Blazers Contact Pachulia, Eyeing Other Bigs
With J.J. Hickson a virtual lock to sign somewhere besides Portland, the Trail Blazers are in the market for a big man this month. With free agency underway, the team has reached out to unrestricted free agent Zaza Pachulia, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. According to Haynes, there's mutual interest between the Blazers and Pachulia, and talks between the two sides will continue.
We heard earlier tonight that the Blazers are also expected to meet face-to-face with Chris Kaman now that the free agent period has begun. Nikola Pekovic is on Portland's radar as well, according to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (via Twitter). However, with the Blazers set to absorb Thomas Robinson's $3.5MM salary into their cap space, it's unlikely the club will still have the room to make a competitive offer for Pekovic.
Free Agency Notes: Smith, Evans, Blazers, Kaman
It's officially the start of free agency! Here's the latest as we enter July..
- A source tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (Twitter link) that the Pistons will absolutely not offer Josh Smith a max deal. We learned earlier today that Detroit is among the teams targeting the Hawks free agent.
- The Pelicans will have a sizable offer sheet ready for Tyreke Evans when they meet with him tonight, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. We learned earlier tonight that New Orleans was set to be the first team to meet with the Kings guard. Meanwhile, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (Twitter link) that while the Pelicans got the first meeting with the 23-year-old, he will still do his due diligence on teams and the Kings are still in the mix.
- The Blazers and the reps for center Chris Kaman are expected to meet face-to-face now that free agency is underway, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Both the unrestricted free agent and the club feel that it would be a "great fit" (link).
- The Jazz and Lakers were the first two teams to inquire on Knicks free agent Chris Copeland tonight, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Odds & Ends: Mayo, Martin, Noel, Bulls
Here's the latest from around the Association as we gear up for the start of free agency..
- The Jazz, Bucks, Timberwolves, Clippers, Blazers, Bobcats, and Bulls are all likely suitors for Mavs guard O.J. Mayo, USA Today's Sam Amick tweets. Mayo is expected to turn down his $4.2MM option this summer and it makes a lot of sense considering the number of teams with major cap space to burn.
- Kevin Martin is expected to draw interest from the Bucks, Pelicans, Timberwolves, Mavericks, and Pistons, as well as the Thunder, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Before Nerlens Noel fell to pick No. 6, the Pelicans were entertaining the idea of trading that selection to the Bobcats for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe notes amid his weekly roundup.
- Drastic change isn't likely to blow through the Windy City for the Bulls this summer, writes Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. There's still a lot of moving pieces for the club, but the major shifting probably won't come until the summer of 2014 for the Bulls.
- The Wizards face some tough decisions with free agency approaching, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Washington obviously won't be in play for any of the elite free agents this summer and they have their sights set on less-thrilling goals, like retaining small forward Martell Webster.
- We hear similar news out of Portland, where Joe Freeman of The Oregonian cautions fans not to expect anything too crazy out of the Blazers. Of course, there have been rumblings over LaMarcus Aldridge's discontent.
Several Teams In On Andrew Bynum
There will be no shortage of interest in free agent center Andrew Bynum when the clock strikes midnight tonight, sources tell Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld. One source specifically mentioned the Trail Blazers and Cavaliers as two teams expected to reach out to Bynum along with all of the franchises with cap space that are pursuing center Dwight Howard.
Howard will meet with the Hawks, Mavericks, Lakers, Warriors and Rockets. Of those five, the Hawks, Mavs, and Rockets have the necessary space under the cap to make a max, or near max, offer without needing to do a sign-and-trade.
Bynum, of course, missed all of last season with the Sixers due to serious knee problems. However, his people have been on the record saying that he'll be ready for the start of training camp. Despite his issues, Bynum will be the most talented center on the market once Howard signs.
Western Notes: Rockets, Iguodala, Clippers
The Rockets have been expected to waive Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks before their salaries become fully guaranteed at the end of today, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears the team is still pursuing 11th-hour trade possibilities for the two, despite the slim chance they'll find a deal (Twitter links). That's just one of many news items out of the West with free agency less than 12 hours away:
- With a host of teams vying for Andre Iguodala, Nuggets GM Tim Connelly and coach Brian Shaw will meet with Iguodala on Monday in Los Angeles, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Doc Rivers is downplaying talk of a trade involving Eric Bledsoe or anyone else, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times notes. The Clippers have interest in retaining Lamar Odom and Matt Barnes, Turner reports, adding that the Lakers are also high on Barnes.
- Though the Clippers reportedly prefer Andrea Bargnani to DeMar DeRozan, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun notes that Rivers has always held DeRozan in high regard (Twitter link).
- O.J. Mayo is expected to turn down his $4.2MM player option for next season, and while his preference is to return to Dallas, the Mavs won't receive a discount, tweets Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- Carl Landry's first priority will be to re-sign with the Warriors, but he believes there will be about half a dozen teams pursuing him, and he expects the Blazers to be one of them, the power forward tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Landry reciprocates Portland's interest.
- The Suns won't be in the market for big-ticket free agents, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The team prefers to keep its cap flexibility to accomodate an enticing trade possibility or next year's crop of free agents. The Suns will be in contact with Wesley Johnson, one of their own free agents, Coro says.
- New Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro is promising an "aggressive" approach to the offseason, as Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee observes. The Kings won't simply let restricted free agent Tyreke Evans go without matching his offer or working out a sign-and-trade, writes Voisin, who pegs his market value at between $8MM and $10MM per year.
- Yesterday was the deadline for the Spurs to waive Matt Bonner before his $3.945MM salary for next season, which had been partially guaranteed for $1MM, became fully guaranteed. So, Bonner will be back, unless the team waives him via amnesty, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News points out as he examines the Spurs' offseason.
LaMarcus Aldridge Denies Trade Request
In an email to the Oregonian, LaMarcus Aldridge said "I have not demanded a trade," and "I'm looking forward to who we sign in free agency to make us better," reports Joe Freeman (these tweets).
Freeman went on to tweet that Aldridge declined an interview to address his feelings about being in Trail Blazers uniform, but expressed optimism about the team's future.
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com spoke with Aldridge by phone, and Aldridge repeated what he said in the email to the Oregonian: "I haven't demanded a trade or cleared a way for my departure. It's not true. That's all I am saying right now.”
As Jason Quick of the Oregonian suggests (via Twitter), Aldridge's denial is curious since no previous reports explicitly stated that the big man had requested or demanded a trade. Haynes had mentioned on Thursday a tentative dissatisfaction with the Blazers on Aldridge's part, writing: "Does Aldridge want out of Portland? Yes and no, a source close to the 6'10" forward informed CSNNW.com."
Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Maynor, Wolves
It was quantity over quality for Northwest Division clubs in the 2013 draft. None of them landed anyone picked higher than ninth, with Trey Burke heading to the Jazz, but seven of the 30 first-round picks wound up with Northwest teams, including two each for the Jazz, Timberwolves and Thunder. The only team from the division not to come away with a first-rounder was the Nuggets, who wound up with a pair of players from the second round. Here's more from the Northwest:
- LaMarcus Aldridge isn't completely sure he wants a trade, but if he is dealt, he would reportedly prefer to go to the Bulls. Unless the Blazers are willing to accept Carlos Boozer or Luol Deng in return, it's unlikely Aldridge ends up in the Windy City, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
- Eric Maynor didn't get a qualifying offer from the Blazers, but that move was expected and both team and player expressed interest in a reunion via unrestricted free agency. The drafting of C.J. McCollum is a much stronger sign that Maynor won't be back, according to The Oregonian's Joe Freeman.
- Tim Leighton of the St. Paul Pioneer Press examines the uncertainty surrounding Andrei Kirilenko's pending decision on his $10.2MM player option for next season and speculates on possible free agent fits for the Wolves. He lists O.J. Mayo, J.J. Redick, Kevin Martin, Kyle Korver and Marco Belinelli as possible targets.
Thunder Acquire Grant Jerrett
9:53pm: Oklahoma City has officially announced the move via press release.
12:17am: The Thunder acquired 40th overall pick Grant Jerrett from the Trail Blazers, GM Sam Presti confirmed, according to John Rohde of the Oklahoman (via Twitter). Jason Quick of the Oregonian first tweeted that Jerrett had been dealt by the Blazers. Portland will receive cash considerations for Jerrett.
It was a busy draft night for both the Thunder and the Blazers. Oklahoma City landed Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, and Alex Abrines to go along with Jerrett. Meanwhile, even without Jerrett, Portland still walked away with C.J. McCollum, Allen Crabbe, Jeff Withey, and Marko Todorovic.
Suns GM Says He Won’t Trade Gortat
7:51pm: Shams Charania of RealGM.com provides some additional details, noting that Suns coach Jeff Hornacek envisions Gortat as a mentor for Len. He also passes along a comment from Zucker that seems to back up my suspicion that Gortat could be moved later on.
"It’s clear they are in a rebuild and they drafted a center, so [a trade] would make sense, but for now they want to hold onto him," Zucker said. "As with everything in the league, it should be stated: As of today."
7:30pm: New Suns GM Ryan McDonough said on radio Friday that Marcin Gortat will begin the 2013/14 season as the starting center in Phoenix, ruling out the possibility that team's decision to draft center Alex Len fifth overall Thursday would lead to a trade of Gortat. McDonough told the Burns and Gambo show on Arizona Sports 620 that the team is not looking to move the 29-year-old Gortat, as Dave Dulberg of ArizonaSports.com notes.
The Blazers have been interested in Gortat, according to a recent report, and he seemed to spend much of the past season on the trading block. Gortat is set to make about $7.7MM in the final season of his contract in 2013/14, and while McDonough said he isn't sure about the veteran's long-term future with the club, he seemed to hint that they'll consider an extension this summer.
"We'll see after July 1 what he and his agent have in mind," McDonough said. "I haven't had any discussions about (his long-term future) yet, but we do have him under contract for another year."
The Guy Zucker client turned down a multiyear extension offer from the Suns last summer, though that was when former GM Lance Blanks was still around. And unlike in 2012, when Gortat could only have added two more seasons to his contract, any extension he signs this summer could run through 2017.
While McDonough said Gortat would be with the Suns at the start of this coming season, he didn't say that Gortat would end next season with the team. McDonough made mention of Len's foot injury in discussing Gortat, so perhaps the GM will become more open to the idea of trading Gortat once Len becomes healthy, though that's just my speculation.
Draft Night Leftovers: Rasheed, Bledsoe, Blazers
If you're looking for the complete results of the 2013 NBA draft, you can find those right here.
- Rasheed Wallace is in talks to join Maurice Cheeks' staff in Detroit as a Pistons assistant, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- Magic GM Rob Hennigan told reporters, including Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links), that Orlando was "semi-close" twice to trading the No. 2 pick, and that the team could revisit Eric Bledsoe talks with the Clippers at some point this summer.
- Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey confirmed tonight that Eric Maynor wouldn't receive a qualifying offer from the team, and will become an unrestricted free agent, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).
- Olshey added that the Blazers "didn't come close" to making any substantial trades (Twitter link via Joe Freeman of the Oregonian).
- Don't expect Sergey Karasev to be stashed overseas next season. Shams Charania of RealGM.com tweets that the Russian forward will play in the NBA for the Cavaliers.
- There's also no guarantee Nemanja Nedovic will be a draft-and-stash prospect for the Warriors. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com tweets that Golden State wants to evaluate Nedovic in Summer League play before making a decision.
- The Lakers won't extend qualifying offers to Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris, or Devin Ebanks, GM Mitch Kupchak confirmed (Twitter link via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News).