Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Calderon, Kobe
With the All-Star Game behind us and regular season games not restarting until tomorrow, a handful of writers today are looking ahead to the season's second half. With the March 15th deadline just 17 days away, the start of the second half figures to be dominated by trade rumors, so Sean Deveney of the Sporting News and Sam Smith of Bulls.com were among the scribes who examined a few big-name trade candidates. Here are a few more links from around the Association as we wait for the second half to get underway:
- Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman doesn't believe that there is a solid wing upgrade available on the trade block, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
- Raptors head coach Dwane Casey says that there's nothing brewing on the trade front, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Casey added that the club has received interest in Jose Calderon but "there's nothing on the table" when it comes to the point guard (Twitter link).
- The Grizzlies recalled rookie Josh Selby from the D-League, according to the Commercial Appeal's Twitter feed. The former Kansas Jayhawk was assigned to the Reno Bighorns earlier this month in order to see more playing time.
- Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez told reporters this weekend that Kobe Bryant was thinking about retirement before undergoing platelet-rich plasma treatment in the offseason, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times.
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post wonders which of the Wizards' young players are part of the team's long-term plans. Spoiler alert: Andray Blatche isn't mentioned. In a separate piece, Lee previews the summer for Nick Young and JaVale McGee, who are both in contract years.
- Point guard may not be a major offseason priority for the Heat if they can win a title with Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole manning the position, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star handicaps the odds of a few Raptors trade candidates being moved before the deadline.
- Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has been eliminated from the list of prospective bidders for the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
- The 2015 All-Star game will likely be in New York, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Wizards Aggressively Shopping Blatche
The Wizards have "aggressively" attempted to move Andray Blatche in advance of the trade deadline, multiple sources tell Michael Lee of the Washington Post. For his part, Blatche wouldn't mind a change of scenery, Lee hears from a person close to the 25-year-old.
Blatche averaged 15.3 PPG and 7.1 RPG over his previous two seasons with the Wizards, but has struggled this year, with his PER slipping from 17.2 in the last two seasons to 11.4 in 2011/12. While Blatche has shown some promise, the remaining money on his deal is an obstacle — after this season, he's still owed over $23MM for an additional three years. Besides his contract, Blatche's condition and character concerns rival teams, says Lee.
According to Lee, the Wizards discussed a deal that would have sent Blatche to Charlotte for Tyrus Thomas, but were turned down by the Bobcats. We heard a similar rumor from ESPN.com's Marc Stein in the first week of February. Stein noted that the Wizards were hoping to acquire Boris Diaw's expiring contract in a deal with Charlotte.
If the Wizards can't find a deal they like before March 15th or this summer, they could consider using their amnesty clause on the 6'11" forward.
Teams With Cap Space
Earlier this morning, we heard that the Pacers are exploring the trade market in search of a roster addition or two. Indiana is in a unique situation, with an incredible amount of cap space and no obligation to spend to reach the minimum cap requirements. While the Pacers' current cap figure falls well short of the minimum required team salary (85% of the cap), James Posey's amnestied $7.6MM salary counts for floor purposes, so the Pacers can stand pat if they so choose.
Although no other club has nearly the cap room Indiana does this season, there are a handful of under-the-cap teams who could make a move without having to use a mid-level or trade exception. Let's run through them, from the team with the most cap space (Indiana) to the least (Houston).
Indiana Pacers
Approximate cap space: $14.27MM
I don't expect the Pacers to make any moves for players under contract past this season. Indiana has a number of players on rookie scale contracts who will start to get more expensive over the next couple years, so the team won't want to chew up future cap space unless it can land a young, talented player. A rental player on an expiring contract is more likely, and I still think Indiana makes sense as the most likely destination for Chris Kaman.
Sacramento Kings
Approximate cap space: $9.43MM
While the Kings have a relatively affordable squad, they don't have quite the same flexibility the Pacers do. With nearly all its players under contract through next season, Sacramento is poised to increase its cap figure significantly this summer if it hopes to sign its lottery pick and hang onto restricted free agents like Jason Thompson, J.J. Hickson, and Donte Greene. Between the Kings' lack of expiring deals and its spot near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, I don't think we'll see Sacramento taking advantage of its cap space this season. The Kings need to add about $723K to reach the minimum salary requirement, but that amount is minimal enough that they may simply accept the end-of-season surcharge.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Approximate cap space: $7.21MM
Here's an interesting case. While it's widely assumed Cleveland will be looking to trade players like Antawn Jamison and Ramon Sessions this March, I'm not sure that'll be the case. The team has talked repeatedly about wanting to gain playoff experience, and as the current ninth seed in the East, it's not out of the realm of possibility. With Jamison's salary coming off the books this summer, the Cavs could afford to add a player who is under contract past this season and still have a ton of cap space in future seasons. If the Cavs can find a player that helps them this season and isn't too expensive going forward, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the trigger.
Toronto Raptors
Approximate cap space: $4.3MM
While the Raptors would probably love to use this cap room to sign Wilson Chandler to an offer sheet, any contract they offered Chandler could easily be matched by the Nuggets. If the Raptors make moves before the deadline, they're more likely to become sellers, gaining even more cap room to take advantage of this summer.
Washington Wizards
Approximate cap space: $2.17MM
Like the Raptors, the out-of-contention Wizards will be looking for deals that create even more cap space. They almost certainly won't use their remaining cap room to acquire anyone.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Approximate cap space: $1.2MM
Golden State Warriors
Approximate cap space: $813K
Houston Rockets
Approximate cap space: $777K
These three teams consider themselves playoff contenders, and should all be active on the trade market, trying to upgrade their rosters. However, their cap space isn't significant enough to play a major role in any trades.
Decisions On Non-Guaranteed Contracts
February 10th marks the day that all players on non-guaranteed contracts will have their deals guaranteed for the remainder of the season. However, if a team wants to meet that Friday deadline, it will need to make its decisions today, allowing its player(s) to pass through waivers in time.
Some non-guaranteed players, such as DeJuan Blair and Jeremy Lin, are in no danger of being waived. However, with a few dozen players on non-guaranteed deals across the league, there will be plenty of cuts before the day is out. Some of those players will sign 10-day contracts shortly after being cut, while others could join the D-League or find a place on our list of current unrestricted free agents.
We'll track all the day's decisions on non-guaranteed contracts right here, with the latest news up top:
- Other players who will have their contracts guaranteed for the remainder of the year: Ivan Johnson, Jannero Pargo, Jerry Stackhouse (Hawks), Cory Higgins (Bobcats), Brian Scalabrine, John Lucas (Bulls), Samardo Samuels, Alonzo Gee (Cavaliers), Sean Williams (Mavericks), Julyan Stone (Nuggets), Vernon Macklin, Damien Wilkins (Pistons), Dominic McGuire, Chris Wright (Warriors), Sundiata Gaines, Keith Bogans (Nets), Steve Novak, Jerome Jordan (Knicks), Ryan Reid (Thunder), DeAndre Liggins (Magic), Lavoy Allen, Francisco Elson (Sixers), Danny Green, Gary Neal (Spurs), Jeremy Evans (Jazz).
- The Jazz will guarantee Jamaal Tinsley's contract, according to Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter).
- The Pistons are keeping guard Walker Russell, agent Giovanni Funicello told HoopsHype (via Twitter).
- The Hornets have waived DaJuan Summers and Carldell Johnson, league sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- The Rockets waived Jeff Adrien, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The move clears a roster spot for Greg Smith.
- The Wizards have waived Hamady N'Diaye, according to a team release.
- Chris Johnson received a call from Trail Blazers GM Chad Buchanan this morning saying his contract would be guaranteed, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
- The Celtics will hang on to Greg Stiemsma and guarantee his deal, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- The Lakers have waived Derrick Caracter. Caracter broke the news himself, tweeting "It's over before it begun!!! …. On to the next chapter of my life" (Twitter links). The Lakers will hang on to Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock, and Darius Morris, tweets Mike Breshnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Clippers have cut Solomon Jones, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
- The Heat have waived Mickell Gladness, the team announced (Twitter link). Miami's other two players on non-guaranteed deals, Eddy Curry and Terrel Harris, look safe, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- The Grizzlies have waived Josh Davis, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- The Spurs announced they've waived Malcolm Thomas, who was assigned to the team's D-League affiliate last week.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Wizards Working To Move Blatche
The Wizards are actively looking to move power forward Andray Blatche, according to Marc Stein in his Weekend Dime. Washington has attempted to initiate a Blatche for Tyrus Thomas swap with the Bobcats. Stein adds that ideally, the Wizards would get Boris Diaw and his expiring deal in return, but Charlotte is unlikely to take on Blatche's salary without sending Thomas and his similar sized deal to Washington.
After averaging 16.8 PPG and 8.3 RPG in 2011, Blatche has been a disappointment in 2012, averaging only 10.3 PPG and 7.1 RPG while shooting a paltry 38% from the field. Blatche has three years, and nearly $23MM remaining on a contact extension he signed in September of 2010.
Odds & Ends: Nowitzki, Noah, Heat, Wizards
This year's later-than-usual trade deadline means we shouldn't expect the same amount of February player movement we'd normally see. Still, flipping the calendar page from to January to February means we're that much closer to seeing a few deals go down. While we wait to see where Dwight Howard, Chris Kaman, and the rest of this year's trade candidates land, let's round up today's odds and ends from around the league:
- Asked about his future in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Dirk Nowitzki said he plans to play "at least two more years" in the NBA (hat tip to BallinEurope.com). I wouldn't read too much into that statement — even when Dirk's current contract with the Mavericks expires in 2014, he'll be just 36. I'd be surprised to see him retire at that point, barring a major injury or drop-off in the next couple seasons.
- Joakim Noah admitted to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that the pressure he felt after signing a $60MM contract extension with the Bulls contributed to his struggles early this season.
- The Heat have kept their expectations for the Eddy Curry experiment in check, and still may look to add another center, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sentinel. Their first choice is presumably Joel Przybilla, who will reportedly decide between the Heat and Bulls this week.
- Despite the team's struggles this season, president Ernie Grunfeld doesn't intend to abandon the Wizards' long-term strategy, as he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- Chris Paul's departure has left something of a leadership void in New Orleans, writes Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- Marcus Banks has officially joined the D-League's Idaho Stampede, tweets Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. The eight-year NBA veteran signed with the D-League last week.
Odds & Ends: Wizards, Adelman, Irving
Notes from around the league on Monday night:
- Washington's rebuilding efforts must begin with buying out Rashard Lewis and using the amnesty clause on Andray Blatche, writes Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com. Blatche will be out three to five weeks with a strained calf muscle, coach Randy Wittman reported. The Wizards announced they're recalling center Hamady Ndiaye from the Iowa Energy, the team's D-League affiliate.
- Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, formerly with the Rockets, says there was a lack of communication between himself and Houston owner Leslie Alexander, reports Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio analyzes the progress of top-pick Kyrie Irving.
- Ben Rohrbach of WEEI's Celtics Blog says Boston's struggles this season can't be pinned on the team's bench play.
- The injury-depleted Nets may be primed to make a move. They figure to have only 10 players available for Tuesday's game with Indiana, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- Teams in need of depth on the wing won't be able to turn to Sonny Weems. His Lithuanian team told Sportando they won't be letting him out of his contract before the team's season is over.