San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Danny Granger Wants Buyout, Sixers Hesitate

February 21st, 2014 at 11:46am CST by Chuck Myron

Danny Granger and his representatives are anxious to negotiate a buyout with the Sixers, but it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Sixers will agree to one, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (All Twitter links). Stein identifies the Heat, Spurs and Thunder among teams that would be in the mix for the 30-year-old, but it’s unclear whether those are Granger’s preferred destinations or teams with legitimate interest. The notion of keeping him around for a possible sign-and-trade this summer appeals to the Sixers, Stein notes while also pointing out that Granger would no longer have Bird rights if the buyout happens.

“We’ll meet with (Granger). … It’s going to be interesting. We’re going to sit and talk,” Sixers GM Sam Hinkie told reporters today, including Christopher A. Vito of the Delaware County Daily Times (Twitter link).

Granger was angry upon hearing about the trade, tweets Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers. The Sixers were the ones to approach the Pacers about making the trade, Larry Bird tells Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star, suggesting Philadelphia indeed finds Granger a commodity of value (Twitter link).

The ninth-year veteran has never played for any NBA team other than the Pacers. The Creative Artists Agency client is making slightly more than $14MM this season, but he’s unlikely to see such a payday on his next deal. He can’t return to the Pacers at any point until February 20th of next year because of collective bargaining agreement rules.

Spurs, Raptors Swap De Colo, Daye

February 20th, 2014 at 6:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs and Raptors have announced their swap of Nando De Colo for Austin Daye. De Colo has been on frequent D-League assignments this year, having ceded playing time at backup point guard to Patty Mills and Cory Joseph. Daye has been even less of a factor for the Raptors, appearing for just 33 minutes total after signing a two-year minimum-salary deal this summer. NBA: San Antonio Spurs at Milwaukee Bucks

De Colo, a 2009 second-round pick of the Spurs, finally signed with the team on a two-year deal in 2012. The contract gives him slightly more than the minimum, and he’s making $1.463MM this year. He’ll be a restricted free agent at season’s end.

Daye’s pact is partially guaranteed for $250K next season. He was the 15th overall pick the same year the Spurs drafted De Colo, but he never panned out in three and a half seasons with the Pistons, who traded him to the Grizzlies as part of the three-way Rudy Gay trade in January 2013.

Zach Links contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first tweeted news of the deal.

Odds & Ends: Duncan, Oden, Wizards

February 19th, 2014 at 7:54am CST by Chuck Myron

ESPN analyst and former coach George Karl hears that Tim Duncan is thinking of retiring at season’s end, notes Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News, but Duncan isn’t sure how Karl got that impression. The Big Fundamental says he’s undecided, as he tells reporters, including Express-News scribe Mike Monroe (Twitter link). Fellow Express-News writer Jeff McDonald would be “shocked” if Duncan retired. The sense around the Spurs is that Duncan will keep playing as long as he feels he’s useful, McDonald says, pointing out that the big man is still under contract for next year (Twitter links). Here’s more from the Association:

Greg Oden considered a handful of teams last summer, but it came down to a decision between the Mavs and the Heat, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Most reports have suggested the Wizards are looking for a backup point guard, but Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times hears they’re seeking a backup who can play both guard positions, suggesting Luke Ridnour as a possibility (Twitter link).
A veteran scout tells Woelfel that he has Creighton forward Doug McDermott No. 6 on his draft board, and Chris Mannix of SI.com examines a polarizing prospect who’s sparked a wide range of opinions in NBA front offices.
The Cavs had discussions with the Lakers about acquiring Chris Kaman, but those talks are no longer active, notes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Free agent Malcolm Lee hasn’t played since December 2012 because of injury, but he’s about two weeks away from being ready to suit up for a team, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
The Warriors on Tuesday recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from the D-League, the team announced. Kuzmic’s latest stint in Santa Cruz lasted one day.
Some members of the actors union are upset that executive director David White is a candidate for the same position with the National Basketball Players Association, observes Dave McNary of Variety.com.
Lionel Hollins explains the root of his raw feelings from the end of his tenure as Grizzlies coach to Mearl Purvis of WHBQ-TV in Memphis.

Odds & Ends: Sixers, Spurs, Ilyasova, LeBron

February 16th, 2014 at 10:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Defense may win championships, but it doesn’t mean much in the All-Star game. Tonight the Eastern Conference topped the West 163-155 behind the stellar play of Kyrie Irving, who had 31 points and 14 dimes. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..

The 76ers have held trade discussions with all 29 other NBA teams and are believed to be the most active in talks leading up to the deadline, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. General Manager Sam Hinkie & Co. are seeking future draft picks in compensation for Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, and Thaddeus Young. Teams view the 76ers as an organization willing to acquire an expiring contract and they’re still not budging on their demand of high first round picks.
The Spurs would love to acquire Young or Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova, but no one is sure how they can make that happen, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert recently opened up about his decision to write an open letter after LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I would’ve reworded the language in The Letter, but I don’t regret sending a letter out to our fan base,” Gilbert said. “People forget the letter was not to LeBron, it was to our fan base. If I had to do it again, for sure, I would’ve reworded several parts of it. But I think it definitely needed a strong statement from me at that time. I keep a couple binders on my desk and I have a binder of the responses to The Letter from the people of Cleveland.” Late last week we rounded up more of Gilbert’s thoughts on the state of his franchise.

Western Rumors: Udrih, Clippers, Gordon, Jazz

February 13th, 2014 at 9:41pm CST by Charlie Adams

Beno Udrih played three seasons for the Spurs, and Marc Berman of the New York Post thinks the veteran journeyman might end up back in San Antonio before the deadline passes. The Knicks have been trying to find suitors for Udrih, and former New York GM Scott Layden, now in the front office of San Antonio, was at attendance for Wednesday’s Knicks game. It might be too early to make assumptions, but it’s certainly possible Udrih might be on the move some time soon. Here’s more out of the Western Conference..

Chris Paul wasn’t necessarily a fan of the Hornets franchise, but his love for the city of New Orleans made for a difficult move to the Clippers. Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports recaps the blockbuster deal that paired Paul with Blake Griffin in Los Angeles.
A well placed source tells Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders that the Bucks aren’t interested in Pelicans guard Eric Gordon (Twitter link). Ingram hears Milwuakee doesn’t have any interest in dealing for oft-discussed guard.
The Jazz would be wise to find a suitor for Gordon Hayward, suggests Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders in his weekly chat. Kennedy thinks Hayward might command max dollars from a rival team as a restricted free agent, but there’s still some doubt whether he’s worth that kind of money.
Kennedy also believes the Lakers would be better off trading Pau Gasol for some assets that could help the team down the road. At this stage in his career, Kennedy thinks Gasol would like to play for a winner, so he might be likely to leave LA in free agency.

Atlantic Notes: ‘Melo, DeRozan, Ross, MCW

February 13th, 2014 at 7:46pm CST by Charlie Adams

Carmelo Anthony will likely be a free agent next summer, and Justin Terranova of the New York Post reveals that Grant Hill thinks the Knicks’ unimpressive season might dissuade Melo from re-signing in the Big Apple:

“I think it could. He’s getting older and you want to be in a situation where you are going to win. And he came to New York, he got in the playoffs and now it’s almost like they are regressing. To go through a potential season with no playoff opportunity, it could play a role.”

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Raptors swingman DeMar DeRozan is proving he’s worth every penny of the $38MM extension he signed last season, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post. DeRozan was mentioned in a few trade rumors earlier this year, but we recently heard Toronto would like to retain the first-time All-Star through the deadline.
Andrew Perna of RealGM.com examines Terrence Ross‘ progression from a one-dimensional dunker to a complete basketball player for the Raptors.
Midway through the season, the Sixers’ Michael Carter-Williams looks like the front runner to win the Rookie of the Year award. Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune recaps how Utah almost prevented Philly from landing MCW but ended up with Trey Burke instead.
Speaking of draft choices that might have been, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald revisits the 1997 draft, where the Celtics missed out on number one pick Tim Duncan despite having the best odds at landing the future MVP.

Spurs Re-Sign Shannon Brown To 10-Day Deal

February 12th, 2014 at 9:18am CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs have re-signed Shannon Brown to a second 10-day contract, the team announced via press release. The timing isn’t quite as curious as it might seem with the All-Star break looming, since Brown’s contract will cover four games, just as many as it would have if San Antonio had signed him right after the break. That’s in contrast to Atlanta’s decision to ink Cartier Martin to a second 10-day deal last night, since the Hawks have six games in the 10 days following the break.

The new deal for Brown isn’t a surprise, since he traveled with the team for tonight’s game in Boston, as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News observes (Twitter link). Injury-riddled San Antonio made Brown a starter in his first game with the team, but he’s only played 50 minutes total over six games, averaging 2.2 points per contest.

The Mark Bartelstein client will have a few more opportunities to impress the Spurs brass before they have to decide whether to make him the team’s 15th guaranteed contract or let him go. The Spurs can’t trade Brown at the deadline, but they could unilaterally cut ties with him before his latest 10-day contract expires if they need to use his roster spot to accommodate an unbalanced swap.

Western Notes: Ellington, Ellis, Warriors

February 12th, 2014 at 12:03am CST by Ryan Raroque

Here are some miscellaneous tidbits to share out of the Western Conference tonight:

It doesn’t seem likely that the Mavericks would part with any of their rotation players in a deal right now, according to Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW. One player who does appear to be available is Wayne Ellington, who hasn’t been able to find significant playing time and is owed $2.5MM next season.
Sefko also doesn’t believe there’s any chance that Dallas would consider trading Monta Ellis, adding that the team thinks Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki will make a good recruiting tandem this summer for prospective free agents.
Earlier today, the Warriors announced that they assigned Kent Bazemore, MarShon Brooks, and Ognjen Kuzmic to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz.
The out-of-town owners of the property needed for the new Kings arena are seeking a change of venue in the city’s eminent domain lawsuit, reports Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. City officials recognize that the Kings need swift access to the property and will fight the attempt to move the suit. Kasler adds that the new arena is expected to be completed in 2016; if the building doesn’t open by 2017, the NBA has the right to buy the team and move them out of Sacramento.
Spurs guard Tony Parker told French website BMFT that he’d like to continue playing in the NBA for another six or seven years (hat tip to Michael Rehome of Project Spurs).

Texas Notes: Spurs, Parsons, Cuban

February 11th, 2014 at 8:30pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Here’s what we’ve rounded up out of Texas tonight:

It’s unlikely that the Spurs can find a trade solution that would be worth tampering with their depth and chemistry, opines Dan McCarney of Spurs Nation. Though San Antonio recently hasn’t been at full strength, McCarney thinks the smartest option would be to wait until the team becomes fully healthy and give them an opportunity to recapture their form from last year’s postseason.
The Rockets are faced with two scenarios with regard to Chandler Parsons‘ contract status; they either can choose to decline is $964K team option for 2014/15 and let him hit restricted free agency this summer, or exercise that option, pay him that aforementioned amount next season, and let him reach unrestricted free agency. Houston would be best suited to delay his free agent payday another year, argues SB Nation’s Tom Ziller, who adds that the worst case scenario would involve Parsons playing 2014/15 on a cheap contract.
Compared to all of the starting centers that have been paired with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, Samuel Dalembert has been the best bargain for the Mavericks as far as numbers are concerned, explains Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas. Things might not have gotten off to the right start for Dalembert this year, but the 32-year-old center is averaging 12.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and shooting nearly 69% from the field over his last five games.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had some kind words for Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who was partly known for butting heads with former commissioner David Stern on more than one occasion: “There has been some public stuff around the edges between Mark and the league…but Mark’s input has been hugely beneficial to the league in so many areas the public will never hear about” (Darren Rovell of ESPN.com).
Silver had more to say about Cuban: “Mark epitomizes the new generation of owner who is all-in to his franchise and is involved in every aspect of the team…It’s not necessary that that be the model for others, but we welcome it. While you won’t hear this from many owners directly, Mark has attracted many of the new generation owners to the league.”

Amico On Celtics, Melo, Irving, Dumars

February 10th, 2014 at 10:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Most executives who spoke with Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio say it seems more and more likely that the Celtics want to build around point guard Rajon Rondo, forward Jeff Green, and second-year big man Jared Sullinger. Everyone else, however, appears to be available, and even those three aren’t considered untouchable. More from Amico’s column..

The Knicks‘ struggles are fueling talk that Carmelo Anthony could be moved at the deadline but league sources say that seems considerably less likely and Melo will remain a Knick at least until the end of the season.
Could the Cavs be giving thought to moving Kyrie Irving given their own troubles? “Absolutely, positively untouchable, now and forever,” said one opposing General Manager.
There’s been some talk that Pistons GM Joe Dumars could step down at the end of the season if the team fails to make the playoffs. If so, league insiders suspect Dumars won’t be out of the game for long. Despite Detroit’s struggles, Dumars helped build a title team and still has a lot of respect around the league.
The Spurs typically aren’t major players at the trading deadline, but sources say that could change this year. For an outstanding return, Kawhi Leonard could be made available.