Andrew Bogut

Amick On Jennings, Bogut, Batum, Rockets

Sam Amick of SI.com has a few updates on this week's trade candidates, so let's dive in….

  • Brandon Jennings could be had "for the right price." Long considered a franchise cornerstone, Jennings irked some Bucks officials with his comments last month about exploring free agency.
  • Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle hears from Warriors sources that reports of Golden State's interest in Andrew Bogut are "nothing more than hype." However, sources tell Amick that the team's interest is real. The Wizards also inquired on Bogut, but talks went nowhere, says Amick. The Rockets aren't thought to be involved on the Bucks' center.
  • Amick goes on to say that the Bucks feel this may not be the best time to get full value for Bogut, considering he's still on the shelf for a few weeks with a fractured ankle.
  • The Blazers may be active this week, but they don't intend to move Nicolas Batum, who they are determined to keep long-term.
  • Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger, Jonny Flynn, and Terrence Williams are among the Rockets who would "likely welcome a trade," according to Amick. Goran Dragic is also a trade candidate, since he's not expected to be re-signed this summer. Though I'd imagine Houston will be more inclined to keep Dragic with Kyle Lowry's return date up in the air.

Warriors Targeting Andrew Bogut

The Warriors are trying to put together a deal for Bucks center Andrew Bogut, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. Bogut is drawing interest from a number of teams, we learned yesterday, after the Bucks put him on the market last month.

Golden State is not optimistic a deal can get done, Thompson notes, in part because the price is high.Thompson also says part of the pessimism on the Warriors' front is because they are still looking for players who can help them this season, despite their 15-21 record.

The Bucks aren't insisting that Monta Ellis be a part of the deal, but they would want the Warriors to take back players they don't want, namely Stephen Jackson and Drew Gooden. Jackson played in Golden State from 2007 to 2009, but the coach, GM and ownership have all changed since his stay there. Gooden's contract, which has three years and $20MM left, makes him unattractive to Warriors GM Larry Riley and company.

Thompson speculates that it will take a third team in the deal for it to work.

Bogut, the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, seems resigned to the idea of leaving the only NBA team he's ever known, as indicated by his comments to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last night. "Seven years (with the Bucks)," Bogut said. "It could work for us to part ways or it could work for us to stay together. I'll make it a positive either way."

Kennedy On McMillan, Allen, Bogut, Jackson

Here's the latest from Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld..

  • Nate McMillan has lost the locker room in Portland, according to sources close to the situation.  One source adds that there’s a growing number of players who would like to see McMillan ousted with assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff taking over as interim head coach.  The Blazers have lost 11 of their last 16 games, including losses to the Wizards, Kings, and Warriors.
  • The Celtics are seeking a young player and first-round draft pick in exchange for Ray Allen and that's an asking price that's likely too rich for the Clippers' blood.  Even if Los Angeles was willing to meet the C's asking price, the bigger issue is that they don't have a first-round pick in this year's draft. 
  • If the Bucks decide to trade Andrew Bogut, they will package Stephen Jackson in the same trade.  Jackson has butted heads with head coach Scott Skiles and yesterday one executive told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that he predicts no one will touch the veteran unless he is bought out by the Bucks. 

Odds & Ends: Bogut, Rondo, Blatche

The talk of a 10-game night across the association has been about the health of two point guards whose absence could alter the plans of a pair of teams rumored to be among the most active nearing Thursday's trade deadline. Ricky Rubio of the Wolves tweeted that he'll receive an MRI on his left knee, which he hurt in his team's loss to the Lakers tonight. The team fears he has a torn ACL, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry of the Rockets was hospitalized with a fever and abdominal distress, HoopsWorld reports. Here's what's happening elsewhere:

  • Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines the trade candidacy of Bucks center Andrew Bogut. Bogut's agent David Bauman said there are several teams interested in talking to Bucks GM John Hammond about his client.
  • Rajon Rondo appears to be conflicted about how trades might affect the chemistry of the Celtics. Rajon Rondo, who saw best friend Kendrick Perkins dealt away at the deadline last year, told Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston he doesn't care about what a trade would do to the team's chemistry this year. Yet, to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, Rondo said, "You can't get chemistry if you bring in new guys."
  • Jason Kidd came close to joining a team that had just won the title when he thought about joining the Spurs in 2003, so he sympathizes with Lamar Odom, who arrived via trade to join this year's defending champs, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. For the record, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told the Galloway & Company radio show today that the uproar concerning Odom has come and gone.
  • Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld looks at the Grizzlies' early-season acquisition of Marreese Speights from the Sixers and wonders if that will wind up being the most effective deal of the year.
  • Both John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune and Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com tweeted to note the progress of Lance Thomas, who signed with New Orleans for the rest of the season last month after the team gave him two 10-day contracts.
  • The Wizards are willing to move anyone on the roster not named John Wall if another team will take Andray Blatche off their hands, tweets Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
  • Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group notes the Warriors' lease in Oakland is up in 2017, and checks in with the progress of potential sites for a new home in Oakland and San Francisco. Venturing a guess, Kawakami has the San Francisco site as the most likely destination at this point.
  • Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld proposes the Celtics as a potential destination for JaVale McGee, for whom the Wizards are reportly listening to offers.
  • The Knicks starting lineup is in flux, and Newsday's Anthony Rieber takes a look at the quick changes engineered by coach Mike D'Antoni.
  • Jeremy Evans' minimum salary contract expires at season's end, so time is running out for him to prove he can do more than win a dunk contest. Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune notes how his theatrics during All-Star weekend haven't earned him any extra minutes with the Jazz.
  • Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press passed along Pau Gasol's kind words about Kevin Love, two players who could be Wolves teammates if a rumored Gasol/Michael Beasley swap takes place, Richardson notes. "He's got a will and determination to go after every ball," Gasol said of Love. "Even though he's a little undersized and lost some weight, he's still a powerful player and playing at a high level. I'm definitely impressed with him."
  • With Richard Hamilton and Luol Deng ailing, it's been hard for Bulls GM Gar Forman to get a true handle on how effective his team really is, writes Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times. Forman must balance the team's current needs with its capability for long-term success, Hayes says.
  • Bill Simmons of Grantland.com came out with his annual trade value column today in two parts, ranking the top 50 player assets across the league. The Heat's LeBron James is No. 1, meaning he'd be the player who would command the most in any trade, though James isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
  • GM Sam Presti and the Thunder provide the small-market blueprint for Cavs GM Chris Grant, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Bogut Drawing Interest From Several Teams

11:13am: This is the first time since drafting Bogut that the Bucks aren't immediately turning away trade inquiries, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. However, Stein says Milwaukee is insisting Jackson is included in any deal, as Woelfel hinted at earlier. The Wizards are one of the teams most interested in Bogut, Stein adds, though a source says "the price is high."

9:00am: Andrew Bogut is still on the shelf with a fractured ankle, but that hasn't stopped teams from showing interest in him. According to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, a "slew of teams" have discussed the possibility of acquiring the former first overall pick, either internally or with the Bucks.

The Bucks aren't on the verge of making any moves, but have engaged in several trade talks, and appear open to dealing anyone, says Woelfel. He adds that, while Bogut has never publicly expressed a desire to be dealt out of Milwaukee, there are "whispers" that a strained relationship with coach Scott Skiles, along with the team's lack of postseason success, may have the 27-year-old thinking about a change of scenery.

Woelfel names the Magic, Hawks, Celtics, Rockets, Hornets, Wizards, Bobcats, and Warriors as clubs who have some level of interest in Bogut. Some of those teams are more realistic suitors than others, but Woefel points out that Bogut's age and contract make him a potential fit for contenders as well as lottery teams.

The Bucks have a chance to be one of the league's more active teams at the trade deadline — Milwaukee possesses obvious trade candidates such as Beno Udrih and Stephen Jackson, and a less obvious trade candidate in Ersan Ilyasova. Woelfel says that ideally Jackson's contract could be included with Bogut's if the Bucks were to consider dealing their big center, though finding a logical match for their combined $21MM+ salary could be a challenge.

Odds & Ends: Bogut, Gasol, Kings

Peter Vecsey, in the same column in which he revealed the Knicks as potential suitors for Dwight Howard, hears that the Bucks are "definitely open to offers" for Andrew Bogut, who's currently out with a fractured left ankle. He also says the rumored signing of Rasheed Wallace by the Lakers lends credibility to the idea that the team could send Pau Gasol to the Celtics for Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal. Here's the rest of what's being whispered around All-Star weekend.