Draft Rumors: Tuesday
With two days remaining until the 2012 draft, we've seen a first-round pick change hands for the first time this offseason, as the Timberwolves agreed to send the 18th overall pick to Houston in exchange for Chase Budinger and the rights to Lior Eliyahu. The general consensus is that the move is the precursor to a bigger deal for the Rockets, and Houston isn't the only team rumored to be shopping picks. Here are today's draft-related rumors, with the newest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweeted that the Bucks are looking to move into the top 10, and are supposedly targeting John Henson.
- Kennedy says that the Rockets are still trying to acquire another first round pick, most recently in discussions with the Hornets about the 10th pick before talks broke down (Twitter link). He also tweeted that the Lakers and Nets are both looking to acquire a first rounder.
Latest On Victor Claver, Blazers
Earlier today, a report surfaced suggesting that Victor Claver was on the verge of buying out his contract with Valencia in Spain and reaching an agreement with the Trail Blazers. Both Blazers GM Neil Olshey and Claver himself released statements this afternoon to say that nothing official had been consummated between the two sides, but that there is still mutual interest in Claver coming to Portland.
Odds & Ends: Foye, Teletovic, Claver, Roy
It's still not entirely clear whether the players' union's victory in this month's Bird Rights ruling will withstand the NBA's appeal, but for now at least, it appears the Knicks will have a $3MM mid-level exception to sign outside free agents this summer. According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, one player who is interested in signing for that MLE is Randy Foye. Zwerling hears from a source that Foye is expected to receive a handful of offers at or around $3MM, but that the guard's top choice is New York.
Here are a few more Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
Sixers, Wolves, Celtics Pursuing Jamal Crawford
Although Jamal Crawford was planning to opt out of his contract, he extended his decision deadline for his player option two weeks, until June 29th. This move allows the Trail Blazers to try to find a suitable trade partner for Crawford on or before draft night. If the Blazers find a destination Crawford likes, he could agree to exercise his player option and be dealt. And according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, there's no lack of trade interest in Crawford. The Blazers are fielding offers from a number of teams, with the 76ers, Timberwolves, and Celtics among the most active suitors.
Blazers Extend Qualifying Offer To Nicolas Batum
The Trail Blazers have extended a qualifying offer to forward Nicolas Batum, tweets Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge. Batum will become a restricted free agent on July 1, but because of the qualifying offer, Portland will have the right of first refusal if another team attempts to sign the Frenchman. The qualifying offer comes in at approximately $4.4MM, but merely serves as a placeholder until the team reaches a deal with Batum on an extension or another team extends an offer sheet, at which time Portland would determine whether or not to match the deal.
Draft Updates: Monday
A number of the rumors we've already covered today involve the draft in some way, whether it's the Rockets looking to acquire top-10 picks to flip for Dwight Howard, or the Bulls' disinterest in trading Luol Deng for a package that includes the Warriors' No. 7 pick. But there are still so many draft-related odds and ends out there that we'll continue to publish daily Draft Updates posts this week, for the latest news on workouts and rumors about what teams are thinking. Here are today's items, with the newest additions added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- New Bobcats head coach Mike Dunlap thinks trading the team's No. 2 pick to strengthen its roster with multiple players makes sense, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com).
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says Rockets head coach Kevin McHale is pleased with the depth of talent available in the draft but would like to add another veteran to his current roster.
Neil Olshey Talks Workouts, Draft, Freeland
With the 2012 draft just three days away, Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey spoke to Portland media today about his plans for Thursday, along with a few other topics. Among the tidbits Olshey dropped: The team has agreed to a new multiyear contract with salary cap guru Joe Cronin, whose old deal was set to expire this weekend (Twitter link via Joe Freeman of the Oregonian). Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge provides a transcript of Olshey's comments, so let's dive in and pick out a few more key quotes….
Amick’s Latest: Rockets, Hawks, Bucks, Nets
SI.com's Sam Amick says he'd be surprised if there weren't a few trades finalized this week, particularly on draft night. Amick points to the Rockets, who own the 14th and 16th overall picks in the first round, as a prime candidate to be involved in draft-day deals, confirming ESPN.com's report that the Kings are among the teams talking to Houston. Amick shares a number of other draft-related updates, and one non-draft rumor via Sulia. Here are the highlights….
Expired Trade Exceptions: Bobcats, Blazers, Spurs
In an entry last week for Hoops Rumors' glossary, I broke down how the traded player exception works, noting that a certain kind of trade exception allow a team one year to spend it. If the team doesn't use the exception to acquire a player within a year, the exception simply expires.
Last June, a handful of teams acquired traded player exceptions in draft deals. Having not used them over the course of the year, the following clubs lost their trade exceptions over the weekend:
Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Heat, Thunder, Suns
The Nuggets now have more than enough assets to make a blockbuster deal for another superstar but they shouldn't rush anything, writes The Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman.