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Western Notes: Gasol, Love, Mavs, Deng

July 13th, 2014 at 9:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lakers have officially renounced the rights to Pau Gasol along with an entertaining list of long-retired players, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports (via Twitter).  Prepare for a stroll down memory lane.  The Lakers renounced the rights to Horace Grant, Ron Harper, Jim Jackson, Karl Malone, Ira Newble, Theo Ratliff, Mitch Richmond, John Salley, Brian Shaw, Joe Smith, and Shammond Williams.  The Lakers had to drop the rights to those players in order to help make the Jeremy Lin trade possible.  For more on cap holds, check out our cap holds entry in the Hoops Rumors Glossary. More out of the West..

  • The main holdup in the Kevin Love talks between the Wolves and Warriors is obviously Klay Thompson, but there’s more to it, as Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News explains.  The Wolves don’t regard David Lee and Harrison Barnes as highly as Golden State does, thanks to Lee’s hefty contract and Barnes’ down season in 2013/14.
  • Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak told reporters, including Bill Oram of the Orange County Register, that he wasn’t banking on landing Carmelo Anthony this summer.  “We always felt like it was a longshot,” Kupchak said. “We gave it our best shot and we’re happy to accomplish what we did and we still have more work to do.”
  • Lance Stephenson could prove to be this summer’s Monta Ellis for the Mavericks, tweets Jeff Caplan of NBA.com.  The Mavs weren’t necessarily high on Ellis last summer but he fell to them at a great price after everyone else passed.
  • The Cavaliers’ re-signing of James complicated Deng’s situation, as sign-and-trade options that could have led to a bigger payday for him were no longer available and James’ decision to sign a two-year deal set a new precedent on the market that came into play, writes Sam Amick of USA Today.  The Mavericks‘ preference to go after Stephenson if they can’t land Chandler Parsons also limited Deng’s options.
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Western Rumors: Love, Deng, Stephenson, Suns

July 12th, 2014 at 8:24pm CST by Cray Allred

There has been no movement on a Kevin Love deal between the Wolves and Warriors, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. A source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com that Love’s willingness to re-sign with the Cavs is unlikely to be squelched by news that LeBron James‘ contract only runs two years (Twitter link). Here’s a rundown of tonight’s Western notes:

  • While Luol Deng is advancing in talks toward a roughly two-year, $20MM with the Heat, Sam Amick of USA Today hears (Twitter links) that the free agent is waiting to see what happens with the Mavs offer sheet to Chandler Parsons before making a final decision. If Dallas missed out on Parsons, Deng would likely be their next target.
  • However, the Mavs are considering pursuing Lance Stephenson on a short term deal at a higher salary before chasing Deng, should Houston match their offer sheet for Parsons, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
  • Mark Cuban acknowledged to reporters including Candace Buckner of The Indy Star that Stephenson was “on the list” if the Mavs are unable to land Parsons.
  • The Suns addition of Isaiah Thomas does not mean that the team is looking to move on from Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, Tyler Ennis, or Archie Goodwin, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. While each guard can play the point, the Phoenix system allows for shooting guards to facilitate as well, leaving the opportunity for each to continue to contribute or develop.
  • Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro told Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that the team could add another ball handler to the roster, but not necessarily a point guard (Twitter links). D’Alessandro said the Kings are also seeking ways of reducing salary as they approach the luxury tax line.
  • Gordon Hayward‘s agent believes his performance last year was impacted by feeling the pressure of his looming restricted free agency, and expects the forward to be better now that he has secured a long-term deal with the Jazz, tweets Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune.
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Latest On Kevin Love

July 11th, 2014 at 6:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

6:16pm: Sources told Broussard that the Cavs made an offer of Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennett and a first-round pick for Love, but that framework is a no-go, Broussard writes.

3:49pm: The Cavs have told Wiggins he won’t be traded, but the Wolves continue to insist on his inclusion if they’re to give up Love, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, who says that the Cavs would have to bring a third team into the deal to find a workable solution.

2:36pm: The Warriors would be willing to trade David Lee, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and a future first-round pick in a deal that would net them Kevin Love, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Still, Klay Thompson remains off-limits, and the Warriors remain steadfastly against taking Kevin Martin in any such deal, Wolfson adds in a second tweet.

Golden State faces plenty of competition for the league’s top trade candidate. Love, who can hit free agency next year, is seemingly “100%” on board with the idea of staying in Cleveland long-term, should the Wolves deal him there, now that LeBron James is back with the Cavs, so Cleveland seems like a major player. Most reports have indicated that the Cavs wouldn’t give up No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins to acquire Love, as the Wolves are demanding, but multiple executives from around the league told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that they believe Wiggins will be in play in those talks, as we noted earlier.

Still, the Warriors maintain that they won’t give up Thompson even if the Cavs make a strong push for Love, a source tells Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). Thompson is eligible for a rookie-scale extension this summer, and co-owner Joe Lacob has vowed to lock him up, though Lacob didn’t specify whether he envisions doing so via extension or next summer in restricted free agency.

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Cavs Pursuing Kevin Love

July 11th, 2014 at 12:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:33pm: Multiple executives from around the league indicated to Ken Berger of CBSSports that Wiggins would be in play in a Cavs trade for Love, which runs counter to earlier reports (Twitter link).

FRIDAY, 8:09am: Belief that the Cavs wouldn’t part with Wiggins in a trade for Love continues to grow, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, and a Cavs source told Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio on Thursday that Wiggins is untouchable (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 5:07pm: Rival executives tell Chris Mannix of SI.com that the Wolves are giving no indication that they are in a rush to make a deal with Cleveland (Twitter link).

4:24pm: Wiggins would have to be part of any deal for Love, Krawczynski tweets.

4:01pm: The Cavs are indeed pursuing a trade for Love contingent on their ability to sign James, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

1:24pm: The Cavs spoke to agent Rich Paul, the representative for LeBron James, about trade scenarios that would allow Cleveland to acquire Kevin Love, report Sam Amico and Zac Jackson of Fox Sports Ohio. Cavs officials told Paul that engineering such a trade wouldn’t be easy, a source tells Amico and Jackson, and the source added that Cleveland is reluctant to include Andrew Wiggins in a Love trade. Wiggins’ camp doesn’t believe the Cavs are considering trading him, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick (Twitter link).

Cleveland and Minnesota have reportedly engaged in exploratory discussions regarding Love, but those apparently came to an end when the Cavs learned that Love, who can hit free agency next year, wouldn’t re-sign with them. That would change if the Cavs can sign James, as Love is “100%” on board with the idea of staying in Cleveland long-term to play with the four-time MVP, as ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported late last month.

There’s plenty of competition for Love, and Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders seems in no rush to deal his star power forward, even though it’s clear he wants to leave Minnesota. It’s indeed difficult to imagine Saunders giving the OK to deal with Cleveland that didn’t include Wiggins, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press observes (on Twitter), but the Cavs aren’t without other intriguing trade assets, one of which I explained Tuesday.

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Free Agent Rumors: ‘Melo, LeBron, Morrow, Blake

July 10th, 2014 at 8:53pm CST by Charlie Adams

Phil Jackson might be expecting Carmelo Anthony to rejoin the Knicks, but ‘Melo hasn’t ruled out the Bulls just quite yet, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Meanwhile, the Heat expected to have had an answer from LeBron James by this point, according to Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick. James was frustrated with some of coach Erik Spoelstra‘s strategy during the Finals this year and wasn’t impressed with team president Pat Riley‘s end-of-season press conference last month, Skolnick adds.

While the NBA world waits on the decisions of superstars like Anthony and James, let’s round up the latest from free agents all around the league..

  • Anthony Morrow has received interest from several teams, but it appears he’s deciding between joining the Clippers, Heat, Wizards, Raptors and Suns, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com, who adds that each of the teams Morrow is considering would be willing to use some or all of their mid-level exception to sign him (Twitter links). Given that the Clippers and Heat have both used up the full amount of their mid-level exceptions, signing Morrow would likely require a sign-and-trade to complete.
  • The Warriors took “another” look at DJ White today, notes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter), thereby implying it’s at least the second time Golden State has looked at the big man. White had his rights renounced by Charlotte earlier today.
  • Other teams submitted much stronger bids for Steve Blake but he “desperately” wanted to play for the Blazers, as he agreed to do today, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). The Lakers weren’t among the teams making an aggressive play for the point guard, as they offered only the minimum salary, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times hears.
  • The Jazz, Pelicans, Rockets, and Nets are interested in Francisco Garcia, a source tells Haynes (Twitter link).
  • The Wolves are making an effort to sign Evan Turner to one-year deal, a source tells tells Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com. Turner played poorly last season after being shipped to Indiana at the trade deadline.
  • The matter of whether Mike Miller will re-sign with the Grizzlies will likely come down to contract length rather than salary, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in subscription-only piece. Memphis wants him back on a two-year deal, but Miller is pushing for three or four seasons.
  • Rockets GM Daryl Morey has been in contact with Paul Pierce‘s representatives at Excel Sports Management, but it’s unlikely the veteran forward ends up in Houston, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

Alex Lee and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Celtics Notes: Love, Rondo, Trade Exception

July 10th, 2014 at 10:44am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge believes that Kevin Love would like to play in Boston, but he also understands that the presence of Rajon Rondo isn’t enough to attract the power forward, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald hears. Instead, it seems Love may be casting his eye southward. An NBA GM told Bulpett that his players have been talking about the possibility that if the Wolves don’t trade Love, he’ll opt out of his contract next summer and sign with the Heat.

“I don’t know what to think anymore, but guys are saying there’s no way Love stays with Minnesota,” the GM said. “And if they don’t trade him, he’ll just opt out next summer and go play with LeBron [James] in Miami.”

That assumes, of course, that James would still be in Miami himself. Love has been a hot topic of conversation in Boston ever since his weekend getaway to the Hub a month ago, and there’s more on Love and an incumbent Celtics star amid the latest on the C’s:

  • The Wolves haven’t given the Celtics the names of any players they’d like Boston to get to sweeten the Celtics’ offer for Love, Bulpett writes in the same piece. Minnesota reportedly isn’t attracted to any combination of assets the Celtics currently hold.
  • Rajon Rondo isn’t certain if he’ll mimic Carmelo Anthony‘s multi-city free agency tour when it’s his turn to hit the market next summer, as he tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe. For now, Rondo seems committed to the Celtics. “Obviously everybody is waiting on [Anthony] and LeBron, so I’m not anxious at all,” Rondo said. “I have a lot going on here. I can only worry about what I can control — that’s myself and my game. Obviously, nothing’s happened, but I still trust Danny [Ainge]. Danny wants to win, so we’ll make something happen.”
  • Regardless of whether they can hook Love, the C’s will hold off on trading Rondo unless they receive an overwhelming offer, Bulpett hears.
  • The Celtics deftly used every bit, and then some, of the $10,275,136 trade exception they had left over from last summer’s Nets trade to facilitate their three-way trade with the Nets and Cavs that became official this morning. The salaries for Marcus Thornton and Tyler Zeller, the players headed to Boston, total $10,278,760, but the NBA allows teams to exceed their trade exceptions by up to $100K to get deals done.
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Western Notes: Mavs, Dirk, Calathes, Woodson

July 9th, 2014 at 7:57pm CST by Cray Allred

The Mavs‘ top three free agent targets for next summer are LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, and Kevin Love, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas. Here’s more from out West:

  • Dirk Nowitzki has already agreed to re-sign with the Mavs at a discounted rate, but Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the Rockets have a standing max offer with the future Hall-of-Famer.
  • Nick Calathes says he hasn’t asked the Grizzlies to release him, even though it would be to his financial benefit if they did, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal details. He’s on a non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary this season, and the team seemingly intends to keep him, Two European teams loom with three-year, $6.5MM offers, but Calathes is undecided about whether he prefers to remain with the Grizzlies or sign overseas, as he tells Tillery. “Once you see a big offer on the table you’re going to think about it,” Calathes said. “You think about it always. That kind of money obviously can change your life. I’m playing the game I love so I’m real blessed. Whichever way it goes, I’m going to be happy.”
  • Mike Woodson will return to the bench next season as a member of Doc Rivers‘ assistant coaching staff with the Clippers, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Since being fired by the Knicks at the close of this past season, Woodson has maintained his interest in returning to the bench, but hadn’t been linked with any teams seeking a head coach this offseason.
  • Chris Mannix of SI.com suggests that patience on the part of the Wolves could pay off regarding Love, as additional suitors with better assets could surface once the biggest free agent movements are done (via Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Nets, Cavs, Celtics Close To Jarrett Jack Trade

July 9th, 2014 at 9:38am CST by Charlie Adams

9:38am: The Cavs will probably end up with a future second-round pick when the deal gets done, according to Stein (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 9:35am: An agreement is close on a three-way deal involving Cleveland, Brooklyn and Boston that would send Jack to the Nets, Stein tweets. Karasev would go to Brooklyn as well. The Celtics would receive Thornton, Tyler Zeller and a first-round pick, Stein adds (on Twitter). It’s unclear what the Cavs would get, but it appears as though they would receive the cap flexibility to acquire LeBron. Boston would be using its nearly $10.3MM trade exception to acquire Thornton, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, who adds that the first-rounder the Celtics are getting is for 2016 (Twitter link).

10:23am: The Hawks are among the teams the Cavs have recruited as a potential landing spot for Thornton, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). The Hawks have nonetheless shown little interest in Thornton, Berger adds (on Twitter).

8:51am: The Cavs, who had reportedly been shopping Jack and draft picks, are now doing the same with Thornton and picks on the assumption they’d be able to get Thornton from the Nets, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports details. Cleveland is also making Sergey Karasev available in trades, Wojnarowski adds.

JULY 7TH, 7:59am: The Cavs and Nets have a deal in place contingent upon finding a third team to absorb Thornton, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports said Sunday on Fox Sports Radio, and as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio confirms. The Suns, Mavs and Timberwolves are among the teams potentially interested in Thornton, Amico hears. Cleveland has been shopping Jack and dangling a draft pick to go along with him, as Wojnarowski reported this weekend, and one way or another, the Cavs intend to trade Jack before the coming season begins, a source tells Amico. Unloading Jack has become key to Cleveland’s efforts to clear max cap room for LeBron James, as we passed along earlier.

JULY 2ND, 9:56pm: As predicted by ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, the Nets and Cavs are revisiting talks of a Thornton-Jack swap, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com.

1:43pm: The Kings are interested in Jack, too, but they’re holding off until they know what happens with restricted free agent Isaiah Thomas, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.

JULY 1ST, 8:14pm: The loss of Shaun Livingston is likely to resurrect the Thornton-for-Jack trade talks, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

JUNE 23RD, 8:01am: Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio is also hearing denials of Thornton-Jack talks, though Jack’s name has come up as the Cavs discuss potential trades with other teams, Amico says.

SATURDAY, 3:47pm: League sources deny that the Nets and Cavs have discussed a Thornton/Jack swap, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.

2:36pm: The Nets and Cavs are discussing a trade that would center around Marcus Thornton and Jarrett Jack, reports Marc Stein of ESPN. Cleveland is interested in freeing up cap space by shedding Jack’s contract, which is guaranteed through 2015/16, in favor of Thornton’s expiring pact, says Stein, who adds that Brooklyn is among the few teams in the league undeterred from acquiring Jack’s extended deal.

Jack signed a $25MM contract with the Cavs last summer after a successful 2012/13 campaign in which he came off the bench behind Stephen Curry for the Warriors. His 2013/14 season was a disappointing one however, as the point guard shot just 41% from the floor and posted a career-low 11.5 PER.

Thornton was acquired by the Nets at last season’s trade deadline, and he proved to be a valuable asset for Brooklyn, averaging 12.3 points per night in just 23.8 minutes per contest. He’s set to enter free agency after the 2014/15 season.

According to Stein, the Nets fear they’ll lose free agent-to-be Shaun Livingston this offseason after a year in which the often-injured point guard exceeded expectations on a minimum-salary contract, and the club is looking to replace his production by acquiring Jack from the Cavs. Brooklyn, deep in the luxury tax, would only be able to offer Livingston a three-year deal in the neighborhood of $10MM using the taxpayers mid-level exception. The Timberwolves are one team rumored to be interested in Livingston that can make a more lucrative offer.

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And-Ones: Crawford, Hayward, 76ers

July 8th, 2014 at 10:11pm CST by Ryan Raroque

With a logjam at the guard spots and limited payroll flexibility, the Warriors are willing to help Jordan Crawford find his next team with a sign-and-trade deal, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. The source added that the former Xavier guard has drawn interest from the Bulls, Mavericks, Lakers, Knicks, and Nets (Twitter links).

You can find more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes below:

  • The Hornets were pleased with their meeting with Gordon Hayward today, but the Jazz maintain that they’ll match any offer sheet for the 24-year-old forward, tweets NBA.com’s David Aldridge.
  • 76ers GM Sam Hinkie said that he’s involved in plenty of conversations, but not as many as the media has been reporting, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Hinkie doesn’t think the addition of a high-profile guard will hurt Michael Carter-Williams‘ confidence, adding that the 2013/14 Rookie of the Year is the team’s point guard of the future.
  • Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will not be in attendance during LeBron James‘ meeting with Pat Riley tomorrow, a source tells Zac Jackson of FOX Sports Ohio.
  • ESPN’s Marc Stein says he’s been strongly advised to dismiss rumblings that Nike has purchased billboards in Cleveland in anticipation for LeBron’s eventual free agency decision; however, It doesn’t mean that LeBron has ruled out a return to the Cavaliers either (Twitter links).
  • Former Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin will join the Kings as an assistant coach, a source tells Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. A week ago, we relayed that Corbin was set to interview for a spot on Michael Malone’s coaching staff.
  • Nik Stauskas is slated to sign his rookie deal with Sacramento today, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
  • Timberwolves president/head coach Flip Saunders admits that he should have sent Chase Budinger to the D-League last season for a rehab assignment last season, noting that the swingman’s return from knee surgery has been a tough transition (Twitter link via Nate Sandell of 1500 ESPN).
  • The Knicks added Joshua Longstaff and Rasheed Hazzard to Derek Fisher‘s coaching staff, notes Jonah Ballow of NYKnicks.com. Longstaff was previously a Thunder assistant,  while Hazzard formerly worked for the Lakers.
  • Former Oakland star Travis Bader signed a deal with ASVEL in France but would be allowed to opt out of his contract if he can make an NBA roster, writes Brian Calloway of the Detroit Free Press.
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And-Ones: Union, Celtics, Blatche, Diawara

July 8th, 2014 at 3:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

The players union is worried that teams like the Heat are trying to strong-arm players into making financial sacrifices by triggering hard caps with the use of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe explains. Clubs can’t exceed the tax apron, the line $4MM above the tax threshold, if they use either the larger mid-level or the bi-annual. Ron Klempner, the interim executive director for the union, argues that such teams can eschew those exceptions and find ways that don’t trigger a hard cap to accommodate contracts for the players they want.

“Teams are being exposed for what they are doing,” Klempner told Lowe. “It has been laid bare. They are hiding behind the rules. Teams like the Heat have the ability to bring back all their players, and give them raises, but they are choosing to go in another direction.”

Here’s more from around the league:

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