T’Wolves, Kings Talking Derrick Williams Deal
The Timberwolves and Kings are in advanced talks on a deal that would swap Derrick Williams for Luc Mbah a Moute, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s not yet known if the deal could expand to include more pieces, Stein tweets.
Williams, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 draft, has reportedly been on the block for more than a year now and while former GM David Kahn couldn’t find a home for him, new team president Flip Saunders may be on the cusp of doing just that. Williams might have been able to change the new regime’s impression of him with a hot start this season, but 4.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG through eleven games hasn’t helped his stock. Earlier today, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reported that a Williams trade seemed imminent.
The Kings have been aggressively pursuing trades and are reportedly targeting a solution at small forward. Mbah a Moute, a summer pickup, was supposed to be the answer, but he’s more of a role player than a starting three. As the UCLA product averages career-lows in points, rebounds, and minutes per game, Williams could represent an upgrade, even though small forward isn’t his natural position. The T’Wolves gave serious thought to moving Williams to the three – even having him drop from 250 pounds down to ~235, but he never seemed to get the hang of it in training camp.
If completed, the trade would give Williams a fresh start while reuniting Mbah a Moute with former UCLA teammate Kevin Love. Mbah a Moute, 27, is set to earn $4.58MM this season and $4.38MM in 2014/15. Williams, 22, will make $5.29MM this season and $6.68MM next season before reaching restricted free agency.
Northwest Notes: Jazz, Nuggets, Faried
The Jazz are struggling quite a bit to start the season, but George Karl seems to think the Bucks will finish in the cellar and have the best odds at the top pick, writes Bob Wolfey of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “Milwaukee keeps coming to me. They just don’t have enough talent right now. Injuries have taken their best players off the court. They could get into a position that they dig the hole so deep that, philosophically, it might be in their best interests for a poor season,” said the one-time Milwaukee coach. Here’s more out of the Northwest Division..
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post why the Nuggets would consider trading Kenneth Faried given the production that he has given Denver. Dempsey says that Faried isn’t going anywhere, though it won’t stop other teams from calling.
- Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari, who has been sidelined for quite some time, gets homesick occasionally, but he told Italian outlet Il Corriere della Sera that he wants to play in the NBA for as long as possible, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
- Justin Holiday signed to play with Hungary’s Szolnoki Olajbanyasz, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Holiday, who was in training camp with the Jazz this summer, spent last season with Idaho Stampede and averaged 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
Sixers Sign Elliot Williams, Lorenzo Brown
After cutting Kwame Brown and Darius Morris earlier today, the 76ers announced that they have signed free agent guards Elliot Williams and Lorenzo Brown.
Williams received a camp invite from the Cavaliers this season but was waived prior to the start of this season. Williams was selected by the Trail Blazers 22nd overall in the 2010 NBA Draft but appeared in only 24 games for the team – all during the 2011/12 season – in which he averaged 6.2 MPG and 3.7 PPG. Williams is represented by Thad Foucher of Wasserman Media Group.
Brown was the Timberwolves’ second-round pick in this year’s draft but was cut and signed by the team’s D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, prior to the season. Brown played point guard for North Carolina State last year. Brown is represented by Andy Miller of ASM Sports.
It is 76ers team policy to not disclose the terms of these signings but it is assumed both will be for the minimum salary.
Jonathan Nehring contributed to this post.
Sixers Waive Kwame Brown, Darius Morris
The Sixers have waived former No. 1 draft pick Kwame Brown and guard Darius Morris, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Brown, 31, had been sidelined by a right hamstring injury and has yet to play this season. The big man was in a two-year, $6MM contract with the Sixers and has made approximately $64MM across his 13 NBA seasons, despite career averages of 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds. Brown was taken first overall in the 2001 draft by Wizards president Michael Jordan, ahead of talents like Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph and Tony Parker.
Morris, 22, has played in 79 games over the past three NBA seasons, averaging 4.1 PPG and 1.6 APG in 13.2 minutes per contest. Morris’ deal was only partially guaranteed, so he’ll receive $200K from the 76ers as he seeks out his next gig.
Leandro Barbosa To Play In Brazil
Leandro Barbosa will sign with a team in his native Brazil, but the contract will allow him to move to an NBA team if he can find one that’s interested, tweets Fábio Alexio of the Brazlian website Lancenet.com.br (hat tip to Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press). The 30-year-old Barbosa will play for Pinheiros after spending last season with the Celtics and Wizards.
Barbosa tore his left ACL shortly before the trade deadline last season, prompting the Celtics to throw him into the Jordan Crawford trade with the Wizards for salary matching purposes. Barbosa never played while on the Wizards roster, and a report in May indicated he was rehabbing at Boston’s facilities, several weeks before his contract was officially up. Still, the Celtics didn’t wind up signing him this summer, though Barbosa’s brother Artur Barbosa, who doubles as his agent, said the Mavs offered the combo guard a contract. The agent also said the Bulls and Rockets had shown interest.
The longtime Sun was an October addition for Boston in 2012, but he wound up playing a fairly significant role as backup point guard, averaging 5.2 points and 1.4 assists in 12.5 minutes per game. The “Brazilian Blur” might have lost a step, but his outside shooting remains a threat, as his three-point accuracy last season came close to his 39.1% career mark.
Warriors Sign Dewayne Dedmon
Dewayne Dedmon is suited up for the Warriors’ game tonight against the Jazz, signaling that he has officially signed with the team, tweets Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. There was no press release, but the center is warming up with Golden State hours before tipoff.
The 7’0″ center went undrafted in June and joined the Warriors as a camp invitee, averaging 3.4 PPG and 4.0 RPG in five preseason games and was said to impress the club in practice. While he didn’t make the NBA roster, the 24-year-old’s D-League rights had been retained by the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier today that the Warriors were planning to sign Dedmon. Simmons also noted earlier today that the team even briefly considered asking assistant coach Brian Scalabrine if he’d come out of retirement to replace the injured Jermaine O’Neal. Dedmon, along with Marreese Speights, and Ognjen Kuzmic, are expected to help support Andrew Bogut at center.
Odds & Ends: Heat, Smith, Akognon, Selby
In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if Rockets big man Omer Asik might be a fit for the Heat. A suggested swap of Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony for Asik wouldn’t work because Haslem can’t stretch the floor like Houston wants out of their power forward and even though Anthony could be a competent backup for Dwight Howard, the Rockets can do a lot better overall. More Saturday afternoon links from around the Association..
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson made his dissatisfaction with J.R. Smith over his latest Twitter trouble known to everyone, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “Eventually, no team is going to want to deal with you,” said the coach.
- Chinese team Qingdao waived Josh Selby to make room for yesterday’s signing of Josh Akognon, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The former NBA and D-League player lasted just two games in China. Selby came to the Cavs as a part of the three-for-one deal last year that sent Marreese Speights to Cleveland.
- Akognon will make significantly more money with Qingdao than if he had signed with one of the several NBA teams that showed recent interest, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. With Qingdao, Akognon’s season will be complete and have him available to NBA teams by early February. Three NBA teams had been interested in him and would be more inclined to sign him near the trade deadline, a source said.
- The value of Pacers forward Danny Granger next summer hinges largely on what he does this season, but he has yet to get back on the court. Pacers coach Frank Vogel doesn’t sound sure of when the 30-year-old might return. “We know he’s going to be out for a while with his calf,” Vogel said, according to Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star. “We want to get him back as soon as possible, but we’re not going to rush it. There’s no need to rush it.”
- David West never seriously considered leaving the Pacers even though many felt that he could have gotten a larger payday than the three-year, $36MM deal he signed with Indiana, writes Moke Hamilton of HoopsWorld.
- In this week’s maibag, a reader proposes to Sam Smith of NBA.com that the Bulls use Luol Deng to pry Eric Gordon from the Pelicans. While New Orleans would like to move one of their ball-handling guards for a small forward, Chicago can’t afford to take on the risk of taking on the Indiana product given his sizable contract and attitude problems.
- Wolves forward Corey Brewer had nothing but positive things to say about Denver after facing his former Nuggets teammates, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Brewer signed a three-year, $14.1MM deal with Minnesota this summer.
Josh Akognon To Sign In China
After being waived by the Grizzlies in mid-October, Josh Akognon has agreed to sign with China’s Qingdao team, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). You may recall that Qingdao is the same team that Tracy McGrady played for last season before hooking on with the Spurs.
The guard had a brief stint with the Mavericks last season before joining the Grizzlies in camp this past offseason. Akognon spent last season in China with the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters in China, where he averaged 29 points per game. The 27-year-old Cal State Fullerton product was claimed off waivers by Memphis on July 23rd after his minimum-salary contract was waived by Dallas on July 21st.
To keep up with deals from around the globe, check out the Hoops Rumors International Player Tracker.
Western Notes: Budinger, Blair, Lakers, Liggins, Eliyahu
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports got T’Wolves fans excited today when he passed along news that Chase Budinger will return to Minnesota and has been cleared to resume basketball activity. However, the T’Wolves seem to be saying (via Twitter) that he may not start practicing right away. Here’s this afternoon’s look at the Western Conference..
- Offseason acquisition DeJuan Blair could earn a regular the Mavericks‘ rotation, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. When Brandan Wright returns from his right shoulder injury, Dallas will be saddled with a wonderful problem: two talented big men off of the bench who are hungry for playing time.
- Ten games is enough to start evaluating the Lakers, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Kobe Bryant-less Lakers are 4-6, though offseason pickup Wesley Johnson has been among the team’s bright spots.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if DeAndre Liggins will be a candidate for D-League MVP this season. Schlosser believes that the former Thunder guard could rise up as this season’s Andrew Goudelock.
- Israeli guard Lior Eliyahu, whose NBA draft rights are owned by the T’Wolves, has signed a three-year deal with Hapoel Jerusalem, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. It’s not clear if the deal includes an NBA out-clause. Minnesota acquired Eliyahu’s draft rights in the 2012 Chase Budinger trade with Houston. To keep track of everyone’s whereabouts from around the world, check out the Hoops Rumors International Tracker.
Sam Young Signs To Play In Australia
Swingman Sam Young has signed a deal that includes an NBA out clause with the Sydney Kings of Australia’s National Basketball League, agent Joel Bell tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The 28-year-old can return to the NBA at any point, unless Sydney is in participating in the Australian playoffs, which begin March 28th.
Young has played parts of each of the past four seasons in the NBA, and was a key component of the Pacers’ bench last year, holding his own on defense against LeBron James in the playoffs. He was with the Spurs for training camp but didn’t come close to making the regular season roster, as San Antonio waived him in early October.
Young follows the path of Jonny Flynn, who signed in Australia last season, and Heat second-round draft pick James Ennis, who’s also playing in Australia this year. Keep up with transactions around the globe with the Hoops Rumors International Player Movement Tracker.