New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Rondo, Clark, Caldwell-Pope, Perry

July 16th, 2017 at 12:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers will have to find another option at point guard now that Rajon Rondo has signed with the Pelicans, writes Mark Medina of The Orange County Register. L.A. had talked to Rondo about serving as a mentor to a young roster and especially to rookie Lonzo Ball. Attention may now turn to re-signing 22-year-old Tyler Ennis, who was obtained from Houston in a February trade. Ennis averaged 7.7 points and shot 45% from the field in 22 games with the Lakers.

Other options include Rodney Stuckey and Ian Clark, although L.A. has only the $4.3MM room exception to offer apart from veterans minimum deals. The Lakers currently have 12 players under contract for the upcoming season, along with Alex Caruso signed to a two-way deal.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

After struggling to make a roster in the early part of his NBA career, Clark is in position for a big payday, writes Joe Rexrode of The USA Today Network. The Lakers and Bucks are among the teams that have expressed interest in the free agent shooting guard, whose chance to return to the Warriors likely ended when Golden State signed Nick Young. “I can’t worry about this, I just have to let it fall into place,” Clark said. “At some point you stop worrying about surviving in this league and get determined to make your mark in it.”
The one-year, $18MM deal that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signed with the Lakers includes a 15% trade kicker and a 50% advance, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.com.
Marcelo Huertas, who spent parts of the past two seasons with the Lakers, has signed with EuroCup champions Unicaja Malaga in Spain, tweets international basketball writer David Pick.
Scott Perry had a strong influence on the Kings during his three months as vice president of basketball operations, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Perry left this week to become GM of the Knicks, with Sacramento receiving a 2019 second-round pick and cash considerations in return. During Perry’s time with the Kings, Voison says he pushed for the free agency additions of veterans Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and George Hill and was a “strong advocate” for drafting De’Aaron Fox with the No. 5 pick. “This is a great opportunity for Scott professionally,” said GM Vlade Divac, “and it gets him back east, closer to his daughter. I was not going to stop him. The only thing I feel bad about is that we had everything in place in our front office. Our front office is strong. Now I have to find someone who can come in and do the things Scott did for us.”
The injury that forced Kings center Georgios Papagiannis to leave Friday’s summer league game has been diagnosed as just a bruise, according to a post on the team’s website.

Southwest Notes: Anthony, Simmons, Mavericks, Rondo

July 16th, 2017 at 9:07am CST by Arthur Hill

Houston continues to be the preferred destination for Carmelo Anthony, but former Rockets coach and ESPN commentator Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t see the high-scoring forward as a “natural fit” for the team, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Van Gundy, who still lives in Houston, believes the Rockets need to focus on defense in any future transactions. “I think they have a lot on their plate integrating [Chris] Paul and [James] Harden,” Van Gundy said. “They’re not going to be better offensively than they were last year. They were the second-best team in the league offensively. I thought they had defined roles everyone knew.”

Efforts to work out a four-team trade that would send Anthony to Houston are currently on hold as new Knicks GM Scott Perry hopes for a face-to-face meeting with his star player before proceeding. New York officials would like Anthony, who can block any deal with a no-trade clause, to expand the list of teams he is willing to join, which reportedly now just includes the Rockets and Cavaliers.

There’s more this morning from the Southwest Division:

The Spurs never made a serious attempt to keep Jonathon Simmons, tweets Casey Keirnan of News 4 San Antonio. Simmons agreed to a three-year, $20MM deal with the Magic on Friday after the Spurs pulled his qualifying offer and made him an unrestricted free agent. Despite reports that San Antonio was trying to retain Simmons, the team never made him an offer apart from the QO, sources tell Keirnan.
The Mavericks are taking an international approach to rebuilding their roster, notes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. This week’s signing of German star Maxi Kleber could give them as many as seven international players at training camp. Joining roster holdovers Dirk Nowitzki, J.J. Barea, Dwight Powell and Salah Mejri will be Kleber, Nico Brussino and Ding Yanyuhang. However, Brussino’s $1,312,611 salary for next season won’t be guaranteed until Thursday, so he may be somewhere else when camp opens. “You want good players, and it doesn’t matter where you find them,” said president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson. “There are players all over the world. It’s our job to know where they are.”
After reaching an agreement Saturday with Rajon Rondo, the Pelicans plan to use him and fellow point guard Jrue Holiday as their backcourt starters, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Rondo’s friendship with former Kings teammate DeMarcus Cousins was a factor in choosing New Orleans, Spears indicates.

Blazers Eyeing Carmelo Anthony

July 15th, 2017 at 9:16pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks had hoped that the Blazers would help facilitate a Carmelo Anthony deal between New York and Houston, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports that Portland is only interested in a deal if it brings Anthony to its team.

The Blazers believe a deal for Anthony would push the team to compete with any non-Warriors Western Conference squad due to their talent and depth. As a result, the organization isn’t interested in helping New York send Anthony to another team in its conference.

Portland currently isn’t on Anthony’s short list of teams in which he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause for. It was previously reported that the 10-time All-Star would be open to a trade to the Rockets and Cavs, though we learned earlier today that he may be focused joining Houston.

Carmelo Anthony Expecting Trade To Rockets

July 15th, 2017 at 7:56pm CST by ChrisCrouse

New York is looking to sit down with Carmelo Anthony over the next few days to discuss the possibility of keeping him on the roster. However, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the small forward intends to tell the Knicks that he would like them to go forward by trading him to the Rockets.

Anthony expects the team to carry on a rebuild without him on the roster. He’s been willing to waive his no trade clause for either the Cavs or Rockets, but Wojnarowski hears that Houston is his preferred destination at this time.

The Rockets are determined to complete a deal with the Knicks and the franchise believes Anthony is focused on playing in Houston next season.

The Knicks have paused trade talks with both teams. Scott Perry, who was recently hired as the team’s GM, wants an opportunity to talk with the franchise’s star player. Wojnarowski adds that Perry has a history with Anthony and “strong relationships” with some of the small forward’s inner-circle.

Perry and team president Steve Mills are evaluating whether it makes more sense to hold onto Anthony through part of the 2017/18 season in order to rehabilitate the 32-year-old’s trade value. Phil Jackson, who was fired by the organization last month, publicly tried to get Anthony to waive his no-trade clause, something that arguably hurt the 10-time All-Star’s trade value.

The franchise realizes that convincing Anthony to accept returning to the team remains a long-shot. Anthony didn’t come to the acceptance of waiving his no-trade clause easily, which means the team can’t expect him to shift his decision on a whim, Wojnarowski notes.

Carmelo Anthony Frustrated By Knicks’ Mixed Messages?

July 14th, 2017 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The subject of trade rumors for most of the year, Carmelo Anthony is frustrated by reports that Knicks general manager Steve Mills is putting those talks on hold and may be having second thoughts about a deal, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Isola suggests that the other teams involved in a proposed four-team Anthony trade scenario are also frustrated by the latest developments.

While Anthony’s camp appeared to be pushing for most of the week to complete a deal – likely with the Rockets – a report on Thursday night indicated that the Knicks had paused trade discussions with Houston and Cleveland. The move coincided with the arrival of new general manager Scott Perry, whose new deal with the Knicks was finalized today.

According to Isola, it’s possible that the Knicks just want Perry to settle into his new job before moving forward with an Anthony trade, but the club’s changing stance still comes as a surprise to many of the parties involved. As Isola writes, Anthony has expressed a willingness to waive his no-trade clause for the Rockets, and has been preparing to be sent to Houston.

“From what I understand, Carmelo is under the belief that he’s going to the Rockets,” a source tells the Daily News. “That’s what the Knicks have been telling us; that they’re trading him. I can’t imagine that after all he went though last season with Phil [Jackson] he’s happy with this.”

Isola suggests the parameters of a deal are in place, with some details that need to be finalized, and adds that two people close to the talks think something will get done eventually. Earlier reports from Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com and Marc Berman of The New York Post suggested that the Knicks want Anthony to meet with the new front office and head coach Jeff Hornacek, and may be more open to keeping him. However, Anthony isn’t expected to be very receptive to that idea.

Berman also indicated that the team holds out hope that Carmelo would be willing to expand his wish list to more teams besides the Rockets and Cavs, which perhaps is a hint that the Knicks may not be entirely satisfied with their return in the proposed multi-team trade.

According to Isola, Anthony is concerned about his public image and doesn’t want his potential departure from the Knicks to be messy. It may be getting too late for that.

Kings To Receive Second-Rounder, Cash For Perry

July 14th, 2017 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings’ solid offseason continues, with the team poised to add an extra draft pick in exchange for an executive that has been with the franchise for less than three months. According to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link), the Knicks and Kings have agreed on compensation for Scott Perry, who will be leaving Sacramento to become the general manager in New York.

The Kings will receive a 2019 second-round pick and cash as compensation for Perry’s departure, per Amick. The USA Today scribe adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks are currently slated to receive the worst two of the Orlando, Cleveland, and Houston second-rounders in 2019. Sacramento will receive the best of those two — the middle pick of the three, in other words.

Perry, who agreed on Thursday to join the Knicks, has had an eventful year so far. He had been working in the Magic’s front office under Rob Hennigan, but was dismissed along with Hennigan when Orlando cleaned house at season’s end. Perry quickly caught on in Sacramento as the executive VP of basketball operations, and helped guide the Kings to a series of offseason moves that included the additions of De’Aaron Fox, George Hill, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, Justin Jackson, and Harry Giles.

Now, Perry will be headed to New York, where he’ll serve as the team’s general manager under Steve Mills, who will ascend to president. While Mills will have the final say, Perry will have “tremendous freedom” to operate and will be run the club’s day-to-day basketball operations, per Adrian Wojnarowski and Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that Perry will get a five-year contract from the Knicks.

While the Kings did well to turn Perry’s three-month stint into cash and draft compensation, the team may now be on the lookout for another veteran executive to help add stability to a front office that has made some questionable decisions in recent years.

Latest On Suns, Knicks Trade Talks

July 14th, 2017 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns and Knicks have had trade talks involving Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe, but don’t appear to be close to a deal. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Twitter link), the two teams discussed a trade involving Knight, but the Knicks countered with a deal that included Bledsoe, which Phoenix declined.

We heard previously that the Knicks had contacted the Suns about Bledsoe. As Marc Berman of The New York Post observed at the time though, New York doesn’t have a ton of assets to offer up in a potential deal. Bledsoe isn’t a hugely valuable trade chip, but he’s a starting-caliber point guard coming off a career year and is under contract at a reasonable rate ($29.5MM for two years), so Phoenix would likely be seeking young players or picks, which the rebuilding Knicks would be reluctant to give up.

That’s not the case for Knight, who is coming off perhaps the worst year of his career, having recorded a career-low .398 FG% and 11.0 PPG. The Knicks wouldn’t have to give up as much for the former eighth overall, but Gambadoro suggests that the two teams were discussing a deal that would trade Knight “into cap space.” The Knicks no longer have space available, so it’s not clear what a Knight deal would look like at this point.

The Knicks explored signing a handful of veteran point guards in free agency, but ultimately used their cap space and room exception to sign Tim Hardaway and Ron Baker, respectively. That effectively took the team out of the market for any notable veteran free agents, but New York continues to seek out a veteran mentor for Frank Ntilikina, making the trade route a real possibility.

Carmelo Anthony Trade Talks On Hold

July 14th, 2017 at 9:13am CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 14, 9:13am: As the Knicks regroup on the Anthony front, the team’s primary hope is that Carmelo will consider expanding his wish list beyond Houston and Cleveland, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.

Anthony, who has a no-trade clause, could veto any deal, but has expressed a willingness to waive that NTC for the Rockets or Cavaliers — the Knicks have been unable to work out a deal with either of those teams, so adding more clubs to the list could increase their chances of getting something done.

Berman also notes within his story that the Nuggets were among the clubs who explored getting involved in three- or four-team trade talks when those discussions were active.

JULY 13, 9:04pm: The Knicks have paused Carmelo Anthony trade talks with both the Rockets and Cavaliers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. New York would like to reopen dialogue with Anthony about “reincorporating him into the organization.”

It was previously reported that Anthony’s representatives wanted to see a deal get done this week. The Rockets and Knicks were looking to pull off a multi-team trade and were searching for a fourth team to help facilitate a deal. The two sides discussed a three-team deal last weekend, but those talks reportedly “stalled.”

Scott Perry’s pending arrival as GM has made team executive Steve Mills reconsider his stance on trading Anthony, the pair of scribes add. Perry, who currently is the Kings VP of basketball operations, and the Knicks have agreed on a deal to make the executive the team’s new GM. However, Sacramento and New York still need to work out compensation in order to finalize Perry’s hiring.

The Knicks would like Anthony to meet with the team’s new front office as well as coach Jeff Hornacek soon, but the pair of ESPN scribes add that it’s unlikely Anthony will respond with eagerness to stay with the franchise.

The Rockets acquired Chris Paul two weeks ago and since the trade, Houston has been cited as a potential landing spot for Anthony. In order to bring the 10-time All-Star aboard, Houston would presumably need to move Ryan Anderson, who will earn more than $19.5MM during the 2017/18 campaign. New York has no interest in adding Anderson to the team.

Knicks To Hire Scott Perry As GM

July 14th, 2017 at 8:15am CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 14, 8:15am: The Knicks and Kings will have to agree on compensation terms before New York can officially hire Perry, league sources tell Wojnarowski and Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets that cash and perhaps a second-round pick seems like fair compensation for Sacramento, but it’s not clear what sort of terms the two sides are discussing.

ESPN’s full report also confirms that Perry would report to Mills in the Knicks’ new-look front office, with Mills being promoted to president. While Mills would have the final say, Perry will have “tremendous freedom” to operate and will be the day-to-day voice running basketball operations, per ESPN.

JULY 13, 4:32pm: Perry has agreed to a deal to become the team’s new GM, sources tell Vincent Goodwill of Comcast Sportsnet (Twitter link).

3:32pm: The Knicks have met with Kings Vice President of Basketball Operations Scott Perry and the two sides are discussing the parameters of a deal to make him the team’s new GM, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com tweets.

Perry joined Sacramento’s front office at the end of the 2016/17 campaign. He previously served as the assistant GM of the Magic and he also worked in the Sonics/Thunder organization, as well as for the Pistons.

The Knicks were interested in adding David Griffin to the GM role before the former Cavs executive withdrew his name from consideration. Griffin reportedly wanted to bring in the same front office staff he had in Cleveland, which was something the team opposed.

Team executive Steve Mills has been handling the GM duties on an interim basis since the organization fired Phil Jackson. The franchise remains on the hook to pay Jackson $24MM over the next two years. Mills, meanwhile, is poised to ascend to a president of basketball operations role for the Knicks.

FA Rumors: Muhammad, Farmar, Mbah a Moute, Allen

July 12th, 2017 at 10:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks, Nets, Bucks, Knicks and Magic have all expressed interest in swingman Shabazz Muhammad, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The Bulls are on that list as well, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. Muhammad became an unrestricted free agent last week when Minnesota pulled his qualifying offer to create enough cap room to sign Taj Gibson. He has been with the Wolves for all four of his NBA seasons and averaged 9.9 points in 78 games last year.

There’s more tonight on the free agent front:

Jordan Farmar is hoping to return to the NBA and spoke to Lakers coach Luke Walton today about a possible opportunity, Kennedy relays (Twitter link). The 30-year-old point guard played two games for the Kings in November of last season.
The Raptors have talked about making a play for former Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute, reports Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet (Twitter link).
The Clippers and Timberwolves are both considering Tony Allen, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Coaches Doc Rivers in L.A. and Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota have connections with Allen from their time with the Celtics.
Veteran point guard Beno Udrih is talking to several teams in Las Vegas, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Now 35, Udrih believes he can play for several more years. He got into 39 games with the Pistons last season.
Former Baylor standout Royce O’Neale is considering several NBA offers, according to Kyler (Twitter link). The 24-year-old forward went undrafted in 2015 and has been playing in Lithuania, but he has an NBA opt-out in his contract through July 20th.