Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Buyout Rumors: Ellington, Jackson, Jazz

February 6th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veterans on the trading block that teams were unable to move by Thursday’s deadline could still wind up with other teams. Below are updates on some of those players:

The Knicks will look into buying out shooting guard Wayne Ellington, Ian Begley of SNY-TV tweets. Ellington signed a two-year, $16MM contract with New York last summer but the second year is only guaranteed for $1MM. Ellington, 32, has appeared in just 24 games this season, averaging 4.0 PPG in 14.1 MPG. He’s a 37.7% career shooter from beyond the arc.
A buyout of point guard Reggie Jackson is an option for the Pistons but is termed “premature” for the time being, Yahoo Sports’ Vince Goodwill tweets. Jackson, who is making over $18MM in the final year of his deal, has missed a good chunk of this season with a back ailment. He is close friends with Andre Drummond, who is headed to Cleveland.
The Jazz will be one of the contenders scouring the buyout market both domestically and internationally, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets. Utah explored several deals the past two days but couldn’t find one that made sense, Jones adds.
The Cavaliers are apparently uninterested in buying out center Tristan Thompson. Get the details here.

Cavs Don’t Plan On Buying Out Tristan Thompson

February 6th, 2020 at 3:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers do not plan to buy out center Tristan Thompson despite agreeing to a trade for Pistons center Andre Drummond, David Aldridge of The Athletic tweets.

Thompson, who is making approximately $18.5MM this season, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Thompson was on the trading block, with Cleveland reportedly seeking a first-round pick for the 28-year-old. Thompson’s camp was hoping he would be dealt and now finds himself in a tricky situation the last two months of the season with the addition of Drummond.

Clients of Klutch Sports – which represents Thompson – typically don’t negotiate buyouts, but he and the people around him “definitely wanted him out of Cleveland,” Joe Vardon of The Athletic tweets. It’s unclear whether that desire has waned now that he wouldn’t get to take his Bird rights with him to a new destination.

Prior to adding Drummond, the Cavs were open to re-signing Thompson this summer, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The front office had internal discussions about a contract extension but Thompson’s demands were too high. The team’s brass also wanted to keep its options open for the offseason. A sign-and-trade involving Thompson this summer is a possibility, Fedor adds.

Thompson is averaging 11.9 PPG and 10.4 RPG in 31.0 MPG this season.

Rockets Inquire About Thompson, Wood

February 6th, 2020 at 12:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets explored the possibility of acquiring Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson but couldn’t come up with a suitable trade package to match up salaries, Chris B. Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Houston is seeking another rotation player, regardless of position, and has had talks with the Pistons regarding young big Christian Wood, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links).

The Rockets dealt away their top frontcourt player, Clint Capela, in a complex four-way trade that sent forward Robert Covington to Houston.

They have gone with smaller lineups in recent games but their interest in Thompson and Wood suggests they are looking to play a more conventional style if they can land another power forward or center. Thompson has an expiring $18.5MM contract and Wood will also be an unrestricted free agent after the season. He has blossomed this season in Detroit after being plucked off waivers last summer.

Eastern Conference Notes: Thompson, Sixers, Horford, Knicks

February 6th, 2020 at 11:51am CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Love doesn’t want to see long-time teammate Tristan Thompson get traded, but he understands it might be the best move for both him and the organization, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavaliers are reportedly seeking a first-round pick in return for Thompson, who will be a free agent this summer. If Cleveland can’t find an acceptable deal, management still has interest in re-signing the 28-year-old center or possibly working out a sign-and-trade.

“That’s my brother, man,” Love said. “I would always go to war with him. I would run through a wall for him. He’s the best. Just the type of guy he is, he’s a lifelong friend of mine, so it would be tough to see him go. I would like to have him around selfishly, but if there’s a better situation out there for him, going to make him happier, have a chance to win a championship, then so be it. I only know Tristan Thompson as a Cavalier and I like it that way.”

There’s more from the Eastern Conference as the trade deadline draws nearer:

Trey Burke, Kyle O’Quinn and Jonah Bolden were all absent from the Sixers‘ shootaround this morning, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Philadelphia has to trim two players from its roster by 3pm Eastern to complete a trade that will bring Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III from the Warriors in exchange for three second-round draft picks.
Al Horford hinted at trouble in the Sixers‘ locker room in comments after Wednesday’s practice, relays Jon Johnson of KYW Radio (Twitter link). “There’s some stuff going on in our locker room,” Horford said, “and we’ll keep that internal.”
A pair of Knicks youngsters have signed with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports for representation. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports (via Twitter) that Mitchell Robinson is one of Paul’s newest clients, while Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) says Allonzo Trier has joined Klutch Sports too.

Kevin Love Doesn't Expect To Be Moved

February 5th, 2020 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Few NBA players have been mentioned more frequently in trade rumors this season than Kevin Love. However, with the Cavaliers and potential trade partners not seeing eye-to-eye on Love’s value, there appears to be no movement on a potential deal, with just over 24 hours left before Thursday’s deadline. For his part, Love sounds fully prepared to remain in Cleveland through the deadline.

“I don’t think anything is going to happen,” the Cavaliers’ power forward said, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “I really don’t, but we’ll see.”

As Fedor explains, sources have insisted for weeks that a Love trade is unlikely because the Cavaliers are unwilling to treat a deal as a salary dump. They view Love as a valuable trade chip and would balk at attaching a draft pick to him, while possible suitors believe they’d be doing Cleveland a favor by taking on the 31-year-old’s pricey long-term contract. That gap seems unlikely to be bridged by Thursday afternoon.

Trade Rumors: Holiday, Clippers, Thompson, Celtics

February 5th, 2020 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

A report last week suggested that Jrue Holiday is happy with the Pelicans, who won’t move him unless they’re blown away by an offer. That’s still the case, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who tweets that New Orleans remains content to hang onto Holiday through Thursday’s trade deadline.

Teams like the Nuggets and Heat have been linked to Holiday, and there are plenty of other contenders who would surely have interest in the former All-Star guard if New Orleans were shopping him. However, according to Wojnarowski, the kind of “overwhelming offer” it would take to change the Pelicans’ mind hasn’t materialized.

Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:

The Clippers don’t currently have any traction on any deals involving Maurice Harkless, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, who points to Marcus Morris (Knicks), Thaddeus Young (Bulls), and Andre Iguodala (Grizzlies) as some of the targets the team has considered.
The Cavaliers don’t want to trade Tristan Thompson “just to move him,” and continue to seek a first-round pick for the big man, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. According to Fedor – in a separate article – Cleveland still has interest in re-signing Thompson this summer if he stays put, but would be hesitant to award him another contract in the range of his current one (five years, $82MM).
According to David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link), sources maintain that the Wizards‘ interest in acquiring Thompson from the Cavaliers isn’t particularly strong. As Aldridge observes, re-signing both Thompson and Davis Bertans in the offseason might be tricky for a team with two max players in its backcourt.
The Celtics still aren’t expected to do anything major at the deadline, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald, who says a move to add a veteran who can provide offense off the bench is more likely than a deal to upgrade the center position.

Trade Rumors: Clippers, Herro, LaVine, Poeltl, More

February 4th, 2020 at 5:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Mannix of SI.com is among the latest reporters to weigh in this week on the Clippers‘ search for a center. According to Mannix, Los Angeles’ coaching staff has some concerns about the team’s rebounding. We heard on Monday that the Clips are also wary of facing star centers like Rudy Gobert or Nikola Jokic in the postseason.

Sources tell Mannix that there’s some interest within the Clippers’ front office in Tristan Thompson, whom the Cavaliers have put on the trade block. Mannix also names disgruntled Kings big man Dewayne Dedmon as a possible target, though he cautions that Dedmon wouldn’t be a preferred option for L.A.

The Clippers have Maurice Harkless‘ $11MM+ expiring contract available to use as a salary-matching piece for a trade target earning an eight-figure salary, but the team will have to be careful about how it fires that bullet. Acquiring a pricey center like Thompson or Dedmon using Harkless’ deal could take the team out of the market for a wing in the same salary range, such as Marcus Morris or Robert Covington.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Heat have told teams that Tyler Herro is unavailable at this time, according to Mannix. If Miami wants to do something major, Herro would likely be the first player a potential trade partner asks about, but the Heat have no interest in moving him.
The Bulls have received some trade feelers for Zach LaVine, but a source tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) that the 24-year-old is “off-limits.” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe said essentially the same thing on a podcast this week.
Teams are calling the Spurs to ask about Jakob Poeltl, but the asking price is believed to be too high, tweets Jabari Young of CNBC. Poeltl will be a restricted free agent at season’s end, so it’s possible San Antonio will lower its price by Thursday if the big man isn’t in the team’s long-term plans.
Nuggets power forward Juan Hernangomez is among the players of interest for the Rockets, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Denver is reportedly seeking a second-round pick for Hernangomez.

Tristan Thompson Reportedly Prefers To Be Traded

February 4th, 2020 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Tristan Thompson‘s camp would like to see him moved by this Thursday’s deadline, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, who says people close to the Cavaliers center are calling a trade a “priority.”

The news comes a little over 24 hours after word broke that the Cavaliers had put Thompson on the trade block. At the time, I noted that there had been rumblings earlier in the season about the team wanting to extend Thompson, with reports suggesting the big man was open to the idea. Cleveland’s newfound willingness to move him seemed to signal that the 28-year-old may no longer reciprocate that interest in an extension.

As Vardon explains, Thompson’s Bird rights would move with him in any trade, which is one reason why his camp may be pushing for a deal. Most of the teams that project to have cap room this summer are rebuilding clubs. So if Thompson wants a chance to sign with a contender for more than the mid-level, his best chance to do so may be joining that team now, then signing a new contract in the summer using those Bird rights.

Thompson’s $18.5MM cap hit will be tricky for some teams to match, but he’s having a strong season with unrestricted free agency around the corner, averaging career-best marks in PPG (11.9), RPG (10.4), and APG (2.1) in 48 games (31.0 MPG).

The Wizards are among the teams said to have expressed interest in Thompson. Sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that the Cavs want a first-round pick in exchange for the veteran center. If that offer doesn’t materialize, it’s not clear whether the team will be open to taking the best offer available or if it would prefer to hang onto Thompson through the deadline.

Trade Rumors: Wolves, Wizards, Kennard, Valentine, Burks, More

February 4th, 2020 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves forward Robert Covington has been one of the most-discussed trade candidates leading up to this year’s deadline, and looks like one of the likeliest players to be on the move. While star teammate Karl-Anthony Towns will understand if Covington is dealt, he admitted in a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic and Chris Hine of The Star Tribune that he’s not thrilled by the idea.

“I think it’s very obvious he’s my best friend on the team, so it would be very difficult if something like that was going to happen,” Towns said of Covington. “But like with Zach LaVine (traded from the Timberwolves to Chicago in 2017) , you know this is a business. So like I said, I’m the one who just plays the game. I don’t get paid to make rosters and stuff like that.”

As Amick and Hine note, Towns said it’s not his job to make roster decisions and expressed confidence in Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas to make those calls. Still, given how aggressively the front office has pursued D’Angelo Russell, one of Towns’ best friends, it’ll be interesting to see if the team is willing to part with Covington – another one of KAT’s good friends – if there’s no guarantee that doing so will land D-Lo in Minnesota.

“I don’t get paid to make those decisions,” the Timberwolves’ franchise player said. “Those are tough decisions, but here’s to hoping that I see Cov on Friday, I guess. … He’s a great guy, a great dude. He’s a great player. He’s helped me tremendously and he’s continuing to help me every day. He just gives me such comfort out there.”

Here are more trade rumors from around the NBA:

As first referenced by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Wizards have expressed interest in Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson, confirms Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (via Twitter). If the Wizards were to make a move for Thompson, it would be with an eye toward the future, since they’d hold his Bird rights, Buckner notes.
Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press confirms that that the Pistons are open to moving Luke Kennard if the price is right. However, in the wake of rumors that the Suns are discussing a trade for the third-year sharpshooter, Ellis reports that no deal appears imminent and that Detroit isn’t worried about the possible price tag on a Kennard extension if he remains with the Pistons.
Two rival executives view the Sixers and Grizzlies as possible landing spots for Bulls trade candidate Denzel Valentine, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
The Mavericks have real interest in Warriors guard Alec Burks, a source tells Chris Crouse of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). Dallas and Golden State have already made one trade this season, with Willie Cauley-Stein sent to the Mavs last month.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski takes a look at the trade talks involving the Timberwolves, Warriors, Rockets, and Hawks, with the Wolves trying to orchestrate a multi-team deal that would send D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer had details earlier on those discussions, with both Woj and O’Connor agreeing that there’s still a gulf between Minnesota and Golden State.

Trade Rumors: Covington, Randle, Henson, Celtics

February 3rd, 2020 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers are among the teams pursuing Timberwolves forward Robert Covington, Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reports. A package of their first-round pick this year, forward Maurice Harkless, and a young player such as Jerome Robinson or Terance Mann could be enough to secure Covington, Deveney continues. Grizzlies forward Andre Iguodala, Suns center Aron Baynes and Magic guard D.J. Augustin are among the other potential targets for the Clippers, Deveney adds.

We have more trade chatter:

The Knicks have engaged in trade talks with the Hornets involving forward Julius Randle, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. Charlotte would be a surprising landing spot for Randle, who has a guaranteed $18.9MM salary for next season. However, the Hornets have three frontcourt players with large expiring contracts and will need reinforcements.
The Knicks had talks with the Cavaliers which included center John Henson but those discussions have died down, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. Henson has an expiring $9.7MM contract.
Celtics GM Danny Ainge would like to strengthen the team’s bench but doesn’t see the center position as a major weakness, Jacob Camenker of NBC Sports Boston relays. The Celtics are reportedly one of the teams interested in acquiring Rockets center Clint Capela. Ainge indicated the roster “probably too many really young guys” but claimed he’s content with Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter, and Robert Williams manning the middle. “We’re not getting beat at the center position,” Ainge said. “We’re getting 17, 18 points per night. We’re getting double-figure rebounds. We’re just doing it as a team.”