the Sixers are looking to make a move prior to the February 21 trade deadline, DiLeo said management would do something, “if we can improve our talent level.” DiLeo also said they aren’t targeting a specific position and that the club wants to see what the team looks like when healthy.

Meanwhile, the idea that the Sixers have discussed a Wright-Barea swap with the Mavs comes from an NBA source who spoke with Moore. Wright, 27, was acquired by Philly in a three-way deal this summer that sent Jarrett Jack to the Warriors and the rights to Edin Bavcic to New Orleans. Wright started every game he played in for Golden State over the last two years, averaging 13.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 33.5 minutes per contest. However, he has seen his playing time dip to just over 20 minutes per game with averages of 6.9 PPG and 4.2 RPG.

Stein On Pau, Raptors, Varejao, Jazz, Gentry

December 14th, 2012 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Marc Stein has published his Weekend Dime, and leads off the jam-packed column with a look at a handful of players that are candidates to be dealt before February 21st's trade deadline. Here are the highlights on those guys, and from the rest of Stein's piece:

The Lakers continue to recognize that they're unlikely to get fair value for Pau Gasol, given his health, salary, and performance, and would prefer to avoid another major shakeup anyway. So for now, they're still not seriously considering a Pau trade.
Multiple front-office sources view the Raptors as the team most motivated to make a move. The team would like to make Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon in tandem, but Bargnani's elbow injury may force Toronto to deal Calderon on his own. The Lakers and Mavericks have interest, though neither team is an obvious match for Calderon's $10.5MM+ salary.
NBA teams believe Anderson Varejao is "highly available," but are skeptical he'll be dealt, since the Cavaliers' high asking price is only increasing. Cleveland is seeking multiple young assets for Varejao, according to Stern, who says the Thunder, a potential match, have exhibited little interest.
Teams around the league aren't sure whether the Jazz would be more inclined to trade Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson, but the general consensus suggests one of the two will be dealt by the deadline for a front-line point guard.
Stein lists a few other names that come up repeatedly in talks with sources as trade candidates: Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Derrick Williams, Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea, Michael Beasley, Courtney Lee, and D.J. Augustin.
Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley may already be interested in buying another team, with the Bucks as a potential target, according to Stein.
Robert Sarver's assurances that Alvin Gentry will keep his job as Suns head coach shouldn't be viewed as a "dreaded" vote of confidence. Sources tell Stein that Sarver likes Gentry "too much personally to make an in-season change."

Northwest Notes: Wolves Injuries, Blazers, Williams

November 20th, 2012 at 9:13pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from the Northwest Division on Tuesday night:

J.J. Barea and Nikola Pekovic are both expected to play for the Timberwolves on Wednesday, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Wolves coach Rick Adleman told Ray Richardson of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press that doctors cleaned debris out of the knee of Brandon Roy.
Joe Freeman of the Oregonian sheds some light on Blazers coach Terry Stotts' attempt to juggle the minutes of rookies Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, and Will Barton.
Freeman also notes that so far, Nicolas Batum is living up to the four-year, $44MM contract he signed this summer.
Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that Mo Williams is proving to be a perfect fit on the Jazz' roster.

Latest On Timberwolves’ Injuries

November 18th, 2012 at 3:39pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been plagued by injuries to their key players in recent weeks, which has forced them to play shorthanded and turn to free agents such as Josh Howard to shore up the rotation. However, Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has some good news for Wolves fans on the injury front involving several players.

Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, neither of whom have played this season, are starting to participate in light offensive workouts, and are both still scheduled to return to the court sometime in December. Center Nikola Pekovic, who injured his ankle last week, is participating fully in practice and is on track to return on Wednesday.

Two Timberwolves players who have yet to participate in basketball-related activities since being sidelined are guards Brandon Roy and J.J. Barea. There is no timeframe for either one to return to action.

Wolves Rumors: Harden, Williams, Barea, Ridnour

November 9th, 2012 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities shares a number of interesting tidbits related to the Timberwolves in his latest Scoops piece, so let's dive right in and check out the highlights….

Wolfson hears from T-Wolves sources that Minnesota made a few calls on James Harden, and would have been willing to part with Derrick Williams, future first-round picks, and more. However, since the Thunder weren't all that interested in dealing within the division and had a strong offer from the Rockets, talks between the Wolves and OKC never got serious.
Williams, J.J. Barea, and Luke Ridnour are considered potential trade candidates, but the Wolves aren't engaged in any discussions now. Wolfson says that dialogue could pick up once the team has 15 games under its belt.
Owner Glen Taylor expects injured stars Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio to return in early December and mid-December, respectively.
Taylor also addressed the possibility of selling the franchise, telling Wolfson he may "get a deal within this year." However, Taylor added that he anticipates remaining with the organization for five or six years, slowly transitioning from majority to minority owner.
R.J. Adelman, Minnesota's director of personnel, likes Mickael Pietrus, but the veteran wing is still not open to signing for the minimum, which means he's out of the Wolves' price range.

Positional Notes: Davis, Acy, Sixers

September 23rd, 2012 at 2:01pm CST by Michael Pina

With the season right around the corner, tons of speculation surrounds positional rotations on several teams. Here are a few recent articles that shine a little light on where certain players currently stand on their team's respective depth charts.

Terry Pluto from The Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Samardo Samuels will be fighting for a spot in the Cavaliers front court next season, but with the addition of Tyler Zeller and the return of Anderson Varejao from injury, it'll be difficult.
The Toronto Star's Doug Smith believes that with six players in front of him, rookie Quincy Acy will have a very difficult time cracking the Raptors front court rotation.
With the Sixers offseason addition of Andrew Bynum at center, former center Spencer Hawes will be forced into a role as the team's power forward, writes the Philadelphia Inquirer's John Mitchell.
Kent Williams of SheridanHoops.com has a few notes worth discussing, including Glen Davis' status as the Magic's starting power forward and J.J. Barea's rapidly decreasing role with the Timberwolves.

Latest On Nicolas Batum

July 11th, 2012 at 10:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:51pm: If the Blazers and Wolves fail to work out a trade and the Wolves sign Batum to an offer sheet, the Wolves will have to make a series of moves to do so, given what's expected to be a $10MM first-year salary in Minnesota's offer to Batum, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.

The moves would include buying out Brad Miller and Martell Webster and using the amnesty clause to waive Darko Milicic, Zgoda says, adding the Wolves may also have to trade a player. Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea and Wesley Johnson are possible trade candidates in that scenario. Ridnour or a draft pick could be headed to the Bulls in a deal that would send Kyle Korver to the Blazers.

6:33pm: Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com has Olshey's comments on the possibility of a sign-and-trade for Batum.

You don't close the door to anything in this league,” the Blazers GM said. "But, from what I can see, as far as what they can viably offer as of today, I would think Nicolas would have more value than what they can put in a sign-and-trade.”

Mavs Notes: Deron, Chandler, Barea

May 1st, 2012 at 9:28pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes surrounding the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night:

SportsDayDFW's Eddie Sefko has a mailbag column in which he outlines several reasons why Deron Williams should consider signing with the Mavs, most notably Williams' roots in the area and the opportunity to play with Dirk Nowitzki.
Sefko also notes that the contracts of Nowitzki and Shawn Marion expire the same year, which could potentially allow the team to sign another star to pair with Williams while the guard is still in his prime.
SportsDayDFW's Brad Townsend writes that the Mavs are feeling the loss of Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea, both of whom left the team in free agency before the season.