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‘Melo To Meet With Lakers, Rockets, Mavs, Bulls

June 27th, 2014 at 12:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 12:43pm: Anthony will also sit down with the Lakers to hear their free agent pitch as he envisions making a decision in the second week of July, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Knicks would be willing to offer a max deal to Anthony if necessary to retain him in spite of Jackson’s repeated requests that he take a discount, Spears also hears.

WEDNESDAY, 4:33pm: Anthony hasn’t identified a favorite yet, Broussard writes in a full piece. The meetings haven’t been formally arranged, since teams can’t yet reach out to Anthony, but those are the clubs Anthony has decided to visit, Broussard clarifies. The Knicks remain “very much alive” in the ‘Melo sweepstakes, Broussard adds, reiterating his earlier report that Kobe Bryant intends to reach out to Anthony, too.

4:18pm: Carmelo Anthony will sit down with representatives from the Rockets, Mavs and Bulls when free agency begins on July 1st, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Leon Rose client has already met on multiple occasions with Knicks president Phil Jackson and his staff.

That list of teams doesn’t include the Lakers, who appeared this week to be in a group with Houston, Dallas and Chicago at the forefront of the race for the high-scoring forward. Still, there’s nearly a week to go before the start of free agency, so the Lakers may still wind up meeting with him.

The Mavs would appear to have the easiest shot at Anthony given their cap flexibility, and it appears that would be true even with the acquisition of Tyson Chandler, as rumored. The Rockets and Bulls would have to perform some salary cap gymnastics, but Houston appears confident it can dump the salaries of Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin, and the Bulls have the option of amnestying Carlos Boozer. Such maneuvers might not be enough to clear money to make a competitive bid for Anthony on their own, but they’d erase the most significant salary hurdles for those teams.

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Wolves Eyeing Steve Blake

June 27th, 2014 at 11:44am CST by Chuck Myron

The name of soon-to-be free agent Steve Blake has come up in trade talks between the Warriors and Wolves as a sign-and-trade possibility, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. His inclusion in a deal involving Klay Thompson and David Lee for Kevin Love is one of many scenarios the teams are considering, according to Wolfson, who earlier identified Blake as one of several free agents to watch regarding Minnesota this summer (Twitter link).

The Knicks are also apparently interested in the Joel Bell client, who spent a year playing for then-coach Phil Jackson when they were with the Lakers. Blake appears to hold the notion of playing for the Lakers again in high regard and he quickly warmed to Golden State, so it seems Minnesota wouldn’t be at the top of his list of preferred destinations. He’d have to approve any sign-and-trade deal.

Trade discussion involving Love has seemingly slowed considerably, if not completely stopped, as Minnesota reportedly waits for teams that miss out on free agent Carmelo Anthony to turn their focus to Love. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Golden State and Minnesota come to some kind of agreement whether or not Love is involved, given the frequent reports of their back-and-forth in the past month, so a deal involving Blake, providing he consents, is quite conceivable.

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Grizzlies Acquire Jarnell Stokes

June 27th, 2014 at 10:30am CST by Chuck Myron

10:30am: The 2016 second-rounder that Memphis is sending to Utah is the more favorable of the second-round picks that the Raptors and Celtics sent to the Grizzlies in previous trades, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.

FRIDAY, 12:13am: The trade is official, the Grizzlies announced via press release.

THURSDAY, 10:15pm: The Jazz have agreed to trade 35th overall pick Jarnell Stokes to the Grizzlies for a 2016 second-round pick, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The former University of Tennessee power forward is a Memphis native.

Power forward is a potential position of need for the Grizzlies with contract talks having reportedly broken down with Zach Randolph. Backup Ed Davis is also set to hit free agency.

Stokes averaged 15.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game for the Volunteers this past season. He spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors for our Prospect Profile Series.

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Several NBA Teams Interested In Bo McCalebb

June 27th, 2014 at 10:13am CST by Chuck Myron

Turkish league point guard Bo McCalebb is drawing interest from several NBA teams, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Sources tell Charania that McCalebb has never been more inclined to make the jump to the NBA, but agent Eric Fleischer tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com that the 29-year-old is not splitting from Fenerbahce Ulker, his team in Turkey (Twitter links). McCalebb has one season left on his contract, but it’s a lucrative arrangement, Fleischer emphasized, while noting that both sides have escape clauses for this summer.

The 29-year-old won’t play in summer league, Charania says, so it appears teams are indeed keen on formally signing him for training camp in the fall. The Spurs made him an offer in 2012, and many of the other NBA teams with interest have maintained their affection for years, according to Charania.

McCalebb went undrafted out of the University of New Orleans in 2008, and he’s never spent time with an NBA team aside from a summer league stint with the Kings that same year. He averaged 11.0 points and 3.0 assists in 24.5 minutes per game for Fenerbahce this past season.

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Nets Trade For Xavier Thames, Cory Jefferson

June 27th, 2014 at 9:28am CST by Chuck Myron

9:28am: The trade involving Jefferson is now official, too, the Nets announced in a press release. The Sixers receive cash in the deal, according to the release.

FRIDAY, 12:46am: The Nets have officially announced the Thames deal (on Twitter). Toronto receives cash in return. Brooklyn’s acquisition of Jefferson remains unofficial, but a release on the Sixers’ website helps explain the convoluted path that Jefferson took to Brooklyn. The Sixers acquired the No. 60 pick that was used on Jefferson as a part of their trade that sent No. 54 pick Nemanja Dangubic to San Antonio. The Sixers then agreed to ship that No. 60 pick to the Nets. It remains unclear what Philadelphia receives in return, but presumably it’s also cash.

THURSDAY, 11:55pm: The Nets have struck separate deals to acquire No. 59 overall pick Xavier Thames from the Raptors and No. 60 overall pick Cory Jefferson from the Spurs, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

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Eastern Rumors: Rondo, Love, ‘Melo, Bucks

June 27th, 2014 at 9:02am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told reporters Thursday night that he intends to keep Rajon Rondo around in spite of the team’s decision to draft fellow point guard Marcus Smart at No. 6, observes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Rondo’s name has come up frequently in trade rumors, but Ainge, as usual, did his best to dispel such talk, also dismissing the idea that Smart’s arrival is a harbinger of soon-to-be restricted free agent Avery Bradley‘s departure.

“Absolutely. No question,” Ainge said of whether Smart and Rondo could share the floor. “And [Smart] and Avery. No question. [Smart]’s a very versatile player. He can play off the ball. He can handle the ball. With his length and his size, he can probably play against a lot of small forwards — 6’3″, long wingspan, 230 pounds. He’s a very versatile player. Easily those guys can play together, and I think they would really thrive playing together, all of them.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Kevin Love is “100%” on board with the notion of signing a long-term deal with the Cavs if LeBron James returns to Cleveland, a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Trade talk between the Cavs and Wolves had reportedly halted when Love made it clear he wouldn’t remain in Cleveland past his current deal if Minnesota sent him there.
  • Knicks president Phil Jackson reiterated his desire for Carmelo Anthony to take less than the maximum salary to re-sign with the club, notes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. “I think it puts limitations on a team,” Jackson said of a maximum-salary contract. “What happens is then you end up having two or three players that have big contracts and everybody else’s is either veteran minimums or young players coming in. You don’t have that middle ground for a player that’s veteran, comfortable leadership-quality people. Miami explored it. I think they got the most out of it.”
  • The Bucks are looking to acquire a veteran big man, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, who believes that Larry Sanders would be a part of any deal to acquire one (Twitter links).
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Wizards Notes: Gortat, Ariza, Miller, Satoransky

June 27th, 2014 at 8:40am CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards didn’t end up with a player from Thursday’s draft, trading their only pick, Jordan Clarkson at No. 46, to the Lakers for $1.8MM. Washington’s focus appears to be on free agency instead, and there’s news about Marcin Gortat, presumably the team’s top offseason priority, amid the latest from the nation’s capital:

  • Gortat and Trevor Ariza are “priority 1A and 1A” for the Wizards, who’ll meet with the swingman after seeing Gortat, Michael tweets.

Earlier updates:

  • Wizards coach Randy Wittman and senior vice president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard are headed to Gortat’s native Poland to convince the soon-to-be free agent center to re-sign with the team, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The Wizards are “extremely optimistic” that the visit will cinch a deal with the 30-year-old, Michael adds via Twitter.
  • The Wizards are leaning toward retaining Andre Miller rather than waiving him before his $4.625MM salary becomes fully guaranteed at the end of Saturday, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post. Miller’s contract is already partially guaranteed for $2MM.
  • Wizards 2012 second-round pick Tomas Satoransky will remain in Spain for next season after agreeing to a deal with FC Barcelona, as fellow Post scribe Brandon Parker details. Washington knew of the agreement before it traded Clarkson to the Lakers, Parker notes.
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2014 NBA Draft Results

June 27th, 2014 at 4:07am CST by Chuck Myron

The much-anticipated 2014 NBA draft is in the books. Here’s a look at each pick from No. 1 through No. 60, with links to the trades involving each selection that changed hands Thursday evening:

Round One

  1. Cavaliers: Andrew Wiggins (SF, Kansas)
  2. Bucks: Jabari Parker (F, Duke)
  3. Sixers: Joel Embiid (C, Kansas)
  4. Magic: Aaron Gordon (PF, Arizona)
  5. Jazz: Dante Exum (G, Australia)
  6. Celtics: Marcus Smart (PG, Oklahoma State)
  7. Lakers: Julius Randle (PF, Kentucky)
  8. Kings: Nik Stauskas (SG, Michigan)
  9. Hornets: Noah Vonleh (F/C, Indiana)
  10. Magic (via Sixers): Elfrid Payton (PG, Louisiana-Lafayette)
  11. Bulls (via Nuggets): Doug McDermott (F, Creighton)
  12. Sixers (via Magic): Dario Saric (F, Croatia)
  13. Timberwolves: Zach LaVine (SG, UCLA)
  14. Suns: T.J. Warren (F, N.C. State)
  15. Hawks: Adreian Payne (PF, Michigan State)
  16. Nuggets (via Bulls): Jusuf Nurkic (C, Bosnia)
  17. Celtics: James Young (G/F, Kentucky)
  18. Suns: Tyler Ennis (PG, Syracuse)
  19. Nuggets (via Bulls): Gary Harris (SG, Michigan State)
  20. Raptors: Bruno Caboclo (F, Brazil)
  21. Thunder: Mitch McGary (C, Michigan)
  22. Grizzlies: Jordan Adams (SG, UCLA)
  23. Jazz: Rodney Hood (SF, Duke)
  24. Heat (via Hornets): Shabazz Napier (PG, Connecticut)
  25. Rockets: Clint Capela (PF, Switzerland)
  26. Hornets (via Heat): P.J. Hairston (SG, D-League)
  27. Suns: Bogdan Bogdanovic (SG, Serbia)
  28. Clippers: C.J. Wilcox (SG, Washington)
  29. Thunder: Josh Huestis (SF, Stanford)
  30. Spurs: Kyle Anderson (SF, UCLA)

Round Two

  1. Bucks: Damien Inglis (SF, French Guiana)
  2. Sixers: K.J. McDaniels (SF, Clemson)
  3. Cavs: Joe Harris (SF, Virginia)
  4. Knicks: Cleanthony Early (SF, Wichita State)
  5. Grizzlies (via Jazz): Jarnell Stokes (PF, Tennessee)
  6. Bucks: Johnny O’Bryant III (F/C, LSU)
  7. Raptors: DeAndre Daniels (SF, Connecticut)
  8. Pistons: Spencer Dinwiddie (SG, Colorado)
  9. Sixers: Jerami Grant (SF, Syracuse)
  10. Timberwolves: Glenn Robinson III (SF, Michigan)
  11. Nuggets: Nikola Jokic (C, Serbia)
  12. Rockets: Nick Johnson (SG, Arizona)
  13. Hawks: Walter Tavares (C, Cape Verde)
  14. Nets (via Timberwolves): Markel Brown (SG, Oklahoma State)
  15. Cavaliers (via Hornets): Dwight Powell (PF, Stanford)
  16. Lakers (via Wizards): Jordan Clarkson (G, Missouri)
  17. Pelicans (via Sixers): Russ Smith (PG, Louisville)
  18. Hawks (via Bucks): Lamar Patterson (SG, Pittsburgh)
  19. Bulls: Cameron Bairstow (F/C, New Mexico)
  20. Suns: Alec Brown (PF, Wisconsin-Green Bay)
  21. Knicks: Thanasis Antetokounmpo (SF, D-League)
  22. Sixers: Vasilije Micic (PG, Serbia)
  23. Rockets (via Timberwolves): Alessandro Gentile (G/F, Italy)
  24. Spurs (via Sixers): Nemanja Dangubic (SG, Serbia)
  25. Thunder (via Hornets, via Heat): Semaj Christon (PG, Xavier)
  26. Magic (via Nuggets): Devyn Marble (SG, Iowa)
  27. Knicks (via Pacers): Louis Labeyrie (F/C, France)
  28. Sixers (via Spurs): Jordan McRae (SG, Tennessee)
  29. Nets (via Raptors): Xavier Thames (SG, San Diego State)
  30. Nets (via Sixers, via Spurs): Cory Jefferson (PF, Baylor)
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Lakers Rumors: Bosh, Gasol, Hill

June 27th, 2014 at 3:32am CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers drafted Kentucky power forward Julius Randle seventh overall Thursday and traded $1.8MM in cash to the Wizards for Missouri guard Jordan Clarkson, the No. 46 pick. That’s just the start of what promises to be a busy offseason for the purple-and-gold, who have plenty of cap flexibility and no head coach. Here’s the latest on the Lakers:

  • The Lakers dream of signing both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, but if they can’t attract James, they’d next try to go for a pairing of Anthony and Chris Bosh, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
  • The presence of Randle doesn’t diminish the strong interest the Lakers have in re-signing Pau Gasol, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter links).
  • Randle similarly won’t affect how fellow power forward Jordan Hill will view the Lakers in free agency this summer, tweets Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Whom the team hires as coach will have much greater influence on whether Hill re-signs, Deveney hears.
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Draft Fallout: Sixers, Saric, Heat, McGary

June 27th, 2014 at 3:10am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers never made a run at trading for the No. 1 pick in spite of the rumors to the contrary, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). That seems hard to believe given the volume of chatter about Philly’s supposed pursuit of Andrew Wiggins, whom the Cavs wound up taking with the top pick. Still, the Sixers wound up with Joel Embiid, who had been the front-runner to go No. 1 before he broke his foot. Philadelphia will have to wait on Embiid, who went third overall, as well as No. 12 selection Dario Saric, whose rights they obtained from the Magic. There’s news on Saric among the continuing reverberations from Thursday’s draft:

  • Saric says he might come to the NBA in one year rather than two, as had been the assumption, but he’d have to discuss it with Anadolu Efes Pilson, his team in Turkey, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
  • The Heat didn’t consult with LeBron James on their trade to acquire Shabazz Napier, though his affection for the former Connecticut point guard was no secret, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
  • The Thunder promised Mitch McGary that they’d draft him at No. 21, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Rumors had suggested the Hornets and Bucks instead had given him a promise. Charlotte had interest, tweets Jeff Zillgitt, but Oklahoma City snapped him up before the Hornets could take him at No. 24.
  • Serbian shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, whom the Suns took at No. 27, is one or two years away from joining Phoenix, GM Ryan McDonough said, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic notes (on Twitter). No. 50 pick Alec Brown is also expected to play in Europe next season rather than sign this summer with the Suns, according to Coro.
  • Undrafted Canisius guard Billy Baron is drawing interest from several teams who’d like to bring him to training camp in addition to summer league, Wojnarowski reports (on Twitter).
  • The Rockets are highly interested in Patric Young, while the Hawks, Thunder and Grizzlies eye LaQuinton Ross and the Raptors, Pacers and Spurs are keen on Aaron Craft, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (All Twitter links). It’s unclear if the interest is in regard to training camp or merely summer league.
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