Odds & Ends: Blazers, Fisher, Kaman, Rockets
If you've gotten a little too caught up in March Madness, don't worry. We'll get you caught up with a look at what's happening around the Association ..
- After dealing Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace at the deadline, Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld.com wonders what's next for the Blazers.
- The Wizards would be willing to accommodate Brian Cook if he wishes to play elsewhere, a league source told Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Cook’s agent Mark Bartelstein said on Saturday the two sides will likely engage in buyout discussions this week.
- Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is sad to see longtime teammate Derek Fisher leave, writes Dave Menamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Rockets will likely buy out Fisher's contract, but the new Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits the veteran from rejoining the Lakers.
- Hornets General Manager Dell Demps now says that the club is open to offering center Chris Kaman an extension at the end of the season, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Kaman's name was involved in trade talks but ultimately wound up staying put. It's still possible that the Hornets could buy out the big man, allowing him to latch on with a contender.
- General Manager Joe Dumars said that the Pistons stood pat at the trade deadline because there were no quality offers on the table, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Plenty of deals were put in front of Dumars but none of them were enticing enough for him to pull the trigger.
- The Rockets' moves at the trade deadline were solid but the club didn't make the kind of blockbuster that some were expecting, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- Commissioner David Stern & the NBA did a tremendous job facilitating the new lease agreement between the Hornets and the state of Louisiana, writes John DeShazier of the Times Picayune. The new deal will keep the Hornets in New Orleans through 2024.
Odds & Ends: Buyouts, Thunder, Williams, Camby
A few teams got a first look at their new acquisitions tonight, while others still await players to arrive and take physicals in their new cities. It's a league that's still in flux less than 36 hours after the trade deadline. Let's take a look at what's going on as everyone gets settled:
- Marquis Daniels of the Celtics and Brian Cook of the Wizards are buyout candidates, says agent Mark Bartelstein via Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. (Twitter link)
- The Thunder have assigned forward Ryan Reid to the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, via Twitter. Oklahoma City signed the undrafted 25-year-old forward to a partially guaranteed two-year contract before the season, but he's only appeared in five games so far, scoring a total of eight points in 17 minutes. The 6'8", 232-pound Reid played 48 games with Tulsa last year, averaging 8.5 points and 5.8 rebounds while posting a 14.7 PER.
- According to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld, Nets GM Billy King is confident his team can re-sign Deron Williams this summer, even though the point guard said today he will not opt in to the final season of his deal, a la Dwight Howard.
- Marcus Camby, who sees himself playing four more years, wants to finish his career with the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- Tommy Dee of Sheridan Hoops takes a look at the NBA prospects of Cincinnati's Yancy Gates.
- ESPN's Chad Ford believes NCAA tournament hero C.J. McCollum of Lehigh is a "serious draft sleeper" (Twitter link). Ford reported a few weeks ago that scouts had McCollum pegged as a late first-round or early second-round selection (Insider only).
- J.A. Adande of ESPN looks at what we've learned from the trade deadline. The most significant takeaway is that it pays to have a Plan B, Adande says.
Reaction To Clippers, Nuggets, Wizards Deal
There were several components to yesterday's three-team deal between the Clippers, Nuggets and Wizards, but each team seems pleased with the centerpieces of the swap.
The Clippers are welcoming Nick Young with open arms as they plan to slide him into the starting shooting guard spot after last night's embarrassing loss to a Suns team that was without Steve Nash and Grant Hill. GM Neil Olshey had been working on the deal for 10 days but didn't expect it to happen, as he told Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld.
“I was actually surprised," Olshey said. "I didn’t think there was any way we would be able to acquire a player like Nick Young for a future second round pick.”
To be precise, the Clippers sent Brian Cook to Washington as well as a 2015 second-rounder.
One part of the deal amounted to an exchange of big men, with Nene going to Washington and JaVale McGee heading to Denver. Both sides were apparently glad to get rid of them, according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix (All Twitter links).
Mannix says several Nuggets were upset about Nene's contract negotiations, which dragged on past the start of the truncated training camp this year, and felt they contributed to what's been an off year for him so far. Yesterday, Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post also cited Nene's lack of readiness for the season. After signing a five-year, $65MM deal, injuries limited Nene to playing in just 28 of Denver's 43 games prior to the trade. He averaged 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, numbers that were fairly similar to last year's 14.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG, but his 16.8 PER was significantly lower than the 20.4 he posted in 2010/11. Mannix also heard that the move was in part prompted by the play of rookie Kenneth Faried, who has taken advantage of the absense of Nene and others and averaged 10.6 PPG and 8.1 RPG in March.
The Wizards, meanwhile, were "thrilled" to get rid of McGee, Mannix notes, before having to worry about re-signing the restricted free agent in the summer. McGee reportedly said he plans to ask for $14MM a year.
Odds & Ends: Nene, Celtics, Camby, Kaman, Rubio
A few odds and ends from around the league for Friday afternoon:
- Explaining yesterday's acquisition of Nene, Wizards president Ernie Grunfield cited the cost certainty of Nene's deal, noting that free agency is a "crap shoot." Michael Lee of the Washington Post has the details.
- Celtics coach Doc Rivers told reporters, including Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com, that Chris Johnson, who was waived by the Blazers yesterday, is "an absolute option" for the Celtics.
- Shawne Williams' agent hasn't been approached by the Blazers yet about a buyout for his client, though that could change soon, writes Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- After Brendan Haywood sprained his knee in last night's game, the Mavericks will recall Sean Williams from their D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. The Mavs had assigned Williams to Austin earlier this week.
- Marcus Camby may be 38 years old and in the final year of his contract, but he's not ready for retirement yet. The Rockets big man tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle that he wants to play for four more years (Twitter link).
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel doesn't think David Stern would block the Hornets from buying out Chris Kaman.
- Ricky Rubio will undergo reconstructive surgery on his left knee next Wednesday, the team announced today.
Hollinger On Deadline Deals
ESPN.com's John Hollinger has posted grades for every trade that took place today. The post is only available to ESPN Insider subscribers, but here are the highlights:
- The Nuggets were smart to shed Nene's contract, even if trading for JaVale McGee is a risk.
- However, Hollinger views the Wizards' acquisition of Nene is an overreaction to McGee's contract demands.
- For the Clippers, Hollinger doesn't believe Nick Young is a perfect solution, but that he's worth the risk since they didn't have to give up any significant assets.
- Hollinger praises the Blazers' rebuilding effort in the Gerald Wallace trade, although he has reservations about the players they got back from Houston for Marcus Camby.
- He doesn't think the Nets made a smart move giving up a lottery pick for short-term help when they risk losing Deron Williams at the end of the season.
- Hollinger likes the Rockets' acquisition of Camby as a short-term pick-up to help them make a playoff run.
- The Warriors' acquisition of Richard Jefferson is counterproductive to their efforts to tank for a draft pick, Hollinger writes. However, he praises the Spurs for shedding Jefferson's contract for Stephen Jackson's shorter one.
- Hollinger questions the Cavaliers for taking on Luke Walton's expensive contract while giving up Ramon Sessions, but loves the deal for the Lakers, as Sessions is a massive upgrade at point guard over Derek Fisher and Steve Blake.
- Hollinger likes the Sam Young acquisition for the 76ers, and while he doesn't believe losing him will shift the Grizzlies' playoff hopes one way or another, he questions whether it was necessary to shed him simply for cap reasons.
- He sees the Leandro Barbosa trade as a low-risk deal for both the Raptors and Pacers, giving Indiana immediate help at shooting guard while freeing up room for other players to get more minutes in Toronto.
Recap Of Trade Deadline Deals
Here's the complete list of trades that took place this week leading up to the trade deadline earlier today:
- On Tuesday, the Warriors sent Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
- The Warriors then flipped Jackson to the Spurs for Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford, and a first-round pick on Thursday.
- The Grizzlies traded Sam Young to the 76ers for the rights to former second-round pick Ricky Sanchez.
- The Pacers acquired Leandro Barbosa from the Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
- The Blazers entered rebuild mode by trading Gerald Wallace to the Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a 2012 first-round draft pick with top-3 protection.
- Portland also sent Marcus Camby to the Rockets for Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, and a second-round pick.
- The Rockets acquired Derek Fisher from the Lakers as well as the Mavericks' 2012 first-round pick (from the Lamar Odom trade) for Jordan Hill.
- The Lakers also traded for Ramon Sessions, sending Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a 2012 first-round pick to the Cavaliers and also receiving Christian Eyenga. The Cavs will also have the ability to swap the Heat's 2013 pick (which they own from the LeBron James sign-and-trade) with the Lakers' pick that year.
- The Nuggets, Wizards, and Clippers agreed to a three-team deal that will send Nene, Brian Cook, and a future second-round draft pick to Washington; Nick Young to the Clippers; and JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver.
Nuggets, Wizards, Clips Agree To Three-Way Deal
4:55pm: Lee clarifies (via Twitter) that the Hornets' pick heading to the Wizards is a 2015 selection. Lee also reports that Young was initially supposed to go to the Nuggets in the deal, but declined to surrender his Bird rights to go to Denver (Twitter link).
4:42pm: The draft pick the Clippers are sending to Washington is the second-round pick they acquired from the Hornets, so it should be an early second-rounder, tweets Michael Lee.
2:38pm: The Clippers have acquired Nick Young from the Wizards as part of a three-team trade, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, JaVale McGee is heading to Denver and Nene will go to Washington (Twitter link). Ronny Turiaf will also head to the Nuggets, with Brian Cook going to the Wizards, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post. The Wizards will receive a future second-round pick from the Clippers, says Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
For the Nuggets, the deal seems intended to create future cap flexibility. Ken Berger of CBS Sports hears Denver had been experiencing some "buyer's remorse" about Nene's long-term deal (Twitter link). The future cap space created could make the Nuggets more inclined to increase their offer to restricted free agent Wilson Chandler before his self-imposed Friday deadline.
The Wizards acquire what appears to be their center of the future in Nene. Presumably, amidst reports that McGee would seek $14MM annually in free agency this summer, Washington decided to acquire a big man they felt was worth that sort of commitment. Nene has four years and $52MM remaining on his contract after this season.
The Clippers, meanwhile, use the $3.8MM trade exception they received by trading Eric Gordon to absorb Young's salary. For the low cost of Cook and a second-rounder, they've added a two guard to help in a potential postseason run. Young has the ability to veto any trade he's involved in, but multiple reports have suggested he appears willing to approve this deal.
TNT's David Aldridge first tweeted that the Wizards and Nuggets were "in serious talks" about a deal involving Young, McGee, and Hilario.
Wizards Still Shopping McGee, Blatche
Wizards president is still pursuing trades and a source with knowledge of the situation tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that the Wizards may strike a pre-deadline deal.
A league source tells Lee that Washington's demands for McGee are "reasonable," as the Wizards are seeking an NBA starter. However, the Wizards are having problems matching McGee's modest $2.5MM salary in any deal without involving players like Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche who understandably aren't drawing much interest.
Teams have been reluctant to even listen to pitches involving Blatche, says Lee. The Wizards tried to engage the Pistons on Blatche in recent weeks, but were quickly rebuffed.
Odds & Ends: McGee, Lee, Bradley
Tick, tock. Just hours to go before tomorrow's 2:00pm trade deadline. No deals went down today, but there's been no shortage of news. Here are the latest tidbits on trades and other NBA action:
- Marc J. Spears reports the Wizards are actively trying to trade JaVale McGee, but a GM says Washington is "asking for the world" in return. (Twitter link) Tom Ziller of SB Nation adds detail.
- Alex Kennedy tweets that the price also appears to be too high for Courtney Lee, whom the Rockets are trying to move.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News passes along a nugget about the Celtics in a larger roundup, reporting that the team would be willing to trade Avery Bradley for a big man. Perhaps that's the player they have in mind in a potential deal for J.J. Hickson.
- With the NCAA tournament getting in full swing tomorrow, ESPN's Chad Ford breaks down the top NBA draft prospects in the Midwest Region. He's also looked at the East and the South, with the West sure to come next. (Insider only)
- Adam Zagoria of SNY looks at likely lottery picks Andre Drummond and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as they gear up for the postseason.
- In a basketball-baseball crossover story, Warriors co-owner Peter Guber has joined forces with Magic Johnson in a bid to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to a Bloomberg News report by Scott Soshnick.
Trade Rumors: Kaman, Celtics, Blatche, Bynum
Here's the latest on a few trade candidates:
- The Celtics are seeking a big man, and while taking on a player with Chris Kaman's salary ($14MM+) probably isn't likely, Kaman would be interested in going to Boston, says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- "You look at what they need and what he brings to the game," a league source said of Kaman-to-the-Celtics. "It would be a great fit, it really would. But a lot of things have to happen, and not happen, before that can come about."
- The Wizards are still seeking deadline deals, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- Lee hears conflicting reports on the likelihood of an Andray Blatche trade. One source said Blatche "won’t be moved due to a lack of interest," even if JaVale McGee is included. However, another source told Lee that the Wizards aren't ready to give up on finding a taker for Blatche just yet.
- Andrew Bynum isn't expecting the Lakers to trade him, as he tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.