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Odds & Ends: Barea, Kenyon, Sampson, Copeland

July 6th, 2013 at 12:41am CST by Chuck Myron

Here's more from the NBA on an landmark night in free agency:

A Dallas source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that the Mavs' agreement with Jose Calderon likely knocks them out of discussions for J.J. Barea. Still, the Wolves remain upbeat about their chances of a Barea deal with the Mavs, in what would be a salary dump enabling Minnesota to clear money for a defensive-minded wing player (All Twitter links).
The Spurs have been one of many teams reportedly interested in Kenyon Martin, and now they're "in hot pursuit" of the veteran big man, though the Knicks and others remain in play, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game heard that Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson wouldn't return to the team, but Sampson tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston that he'll be back in Houston. (Twitter links). "That's just a bad rumor," Sampson said. "I'm looking forward to a great year with the Rockets."
The Pacers and Chris Copeland discussed a third year that would have been a team option, but settled instead on their two-year, $6.12MM agreement, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group briefly looks at what the Warriors could do with the trade exceptions they'll acquire as part of their deal with the Jazz. He also hears that the W's see Andre Iguodala as capable of handling backup point guard duties, so the team will prioritize finding a backup center over a backup point guard (Sulia link).
In a separate piece, Thompson recounts the steps Iguodala took on the way to his agreement with the Warriors, noting that Iggy has long considered Golden State a desirable destination.
Lately, agent Dan Fegan has been preoccupied with other free agent clients, such as Dwight Howard, so he and the Wizards have yet to begin discussing an extension for John Wall, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Wall is extension-eligible this season, and will hit restricted free agency next summer if he and the Wizards don't strike a deal by Halloween.
In an interview with DraftExpress.com, Dario Saric suggests that the Mavericks were interested in making him a promise at No. 13 had he not withdrawn from last week's draft.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Free Agent Rumors: Kirilenko, Andersen, Collison

July 5th, 2013 at 11:32pm CST by Luke Adams

It's been a busy night in NBA free agency, as Dwight Howard has decided, after much back-and-forth, that he'll sign with the Rockets. His decision appears to have set in motion a domino effect, with Jose Calderon heading to the Mavs and a pair of ex-Jazz players agreeing to terms with the Hawks. Here's more on the latest from around the league:

The Wolves and Andrei Kirilenko didn't speak about the notion of a return today, but the team hasn't given up and retains his Non-Bird Rights, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reports via Twitter.
With several teams showing interest in him, Chris Andersen remains in "decision mode," according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Andersen, who was expressed a desire to re-sign with the Heat, figures to make a decision early next week, says Zwerling (Twitter links).
Darren Collison will be prioritizing winning over salary or a starting role in free agency, sources tell Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. According to Ingram, Collison has been in contact with the Cavs, Kings, Spurs, and Clippers so far. We had previously heard about Cleveland's interest, but the rest of that list of potential suitors is new.
The Blazers are still pursuing Dorell Wright, but they're one of several teams with strong interest, according to The Oregonian's Jason Quick. (Twitter link). His agent, presumably Greg Lawrence, tells Quick a decision is coming soon.
Though the Hawks used up some of their cap space on agreements with Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll tonight, Atlanta remains the team most likely to make a lucrative offer to try to lure Nikola Pekovic from the Wolves, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
The Hawks were considering an offer to Mo Williams before they decided to do a deal with Millsap instead, tweets HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis.
The Knicks had strong interest in re-signing Chris Copeland, but never made him an offer before he chose the Pacers instead, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
The Nets are still seeking to sign a backup point guard, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Chauncey Billups Plans To Play Two More Years

July 4th, 2013 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

Back in April, Chauncey Billups indicated that he wasn't considering retiring, and it doesn't sounds like retirement is an option he wants to entertain next year either. According to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter), Billups is looking to continue his NBA playing career for at least two more seasons.

It's not clear whether or not that means Billups is seeking a multiyear deal in free agency, but the 36-year-old doesn't seem to have a shortage of suitors. Broussard suggests in his tweet that a reunion with the Pistons isn't out of the question, and we heard yesterday that the Cavaliers, Spurs, Mavericks, Kings, Nets and Wolves have also shown some interest in the veteran guard. The Clippers likely wouldn't mind bringing Billups back as well.

Even though injuries limited him in the last two seasons in Los Angeles, Billups still earned a spot in the starting lineup in all 44 games he played for the Clippers. Wherever he lands in free agency though, Billups figures to be a backup, which he understands, according to Broussard.

Odds & Ends: Celtics, Smith, Billups, Martin, More

July 3rd, 2013 at 8:37pm CST by Alex Lee

The news that the Celtics have landed Brad Stevens to be their next coach has shocked the NBA world. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News points out, via Twitter, that of the twelve new head coaches hired this offseason, eight have now been first timers, adding that the Sixers will probably make it nine of thirteen. The Stevens hire has also led to some speculation that Rajon Rondo will be on his way out of Boston. The Pistons have explored the possibility of trading for both Rondo and/or Rudy Gay, according to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (via Twitter). For what it's worth, Rudy Gay tweeted tonight that he hopes to play a full season in Toronto this year.

With the NBA offseason in full swing, let's look at some of the news churning out of the rumor mill:

After meeting with several teams in Los Angeles the past few days, unrestricted free agent Josh Smith will return to his home in Atlanta today to contemplate his future, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.
It might be tough for the Clippers to keep Chauncey Billups after their acquisitions of J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley, reports Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears. Billups, 36, has drawn interest from the Cavaliers, Spurs, Mavericks, Kings, Nets and Wolves.
Per ESPN's Chris Broussard on Twitter, unrestricted free agent Kenyon Martin is drawing interest from the Lakers, Clippers, Spurs, Knicks and Nets. However, Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York tweets that no offers have been made.
After visiting with the Cavs for two days, Earl Clark was impressed with what Cleveland had to say, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News, who spoke to Clark's agent. Deveney has been all over the Clark rumors, and really likes how he would fit in Cleveland now that they took Anthony Bennett No. 1 overall.
Considering the withdrawal of the Kings' offer to Andre Iguodala, the Nuggets are now in a much better spot if they are aggressive in trying to re-sign him, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Like many of the top free agents, Iguodala's options hinge on Dwight Howard's destination and in the meantime, Dempsey writes, now is Denver's opportunity to strike.

Odds & Ends: Wolves, Tanking, Knicks, Robinson

July 3rd, 2013 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

It's been another busy day in NBA free agency, with Manu Ginobili, Garrett Temple, and Donald Sloan agreeing to terms, while O.J. Mayo appears to be closing in on a deal of his own. As we wait to see which player is next to come off the board, let's check in on a few odds and ends from around the NBA….

A source tells Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities that there has been contact between the Timberwolves and Matt Barnes' camp (Twitter link).
In his latest chat session, Chad Ford of ESPN.com fielded questions on last week's draft, next year's draft, and the issuing of tanking vs. rebuilding. Ford issued a series of tweets last night suggesting that a lot of teams appear interested in tanking next season, while Tom Ziller of SBNation.com replied with a column suggesting that rebuilding isn't necessarily synonymous with tanking.
The Knicks, who are hoping to split up their mini mid-level exception on two players, inquired again on Elton Brand today, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. While Brand is receiving plenty of interest, no officials offers are on the table yet, says Zwerling (Twitter links).
ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton (Insider link) and Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via The Basketball Jones) share their thoughts on the Clippers/Suns/Bucks three-way trade, while Grantland's Zach Lowe provides his take on that deal and a number of yesterday's free agent agreements.
According to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal (via Twitter), BDA Sports has signed Thomas Robinson, who had previously been represented by Tony Dutt.
In a piece for ShamSports.com, Deeks explains the difference between team options and non-guaranteed contracts, and why the distinction can be important.
When Dwight Howard makes his decision, expect a number of free agent dominos to begin falling, says Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.

FA Updates: Evans, Josh Smith, Pekovic, Clark

July 3rd, 2013 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Tyreke Evans has been one of the most intriguing stories in free agency so far, with the Pelicans having extended a four-year, $44MM offer to the 23-year-old. Still, Evans has yet to agree to sign that offer, and there's no guarantee he'll do so, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The situation remains fluid, and Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) believes if the Kings make Evans a comparable offer, he'd prefer to sign it and stay in Sacramento.

Let's round up a few more of today's free agent updates….

As they continue to explore the possibility of making a big splash, the Warriors are trying to set up a meeting with Josh Smith, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Sulia). However, Smith doesn't seem as interested in the Warriors, who Thompson says "aren't going to jump as high as others to get him."
Don't expect a whole lot of movement in talks for Nikola Pekovic until after Dwight Howard makes his decision, says Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News says (via Twitter) the Cavaliers are being extremely aggressive in their pursuit of Earl Clark, meeting with him yesterday and again today, though no offer has been extended yet.
Dorell Wright met with the Thunder yesterday and was presented with one- and two-year contract offers, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, adding that Wright received a similar proposal from the Trail Blazers. The Spurs, Grizzlies, and Mavericks also have interest in Wright, says Spears (via Twitter).
Australian forward Joe Ingles is drawing interest from four NBA teams, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com, listing the Pacers, Grizzlies, Bucks, and Clippers as possible suitors for the 25-year-old.

Odds & Ends: Dalembert, Copeland, Barea, Nets

July 2nd, 2013 at 11:36pm CST by Zachary Links

It's been another busy night in the Association, let's get caught up with the latest bits of news from around the league..

Samuel Dalembert is getting interest from ten teams and surprisingly, the Bucks aren't among them, tweets Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports that the Blazers are among the interested teams.
The Pacers continue to pursue Knicks guard Chris Copeland and Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that they have an offer on the table for the restricted free agent.
In an interview with El Nuevo Dia (translated by HoopsHype), Wolves guard J.J. Barea said that he won't ask for a trade, but would love to play for Nets coach Jason Kidd.
All indications are that fan favorite Brian Scalabrine is likely to join the Warriors coaching staff as an assistant, according to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link).
Carlos Delfino received interest from a team in China last week, one source told HoopsHype (link), but the interest wasn't mutual. Delfino was recently cut loose by the Rockets.
The Grizzlies informed assistant coaches Henry Bibby and Mitchell Anderson that they won’t be retained, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (on Twitter).

Clippers Notes: Trade, Bledsoe, Redick

July 2nd, 2013 at 8:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Clippers wanted to land a shooter this offseason and they managed to pull it off in their three-way trade earlier tonight when they got J.J. Redick in a sign-and-trade with the Bucks and Suns. Here’s the latest fallout from Clipperland..

Surprisingly, the deal was conceived and completed inside of 24 hours, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). While there has been speculation around the NBA that Eric Bledsoe would be moved this summer, he wasn’t available until Chris Paul agreed to a contract extension.
Redick was close to signing with the Timberwolves before the Clippers deal came together, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
The Clippers still want to re-sign Matt Barnes after acquiring Redick and Jared Dudley, but it “may be tough” to bring back Chauncey Billups, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
Los Angeles won’t move Jamal Crawford and they’re focused on finding another big, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
The Clippers, as well as the Suns, improved with the three-way swap, writes Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld. The Clippers were looking for another shooter and depth at the shooting guard position, both of which Redick provides.

FA Updates: Brown, Oden, Iguodala, Pistons

July 2nd, 2013 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

We passed along a few free agent updates this morning, but while that may have been our first round-up of free agency notes for the day, it certainly won't be the last. Here's another set:

Euroleague standout Bobby Brown is drawing plenty of interest from teams on both sides of the Atlantic, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein names the Knicks, Clippers, and Trail Blazers as potential NBA suitors for Brown, while noting that he also has "multiple big offers" to continue playing overseas.
One source tells Stein (Twitter link) that the Spurs and Heat are likely in the lead ahead of the Cavs and other teams for Greg Oden, though that list could continue to evolve, given the complexities of his comeback.
The Warriors, who had previously been named as a potential suitor for Andre Iguodala despite a lack of cap flexibility, met with the free agent swingman yesterday, says Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Pistons are talking to agent Mark Bartelstein about bringing back free agent point guard Will Bynum, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The team has also talked to Bartelstein about Jose Calderon, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
Although talks aren't serious at this point, the Timberwolves have exchanged text messages with Andrei Kirilenko's camp, a source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).

FA Updates: Jennings, Oden, Calderon, Knicks

July 2nd, 2013 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

The second day of 2013 free agency is underway, and we can probably expect to see a few more agreements reached today. In the meantime, here are a few news items and rumors on some notable free agents:

Brandon Jennings' representatives at Excel Sports gave the Bucks an undisclosed amount on Monday that Jennings would be willing to accept to re-sign with the team, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. According to Spears, Milwaukee would prefer to sign Jennings outright rather than having to decide whether to match an offer sheet, but it's not clear whether the team is on board with the figure Jennings has in mind.
Free agent big man Greg Oden will likely choose between the Spurs, Heat, Cavs, Celtics, and Grizzlies, a source close to the player told ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman. Yesterday, we heard that those five clubs were interested in the former No. 1 overall pick as well as the Pacers, Kings, and Mavericks.
Jose Calderon is meeting with the Kings in Sacramento today, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The Bucks, Blazers, Spurs, and Hawks are pursuing Zaza Pachulia, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
Nate Robinson and Matt Barnes have notified the Knicks that they're interested in signing with the club, and are waiting to see "where the Knicks are," a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
Flip Saunders and the Timberwolves have inquired on Nick Young, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter).