Week in Review News & Rumors

Paul Pierce can envision playing for the Celtics again, and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge can see Pierce returning to Boston, too, if the price and circumstances are right.  The 36-year-old Pierce will be a free agent in the summer, but the Nets would like to re-sign him, too.  More from the week that was..

• Is Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin on his way out?  A report this week said yes but the Jazz have denied the rumors.
• The Lakers and Suns are interested in Luol Deng.
• The Knicks signed Lamar Odom.
• Thaddeus Young might ask out of Philadelphia.
• There is no chance that Rick Adelman will be back as coach of the Timberwolves next season.
• Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry will purchase the Bucks.
• Channing Frye wants an extension from the Suns.
• Candidates are emerging for the Pistons job vacated by Joe Dumars.  The two sides officially parted ways this week.
• Joel Anthony intends to exercise his option to return to the Celtics next season.
• Steve Kerr would coach the Knicks, if offered.
• Dario Saric‘s agent says his client will declare for the draft.
• The Jazz will consider rookie scale extensions for Enes Kanter and Alec Burks.
• The Rockets signed Josh Powell.
• The Pelicans signed Melvin Ely and waived Greg Stiemsma.
• The Cavs’ next GM will decide Mike Brown‘s fate.
• Jabari Parker has decided to go pro.
• The Bucks re-signed Chris Wright to a multi-year pact.
• The Sixers re-signed Casper Ware.
• The Bulls signed Greg Smith.
• Kentucky standout Willie Cauley-Stein is staying in school.
• The Knicks were considering Ike Diogu before they inked Odom.
• The Bulls waived Tornike Shengelia.
• Glen Robinson III hired an agent and will be in the draft.
• Arizona junior Nick Johnson announced that he’ll be in the draft.
• Louisville sophomore Montrezl Harrell has decided against entering this year’s draft.
• Aaron Gordon formally declared that he’ll be in the draft.
• Terrence Williams and Dexter Pittman are headed to Puerto Rico.
• Marcus Lee is staying at Kentucky.
• UCLA sophomore Jordan Adams will return to school for his junior year.
• New Mexico State center Sim Bhullar will enter the NBA draft.
• James Young is entering his name in the draft.
• Syracuse sophomore Jerami Grant will enter the draft.
• Baylor big man Isaiah Austin will reportedly enter this year’s NBA Draft, but he denied the story.
• The Magic will partner with the Erie BayHawks.
• Michigan sophomore Nik Stauskas has decided to declare for the NBA draft.
• Serbian shooting guard Nemanja Dangubic is going pro.
• Louisiana Lafayette guard Elfrid Payton will enter the NBA Draft.

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Jabari Parker would declare for the 2014 draft, but that’s not quite the case. The Duke standout has apparently applied for sophomore housing and even though that’s far from binding, it is an indication that he hasn’t ruled out staying in school.  More from the week that was..

• The Lakers signed Mitch Kupchak to a new deal.
• The Knicks have a plan to keep Carmelo Anthony that includes even more losing.
• The Lakers don’t want to keep Mike D’Antoni beyond this season and are looking for a peaceful way to part ways.
• The Knicks are thinking about signing Lamar Odom.
• The Celtics and Kris Humphries are working on a new deal.
• Joel Embiid declared for the draft.
• The Pacers could be mulling replacing Frank Vogel with Larry Bird.
• The Nuggets were dangling Kenneth Faried about six months ago.
• Flip Saunders would coach the Timberwolves himself, if it were up to him.  Fred Hoiberg is unlikely.
• The Bucks’ ownership saga continues.
• The Knicks re-signed Jared Cunningham for the season.
• The Thunder signed Grant Jerrett.
• There’s mutual interest between the Lakers and Jordan Farmar in a new deal.
• The Rockets signed Dexter Pittman and said goodbye to Greg Smith.
• The Bulls signed Lou Amundson as well as Mike James.
• The Bobcats signed DJ White for the year.
• The T’Wolves signed Othyus Jeffers.
• The Warriors signed Hilton Armstrong for the year.
• Marcus Smart is entering his name in the 2014 draft.
• The 76ers signed Adonis Thomas.
• The Pelicans signed James Southerland.
• The Bulls signed Ronnie Brewer.
• Latvian big man Ilja Gromovs will declare for the draft.
• Joe Dumars plans to resign from the Pistons.
• Oregon State forward Eric Moreland says he will be declaring for the draft.
• New Mexico junior Alex Kirk has officially declared his intent to enter this year’s NBA draft.
• Jarnell Stokes is going pro.
• Ditto for T.J. Warren.
• Finnish power forward Joonas Caven will be in the 2014 draft.

For a while, it seemed like Kyle Lowry was a goner in Toronto.  This week, however, Raptors CEO Tim Leiweke came out and said that the Raptors will likely re-sign the veteran guard. The Raptors have Lowry’s Bird rights and only about $39MM in commitments for next season, so they appear to have the resources necessary to bring him back.  However, Toronto has never been a free agent destination and the 28-year-old may choose to go elsewhere.  More from the week that was..

• The Bulls, Cavs, and Bobcats will likely go after Pau Gasol.
• Tony Parker says Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili will return.
• The Knicks will reportedly fire Mike Woodson if they don’t make the playoffs.
• The Mavs want to re-sign Vince Carter.  Ditto for Samuel Dalembert.
• Knicks president Phil Jackson met with Lamar Odom recently.
• The Lakers are leaning towards keeping Mike D’Antoni.
• The Lakers plan to keep both Steve Nash and Kendall Marshall.
• No surprise here: Andrew Wiggins is entering the 2014 draft.
• Dario Saric is likely entering the draft.
• The Jazz claimed Erik Murphy after he was waived by the Bulls.
• The Kings inked Jared Cunningham to a 10-day pact.
• The Bucks signed Chris Wright to a 10-day deal.
• The Bobcats gave DJ White another 10-day deal.
• The Cavs signed Scotty Hopson.
• The 76ers re-signed Casper Ware to a 10-day.
• Seth Curry joined the Warriors’ D-League affiliate.
• Agent Arn Tellem could be interested in buying the Bucks.
• The Spurs signed Damion James to a 10-day.
• The Wolves waived A.J. Price.
• The Rockets are eyeing German league point guard Malcolm Delaney.
• The Magic could be up for sale soon.
• North Carolina junior James Michael McAdoo announced his decision to enter the NBA draft.
• Missouri combo guard Jordan Clarkson will enter the NBA draft.
• Missouri junior Jabari Brown is entering the draft.
• Roscoe Smith is going pro.
• Michigan State sophomore Gary Harris will be in the draft.
• Johnny O’Bryant III is in as well.
• The Warriors are making some changes to their assistant coaching staff.

The Sixers put a stop to their extended losing streak last night, besting the Pistons 123-98. Philly’s historical 26-game skid ties them with the 2010/11 Cavs for the NBA record of most consecutive losses. Here’s more from the week that was:

• We heard Dario Saric was going to forego the draft and sign in Europe. His former agent disagreed with the decision, but word now is Saric’s likely to declare.
• Noah Vonleh says he’ll declare for this year’s draft.
• Count Vasilije Micic in for the draft as well.
• T.J. Warren is heading for the NBA too.
• JaKarr Sampson will leave SJU and put his name in the draft.
• Montrezl Harrell, Rodney Hood, and Juwan Staten are entering the draft too.
• Artem Klimenko will also enter the draft.
• R.J. Hunter is staying at Georgia State.
• Mark Jackson sought a coaching gig with both the Clippers and Nets.
• Despite the controversy, Jackson isn’t worried about an extension with the Warriors.
• There’s mutual interest between Mike D’Antoni and Marshall.
• French center Mouhammadou Jaiteh entered his name in the draft.
• The Nets want to re-sign Paul Pierce.
• The Kings held off on re-signing Royce White.
• Chris Bosh said he and LeBron James would be in Miami next season.
• The Pistons are getting their own D-League club.
• It’s likely the Pistons will go after Tom Izzo.
• D.J. Stephens got a second 10-day deal from the Bucks.
• It looked like the Kings were set to sign Chris Johnson, but the deal fell through.
• Rodrigue Beaubois will play in Belgium.
• Metta World Peace wants to re-join the Knicks.
• We heard Joel Embiid would officially declare for the draft this week, but he says he still hasn’t made up his mind.
• The Spurs 2013 first-rounder, Livio Jean-Charles, will stay overseas next season.
• James Nunnally hooked on with the Sixers for a second 10-day pact.
• Tyler Ennis is moving on from Syracuse for the draft.
• Kyle Anderson will enter his name in the draft, as will his teammate Zach LaVine.
• Reggie Williams got a second 10-day contract from the Thunder.
• Willie Reed signed with the Kings for the remainder of the year.
• Semaj Christon will leave Xavier for the draft.
• Steve Kerr is the frontrunner to get the Knicks coaching gig.
• LaQuinton Ross will be entering the draft.
• Shane Battier is almost certainly going to retire after this season.
• Kevin Love is interested in the Bulls.
• The Nets inked Jorge Gutierrez to a two-year deal.
• Josh Powell will play in the Philippines.
• The Warriors are bringing in Hilton Armstrong on a 10-day deal.
• We heard Patrick Beverley was likely sidelined for the year, but he believes he might be able to return.
• The Bucks opted not to re-sign Chris Wright to a second 10-day deal.
• The Sixers inked Casper Ware to a second 10-day pact.
• Sasha Vujacic signed in Italy.
• The Pelicans confirmed Ryan Anderson would miss the remainder of the season.

If Carmelo Anthony ultimately decides to leave New York this summer, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski sees the Bulls and Rockets as the two free agent destinations that have emerged above all other alternatives, based on his conversations with people from around the league.  Wojnarowski notes that while Chicago may have an easier time clearing enough cap space to sign Carmelo outright, Houston believes that they can shed the necessary contracts to be able to offer a near-max deal. One source tells Wojnarowski that the Knicks star ”will give New York every option (to convince him to stay)…But he has options – and he’s going to explore them all.”  Here’s more from the week that was..

• The Grizzlies have “secondary” interest in a reunion with Pau Gasol.
• The Nets will prioritize re-signing Shaun Livingston.
• J.J. Hickson is done for the year.
• Phil Jackson was complimentary of Knicks coach Mike Woodson, but he won’t guarantee that he’ll be back.
• The Cavs signed Seth Curry and released Shane Edwards.
• The Celtics gave Chris Babb a partially-guaranteed three-year deal.
• The Bobcats signed D.J. White to a 10-day deal.
• Avery Bradley and the Celtics have mutual interest in a new deal.
• The Knicks signed Shannon Brown for the rest of the year.
• Mickael Pietrus has ruled out an NBA return in 2014/15.
• Larry Sanders is done for the year.
• Bucks owner Herb Kohl could sell his majority share.
• Tony Parker will buy a majority share in a French team.

Phil Jackson is on his way back to Madison Square Garden.  The Hall of Fame coach isn’t interested in patrolling the sidelines any longer, but his newly-minted deal with the Knicks will allow him to oversee the team’s basketball operations.  The hire of Jackson could impact the future of Carmelo Anthony, coach Mike Woodson, and much much more.  The rest of the week that was..

• Woodson wants a sit-down with Jackson.
• Could the Rockets go after Carmelo?
• Kobe Bryant reportedly wants Mike D’Antoni out.  Meanwhile, Bryant is officially done for the year.
• Marcin Gortat won’t sign an extension.
• Josh Smith wants to play with Rajon Rondo.
• Rodney Hood is expected to enter the draft.
• Noah Vonleh is leaning towards entering the June draft.
• The Heat picked up Justin Hamilton on a deal that contains guarantee dates for next season.
• The Heat released DeAndre Liggins.
• The Bucks signed the high-flying D.J. Stephens.
• The Nets inked Jason Collins for the rest of the year.
• Joe Ingles has interest from multiple clubs.
• The Kings gave Royce White another 10-day.
• The Bucks signed Chris Wright.
• The Wizards re-signed Drew Gooden for the rest of the year.
• The Spurs made a late push for Evan Turner.
• The Sixers signed Darius Johnson-Odom to a 10-day deal.
• The Sixers cut Lorenzo Brown.
• The D-League will expand and the Knicks will get their own team.
• The Cavs signed Shane Edwards and said goodbye to Arinze Onaku.
• Lamar Odom‘s comeback in Spain was cut short.
• The Thunder won’t re-sign Reggie Williams.
• The Sixers signed Jarvis Varnado to a multi-year deal.
• Manny Harris will play in Turkey.
• The Magic won’t keep Adonis Thomas.

Knicks GM Steve Mills met with Phil Jackson a couple of weeks ago to offer up the team’s head coaching position, but the Hall of Famer said that he wasn’t interested in returning to the sidelines.  Now, it appears the Knicks have offered him a job in their front office and Jackson is expected to make his decision in the coming days.  The 68-year-old would reportedly be “handsomely compensated” if he said yes, but Jackson certainly isn’t hard up for money.  More from the week that was..

• The Knicks are reportedly keeping Mike Woodson around so that they can use him as a scapegoat in their pitch to Carmelo Anthony.  In addition to pinning the blame on Woodson, Dolan plans to sell Anthony on his financial incentive to re-sign with the Knicks, promise to bring in another superstar no later than 2015, and vow that he’ll hire a marquee coach this summer.
• Joakim Noah pitched Anthony on joining the Bulls at All-Star Weekend.  For his part, Melo denied that such talk took place.
• Execs and agents are worried that we’re headed for a lockout in 2017.
• The Bulls’ pursuit of Melo hinges on Nikola Mirotic.
• Mike D’Antoni‘s future with the Lakers seems questionable.
• Nate Robinson will opt in for 2014/15.
• Notable draft prospect Dario Saric is considering a multi-year deal in Turkey.
• Andrew Bogut‘s bonus could push the Warriors into tax territory.
• The Wizards gave Drew Gooden another 10-day deal.
• Steve Nash is probably done for the year.
• The Kings gave Royce White a 10-day.
• The Bobcats signed Justin Hamilton to a 10-day.
• The Knicks’ D-League affiliate waived Chris Smith.
• The Nets signed Jorge Gutierrez to a 10-day.  They also gave Jason Collins a second 10-day.
• The Thunder inked Reggie Williams to a 10-day pact.
• The Bucks signed Tony Mitchell to a 10-day deal.
• Arinze Onuaku got another 10-day from the Cavs.
• The Magic gave Dewayne Dedmon another 10-day.  Ditto for Adonis Thomas.
• The Kings will probably keep the hard-working Orlando Johnson for the year.
• Vitor Faverani is done for the year.
• Chris Bosh says he’ll play until he’s 36.

Danny Granger and the 76ers wrestled a bit over a possible buyout but, eventually, the two sides shook hands.  While he had interest in a few different contenders, the veteran eventually joined the Clippers, making their roster even more loaded.  More from the week that was..

• Caron Butler signed with the Thunder after turning down overtures from the Heat, Spurs, Bulls, and Rockets.  The soon-to-be 34-year-old agreed to a buyout with the cellar-dwelling Bucks.
• Jimmer Fredette reached agreement with the Kings on a buyout and, soon after, the Bulls signed him for the year.
• The Grizzlies want to keep Zach Randolph long-term.
• Heat stars might not be willing to give a hometown discount.
• The Pistons are considering Isiah Thomas for their GM job.
• Ivan Johnson is working out for multiple teams.
• The C’s and Rodrigue Beaubois talked about a possible 10-day.
• The Nets made history by signing Jason Collins and they’re likely to re-sign him at the end of his 10-day.
• The Bobcats and Ben Gordon discussed a buyout.
• Bulls VP John Paxson says his coach isn’t going anywhere.
• Stan Van Gundy is unlikely to coach next season.
• The Suns signed Shavlik Randolph and cut Slava Kravtsov loose.
• The Celtics won’t be buying out Keith Bogans.
• The Kings are looking at Royce White.
• Some execs are worried that Dante Exum could try and force his way on the Lakers.
• Gerald Wallace is done for the year.
• Jrue Holiday is done for the season too.
• Ditto for Gustavo Ayon.
• The Grizzlies claimed Beno Udrih.
• The Kings arena plan took a step forward.
• Nene HIlario avoided a season-ending injury.
• The Jazz said no to offers that would have netted them a first-rounder for Marvin Williams.
• The Hawks said goodbye to Dexter Pittman.
• The Wizards signed Drew Gooden to a 10-day pact.
• The Kings gave Orlando Johnson a 10-day.
• The Knicks nabbed Earl Clark as well as Shannon Brown.  They also checked out Dahntay Jones.
• A few teams like Lester Hudson.
• Metta World Peace got some bites from the Clippers.
• The Sixers signed Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day deal.
• The Celtics signed Chris Babb to a 10-day pact.
• The Heat signed DeAndre Liggins to a 10-day.
• The Hawks inked Mike Muscala.

Evan Turner and Danny Granger have been featured prominently on the pages of Hoops Rumors all season long.  This week, the Pacers and Sixers got together to complete the most significant deadline deal.  The trade sent Granger and a future second round draft pick to Philly for Turner and forward Lavoy Allen.  Granger, however, may not be in the city of Brotherly Love for long.  Here’s more from the news-filled week that was..

• The Magic agreed to a buyout with Glen Davis and earlier today, Big Baby hooked on with the Clippers.
• The Wizards acquired Andre Miller in a three-team deal that will also see the Nuggets receive Jan Vesely and Philly get Eric Maynor plus two second-round picks.
• The Knicks and Metta World Peace agreed to a buyout.  The Knicks also let Beno Udrih buy out his contract. Udrih almost went to Denver for Jordan Hamilton.
• Jason Collins is joining the Nets on a 10-day deal.
• The Bobcats and Ben Gordon are talking buyout.
• The Nets shipped Jason Terry and Reggie Evans to the Kings for Marcus Thornton.  Terry, unfortunately, is done for the year.
• The Sixers and Cavs agreed to a trade that sends Spencer Hawes to Cleveland for Earl Clark, Henry Sims, and draft picks.  The Sixers didn’t keep Earl Clark for long.
• The Bobcats acquired Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour from the Bucks in exchange for Ramon Sessions and Jeff Adrien.
• The Warriors acquired Steve Blake from the Lakers in exchange for Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks.
• The Nuggets sent Jordan Hamilton to the Rockets for Aaron Brooks.
• The Spurs and Raptors swapped Nando De Colo and Austin Daye.
• The Heat sent cash and Roger Mason Jr. over to the Kings for a second-round pick that they’ll never see.  Mason was subsequently waived.
• The Sixers acquired Byron Mullens from the Clippers.  They were in talks for another L.A. big man in Chris Kaman, but that deal didn’t come together.
• The Hawks traded for Antawn Jamison and waived him soon after.
• The Clippers and Nets are considering Ivan Johnson.
• The Rockets waived Ronnie Brewer to sign Troy Daniels.
• The Clippers and Knicks had serious talks involving Iman Shumpert but they couldn’t come to terms on a deal.
• JaVale McGee is done for the year.
• The Wolves and others had interest in Jarrett Jack but a deal didn’t get done before Thursday’s deadline.
• The Cavs talked Luol Deng with the Wizards and other interested clubs.  They also shopped Tyler Zeller with an eye on Reggie Bullock.  Cleveland got offers for Dion Waiters but held on to him.
• The Pistons shopped Josh Smith.
• The Nets and Pelicans wanted Lakers big man Jordan Hill but he wound up staying put.  Thanks to the luxury tax, the Nets would have paid $17MM for the privilege of having him for the rest of the year.
• The Rockets resumed Omer Asik talks with the Sixers and others but the disgruntled big man is staying in Houston.
• Houston wanted Rajon Rondo.  The C’s reportedly wanted two unprotected first-round picks for the star guard.
• The Kings made Isaiah Thomas available.
• The Celtics had their eyes on Gordon Hayward.
• The Pelicans were granted a DPE.
• The Grizzlies and Wolves discussed a deal involving J.J Barea and Chase Budinger.
• Dario Saric may not enter the draft.
• The Warriors dangled Jordan Crawford.
• Chris Duhon backed out of his deal in Italy.
• Lamar Odom is going to Spain.
• Pierre Jackson is Turkey-bound.
• The Wolves considered Jameer Nelson.
• The Lakers and Mavs considered Kevin Love deals.
• The Heat turned away calls on Norris Cole.
• The Bobcats and Lakers talked Pau Gasol.
• The Bulls signed Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day.
• Multiple teams called on rookie Shabazz Muhammad.
• Charlie Villanueva is open to a buyout if the Pistons want to work one out.
• The Hawks signed Dexter Pittman to a 10-day contract.
• The Hawks signed Cartier Martin for the rest of the year after his 10-day expired.
• The Warriors inked Hilton Armstrong to a 10-day.
• The Magic agreed to sign Dewayne Dedmon to a 10-day pact.  Ditto for Adonis Thomas.
• Atlanta waived Jared Cunningham.
• Daniel Gibson is drawing NBA interest.
• The Pacers waived the hard-working Orlando Johnson.
• The Cavs signed Arinze Onuaku to a 10-day contract.

All season long we’ve been wondering if Carmelo Anthony will stay or go.  This week, it appears that he has put some of that speculation to rest.  Melo told reporters covering All-Star weekend that his first priority is to stay with the Knicks and that he’d like to remain with the organization for the rest of his career.  In fact, he says he’d even be open to taking a pay cut if that would help the Knicks towards their goal of winning a world championship.  More from the week that was..

• Ersan Ilyasova wants out of Milwaukee.
• Andre Miller doesn’t want to return to the Nuggets.
• Finalists have emerged for the top position in the NBPA.
• The Cavs are thinking about making a pitch to agent Mark Bartelstein to have him join the team’s front office.
• The Cavs and Nuggets like Pierre Jackson.
• The Thunder are seeking a wing player.
• The Wizards want a big man.
• The NBA is unlikely to expand to Seattle anytime soon.
• The Knicks like Glen Rice Jr.  Meanwhile, they still want Kyle Lowry, but the Raptors are reluctant to make a deal.
• The Thunder and other clubs have their eye on Rudy Fernandez.
• The Warriors want bench help.
• The Knicks are pushing Iman Shumpert for Kenneth Faried again.
• Executives from around the league say the Bobcats and Suns are the teams to watch as we get closer to the deadline.
• The Hawks re-signed Cartier Martin.
• The Wizards have interest in Beno Udrih and Andre Miller.
• Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak opened up about the repeater tax and any regrets he might have with Steve Nash.
• Raja Bell has retired.
• The Spurs inked Shannon Brown to a 10-day deal.
• Mike Harris is drawing interest.
• Kevin Love isn’t saying much about free agency.
• Bulls executive VP of basketball ops John Paxson says the team is unlikely to make a move at the deadline.
• Chris Duhon signed in Italy.
• Sasha Pavlovic is headed to Serbia.