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Northwest Notes: Wolves, Wiggins, Jazz

February 15th, 2015 at 6:55pm CST by Zachary Links

LaMarcus Aldridge figures to be among the most sought-after free agents this summer and it’s safe to say that he’s probably heard a few recruitment pitches this weekend in New York City. On Saturday, Aldridge cited “winning and being happy” as his top priorities in free agency and the Blazers certainly hope that they can sell him on both fronts. A look at the Northwest Division..

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter) sees Lorenzo Brown sticking with the Timberwolves for the remainder of the season. However, he doesn’t envision any news on that front today. The Wolves can wait a few days and see if they need that roster spot for trade purposes between now and the deadline. In a later tweet, Wolfson (link) said a new deal “will happen.” Brown’s second 10-day deal expires after Sunday night.
Timberwolves rookie Andrew Wiggins has no regrets about the trade that sent him from Cleveland to Minnesota, Holly MacKenzie of The National Post writes. “I think it was the best move for me,” Wiggins said this weekend. “It gave me more room and put me in a position where I could grow up faster. In the league, that’s always what’s best for you.” Wiggins also noted that the deal has given him a chance to “shine.” The guard is averaging 15.2 PPG with 4.3 RPG and 1.9 APG in 34.5 minutes per game. Needless to say, Wiggins wouldn’t be seeing that kind of burn with the Cavs.
As one of the teams sending multiple players to All-Star Weekend, the Jazz have to feel pretty good about how they’ve been evaluating, drafting, and developing talent, EJ Ayala of Basketball insiders writes. Rudy Gobert seems like a potential cornerstone for Utah and they have plenty of other talented young players who could be a part of their core with Dante Exum, Trey Burke, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, and Rodney Hood.

Wolves Notes: Wiggins, Rubio, Veterans

February 15th, 2015 at 10:57am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Timberwolves are well represented in the NBA All-Star festivities this weekend. Minnesota had four players competing in Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge, which was the most from any team in the league. Andrew Wiggins, who scored 22 points, was named MVP of the contest and on Saturday night, Zach LaVine won the dunk contest. The fans of the team certainly have something to look forward to in the coming years as the future looks bright for the franchise.

Here’s more from Minnesota:

Andrew Wiggins told Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun that being traded to Minnesota was the best thing for his career. Wiggins was the centerpiece in the deal that brought Kevin Love to the Cavaliers. “There I would have been more of a role player,” Wiggins said of Cleveland. “Here, I’m getting more time to shine and do what I was put in this league to do and I’m enjoying the process.” Wiggins is also looking forward to earning a spot on the Canadian Olympic team this summer.
Ricky Rubio is key to Minnesota’s success and should remain in the team’s long-term plans, opines Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. The Wolves have scored 1.1 more points per game and allowed 4.9 less points per game with the point guard in the lineup compared to games in which he has missed this season due to injury. Hartman believes that if the team can add one more viable piece through the 2015 draft, Minnesota could find itself contending for a postseason berth next season. The Wolves are currently in second place in our Reverse Standings with a record of 11-42.
President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders doesn’t plan to make any more moves because he wants to let his roster settle, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Minnesota has already dealt veterans Corey Brewer and Mo Williams this season and Zgoda believes it would be wise to survey the market to see what Kevin Martin and Thaddeus Young could net in a trade. The Mavs and the Wizards were rumored to have interest in acquiring Martin, while Young, who I examined as a trade candidate, was mentioned in trade discussions with the Nets.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post

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Minnesota Timberwolves

Trade Candidate: Lance Stephenson

February 14th, 2015 at 11:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

When they signed Lance Stephenson as a free agent last summer, the Hornets never envisioned unloading him a few months later. But Stephenson’s erratic play and the team’s disappointing season have put the fifth-year guard on the trading block.

Charlotte gave Stephenson a three-year, $27.4MM contract to leave the Pacers in July, hoping he would help the Hornets improve on last year’s 43-39 record. Instead, both the player and the team got off to rough starts. Stephenson struggled with his shot in November, connecting at just 38% from the field and a paltry 19% from three-point range. Not coincidentally, the Hornets sank to the bottom of the Southeast Division, sitting at 3-15 after a 10-game losing streak that stretched over November and December.

Stephenson’s luck got even worse in mid-December when he suffered a strained pelvis that sidelined him for 14 games. Charlotte won its first four games in Stephenson’s absence and gradually crept back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Hornets reached the All-Star break tied for seventh place in the conference at 22-30, a game ahead of the Nets and a game and a half better than the Celtics.
But Stephenson has played only a small role in this resurgence. Since returning to the court January 14th, he has logged more than 30 minutes in just one game and has often played 20 minutes or less. He was held scoreless in the team’s final pre-break game, a 28-point loss to the Pistons, and had just three rebounds and four assists — far short of the flashy numbers he put up last season in Indiana.

Stephenson has continued to have problems with his shot since returning. He shot 32% from the field in January and made just 1 of 10 three-point attempts. His February numbers are little better — 34% from the field and 19% from long distance.

With Stephenson struggling on the court and faced with a diminished role, it may be a case where both sides could benefit from a deal. Stephenson, who was born in Brooklyn, has been linked to the Nets in recent trade talks, including a rumored three-way deal last month that also involved the Thunder. More recent discussions have focused on a one-on-one deal between the Nets and Hornets, with Joe Johnson possibly being sent to Charlotte in return. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported January 25th that Gerald Henderson and Marvin Williams could also be part of the trade package.

Conflicting reports had the Hornets so close to dealing Stephenson and Cody Zeller to Brooklyn last month that they were ready to call the league office. Even though that trade didn’t get finalized, some version of it could reappear before Thursday’s trade deadline.

Charlotte has already shown a willingness to shake things up. On Tuesday, the Hornets sent Gary Neal and Miami’s second-round draft pick in 2019 to Minnesota in exchange for Mo Williams, Troy Daniels and cash considerations.

Despite Stephenson’s recent problems, he remains an intriguing gamble for any team seeking help for a postseason run. The 24-year-old broke through as a star for the Pacers in 2013/14, putting up 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game and helping Indiana secure the best record in the Eastern Conference. His numbers were almost identical in the playoffs —13.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG and 4.2 APG — as the Pacers reached the conference finals before losing to the Heat.

However, Stephenson’s on-court production has been mixed with erratic behavior, such as the much-publicized incident when he blew in LeBron James‘ ear during last year’s playoffs. Larry Bird, the Pacers’ president of basketball operations, sent a text message to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today expressing his displeasure with the James incident at the time, and that undoubtedly played a role in the decision not to retain Stephenson.

In addition, Stephenson was third in the NBA last season with 17 technical fouls and reportedly had a scuffle during practice with teammate Evan Turner. Stephenson also gained a reputation for being moody and having his mind wander during games.

The question for any team considering a Stephenson trade is whether he can get beyond his recent physical and behavioral issues and recapture the on-court brilliance he displayed with the Pacers. He would have to find a team that is willing to absorb a contract that pays him $9MM next season and $9.4MM in 2016/17, but he could be the type of player who benefits greatly from a change of scenery.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Kanter, Muhammad

February 14th, 2015 at 9:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

LaMarcus Aldridge figures to be among the most sought-after free agents this summer, but he tells reporters, including Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders that recruiting by other players at All-Star weekend hasn’t started yet. The Trail Blazers forward may be hearing a few pitches at tonight’s festivities. Aldridge is among the most productive players in the league, averaging 23.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and gained a new level of respect by delaying surgery on an injured thumb so he could keep playing. He cited “winning and being happy” as his top priorities in free agency. “I want to like the management and feel comfortable that they are going to do the right things to keep winning,” Aldridge said, “and I want to spend my time with an organization where I love what they’re doing and where they’re going.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Enes Kanter‘s trade request this week caught some of his Jazz teammates by surprise, reports Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. “Sometimes guys hold things in, they bottle things [up] and … just got to let what they really feel go,” said Trey Burke. “I’m not saying I agree with it. At the same time, I’m not one of those guys to get super angry about it.” Kanter, unhappy with his reduction in playing time since the emergence of Rudy Gobert, was on the floor for just 18 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Dallas. Kanter makes nearly $5.7MM this season and can become a restricted free agent in July.
Kanter’s unhappiness isn’t necessarily bad for the Jazz, argues Brad Rock of The Deseret News. Rock contends it’s a sign that the team is improving. Kanter, who Utah took third overall in the 2011 NBA draft, hasn’t fallen in the rotation because he’s playing poorly. It has happened because Gobert and others are contributing more. If the Jazz do find a taker for Kanter, Rock would like to see them pick up a shooting guard to replace Alec Burks, who is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his injured left shoulder.
Getting in better shape and improving his attitude has made Shabazz Muhammad a rising star with the Timberwolves, writes Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders. Muhammad, who has tripled his minutes and scoring average in his second season, said a D-League stint last year helped him gain confidence that he could play at the NBA level.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Karl, Thompson, West

February 13th, 2015 at 12:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings are poised for trade deadline action after resolving their coaching situation, while in Phoenix, suitors are lining up for Goran Dragic. We’ll run through the latest news and notes from a busy Pacific Division here:

DeMarcus Cousins praised new Kings coach George Karl to reporters at All-Star weekend in New York, saying he looked forward to working with him, tweets Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. The center has expressed exasperation with the team’s coaching turmoil.
Karl was the right choice for the Kings, argues Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee, who also lists Scott Brooks among the names of coaches who would have been candidates for the Sacramento job if the team hadn’t hired Karl.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was largely responsible for halting a proposed blockbuster last summer that would have sent Klay Thompson to the Timberwolves in exchange for Kevin Love, according to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Kerr and Warriors team consultant Jerry West talked ownership out of making the swap, which would have also sent David Lee to Minnesota and Kevin Martin to Golden State, Deveney adds. A source close the talks told Deveney that the trade was a done deal until Kerr, who took the job with the expectation of coaching Thompson, and West convinced management not to do it.
The jealousy that the Warriors worried might develop when they gave Thompson a more lucrative extension than Stephen Curry got a few years ago hasn’t developed, and Thompson doesn’t regret agreeing to contract terms that might give him less than the max, as Deveney writes in the same piece.
West, who made his mark as an executive with the Lakers, is confident the Lakers wouldn’t ask him back, as he said on 95.7 The Game, as station host Matt Steinmetz relays (Twitter links). West’s son, Ryan, is the Lakers’ assistant scouting director, notes Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
Trading Dragic would be a wise move because the Suns are not true title contenders, Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic argues. Bickley believes the Suns should be acquiring trade assets in order to make a future move to acquire a superstar talent rather than adding short-term pieces such as Ray Allen or Amar’e Stoudemire. If the Suns can add a first-round pick by swapping Dragic while concurrently breaking their point guard logjam, they should not hesitate, Bickley concludes.

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.

Northwest Notes: Chandler, Afflalo, Jackson

February 12th, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Denver’s demands for Wilson Chandler are higher than they are for Arron Afflalo, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears, and some believe that he’s among the few Nuggets the team isn’t shopping, Stein writes. There are conflicting reports about whether Denver has been shopping Chandler, though the general belief has been that GM Tim Connelly and company are seeking a first-round pick in exchange, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reported that a first-rounder is the Nuggets’ asking price for Afflalo, too, so there may be a more nuanced difference between what they’re asking for each. In any case, the Nuggets appear to be active, as Stein writes, and there’s more from his piece amid the latest from the Northwest Division:

Afflalo and Reggie Jackson are two of the three players whom GMs mentioned most frequently when Stein asked about the biggest names likely to move at the deadline. Brook Lopez, whom the Nuggets and Thunder have reportedly sought, is the other.
Adreian Payne went from the best team in the Eastern Conference to the worst team in the West in Tuesday’s trade that sent him from the Hawks to the Timberwolves, but he doesn’t mind that, as Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes. Instead, last year’s No. 15 overall pick is excited about the chance to play after going on four D-League assignments and appearing in only three NBA games with Atlanta.
Minnesota’s futile attempts to surround a young Kevin Garnett with veterans during Flip Saunders‘ first stint at Wolves coach gave Saunders, now both coach and president of basketball operations, a lesson about what not to do, argues Michael Rand of the Star Tribune. Tuesday’s pair of trades were further indication that Saunders intends to follow a different path with Andrew Wiggins and surround him with young talent, Rand believes.

Western Notes: Wolves, Murphy, Brown

February 11th, 2015 at 8:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite having desirable veteran trade assets in Thaddeus Young and Kevin Martin, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders isn’t actively looking to make more deals before the February 19th trade deadline, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes. Saunders is willing to listen to offers, but he said that the team now has plenty of competition for playing time at every position, and the Wolves are focused on trying to get their current roster settled, Zgoda adds.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Kevin Murphy, who was in training camp with the Jazz this season, is considering returning to the Idaho Stampede, Utah’s D-League affiliate, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link). Murphy had been playing in China for Zhejiang Guangsha, whose regular season has just concluded.
The Suns are expected to discuss a deal with Alec Brown, their 2014 second round draft pick, to join the team for the 2015/16 campaign, Shams Charania of RealGM.com reports. Brown has been rehabilitating a dislocated shoulder that he suffered during summer league play in Las Vegas. The big man is set to join the Bakersfield Jam, Phoenix’s D-League affiliate, next week, Charania notes.
Bernard James, who was recently inked to a 10-day deal with the Mavericks, believes that his time spent with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association made him a better player, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “It was huge,” James said of playing overseas. “It kind of got me back to feeling like myself again. I’m not hesitating. I’m believing in my game. It was good to play major minutes and having a team really rely on me.“
Some NBA executives aren’t dismissing the idea of George Karl retaining Tyrone Corbin as an assistant on his coaching staff with the Kings, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times reports (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Kings, Allen, Lopez, Wolves

February 11th, 2015 at 10:33am CST by Chuck Myron

DeMarcus Cousins and Tyrone Corbin both called the latest round of Kings coaching upheaval a “distraction,” as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (Twitter link). Cousins released a statement through his agency saying that he hadn’t been consulted when the team fired Michael Malone and isn’t being consulted now, expressing hope for a quick resolution and support for George Karl should the team choose to hire him. Still, Cousins decried the public chatter of a coaching move while Corbin remains in place. Rudy Gay, who’s hinted at dissatisfaction with Corbin in the past, instead expressed admiration Tuesday for the job Corbin’s done under trying circumstances, as Jones also notes in his story.

While we wait to see how it all plays out in Sacramento, here’s more from around the league:

A Nets source tells Windrem that no deal with the Hornets involving Lopez, Stephenson and Zeller was ever that close (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

There’s no guarantee that Ray Allen makes his decision on whether or not he’ll return to the NBA this season within 10 days of All-Star Weekend, as Jim Tanner, Allen’s agent, tells Chris Broussard of ESPN (Twitter link). It was rumored that the 39-year-old sharpshooter was going to make a choice regarding his future shortly after the All-Star break.
The Hornets offered Lance Stephenson and Cody Zeller to the Nets last month and were ready to call the league office to finalize the trade, reports Robert Windrem of NetsDaily (All Twitter links). The sides were quite close to agreement, Windrem adds, and so close that people at the D-League Showcase, which was taking place at the time, thought it was a fait accompli, Grantland’s Zach Lowe tweets. It was the closest Brooklyn has come to trading Lopez, Joe Johnson or Deron Williams this year, according to the NetsDaily scribe.
The Wolves sent the Hornets $344,462 in cash Tuesday in the Mo Williams trade, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders shows on his Wolves salary page (Twitter link). Minnesota created two trade exceptions in that deal, one worth Troy Daniels‘ $816,482 salary and another worth the $500K difference between the salaries for Williams and Gary Neal, Pincus tweets.
That means the Wolves had to take Adreian Payne into one of their existing trade exceptions to make their trade with the Hawks work, and that’s just what Minnesota did. The Wolves absorbed Payne’s $1,855,320 salary into their $4,702,500 Corey Brewer exception, leaving the $6,308,193 Kevin Love exception untouched and reducing the Brewer exception to $2,847,180, as Pincus shows on the Basketball Insiders Wolves salary page.
The Hawks would wind up with Minnesota’s second-round picks for both 2020 and 2021 if the lottery-protected 2017 first-rounder the Wolves gave up in the Payne trade doesn’t convey to Atlanta by 2019 at the latest, Pincus also reports on that page.

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Sanchez, Hornets, Anthony

February 10th, 2015 at 6:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Orlando Sanchez remains with the D-League affiliate of the Knicks and continues to seek an NBA contract, agent Brian J. Bass tells Hoops Rumors (Twitter link), even though the owner of Cangrejeros de Santurce, a Puerto Rican team, says Sanchez has signed with his club, as Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays in a pair of tweets.

Here’s more from the East:

The Celtics have recalled guard Andre Dawkins from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. Dawkins has appeared in seven games for the Red Claws this season, and he is averaging 16.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 36.3 minutes per game.
Hawks coach and acting GM Mike Budenholzer indicated that dealing Adreian Payne to the Wolves was about creating roster flexibility, and that the trade should be taken on its own merit, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter links). Budenholzer also said that no other trades are imminent, Vivlamore adds.
Hornets GM Rich Cho said that he doesn’t think that Charlotte “gave up a ton” to acquire Troy Daniels and Mo Williams from the Timberwolves, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer tweets. The Hornets shipped Gary Neal and the Heat’s 2019 second-round pick to Minnesota to complete the trade.
Cho also indicated that the Hornets would continue to be active up until the trade deadline, but that there was no specific need that the team would try and address, Bonnell adds (Twitter link).
Carmelo Anthony said that the chances of him undergoing surgery during the season on his injured knee are growing increasingly likely, Keith Schlosser of SNY.tv writes. The Knicks’ star also relayed that the procedure would keep him out a minimum of two months, which would likely sideline ‘Melo for the remainder of the season, Schlosser adds.

Wolves Notes: Exceptions, Deadline, Payne

February 10th, 2015 at 4:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wolves had a few options regarding trade exceptions and their pair of swaps today. It’s likely that they created an exception worth Troy Daniels‘ $816,482 salary, and they had to have dipped into either their $6,308,194 exception left over from the Kevin Love trade or their $4,702,500 exception from the Corey Brewer trade. It’s unclear whether they absorbed Gary Neal‘s $3.25MM salary into one of those exceptions and created a new exception worth Mo Williams‘ $3.75MM salary, or simply matched salaries for Neal and Williams, creating a $500K exception. If they made an exception worth Williams’ full salary, they could have used that to absorb Adreian Payne‘s $1,855,320 rookie scale salary, but if they only made an exception worth $500K in the Williams trade, they would have had to take Payne into either the Love exception or Brewer exception.

Here’s more on the Wolves in the aftermath of their busy day:

President of basketball operations and coach Flip Saunders said he doesn’t expect to be active again between now and the trade deadline, as he told reporters, including Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Thaddeus Young, Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger have all been in trade rumors of late.
Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press reiterated that he still doesn’t believe the team will move Martin (Twitter link), adding that he doesn’t think it’s likely the team will add a point guard, either.
Saunders also told reporters that he found it a tough choice between Zach LaVine and Payne when the Timberwolves drafted at No. 13 overall this past June, as the Wolves’ Twitter account notes. The team now has both after drafting LaVine and trading for Payne.
Although losing more games to get better odds in the 2015 lottery seems like the team’s best route, winning some games might be in the Wolves’ best interest, opines Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune. Scoggins cites the need to show the fan base that the franchise is building toward something as reason not to pursue a tanking strategy. Minnesota won three games in a row before Monday’s loss to the Hawks.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.