Week in Review News & Rumors

Last week, the Magic decided to fire coach Jacque Vaughn midway through his third season at the helm. Orlando has shown only mild improvement under Vaughn, going from a league-worst 20-62 record in his first season to a 15-37 mark under Vaughn in 2014/15.  Vaughn goes out with a total winning percentage of .269, the second lowest for anyone who’s ever coached 200 or more regular season games.  Our look back at the week that was..

• The Magic will consider Scott Skiles, Mark Jackson and Michael Malone to take over the head coaching job.  George Karl would also be interested in coaching the Magic. Several league sources told Chris Mannix of SI.com that they think Orlando might pursue Tom Thibodeau if he shakes free from the Bulls at season’s end.
• The Kings, meanwhile, have serious interest in Karl, but pushback from center DeMarcus Cousins and minority owners seem to be a roadblock at this time.
• The Hawks are trying to convince Ray Allen to consider signing with them when and if he decides to play in the NBA this season.  However, the Cavs are still in the lead for the 39-year-old.
• Amar’e Stoudemire will think about taking a buyout.  The Knicks have yet to discuss a buyout with him, however.  If he does wind up as a free agent, the Mavs are said to be the favorites to land him.
• The Raptors are “sniffing around” for an upgrade at power forward and league officials have mentioned David West, Taj Gibson, and Kenneth Faried as possibilities.
• The Thunder signed Nick Collison to a multiyear veteran extension worth $7.5MM over two seasons.
• Blake Griffin is expected to miss four to six weeks due to a staph infection in his right elbow.
• The Nets have been seeking trade partners for Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams, but they are looking for assets, not just a salary dump.   GM Billy King insists that he won’t make a deal just for the sake of making a deal.
• The “prevailing thought” around the league has been that Tim Duncan will retire when his contract expires after the season, but Gregg Popovich isn’t so sure.
• Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said he’s taking a win-now approach and left the door open to Paul George returning to play this season.
• The Mavericks and Wizards were said to be “among the possibilities” for Kevin Martin, though a report from Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN indicated that the Wizards have not discussed him yet.
• Lakers forward Ed Davis intends to opt out of his contract for next season.
• Every team with which Chad Ford of ESPN.com has spoken has Jahlil Okafor atop its draft board.
• The Nuggets have discussed dealing Wilson Chandler but would prefer to trade Arron Afflalo instead.
• Kevin Garnett isn’t seeking a buyout.
• Knicks president Phil Jackson opened up about the idea of the triangle keeping free agents away and more.
• The Nets and Grizzlies are among the teams interested in signing Andray Blatche.
• The Timberwolves plan to “push hard” to sign former 35th overall pick Nemanja Bjelica this summer.
• The Warriors are willing to pay the luxury tax in 2015/16.
• Boston is unlikely to find a trade for Tayshaun Prince before the deadline.
• The Nuggets are nearing a deal with 6’11” forward Joffrey Lauvergne.  The 23-year-old Frenchman was originally selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft.
• Nuggets GM Tim Connelly admitted that his team is “very, very aggressive” as it seeks changes to the roster. Team president Josh Kroenke hinted that it’s a matter of when, not if, Denver will make a move.
• The Clippers signed Dahntay Jones for the rest of the season.
• Former Clippers point guard Jordan Farmar joined up with Turkey’s Darussafaka Dogus.
• The Hornets waived Jannero Pargo in order ink Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract.
• The Warriors signed James McAdoo to a second 10-day deal.
• The Timberwolves will sign Lorenzo Brown to a second 10-day deal.
• The Pelicans signed Toney Douglas to a 10-day contract.
• The Pistons agreed to sign John Lucas III to a second 10-day contract.
• The Spurs signed Reggie Williams to a second 10-day contract.
• Sixth-year NBA veteran Austin Daye is expected to sign with the D-League.
• The Sixers signed Tim Frazier to a 10-day contract.
• Pacers draft-and-stash prospect Stanko Barac is finally seeking an NBA deal.
• Former Pistons and Suns power forward Tony Mitchell will play for Atleticos de San German in Puerto Rico.
• The Heat will re-sign Tyler Johnson for the remainder of the season.
• The Bucks signed Jorge Gutierrez to a second 10-day contract.

A look back at the week that was..

• The Magic are on the verge of firing coach Jacque Vaughn.  Mark Jackson is said to be among the “names to watch” if Vaughn is ousted.
• It appears that the tension is continuing to build between Bulls management and coach Tom Thibodeau.
• Kevin Durant can see himself in a Knicks jersey.  However, one NBA GM cautioned to Adam Zagoria of SNY that other contenders around the league have the same chance as New York at this stage.
• Dwight Howard is expected to miss at least a month due to ongoing trouble with his right knee.
• The Nets are reportedly taking a close look at the performance of coach Lionel Hollins, but a conflicting report indicated that the Nets aren’t looking to fire him.
• The Nuggets have been offering the Nets a package of JaVale McGee and J.J. Hickson for Brook Lopez.  The Thunder are willing to go deep into the luxury tax this season to acquire Lopez.
• The Wolves are open to moving Mo Williams.
• There’s a perception around the NBA that GM Dell Demps and coach Monty Williams are on “thin ice” in New Orleans.
• The Nets and Hornets discussed Joe Johnson but it sounds like things have cooled off.
• The Thunder nearly dealt Reggie Jackson to the Nuggets, according to one report, but there’s also word that OKC is on the fence about moving him.
• Pau Gasol hinted that the Lakers won’t be among Marc Gasol‘s preferred destinations in free agency this summer.
• The Lakers announced that Kobe Bryant underwent successful surgery to repair the damage to his rotator cuff.  He’s expected to be out nine months, which is a longer recovery time than was initially expected.
• People around the league increasingly believe that Ray Allen already knows the team he would like to play for this season and that he’s simply deciding whether he wants to play at all.
• The idea of waiving Andrea Bargnani looks like it’s off the table for the Knicks until the trade deadline.
• The Knicks will keep Lance Thomas for the rest of the season.
• Chase Budinger‘s representatives have let the Timberwolves know that he’d like to play elsewhere and the team is trying to accommodate him.
• The Hornets have Ramon Sessions and Norris Cole on their radar as they pursue trade possibilities to replace injured point guard Kemba Walker.  Hornets coach Steve Clifford acknowledged the possibility that the team would sign a player to help offset the loss of Walker, who will be out for a minimum of six weeks.
• The Wizards have joined the Cavs among the teams interested in point guard Will Bynum.
• James McAdoo, whose 10-day contract with the Warriors expired Wednesday night, is headed back to Golden State’s D-League affiliate.
• Thabo Sefolosha is expected to miss six to eight weeks due to a calf strain.
• Teams are calling the Magic to inquire about the availability of Maurice Harkless.
• The Clippers maintain their interest in Nate Robinson, but they’re looking into other deals first.
• The Kings are shopping former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams.
• The Mavericks feel that they’re closing in on Jermaine O’Neal.
• The Pistons are eyeing Norris Cole.
• The Rockets are dangling Jason Terry.
• Warriors coach Steve Kerr seemed to indicate that the Warriors will match offers for soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green.
• A number of teams are looking at JaMychal Green.
• Tayshaun Prince hinted that he wants out of Boston.
• The Bucks, Hornets, and Sixers are exploring the idea of signing D-League point guard Gary Talton.
• Tony Wroten will have surgery on his torn ACL.
• Lorenzo Brown drew interest from the Pistons and Wolves.
• The Wolves cut Miroslav Raduljica to make room for Lorenzo Brown.
• The Knicks agreed to re-sign Lou Amundson to a deal that covers the rest of the season.
• The Heat signed Tyler Johnson to a second 10-day contract.
• The Knicks re-signed Langston Galloway.
• The Spurs signed Reggie Williams to a 10-day deal.
• The Bucks signed Jorge Gutierrez to a 10-day deal.
• Andre Dawkins agreed to another 10-day deal with the Celtics.
• The Pistons plan to sign John Lucas III to a 10-day deal.
• The Grizzlies will sign forward JaMychal Green to a 10-day contract.
• The Jazz signed Chris Johnson to a 10-day pact.
• The Sixers signed Larry Drew II to his second 10-day contract with the team.
• Former Sixers power forward Ronald Roberts is signing with the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippines.

A look back at the week that was..

• Kobe Bryant is exploring every alternative, but it sounds like he’s done for the season after suffering a torn rotator cuff.
• The Nets reportedly weren’t as close to trading Brook Lopez to the Thunder as they seemed.  Brooklyn apparently didn’t want Lance Stephenson, who would have come from Charlotte in a three-way proposal, or Kendrick Perkins. Still, a Lopez trade remains a possibility and the Nuggets are expected to make another run at him.
• Heat president Pat Riley denied that he made an offer for Lopez.
• Shawn Marion says that he’ll retire after this season.
• The Wizards are making numerous calls on Ray Allen and they’ve been pushing the hardest to sign the 39-year-old free agent.  LeBron James paid a visit to Allen recently to try to lure him to Cleveland.
• Tom Benson’s daughter and two of his grandchildren have filed suit seeking control of the Pelicans and the NFL’s Saints.
• The Rockets have tried to trade for Goran Dragic this season, but it’s unclear how recently they went after the Suns guard.  Meanwhile, he seems to have an affinity for the Lakers and Knicks.  Dragic will be a free agent next summer.
• The Grizzlies signed Tyrus Thomas to a 10-day contract.
• LaMarcus Aldridge has a radial collateral ligament tear in his left thumb it looked like he would miss six to eight weeks.  However, he’s decided to play through the pain.
• The Knicks would like to trade Pablo Prigioni and the Clippers are among the teams that are interested.
• George Karl still wants to return to coaching in the NBA.
• The Lakers topped Forbes Magazine’s list of NBA franchise valuations.
• Kenyon Martin will sign on with the Bucks for the rest of the season after inking his second 10-day deal.
• The Pistons had “significant fear” that Brandon Jennings suffered a torn left Achilles tendon during Saturday’s game and earlier today, that fear was confirmed.
• The Cavs are keeping an eye on Will Bynum and Bobby Brown.
• Norris Cole is on the trade block as the Heat prefer to forge ahead with 2014 first-round pick Shabazz Napier.
• Nets forward Mirza Teletovic will miss the rest of the season while he undergoes treatment for multiple blood clots in his lungs.
• Multiple teams have interest in Nate Robinson but it doesn’t sound like the Cavs will go hard after him.
• The Cavs won’t pursue Jordan Farmar either.
• If the Celtics don’t trade Tayshaun Prince, a buyout is likely.
• A number of NBA teams have made trade inquiries regarding the Sixers‘ Robert Covington, but Philadelphia intends to hold onto the forward.
• Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk is expected to miss at least a month of action.
• Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday is expected to miss two to four weeks of action after tests revealed that he has developed a stress reaction in his lower right leg.
• The Jazz and Elijah Millsap agreed to a three-year deal.
• The Raptors, Bulls, Jazz and Pistons have reached out to one-time Cavs swingman D.J. Kennedy.
• The Celtics and Andre Dawkins reached agreement on a deal for a 10-day contract after meeting earlier in the week.
• The Knicks are eyeing Tobias Harris.
• The Clippers signed Dahntay Jones to another 10-day deal.
• The Pelicans signed Nate Wolters to another 10-day deal.
• Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas agreed to second 10-day contracts with the Knicks.
• Jamaal Franklin will play for the D-League affiliate of the Lakers.
• James McAdoo agreed to sign a 10-day deal with the Warriors.
• The Pistons are “strongly considering” signing Lorenzo Brown.
• Sixers guard Tony Wroten was diagnosed with a partially torn ACL in his right knee.
• The D-League affiliate of the Thunder has acquired former Wizards forward Chris Singleton.

The West continued to get stronger when the Grizzlies acquired forward Jeff Green from the Celtics Monday in a three-team trade that also included the Pelicans. Shortly thereafter, the Clippers reached a deal with the C’s to acquire Austin Rivers. While we wait to see if more Western Conference teams make moves to bolster their depth as the trade deadline approaches, let’s take a look back at the week that was..

• Mikhail Prokhorov has reportedly put the Nets up for sale.
• The Heat have strong interest in Brook Lopez, but they’re far from alone.  The Thunder were active in talks with the Nets and the Rockets are also keeping an eye on things.
• The Nets would have strong interest in trying to flip Kendrick Perkins for Thaddeus Young if they acquire Perkins in a Lopez deal with OKC.  The Nets and Wolves have spoken about Young in recent weeks.
• The Blazers and Clippers are among the many teams who have strong interest in acquiring Wilson Chandler.
• The Nuggets are getting multiple inquiries on Arron Afflalo.  The Heat, Clippers and Hornets have all called Denver.
• Kevin Love plans to opt in and remain with the Cavaliers for 2015/16.
• The Nuggets are engaged in trade talks regarding Randy Foye.
• The Kings want to upgrade their frontcourt and they’re willing to deal Nik Stauskas.
• The Sixers have had exploratory talks regarding Michael Carter-Williams with several other teams.
• The Cavs offered Tristan Thompson a four-year, $52MM extension this past fall before the October 31st deadline for rookie scale extensions passed.
• The Lakers have asked the Pistons about Greg Monroe and Brandon Jennings in the past month.
• The Knicks are active in attempts to trade Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani.
• The Celtics and trade acquisition Nate Robinson completed a deal on a buyout.  The C’s acquired Robinson from Denver in exchange for Jameer Nelson.  Multiple teams have interest in Robinson and the Clippers appear to be in the lead.
• The C’s and Tayshaun Prince are discussing a buyout.  There’s mutual interest between Prince and the Clippers.
• The NBA has suspended Larry Sanders without pay for a minimum of 10 games for a violation of its anti-drug policy.
• There is interest around the league in Brandon Bass, but the Celtics have yet to draw any serious offers for him on the trade market.
• The Clippers signed Dahntay Jones to a 10-day deal. Originally, it looked like the Clips would be signing Darius Miller, but that didn’t come to fruition.
• The Bucks are likely to retain Kenyon Martin for the rest of the season.
• Magic GM Rob Hennigan won’t guarantee Jacque Vaughn‘s job security.
• The Pelicans signed Nate Wolters to a 10-day deal.
• The Heat re-signed Tyler Johnson to a 10-day pact.
• The Kings talked about a swap of Ramon Sessions for Jordan Farmar.  The deal didn’t go down, however, and the Clippers wound up waiving Farmar with a buyout.  The Cavs have interest in the newly minted free agent.
• The Pistons are seeking a trade partner who’ll take on Gigi Datome.
• Eric Maynor is headed to Italy.
• Amar’e Stoudemire isn’t sure that he wants to remain with the Knicks amid a rebuilding effort.
• Andre Dawkins has signed with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
• The Jazz signed Elijah Millsap to a second 10-day contract.
• Glen Rice Jr. has joined the D-League affiliate of the Rockets.
• Former Sixers and Nets power forward Brandon Davies signed with Elan Chalon of France.
• The Delaware 87ers, Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate, have acquired Jared Cunningham via the D-League waiver process.
• Former Nuggets small forward Quincy Miller was set to meet with the Pacers, Hawks, Thunder, and Spurs but ended up signing with the Kings.
• The Sixers signed Larry Drew II to a second 10-day deal.
• The Knicks signed Langston Galloway to another 10-day pact.
• Elliot Williams inked another 10-day contract with the Jazz.
• Kendall Marshall is going to miss the rest of the year with an ACL injury.
• The Spurs signed JaMychal Green to a 10-day pact and cut ties with Austin Daye to make room.
• The Warriors signed James McAdoo to a second 10-day deal.
• The Bulls. Pistons, Wizards, and Clippers are among the teams eyeing Damion James.
• The Wolves brought Miroslav Raduljica back for another 10-day contract.
• Kobe Bryant admitted retirement after this season has crossed his mind, although he doesn’t peg it as very likely.
• The Celtics waived Chris Douglas-Roberts

On Monday night, the Cavs, Knicks, and Thunder completed a stunning three-way deal that apparently broke Twitter.  The swap sent Dion Waiters to the Thunder, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Cavs, and Lance Thomas, Louis Amundson, and Alex Kirk to the Knicks.  In addition, the Cavs received a future first-round choice from OKC and the Knicks got the Cavs’ 2019 second-round choice.  The deal gave the Thunder a solid scorer off the bench, shook things up in Cleveland, and gave the Knicks a whole lot of salary relief.  Phil Jackson also waived Samuel Dalembert to make the deal possible.  Here’s our look back at the week that was..

• The Cavs later got the big man they wanted when they acquired Timofey Mozgov from the Nuggets. Mozgov heads to Cleveland in exchange for the Grizzlies’ 2015 first-round pick and the Thunder’s 2015 first-round pick, both of which carry protections. The Nuggets send Cleveland the less favorable of the Bulls’ 2015 second-round pick and the Blazers’ 2015 second-round pick.
• The Grizzlies are nearing a deal with the Celtics for Jeff Green with a little bit of help for the Pelicans.  The deal should become official tomorrow.  Austin Rivers, who is going to the C’s in the proposed deal, might not be in Boston for long. The Clippers are interested in taking on Rivers if they can find a third team to give Boston an expiring contract and a second-rounder in a potential deal.
• The Grizzlies were also said to have their eye on Luol Deng.
• Larry Sanders wouldn’t delve into specifics about his absence, but he denied that he’s thinking about retirement.
• The Bulls are planning a max offer for Jimmy Butler.
• The Suns acquired Brandan Wright from the Celtics.
• The Knicks waived Thomas, Kirk, and Amundson shortly after acquiring them in the three-team deal.  Thomas and Amundson were later signed to 10-day deals.
• The Trail Blazers signed GM Neil Olshey to a three-year contract extension.
• The Sixers waived Jared Cunningham shortly after acquiring him from the Clippers.  It turns out that they never had to waive someone to open up a roster spot for him due to Andrei Kirilenko‘s absence.
• Speaking of AK47, he has been suspended without pay.
• A number of people, including a group featuring former Suns and Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo, have their eye on buying the Hawks.   Investor Chris Hansen and financier Thomas Tull are reportedly planning to make separate bids to buy the Hawks and move them to Seattle.
• Tyrus Thomas is D-League bound.
• The Bucks waived Nate Wolters to accommodate their 10-day deal with Kenyon Martin.
• The Hornets continue to explore the market for Lance Stephenson, and they’re looking for frontcourt help, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.  Berger also reports that Clippers guard Jamal Crawford is off-limits in trade talks.
• Despite the Lakers‘ struggles this season, team president Jeanie Buss is satisfied with the job that coach Byron Scott is doing.
• The Knicks still have an interest in acquiring Reggie Jackson from the Thunder, but New York likely lacks the assets to pull that off.
• Wizards have maintained “routine” contact with Ray Allen since first reaching out to him in July and they plan on chasing him until he retires or turns them down.  Still, it’s a longshot that he lands in D.C.
• The Nets waived recent trade acquisition Brandon Davies.
• The Cavaliers waived guard A.J. Price.
• The Wolves released Jeff Adrien.
• The Wizards said goodbye to Glen Rice Jr.
• The Wolves inked Miroslav Raduljica to a 10-day deal.
• The Knicks signed Langston Galloway to a 10-day pact.
• The Heat will re-sign Tyler Johnson to a 10-day deal.
• It’s likely that the Knicks will eventually decide to shut down Carmelo Anthony for the rest of the season so he can rest his sore left knee.
• The Jazz signed Elliot Williams to a 10-day deal.  The Jazz waived Patrick Christopher to make room.
• The Blazers are now after Jermaine O’Neal.
• Marquee draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay plans to stay in China all season.
• The Heat waived Andre Dawkins.
• Multiple NBA teams, including the Lakers and the Jazz, have expressed interest in Lithuanian small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas.
• Jabari Parker sounds intent on staying in Milwaukee and isn’t concerned about market size.

Last week it was reported that LeBron James would not rule out leaving the Cavs in his next trip through free agency if it was the appropriate business decision.  James is understandably frustrated by the team’s disappointing start and might not be wild about coach David Blatt, but he told reporters that talk of him leaving Cleveland (again) is “outlandish.”  Here’s our look back at the week that was..

• Emeka Okafor might not return until 2015/16.
• LeBron is expected to miss the next two weeks of action thanks to injuries to his back and left knee.
• The Bucks worked out Kenyon Martin and the Cavs have an eye on him.
• All three of the Hawks ownership groups have agreed to sell their respective shares of the team.
• Kings coach Tyrone Corbin had the interim tag lifted from his title.
• The Cavs have been granted a disabled player exception due to Anderson Varejao‘s season ending injury.
• The Nets expressed interest in acquiring Nik Stauskas from the Kings when discussing Deron Williams but Sacramento was reluctant to part with him.
• Hornets center Al Jefferson has been diagnosed with a strain of an adductor muscle in his left groin and is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks.
• The Jazz announced that Alec Burks will have left shoulder surgery and miss the rest of the season.
• Kings forward/center Eric Moreland will undergo surgery to repair a labral tear in his left shoulder and miss the rest of the season.
• The Cavs front office might have some concerns about Blatt.
• Several GMs around the league believe that the Cavs coaching job is the one that Mark Jackson would like to have.
• Sixers guard Jason Richardson said that he expects to return to the court in late January after being sidelined for nearly two years.
• Miroslav Raduljica still seems likely to join the Wolves.
• The Wizards are likely to cut second-year guard Glen Rice Jr.
• The Jazz are preparing to bring Elijah Millsap up from the NBA D-League.
• The Jazz will waive Toure’ Murry.
• Paul Pierce will probably speak with Danny Ainge and Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck this summer about a role with the organization after his playing career is done.

This isn’t quite how the Pistons envisioned things working out when they signed Josh Smith to a four-year, $54MM deal.  In a shocker, the Pistons opted to waive Smith on Monday using the stretch provision.  While his contract was unpalatable, teams quickly circled their wagons to pick up the high-flying forward.  Ultimately, the Rockets won out, beating out the Mavericks, Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Lakers, Clippers, Grizzlies, and Kings.  More from the week that was..

• Ray Allen is leaning toward retirement.
• Anderson Varejao will be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles.
• The Heat are eyeing Andray Blatche.
• The Rockets signed Kevin McHale to an extension.
• Right now it sounds like the Nuggets would prefer to hang on to Wilson Chandler.
• Talks between the Nets and Kings regarding Deron Williams aren’t completely dead.  The Nets apparently decided months ago to break up their core and they’re more focused on moving Williams than Brook Lopez or Joe Johnson.  There are conflicting reports on whether execs around the league expect Lopez to turn down his player option for next season.
• The Cavs have interest in twins Brook Lopez and Robin Lopez, but their respective salaries mean the acquisition of either is unlikely.
• The Kings are one of multiple teams to have called the Grizzlies about Kosta Koufos.
• The Rockets waived center Tarik Black after they couldn’t find an acceptable deal to open up a spot for Smith.  The Rockets made Black, Isaiah Canaan, Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, and Clint Capela available, but couldn’t get anything to their liking.
• The Cavs and Celtics talked three-team trade ideas.
• The Pistons acquired Anthony Tolliver from the Suns in exchange for Tony Mitchell.
• The NBA granted the Heat a disabled player exception this week because of the injury to forward Josh McRoberts.
• Kenyon Martin would have interest in joining the Cavs.
• Free agent center Miroslav Raduljica is finalizing a deal to play with Minnesota for the remainder of the season.
• The 76ers re-signed Malcolm Thomas.
• Reggie Williams will join the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.
• The Sixers have asked Andrei Kirilenko to report to the team, but he continues to hold out.

After many months of speculation, the Celtics finally moved star guard Rajon Rondo.  Rondo and Dwight Powell were sent to the Mavs in exchange for Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, a 2015 first rounder with conditions, and a 2016 second round choice.  The Celtics added valuable assets to their stockpile in Wright and the draft choices while the Mavs made a bold move to upgrade their lineup in the ultra-competitive West.  More from the week that was..

• The Rockets acquired Corey Brewer in a three-way deal involving the Sixers and Wolves.
• The Hornets haven’t gotten a deal they like for Lance Stephenson and they’re prepared to hold on to him for now.
• The Kings’ coaching search continues after they fired Mike Malone.  Tyrone Corbin is at the helm, for now.
• The Mavs are now the front-runners to sign Jermaine O’Neal.
• The Nets and Kings discussed a swap involving Deron Williams.
• The Clippers, Pelicans, and Grizzlies inquired on Jeff Green.
• The Pistons are struggling and considering their options.
• The Pelicans said goodbye to Gal Mekel.
• The Sixers will release Ronny Turiaf, who they acquired in the three-way deal.  He’s likely done for the year.
• It sounds like the Knicks and Pelicans are open for business.
• The Raptors are growing increasingly intrigued by Marc Gasol.
• Jabari Parker is likely done for the year.
• Alexey Shved is thinking about a return to Europe.
• Isaiah Thomas insists his decision to change agents isn’t an indication that he wants to be traded.
• Josh McRoberts has a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee which will probably end his season.
• Former Sixers power forward Arnett Moultrie is joining the Jiangsu Nangang Dragons.
• Dwight Buycks is also headed to China.

A report indicated that Knicks star Carmelo Anthony would be willing to waive his no-trade clause, but both Anthony and agent Leon Rose have denied such talk.  “Carmelo, as always, is committed to the Knicks,” Rose said. “There have never been discussions about trades or wanting to leave New York. Any story, rumor, report to the contrary is utter nonsense.” Our look back at the week that was..

• Finally, after weeks of speculation, the Nets found a trade partner for Andrei Kirilenko.  AK47 joined the Sixers, though it’s unclear how long he’ll stay in Philadelphia.  Sixers coach Brett Brown was not happy about losing Brandon Davies in the deal.
• The Nets have made Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson available.
• The Warriors and Grizzlies are now among the teams eyeing Ray Allen.
• Four or five teams have let the Hornets know that they have strong interest in acquiring Lance Stephenson.  Charlotte can deal the guard starting tomorrow and it sounds like the team is inclined to do so.
• J.R. Smith is reportedly the Knicks player whom the team would most like to trade.  Team president Phil Jackson says the Knicks aren’t going to make a trade for someone who wouldn’t be a long-term fit.
• The Thunder have inquired on Wilson Chandler.
• The Cavs have been asking the Grizzlies about their willingness to trade Kosta Koufos.
• The Clippers and Heat showed interest in Corey Brewer when the Wolves were in active discussions about him last month.  It’s unclear whether they’re still eyeing him, however.
• The Nets signed Darius Morris.
• Finally, Furkan Aldemir is joining the 76ers.  Ronald Roberts Jr. was waived to make room.
• The Sixers had signed Ronald Roberts Jr. and waived Jorge Gutierrez before Aldemir came aboard.
• The Rockets are pushing again to use their trade exception.
• The NBA is thinking about trimming down the preseason to build more off days into the regular season calendar.
• The arrival of Daniel Orton could prompt the Sichuan Blue Whales to say goodbye to Metta World Peace.
• The Nuggets might be in the market for point guard help.
• The Lakers’ hardship exception expired.
• The Jazz signed Patrick Christopher.
• Quincy Miller will join the D-League.
• Earl Clark is headed to China.

In a forthcoming documentary, Carmelo Anthony made it clear that even though he met with the Bulls, Rockets, Mavs and Lakers in addition to the Knicks this summer, his final decision was between New York and Chicago.  ‘Melo’s camp concluded that they’d need to have the Knicks sign-and-trade him to Chicago for him to end up on the Bulls with a max deal and his manager says that the Bulls could only offer a $74MM deal otherwise.  More from the week that was..

• The Cavs, Wizards, Bulls, and Spurs are among the teams interested in Ray Allen.  The Cavs appear to be the frontrunners.
• Hawks GM Danny Ferry doesn’t believe it’s possible that he’d return to his job under new ownership.
• The Lakers were granted a disabled player exception in response to Steve Nash‘s season-ending injury.
• The Lakers are looking to add Earl Clark to replace Xavier Henry.  Henry’s season appears to be over thanks to an Achilles tear.
• The Wolves signed Jeff Adrien.
• The Rockets have interest in Al Harrington after he left his Chinese club.
• There was talk that the Jazz were interested in Andrei Kirilenko, but that might not be the case.  Meanwhile, we might not see a deal take place for a while as the forward tends to a family matter.
• The Pacers waived guard A.J. Price.
• The Thunder waived Sebastian Telfair rather than dumping Ish Smith.
• The Sixers and Furkan Aldemir are discussing a deal.  Aldemir left his Turkish club earlier in the week.
• James Nunnally is set to sign with Israel’s Maccabi Ashdod.
• Dexter Pittman signed with a Turkish club.
• The Heat signed Hassan Whiteside and said goodbye to Shannon Brown.
• Jordan Hamilton is headed to the D-League.