Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat, Rockets, Celtics Eye Reggie Evans

February 22nd, 2016 at 11:25am CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat, Rockets and Celtics have expressed interest in free agent rebounding specialist Reggie Evans, reports Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). Evans, 35, has been out of the NBA since his contract with the Kings expired this past summer.

Miami has two open roster spot but is at a disadvantage, since it can’t sign a player before March 6th without creeping back above the luxury tax line. Houston is also poised to open two roster spots, but the Rockets are in limbo as they await more medical exams from the Pistons on Donatas Motiejunas, and the possibility exists that Detroit will void its trade with Houston. The Celtics have only one open roster spot but no mitigating concerns of the sort the Heat and Rockets are dealing with.

Evans, a 13-year veteran, averaged 3.7 points and 6.4 rebounds in 16.3 minutes across 47 appearances last season. That translates to 14.1 rebounds per 36 minutes, a rate even better than his career 13.3 per-minute mark in that category. He would seemingly be of greatest benefit to the Rockets among the trio of teams Hamilton invokes, since Houston is 24th in rebounding rate, according to NBA.com. The Celtics are 20th while the Heat are ninth, though the uncertain health of Chris Bosh clouds their interior rotation.

Atlantic Notes: Okafor, Knicks, Nets

February 21st, 2016 at 5:37pm CST by Will Joseph

The Sixers assured Jahlil Okafor prior to the deadline that the center was a significant part of their future even though his name was attached to trade rumors, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays. The Sixers listened to offers involving Okafor, according to reports, but needed an overwhelming deal to move him. The Celtics were rumored to be interested in Okafor, but league sources told Pompey that a deal was never in place.

“Rumors have been coming out about me all year,” Okafor said. “It’s just rumors. People here, I talked to them [beforehand]. We are all good where we are at right now. The rumors keep coming out. I know what’s going on here.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

Nets interim coach Tony Brown believes the decision to part ways with Andrea Bargnani in what is believed to be a buyout deal was best for both parties, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets.
The Knicks, who did not improve their point guard situation before Thursday’s deadline, hope rookie Jerian Grant, who has been inconsistent, can improve his play, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. Grant is averaging 4.7 points and 2.4 assists per game.
With Kelly Olynyk dealing with a right shoulder injury and David Lee gone, there is a decent chance Celtics rookie Jordan Mickey will receive some playing time sooner rather than later, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com details. Mickey has spent the majority of this season in the D-League.
The vibe around the Nets is a lot more positive recently after Brooklyn hired Sean Marks as its new GM and moved into a new training facility, Lewis writes. “Definitely. It’s almost like it’s a new situation,” Joe Johnson said. “We have this great practice facility. We’ve got everything pretty much at our disposal. Guys come back with a great attitude since the break. You just want to try to finish strong and try to develop some type of chemistry with players that we have here. Just keep improving as a team, individually and see what happens.’’ Marks will spend the second half of the season evaluating the entire organization, per Lewis, and it will be interesting to see what becomes of Brown if Brooklyn continues its positive trend.

Celtics Waive David Lee, Mavs Poised To Sign

February 20th, 2016 at 10:17am CST by Eddie Scarito

SATURDAY, 10:17am: The Mavs are expected to sign Lee via the room exception once he clears waivers, Charania tweets.

4:20pm: The two sides agreed to a buyout and Lee is expected to sign with a new team once he clears waivers, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe tweets.

FRIDAY, 4:18pm: The Celtics have officially waived power forward David Lee, the team announced. The veteran was reportedly set to work out a buyout arrangement with the team, which is presumably the case, though no mention of an agreement was made, nor how much salary Lee gave up to facilitate his release. The Mavericks are the frontrunners to sign Lee once he clears waivers, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets. Lee clearing waivers is a virtual certainty since no team currently has the free cap space to absorb his $15.5MM salary. Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com reported buyout talks between the two parties.

Boston attempted to find a taker for Lee prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, but the power forward reportedly had “no value” around the league, even though his expiring deal presented an opportunity for cap relief this summer to any team acquiring him. “Everything doesn’t always work out the way you want it to,” Lee said. “I’m just disappointed from the fact that I wanted to come here and make a major impact. And that didn’t happen for one reason or another. The last two places I had been before I may have been able to make that impact. It is what it is.”

Lee had also relayed that he had no animosity toward the Celtics over his lack of playing time. “I’ve kind of seen the writing on the wall with what’s going on the last month,” Lee continued. “But once again, this is a business. We all know that. I want to be in a place where I’m successful and where I’m wanted. The Celtics are a great group of people here. I have absolutely zero negative things to say about my coaching staff and teammates, who, obviously as you know, I get along well with. So we’ll just see how things develop over the next 24 or 48 hours here, but it’s looking like something’s most likely going to happen [with the buyout].”

Lee, who has not played since January 10th, has appeared in 30 games for Boston this season and is averaging 7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 15.7 minutes of action per contest.

Atlantic Notes: Okafor, Marks, Frazier

February 20th, 2016 at 8:52am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics came close to pulling off a significant trade involving the Nets‘ 2016 first round pick prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, but the other team pulled out at the last minute, team executive Danny Ainge relayed in a radio appearance on the “Toucher & Rich” show (h/t Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com). “We were very close,” Ainge said. “One story I can probably share with you is – I can’t tell you the team or the name – but it was very close. It was something we had been deliberating on for two days straight. The other team was doing that. And we were wrapping ourselves around a big package to do a deal. And at the very last minute, they just said they did not want to do it. They just backed out. So, it was a deal that was talked about, thought about. And that was probably the closest that we came. We were willing to do one deal, and it just didn’t happen. Both teams weren’t ready to go. And it was a really, tough close deal. And it was certainly not a no-brainer. There was risk on both sides’ part. But at the end of the day, both teams were not ready to do it.”

Though Ainge declined to name both the player and the team he was referring to in the radio spot, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald hears that the talks centered around Sixers rookie center Jahlil Okafor. While fans of both Boston and Philadelphia are left to ponder what might have been if that trade had been consummated, here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

New GM Sean Marks‘ contract with the Nets is a four-year deal that will pay him in excess of $9MM over that span, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
The Knicks considered signing point guard Tim Frazier, whom the Blazers waived Thursday, but New York instead decided on D-League shooting guard Jimmer Fredette, whom they plan to ink to a 10-day deal, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal relays (via Twitter).
The Sixers parted ways with JaKarr Sampson on Thursday, but the second-year player had all good things to say about his former team despite being waived, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, having earlier reported that the Sixers want to re-sign him if he clears waivers. “I don’t have anything negative to say about Philly,” Sampson said. “I feel like a lot of people in my situation might have something negative to say about Philly, like a ‘why-me’ type of thing. But I don’t have anything negative to say about the organization. I love those guys. They showed me a lot of love since I’ve been there. The fan base and everything … are great people. Even though we were losing, they still showed us love because we played hard.”

And-Ones: Marks, Foye, Lee

February 19th, 2016 at 11:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thunder GM Sam Presti referred to the trade with Denver that netted the team Randy Foye, as well as saved the team approximately $9.8MM in cap commitments, as “smart business,” Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman relays (Twitter link). “The roster spot clearly gives us some flexibility to survey other opportunities to improve,” Presti said. “Then financially, that obviously wasn’t the intent of the deal, but because of the presence of Dakari Johnson, Semaj Christon and Alex Abrines in the drafts that we’ve had previously, we feel pretty good about those guys. So the draft choices in this particular draft were more valuable to Denver. And the money that we were able to save, the way that we’ve operated here, that allows us to reinvest in the team and clearly our team is going to become more and more expensive.”

Here’s more from around the league:

The Bucks didn’t make a deal prior to Thursday’s trade deadline and a big reason was that the team considers Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker to be virtually untouchable, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. One of the duo would likely have had to be included in any swap for a big-name player, which was a non-starter as far as the franchise was concerned, notes Gardner. “Those guys are vault guys,” coach Jason Kidd said. “They’re in the vault. You don’t start a conversation with Jabari or Giannis. There’s no conversation to be had, right. So word gets around that those guys are untradeable.“
The Celtics came close to dealing David Lee, who was waived earlier today, and viewed his expiring contract as a means to work a swap for a marquee player at the trade deadline, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes. “We almost had trades a few times, or thought there was a possibility,” team executive Danny Ainge said. “His [Lee] contract was a good way for us to get into a lot of the conversations we had.“
Dmitry Razumov, the chairman of the Nets‘ board of directors, indicated that new GM Sean Marks will guide the team’s search for a new head coach but team ownership will also have input in the process, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (ESPN NOW link). The team is likely to strongly consider San Antonio assistant coach Ettore Messina for the vacant slot, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News opined when Marks’ hiring was first announced.
The Blazers sent $75K to the Heat in exchange for point guard Brian Roberts, which is the minimum allowable amount per league rules, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Sampson, Embiid, Olynyk

February 19th, 2016 at 7:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers coach Brett Brown would like for the team to re-sign JaKarr Sampson, whom Philadelphia waived Thursday to accommodate its three-way trade with the Pistons and Rockets, but the coach isn’t confident that Sampson will clear waivers, notes Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly (Twitter link). That jibes with a report from Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who heard from a source that the Sixers want to re-sign the small forward. GM Sam Hinkie referred to a new deal with Sampson as a possibility but also acknowledged the chance that another team claims him, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media relays (on Twitter).

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks failed to upgrade their roster at this year’s trade deadline and one major reason for the franchise standing pat was team president Phil Jackson‘s refusal to part with New York’s 2018 first round pick in order to facilitate a trade, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News relays.
The amount of time and resources that the Sixers have devoted to Joel Embiid‘s health and recovery demonstrate how important the young center is to the organization’s future plans, Brian Seltzer of NBA.com writes. “We’re obviously excited about him, and have always been excited about him, because he has rare gifts and he has a real chance to have a fantastic NBA career,” said Hinkie of Embiid. “He’s doing great on all of the things that matter for him, which is, how do you focus on every day to try and get better? We expect maybe in the last several weeks of the season, he might be more fully integrated into the team and traveling with the team and at all of our games and the like. Then, he’ll have a long summer in front of him where his rehab will continue. So far, so good. He’s done a great job. He’s been super professional.”
The Raptors will keep an eye on the waiver wire for roster upgrades but the team isn’t expected to make a move, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relays (via Twitter). Toronto was reportedly looking to upgrade its power forward spot leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline.
Celtics center Kelly Olynyk could be out of action for up to a month as he deals with an injured right shoulder, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com relays. “It’s a little bit of separation, maybe,” Olynyk said regarding his shoulder. “Rest, recovery, treatments … it should be all right.” The big man was originally projected to miss two weeks with the malady, Blakely notes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Celtics, David Lee To Discuss Buyout

February 18th, 2016 at 8:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics and power forward David Lee will meet to discuss a potential buyout arrangement within the next two days, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com relays. Boston attempted to find a taker for Lee prior to today’s trade deadline, but Lee reportedly had “no value” around the league, even though his expiring deal worth $15.5MM presented an opportunity for cap relief this summer, as Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald noted.

Lee was quick to stress that he has no animosity toward the Celtics over his lack of playing time, Forsberg adds. “I’ve kind of seen the writing on the wall with what’s going on the last month,” said Lee. “But once again, this is a business. We all know that. I want to be in a place where I’m successful and where I’m wanted. The Celtics are a great group of people here. I have absolutely zero negative things to say about my coaching staff and teammates, who, obviously as you know, I get along well with. So we’ll just see how things develop over the next 24 or 48 hours here, but it’s looking like something’s most likely going to happen [with the buyout].”

“Everything doesn’t always work out the way you want it to,” Lee continued. “I’m just disappointed from the fact that I wanted to come here and make a major impact. And that didn’t happen for one reason or another. The last two places I had been before I may have been able to make that impact. It is what it is.” Lee, who has not played since January 10th, has appeared in 30 games for Boston this season and is averaging 7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 15.7 minutes of action per contest.

Latest On Dwight Howard

February 18th, 2016 at 1:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:57pm: Howard will stay with the Rockets, ending weeks of speculation of him getting traded, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

11:07am: There is a strong belief from Howard’s camp that he will not be traded before today’s deadline, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports.

7:44am: The Rockets and agent Dan Fegan are hard at work to find a new team for Dwight Howard, reports Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Houston is prioritizing its pursuit of a Howard trade over serious talks with the Jazz on a Ty Lawson/Trey Burke swap, though no favorite to acquire Howard has emerged, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Most executives from teams aside from the Rockets were saying as of Wednesday that a deal involving Howard was unlikely, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Houston turned down an offer of Al Jefferson and Spencer Hawes from the Hornets, league sources tell Isola, and little chance exists of those teams doing a Howard deal unless Houston’s demands come down markedly, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer hears (Twitter links). The Rockets called the Cavs to offer Howard, but Cleveland didn’t bite, according to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops (on Twitter).

The Celtics, Heat, Hawks and Raptors have also reportedly spoken with the Rockets about Howard, at least on a cursory level, though Houston has apparently been underwhelmed with the proposals it’s hearing. One GM told TNT’s David Aldridge he doesn’t think the Rockets want to end up with Howard still on the roster after the 2pm Central time deadline (Twitter link), which suggests Houston will bring its asking price in line with the market.

Salary concerns complicate any Howard trade. He’s making more than $22.359MM this season, but a 15% trade kicker in Howard’s contract means teams would have to match salaries based on a $22,970,500 figure for him. The Rockets are also less than $1MM shy of a hard cap of $88.74MM, so they have sharply limited flexibility. The Rockets and others expect Howard to turn down his more than $23.282MM player option and hit free agency this summer.

Eastern Rumors: Teague, Gasol, Nets

February 18th, 2016 at 1:04pm CST by Will Joseph

The Hawks have stopped trade talks involving Jeff Teague, whom the Knicks and Jazz (among others) reportedly covet, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter links). Our own Chuck Myron examined the point guard’s trade candidacy last month.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Nets never wound up interviewing Wizards senior VP of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard despite asking Washington’s permission to do so, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
Knicks GM Steve Mills spoke with the Timberwolves about Ricky Rubio, but the Knicks believe Minnesota won’t deal him, and while New York contacted the Rockets about Ty Lawson, neither dialogue is active, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
The Celtics have thus far been unwilling to pay a premium for Al Horford or Dwight Howard, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
The Bucks have reached out to the Sixers about Kendall Marshall but haven’t made progress on that front, reports Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Pau Gasol confirmed today the Bulls are in the lead to re-sign him when he opts out, as expected, this summer, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. An earlier report indicated he preferred to join forces with Marc Gasol on the Grizzlies.
The Pistons are still deliberating on their point guard situation, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press hears (Twitter link).
The Magic are expected to make a big push this summer for Horford, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com tweets.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Johnson, Celtics, Pelicans, Lee

February 18th, 2016 at 12:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers think would-be post-buyout target Joe Johnson wants to stay in Brooklyn and that he’ll seek to sign an extension with the Nets, a source told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. People around Johnson say he won’t take a buyout, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

There’s more from around the basketball world as the trade deadline approaches:

The Celtics are willing to trade the unprotected 2016 first-round pick they have coming their way from the Nets if it would shake Blake Griffin loose from the Clippers, sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. However, Boston wouldn’t deal the pick for either Kevin Love or Al Horford, Bulpett hears.
The Pelicans shopped Eric Gordon and Omer Asik, but they haven’t found much interest, sources tell John Reid of The Times Picayune. New Orleans reportedly offered Gordon and Alonzo Gee to the Kings for Rudy Gay earlier this season, and the Pelicans apparently had talks with the Cavs that involved Asik after making him available in December.
The Grizzlies shipped $542,714 cash to the Hornets as part of the Courtney Lee trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals.
Jameer Nelson is running out of alternatives to season-ending surgery on a severely sprained left wrist, but he’ll continue to try to play for the time being after receiving an injection meant to ease the pain he’s feeling, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post details. He missed the Nuggets‘ last six games before the All-Star break.
The Bulls were interested in Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer earlier this season, but the Rockets rebuffed their entreaties, reports Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com (Twitter link).
The Pistons would love to make one more move before the trade deadline, GM Jeff Bower said today in an appearance on WDFN-AM radio, notes Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). The team is reportedly scanning the market for veteran guards, but Bower said the Pistons are looking at the options available at every position and added that coach/executive Stan Van Gundy has confidence in Steve Blake as the team’s backup point guard, Beard also relays (on Twitter).
The Grizzlies recalled James Ennis from the team’s D-League affiliate in Iowa, the team announced today. Ennis has appeared in 15 games with the Energy, averaging 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per night. He has played in 10 games for Memphis, averaging 1.3 points in 3.6 minutes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.