Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pera Seeking Local Partners In Bid For Grizzlies

July 27th, 2012 at 8:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Prospective Grizzlies owner Robert Pera is looking for Memphis-area buyers to add as co-owners as he seeks approval to buy the team from a group headed by Michael Heisley, report Ronald Tillery and Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Pera is seeking partners not out of financial need but because he senses area business leaders would prefer local ownership, Tillery and Veazey hear.

Pera wrote in his blog about a recent meeting with current minority owner J.R. "Pitt" Hyde, and has visited with others in the Memphis business community. In June, Pera agreed to buy the Grizzlies for $335MM, and while a report last month suggested a rapid decline in Pera's net worth put his bid for the team in danger, Heisley said soon afterward that he has no reason to believe Pera won't be able to meet his asking price.

The deal remains subject to league approval. Commissioner David Stern said last week the league's vetting process of Pera is proceeding on schedule and that he hopes the league will be able to make the sale official in the next couple of months.

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Memphis Grizzlies

Lester Hudson Drawing Interest

July 27th, 2012 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Lester Hudson isn't exactly a household name, but he's appeared in 52 NBA games over the last three seasons, most recently impressing the Cavs on a pair of 10-day contracts before finishing out the 2011/12 season with the Grizzlies. Hudson remains unsigned so far this summer, but agent Tyler Glass tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link) that he feels good about Hudson finding an NBA job before training camps begin.

Glass declined to name specific teams that had expressed interest in his client, but according to Amico, the Thunder are believed to be among Hudson's potential suitors (Sulia link). Amico tweeted earlier this week that the Nuggets have some interest as well. It's unclear if either the Cavs or Grizzlies are interested in bringing Hudson back.

In 16 games in Cleveland and Memphis in 2011/12, Hudson averaged 10.9 points in 20.9 minutes per contest, recording a 13.9 PER. All those numbers were career highs for the 2009 second-rounder.

Grizzlies Expected To Re-Sign Hamed Haddadi

July 26th, 2012 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies are expected to re-sign Hamed Haddadi within the "next couple of days," according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Tillery reported after the Grizzlies finalized their trade for Wayne Ellington that the team would shift its focus to bringing back Haddadi for a salary close to the minimum.

Haddadi, a 7'2" center, has spent his entire NBA career with the Grizzlies, though he's never been a major part of the team's rotation. In four seasons, Haddadi has appeared in just 121 contests, averaging 2.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 0.5 BPG in 6.1 MPG.

Because the Grizzlies hold Haddadi's Bird Rights, the club doesn't necessarily have to sign him to a minimum-salary deal, though he's unlikely to get much more than that. Last December, the 27-year-old agreed to a one-year, $1.3MM contract to remain in Memphis.

Grizzlies Targeting Centers

July 25th, 2012 at 10:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace revealed his plan for the team's next move, saying, "If we add another player it’s more likely to be a center with size," Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports (Twitter link). Connecting the dots, that seems to indicate the Grizzles want to re-sign Hamed Haddadi, a move Tillery said yesterday that the team was targeting, though that's just my speculation.

A look at Hoops Rumors list of unrestricted free agents, updated today, reveals little in the way of helpful size. Mehmet Okur is likely the best of the bunch, but injury limited him to just 17 games last season, and back trouble was reportedly was a factor in his release by the Blazers in March. A report last week linked Darko Milicic to four teams, none of which were the Grizzlies. Jermaine O'Neal and Joel Przybilla are two other possibilities. With Robin Lopez off the market, there aren't any more restricted free agent centers to go after.

According to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com, the Grizzlies are above the tax threshold even after trading Jeremy Pargo today, with $73.05MM in guaranteed salary on the books for next season. So, it's unlikely they'll look to sign anyone else for more than the veteran's minimum. With a solid big-man rotation of Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Darrell Arthur and Marreese Speights, I'd argue they don't have to sign a backup center at all.

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Memphis Grizzlies

Grizzlies Trade Jeremy Pargo To Cavs

July 25th, 2012 at 7:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies have sent Jeremy Pargo, a 2014 second-round pick and cash to the Cavs for D.J. Kennedy, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports (Twitter link). Pargo is entering the final season of a two-year, $2MM contract, and his $1MM is guaranteed for 2012/13. Kennedy has two more seasons on his deal at the minimum salary, both of which are non-guaranteed. The Cavs put out a press release on their website confirming the move.

"Our approach remains consistent as we try to bring in young talent, create future opportunity with draft picks as potential assets and maintain flexibility," Cavs GM Chris Grant said in the release. "Jeremy adds depth to our backcourt. He is a young, aggressive, athletic guard who we feel fits well with our style of play, both defensively and offensively. We look forward to welcoming him to Cleveland."

Pargo, the younger brother of Jannero Pargo, made his NBA debut for the Grizzlies last season after going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2009. He averaged 2.9 points and 1.3 assists in 9.6 minutes a game as a backup to point guard Mike Conley. The 6'6" Kennedy wasn't drafted last year out of St. John's, but caught on with the Cavs in the final week of the season and played in two games, scoring 12 points and pulling down seven rebounds in a total of 59 minutes. Kennedy spent most of the season in the D-League, putting up 15.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 4.4 APG in 37.4 MPG.

The Grizzlies are close to the luxury tax threshold of $70.31MM, so the deal might be a way for them to save money, since they could waive Kennedy without owing him anything. The Cavs have plenty of cap room to absorb the $1MM owed Pargo, and helps them at point guard, where the team is thin behind starter Kyrie Irving.

Grizzlies, T-Wolves Swap Cunningham, Ellington

July 24th, 2012 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies and Timberwolves have agreed to swap Dante Cunningham and Wayne Ellington, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). There had been rumblings over the last couple weeks that the trade would be consummated soon, but the T-Wolves needed to work through cap issues before making the deal official.

Financially, the deal works out almost perfectly, as the Grizzlies take on Ellington's $2,083,042 salary, while Cunningham and his $2,090,000 salary head to Minnesota. Ellington is in the final year of his rookie deal, while Cunningham has one more team option for 2013/14. From an on-court perspective, Ellington joins a Grizzlies' backcourt that has also added Jerryd Bayless and was in need of a shooter. Cunningham will add size to a T-Wolves' frontcourt that includes Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic, Derrick Williams, and Greg Stiemsma.

Having moved Cunningham, the Grizzlies will look to re-sign Hamed Haddadi for something close to the minimum, tweets Tillery. The Wolves, meanwhile, still need to officially finalize deals for Stiemsma, Alexey Shved, and Brandon Roy.

Odds & Ends: Kirilenko, Hill, Green, Grizzlies

July 20th, 2012 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

After spending 10 productive seasons (19.1 career PER) with the Jazz, Andrei Kirilenko played overseas last season, but was widely viewed as a good bet to return to the NBA for 2012/13. Now, it's not clear whether or not Kirilenko will return to the Association, with one report suggesting he was on the fence, while another indicated a decision was likely by August 1st.

The latest on the Russian forward? NetsDaily passes along comments Kirilenko made to a Russian reporter, where he suggested that the Nets are still a possibility for him. It's hard to imagine Kirilenko settling for the veteran's minimum, which is all Brooklyn could offer at this point, so I still think CSKA Moscow is the 31-year-old's likeliest destination, but we'll have to wait out his decision.

Here are a few more Friday morning odds and ends from around the NBA:

Grant Hill expected to re-sign with the Suns this summer, but only received a minimum-salary offer from the team, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
While the Celtics have received some criticism for signing Jeff Green to a four-year, $36MM deal, agent David Falk insists there were other teams willing to make big offers for his client, as he tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
According to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, commissioner David Stern thinks an official decision regarding Robert Pera's purchase of the Grizzlies is still a couple months away.
The decision is still pending a Board of Governors vote, but the NBA will likely begin including small advertisements on uniforms beginning in 2013, as ESPN.com's Paul Lukas writes.

Southwest Notes: Lin, Mavericks, Grizzlies

July 18th, 2012 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we rounded up a number of pieces reacting to the Knicks' decision to let Jeremy Lin sign with the Rockets, but the Lin updates continue to pour in. ESPN's J.A. Adande argues that Houston is the ideal spot for Lin to thrive, while the day's most interesting Lin piece came from Pablo S. Torre of SI.com, who chronicles the point guard's free agency process.

"Honestly, I preferred New York," Lin told Torre. "But my main goal in free agency was to go to a team that had plans for me and wanted me. I wanted to have fun playing basketball. … Now I'm definitely relieved."

As the newest Rocket arrives in Houston, here are a few more items out of the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks are still scouring the free agent market for bench options, GM Donnie Nelson tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "We're always looking. It's one of those situations where free agents have to be looking out for their best interest, and it's our job to look out for the Mavericks' best interest. We're looking at trying to get the best possible talent that we can."
While the Mavs could still choose to re-sign Delonte West, Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com wonders if the club should turn its focus to a rebounder instead, and lists a few potential targets.
The Grizzlies' front office is happy with how the roster is shaping up, says Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillery adds that the team still expects to send Dante Cunningham to Minnesota for Wayne Ellington, and that the trade could be finalized any day. I imagine the Timberwolves are still waiting for resolution on Nicolas Batum's offer sheet.

Grizzlies, Timberwolves Discussing Trade

July 17th, 2012 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 12:11pm: The Grizzlies believe they have a verbal agreement to swap Dante Cunningham for Wayne Ellington, but the Timberwolves seem to be looking to include Cunningham in another deal before finalizing anything, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillery speculates that the T-Wolves are waiting for resolution on Nicolas Batum's offer sheet before making any other moves official.

"The shoe will drop this week or it won't get done," one source told Tillery, on the Grizzlies/Timberwolves trade talks.

Southwest Rumors: Anderson, Pargo, Miles

July 16th, 2012 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have arguably been the Southwest team in the news most often this month, as they've pursued restricted free agents and continued to try to land a superstar like Dwight Howard via trade. For now though, Daryl Morey and the Rockets are playing the waiting game, as they wait to see whether the Knicks will match their offer sheet for Jeremy Lin. In the meantime, here are a few updates on Houston's division rivals….