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Clippers Also Have Interest In Ryan Anderson

February 17th, 2016 at 7:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers would like to be part of the Ryan Anderson sweepstakes, tweets Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. However, L.A. is hampered in its pursuit because its next tradeable first-round draft pick isn’t until 2019.

Several teams have expressed interest in the Pelicans’ free-agent-to-be power forward, with the latest being the Cavaliers. A three-way deal that would send Kevin Love to the Celtics is also being discussed. The Heat, Kings, Wizards and Pistons have also been mentioned as suitors.

The Clippers are known to be in the market for a stretch four, and were reportedly close Tuesday to acquiring Channing Frye from the Magic. Since then, Cleveland has offered Anderson Varejao to Orlando in an attempt to get Frye, but the Magic apparently plan to reject that deal.

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Celtics Could Get Love In Rumored Anderson Deal

February 17th, 2016 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics’ desire to add Kevin Love could get a boost from the Cavaliers’ interest in Ryan Anderson, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. He hears from a source that Boston could wind up with Love as part of a three-team deal with Cleveland and New Orleans.

The potential deal is “very fragile,” but Love will wind up in Boston if it goes through, Blakely writes, adding that the Celtics have been trying for weeks to convince the Cavaliers to give up Love, and that Boston has been pursuing a third team to make the trade work. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is determined to find a star and sees Love as his best opportunity in years, according to Blakely.

The possibility of a three-team deal was mentioned by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News when he tweeted about the Cavs’ interest in Anderson earlier today. Anderson averages 16.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, but the Pelicans are concerned that they won’t be able to re-sign him in free agency this summer. Anderson is making $8.5MM this season, while Love’s salary is $19.5MM, so several other players will have to be included to make the proposed deal possible.

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Northwest Notes: Martin, Cheeks, Pleiss, Burke

February 17th, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Martin is hoping the Wolves will trade him to a winning team before Thursday’s deadline, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. A source said Martin would like to see the deal done as a reward for his “professionalism and mentoring of young teammates.” The 12th-year shooting guard is making $7.085MM this year and has a player option worth nearly $7.38MM for next season.

There’s more news from the Northwest Division:

  • Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks will be out of action for about six weeks after undergoing hip surgery, the team announced today. Mark Daigneault, head coach of the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, will take Cheeks’ place, while OKC Blue assistant Jarell Christian will coach that team for the rest of the season.
  • The Jazz recalled center Tibor Pleiss from the D-League today, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. However, the move was just so Pleiss could attend practice, and he was sent back down later in the day.
  • Jazz point guard Trey Burke, who is rumored to be in a proposal that would send him to Houston in exchange for Ty Lawson, works better as a backup than a starter, according to Bobby Marks of the Vertical on Yahoo Sports. In his guide to the trade deadline for Utah, Marks says the Jazz have been missing a floor leader in the absence of Dante Exum, who is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery last summer. Marks advises the Jazz to hang onto Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and rookie Trey Lyles as they push for a playoff spot.
  • Randy Rigby will retire as president of the Jazz at the end of the season and will be replaced by Steve Starks, Genessy tweets. “I am excited about the future of the Jazz and my continued involvement as an adviser,” said Rigby, who has been with the organization since 1986.
  • The Nuggets may be able to get a second-round pick for J.J. Hickson, Marks writes in his trade deadline guide for Denver. Hickson has fallen out of the team’s rotation and has been on the market for weeks. Marks credits the Denver front office with being on the right track for rebuilding and says the team should consider moving either the Rockets’ or Blazers’ first-round picks, which are both conditional, in exchange for a future pick or veteran player.
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Southeast Notes: Splitter, Batum, Jefferson, Frye

February 17th, 2016 at 5:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks‘ Tiago Splitter may miss the start of next season after having surgery on his right hip, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The procedure will be performed Thursday, and Splitter estimates it will take “eight months, at least” to recover, which means he won’t be able to represent Brazil in the Summer Olympics. “I just got here this season and I wanted to help this team more” said Splitter, who was acquired from the Spurs in a July trade. “I wasn’t able to perform 100%, that’s for sure. I’ve been feeling this pain, you guys know, for some time. We tried several techniques and treatments. It ended up being I need the surgery. I hope it goes fast and I’m ready to play again.” Splitter will make $8.25MM next season on the final year of his contract.

There’s more from the Southeast Division on the eve of the trade deadline:

  • Trade rumors have swirled around the Hawks as much as any team during the past month, and coach/executive Mike Budenholzer isn’t offering any hints about whether a deal for Al Horford or Jeff Teague is in the works, as Vivlamore notes in a separate piece. “We are very happy with our group,” Budenholzer said. “We feel strongly about them. I’ve been protective of them and would expect to continue to be that. You never know what can happen.”
  • The Hornets will likely present Nicolas Batum with a full max offer on the first day of free agency, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, passing on a prediction from ESPN cap expert Tom Penn. It’s the only way Charlotte can keep him, Penn said (Twitter link).
  • The Hornets hope to welcome back center Al Jefferson this weekend, Bonnell tweets. Jefferson hasn’t played since undergoing arthroscopic surgery after suffering a tear in the lateral meniscus of his right knee in late December.
  • The Magic’s Channing Frye takes trade deadline talk in stride, tweets Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. The Clippers are reportedly close to a deal that would bring the veteran power forward to L.A. “It’s not my first time being on the trading block,” Frye said. “… I was supposed to get traded at the beginning of the season. I was supposed to get traded last year.”
  • Wizards center Marcin Gortat has officially chosen Todd Ramasar as his new agent, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.
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Pelicans, Others In Talks With Bryce Dejean-Jones

February 17th, 2016 at 2:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:12pm: The Lakers, Grizzlies, Jazz, Spurs and Suns have contacted Dejean-Jones, though they haven’t necessarily made offers, Kushner tweets.

FEBRUARY 17TH, 12:56pm: New Orleans is waiting until after the trade deadline, Kushner writes. Dejean-Jones would prefer to stay with the Pelicans instead of jumping to another team, according to Kushner, who indicates that he nonetheless wants guaranteed salary that stretches beyond this season. Dejean-Jones is seeking a two- or three-year deal, as Kushner has also reported.

FEBRUARY 11TH, 11:15am: The Pelicans are in talks with Bryce Dejean-Jones about a deal that would bring him back to the team for the rest of the season, and the rookie shooting guard is having conversations with other teams, too, reports Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate (Twitter link). The second 10-day deal that Dejean-Jones signed with the Pelicans expired overnight, and while other NBA teams can sign him to 10-day contracts this year, New Orleans can no longer do so.

The 23-year-old started in eight of his 11 appearances for the banged-up Pelicans, who are missing Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans because of injuries. Gordon is due back shortly as he recovers from the broken right ring finger he suffered last month, but conflicting reports exist about whether Evans will miss the balance of the season. Quincy Pondexter’s left knee forced him out for the season in January.

Dejean-Jones is averaging 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game, having made 10 of 26 3-point attempts. His connection with the Pelicans dates to the summer league this past July, shortly after he went undrafted out of Iowa State. New Orleans signed him in August to a deal for training camp that included a $50K partial guarantee, but he didn’t make the opening night roster. He appeared in nine games for the D-League affiliate of the Jazz before the Pelicans signed him in January to the first of his 10-day pacts.

The Pelicans already have 14 players under contract through at least the end of the season, so re-signing Dejean-Jones would leave the team without a flexible roster spot. New Orleans has one more game before the All-Star break, tonight at Oklahoma City, and its next game isn’t until February 19th, one day after the trade deadline.

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Bulls Push To Trade Pau Gasol?

February 17th, 2016 at 1:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:56pm: The Bulls have turned down some offers for Gasol, so they’re not trading him for the sake of trading him, Johnson writes.

12:50pm: Johnson indicates Chicago’s asking price for Gasol is the same as it is for Gibson: a rotation player and a first-rounder (Twitter link).

12:44pm: Sources who spoke with Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com dispute the idea the Bulls are aggressively shopping Gasol, saying instead that the Bulls have merely fielded calls about him (Twitter link).

12:16pm: The Bulls are aggressively shopping Pau Gasol, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical On Yahoo Sports. However, the team is insisting on a first-round pick and a player in any deal involving Taj Gibson, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Gasol is almost certain to opt out this summer, while Gibson doesn’t have a player option on a contract that runs through next season. Chicago wants to extract value from Gasol, lest he simply walk away in free agency, Wojnarowski writes.

The Bulls offered Gibson to the Raptors for Patrick Patterson, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com heard, though Johnson alludes to conflicting reports on which team initiated that idea (Twitter link). Chicago had been determined to find an upgrade on the wing, as Wojnarowski reported when the team began to make Gibson and Joakim Noah available, but that was before Noah went out for the season with a shoulder injury and appendicitis forced Nikola Mirotic to the sideline, weakening the team’s frontcourt. The Bulls apparently measured the market for Gasol around that time but were more focused on Gibson and Noah. Now it seems their focus has changed.

Gasol said earlier this season that he’s very likely to opt out, making those comments in December, when the Bulls were reportedly poised to make a strong push to re-sign him this summer. Brother Marc Gasol has said he’d like to lure him to the Grizzlies, but whichever team Pau finishes the season with would only have Early Bird rights to re-sign if he indeed opts out.

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Bulls Talk Tony Snell Trades, But Interest Low

February 17th, 2016 at 1:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls have had talks about Tony Snell in addition to discussions on Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson, but other teams have little interest in Snell, sources tell K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The focus for the Bulls earlier this season was reportedly to find an upgrade on the wing, ostensibly a sign of the team’s dissatisfaction with Snell, who’s started much of the year alongside All-Star Jimmy Butler. Chicago is over the luxury tax but isn’t making it a priority to slip under the line, with no threat of repeat-offender penalties this season and a much higher luxury tax threshold projected for next season.

Snell has started in the majority of his 50 appearances this season, but the return of Mike Dunleavy from injury threatens to keep him on the bench the rest of the way this year. The 20th overall pick from 2013 is averaging fewer points per game than last season in spite of more field goal attempts, with his field goal percentage at a career-worst 37.6%.

The 24-year-old Snell is making close to $1,536MM this season with more than $2.368MM coming his way next year. He’s eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, but seems an unlikely candidate for one.

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Nets Notes: Prokhorov, Johnson, Young

February 17th, 2016 at 1:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov admits past mistakes in an open letter he pens for Yahoo Sports, but he said he’s learned that building the right culture is more important than simply collecting talent and said that he wants players who don’t need convincing about the merits of playing in Brooklyn.

“There can be differences of vision and opinion, and everyone should be heard, but, once we have a strategy, we all need to work together to fulfill it and put our individual issues behind us,” Prokhorov wrote. “It also means we need to have the courage to say, ‘We’ll not go for that player because, as much as he’s talented, he doesn’t fit into the culture we are building.’ It takes guts to say ‘no’ as much as it does to say ‘yes.'”

The emphasis on the right atmosphere jibes with the team’s reported offer of its GM post to Sean Marks, who hails from the culture-conscious Spurs, though the latest reports have thrown cold water on the idea of Marks coming to Brooklyn. See more on the Nets:

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Southeast Notes: Jennings, Payton, Plumlee

February 17th, 2016 at 12:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

The acquisition of Brandon Jennings in Tuesday’s trade with the Pistons doesn’t mean the Magic have wavered in their belief in Elfrid Payton, GM Rob Hennigan said, though coach Scott Skiles has been looking for more lately from Orlando’s incumbent starting point guard, notes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Still, the trade was about creating flexibility to chase stars in the summer, as Schmitz sees it, suggesting Jennings and Ilyasova will merely be rentals if the right marquee player comes calling. The deal reduced the Magic’s guaranteed salary commitments by $16.8MM for next season, bringing their total down to $44MM. See more from Orlando amid news out of the Southeast Division, where three teams have made trades within the last 24 hours:

  • It appears as though the Wizards had talks with the Bucks about Miles Plumlee, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, citing sources, writes that Washington could revisit discussions about the big man if Milwaukee isn’t hung up on other business.
  • The Wizards see the return of Alan Anderson as a de facto trade deadline acquisition, and a decent chance exists that he’ll be playing by week’s end, reports Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The Wizards signed him to a one-year, $4MM deal this past summer thinking he’d be ready for the start of the regular season following ankle surgery in May, but a follow-up procedure has kept the swingman on the shelf all season so far, as Castillo details.
  • Heat team president Pat Riley pointed to the importance of upgrading Miami’s point guard position in the wake of Tyler Johnson‘s injury as he addressed Tuesday’s trade to acquire Brian Roberts, according to his remarks in the team’s statement. Johnson has said there’s no guarantee he returns to play this season.
  • It’s likely that the Hornets will use the roster spot they opened in Wednesday’s Courtney Lee trade to sign a third point guard out of the D-League, GM Rich Cho said, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
  • The Magic are down to four cities in the running to play host to their one-to-one D-League affiliate in 2017/18, CEO Alex Martins told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. All are in Florida: Jacksonville, Kissimmee, Lakeland and an Orlando location not far from where the NBA club plays, as Robbins details.
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