Brandon Jennings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Links: Jennings, Rose, Datome

October 3rd, 2013 at 9:06pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Pistons guard Brandon Jennings offered a response via the media to former teammate Larry Sanders, who recently said “he has to pass to them first” after being told about how Jennings was excited to play with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond in Detroit: “(Milwaukee) gave him $11 million, so he must be doing something right…Me and (Monta Ellis) had to take those shots. For us to even get to the (eighth) spot in the playoffs, we had to take those shots. It is what it is” (David Mayo of MLive.com). Here's more out of the Central Division tonight:

According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Bulls superstar Derrick Rose is more pre-occupied about his conditioning in the pre-season opener against the Pacers rather than his surgically repaired knee: "You can run and condition yourself as much as possible, but it's nothing like getting out there and playing a game…I hope it's building my wind for it. In the future, I shouldn't have anything to worry about."
In another piece from Mayo, Gigi Datome opens up about attending his first NBA training camp with the Pistons and some of his experiences so far: "The best players in the world are here, so everybody's more quick, more fast, more physical, and for sure also skilled…I'm going to get better, for sure, (and) have to get used to this as quick as possible."
Caron Butler already appears to be relishing his leadership role on the Bucks and is enjoying his homecoming thus far in Wisconsin (NBA.com via the Associated Press).
Jeffery Taylor hopes to continue the success he had over the summer with the Bobcats this season, writes Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer. Aside from a strong performance for Charlotte's summer league team in Las Vegas, the 6'7 swingman also emerged as Sweden's best player in the FIBA Eurobasket Tournament.
In another Bobcats-related article, Rick Bonnell (also of the Charlotte Observer) takes a closer look at how forward Josh McRoberts has found his niche with the team.

Odds & Ends: Pistons, LeBron, Anderson

September 12th, 2013 at 10:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

A panel of HoopsWorld columnists discussed their thoughts on the Pistons' offseason additions, current strengths and weaknesses, and where the team projects to finish in the Central Division standings this year. Count Brandon Jennings among those who seem most eager to get the season started, as he believes that with Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, and Josh Smith, Detroit should be a dominant rebounding force on both sides of the court (Detroit Free Press staff report). Here's the rest of tonight's noteworthy links:

Ken Berger of CBS Sports believes that with so many variables to consider, there's no way that even LeBron James knows what he's going to do on July 1st next year, when he'll have the ability to exercise his early-termination option and hit unrestricted free agency.
Jeff Goodman of ESPN (via Twitter) doesn't think it's a guarantee that UCLA's Kyle Anderson will declare for the draft after this year, especially since he's not considered a lock to get selected in the first round at this point.
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com gives the Trail Blazers a "B" for their offseason report card, highlighting their coaching staff and frontcourt as the team's strongest suits and identifying defense as their weakest one. In another a piece, Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge.com relays Damian Lillard's interview with True Hoop TV's Henry Abbott about his workload and expectations defensively.
Dan McCarney of Spurs Nation wades through the changes and holdovers of the Northwest Division and touches upon what to expect from each team in 2013/14.
Moke Hamilton of HoopsWorld held his weekly chat with fans, answering questions about Seattle, the Knicks, how Danny Granger's return from injury could affect Paul George, and the Pelicans' playoff chances among other topics.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Pistons, Bucks, Heat

August 7th, 2013 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up some Wednesday links from around the Eastern Conference….

Both seasons of Jeremy Tyler's two-year deal with the Knicks are partially guaranteed, confirms Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Begley adds (via Twitter) that it's "highly unlikely" the Knicks sign Chris Duhon, despite their reported interest.
Speaking to Grantland's Zach Lowe, Pistons GM Joe Dumars says that he only started talking to the Bucks about Brandon Jennings four days before the deal was consummated, and adds that the team had some "good talks" with Andre Iguodala before Iggy decided to sign elsewhere.
In his latest mailbag, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com field a handful of questions on the Pistons' trade and free agent options.
Bucks coach Larry Drew has offered his top assistant coaching position to a former NBA coach and is awaiting a response, reports Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. It's not clear who the unnamed candidate is, but according to Woelfel, Jim Cleamons and Dean Demopoulos are among those interviewed for the job.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel still expects the Heat to sign one more "proven veteran" at some point this offseason.
The Bobcats intend to work out Seth Curry, Stephen Curry's younger brother, in the coming weeks, says Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).

Pistons Maintain Interest In Rajon Rondo?

August 4th, 2013 at 8:38am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons made an upgrade at point guard this week, acquiring Brandon Jennings in a sign-and-trade from the Bucks, but they may still be interested in Rajon Rondo, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes amid his weekly league roundup. Washburn says that the Pistons might attempt to use Jennings as a trade chip in a deal for the Celtics point guard.

Washburn had one of multiple reports last month linking the Pistons to Rondo, writing then that Detroit's preferred offer of Brandon Knight and an expiring contract was unlikely to get Celtics GM Danny Ainge to budge on his insistence that he won't trade Rondo. Knight went to the Bucks in the Jennings deal, so perhaps Pistons president of basketball ops Joe Dumars will offer Jennings and an expiring contract to the C's instead, though that remains unclear.

Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Jennings can't be traded until December 15th because he signed a new contract this summer, so the Pistons and Celtics would have to wait if they want to make him any part of a deal. Rondo suffered a torn ACL in January, and the extra time before Jennings is able to be traded could give the Pistons a better chance to assess Rondo's health. Washburn figures that there will be plenty of other suitors for Rondo, especially after he recovers from the injury, so the Pistons could face competition, forcing them to drive up their offer.

Contract Details: Jennings, Grizzlies, Henderson

August 3rd, 2013 at 3:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Details are often scarce when free agents agree to sign with NBA teams, leaving reporters to gather many of the contract specifics later. That's what HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus has done throughout the summer, and last night he passed along information on a handful of players, as we detail below. All links go to HoopsWorld team salary pages.

Brandon Jennings will make precisely $24MM in the sign-and-trade deal that sent him to the Pistons, with a starting salary of $7,655,503.
The Grizzlies gave Mike Miller a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum, while their second-round pick, Jamaal Franklin, is making slightly more than the rookie minimum this season on his three-year contract. Pincus also has the figures for Jon Leuer's three-year deal.
Gerald Henderson will make $6MM in each season of his three-year, $18MM deal with the Bobcats.
Timofey Mozgov's starting salary on his new three-year deal is $4.4MM, with raises in subsequent seasons.
Bucks second-round pick Nate Wolters, the 38th overall selection, gets a little more than the minimum salary as part of his three-year deal. The first two seasons are fully guaranteed.
The Jazz gave summer league sensation Ian Clark a two-year, partially guaranteed deal for the minimum salary.

Pistons Acquire Brandon Jennings From Bucks

July 31st, 2013 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 1:08pm: The swap has officially been completed, the Bucks announced today (via Twitter). The Pistons also confirmed the move in a press release.

TUESDAY, 4:39pm: TNT's David Aldridge confirms (via Twitter) that the two sides have reached an agreement. According to Stein (via Twitter), the four players reported so far are expected to be the only pieces involved, so it sounds as if there may not be any picks or cash changing hands.

With the Pistons set to acquire one player in exchange for three, the deal should open up room on the roster to sign second-round pick Peyton Siva, though it's not clear yet if he's in the team's plans for 2013/14.

4:35pm: Viacheslav Kravtsov and Khris Middleton are also headed to the Bucks in the deal, tweets Wojnarowski. Using those two salaries, along with Knight's, the Pistons would be able to offer Jennings a starting salary of $7.72MM, which sounds about right, based on the reported terms. So there may not be any more players involved in the swap.

4:31pm: Knight will be part of the package that the Pistons send to Milwaukee, Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter).

4:14pm: The Pistons have emerged as a serious candidate to acquire Brandon Jennings from the Bucks in a sign-and-trade, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). According to Stein, the two sides are in "advanced talks" about a potential deal. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports confirms Stein's report, tweeting that the Pistons and Bucks are nearing an agreement.

According to Stein (via Twitter), if and when the two teams finalize a sign-and-trade, Jennings' contract with the Pistons will be in the three-year, $25MM+ range, similar to what his former backcourt partner Monta Ellis received from the Mavericks. Wojnarowski (via Twitter) pegs the value of the deal at three years and $24MM.

There had been rumblings earlier in the month that the Pistons had an eye on Jennings, but GM Joe Dumars adamantly denied that he'd had any trade talks with the Bucks. Either that changed in the last two weeks or Dumars was trying to throw rival suitors off the scent. Regardless, it's easy to see why Milwaukee and Detroit would be a match.

At least one report has suggested Jennings wasn't interested in remaining in Milwaukee, and there have been indications that he was considering accepting his one-year qualifying offer in order to hit unrestricted free agency next summer. A sign-and-trade would be a win-win for Jennings and the Bucks, allowing the young point guard to secure a long-term pact with another club, and allowing Milwaukee to pick up at least an asset or two in return.

It's not clear yet who the Pistons would be parting with in the deal, but Brandon Knight seems like a logical candidate. If Knight were to be included, Detroit would have to add more salary to make the deal work, making Charlie Villanueva or Rodney Stuckey potential fits as well.

Bucks Rumors: Ilyasova, Jennings, Sanders

July 29th, 2013 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler focuses on the Bucks' offseason, attempting to explain the thinking behind their moves this month. Zach Lowe of Grantland wrote last week that many executives around the league were confused by the Bucks' offseason plan, but Kyler makes the case that the roster is deeper and better poised for the long-term than it was before. Here's more from the HoopsWorld scribe:

The Bucks feel like Ersan Ilyasova is "capable of a big leap" in 2013/14, and made a number of their offseason decisions with an eye on acquiring players who can complement him.
Milwaukee remains very open to re-signing Brandon Jennings, but the two sides still don't appear to be all that close on a dollar figure. While Jennings continues to seek a deal comparable to those signed by Jrue Holiday, Stephen Curry, and Ty Lawson last summer (four years, $44-48MM), the Bucks aren't interested in going that high.
Sources tell Kyler that Jennings has "strongly considered" accepting the Bucks' one-year qualifying offer. It would pay him about $4.53MM next season, and would make him an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2014.
The Bucks have started contract extension talks with Larry Sanders. Sanders can avoid becoming a restricted free agent next summer by signing a new deal by October 31st, and there appears to be a "better than average" chance that happens, according to Kyler.

Kyler On Jennings, Henderson, Blair, Mozgov

July 24th, 2013 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

When I asked a week ago how Brandon Jennings' free agency would play out, over 41% of you predicted that he and the Bucks would ultimately work out a sign-and-trade agreement that sends him to another team. However, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, while some sign-and-trade scenarios have been explored, the Bucks aren't about to "sandbag their season" by moving Jennings in a deal that doesn't land them a starting-caliber point guard. Here's more from Kyler's latest NBA AM piece:

The Bucks and Jennings continue to maintain a dialogue, and Kyler thinks a deal in the $8MM-per-year range could be worked out, but something that pays Jennings $11-12MM annually is unlikely.
Mo Williams is considering a few scenarios, but is still hoping to land a "solid multiyear offer." If one doesn't materialize, he may be willing to take a small one-year contract to join a contender, as we heard last week.
Like the Bucks with Jennings, the Bobcats are waiting for a rival suitor to set Gerald Henderson's price. According to Kyler, several teams would be willing to do mid-level type offer sheets for Henderson, but the Bobcats would almost certainly match such an offer. Kyler adds that it appears likely Henderson will return to Charlotte on a multiyear deal, rather than signing his qualifying offer or being traded.
"Most of the league" has called about DeJuan Blair "in some capacity," writes Kyler. It sounds as if plenty of clubs would be willing to do one-year, low-money deals, but Blair is still seeking a multiyear pact, or a sign-and-trade that would allow him to keep his Bird rights.
Timofey Mozgov's destination remains unclear, with Kyler suggesting that the Spurs may be interested in the Nuggets' restricted free agent.

Odds & Ends: World Peace, Jennings, Barbosa

July 20th, 2013 at 12:19am CST by Chuck Myron

Metta World Peace tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News that he has no hard feelings toward the Lakers, who amnestied him last week. The former Ron Artest thinks the move was a shrewd business decision for the team, and while the Lakers will save some luxury tax money, the amnesty wound up helping World Peace's bank account, too. He'll receive his $7.7MM salary from the Lakers as well as the nearly $1.6MM he'll make from his contract with the Knicks this season, minus a small amount taken away from his Lakers paycheck because of set-off rights. There are plenty of other maneuvers, financial and otherwise, happening in the NBA, as we round up here:

Brandon Jennings is no lock to return to the Bucks, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, who says the team is still looking at other point guards.
The Mavs won't comment on a Brazilian report that the team has been in contact with free agent Leandro Barbosa, notes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
The Rockets have drawn mention as one of the front-runners for Marcus Camby this week, and agent Rick Kaplan confirms to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston that the team is a leading candidate, referring to Houston as Camby's "adopted hometown" (All Twitter links).
Patrick O'Bryant, the ninth overall pick in the 2006 draft, is hoping to return to the NBA, but he's only drawn interest from foreign clubs so far the summer, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. O'Bryant last appeared in the Association with the Raptors in 2008/09.
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov will likely lose upwards of $50MM this year as he presides over an NBA-record expenditure on the team's roster, writes Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.com (hat tip to Nets Daily).
Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth previews next year's star-laden free agent class, arguing that no team has greater stakes on the outcome of the summer of 2014 than the Lakers do.
Mark Madsen earned a quick promotion after the Lakers hired him in May to coach their D-League team. The Lakers today officially named Madsen and Larry Lewis as assistants on coach Mike D'Antoni's staff.

Kyler’s Latest: Bucks, Magic, Knicks, LeBron

July 18th, 2013 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

When I asked Hoops Rumors readers yesterday what Brandon Jennings' future holds, about half of you predicted a return to Milwaukee, either on a one-year contract or on a longer-term deal. And according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, the Bucks have indeed shifted their focus back to retaining Jennings, after their pursuit of Jeff Teague fell short. Here's more from Kyler on the Bucks and a few other situations:

While the Bucks' three-year, $15MM contract with Zaza Pachulia was viewed as an overpay, sources tell Kyler that Pachulia had received two-year offers worth about the same amount annually, making that third year necessary for Milwaukee to get a deal done.
The Magic haven't been very involved in free agency this summer, but they continue to work the phones on possible deals. According to Kyler, the team is hoping to reach a buyout agreement with Al Harrington that would reduce his guaranteed salary for the 2014/15 season.
We've already heard that the Pelicans are preparing an offer in the $3MM range for Greg Oden. Kyler reports that the offer may be worth $3MM+ annually for two years, adding that Oden's camp is looking for a "safe" spot for the former first overall pick to continue his career. An organization with patience and the right kind of expectations is Oden's preference.
Although the Knicks will continue to be active in looking to add talent this year and next, the team will be careful about taking on any salary beyond next season, says Kyler. With Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Andrea Bargnani set to come off the books by the summer of 2015, the Knicks barely have any salary on their books beyond that.
It's been widely assumed that LeBron James will opt out of his contract next summer in search of a new long-term deal, but Kyler says that's not a lock. LeBron will also have the chance to opt out in the summer of 2015, and the continued health and production of Dwyane Wade figures to play a significant part in the MVP's decision.