2012 July | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Leuer, Nuggets

July 19th, 2012 at 8:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at the latest out of the Northwest division..

It appears that the Timberwolves may have missed out on shooting guard Courtney Lee and are now in pursuit of Jon Leuer, writes Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press. The Minnesota native was waived yesterday by the Rockets.
Timberwolves forward Kevin Love says he is glad that he negotiated the option to leave in three years rather than securing a five-year max deal, writes Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. Love wants to see the club become a contender before he commits to Minnesota long term.
Nuggets coach George Karl says that he is happy with all of the club's latest roster moves, writes Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. The club is now left with a logjam in the frontcourt with JaVale McGee, Kenneth Faried, Al Harrington, Kosta Koufos, Timofey Mozgov, and Anthony Randolph in the mix, but Karl notes that it is preferable to being thin at the four and five.

Nets Close To Deal With Mohammed

July 19th, 2012 at 6:43pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 6:43pm: The Nets will entertain Mohammed this weekend and are likely to sign him soon after, tweets David Aldridge of TNT.

WEDNESDAY, 6:46pm: The Nets are close to signing free agent center Nazr Mohammed, a source tells Alex Kennedy of Hoops World (via Twitter). The big man will likely sign for the veteran's minimum in the next 24 hours.

Mohammed, 34, logged just 11.0 minutes per contest in 2011/12, his lowest in a healthy season since 1999/00. For his career, the veteran has averaged 6.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG across his 13-year career. Last night, David Aldridge of TNT suggested that the Nets' next move could be to sign a backup center like Mohammed or Ryan Hollins.

Magic, Lakers, Cavs Making Progress In D12 Talks

July 19th, 2012 at 5:45pm CST by Luke Adams

6:45pm: The Cavaliers are eager partners in the trade talks but won’t proceed until the Lakers grant them permission to talk to Bynum and his agent about the center’s willingness to sign a contract extension, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Meanwhile, the Lakers want the deal agreed to in principle before letting Cleveland talk to Bynum and his representatives.

2:07pm: David Lee, the agent for Bynum, told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal that he hasn't been approached by Cavs GM Chris Grant at all about a possible trade, adding, "I would imagine any team involved in this trade would be smart enough to talk to us" (Sulia link).

Asked if Bynum would be open to a long-term deal with the Cavs, Lee declined comment, but said he was baffled by a recent report that named Cleveland as a potential destination for his client in free agency: "I was taken aback by the list considering there is nobody in anybody’s camp he could’ve been talking to. I have no idea where that came about" (Sulia links).

11:03am: The Magic, Lakers, and Cavaliers have the "framework" in place for a trade that would send Dwight Howard to Los Angeles and Andrew Bynum to Cleveland, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter). While Amico hears that the three teams are moving closer to a deal, a Lakers official denies that anything is imminent (Twitter link). Amico clarifies that there is talk throughout the league that a trade is getting closer, but none of those rumblings seem to be coming from the Magic, Lakers, or Cavs camps (Twitter link).

Overnight reports suggested that Howard has become open to the idea of signing a long-term deal if he's traded to the Lakers, which removes one significant roadblock from the discussions. However, the Magic still don't appear to be in any rush to pull the trigger quite yet. I'd be a little surprised if they finalized a deal before the Rockets get resolution on Omer Asik and are able to make their final offer to Orlando.

The talks involving the Magic, Lakers, and Cavs would reportedly include the Lakers taking on Howard and a bad contract or two, the Cavs acquiring Bynum and perhaps another bad contract, and the Magic getting Anderson Varejao, draft picks, and cap relief.

Nets Re-Sign Keith Bogans

July 19th, 2012 at 4:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Nets announced that they have officially re-signed guard Keith Bogans. Earlier this week it was reported that the Nets expected to retain the veteran.

Bogans, 32, sat out the early part of the NBA season as he waited for his phone to ring with an opportunity. The guard hooked on with the Nets in February as they were desperate for backcourt help but he wound up playing just five games before suffering a fractured left ankle. For his career, Bogans has averaged 6.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG for the Magic, Bobcats, Rockets, Bucks, Spurs, Bulls, and Nets.

Mavericks Sign O.J. Mayo

July 19th, 2012 at 3:59pm CST by Michael Pina

THURSDAY, 3:59pm: Mayo has officially signed his contract with the Mavs, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

TUESDAY, 11:40pm: The deal is for two years, with a second-year player option, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter).

10:14pm: Free agent guard O.J. Mayo has announced via Twitter that he's decided to sign with the Mavericks. ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan reports that it's a multiyear deal, and that the Mavs had roughly $4MM left in cap space; they either signed him to a deal that fits under that figure, or are planning to participate in a larger sign-and-trade move.

At this stage in the summer, Mayo was considered to be one of the most sought-after players left on the market. He recently met with the Suns, but reportedly walked away from the meeting with no offer from the team. Mayo was asking for $8MM per season.

Last season the 24-year-old guard's role in Memphis changed, as he saw himself take a permanent role off the bench for the first time in his playing career. In his fourth year, Mayo averaged 12.6 PPG and 2.6 APG, and was nearly dealt to the Celtics for Ray Allen at the trade deadline.

We don't yet know how much money the deal amounts to, which is obviously important, but on the surface this move is a positive one for an active Mavericks team that suffered a huge blow two weeks ago after Deron Williams announced he'd be signing with Brooklyn. Mayo could either slide back into a starting role, or fill in for the recently departed Jason Terry as the team's main scoring presence off the bench.

Bulls Sign Vladimir Radmanovic

July 19th, 2012 at 3:25pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 3:25pm: The Bulls formally announced the signing today in a press release.

WEDNESDAY, 10:24pm: The Bulls have signed Vladimir Radmanovic to a one-year deal, the forward confirmed to David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. Radmanovic says that the deal will be announced by the club tomorrow.

Radmanovic, 31, averaged 4.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in 49 games for the Hawks in 2011/12. For his career, the veteran has averaged 8.2 PPG and 3.9 RPG while shooting 38% from beyond the arc.

Free Agent Rumors: O’Neal, Bulls, Wallace

July 19th, 2012 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have made a handful of signings so far this summer, but every contract agreement they've reached has been for one of their own players — unrestricted free agents Tim Duncan and Boris Diaw will return, along with restricted free agents Danny Green and Patty Mills. Even the team's one new addition, Nando De Colo, wasn't a free agent, since San Antonio held his NBA rights exclusively. The Spurs are standing relatively pat this offseason, not pursuing outside free agents, and that's just fine with coach Gregg Popovich, as he tells Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

So while the remaining free agents on the market aren't likely to draw a ton of interest from San Antonio, there are plenty of other potential destinations out there. Here's the latest on a few available players:

The Bucks are taking a "long look" at Jermaine O'Neal's workout today, tweets Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.

Earlier updates:

The Bulls are eyeing shooting guards such as Marco Belinelli, Randy Foye, Delonte West, and Willie Green, according to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com.
Despite indicating earlier this year that he intended to retire, Ben Wallace would like to return to the Pistons for the 2012/13 season, says Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. The Pistons have a full roster, so they'd have to make a move to clear a spot to sign the unrestricted free agent.
The Warriors and Bobcats are still pursuing Carl Landry, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Charlotte, which could offer Landry more money, is attempting to work out a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets.
A number of teams have expressed interest in Mickael Pietrus, but the Celtics are still "very much in the picture," says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com adds (via Twitter) that Pietrus has a "huge" offer from an overseas team, but that he wants to play for an NBA contender on more than a minimum-salary deal.
The Clippers have reached out to Ryan Hollins and Darko Milicic, in hopes of adding a backup big man for the minimum salary, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Darko's agent Marc Cornstein says playing time will be a bigger factor for his client than money, since the Timberwolves are still sending him pay checks.
A big-name free agent came off the market yesterday when the Trail Blazers matched Nicolas Batum's offer sheet. As Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes, Blazers GM Neil Olshey stressed that reports suggesting Batum didn't want to return to Portland were orchestrated by the Timberwolves and Batum's agent. "Nic never said that," Olshey said. "Let’s be very clear. Nic made a couple of comments at the behest of the Minnesota Timberwolves and his agent. That was their agenda; it was never Nicolas’s agenda."

Jacque Vaughn In Lead For Magic Coaching Job

July 19th, 2012 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Jacque Vaughn looks like the frontrunner to replace Stan Van Gundy as the next head coach in Orlando. While nothing is concrete yet, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that Vaughn appears to be in the lead for the job, while ESPN.com's Ric Bucher tweets that the Spurs assistant is a "good bet" to secure the position.

The Magic have been conducting their coaching search over the last few weeks, with Michael Malone, Brian Shaw, and Jeff Hornacek all falling out of contention. Michael Curry and Lindsey Hunter are said to be the other candidates still in the mix. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote a week ago (via Twitter) that Vaughn's candidacy had "gathered momentum."

The Magic figure to make a decision in the near future, and likely won't make any decisions regarding Dwight Howard until hiring a coach, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.

Knicks Acquire Raymond Felton From Blazers

July 19th, 2012 at 1:42pm CST by Daniel Seco

THURSDAY, 1:42pm: Mark Deeks of ShamSports clarifies that Felton's deal with the Knicks is for four years and about $14.86MM, with a fourth-year player option.

MONDAY, 4:13pm: The trade is official, according to a Blazers press release. The Knicks receive Felton and Thomas, while the Blazers get Jeffries, Gadzuric, Papanikolaou, Printezis, cash, and a 2016 second-round pick. As ESPN.com's John Hollinger points out (via Twitter), the Knicks can't be sending more than $1MM to Portland, since they already sent $2MM to Houston in the Marcus Camby deal.

Suns Rumors: Brown, Lee, Harden, Mayo, Lopez

July 19th, 2012 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Phoenix may have lost star point guard Steve Nash, but don't expect the team to bottom out this season, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The Suns have managed to add a few long-term pieces to the roster, including Goran Dragic, Luis Scola, and Michael Beasley, while maintaining spending flexibility for next summer. Let's round up a few Thursday afternoon Suns notes from Coro's piece and elsewhere….

Having inked the aforementioned players, the Suns appear to be putting the brakes on major signings for the rest of the offseason. It's possible they bring back Shannon Brown, but unlikely they seriously pursue Courtney Lee, according to Coro.
Signing Brown to a short, affordable deal would keep the team's cap flexible enough to make a run at James Harden or another big-name free agent next summer, says Coro.
The Suns passed on O.J. Mayo due to "price and a questionable fit," according to Coro.
Coro adds that teams have made "unappetizing" sign-and-trade proposals to the Suns for restricted free agent Robin Lopez, who is still seeking an offer sheet.
Coach Alvin Gentry tells Mark Nugent of HoopsWorld that he isn't worried about the Suns' roster undergoing changes, and that he'll just focus on getting the best out of the players he has.

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