And-Ones: Timberwolves, Gasol, Kings
Talks between Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and Grizzlies part-owner Steve Kaplan about a would-be deal for 30% of the Minnesota franchise have “hit a wall,” sources told Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. The proposed arrangement, which would reportedly involve Taylor eventually ceding control of the Wolves to Kaplan, isn’t dead, Krawczynski hears, but a source who spoke with Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune suggested no deal may ever come to pass. Kaplan has encountered trouble in his effort to sell his Grizzlies stake, a requirement before he buys into the Wolves, Krawczynski’s sources say. Regardless of what happens on that front, Taylor and Kaplan still must sort through issues about how much say Kaplan would have in hiring for the team’s GM and coaching positions and whether Taylor would indeed eventually give up control, Zgoda writes. For now, Taylor is preparing to make decisions about interim GM Milt Newton and interim coach Sam Mitchell on his own and is actively investigating his options, according to Zgoda. See more on the Wolves amid a look around the NBA:
- The Timberwolves are seeking an athletic wing player for their open roster spot, with Mitchell saying he wants someone with NBA experience who’d have a legitimate chance of making the opening night roster next season, Zgoda reports in the same piece. “We have to improve our athleticism,” Mitchell said. “I don’t think we’re a bad athletic team, but we’re not as athletic as we need to be. We need to look at guys who can defend, a guy who can shoot, and see how this team can look if we can spread the floor a little bit more.”
- The Bulls will have to continue to try to build a contender if they want to re-sign Pau Gasol, as he indicated to Marca.com (translation via HoopsHype), reiterating that he’ll opt out and that, all things being equal, he’d prefer to stay with Chicago. Money won’t be his first priority, Gasol also said, adding that the offer from the Bulls should nonetheless reflect that they value his performance.
- The Kings interviewed former Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks on Thursday for a job within their front office, as USA Today’s Sam Amick hears (Twitter link). Marks currently works as a writer for The Vertical on Yahoo Sports.
Central Notes: Pistons, Cavs, Bulls
The Pistons have asked for a 24-hour extension of the typical 72-hour trade window to further evaluate Donatas Motiejunas’ back condition, Detroit coach/executive Stan Van Gundy told reporters, including Keith Langlois of NBA.com (Twitter link). There is a chance that the trade could be voided, but Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets the possibility of that is “small.” The Pistons’ request has not been approved yet, as David Mayo of MLive points out (on Twitter). The 72-hour window would end tonight and the extension would push that deadline to Monday night. The Pistons acquired Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton from the Rockets as part of a three-team trade Thursday involving the Sixers, despite acknowledging the risk that came with adding Motiejunas because of his persistent back issues. The Pistons have consulted with a back specialist in addition to several doctors, which has contributed to the delay, Beard tweets.
Here’s more from around the Central Division:
- The Bulls are currently the front-runners to re-sign Pau Gasol this summer, but the way Chicago finishes the season will hold weight, and the center revealed the coaching change from Tom Thibodeau to Fred Hoiberg will also factor into his decision, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times relays.
- The Cavs should have retained Anderson Varejao because of his selfless attitude and willingness to accept a diminished role in a quest toward a championship, Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer opines. The Cavs acquired Channing Frye and traded Varejao to the Trail Blazers in a deal that was officially structured as two separate trades. The Blazers then waived Varejao. Haynes wonders if adding Frye significantly improves the Cavs and if his presence was worth moving Varejao, who has played his entire 13-year career in Cleveland.
- LeBron James was not consulted by the Cavs front office before Varejao was moved, according to Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. James has referred to Varejao as one of his favorite teammates, as Vardon notes.
Central Notes: Gasol, Bryant, Frye, Pistons
The final third of the season will influence Pau Gasol‘s decision on whether to stay with the Bulls, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The 35-year-old plans to opt out this summer, passing up $7,769,520 next season to take a shot at free agency. His future will largely be affected by how the injury-plagued Bulls perform in the crowded Eastern Conference race for playoff spots. “How these games play out will give me information of how I want to … or how my decision will be influenced for sure,’’ Gasol said. “How we handle this situation and if we’re able to overcome it, get more together and united and stronger or we give up or are content with it. Because that tells a lot, it tells you a lot about the character of a team and the people you are around.’’
There’s more news from the Central Division:
- Kobe Bryant, who will play his final game in Chicago Sunday, came close to joining the Bulls in 2004, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. In the wake of the Lakers’ loss in the NBA Finals, and with relationships strained with coach Phil Jackson and teammate Shaquille O’Neal, Bryant wanted to use his free agency to get out of Los Angeles. He held a secret meeting with Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and executive John Paxson and strategized about how to get a sign-and-trade deal done with the Lakers. However, a few days later O’Neal asked for a trade, and Bryant spent 12 more years in L.A.
- Channing Frye still hasn’t been cleared to play for Cleveland, but the organization isn’t concerned about his status, writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Frye, who was obtained from Orlando in a trade on Thursday, went through more medical exams today and did not accompany the Cavaliers on their trip to Oklahoma City. Coach Tyronn Lue said the franchise has “no concern at all” about Frye, who sat out the 2012/13 season with a heart condition.
- The Pistons created a minuscule $211,795 trade exception equivalent to the difference between Joel Anthony‘s $2.5MM salary and the $2,288,205 salary for Donatas Motiejunas as a result of their trade Thursday, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). Detroit took Marcus Thornton‘s salary into the minimum-salary exception.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Central Notes: Rubio, Forman, Harris
The Bulls held off on making any major trade deadline moves because no offers significant enough to improve the team materialized, according to GM Gar Forman, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune relays. “We understand the frustrations. Up to this point, it has been a disappointing year,” Forman said. “We all realize — from ownership to the front office to the players to the coaching staff — we haven’t done as well as we thought we would do. We hold ourselves accountable that we haven’t met expectations. With that said, we certainly were not in any type of panic mode. We looked at the big picture. Obviously, the injuries that we’ve had have hurt. But that’s not the only reason. … We explored heavily and were very, very active with talks with a lot of teams. There wasn’t something we felt … significant enough to do something right now.”
Here’s the latest from the Central Division:
- The Pistons believe that Tobias Harris is still on the rise as a player and that he will be able to help the franchise in a variety of ways, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “The interesting thing is being able to look at what he was doing this season but going back to our free-agent preparation for the summer and the review of last year’s performance,” GM Jeff Bower told Langlois. “We feel that showed us a player with a variety of skills that can help a team in numerous ways. We also think that his play and the projection of his performance over the next five years is on a steady incline based on what we’re seeing and think he has a lot of room to grow as a player. We really like that this is a move that can be looked at as a long-term move as well as one that will fit with our core group of players and we’ll be able to keep them together due to contract certainty. Those are all pieces that were pretty important.”
- The protected first round pick the Cavaliers sent to the Trail Blazers as part of the Channing Frye trade will become two second round picks if it is not conveyed in 2018 or 2019, Erik Gunderson of The Columbian relays (on Twitter).
- The Bulls never attempted to trade power forward Pau Gasol, though the team did receive numerous inquiries about his availability, Forman insists, as Nick Friedell of ESPN.com notes (Twitter links). Forman also indicated that the team still hopes to re-sign center Joakim Noah, who will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Friedell adds.
- Cavs GM David Griffin noted that the team had a deal in place with Frye when he was a free agent in 2014, but Cleveland couldn’t make the numbers work because it needed all of its cap space to sign LeBron James, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal tweets.
- The Bucks made several attempts to pry point guard Ricky Rubio away from the Wolves but balked when Minnesota requested shooting guard Khris Middleton in return, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press reports (Twitter link).
Eastern Notes: Gasol, Knicks, Heat
The Bulls plan to make a run at re-signing Pau Gasol this summer, Chicago GM Gar Forman told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Gasol intends to use his player option to become a free agent this summer, but added the Bulls are the front-runners to re-sign him, Johnson notes in a full story. The Bulls turned down at least two offers for Gasol, according to Johnson.
“This is where I wanted to be and where I want to be right now. I don’t want to give up on this team just because we’re going through some difficulties and challenges right now,” Gasol said. “Things really haven’t turned out the way I wanted them to. But at the same time, there are things that I couldn’t anticipate. All I can do is continue to give my best. And I do still believe we can still turn this thing around a little bit or a lot and put ourselves in a good position.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Bucks made a run at Dwight Howard within the last 24 hours before the deadline, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports said on The Vertical online trade deadline show, as RealGM transcribes. The talks broke down because Howard wouldn’t pick up his player option for next season, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Knicks rejected an offer from the Rockets involving point guard Patrick Beverley because the asking price of a first-round pick and two rotation players was too high, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
- The Heat made attempts to add a rotation player, but changed course and looked for ways to cut costs after realizing a deal was not going to be made, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports (on Twitter). Miami got beneath the tax threshold and the specter of repeat-offender penalties with its moves today.
Kings Making Push For Pau Gasol
1:14pm: The Kings are really high on Snell, Jones tweets.
THURSDAY, 9:07am: Skepticism is emanating from the Bulls side about a deal getting done on this front, Amick hears (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 10:40pm: The Kings are “aggressively pursuing” Bulls center Pau Gasol, tweets Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Sacramento is offering center Kosta Koufos, shooting guard Ben McLemore and “sweetener” in return.
Chicago would also send swingman Tony Snell to the Kings and would receive a relaxation of the lottery protections on the first-round pick that Sacramento owes the Bulls this summer, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. The pick is currently top-10 protected, but that provision could be lowered to give Chicago a better chance of having it this year.
Wojnarowski also reports that the Kings called the Sixers today because Philadelphia has the option to swap first-rounders with Sacramento this summer. Sacramento can’t make a trade with the Bulls without an agreement with the Sixers. Philadelphia plans to seek some type of unidentified compensation for going along with the deal.
However, if the Kings and Bulls agree to change the protection on the pick, the trade automatically has to become a three-team deal with the Sixers, tweets Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers. Fischer confirmed with the league office that a change in protection to an owned draft pick cannot legally affect another obligation (Twitter link). All teams affected by the pick in question must accept the changes as part of a trade (Twitter link).
Gasol makes nearly $7.45MM this year and has a player option for next season at nearly $7.77MM. He said in December that he is “very likely” to opt out of his current contract, and there were conflicting reports today on how badly the Bulls want to trade him before Thursday’s deadline.
Eastern Rumors: Teague, Gasol, Nets
- The Nets never wound up interviewing Wizards senior VP of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard despite asking Washington’s permission to do so, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
- Knicks GM Steve Mills spoke with the Timberwolves about Ricky Rubio, but the Knicks believe Minnesota won’t deal him, and while New York contacted the Rockets about Ty Lawson, neither dialogue is active, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- The Celtics have thus far been unwilling to pay a premium for Al Horford or Dwight Howard, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
- The Bucks have reached out to the Sixers about Kendall Marshall but haven’t made progress on that front, reports Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
- Pau Gasol confirmed today the Bulls are in the lead to re-sign him when he opts out, as expected, this summer, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. An earlier report indicated he preferred to join forces with Marc Gasol on the Grizzlies.
- The Pistons are still deliberating on their point guard situation, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press hears (Twitter link).
- The Magic are expected to make a big push this summer for Horford, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com tweets.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Pau Gasol Wants To Join Brother On Grizzlies?
9:30pm: Gasol is profoundly interested in re-signing with the Bulls this summer and has heavily resisted a trade, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Some teams believe strongly enough that he wants to stay in Chicago that they worry Gasol wouldn’t be fully motivated to play if he were traded, Wojnarowski adds.
8:23pm: Pau Gasol would ideally like to play with his brother Marc Gasol on the Grizzlies, as J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic hears. Marc said in October that he’d like to recruit Pau to Memphis, though he didn’t sound optimistic that he’d be able to do so. A conflicting narrative exists on whether Chicago is shopping Pau or merely fielding interest from other teams, with Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com offering some middle ground tonight, having heard that the team is open to trading him. Pau could otherwise end up leaving Chicago for Memphis as a free agent this summer, having acknowledged he’s “very likely” to opt out.
Marc is out with a broken foot that threatens to end his season, but the 35-year-old Pau remains a productive force for the Bulls, averaging 17.0 and 10.9 rebounds and making the All-Star Game as an injury replacement. The Bulls reportedly want a rotation player and a first-round pick for their Gasol, so he won’t come cheaply if he’s to end up leaving Chicago before the 2pm Central time deadline Thursday. The Bulls have reportedly had their eyes on an upgrade at the wing, with Ben McLemore one of their targets, but the Grizzlies traded Courtney Lee on Tuesday for two players and four second-round picks.
Whichever team Pau end the season with will have only Early Bird rights on him, and thus limited means to sign him without using cap room. Those Early Bird rights only cover up to 175% of his salary for this season, which is a bargain at slightly less than $7.449MM. The Bulls have close to $65MM already on the books for next season against a salary cap estimated to come in between $89MM and $95MM, while Memphis has only about $48MM in commitments for 2016/17.
The Gasol brothers have played together for the Spanish national team, but not in the NBA. They were traded for each other as part of the 2008 deal that sent Pau from the Grizzlies, the team with which he spent his first six and a half NBA seasons, to the Lakers.
Bulls Push To Trade Pau Gasol?
1:56pm: The Bulls have turned down some offers for Gasol, so they’re not trading him for the sake of trading him, Johnson writes.
12:50pm: Johnson indicates Chicago’s asking price for Gasol is the same as it is for Gibson: a rotation player and a first-rounder (Twitter link).
12:44pm: Sources who spoke with Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com dispute the idea the Bulls are aggressively shopping Gasol, saying instead that the Bulls have merely fielded calls about him (Twitter link).
12:16pm: The Bulls are aggressively shopping Pau Gasol, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical On Yahoo Sports. However, the team is insisting on a first-round pick and a player in any deal involving Taj Gibson, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Gasol is almost certain to opt out this summer, while Gibson doesn’t have a player option on a contract that runs through next season. Chicago wants to extract value from Gasol, lest he simply walk away in free agency, Wojnarowski writes.
The Bulls offered Gibson to the Raptors for Patrick Patterson, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com heard, though Johnson alludes to conflicting reports on which team initiated that idea (Twitter link). Chicago had been determined to find an upgrade on the wing, as Wojnarowski reported when the team began to make Gibson and Joakim Noah available, but that was before Noah went out for the season with a shoulder injury and appendicitis forced Nikola Mirotic to the sideline, weakening the team’s frontcourt. The Bulls apparently measured the market for Gasol around that time but were more focused on Gibson and Noah. Now it seems their focus has changed.
Gasol said earlier this season that he’s very likely to opt out, making those comments in December, when the Bulls were reportedly poised to make a strong push to re-sign him this summer. Brother Marc Gasol has said he’d like to lure him to the Grizzlies, but whichever team Pau finishes the season with would only have Early Bird rights to re-sign if he indeed opts out.
And-Ones: Morris, Kings, Gasol
The Suns want a package that includes a younger player and a first-round pick for power forward Markieff Morris, several league executives told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Phoenix has no intention of bringing back Morris next season but GM Ryan McDonough could wait until the summer to deal him if he doesn’t get the desired package, Wojnarowski continues. Phoenix already owns five first-rounders over the next three drafts, which motivates McDonough to get more than just a pick for Morris, Wojnarowski adds.
In other news around the league:
- The Kings and Magic are under internal pressure to make the playoffs and that increases the chances of those teams making a deadline deal, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac were also canvassing league officials during the All-Star break on possible GM candidates, Wojnarowski reported in his trade deadline update. Divac holds the title of GM but the team is looking for someone who has more experience working with the collective bargaining agreement to assist him, as Wojnarowski details.
- The Knicks could make a play for the Bulls’ Pau Gasol, an unrestricted free agent this summer, even though center is not a clear position of need, Marc Berman of the New York Post opines. A source told Berman that money isn’t a primary concern for Gasol, which bodes well for the Knicks. Gasol is one of Knicks president Phil Jackson’s favorite players and he would make a perfect mentor to rookie power forward Kristaps Porzingis, Berman continues. The Knicks could attempt to trade current starter Robin Lopez to open up a spot for Gasol and might also clear cap space sooner by dealing backup big man Kyle O’Quinn, whom they’ve reportedly offered around, before the trade deadline, Berman adds.
- Lakers reserve shooting guard Nick Young is hopeful of getting traded to a playoff-bound team, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reports. The club wants to move Young, as it tried to do during last season’s trade deadline and the offseason, but has struggled to find a taker, Medina continues. Young has two years and approximately $11.1MM remaining on his contract after this season, with a player option on the final year.
- There is only a slim possibility that the Warriors will make a trade before Thursday’s deadline, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).