Latest On Raja Bell, Jazz, Lakers
THURSDAY, 2:01pm: The Jazz and Bell will continue discussing a buyout right up until tomorrow night's deadline, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein adds that the Lakers aren't necessarily the most likely destination for Bell if a buyout occurs, since the team isn't eager to add to its significant tax bill (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 1:15pm: Utah's senior VP Kevin O'Connor appeared on team-owned radio station 1280 The Zone to address the Bell situation, as Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune details. O'Connor said that the Jazz are willing to buy out Bell's contract, but want the veteran forward to give up a portion of his guarantee, particularly if he intends to sign with the Lakers, to make it worth Utah's while.
"I think it's been from the start. We'll be willing to look at a buyout," O'Connor said. "We're not just going to let him walk away. We're paying him the money. He's going to get money. He can't get all the money from us and then go make more with the Lakers. Oh, thank you. I'd get fired for that. I'd fire me for that."
MONDAY, 6:15pm: Veteran Raja Bell, who is nearing a buyout agreement with the Jazz, has been telling players and friends around the league that he'll join the Lakers, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Bell won't sign off on a buyout arrangement with Utah until he has his next job lined up.
Bell is in the final year of his deal in which he is earning $3.48MM and the two sides have been going back and forth on a buyout all season. The Lakers are among the teams with interest in the 36-year-old and an available roster spot to add him to the mix.
Bell has to be cut loose prior to Friday's buyout deadline if he hopes to appear in the postseason for another team this season. Free agents who haven't been on an NBA roster at any point this season could still sign after that date and be playoff-eligible, but anyone currently on a roster must be released by March 1st to retain postseason eligibility.
Atlantic Links: Gay, Bargnani, Curry
Today has already been a pretty busy day in the Atlantic division. With the Knicks and Raptors underway, let's continue to monitor all news coming out of the division here:
- Toronto head coach Dwane Casey says that Rudy Gay is the exactly the weapon that the Raptors were lacking in crunch time of tight games, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports. Through 11 games in Toronto, Gay is averaging 20.1 points per game, many of which, Casey says, are coming when it matters most. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that Gay has been a "great fit" since coming over in the deal from Memphis.
- In a separate report, Amico adds that the Raptors will trade Andrea Bargnani in the offseason unless they absolutely cannot find a taker for the two years and $23MM remaining on his deal. Amico hears that the Sixers are very interested, and lists the Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, Bucks, Jazz, Hawks, Suns and Blazers as other potential destinations.
- Following Doug Collins' rant last night, sources tell Ric Bucher that should Collins resign or be let go, Sixers assistant Michael Curry will not only take over, but be considered a legitimate candidate to coach the team for the long term. Curry was last a head coach in Detroit, where he was fired in June of 2009 after a one-year 39-43 stint with the Pistons.
Northwest Notes: Fisher, Korver, Jazz, Coaches
Derek Fisher has been activated for tonight's game against the Hornets, but Mavericks owner Mark Cuban likely won't be paying close attention to Fisher's debut with the Thunder. Cuban's response was sarcastic when he was asked about the veteran point guard's decision to sign with Oklahoma City two months after requesting his release from the Mavs to spend time with his family.
"His kids are older," Cuban said, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. "It’s easier to fly in and out of Oklahoma City than Dallas. I understand that. It’s a decision a parent has to make. Every parent has difficult decisions to make."
Here are a few more Wednesday afternoon items out of the Northwest Division:
- Kyle Korver is set to hit free agency this summer, and told reporters today, including Jody Genessy of the Deseret News, that he'll "definitely listen" if the Jazz pursue him (Twitter link).
- The Nuggets received some criticism last August for playing a part in helping the Lakers acquire Dwight Howard and build a supposed powerhouse, but Denver has come out on top in the four-team blockbuster so far, says Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.
- SI.com's Chris Mannix names Maurice Cheeks and Kaleb Canales, two former head coaches and current assistants for Northwest teams, as potential head coaches in waiting.
- Also at SI.com, Ian Thomsen speaks to LaMarcus Aldridge about the big man's evolution into a team leader with the Trail Blazers.
Northwest Notes: Jazz, Maynor, Fisher
The latest news and notes from around the Northwest Division on Tuesday evening:
- Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune examines the futures of Jazz big men Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, both of whom were rumored to be dealt at the trade deadline and will be unrestricted free agents.
- John Rohde of the Oklahoman explains how the Thunder's trade of Eric Maynor to the Trail Blazers freed up the necessary money to sign Derek Fisher.
- Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman writes that several Mavericks players are suspicious of Fisher's motivations for signing with the Thunder after asking to be waived by Dallas earlier in the season.
Western Notes: Warriors, Thunder, Bledsoe, Jazz
The most intriguing game on tonight's schedule happens out west, where the Lakers are in Denver as they try to get back to .500 for the first time since they were 15-15 at the end of December. While we wait to see if the Nuggets can keep the Lakers below .500, let's check out a few Western Conference links….
- If a big-name trade candidate becomes available this summer, the Warriors should be in the mix, says Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com, pointing out that Golden State will have young talent, draft picks, and big, expiring contracts to offer.
- As Derek Fisher prepares to join the Thunder for the rest of the season, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News points out (via Sulia) that even when it became clear Oklahoma City wouldn't be re-signing Fisher last summer, the team had nothing but praise for him.
- When Thunder GM Sam Presti spoke on Friday about the trade that sent Eric Maynor to the Trail Blazers, he mentioned the trade exception acquired by Oklahoma City in the deal. But the Thunder also acquired the rights to Georgios Printezis, and Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside thinks the club should strongly consider eventually bringing him stateside.
- By keeping Eric Bledsoe through the deadline, the Clippers are now expected to have a backup plan this summer if Chris Paul unexpectedly decides to sign elsewhere. But assuming Paul re-signs, the team will have to decide what Bledsoe's long-term future holds, writes Jovan Buha of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- In a lengthy piece on players and teams who are "on notice" after the trade deadline, Grantland's Zach Lowe explores the Jazz's decision to keep both Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson last week.
- Following up on Dirk Nowitzki's comments about wanting to play beyond his current contract, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders how much of a bargain Nowitzki would give the Mavericks in his next deal.
Raja Bell, Jazz Close To Buyout Agreement
With Friday's buyout deadline looming, the Jazz and Raja Bell have an agreement in place that would see the team buy out the veteran's contract, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). However, the deal hinges on Bell's ability to find a contract elsewhere, and so far there are no takers, Charania reports.
According to Charania (via Twitter), Bell's agent Herb Rudoy continues to talk to several clubs about a possible role for his client, but hasn't made serious progress yet. Bell has been on Utah's roster all season, but the disgruntled wing was asked not to report to the club. He and the team have been working on a buyout off and on all year, with his $3.48MM salary set to come off the books at season's end, but have yet to finalize a deal.
The Lakers reportedly have some interest in Bell, so presumably they're one of the teams with whom Rudoy has been in contact. Los Angeles has a roster space available, but perhaps the club wants to wait to see what other players hit the market before committing to Bell. Salary could also be a point of contention.
March 1st represents the NBA's buyout deadline, meaning that players must be released before the deadline if they hope to play in the postseason for another team this season. Free agents who haven't been on an NBA roster at any point this season could still sign after March 1st and be playoff-eligible, but anyone currently on a roster must be released by Friday to retain his postseason eligibility.
Kyler On Hawks, Jazz, Udrih, Deadline
Nearly 56% of more than 1,560 Hoops Rumors readers suggested last Friday that the Hawks' decision to keep Josh Smith was the most surprising non-move of this year's trade deadline. It wasn't for lack of trying that the Hawks retained Smith though, as Steve Kyler documents in his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld. Kyler echoes a report that we heard on Thursday, indicating that Atlanta was exploring potential Smith trades right up to the 2:00pm deadline before finally deciding that the return wasn't enough. Here's more from Kyler:
- Both the Hawks and Jazz, who held on to Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, decided that earning a playoff spot and deciding what to do with their free-agents-to-be at season's end made more sense than giving them up for pennies on the dollar, according to Kyler.
- Kyler compares Atlanta's and Utah's trade talks to the discussions the Grizzlies were having about Rudy Gay earlier this season. Before Memphis got below the tax line by sending Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington to Cleveland, teams were lowballing the Grizzlies in talks for Gay, making proposals that were "borderline insulting," according to Kyler. It wasn't until the Grizz regained some leverage by getting below the tax that the offers for Gay improved.
- The Hawks and Jazz are both expecting to have the opportunity to create upwards of $40MM in cap space this summer, which gives them plenty of flexibility to either bring back their own free agents or to facilitate sign-and-trade deals.
- While Beno Udrih was viewed as a throw-in in the six-player trade that sent J.J. Redick to the Bucks, Udrih tells Kyler that he's hoping his time in Orlando is more than just a pit stop. Udrih has some history with Magic coach Jacque Vaughn, who played with him in San Antonio, and GM Rob Hennigan, who was in the Spurs' front office when the club drafted Udrih.
- Kyler opines that, for as much talk as there's been about the new CBA's luxury tax penalties discouraging trading, it isn't fair to blame the tax for this year's relatively quiet deadline. I'm inclined to agree — the impact of the repeater tax in particular has been overstated, in my opinion, since not many teams are in position to be taxpayers for four years out of five. Additionally, as Kyler points out, with so many teams poised to have cap space this summer, clubs were reluctant to trade for free-agents-to-be, knowing that those players will have plenty of options and offers in July.
Free Agent Notes: White, Bell, Fisher
- Doc Rivers says the Celtics are close to signing D.J. White to a deal in hopes of providing depth off the bench as a big man, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter). The team would like to bring in one more frontcourt player to add to the roster.
- The Lakers remain hopeful the Jazz buy out the remainder of Raja Bell's contract so that the veteran can sign with Los Angeles, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The 36-year-old shooting guard would be counted on to provide strong defense and long-distance shooting.
- Derek Fisher remains another option available for the Lakers as the long-time veteran is eager to return to the court, writes Kennedy (on Twitter). Fisher continues to work out regularly in Las Vegas and has stayed in close contact with Kobe Bryant since being traded to the Rockets last season.
Northwest Notes: Jazz, Kirilenko, Wolves, Nuggets
So far, the responses to this morning's poll suggest that, outside of the Hawks' decision to keep Josh Smith, no team's inactivity at the deadline was more surprising than Utah's. In Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, the Jazz had a pair of productive bigs on expiring contracts, and the expectation was that at least one of the two would be moved. However, GM Dennis Lindsey told reporters, including Jody Genessy of the Deseret News, that he felt the club was negotiating from a position of strength, and wasn't under any pressure to make a deal.
Here's more and the Jazz and a few of their Northwest Division rivals:
- "We really didn't even have any tough decisions," Lindsey said of deadline day, according to Genessy. "When we added it up, there wasn't anything that was better than what we had."
- With the deadline behind them, Millsap and Jefferson are looking forward to finishing out the season in Utah, writes Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Speaking to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, Andrei Kirilenko says he's enjoying everything about his time with the Timberwolves except for the team's win-loss record. The Russian forward has yet to make a decision about his player option for next season. "I’m going to wait until the offseason, right now there’s no point to make any decision," Kirilenko said. "Wait until summer, analyze the season, and see what you want to do next."
- Glen Taylor's talks with prospective owners for the Timberwolves have "slowed considerably," a source tells Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
- Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post discusses the Nuggets' decision to let the deadline pass without making a deal.
Free Agent Rumors: Celtics, Oden, Amundson, Bell
With the trade deadline officially behind us, the next important date on the NBA's calendar arrives on March 1st. If a player who has been on an NBA roster this season is released after that date, he'll be ineligible to be on the postseason roster for any new team he joins. So we could see a number of players agreeing to buyouts and hitting free agency in the next week. Here are a few of the latest rumblings related to free agency:
- Danny Ainge expects the Celtics to add a free agent big man soon, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- After the Heat opened up a roster spot by trading Dexter Pittman today, Miami re-emerged as a potential destination for Greg Oden, as agent Mike Conley tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. "We're going to get him down there for a visit," Conley said of Miami.
- Tomasson adds within the same piece that free agent big man Louis Amundson would "love" an opportunity to sign with the Heat.
- The Cavaliers are still kicking the tires on Oden as well, and have had him in for a couple visits, GM Chris Grant told reporters today (Twitter link via Bob Finnan of the News-Herald).
- Now that the Jazz can no longer trade Raja Bell, the club may revisit a buyout. If the two sides reach an agreement, the Lakers would have interest in signing Bell, reports Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).