Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Teams With Open Roster Spots

March 19th, 2012 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

After the flurry of trades, signings, and releases around the league in the last week, it's gotten challenging to keep track which clubs still have the flexibility to make roster moves. To make things a little easier, here's our list of teams who currently have fewer than the maximum 15 players on their rosters, and could add a player without releasing anyone:

76ers: 14
Bulls: 14. When Mike James' second 10-day contract expires, the Bulls will have two open roster spots. They also reportedly have some interest in Leon Powe.
Clippers: 14. The Clips are still deciding whether to sign Bobby Simmons for the rest of the season with their final roster spot.
Grizzlies: 13. Memphis is looking at Gilbert Arenas for one of its openings.
Heat: 14. Miami could fill its final roster spot with a player who is bought out of his contract this week.
Hornets: 13. 14th man Jeff Foote just had his 10-day contract expire.
Jazz: 14
Kings: 14
Lakers: 14
Pacers: 14
Pistons: 14
Raptors: 13
Rockets: 14. Houston will open up a second roster spot when Derek Fisher clears waivers.
Spurs: 13. San Antonio is expecting to add Patrick Mills with one of its open roster spots. Even if the Spurs finalize Mills' deal, they'll still have a pair of open spots after Eric Dawson's second 10-day deal expires.
Suns: 13
Warriors: 13
Wizards: 14. 14th man Edwin Ubiles is on a 10-day contract.

Note: The Nets currently have 15 players on their roster, but will open up a spot when Jerry Smith's 10-day contract expires.

Arenas To Work Out For Memphis

March 18th, 2012 at 11:38am CST by Daniel Seco

Former Wizards star Gilbert Arenas will work out for the Grizzlies on Monday with hopes of securing a contract, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post. The former All-Star point guard most recently worked out for the Lakers in February, but was not tendered a contract. Arenas, 30, was waived under the amnesty provision by the Magic in the offseason and has not played anywhere else since then.

Thanks to platelet-rich plasma therapy, Arenas is reported to be feeling healthy and in good shape after multiple seasons in which his conditioning had been questioned. Arenas struggled during the 2010/2011 season as he only averaged 10.8 PPG, far below his career average of 21.2 PPG. The Grizzlies would potentially use Arenas as a backup point guard to spell Mike Conley as the team looks ahead to the playoffs.

Billionaire Wants To Buy Grizzlies, Move Team

March 17th, 2012 at 4:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:24pm: Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area reports that Ellison is closer to buying the team than Heisley indicates. Steinmetz hears Ellison and Heisley may have a "handshake agreement" on a deal. A source also tells Steinmetz that the Grizzlies could get out of their arena lease as early as 2017 if attendance thresholds are not met. Joe Lacob, part of the ownership team that beat out Ellison for the Warriors, has said repeatedly he considers San Jose as part of Golden State's territory and doubts the league would give the OK to another team moving there, according to Steinmetz.

2:39pm: California software company CEO Larry Ellison has inquired about buying the Grizzlies in hopes of moving the team to San Jose, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reports.

Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley downplayed the possibility, saying he'd be surprised if Ellison buys the team, and cited a lease that ties the Grizzlies to Memphis and the FedEx Forum until 2021.

Heisley said talks with Ellison, whose $36 billion makes him the country's third-richest person according to Forbes magazine, are in the initial stages. Heisley said he's received several dozen other inquiries and prefers to sell the team to a Memphis buyer. The price tag Heisley has set is $350MM, according to Tillery.

Ellison, who heads up Oracle Corp., has made previous attempts in the last five years to buy the Grizzlies, according to Tillery's report, and has made unsuccessful bids for the Hornets and Warriors in recent years.

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Memphis Grizzlies

Hollinger On Deadline Deals

March 15th, 2012 at 8:35pm CST by Sean Highkin

ESPN.com's John Hollinger has posted grades for every trade that took place today. The post is only available to ESPN Insider subscribers, but here are the highlights:

The Nuggets were smart to shed Nene's contract, even if trading for JaVale McGee is a risk.
However, Hollinger views the Wizards' acquisition of Nene is an overreaction to McGee's contract demands.
For the Clippers, Hollinger doesn't believe Nick Young is a perfect solution, but that he's worth the risk since they didn't have to give up any significant assets.
Hollinger praises the Blazers' rebuilding effort in the Gerald Wallace trade, although he has reservations about the players they got back from Houston for Marcus Camby.
He doesn't think the Nets made a smart move giving up a lottery pick for short-term help when they risk losing Deron Williams at the end of the season.
Hollinger likes the Rockets' acquisition of Camby as a short-term pick-up to help them make a playoff run.
The Warriors' acquisition of Richard Jefferson is counterproductive to their efforts to tank for a draft pick, Hollinger writes. However, he praises the Spurs for shedding Jefferson's contract for Stephen Jackson's shorter one.
Hollinger questions the Cavaliers for taking on Luke Walton's expensive contract while giving up Ramon Sessions, but loves the deal for the Lakers, as Sessions is a massive upgrade at point guard over Derek Fisher and Steve Blake.
Hollinger likes the Sam Young acquisition for the 76ers, and while he doesn't believe losing him will shift the Grizzlies' playoff hopes one way or another, he questions whether it was necessary to shed him simply for cap reasons.
He sees the Leandro Barbosa trade as a low-risk deal for both the Raptors and Pacers, giving Indiana immediate help at shooting guard while freeing up room for other players to get more minutes in Toronto.

Recap Of Trade Deadline Deals

March 15th, 2012 at 5:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

Here's the complete list of trades that took place this week leading up to the trade deadline earlier today:

On Tuesday, the Warriors sent Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
The Warriors then flipped Jackson to the Spurs for Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford, and a first-round pick on Thursday.
The Grizzlies traded Sam Young to the 76ers for the rights to former second-round pick Ricky Sanchez.
The Pacers acquired Leandro Barbosa from the Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
The Blazers entered rebuild mode by trading Gerald Wallace to the Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a 2012 first-round draft pick with top-3 protection.
Portland also sent Marcus Camby to the Rockets for Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, and a second-round pick.
The Rockets acquired Derek Fisher from the Lakers as well as the Mavericks' 2012 first-round pick (from the Lamar Odom trade) for Jordan Hill.
The Lakers also traded for Ramon Sessions, sending Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a 2012 first-round pick to the Cavaliers and also receiving Christian Eyenga. The Cavs will also have the ability to swap the Heat's 2013 pick (which they own from the LeBron James sign-and-trade) with the Lakers' pick that year.
The Nuggets, Wizards, and Clippers agreed to a three-team deal that will send Nene, Brian Cook, and a future second-round draft pick to Washington; Nick Young to the Clippers; and JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver.

O.J. Mayo Remains In Memphis

March 15th, 2012 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

2:05pm: The Grizzlies didn't like any of the proposed deals and decided not to move Mayo, according to Tillery (on Twitter).

1:05pm: Don't expect a Mayo trade, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, who hears from rival executives that the Grizzlies aren't interested in moving him.

11:34am: The Grizzlies are still "seriously considering" trades involving O.J. Mayo, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). As recently as Saturday, we heard that Memphis was unlikely to move Mayo.

The Pacers have long had interest in Mayo, but they probably won't make a deal for him now that they've acquired Leandro Barbosa from the Raptors.

Sixers Acquire Sam Young

March 15th, 2012 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

The 76ers have acquired Sam Young from the Grizzlies, reports Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. Memphis receives the rights to former second-rounder Ricky Sanchez, who is currently playing in Argentina, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The Sixers confirmed the move in a press release.

"Sam preferred another location because he wasn’t playing," Memphis GM Chris Wallace told Tillery. "Sam earned his keep around here and is clearly an NBA player. He was a guy who was a big part of us being able to be successful when Rudy Gay went down last year. But teams evolve."

The move isn't entirely unexpected for Memphis, since the team had been sitting barely above the luxury tax line. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported yesterday that the Grizzlies were looking to move Young to sneak below that threshold. Sanchez, who was drafted with the 35th overall pick in 2005, "will never wear a Grizzlies uniform," according to Tillery. Tillery also points out (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies could use the savings to pursue Gilbert Arenas.

For the Sixers, they'll likely take on Young's salary using part of the traded player exception they acquired when they dealt Marreese Speights to Memphis earlier this season. Young's cap figure for this season, the final year of his contract, is $947,800.

In 21 games for the Grizzlies this year, Young has played just 11.4 MPG, averaging 3.5 PPG and 10.6 PER.

Grizzlies Interested In Gilbert Arenas

March 14th, 2012 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

With everyone else focused on trades, the Grizzlies are keeping an eye on the free agent market. According to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis is exploring the possibility of signing Gilbert Arenas.

Tillery says the two sides have mutual interest, though no deal will be made until the Grizzlies see Arenas work out. A source tells Tillery that Arenas and the Grizz are working to schedule a meeting.

I'm a little surprised that Memphis would be willing to bring on a free agent, considering the team currently sits barely above the luxury tax line. I expected the club to try to make a move prior to tomorrow's trade deadline to get below that threshold, but perhaps it's not a major concern.

Arenas, who was amnestied by the Magic before the season, has also drawn interest from the Lakers.

Broussard On Pierce, Brooks, Curry, McGee, Daye

March 14th, 2012 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Chris Broussard has a ton of trade rumors in today's Insider-only piece. You can read his major update on Dwight Howard here, but let's dive into the rest of his rumors….

The Celtics offered Paul Pierce to the Blazers, though Broussard isn't sure who else would've been involved in the deal. Portland wasn't interested in Boston's proposal.
The Clippers are reluctant to trade Eric Bledsoe for Jamal Crawford because they believe Crawford will opt out of his contract at season's end, and Bledsoe will have more value at draft time, since there won't be many point guards available.
Ramon Sessions is unlikely to be moved unless the Cavaliers can get a first-round pick. Cleveland would try to trade for Jonny Flynn if they moved Sessions, though the Spurs have also expressed interest in Flynn.
The Cavs are also in talks with the Hornets about swapping Antawn Jamison for Emeka Okafor and a first-round pick.
Aaron Brooks is drawing interest from the Blazers and Kings, though the Suns hope to re-sign him. When Brooks returns from China, he can only sign with Phoenix. If he doesn't sign anywhere this season, he becomes a restricted free agent again this summer.
A second-round pick is likely all it would take for the Hornets to move Chris Kaman.
The Warriors preferred to deal Stephen Curry rather than Monta Ellis, but Curry's ongoing ankle issues hurt his trade value.
Broussard hears JaVale McGee will be seeking a contract worth $14MM annually this summer. Good luck with that, JaVale.
Wilson Chandler is seeking a deal starting at $7MM, which the Nuggets feel is too high, since that amount won't be prorated this season — Denver would prefer to start around $5MM.
The Pistons are shopping Austin Daye "all day every day" but not many teams are biting.
The Grizzlies would like to move Sam Young to get below the luxury tax line.

Pacers Eyeing Shooting Guards

March 13th, 2012 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers "continue to have a great deal of interest" in acquiring a shooting guard, according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. However, Indiana isn't inclined to break up the core of its roster to bring in a two guard.

O.J. Mayo was nearly traded to Indiana at last year's deadline, and the Pacers maintain interest in him, but the Grizzlies don't appear likely to move the USC product this season. If Memphis makes a deal, it will likely be a smaller move designed to get the team below the luxury tax line.

According to Ingram, the Pacers also have some interest in Courtney Lee, whose agent would like to relocate his client to a team where he might sign an extension. The Rockets, who should clear a good deal of cap space this summer, don't appear to have much interest in bringing back most of their players on expiring contracts, including Lee. Still, Houston figures to ask for a young player or a draft pick for Lee, a price Indiana may not want to pay.

The Pacers have a huge amount of cap space they could use to facilitate a deal, but with no obligation to spend to reach a salary floor, Indiana won't make a trade just for the sake of it. For what it's worth, Danny Granger and other Pacers players don't believe the team needs to make a deal, as Granger told Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld.