Andray Blatche Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Timberwolves, Rush, Mills

July 17th, 2012 at 8:42pm CST by Luke Adams

A couple more notable names came off the free agent market this morning, when Kris Humphries landed a two-year deal from the Nets and Grant Hill agreed to sign with the Clippers. While a number of solid rotation players are still available, the market is rapidly thinning for teams in search of starters. As clubs continue to jockey to sign the remaining available players, we'll track many of today's free agent rumors right here:

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune lists who the Timberwolves will target with nearly $14MM in cap space if they lose out on Nicolas Batum, specifically highlighting Courtney Lee, Jordan Hill, and Greg Stiemsma.
Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times says that despite the delay on an official decision regarding Brandon Rush's future, the Warriors are still likely to retain him.

Earlier updates:

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com clarifies that Spurs guard Patty Mills re-signed with San Antonio for the value of his qualifying offer of about $1.08MM with a $1.13MM player option for 2013-14 (Twitter link).
Jason Quick of The Oregonian says that the Trail Blazers could target free agent point guard A.J. Price (Twitter link), also mentioning that Price's agent, Jeff Schwartz, declined to comment.
The Cavaliers, Rockets, Timberwolves, Hornets, 76ers, Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, and Raptors are all eligible to make a bid on recently amnestied Andray Blatche (Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets). Mannix also says (via Twitter) that although doesn't expect a team to bid, Blatche will draw interest as an unrestricted free agent.
Mike Trudell of KCAL-9 in Los Angeles tweets that owner Jim Buss has reiterated GM Mitch Kupchak's comments that the team would like to re-sign Jordan Hill.
John Reid of the Times Picayune writes that the Hornets are interested in Ryan Hollins.
The Clippers' agreement with Hill likely takes them out of the running for Marco Belinelli, but Belinelli is still drawing interest, says Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. Pincus names the Bulls, Magic, Warriors, and Knicks as potential suitors.
Mavericks VP of basketball operations Donnie Nelson says the Mavs are still interested in bringing back Delonte West, who has "other options on the table he's going through." Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News has the details.
Raja Bell, who is attempting to work out a trade or buyout from the Jazz, hasn't heard from the Heat, but has drawn interest from six other teams, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
Anthony Randolph has "more than piqued" the Nuggets' curiousity, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
Nuggets coach George Karl has a standing offer out to unrestricted free agent Anthony Carter to become an assistant coach under Karl whenever his playing career is over, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link). However, Carter still believes he can help a team as a third point guard and hopes to play for a couple more years, according to Tomasson.
Despite rumors of overseas interest, Sonny Weems continues to seek an NBA contract, agent Roger Montgomery tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter).
The Nets' next move might be signing Nazr Mohammed or Ryan Hollins as a backup center, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
The Clippers are also looking to add a big, and are eyeing Hollins and Darko Milicic, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
In a piece for ESPN Deportes, Andres Nocioni confirms he'll continue playing for Caja Laboral in Spain next season rather than returning to the NBA (hat tip to Sportando for the translation).

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Wizards Amnesty Andray Blatche

July 17th, 2012 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

4:04pm: The Wizards have officially amnestied Blatche, the team announced in a press release.

3:35pm: The Wizards will use the amnesty clause to waive Andray Blatche, according to TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter). Michael Lee of the Washington Post confirms Aldridge's report, and adds that an official announcement is expected to come soon (Twitter link).

Wizards Considering Using Amnesty On Blatche

July 16th, 2012 at 6:34pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 16, 6:34pm: According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, the Wizards are now leaning toward amnestying Andray Blatche. The team still has not made a final decision, but has until tomorrow to decide.

JULY 13, 10:37am: The Wizards are still undecided on whether to use their amnesty clause on Blatche, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post. One source, asked which way the Wizards are leaning, said the team is "standing straight up."

According to Lee, the Wizards continue to work the phones trying to find a trade partner that would take Blatche, but one source thinks Washington would have to pair Blatche with a "major asset" in order to find a deal.

Amico On Bobcats, Lakers, Wizards, Hawks

June 26th, 2012 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

We're tracking most of today's draft rumors right here, but the latest column from Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio has a few too many tidbits and rumors to condense it to a single bullet point. Amico's piece has draft-related updates on the Lakers, Hawks, Wizards, and more, so let's round up all the pertinent info below….

Wizards To Shop Lewis, Blatche Before Draft

May 30th, 2012 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

Of the nine players the Wizards have money committed to for 2012/13, six are on rookie contracts. Nene, Rashard Lewis, and Andray Blatche are the only veterans on the roster, and Washington is expected to part ways with two of them this summer. According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, the Wizards will try to move Lewis and Blatche via trade prior to the draft, rather than paying them not to play for the team.

Wizards Will Again Try To Trade Blatche

April 30th, 2012 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards were one of the league's more active teams at last month's trade deadline, shipping JaVale McGee and Nick Young out of town in a blockbuster deal that landed them Nene. Washington also tried to move Andray Blatche, but couldn't find a taker. The Wizards will continue to try to trade Blatche this summer, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, who says there's a good chance the forward has played his final game with the Wizards.

When he was extended last week, Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld indicated there was a chance Blatche would be on the roster for next season, but the odds of that "seem remote," says Lee. The Wizards would almost certainly have to take on another bad contract and/or give up draft picks to find a trade partner, so using their amnesty provision on Blatche seems more likely. For his part, Blatche says he's ready for anything.

"I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but whatever is going to happen is going to happen for a reason," Blatche said. "If I come back, I’m more than happy to try to fight through this little hole I’m in. If I’m somewhere else, I’ll continue to try to get better."

Injuries and poor conditioning led to a terrible 2011/12 campaign for Blatche. According to Lee's sources, the 25-year-old's weight ballooned above 280 pounds at one point. In the 26 games he played, Blatche posted a 10.6 PER, well below the 15.9 career mark he'd recorded prior to this season. He has three years and $23MM+ remaining on his contract.

Grunfeld Talks Contract Extension, Nene, Blatche

April 24th, 2012 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards announced this morning that they'd officially agreed to terms on an extension for team president Ernie Grunfeld, whose contract was set to expire at season's end. Grunfeld spoke to reporters today about his new deal and his plans for the team going forward. Here are a few highlights, courtesy of Michael Lee of the Washington Post:

Asked if he felt he deserved a contract extension, Grunfeld said, "The important thing is [owner] Ted [Leonsis] felt that."
The Wizards are in the second year of a three-year rebuild, and Grunfeld thinks the team is making good progress and has a "bright future."
Washington doesn't figure to be an active player in free agency, since the team thinks of the acquisition of Nene as a sort of free agent signing: "Last summer he was the most sought-after free agent in the marketplace. We were able to get him via trade instead of having to play the free agent game and going out there not knowing for sure if you were going to get a player of his caliber. We played the free agent game, we just did it a little bit different. We are paying somebody a very nice salary."
Grunfeld praised the job that coach Randy Wittman has done, pointing out that the players are playing "very hard" for him. However, he was noncommital on Wittman's future, saying he'd evaluate the situation with Leonsis after the season.
Asked whether Andray Blatche had played his last game for the Wizards, Grunfeld replied, "No. Not necessarily. Players are always forgiven if they come back and perform well…. That remains to be seen. It’s going to be a process that we’ll monitor during the summer." Blatche is under contract for three more seasons, but is a candidate to be amnestied.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Bynum, Howard, Wizards, Heat

March 20th, 2012 at 5:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2012 NBA Draft is still more than three months away, but draft junkies will be happy to know ESPN.com's Chad Ford, NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper and Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico have released their first mock drafts of the year. Ford's Insider-only piece has Anthony Davis going first overall, followed by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Bradley Beal, and Harrison Barnes. Howard-Cooper has Barnes, Andre Drummond, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Jared Sullinger rounding out the top five after Davis. Amico has it as Davis, Barnes, Robinson, Kidd-Gilchrist and then Drummond.

Here are a few more Tuesday afternoon links from around the NBA:

In another draft-related item, South Florida small forward Victor Rudd has declared for the draft, according to Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports. The 6'7" junior, who isn't on the draft board of Ford, Howard-Cooper or NBADraft.net, has said he won't hire an agent yet, leaving open the possibility he'll return to school.
The Lakers plan to exercise their team option on Andrew Bynum for next season, but Bynum wouldn't mind a longer-term commitment. The center told Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he'd be amenable to discussing a contract extension.
If Dwight Howard didn't opt in to the final year of his contract, the Magic were prepared to trade him to the Nets for Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Mehmet Okur's expiring contract, and first-round picks, according to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post.
The Wizards are looking forward to taking an extended look at Edwin Ubiles, who signed a 10-day contract with the team this weekend, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. In a separate column, Lee says the Wizards have shut down Andray Blatche until he works his way into better condition. SI.com's Zach Lowe would be surprised if Washington doesn't amnesty Blatche before next season (Twitter link).
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks Mike James or Anthony Carter would be better fits for the Heat than Derek Fisher.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Wizards Still Shopping McGee, Blatche

March 15th, 2012 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards president is still pursuing trades and a source with knowledge of the situation tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that the Wizards may strike a pre-deadline deal.

A league source tells Lee that Washington's demands for McGee are "reasonable," as the Wizards are seeking an NBA starter. However, the Wizards are having problems matching McGee's modest $2.5MM salary in any deal without involving players like Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche who understandably aren't drawing much interest.

Teams have been reluctant to even listen to pitches involving Blatche, says Lee. The Wizards tried to engage the Pistons on Blatche in recent weeks, but were quickly rebuffed.

Trade Rumors: Kaman, Celtics, Blatche, Bynum

March 14th, 2012 at 4:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest on a few trade candidates:

The Celtics are seeking a big man, and while taking on a player with Chris Kaman's salary ($14MM+) probably isn't likely, Kaman would be interested in going to Boston, says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
"You look at what they need and what he brings to the game," a league source said of Kaman-to-the-Celtics. "It would be a great fit, it really would. But a lot of things have to happen, and not happen, before that can come about."
The Wizards are still seeking deadline deals, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Lee hears conflicting reports on the likelihood of an Andray Blatche trade. One source said Blatche "won’t be moved due to a lack of interest," even if JaVale McGee is included. However, another source told Lee that the Wizards aren't ready to give up on finding a taker for Blatche just yet.
Andrew Bynum isn't expecting the Lakers to trade him, as he tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.