Ben Gordon Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bobcats Going After Andrea Bargnani

February 16th, 2013 at 1:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bobcats are increasingly anxious to trade Ben Gordon, and that's sparked their interest in a trade with the Raptors for Andrea Bargnani, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein believes the Raptors would be unlikely to go for a Gordon-for-Bargnani swap, citing the presence of Terrence Ross and Alan Anderson (Twitter links). Even though Gordon would be easier for the Raptors to take back than Carlos Boozer, whom the Bulls are offering, the Raptors aren't going to trade their former No. 1 overall pick just for the sake of unloading him, Stein tweets.

Gordon, Charlotte's highest-paid player, is making $12.4MM this year, and has a $13.2MM player option for 2013/14. Bargnani earns $10MM this season, gets a raise to $10.75MM next year and has an $11.5MM early-termination option for 2014/15. His deal includes a 5% trade kicker that the Bobcats would have to pay, but that probably wouldn't be an issue, since they'd be taking back less salary than they'd be sending out. Gordon wouldn't make the Raptors a taxpaying team this year, but it could push them farther into tax territory next season, since they're already set for a payroll of $74.349MM. They have some flexibility with options and non-guaranteed contracts, but taking on either Gordon or Boozer, who makes an average of $15.7MM per year through 2015, could give Toronto difficulty.

Gordon, acquired in a trade with the Pistons last summer, has clashed with coach Mike Dunlap amidst the fewest minutes per game in his nine-year career. He hasn't started a game all year, but he's seeing more shot attempts than in his last two seasons with Detroit, and is shooting 40.9% from behind the arc, a few ticks above his 40.6% career average. It seems reasonable that the Bobcats could get something of value for him, but his outsized contract, as well as the team's clear motivation to send him away, could be driving down his price.

The Raptors, too, seem to have encountered difficulty as they attempt to trade Bargnani, who's posted a career-worst 40.9% field goal percentage in an injury-plagued first half of the season. In addtion to the Bobcats and Bulls, he's also been linked to the Sixers in recent weeks.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Magic, Bobcats, Garnett

February 14th, 2013 at 10:27pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times relayed some gems out of Bulls camp tonight, reporting that Chicago is still taking and making phone calls as the trade deadline approaches. He cites a source within the organization that says talks between the Bulls and Raptors involving Carlos Boozer are "off the table," and that there hasn't been a high demand for Richard Hamilton. As for Derrick Rose's status, the reality that he might not return this season hasn't put any additional pressure on Chicago to find more help or try to lessen the payroll. Here's more of what we've heard tonight out of the Eastern Conference:

Several Magic veterans weighed in on the possibility of being traded before next Thursday's deadline including J.J. Redick, who is in the final year of his deal and has drawn significant interest from other teams. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel says that although the front office has told their players that they aren't being shopped, they still acknowledge that they are responsible for listening to offers and taking into account what could make them better in the long term.
Amidst reports of tension boiling over between Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap and embattled guard Ben Gordon on Monday, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer notes that it wasn't the first time that the 29-year-old guard appeared frustrated this season and that Gordon and Dunlap have already met twice before to discuss his role.
Celtics forward Kevin Garnett explained his comments that this Sunday would be his last All-Star game, as some had seen it as possible hint that he would retire after this year: "Let's just put it like this: I'm more than grateful for going. I'm not going to act like I've got more All-Star games in me. So I'm just going to actually enjoy this one with friends and family. That's what I meant" (NBA.com).
Rich Levine of CSNNE.com said that nothing definitive can be concluded by Garnett's comments, and that only time will tell if he is actually contemplating retirement soon.

Bobcats Increasing Efforts To Trade Ben Gordon

February 14th, 2013 at 11:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Bobcats' desire to trade Ben Gordon has increased following an incident between Gordon and coach Mike Dunlap, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski reports that Gordon was "beyond disrepectful" to Dunlap during Monday's shootaround, resulting in general manager Rod Higgins intervening.

Sources tell Wojnarowski that Gordon refused Dunlap's request to stop bouncing a ball while the coach spoke, and that the veteran guard began baiting Dunlap, telling him he needed to "humble himself." Gordon refused to give the ball to Dunlap and eventually tossed it toward a ball rack, according to the Yahoo! report.

The front office decided not to suspend Gordon following the incident, in part because the team felt it might diminish his trade value, says Wojnarowski. With a 2012/13 salary of $12.4MM and a $13.2MM player option for next season, Gordon doesn't have a ton of value anyway. Charlotte reportedly discussed sending him to Brooklyn for Kris Humphries, but Wojnarowski reports the Nets have put that trade on the back burner, believing it could be revisited closer to the deadline if they don't find another deal they like.

Nets Rumors: Gordon, Josh Smith, Millsap

February 12th, 2013 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

No team was more active last summer than the Nets, who signed two maximum-salary players and traded for a third in the span of a week. So it only seems appropriate that the club would be busy again at the trade deadline. Brooklyn has been linked to multiple possible trade targets this month, including Ben Gordon of the Bobcats and Josh Smith of the Hawks.

However, according to Mitch Lawrence and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the Nets aren't overly optimistic about landing Gordon or Smith. The Daily News report indicates that Brooklyn has "cooled" on Gordon, who the club doesn't view as a good fit defensively. Lawrence and Bondy also suggest that the Nets are pessimistic about their odds of landing Smith, since the Hawks are seeking a more attractive package than Brooklyn's, which would include Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks.

While talks with the Bobcats and Hawks may not be progressing, the Nets are still hoping to land a big man. Brooklyn is focusing on a group of power forwards that includes Paul Millsap, according to the Daily News report. Nearly a month ago, we heard that the Nets might try to make a play for Millsap, though a deal wasn't considered likely.

As trade rumors continue to swirl around the Nets, GM Billy King insists that he likes the current roster, and that a move isn't necessarily in the works. Even though he's in the last year of his contract, King wants to avoid making a desperation move, telling reporters yesterday that he won't shake things up for the sake of it.

"Are we going to make a trade? We may, we may not,'' King said. "I'm not going to make a trade just to make a trade. Do I believe this group can regroup and play well? Yes."

Spears On Spurs, Smith, Maynor, Knicks, Grizzlies

February 12th, 2013 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

Not content to simply rank the NBA's teams, one through 30, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports also includes plenty of interesting trade rumors and nuggets within his power rankings. Here are the items of note from Spears in this week's installment:

The Spurs, who used to employ current Hawks GM Danny Ferry, are among the teams interested in Josh Smith.
Eric Maynor has been drawing some interest, and Spears suggests that he could be a fit for the Jazz, the team that initially drafted him.
The Knicks are still trying to decide whether they should wait on injured bigs Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace or sign a free agent.
Zach Randolph appears safe in Memphis, but the Grizzlies could still try to make a deal using one or more of their seven trade exceptions.
Spears hears from a source that it's been nearly three weeks since the Raptors and Bulls last discussed a Carlos Boozer/Andrea Bargnani swap.
No Suns player is untouchable via trade.
Talks between the Bobcats and Nets involving Kris Humphries and Ben Gordon remain at a standstill.

Nets Making Serious Push For Josh Smith

February 10th, 2013 at 9:05pm CST by Zachary Links

9:05pm: While the two teams are engaged in discussions, nothing is close yet, a source tells Broussard. The Nets are willing to give up Kris Humphries and guard MarShon Brooks for Smith, but it almost certainly will take more to make it happen and one source said the Hawks want a first-round pick.

Broussard writes that some scenarios that have been discussed include re-acquiring Anthony Morrow, but that would not be possible. A player cannot be traded back to a team within one year of that team trading him away, according to the CBA.

The Hawks also reportedly want a young center in return for Smith so the Nets may have to get a third team involved.

7:52pm: The Nets are going hard after Hawks forward Josh Smith, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN (on Twitter). While General Manager Billy King & Co. have also discussed a deal for Bobcats guard Ben Gordon, Smith is the bigger priority at the moment.

Earlier today, a report suggested that the Hawks aren't actively shopping Smith, despite the whirlwind of trade talk surrounding him. Meanwhile, Broussard handicapped the odds of Smith being shipped out of Atlanta at 60% earlier this week. It makes sense that the Hawks would explore a deal as they met with the 27-year-old's representatives this week and let them know that they're not interested in signing him to the max deal that he is seeking.

If General Manager Danny Ferry can take Smith off of the books, then he could potentially have room for two max deal players this summer. That prospect combined with the return that Smith could net would seem to make him one of the stronger trade candidates as we approach the deadline. The Suns, Rockets, and Bobcats have been said to have interest in acquiring Smith while the forward would like a trade to the Mavericks or Grizzlies if he had his way.

Brigham On Humphries, Gordon, Lucas, Oden, Leonard

February 9th, 2013 at 10:02am CST by Sean Highkin

Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld.com has a new column touching on a few trade rumors as well as some other topics from around the NBA on Saturday morning:

Brigham writes that the rumored swap of Kris Humphries for Ben Gordon is a move that makes sense for both the Nets and Bobcats, given the needs each player fills on their roster.
John Lucas enjoys playing for the Raptors, but he misses the Bulls.
Following yesterday's report that the Cavaliers are preparing a multiyear offer for Greg Oden, Brigham writes that they are the frontrunners to land him.
Brigham talks to Trail Blazers rookie center Meyers Leonard about his adjustment to the NBA lifestyle and the difference between the college and pro games.

Nets, Bobcats Discussing Gordon, Humphries

February 8th, 2013 at 5:53pm CST by Luke Adams

5:53pm: The teams have discussed the deal, but it's on the back burner for now, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.

4:01pm: The Gordon/Humphries proposal came from the Bobcats' side, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times (via Twitter), so it's up to the Nets to decide whether to make the deal.

3:29pm: The Nets and Bobcats have engaged in discussions about a deal that would send Ben Gordon to Brooklyn and Kris Humphries to Charlotte, reports ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. According to Broussard, talks between the two teams are ongoing, but nothing is imminent.

The two players match up well from a salary perspective, as Humphries is earning $12MM this season and has one more year on his deal worth $12MM. Gordon, meanwhile, is making $12.4MM in 2012/13 and has a 2013/14 player option worth $13.2MM.

Additionally, neither player appears to be part of his respective team's long-term plan. Gordon was acquired by the Bobcats last summer for salary purposes in a trade with the Pistons that netted Charlotte a first-round pick. Although he's played well for the Bobcats, the team can get plenty of backcourt scoring from Kemba Walker, Ramon Sessions, and Gerald Henderson, and is targeting a frontcourt addition.

Humphries, who was pursued by the Bobcats in free agency last July, eventually re-signed with the Nets. But as I noted in my examination of the big man's trade candidacy, Brooklyn was likely motivated by the fact that it held Humphries' Bird Rights and could potentially use him as a trade chip, rather than by a strong fondness for his on-court contributions. According to Broussard, the Nets are interested in Gordon as a potential floor-spacer that could help improve the club's three-point shooting.

Odds & Ends: Samuels, Blair, Mavs, Gordon

October 9th, 2012 at 10:26pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Tuesday night:

Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com says the Cavs can expect an improved Samardo Samuels this season.
Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express News reports that the Spurs are impressed with DeJuan Blair's training camp.
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News previews the Mavericks' season and says that their roster is constructed with future free-agent moves in mind.
Steve Reed of the Associated Press writes (link via the Detroit Free Press) that the Bobcats are expecting Ben Gordon, acquired from the Pistons this summer, to finish games for them this season.
Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld.com has a list of training-camp invitees with a shot at making NBA rosters this season.

Amico On Mavs, Clippers, Hornets, Bobcats

October 7th, 2012 at 5:51pm CST by Sean Highkin

Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio has posted some thoughts from the weekend's preseason action, including impressions of players that have changed teams this offseason:

Amico was impressed with the Dallas debuts of Chris Kaman and O.J. Mayo, both of whom signed with the Mavs this summer.
Out of the several veterans the Clippers signed this offseason, Amico says that Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes made positive first impressions, while Lamar Odom looked considerably less impressive.
Amico writes that Hornets rookies Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers had good performances in their preseason debuts.
Second overall pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and third overall pick Bradley Beal had strong showings in the Bobcats' victory over the Wizards, Amico writes.
New Bobcats acquisitions Ben Gordon and Ramon Sessions also had strong performances off the bench, writes Amico.