C.J. Watson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Vogel On East, Offseason, Granger, Hibbert

August 27th, 2013 at 7:16pm CST by Alex Lee

Pacers head coach Frank Vogel was a guest on ESPN Radio in Indianapolis today and Scott Agness of Pacers.com transcribed much of the interview for us. Vogel hits on a number of topics, but specifically discussed the offseason developments at the top of the Eastern Conference, including those within his own team. Here are a few key points from Vogel:

Vogel mentioned the Bulls and Nets as the two teams that have taken big steps forward this offseason; Chicago with the return of Derrick Rose and Brooklyn with their bevy of additions. Vogel lauded the bench additions of Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko in Brooklyn, and said he expects good things from Jason Kidd as an NBA coach.
The Pacers' addition of Luis Scola will really help the team's bench, Vogel said, adding that Scola is one of smartest and most creative players in the league. Vogel said that Solomon Hill, drafted 23rd by Indiana in June, is "ready to contribute right away" and also mentioned C.J. Watson and Chris Copeland as useful additions to his squad.
Of course, the piece most likely to elevate the Pacers to the next level is the return of Danny Granger, who missed all but five games last season with knee issues. On Granger, Vogel said, "It’s really exciting. Danny is on schedule, looks really good, he’s making progress each week and we’re hoping that we're going to be having a full-strength Danny Granger this year to add to this team that made a lot of noise last year."
Roy Hibbert has concentrated on bulking up this summer, according to Vogel. Hibbert, who established himself as an elite physical presence in last season's playoffs, is adding bulk mainly in hopes of improving on the offensive end, Vogel said.

Nets Sign Shaun Livingston

July 11th, 2013 at 11:33am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 11TH, 11:33am: The Nets have officially signed Livingston, according to a team release.

JULY 6TH, 5:40pm: League sources reveal to Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo! Sports (Twitter) that the Nets have reached an agreement for a one-year, minimum deal with Shaun Livingston. As shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database, Livingston is repped by CAA's Henry Thomas.

Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, confirms via Twitter. The move to grab the Cavs' back-up point guard this past year, means that the Nets' guaranteed salary equals close to $100.5MM for the coming 2013/14 season. Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld says that adding in the $80.2MM in taxes, the total Nets team payroll next season equals $180.7MM, which is an NBA record (Sulia link).
The acqusition of the point guard Livingston comes on the heels of the Pacers signing last year's Deron Williams back-up, C.J. Watson. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets that with combo guard Jack headed to the Cavs, and Livingston now gone to the Nets, the next player to leave the Cavs will be C.J. Miles.
Livingston averaged 7.2 PPG and 3.6 APG in 49 outings for the Cavaliers last season in primarily a back-up role for Kyrie Irving.

4:50pm: The Nets are nearing an agreement with backup point guard Shaun Livingston, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The client of Henry Thomas at Creative Artists Agency split last season between the Wizards and Cavs, and multiple reports have linked him to the Nets in the past week. Brooklyn is seeking point guard depth with C.J. Watson heading to the Pacers.

If they can't convince him to take the minimum salary, the Nets would have to use part of their taxpayer's mid-level exception to bring the 27-year-old Livingston aboard. Cleveland picked him up off waivers in December, and he exceled in a backup role behind Kyrie Irving, and even started a dozen games. He averaged 7.2 points with a 3.6/1.2 assists-to-turnover ratio in 23.2 minutes per game in Cleveland.

Spencer Lund contributed to this post.

Pacers Sign C.J. Watson

July 10th, 2013 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 10TH: The Pacers have officially signed Watson, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 1ST: C.J. Watson has reached an agreement on a two-year contract with the Pacers, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld first reported the agreement (via Twitter) after noting that the two sides were closing in on a deal. It was actually Watson himself who first broke the news, though his tweet was somewhat cryptic.

Watson, who turned down a player option that would have kept him in Brooklyn for 2013/14, averaged 6.8 PPG with 2.0 APG and a 13.9 PER in 80 contests for the Nets last season. According to Kennedy, Watson's new deal is expected to pay him more than the minimum salary he made in Brooklyn on his previous contract.

The Pacers headed into the offseason in the market for a point guard to play behind George Hill, with backup D.J. Augustin and third-stringer Ben Hansbrough ticketed for free agency.

Odds & Ends: Blazers, Iguodala, Knicks, Morrow

July 4th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the Trail Blazers have struck a deal to acquire a big man (Robin Lopez), the team figures to move on to address other needs. As Jason Quick of the Oregonian tweets, Portland's focus could shift to a wing player next, with Francisco Garcia, Matt Barnes, and Corey Brewer representing possible targets.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:

Andre Iguodala will likely make a decision on a team early next week, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
The Knicks are likely out of the running for Matt Barnes and Nate Robinson now that the team no longer has its full mini mid-level exception, tweets Zwerling.
Before they agreed to sign C.J. Watson, the Pacers expressed interest in Robinson, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
Kennedy also tweets that free agent shooter Anthony Morrow has been in contact with the Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Rockets, and Knicks.
A source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link) that the Mavericks weren't willing to commit $8MM a year to J.R. Smith, let alone $10MM. The market for Smith was fairly modest, according to Berman.
Jared Dudley wasn't looking to be traded out of Phoenix, and is open to returning to the Suns at some point down the road. But as he tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, if the Suns were going to move him, Dudley couldn't have asked for a much better fit than the Clippers.

Cavs Eyeing Clark, Collison, Watson

July 2nd, 2013 at 6:48pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 6:48pm: The interest between Clark and the Cavs is "very mutual", one source told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Clark has connections to the Cavaliers as Mike Brown coached him briefly with the Lakers last year and newly hired assistant coach Igor Kokoskov was in Phoenix for Clark’s first year-and-change.

MONDAY, 12:24am: C.J. Watson is another point guard on the Cavs' radar, according to Amico (via Twitter).

12:17am: With free agency underway, the Lakers have contacted unrestricted free agent Earl Clark about returning to the team, tweets Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. However, Clark is also set to meet with the Cavaliers on Tuesday, according to Deveney.

The Cavs' interest in Clark has been previously reported by Deveney and confirmed by other outlets, and Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that the team's interest is "real," adding that Cleveland has liked Clark for "quite a while."

In addition to Clark, the Cavs are also said to be eyeing point guard Darren Collison, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter). Collison didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Mavericks, so he's now an unrestricted free agent, free to sign outright with any team.

C.J. Watson Closing In On Deal With Pacers

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

1:08pm: Watson appears to be headed for a two-year deal with the Pacers, tweets Kennedy, adding that it will likely be for more than the veteran's minimum.

12:29pm: Unrestricted free agent point guard C.J. Watson is closing in on an agreement with the Pacers, reports Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Watson hit the open market today after turning down a minimum-salary player option to return to the Nets.

The Pacers are in the market for a point guard to play behind George Hill, with backup D.J. Augustin and third-stringer Ben Hansbrough having hit free agency. After paying $3.5MM to Augustin last season, the Pacers could probably land Watson for less money, considering he's coming off a minimum-salary deal and was solid, but unspectacular backing up Deron Williams in Brooklyn.

Watson, 29, averaged 6.8 PPG with 2.0 APG and a 13.9 PER in 80 contests for the Nets in 2012/13.

Knicks Rumors: Will Bynum, Watson, Harris, Brand

June 30th, 2013 at 9:37am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are expected to be well into the luxury tax for next season, but that won't stop them from trying to improve their team, especially given the allure of the Madison Square Garden spotlight. Here's the latest:

The Knicks are looking for a point guard to replace the retired Jason Kidd, and have Will Bynum, C.J. Watson and Devin Harris on their radar, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post, who identifies Bynum as tops on that list. They're also looking for a backup big man, with Elton Brand and Lamar Odom under consideration, along with incumbent Kenyon Martin.
J.R. Smith believes he'll get an offer that exceeds the maximum of approximately $5.4MM that the Knicks can give him, Berman adds. The Bucks, Pistons and Suns are considering Smith.
The Knicks are resigned to the idea that Chris Copeland will sign elsewhere for more money, according to Berman. More than half a dozen other NBA teams are chasing Copeland. Berman believes the team may try to work out a sign-and-trade involving Copeland that would net a trade exception around $4MM, allowing the Knicks to bring aboard another player that way. The Knicks are also open to the idea of trading Steve Novak, Berman writes.
The Knicks like Mike Dunleavy and Marco Belinelli, but they're prioritizing a point guard instead with their mini mid-level, according to Berman.
GM Glen Grunwald and company hope proven veterans will become available in trades, and likely would be willing to part with anyone other than Carmelo Anthony for the right deal, Newsday's Al Iannazzone reports.

New York Notes: Kidd, Prokhorov, Ewing

June 15th, 2013 at 10:04am CST by Zachary Links

While the basketball world is zeroed in on the Heat and Spurs, the Nets managed to steal some of the spotlight this week by naming Jason Kidd as their new head coach. Here's a look at the latest out of Brooklyn and Manhattan..

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is happy with his new head coach, writes David M. Herszenhorn of the New York Times. The billionare reportedly hasn't talked to Kidd directly, but he made it clear at a press conference in Moscow this week that he approved of the move. “The point is that there are people who are born coaches,” Prokhorov said. “It is known that Jason Kidd was, in fact, a player-coach on many teams, and he has been training for a long time. He has played under many coaches, and he has always wanted to be a coach.”
When asked about the potential departure of C.J. Watson, Billy King said that he has already discussed possible replacements for players who may leave with Kidd, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. If Watson does wind up leaving, the question will be who the Nets bring in to provide competition to Tyshawn Taylor for the backup point guard job. They could either draft a point guard with the No. 22 pick or pursue a veteran free agent.
In the wake of Kidd going from player to head coach in a matter of weeks, Patrick Ewing is disappointed that his time has yet to come, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

C.J. Watson To Decline Player Option

June 14th, 2013 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

C.J. Watson will turn down his 2013/14 option and become a free agent this summer, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Kennedy reports (via Twitter) that Watson's camp has already informed the Nets of his decision.

Watson, 29, signed a two-year minimum-salary contract with the Nets last summer, with a player option for the second season. After earning $992,680 in 2012/13, Watson would have been in line for a $1,106,942 salary next year, but will instead look to do better on the open market. He's coming off a season in which he averaged 6.8 PPG, 2.0 APG, and a 13.9 PER in 80 games (19.0 MPG) for Brooklyn.

Appearing on WFAN this morning, GM Billy King said and new head coach Jason Kidd were expecting Watson to opt out of his deal, and that the Nets would likely be on the lookout for a new backup point guard this offseason.

Atlantic Notes: C’s, Del Negro, Nets, Will Bynum

June 14th, 2013 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

A source that spoke to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald expects Doc Rivers to return to the Celtics, if for no other reason than the fact that no other team will offer him the $7MM annual salary he's earning in Boston. However, if Rivers does decide to part ways with the team, Vinny Del Negro would receive serious consideration as his replacement, multiple sources tell Murphy.

"As a stopgap for that situation, sure," one source said. "Vinny would be the perfect person for what they need. All of the All-Star coaches, or whatever you want to call them, are going, and knowing how Danny [Ainge] feels about him, [Del Negro] would be a good fit."

Here's more from around the Atlantic Division on a Friday morning:

Appearing on WFAN this morning, Nets GM Billy King said he expects C.J. Watson to opt out of the final year of his contract to become a free agent (link via Josh Newman of SNY.tv).
Jason Kidd confirmed on ESPN Radio this morning that he has extended an offer to former Nets head coach Lawrence Frank to join his staff in Brooklyn (link via Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com). "The invitation is out there, so it's up to him," Kidd said.
Even after hiring Kidd, the Nets are still a move or two away from becoming a legit contender, says Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Pacers president Donnie Walsh tells Fred Kerber and Mark Hale of the New York Post that he was "disappointed" the Nets didn't decide to hire Indiana assistant Brian Shaw.
Yesterday, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press named the Knicks as a team with interest in Will Bynum, and today he adds another Atlantic team to Bynum's potential list of suitors: The Sixers (Twitter link). The Pacers and Lakers may also be interested, according to Ellis.