Warriors, Jazz, Others Discussed James Harden
10:56am: Suns president Lon Babby confirmed to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that Phoenix had been engaged with the Thunder in trade talks for Harden, though he says that no proposal ever gained serious traction.
"We were engaged in discussions on numerous occasions," Babby said. "We most recently met in person when we played them [on October 19th]. At the end of the day, there wasn’t a deal that was workable for both sides."
8:53am: According to Zach Lowe of Grantland.com, Thunder GM Sam Presti had at least "semi-serious" trade conversations involving James Harden with a number of teams before eventually accepting the Rockets' offer. Lowe says the Warriors, Jazz, Wizards, and Raptors were among the teams that Presti spoke to before sending Harden to Houston. We heard yesterday that the Suns also pursued a trade for Harden.
The Thunder were seeking a sure-thing player who was still in the first year or two of his rookie deal, according to Lowe. That means Presti figures to have inquired on players like Klay Thompson, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Bradley Beal, and Jonas Valanciunas. Lowe adds that the Thunder GM likely started the process by reaching out to the Hornets about Anthony Davis, though I imagine that conversation didn't last too long.
Here are a few more Harden-related links, as reactions continue to pour in on one of the year's most surprising trades:
- Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman reports that the Thunder made a last-ditch offer to Harden on Friday, proposing a four-year, $53MM extension. The team gave him a one-hour window to accept it, telling him that if he turned it down, he'd be traded to Houston. According to Tramel's sources, Harden said he needed three days to make a decision, but because the Rockets wanted time to negotiate an extension before Wednesday's deadline, Presti stuck to the one-hour window.
- The pieces the Thunder acquired for Harden are the same sort of assets the team used to initially build itself into a perennial contender, opines Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
- Members of the Spurs, a team the Thunder eliminated from the playoffs earlier this year, were surprised by the deal, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. "It's kind of weird to look at OKC and think of them without their Big Three," Danny Green said. "Things are different. Obviously they're still going to be a good team."
Spurs Waive Josh Powell
After signing him in late September, the Spurs have waived forward Josh Powell, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears. Yesterday, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News wrote that he believed the team would keep Powell after waiving Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown.
The 29-year-old Powell was trying to latch on with his seventh team in seven seasons. He last played in the NBA in 2010/11, averaging 4.1 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 54 appearances with the Hawks.
Spurs Pick Up Options For Leonard, Joseph
According to a tweet from Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News, the Spurs have picked up the options on Kawhi Leonard and Cory Joseph's respective contracts. Both moves, especially Leonard's, were expected, as both players have been solid two way players so far in the preseason (and in Leonard's case, all throughout last year).
Spurs Waive Wesley Witherspoon, JaMychal Green
The Spurs have officially waived camp invitees Wesley Witherspoon and JaMychal Green, the team announced today in a press release. The moves reduce San Antonio's roster to 15 players, the maximum number allowed in the regular season.
Witherspoon, signed in late September by the Spurs, played in three preseason games, averaging 8.3 PPG. Green, meanwhile, quietly signed with the team on October 22nd and didn't see any preseason action. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News speculated earlier this week that both players could be released soon to join the Spurs' D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros. I expect that will be the case, especially for Green, whose signing doesn't make a lot of sense otherwise.
With 15 players under contract now, San Antonio may be finished making cuts. If that's the case, it's good news for Josh Powell, who currently represents the 15th man on the team's roster. His contract won't be fully guaranteed until January, so the Spurs could decide to keep him for the first few weeks of the season and release him before they're on the hook for his full salary. DeJuan Blair and Gary Neal also have non-guaranteed contracts, but their roster spots aren't in jeopardy.
Western Notes: Blazers, West, Sacre, Iguodala
According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey is hoping Nicolas Batum can increase his scoring this season like Eric Gordon did in his third year, when his PPG jumped from 16.9 to 22.3. If Batum can take that sort of step forward, Olshey says he has reason to be optimistic about the Blazers' future.
"I'm not putting a number on Nic, but if Nic can make a jump, if Wes [Matthews] can make a jump, if L.A. [LaMarcus Aldridge] can just be L.A., and Damian [Lillard] can be who we think he has the ability to be, we're not that far away," Olshey said. "And having a lottery pick potentially, and three second [round picks], and having $13MM in room potentially, is a pretty good position to be in eight months from now."
Here are a few more updates from around the Western Conference:
- The Mavericks have indefinitely suspended Delonte West again for conduct detrimental to the team, the club announced today in a press release. As Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets, it seems likely this suspension will last longer than West's last one did.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News thinks Mavericks rookie Bernard James, the third pick of the second round this June, could use some D-League seasoning.
- Robert Sacre is moving closer to locking up a spot on the Lakers roster, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post believes Andre Iguodala, who can invoke an early termination option for 2013/14, will instead sign a long-term deal with the Nuggets.
- Even after waiving Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown, the Spurs won't necessarily keep Josh Powell on their regular season roster, but Powell tells Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News that he thinks he's shown the team enough to warrant consideration.
Southwest Rumors: Martin, Spurs, Aminu, Miller
Four of the five Southwest Division teams are in action tonight, including the Hornets and Rockets, who square off in New Orleans. There's plenty of news out of the division tonight, so let's get right to it.
- The Spurs have had interest in Kenyon Martin in the past, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, who wonders whether the team may have interest in signing him later this season. Martin continues to hold out for more than the veteran's minimum.
- Of the two players the Spurs waived Tuesday, McDonald thinks Derrick Brown was a more surprising cut than Eddy Curry (Twitter link).
- The Hornets have a week left to decide whether to pick up the fourth-year option on Al-Farouq Aminu's rookie deal, but the eighth pick in the 2010 draft appears unlikely to begin the season as the team's starting small forward, tweets John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Lance Thomas, with the team on a non-guaranteed deal, is starting over Aminu for the second straight game.
- Darius Miller, unlike other second-round draft selections, has a guaranteed deal for this season, and Hornets coach Monty Williams cites his maturity from four seasons of college ball as reason why he's pleased with this year's 46th overall pick, as Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com tweets.
- Elton Brand feels he has a lot to prove after he was amnestied by the Sixers last season, and wants to do so by fitting into the team concept with the Mavericks, as The Associated Press reports (via the Dallas Morning News). "I don't think there's too many teams with more cap space than right here," Brand said of the Mavs. "So if you want to audition, play right and play the right way."
Western Notes: Jordan, Lakers, Suns, Blazers
Back in August, when we asked Hoops Rumors readers for their Rookie of the Year pick, over 44% of about 1,050 voters selected Anthony Davis, making him the top choice by far. Davis is off to a promising start, averaging a double-double in five preseason games and making a strong impression on Hornets coach Monty Williams.
"He’s just a coach’s dream," Williams said, according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. "He handles the situations with wisdom that’s beyond his years. He listens, he’s humble, and yet he still has an edge…. He’s going to be pretty special if he continues to work and allow himself to be coached the way he has so far. He’s just an amazing kid."
Here are a few more of today's notes from around the Western Conference:
- A number of recent reports have linked Jerome Jordan to teams in China, but for now Jordan is still hoping to make the Grizzlies' regular season roster, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "I know my agent has been talking to a bunch of teams. You know, as a worst-case scenario," Jordan said. "I don't know if there's a deal, per se, in China. But it's about making it in the NBA this year. I'm about trying to make it in the league and establish myself. I want to be around a long time."
- The Lakers are expected to waive second-round pick Darius Johnson-Odom soon, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
- Making an educated guess, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic predicts that Luke Zeller and Diante Garrett will earn spots on the Suns, and explains his reasoning.
- Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News wonders if two players under contract with the Spurs, Wesley Witherspoon and JaMychal Green, will be released soon to join San Antonio's D-League affiliate.
- Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts says he expects to keep Nolan Smith as the team's backup point guard over Coby Karl, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets. Karl himself indicated this week that he's bracing for news of his release.
- ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) wouldn't be surprised if the Blazers consider moving Wesley Matthews at this season's trade deadline.
Odds & Ends: Mavs, Brooks, Suns, Bucks
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News believes the Mavs will go "hard" after Chris Paul, and perhaps Dwight Howard, in free agency next summer. That would be no surprise, given the team's effort to position itself to pursue another marquee name next summer after its push to sign Deron Williams fell through. It's hard to envision either turning down a five-year deal in L.A. for a four-year contract in Dallas, especially considering Paul's involvement in the Clippers' offseason moves and Howard's enthusiasm about being with the Lakers, but plenty can happen between now and July. In the meantime, here's a late night look around the Association:
- Before signing with the Kings this summer, Aaron Brooks was expecting to return to the Suns, who held the right to match offers for him until they pulled their qualifying offer to him in July, as Paul Coro and Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic report.
- P.J. Tucker, whose contract with the Suns is partially guaranteed for $150K, has emerged as the team's best perimeter defender, coach Alvin Gentry said, according to Coro and Buchanan.
- Camp invitee Alando Tucker is "nearly certain" to be let go by the Bucks, who have 15 other players on fully guaranteed deals, and is considering playing in Europe this season, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes.
- Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal argues that incoming Grizzlies owner Robert Pera should keep GM Chris Wallace around.
- After the Spurs ran counter to coach Gregg Popovich's previous indication and cut both Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown today, Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News does his best to size up the remaining competitors for the end of the Spurs bench.
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy identifies 15 players who have surprised with their performances in the preseason.
- Alexey Shved will see significant minutes backing up Brandon Roy at shooting guard for the Wolves, but life in the NBA has been an adjustment on and off the court for the offseason signee from Russia, as Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune details.
- The Clippers' signing of Matt Barnes looks shrewd now that Grant Hill is out with a bone bruise in his right knee, Ben Golliver of SI.com believes.
Spurs Waive Eddy Curry, Derrick Brown
With a week until the regular season gets underway, the Spurs have cut two players from their roster, the team announced today. According to a press release, the team has waived camp invitees Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown, reducing the roster count to 16 players.
The decision to waive both players is a little surprising, considering coach Gregg Popovich seemed to indicate over the weekend that Curry and Brown were the top candidates to earn the team's 15th and final roster spot. Curry looked decent in camp, while Brown had a solid 2011/12 campaign for the Bobcats, so it wouldn't be unexpected to see either player draw interest, and perhaps a waiver claim.
With Curry and Brown no longer on the roster, Josh Powell and Wesley Witherspoon seem to be in contention to be the 15th man, assuming San Antonio decides to carry the maximum. In addition to Powell and Witherspoon, the Spurs also have DeJuan Blair and Gary Neal on non-guaranteed contracts, though neither player appears in any danger of being released.
Western Notes: Eyenga, Harden, Green, Karl
The Lakers liked Christian Eyenga, who they acquired last year from the Cavaliers, and after the third-year swingman was waived by the Magic earlier today, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports wondered (via Twitter) if Los Angeles could try to get him back. However, because Eyenga was traded by the Lakers to Orlando in August, L.A. is ineligible to either claim him off waivers or sign him before his contract expires next July, so Eyenga will have to find work elsewhere.
Here are a few more late-morning notes out of the Western Conference:
- There's no question that the Suns would love to get a chance to sign James Harden and would likely make him an aggressive offer if he reaches restricted free agency, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. However, Coro wonders if it might be as futile an endeavor as Phoenix's pursuit of Eric Gordon was this past summer.
- Having signed a three-year contract with the Spurs this summer, Danny Green is excited about having some security this season, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. "It’s very nice," Green said. "Obviously, it allows me to play a little bit more comfortably, to know that this organization is behind me and they want me here…. Even though I got that security, I’m still taking that time to approach the game like I did before without the contract."
- Coby Karl hasn't officially been cut from the Trail Blazers' roster, but he's expecting that to happen soon, as he tells CSNNW.com.
- Even with the Mavericks hopeful that Dirk Nowitzki could return from knee surgery by mid-November, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders how the team's chemistry will be affected by his absence.
- Agent Andrew Vye tells Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston that his client Royce White has a plan in place for traveling to games that everyone is on board with, "including the league, the union, the Rockets, and Royce and us."