Grizzlies Expected To Shop Rudy Gay
TUESDAY, 6:47pm: Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio confirms that "talk around the league" indicates the Grizzlies are shopping Rudy Gay. According to Amico, Memphis seems to be seeking a lottery pick in return.
"He won't be an easy move," one team executive told Amico. "It's hard to imagine them getting back what they want for him, based on what I'm hearing."
Latest On Steve Nash
There was no shortage of Steve Nash updates this weekend, with one report suggesting the Suns view the Knicks, Raptors, and Nets as the top competitors for the free agent point guard, while another report indicated that the Bulls could be in the mix as well. According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, however, Nash is "still days away" from seriously considering his future. Stein and HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler each have a few notes on Nash, so let's round them up….
Odds & Ends: Raptors, Bobcats, Wroten
With the eighth, 37th, and 56th selections in this upcoming NBA Draft, the Raptors could potentially draft three rookies in addition to bringing last year's draft pick, Jonas Valanciunas, into the fold for next season. Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld spoke with GM Bryan Colangelo, who is looking to explore multiple scenarios with his second round picks. Colangelo admits that bringing in three rookies may not be the best scenario, and that he will consider packaging picks in order to move up the draft board or possibly make a second round selection with the intention of developing that prospect in Europe for a few years. Here's more of what we're hearing from around the league this evening, including an update of the Bobcats head coaching search.
Atlantic Rumors: King, Nets, Knicks, Raptors, Nash
Last year, Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor picked up the phone to console former Sixers front-office colleague and current Nets GM Billy King on his inability to work out a deal to bring Carmelo Anthony to New Jersey. While they were on the line, King suggested a deal involving Deron Williams, and soon thereafter the blockbuster was a reality. That's just one of the tidbits that Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reveals in a must-read piece about King.
Draft Rumors: Bobcats, Cavs, Kings, Blazers
Following the Hornets' lottery win, ESPN.com's Chad Ford published his newest mock draft, which includes a handful of interesting scenarios, including Dion Waiters jumping to eighth overall and Austin Rivers slipping to 18th. With less than four weeks until draft day, Ford continues to talk to sources and visit workouts to get a better sense of how things will play out on June 28th. His latest draft blog (Insider link) explores potential options for the top 10 picks and is chock-full of interesting tidbits. Let's round up some of the highlights….
Draft Links: Cavs, Bobcats, Bucks, Raptors
Earlier this week, Anthony Davis refused to acknowledge that he would definitely be the first overall pick in this year's draft, calling that just a "rumor" for now. But after the Hornets won the draft lottery and the right to pick first overall in June, Davis sounded like he was fully expecting to be the first pick, as Andy Katz of ESPN.com writes.
"I won a national championship in New Orleans," said Davis, referring to the site of Kentucky's NCAA title in April. "So why not win another one in New Orleans?"
Davis at #1 may be a lock, but there are plenty of questions surrounding the rest of the draft order. Here are a few draft-related items for Thursday afternoon….
Odds & Ends: Lottery, Raptors, Lin, Heat
Tomorrow night's draft lottery will have huge implications for the Warriors and Jazz, writes the Deseret News' Jody Genessy. Here are a few more items from around the NBA:
- Hoopsworld.com's Stephen Brotherston asks what position the Raptors should be targeting as they head into the draft.
- On June 13, a hearing to determine whether the Knicks can re-sign Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak without using any of their exceptions will be held, writes Newsday's Al Iannazzone. The union is seeking the restoration of both players' Bird rights, and a decision will be made before July 1. The union is expected to lose the hearing.
- The Oregonian's Joe Freeman writes about the Trail Blazers working out two centers today: North Carolina's Tyler Zeller and Illinois' Meyers Leonard.
- Sources have told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin that the Lakers are talking about making Los Angeles D-Fenders general manager Glenn Carraro their team's assistant general manager.
- ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan writes about how tomorrow night's draft lottery could have an especially large impact on the Nets and Mavericks.
- FoxSports.com's Chris Tomasson says LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are doing more than enough to fill in for Chris Bosh's absence.
- CBSSports.com's Ken Berger writes that at a time he's badly needed by his team, there's something wrong with Ray Allen.
Valanciunas Close To Signing With Raptors
Jonas Valanciunas, the fifth overall pick in last year's draft, has begun negotiating a release agreement with his current team in Lithuania, according to NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper. The agreement will ultimately consist of a $2.4MM buyout that Valanciunas will have to pay his team, Lietuvos Rytas. By league rules, the Raptors are allowed to contribute as much as $550K of the total buyout.
At the time he was drafted, Valanciunas was a seven-foot, 19-year-old prospect at center, with major questions regarding when he'd be allowed to come overseas and play in the NBA. It forced most teams to balk at the notion of drafting him, but Raptor GM Bryan Colangelo didn't hesitate.
“I have no doubt that is the right pick or was the right pick for us…despite the pressure of picking a so-called sexy pick or someone that might be a more-popular pick, we made the pick that we felt was the best decision, long term and short term, for the franchise because it fit right into this building process that we’re going through right now.”
The Raptors have a 3.5% chance at receiving the number one overall pick in tomorrow night's lottery, and a 12.3% chance at selecting in the top three. Should they get lucky, the team's roster will be filled with youth, and manageable cap space.
Odds & Ends: Lowry, Raptors, Heat, Jennings
John Havlicek's famous steal in the 1965 Eastern Division finals might be the most storied of many Game 7 moments between the Celtics and Sixers, who look to add another chapter in tonight's Game 7. Still, many Boston fans have another theft on their minds as they file into the Garden this evening, since it's the 25th anniversary of Larry Bird's game-saving steal against the Pistons in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. Here's the rest of what's going on around the Association today:
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo and Daryl Morey, his Rockets counterpart, are likely to discuss a trade for point guard Kyle Lowry. Earlier today, we passed along a report from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle about Lowry's dissatisfaction in Houston.
- Feigen disagrees with Kyle Lowry's conclusion that he can't flourish under Rockets coach Kevin McHale, pointing to Lowry's early-season play as evidence.
- Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier, who both signed multiyear deals when the lockout ended in December, are two of the role players who paid dividends for the Heat in this week's elimination of the Pacers, writes Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.
- Brandon Jennings isn't worried about whether the Bucks will offer him an extension this summer, as Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel reports. "I will let (agent) Bill Duffy handle that," Jennings said. "That's what he does. I will leave it up to Bill Duffy and (Bucks general manager) John Hammond. It's really not my department." Earlier this month Duffy said he was surprised by Hammond's comment than a Jennings extension "is not something we have to do."
- Howard Beck of The New York Times looks at what James Harden brings to the Thunder as the decision of whether to extend his rookie contract looms for GM Sam Presti this summer.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Lin, Butler, Belinelli
A few Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- After reporting yesterday that Dwight Howard still wants to be traded out of Orlando, Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com outlines why the Nets and Knicks may be the most logical trade partners for the Magic.
- If Howard is dealt this summer, it's probably bad news for the Mavericks, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. The Mavs could have the cap space for Howard next summer, but don't have the trade chips to get him right now.
- In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, David Thorpe examines some potential landing spots for Jeremy Lin, concluding that the Raptors, Nets, and Suns might be the best fits besides the Knicks.
- Rasual Butler has heard from several teams and plans to be ready to sign in July, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. The Raptors released Butler in March, in time for him to catch on with another team for the postseason, but the 33-year-old didn't sign another contract before season's end.
- In an interview with Gazzetta.it, Marco Belinelli said he expects to receive offers from the Hornets and other NBA teams, and wants to determine where he'll sign before trying to join the Italian national team for the Olympics. Hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando for the translation.