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Aldridge’s Latest: Gordon, Jackson, Monroe

February 10th, 2014 at 12:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

TNT’s David Aldridge’s lengthy “Morning Tip” column on NBA.com has a strong trade deadline focus this week, as is only appropriate with 10 days left before the big day. We’ll dive into the highlights here:

  • The Pelicans have been shopping Eric Gordon “for a while,” Aldridge writes, but an opposing GM says they’re not finding takers because rival teams realize that injuries have cut into the 25-year-old’s athleticism.
  • Aldridge expects the Pistons to try to convince Phil Jackson, who served as a special advisor to the team this summer, to coach the club, but Aldridge notes it’s unlikely the Zen Master would do so.
  • The Pistons aren’t giving up Greg Monroe unless it’s part of a blockbuster trade, and they’re hoping they can re-sign him this summer to a contract similar to the four-year, $49.4MM deal that Serge Ibaka inked with the Thunder in 2012. If not, Aldridge expects the Pistons to swallow hard and match a max offer sheet from another team.
  • Kyle Lowry will probably remain with the Raptors through the deadline, but that’s not an indication that the Raptors are willing to pay a heavy price to re-sign him this summer, Aldridge writes.
  • Aldridge hears plenty of trade chatter surrounding Kenneth Faried, and though the Nuggets deny it, Aldridge thinks there could be something to it. He’s up for an extension this summer, and if he doesn’t get one, he’ll be a restricted free agent in 2015. Denver wouldn’t be willing to give him an outsized payday as it stands, given its concerns about his defense, Aldridge writes.
  • Grizzlies management is high on Ed Davis, who’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, and Aldridge examines how that affects the team’s willingness to retain Zach Randolph. Aldridge says the Wizards would prefer to acquire Davis rather than Randolph if they had a choice.
  • Patty Mills will be a free agent at season’s end, but even amid increased playing time with the Spurs this season, he’s giving no thought to leaving for another team where he could have a larger role or make more money, according to Aldridge.
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Spears’ Latest: Carmelo, Bobcats, Wizards

February 10th, 2014 at 8:56am CST by Chuck Myron

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports hears there’s “no chance” the Knicks will trade Carmelo Anthony before the deadline. That’s no surprise, since most reports have suggested that New York’s top priority will be re-signing Anthony this summer, and the Knicks have batted down rumors of a trade with the Clippers. Spears stuffs a lot more into his latest power rankings, and we’ll pass along the best of it here:

  • The Bobcats are “actively pursuing” a deal for perimeter shooting, Spears writes. Charlotte is looking to buy at the deadline.
  • A source tells Spears that the Wizards will try to trade for a backup point guard, but there’s little optimism they’ll be able to find one. Washington has been using minimum-salary signee Garrett Temple in that role.
  • The Kings are high on Isaiah Thomas, but that hasn’t stopped them from pursuing a true point guard, Spears observes.
  • The Magic are willing to talk trade about everyone on their roster except Victor Oladipo, but no deals are close, according to Spears.
  • The Timberwolves are more focused on making internal defensive improvements than a deadline trade, Spears writes.
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Odds & Ends: Gasol, Pelicans, Buyers/Sellers

February 4th, 2014 at 5:54pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier today, we heard that the Suns’ interest in continuing talks with the Lakers about a potential Pau Gasol deal hinges on the 7’1 Spaniard’s recovery from a strained groin injury. With news from InsideSoCal.com’s Mark Medina that Gasol’s rehab will keep him out of action for at least another two weeks, this most likely creates another hurdle in trying to complete a potential deal.

Here’s plenty more from around the Association:

  • Kevin Ding of the Bleacher Report (via Twitter) says that because of the injury, Gasol may or may not have played his final game for the Lakers. One certainty, however, is that the Lakers are now more motivated to deal him than before.
  • The Pelicans have been “extremely active” in trade talks over the past few days, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’s unclear exactly what sort of deals they’re working on, but they announced last night that center Jason Smith is lost for the season, and they’ve reportedly been seeking a trade for a big man.
  • Regardless of whether or not Andrew Bynum can produce for the Pacers, the decision to bring him aboard represents a pledge from team management to the players that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship, says Jared Zwerling of the Bleacher Report.
  • In the same piece, Zwerling lists several teams who could be among the league’s buyers and sellers at the trade deadline this season, labeling the 76ers, Jazz, Bucks, Lakers and Bulls are potential sellers, while the Bobcats, Warriors, Knicks, Nets, Cavaliers, Wizards, Suns, Mavericks, and Pistons are potential buyers. According to one executive, the Timberwolves and Nuggets could fall into either group depending on what transpires in the next week or so.
  • Cedevita of Croatia has waived Josh Selby after the former Grizzlies guard suffered an injury, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. Selby played 10 games in the NBA last season.
  • The NBDL’s Texas Legends’ close proximity to their NBA-affiliate Mavericks has made it easy for both to enjoy a highly active partnership as far as developing the Mavs’ young players, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Frisco, Texas – where the Legends are based – is located about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas, conveniently allowing the Mavs an option to send someone to play for the Legends one night and then head back for NBA practice the next day.
  • The 76ers announced that they’ve assigned big man Arnett Moultrie and guard Lorenzo Brown to the Delaware 87ers (Twitter link).
  • The Hawks have sent guard Jared Cunningham to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBDL, according to a team press release earlier this afternoon.
  • The Celtics announced that center Vitor Faverani was assigned to their D-League affiliate Maine Red Claws earlier today.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post. 

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Odds & Ends: Suns, Nets, Celtics, Ariza

February 4th, 2014 at 3:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns are exploring their trade options with Emeka Okafor‘s expiring contract, but if they use it to bring in Pau Gasol or another player via trade, Jeff Hornacek insists it won’t be someone who’ll disrupt the locker room, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic observes.

“Our guys have great chemistry,” Hornacek said. “If they ever do anything to bring a guy in here, that guy is going to have to figure out what makes us good chemistry-wise, and he’s going to have to fit in. That’s like every team.”

Here’s more from around the league, with two weeks and two days to go until the trade deadline:

  • Nets GM Billy King isn’t looking to trade injured Brook Lopez, but he tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe that he’s open to deals that would bring draft picks to Brooklyn.
  • The Celtics are high on Chris Johnson, though Boston’s proximity to the tax line may keep the team from re-signing him for the season when his second 10-day deal expires Thursday night, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com examines.
  • Trevor Ariza is performing well in a contract year, and the Wizards will probably make a strong push to re-sign him, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
  • Chad Ford of ESPN.com heard a couple of weeks ago that the Bucks are unlikely to pull off a major deadline trade, but in his latest Insider-only “Tank Rank” piece, he says they’d like to acquire a young player or a first-round draft pick in exchange for their veterans.
  • In the same piece, Ford suggests the Magic are making Jameer Nelson and Glen Davis available.
  • Draft prospect Dante Exum would prefer to play for the Lakers, and Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders wonders if agent Rob Pelinka would try to use the threat of Exum playing next season overseas to dissuade other teams from drafting him.
  • The city of San Francisco received a signed petition that proposes a vote on regulations that would erect a hurdle to the Warriors‘ plans for an arena in the city. The San Jose Mercury News has the details.
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Odds & Ends: Stuckey, Harris, Barbosa

February 3rd, 2014 at 10:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Rodney Stuckey is concerned that the Pistons “aren’t on the same page” as their woes continue this season, but he’s not ruling out returning to Detroit when his contract expires at season’s end.  “Detroit is always an option,” he told Sam Amick of USA Today. “It’s going to be a tough situation, the first time I’m going to be able to go out and test the market and see what else is there and what not. It’s going to be all new to me. I’m excited for the opportunity, but right now I’m not trying to focus on that. I’m just trying to live in the moment right now and worry about making the playoffs first and foremost.”  More from around the Association..

  • The Lakers aren’t expected to retain Manny Harris after his 10-day contract expires tomorrow, tweets Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News.  Unfortunately for Harris, his contract’s end coincides with multiple Lakers point guards returning to action.  Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles wrote yesterday that Shawne Williams is a player worth keeping an eye on once that roster spot is freed up.
  • Suns guard Leandro Barbosa battled his way back from an ACL injury after many had written him off, writes Shams Charania of RealGM.
  • Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (via Twitter) runs down guys that have been identified as trade candidates by basketball people around the league.  The rather lengthy list includes Chris Singleton of the Wizards and Raptors guard Greivis Vasquez who is already well-traveled.
  • Evan Turner has been all over Hoops Rumors lately, but he’s not letting the trade talk get to him, tweets Tom Moore of Calkins Media.  “I don’t read the papers. If I did, I’d have my bags packed for different weather,” said the Sixers forward.
  • Sixers coach Brett Brown says the club will “keep an eye” on Dewayne Dedmon, Moore tweets.  Philadelphia elected not to re-sign Dedmon after his second 10-day pact expired.
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Amico On Sonics, Sixers, Wizards, Mavs

February 3rd, 2014 at 5:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s a good day to be a Seattle resident and there could be even more good news on the horizon for the city.  Once commissioner Adam Silver settles into his new job, bringing an NBA team back to Seattle could be at the top of his list, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes.  Whether that’s by relocation or expansion, league sources say, is yet to be determined.  The league is not totally against adding a 31st team and it’s certainly not in favor of relocation.  Here’s more from Amico’s column..

  • In addition to the Suns, the Clippers and Hawks are also intrigued by Sixers trade candidate Evan Turner.  In addition to Turner, the 76ers are also very open to moving forward Thaddeus Young and center Spencer Hawes.
  • The Wizards look to be playoff-bound and are open to making a deal to complement their trio of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Nene Hilario.  Amico says that fans shouldn’t be surprised if they get in on the Turner/Young/Hawes sweepstakes before the trade deadline.
  • The Mavericks haven’t been talked about in the rumor mill all that much but they could pull the trigger on a trade between now and February 20th.  The Mavs feel as if they’re a piece away from challenging the likes of the Thunder, Spurs and others, so if they can get Turner for a draft pick they’ll do it.
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Odds & Ends: Heat, Melo, Durant, Nuggets

February 2nd, 2014 at 11:28am CST by Eddie Scarito

If the Heat fall to the Pacers because of the Andrew Bynum signing, then the Heat weren’t going to win the title anyway, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Bynum doesn’t figure to rise any higher in the Pacers rotation than the ninth or tenth man, and if that is the determining factor, then Miami has deeper issues with their roster than one player can change. Winderman believes the Heat tandem of Chris Bosh and Chris Andersen versus Roy Hibbert and Bynum should still be fine, as Andersen is a match for Bynum defensively. The Heat also tend to favor playing with smaller lineups, which won’t change their strategy against the Pacers.

More from around the league:

  • LeBron James doesn’t have any insight on where Carmelo Anthony will play next season, writes Mitch Abramson of The New York Daily News. James said, “I don’t know (what he’s thinking). I’m a good friend of his but I don’t know what his mind is saying or what’s going through his mind. He loves to play basketball and just like the rest of us — we want to win. That’s the number one thing. When you do something your whole life you want to win at it and you want to work at it. You don’t want it to be easy but you want to give yourself an opportunity to win. But I don’t know what’s going through his mind.“
  • Michael Lee of The Washington Post is the latest to weigh in on the possibility of Kevin Durant joining the Wizards in 2016. When Durant was asked about the possibility, he stated, “I don’t even want to think about that. I haven’t given it any thought, playing up here. I love Oklahoma City. I love coming here and visiting.” Whether or not he wants to give it any thought, it will be difficult not to if it’s a topic of conversation over the next two seasons.
  • Gino Pilato of D-League Digest.com examines if Kevin Murphy is worthy of an NBA call-up. Murphy is currently with the Idaho Stampede, and is averaging 23.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 1.4 APG in 32.2 minutes. Before joining the Idaho Stampede this season, Murphy played in 11 games with the Reno Bighorns on a D-League assignment from the Jazz last year, where he averaged 13.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 1.6 APG. He didn’t make much of an impact during his time with the Jazz, playing in only 17 games, and averaging 0.9 PPG in 2012/2013.
  • The Nuggets are at a crossroads this season. Do they tank for a better draft pick, or try to trade their way into a playoff berth? There is a third choice, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The team could try and follow the Pacers model of building a contender according to Dempsey. That team parlayed shrewd drafting and smart role-player signings into being a championship caliber team. The Pacers avoided pursing big-name free agents, and Dempsey believes this is the most realistic path for the Nuggets to take. The Nuggets currently sit at 22-23, and are 3 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot. A number of injuries to key players will make it difficult for the current roster to make the playoffs. Denver has two first-rounders this year, but will have to ship the lower of the two to the Magic, either their own, or the Knicks‘ pick they obtained from the Carmelo Anthony deal.
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Eastern Notes: Brown, Irving, Bynum, Celtics

February 1st, 2014 at 6:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It’s not a revelatory statement to say the Cavaliers are in trouble this season. They have lost 17 of their last 24 contests, and are 16-30 on the year, leaving them four games behind in the playoff standings. There are plenty of calls going around for coach Mike Brown‘s job. But firing Brown would only worsen the team’s real problem, writes Bud Shaw of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Shaw believes that it’s the players lack of professionalism that is the issue this season, and firing Brown would only serve to enable them further. Shaw also opines that if a true professional like Luol Deng is unable to have a positive impact, then there definitely is a much deeper problem with the organization than Brown.

More from around the Eastern Conference:

  •  Also weighing in on the Cavaliers coaching situation is Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. She thinks that the team would be better off if they ran Brown’s defense as he coached it, but if the players are tuning him out, then the team might need to make a coaching change.
  • In the same piece, Schmitt Boyer also spoke about some fans clamoring for the team to trade Kyrie Irving. She doesn’t believe it would be wise, stating that the team wouldn’t get equal value in NBA players in return, and the team hasn’t drafted well, so draft picks might also not be worth trading him for.
  • John Wall admits he’ll try to recruit Kevin Durant to join the Wizards in 2016, writes Michael Lee of The Washington Post. Wall has stated in the past that he won’t be a recruiter and beg anyone to sign with his team, but for Durant he may make an exception. Wall and Durant share a trainer in the offseason, and Wall has already started dropping Durant some hints about coming to Washington.
  • The Knicks made a strong push for Andrew Bynum, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Knicks personnel director Mark Warkentien tried to arrange a meeting with Bynum, but it never materialized. The Knicks only had the veteran’s minimum to offer Bynum, which pro-rated would have been $550K. Indiana had part of its mid-level exception and can pay him a full $1MM for the rest of the season, which may have been the determining factor.
  • The plethora of personnel changes the Celtics undergone this season have made it difficult for the team to maintain any continuity, writes Baxter Holmes of Boston.com. Between injuries, trades, and D-League signings, it has been hard for the team to be consistent. Holmes also states that the trade deadline might bring about even more changes for the squad.
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Lakers, Wizards, Bobcats Ask About Taj Gibson

January 31st, 2014 at 3:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers, Wizards and Bobcats all made preliminary inquiries about Taj Gibson recently, but the Bulls weren’t satisfied with any of the proposals, reports Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Still, there’s a “growing possibility” the team will deal the power forward before the deadline, Cowley writes, and it’s a signal that the Bulls might be willing to try to clear cap room for a run at Carmelo Anthony.

Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said this week that he’s “not necessarily” going to engineer a pursuit of a star this summer, but he didn’t rule it out. Anthony reportedly sees Chicago as an intriguing free agent destination, but it would take some maneuvering for the Bulls to be able to sign him this summer. Chicago has $63MM in commitments for next season, almost equal to the projected amount of the salary cap for 2014/15. They could amnesty Carlos Boozer‘s $16.8MM salary to clear space, but they’d have to open more room to accommodate a maximum-salary contract for Anthony, which would have a starting salary of $22,458,402 for next season.

Gibson will make $8MM next season, the second year of a four-year extension he signed with the Bulls in the fall of 2012, so depending on how much salary the Bulls take in return, trading him could clear the way for Anthony. Gibson makes $7.55MM this season, and while he’s primarily been a bench player, he’s averaging career highs in minutes (28.6) and points per game (12.2). It’d be a little surprising if he wound up with the Lakers, who have mostly shied away from long-term commitments, but the Bobcats will reportedly be buyers at the deadline, so Gibson would make sense for Charlotte. The same is likely true of the Wizards, who began the season with playoff aspirations but hold only a three and a half game lead on the ninth-place Knicks in the Eastern Conference.

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D-League Moves: Gaines, Wizards, Knicks

January 30th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sundiata Gaines is headed to the D-League, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. The three-year NBA veteran has appeared in 11 games with Besiktas Milangaz in Turkey this year and was in camp with the Pacers in the fall of 2012. The 6’1″ guard’s most memorable contribution to the NBA was a buzzer-beater for the Jazz in 2010, though his best season was in 2011/12, when he started 12 games for the Nets. Here are more comings and goings from the D-League:

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