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Andrew Bynum Rumors: Wednesday

January 1st, 2014 at 5:32pm CST by Charlie Adams

Since the Cavaliers suspended Andrew Bynum last Saturday, numerous rumors have circulated about what kind of action Cleveland will take with their disgruntled center. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today breaks down three options the club has in regards to Bynum and suggests that holding on to the big man might be the best move if the Cavs can’t find a suitable trade partner. According to Zillgitt, rival executives believe waiving Bynum is the last route Cleveland should take. Let’s have a look at the latest Bynum rumors:

  • TNT’s David Aldridge agrees with Kyler, tweeting that the rumored swap of Bynum and Gasol is not likely to happen.
  • Zillgitt checks back in on Twitter to confirm another piece of the Kyler report: that rival executives believe the Cavs are reaching in trade discussions because of the lack of a market for Bynum.
  • Meanwhile, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio cites a source that thinks the deal could still happen, but concedes that the Lakers are downplaying talks (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • In the same piece, Zillgitt notes that the Cavs reached out to the Bulls and inquired on a trade that would send Luol Deng to Cleveland in exchange for Bynum. However, a source confirmed that Chicago wasn’t interested.
  • Zillgitt echoes earlier reports that the Clippers would have interest in Bynum if the Cavs were to release him.
  • The Heat wouldn’t have interest in signing the center, despite earlier reports suggesting otherwise, Zillgitt hears from an anonymous source.
  • Fittingly, Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report outlines reasons why Bynum wouldn’t be a good fit for the Heat. The primary reason Skolnick cites is Bynum’s lack of passion for the game, a trait which doesn’t align with Miami’s fundamental principles.
  • The rumored Pau Gasol/Bynum swap that would send Bynum to the Lakers is unlikely to happen, opines Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. He believes the Cavaliers are trying to get “something for nothing” with Bynum’s contract and hears the Lakers intend on keeping Gasol for now. (Twitter links)
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Cavs, Lakers Discussing Bynum, Gasol

January 1st, 2014 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 8:45am: The outcome of Kyrie Irving‘s forthcoming MRI exam is likely to have a big impact on how the talks proceed from here, according to the latest update from Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

Irving told reporters Tuesday night that he felt a “pop” in his left knee after suffering the injury during Cleveland’s loss to the Pacers and an MRI is scheduled for Wednesday.  If Irving is out for a substantial length of time, it’s believed that the Cavaliers’ appetite to take on additional salary in pursuit of a playoff push would be diminished.  Still, talks between the two sides continued yesterday and a deal still seems possible, provided that the Cavs’ star guard won’t miss a significant length of time.

TUESDAY, 2:37pm: Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times seems to back up Medina’s report, hearing from a source that the idea of the Lakers taking on Bynum would be a stretch.

2:25pm: Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News throws cold water on the idea of such a deal, writing that “the Lakers would never under any circumstances” accept the proposal that Windhorst and Shelburne reported overnight. The Lakers don’t want Bynum back, and they wouldn’t even be interested in acquiring his contract just so they could waive him before the deal becomes guaranteed next week, according to Medina. The Lakers are also holding out hope that Gasol will improve his play as the season goes on.

2:19pm: The Lakers are seeking a first-round pick in a Bynum-Gasol deal, but the Cavaliers are balking at that idea, according to the Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto. If they were to trade a pick, the Cavs would be more willing to give up the Heat’s 2015 first-rounder acquired through a previous trade than surrender one of their own selections. Nonetheless, both teams are serious about striking some kind of compromise, Pluto writes.

7:51am: Nearly 17 months after they sent him to the Sixers, the Lakers are mulling the possibility of reacquiring Andrew Bynum, according to Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The ESPN duo reports that the Lakers and Cavaliers have had discussions about a trade that would sent Bynum back to Los Angeles in a package for Pau Gasol. No deal is imminent, but the two sides are weighing their options in advance of January 7th, this season’s contract guarantee deadline.

By trading Gasol for Bynum, and subsequently waiving Bynum before his full 2013/14 salary becomes guaranteed in January, the Lakers could potentially get out of luxury-tax territory for this season, depending on what other pieces were included in the deal. At the very least, it would significantly reduce the team’s payroll and tax bill, and would give L.A. more financial flexibility going forward. Since Gasol’s full-season salary is worth about $7MM more than Bynum’s, the Cavs would have to include at least one other player in the hypothetical swap for it to work under CBA rules. Adding C.J. Miles, or any player or combination of players earning more money than Miles’ $2.25MM, would make a Gasol/Bynum trade legal.

Still, the Lakers would have a hard time parting with Gasol without receiving some assets of value in return, according to Windhorst and Sherburne. Given the club’s storied history, a simple salary dump likely isn’t in the cards, even if the ability to avoid the repeater tax would be extremely beneficial. The ESPN duo notes that there’s still a strong organizational sentiment within the Lakers to let the current group get healthy and try to contend before the front office does anything drastic.

As for the Cavs, they also pursued Gasol in the summer, conducting extensive discussions with the Lakers before Dwight Howard signed with the Rockets, according to the ESPN report. Windhorst and Shelburne also suggest that Cleveland has engaged in talks with the Bulls about a similar deal that would involve Bynum and Luol Deng. Like the Lakers, the Bulls could get out of tax territory, or at least very close to it, by swapping Deng in a package for Bynum, then cutting the big man before his $12.25MM salary becomes guaranteed. However, Chicago still doesn’t seem inclined to move Deng at this point.

Cost-cutting moves by teams like the Lakers and Bulls, who are typically perennial contenders, may not have even been considered if not for the new CBA. As Windhorst points out (via Twitter), the new luxury tax, and the repeater tax in particular, is far more punitive than it was a few years ago, so clubs with expensive, non-contending rosters may be more inclined to cut their losses. Whether or not the Lakers or Bulls opt for that route, it’ll be something to watch closely as 2014’s trade deadline approaches.

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Los Angeles Notes: Pau, Williams, Bledsoe

December 31st, 2013 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Lakers prepare to host a New Year’s Eve contest against the Bucks, let’s check in on the latest items on Los Angeles’ two NBA teams….

  • Following up on ESPN’s report that the Lakers and Cavs have discussed a trade centered around Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes that such a move would represent a “fundamental shift in [the Lakers’] competitive and financial DNA.” Rival executives are dubious that the Lakers would really make a drastic cost-cutting move, and Berger doesn’t believe it would benefit the team in the short- or long-term, though I think he may be underselling the benefit of getting out of the tax this season — in that scenario, the Lakers could be a tax team again by 2015/16 and avoid paying the repeater penalty.
  • For what it’s worth, the early returns on Hoops Rumors’ poll today suggest many of our readers believe the Lakers‘ best strategy for Gasol involves a salary-dump trade.
  • In his list of potential fits for Bynum, ESPN.com’s Amin Elhassan (Insider link) classifies the Clippers as strong contenders, and doesn’t mention the Lakers. Of course, Elhassan’s piece is focusing more on logical on-court destinations for Bynum, rather than the best trade partners for the Cavs.
  • In a separate ESPN Insider piece, Tom Haberstroh writes that the Lakers should embrace 2014’s Tankapalooza.
  • Terrence Williams‘ D-League team will be the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers‘ affiliate, according to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Williams, who played for the Celtics last season, signed to play in Turkey this year, but returned stateside in November for family reasons.
  • Eric Bledsoe spoke to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com about returning to the Staples Center to face the Clippers for the first time as a Sun. Doc Rivers discussed Bledsoe as well, referring to the three-way trade involving the Clippers and Suns as a deal that should ultimately help both clubs.
  • More Rivers on Bledsoe: “He was ready to be a starter. There’s no doubt about it. We really only had one talk and I talked to his representatives, and they made that very clear. If it wasn’t starting, it was playing a lot of minutes. That could have happened here. I just didn’t know if it was going to happen here, and I didn’t know if he would be happy or not. I think he would have handled it, but it would have been no fun.”
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Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Horford, Bennett, Dolan

December 30th, 2013 at 10:10pm CST by Zachary Links

While they’re only a few months removed from an appearance in the Western Finals, the Grizzlies aren’t currently in position to make the playoffs this season, and may have to start looking toward the future, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com writes in a piece for SBNation.com. Tonight’s look around the Association…

  • An NBA exec says that even though he hasn’t spoken with the Cavs, “they’re clearly aggressive” in trying to trade Andrew Bynum and are active in other talks, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • Al Horford will undergo surgery for his torn pectoral muscle on Tuesday, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).  Last week, we learned that the Hawks big man is done for the season thanks to the injury.
  • Cavs rookie Anthony Bennett is trying to cope with the widespread criticism he has received so far this season, writes Bob Finnan of the News-Herald.  The No. 1 overall pick is averaging 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 27.7% from the field and 15.4% from the three-point arc.
  • Knicks owner James Dolan’s poor basketball sense has put the club in a terrible position, opines Phil Mushnick of the New York Post.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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Andrew Bynum Rumors: Monday

December 30th, 2013 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Andrew Bynum‘s suspension has been lifted by the Cavaliers, but the big man continues to be excused from team activities, at least until Cleveland figures out what to do with him. As the January 7th contract guarantee deadline approaches, the Cavs are expected to either trade or release Bynum. However, if there are no takers, the club hasn’t ruled out keeping him beyond next week, a league source tells Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. That’s not the day’s only Bynum update today, so let’s round up the rest….

  • Despite there being a chance the Cavs could keep Bynum, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes that the club appears likely to waive him. Sources close to the Heat and Clippers, Bynum’s preferred destinations, have downplayed their interest in the center, according to Kyler, who adds that both teams would do their due diligence, but that Bynum would be unlikely to catch on with another team right away if he’s released.
  • If the Cavs decide to keep Bynum and guarantee his 2013/14 salary, the club could try again to move him before the trade deadline, but the offers would probably be weaker than they are now, says ESPN.com’s Chad Ford.
  • Expect Celtics GM Danny Ainge to kick the tires on Bynum to determine the Cavs’ asking price, according to Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com, who examines how a theoretical acquisition of Bynum could expedite Boston’s rebuilding process.
  • Nick Friedell of ESPN.com takes a look at whether Bynum might be a realistic trade target for the Bulls.
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Andrew Bynum Rumors: Sunday Morning

December 29th, 2013 at 12:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

Cavs coaches and players grew angry during practice Friday as they watched a disinterested Andrew Bynum hurl wild shots at the basket, and that was apparently the tipping point that led the team to suspend him indefinitely, as Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer explains. The Cavs are seeking to trade Bynum as time ticks away toward January 7th, the last day Bynum can be waived before the $6MM partial guarantee on his contract turns into a full assurance of his $12.25MM salary. We rounded up yesterday’s Bynum rumors in a pair of posts, and we’ll keep track of at least the first several dispatches on the former All-Star center here:

  • Bynum was technically suspended only for yesterday’s game against the Celtics, and he’s now simply excused from all team activities, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com clarifies. The suspension cost Bynum his salary for one game, worth about $111K, and he’ll now be away from the team until the Cavs release him or trade him, neither of which may happen until July, according to Windhorst (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

  • Bynum has no desire to play on a non-guaranteed deal for the Cavs, since they’re rebuilding, and wants to wind up with a contender, a source tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
  • The Cavs organization had seen Bynum’s suspension as a possibility for a while, perhaps as early as the first week of the season, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
  • The Clippers and Heat are reportedly Bynum’s favored destinations, and those teams would indeed have mutual interest if Bynum were to become a free agent, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times confirms.
  • If the Heat were to add Bynum, it would put the team’s commitment to Greg Oden into question, suggests Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
  • Bynum’s attitude has worsened in recent weeks, and the Cavs decided they didn’t want that adding to off-the-court drama that’s included a players-only meeting and trade rumors surrounding Dion Waiters so far this season, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd’s piece analyzes the organization’s emphasis on locker room culture that dates back to its decision to amnesty Baron Davis in 2011.
  • Phil Jackson, Bynum’s former coach with the Lakers, took to Twitter to dispute the notion that Bynum has never been committed to the game. “I am reluctant to judge ABynum’s [basketball] intent. He is a man of many interests and has a life outside of [basketball], but he does like to compete,” Jackson wrote.
  • Most Hoops Rumors readers don’t think the Cavs will find a trade partner, and a plurality believe he’ll end up becoming a free agent and signing with a team other than the Clippers and the Heat. Bynum’s also rumored to be open to joining the Celtics.
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Latest On Andrew Bynum

December 28th, 2013 at 7:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

The stir that the Cavaliers created today with their announcement of an indefinite suspension for Andrew Bynum has prompted plenty of rumors, and since our original story is getting lengthy, we’ll split off the latest on the one-time All-Star center into a new post. Here’s what we know:

  • The Heat would likely have interest in Bynum if they can clear a roster spot for him, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Miami and the Clippers are Bynum’s preferred destinations, and both have been keeping an eye on big men who could become available.

Earlier updates:

  • Trading Bynum may be a difficult task, as Sam Amico was told (Twitter Link) by an NBA executive: “Trading for him won’t magically make the issues just go away. He doesn’t love the game.”
  • A source close to the Cavaliers tells HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy that Bynum was exhibiting the same “reckless behavior” in Cleveland that he did when he was a member of the Lakers (Twitter link). The big man has shown frequent disrespect to his coaches, Kennedy’s source said.
  • The Lakers don’t seem likely to bring Bynum back, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
  • The Mavs met with Bynum when he was a free agent this summer, but they’re probably not interested in him now, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  • If the Cavs can’t find a trade partner, it’s not clear whether they’ll keep Bynum beyond January 7th, when the guaranteed portion of his contract jumps from $6MM to his full $12.25MM salary, according to Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today. The Clippers would be interested in Bynum if he were to become a free agent because they know they need to address their weakness at backup center, according to Zillgitt and Amick.
  • Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears there’s no interest from other teams in trading for Bynum and that the Cavs will indeed wind up releasing him before his contract becomes fully guaranteed (Twitter links).
  • Bud Shaw of The Plain Dealer takes Bynum to task for his apparent lack of commitment and raises the idea that the Cavs could trade him closer to the deadline if they decide to keep him beyond January 7th.
  • Bynum probably won’t end up with the Warriors, since the organization loves its team chemistry and already has three backup centers with guaranteed contracts (Twitter links).
  • Bynum might be a disruptive presence in the Cavs locker room, but if there were such problems when he was with the Sixers, no one has said anything about it, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
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Cavs Suspend Andrew Bynum, Trade Possible

December 28th, 2013 at 1:45pm CST by Zachary Links

1:45pm: The Cavs had planned to cut Bynum’s playing time, and he expressed displeasure about that, according to Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer. The center has also been upset with Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, believing they hogged the ball and didn’t look for him down low, Pluto writes. The Plain Dealer’s Mary Schmitt Boyer and Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe pass along Irving’s input on Bynum. (Twitter link).

“It’s just a terrible situation internally with our team,” Irving said. “It’s just something we have to get over. Coach’s decision, came from management. That’s kind of where it stays is with management.”

1:25pm: The Cavaliers are “determined” to trade Andrew Bynum, as Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports write, adding that he’s almost certainly played his final game as a Cavalier. Wojnarowski and Spears hear that Bynum has lost his motivation to play and that the Cavs had to talk him out of quitting. The Yahoo! report also raises the notion that Bynum may seek a buyout so he can sign elsewhere. That possibility seems unlikely, since the Cavs appear ready to waive him on or before January 7th to avoid guaranteeing his full $12.25MM salary, even if they don’t find a trade partner.

Tension between the Cavs and Bynum has been building for the last month, and his lack of commitment to the team reached a tipping point in Friday’s practice, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

11:47am: After he didn’t travel with the Cavs for their game in Boston on Friday afternoon, the club announced that Andrew Bynum has been suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team.  This certainly isn’t how Cleveland hoped their Bynum deal would work out.  Luckily for the Cavs, his deal is only partially guaranteed, and they can cut ties with him by January 7th to recoup $6MM of what he’s owed for this season.

The Cavs believe that the New jersey native has been a “disruptive” presence in the locker room and have lost hope that their partnership can be salvaged, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).  Teams that looked at Bynum over the offseason were equally as concerned with his motivation as his knee troubles, Wojnarowski tweets.

The Cavs will “aggressively” look to ship Bynum out of town, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.  In what was perhaps a telling moment, coach Mike Brown would not respond when asked if Bynum had played his last game with Cleveland.

League sources tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports (on Twitter) that a deal will be challenging, but possible for the Cavs.  The Clippers are one club that would have interest in Bynum, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today, if he’s released outright and there should be several more in that line.  Bill Simmons of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that he would consider the Celtics, but the Heat and Clippers would be his preferred destinations.  For Bynum to land with the latter two, he’d have to be released, and the Cavs want to trade him.  The Celtics have the right combo of expiring deals and assets to get a deal done.

Even though the Nets are in need of a big man in the wake of Brook Lopez‘s injury, they are not interested in Bynum, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com.  With an already unstable locker room in Brooklyn, that might be for the best.

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Bynum Considered Retirement, Unsure Of Future

November 7th, 2013 at 5:47pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier today, we relayed a report out of Cleveland which revealed that Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum had considered retirement in the past and still thinks about it occasionally. Taking a closer look at the original piece from Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, it appears that those thoughts stem from the frustration of not enjoying the game because he currently isn’t the player he once was:

“(Retirement) was a thought, it was a serious thought,..At the moment, it’s tough to enjoy the game because of how limited I am physically. I’m still sort of working through that…I’m a shell of myself on the court right now, I’m struggling mentally. I’m trying.”

Bynum, taken tenth overall by the Lakers during the 2005 NBA Draft, also revealed that there weren’t any discussions about re-signing with the 76ers this past summer after he had missed all of the 2012/13 season. Lloyd writes that this was the first instance in which Bynum had spoken about contemplating retirement, and adds that Cavs head coach Mike Brown hasn’t had any conversations with the 7’0 center on that subject. While Lloyd says it was difficult to determine just how serious Bynum was about his comments or if he’d just been having a bad day, it was clear that the one-time All-Star is mentally exhausted from having to deal with his physical limitations:

“Battling pain is annoying…I’m not able to do the things I used to be able to do and it’s frustrating…I feel like I can still be a double-double guy in this league, but it’s just going to take some modifications to my game and whether or not I want to accept the challenge and do that.”

Through four of Cleveland’s first five games thus far, the New Jersey native is averaging 5.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in 12.8 MPG. He is currently signed to a partially-guaranteed contract with the Cavs through 2014/15.

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Odds & Ends: Bynum, Warriors, Howard, Draft

November 7th, 2013 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Andrew Bynum has returned to the court for the Cavaliers this fall after a lost season in Philadelphia, but as the big man prepares to suit up against the Sixers tomorrow night, the news coming out of his camp isn’t exactly positive. Bynum indicated earlier this week that he doesn’t expect to ever regain his old explosiveness, and acknowledged that he’s still getting “little sharp” pains in his knees.

Today, speaking to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal and other media members, Bynum admitted that he considered retirement, and still thinks about it occasionally (Twitter link). I’m hopeful that the 26-year-old will get healthy and have a productive year in Cleveland, but his latest comments are a little ominous.

Here’s more from around the NBA:

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