Lebron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

LeBron Considering Cleveland Return, Cavs Inquired On Love?

December 24th, 2012 at 10:57am CST by Sean Highkin

According to a new report from Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, LeBron James is open to the possibility of returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers if he chooses to opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat after the 2013/14 season. Lloyd writes that James is friends with Cavs players Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, and his new agent, Rich Paul, has local ties.

Lloyd adds, however, that Cavs GM Chris Grant is aware that the team must improve considerably in order to be considered a viable option for James. Grant is reportedly aggressively exploring options to add another impact player. Lloyd reports that Grant asked about trading an Anderson Varejao-based package for Kevin Love following Love's recent comments critical of the Timberwolves, but was rebuffed. He has also inquired on the possibility of trading for the Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge, the Grizzlies' Marc Gasol, and the Lakers' Pau Gasol.

Lloyd writes that although the Cavs are still open to moving Varejao, who is having an outstanding season, it doesn't seem likely because his recent play has raised their asking price and no team thus far has been willing to meet their demands. A trade of Varejao to the Thunder for Perry Jones III, Jeremy Lamb, and Toronto's protected 2013 first-round draft pick has been discussed, but both sides have concerns about the players they would get back.

Eastern Notes: Rich Paul, Magic, Hibbert

December 22nd, 2012 at 11:15pm CST by Ryan Raroque

You can find the miscellaneous links we've gathered up out of the Eastern Conference below:

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo (via Twitter) says that Rich Paul, who is currently the agent of Heat star LeBron James, may have violated Texas agent laws as it relates to the investigation regarding college sophomore Myck Kabongo.
Magic rookie Andrew Nicholson is showing signs of a promising career as he continues to be a productive player for Jacque Vaughn in Orlando, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld. Another impressive young player has been second year center Nikola Vucevic, who Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel points out is among the double-double leaders among sophomore players as well as top 15 overall in rebounding. Lastly, Schmitz talks about how the team has adjusted while Glen Davis deals with a shoulder injury.
Roy Hibbert spoke about how the weakness in his right wrist has significantly hindered his shooting touch as of late (Mike Wells of IndyStar.com reports).
Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver had nothing but good things to say about Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and his tenure in Chicago, says Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. In what also could be perceived as an indirect compliment to Thibodeau, Atlanta's Jeff Teague admitted that he was happy that his brother (Bulls guard Marquis Teague) had been drafted by a team with a reputation for hard work.

Odds & Ends: Cousins, Thunder, Vesely, Morris

December 22nd, 2012 at 6:16pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In addtion to Steve Nash's Lakers debut tonight, another major talking point in the Pacific Division involves the Kings' suspension of DeMarcus Cousins. According to Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today, a source close the team's plans says that the former Kentucky big man isn't untouchable. Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM feels that Sacramento and the Magic would benefit by exploring trade talks, as both have pieces that could help the other side (Twitter link). Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops also weighed in, offering four different scenarios in which the Kings could deal the fourth-year player. With that aside, here are some of the other notable stories we're hearing from the NBA this evening:

Jim Eichenhoffer of Hornets.com tweets that Eric Gordon has been cleared for full contact practice.
Jenni Carlson of NewsOK believes that dealing James Harden to Houston has made the Thunder a better and more fluid team, pointing to the significant increase in assist numbers by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Jan Vesely has yet to earn a consistent role during a turbulent start to his second-year campaign with the struggling Wizards, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “It’s tough, especially when the team is losing,” Vesely said of his current role. “Everybody try to stay positive but sometimes it’s hard. I try to practice everyday, work on my game and stay ready for my chance to play.”
Darius Morris may not be ready for a starting job, but Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times writes about how the Lakers' sophomore guard has found a significant role in Mike D'Antoni's rotation (Sulia link).
Two years ago and just months removed from "The Decision", Jazz guard Mo Williams (then with Cleveland) and Heat superstar LeBron James may not have necessarily been on each other's holiday greetings list. Today, Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune notes how the two former teammates had nothing but glowing remarks to say about each other heading into tonight's matchup between Utah and Miami.

Aldridge On Raptors, Varejao, LeBron, Thunder

December 17th, 2012 at 12:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

TNT's David Aldridge checks in as usual on a Monday with his Morning Tip column at NBA.com, and this week's edition is full of trade rumors as talk heats up around the league. Here's a digest of Aldridge's latest scuttlebutt, with a heavy focus on the Raptors.

While Andrea Bargnani's elbow injury will keep him out for a month, delaying trade talk, one rival GM is convinced he'll eventually be leaving the Raptors, feeling as though there's no doubt GM Bryan Colangelo will trade him.
The Raptors are leery of adding another international player, according to Aldridge, which would make them reluctant to trade for Pau Gasol.
Aldridge speculates the Raptors won't deal Jose Calderon to the Lakers, and instead ship him somewhere for a draft pick to create a massive trade exception. Aldridge writes that such a trade exception would be $15.6MM, but I believe it would be closer to $10.6MM, reflecting Calderon's salary.
A league executive speculates that the Cavs will hold on to Varejao through the summer of 2014, when LeBron James can become a free agent, so they can make a pitch to their erstwhile superstar. In any case, the Cavs have set Varejao's asking price too high for other teams' tastes, as they often do with their many of their players, according to Aldridge.
Though the Thunder are reportedly content to stand pat for now, Aldridge believes they could try to move the Raptors pick they got from the Rockets in the James Harden trade, speculating that one of their targets could be Varejao.
Aldridge spoke with a GM who joins the seeming consensus that the Jazz are more likely to deal Paul Millsap than Al Jefferson. The GM believes Jefferson is a better fit with Derrick Favors.
The Bucks want an upgrade at small forward, and Aldridge thinks the team is more likely to move "one of its undersized four or oversized threes" than trade Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis.
The Wizards are open to trading one of their big men for veteran help at the point, where they're woefully thin in John Wall's absence.
The Pacers are willing to tinker, but aren't putting Paul George or George Hill on the table.
No one aside from Jrue Holiday is off-limits as the Sixers seek a big man, though it would take a lot to pry Thaddeus Young or Evan Turner from their hands.

Odds & Ends: D-League, Odom, World Peace

December 9th, 2012 at 5:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld spoke with Dan Reed, the president of the NBA's developmental league, and heard that there is growing interest from several NBA teams in either purchasing or having a joint affiliation with a team in the NBDL. According to Reed, Koutropis notes that with an increase in the assignments of young players from the NBA to the D-League, it will make for a great opportunity for developmental affiliates to market themselves with some of the NBA's top young talent. Here are more of today's odds and ends from the Association:

Lamar Odom is starting to get in shape and is displaying flashes of his old Sixth Man of the Year form, as Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News observes.
The Lakers' decision not to amnesty Metta World Peace before last season is paying off, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, who adds that this summer's discovery and treatment of a nerve issue that had been bothering World Peace for four years has reinvigorated his play.
Nuggets guard Ty Lawson admits he can do better than his slumping performance this season, and Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post outlines what the point guard must do to return to the form that netted him a four-year, $48MM extension in October.
Despite GM David Kahn's denial of Pau Gasol trade rumors, the Timberwolves "would love" to acquire the big man and play him at center, according to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald.
Finnan also hears from sources within the ranks of media, agents, assistant coaches, GMs and scouts who tell him they are convinced LeBron James will opt out of his contract in 2014.
Center Solomon Alabi is close to a deal with a Chinese club, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The 7'1" Alabi was let go by the Hornets at the end of training camp. He spent the last two seasons with the Raptors, but saw little playing time, averaging 1.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 7.0 minutes a game over 26 total contests.

Southeast Notes: Magic, LeBron, Beal, Biyombo

November 7th, 2012 at 7:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

All five Southeast Division teams are in action tonight, including the Magic, who are starting Josh McRoberts at small forward against the Timberwolves. It's a lineup move coach Jacque Vaughn admits isn't ideal, tweets John Denton of Magic.com. The team had been using undrafted rookie DeQuan Jones as the starter at that position since Hedo Turkoglu broke his hand in the season opener. Mickael Pietrus, a former Magic player and current free agent who reportedly expects to sign soon, might be a tempting candidate to fill in, but that's just my speculation. In the meantime, there's more about the Magic and their Southeast Division rivals right here.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports explains how Jones went from being the seventh-leading scorer at the University of Miami last season to starting games for the Magic this year.
After the Celtics packaged him as part of the Courtney Lee trade this summer, leading to his release by the Rockets, E'Twaun Moore is showing he's more than just an afterthought with his early season play for the Magic, notes Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com.
Dwyane Wade earlier today revealed his reasons for not signing with the Nets in 2010, and Heat teammate LeBron James, also recruited by New Jersey that summer, said of the Nets that, "It was hard to see where they were at the time," writes Howard Beck of The New York Times. Wade and James were impressed by Brooklyn's offseason moves this year, Beck adds.
Rob Mahoney of SI.com identifies several players who should be seeing more time on the court, including Wizards rookie Bradley Beal and Bobcats second-year man Bismack Biyombo.

NBA GMs Weigh In On 2012/13 Season

October 22nd, 2012 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

The results are in on NBA.com's annual survey of the league's general managers, with all 30 NBA GMs weighing in on dozens of questions about the 2012/13 season and the 2012 offseason. We won't round up all of their answers here, so feel free to check out the full results at NBA.com, but here are a few of the more notable responses:

70% of respondents believe the Heat will repeat as NBA champs, while 96.7% think Miami will win the Eastern Conference. Since GMs aren't allowed to vote for their own teams, that means the rest of the league's 29 GMs picked the Heat to come out of the East.
The Lakers are the favorites to come out of the West, earning 60% of the votes. The Thunder (36.7%) and Nuggets (3.3%) were the only other teams mentioned.
LeBron James is the player most GMs would start a franchise with, earning 80% of the votes.
86.2% of GMs believe the Lakers made the best offseason moves, with Dwight Howard (70%) and Steve Nash (20%) earning the most votes for the summer addition who will make the biggest impact. Los Angeles' sign-and-trade for Nash was also voted the summer's most surprising move.
Besides the Lakers, the other teams receiving votes for the best offseason roster moves were the Nets, Hawks, and Warriors.
The Nets (62.1%) ran away with the votes on which team will be most improved, while Andre Iguodala (16.7%) topped the choices for most underrated acquisition — the Celtics' duo of Jason Terry and Courtney Lee also received support in that category.
Anthony Davis (76.7%) and Gregg Popovich (80%) were the runaway picks for rookie of the year and the NBA's best coach, respectively.

LeBron James Brushes Off Lakers Rumors

October 18th, 2012 at 10:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

LeBron James pleaded ignorance before the Heat's preseason win against the Pistons tonight when asked about a report linking him to the Lakers, and he tried to further quell speculation after the game, as Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida notes (Sulia links).

"This is where I’m here now,'' James said, when asked if he has interest in joining the Lakers. "I almost used foul language. I’m not worried about that. That story, I don’t know where it came from. But I understand it came up because of who I am. It’s going to happen but I’m not going to worry about it. I got to continue to make sure I stay focused with these guys and make sure we’re ready for any challenge that comes upon us.’’

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported earlier today that an NBA executive believed the Lakers had timed almost all of their contracts to end in 2014 so they could make a run at James, who can opt out of his contract with the Heat that summer. Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register passed along comments from Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss confirming that the team has structured most of its deals to end by the summer of 2014, though Buss didn't mention James by name, as he is barred from doing so by tampering rules.

While he's focused on the present, James said he's not frustrated by the prospect of renewed public curiosity about his future, as there was prior to his choice of the Heat in 2010.

"Guys are going to make stories every day," he said. "It doesn’t matter to me. I’m true to my teammates. I’m here. And this is what it’s all about, us daily trying to get better as a team and trying to defend our title. So anyone can write a story. You have ESPN and then it becomes credible and you do what you want to do."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra stressed a focus on the present in the wake of the reports, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes, while Dwyane Wade, who could also opt out of his deal in 2014, took the rumors head-on, as Tomasson notes via Sulia.

"They can leave my teammate alone, man,'' he said. "I’m going with that. He’s going to be here. We’re straight. So they can go mess with someone else."

Buss Says Lakers Want To Make ‘Splash’ In 2014

October 18th, 2012 at 6:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss told Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register the team has intentionally designed most of its contracts to end in 2014, when Kobe Bryant's deal is also up and LeBron James and other stars can become free agents. Ding's report adds further credence to Brian Windhorst's ESPN.com story that quotes a general manager from an unidentified team as saying "It's not a mistake" the Lakers' deals all end at the same time. The plan, Buss said, is to "make a big splash in the free agent market."

"We would basically, money-wise, be able to sign the top free agent – maybe even two," he said. "I don't know the numbers exactly, because we're not privy to what the cap is and how much room we have, but it's going to be close to two of the top free agents that year."

The only contract the Lakers have that extends past 2014 belongs to Steve Nash, who'll make $9.7MM in 2014/15. They envision having Dwight Howard around, too, as Ding points out, and if he's on a maximum deal he'd be making more than $22.5MM that season. That would mean a tight squeeze for two more maximum-salary players, but would certainly leave enough room for one.

Ding says if James opts in with the Heat for 2014/15, the Lakers could try to convince Bryant to play one more season and go after James again in 2015. There could also be other options in 2014 if James is unavailable, as Ding lists Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and John Wall among the possibilties, though none seem quite as attractive as James. For a full list of 2014 free agents, check out our list here.

Getting the vast majority of the team's contracts off the books after 2014 could also save the Lakers plenty in luxury tax that they'd have to pay if they brought everyone back, especially since 2014 is when more dire penalties for taxpaying teams kick in under the new CBA. While it's conceivable the team could once more go over the tax threshold with a new group, they'd likely have to get under the cap to bring aboard James or another maximum-salary player, making it difficult to immediately become a taxpayer again.

Heat Rumors: LeBron, Lewis, Chalmers, Blatche

October 18th, 2012 at 6:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

A report by Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com suggesting the Lakers could go after LeBron James in 2014 went out like something of a hurricane watch for South Florida today, and Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com adds to Miami's anxiety, tweeting that the Bulls, too, would go after King James when he comes available. Of course, it makes sense that plenty of teams covet the three-time MVP, and Friedell believes the Bulls rank below the Heat and Lakers on LeBron's wishlist (Twitter link). While the threat that he might leave someday is indeed present, LeBron remains under contract with the Heat for at least two more seasons. As Miami focuses on the present, here are the latest Heat-related rumblings:

James denied knowledge of Windhorst's story earlier today, responding, "What story? The Marvel Comics story?" when asked about it by reporters, including Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
Winderman argues that, given Rashard Lewis' minimum-salary contract, any contribution the team gets from him this season should be seen as gravy for a team that already had a successful offseason with the signing of Ray Allen.
In the same piece, Winderman also suggests Mario Chalmers could become a trade candidate if fellow point guards Norris Cole and Garrett Temple impress.
The Heat kicked the tires on Andray Blatche this summer, but despite his emergence as the league's fourth leading scorer in the preseason at 17.0 points per game for the Nets, Winderman doesn't believe Miami is missing out, since Blatche would likely have been glued to the Heat bench.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Dwyane Wade is ahead of schedule as he recovers from offseason knee surgery, Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida reports (Sulia link). The last we heard, Wade was hoping to be ready for opening night.