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Knicks Split On Signing Earl Barron

September 18th, 2013 at 9:24pm CST by Alex Lee

While the Knicks coaching staff would like to add free-agent big man Earl Barron, the team's front office is not in any hurry to do so, writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report.  This is not the first time we have heard that the Knicks like Barron from Zwerling, who cites several sources in his story, presumably making Barron a solid candidate to land one of the last three Knicks roster spots should they bring him aboard. 

Zwerling also confirms what we heard yesterday; that the Knicks have worked out a slew of free agents in preparation for training camp, which he says is contributing to the disagreement on Barron.  Zwerling reports that center Hamed Haddadi, who worked out for the Knicks last month, hopes to find a team this week but that team is unlikely to be New York.  Cole Aldrich and DeSagana Diop are another pair of free agent big men that have worked out with the Knicks.

Apparently, Barron shot the ball well in his Monday workout with the Jazz.  According to Zwerling's source close to Barron, while the free agent hopes to land in New York and may use Utah's interest as leverage to speed up the process, he is not waiting on the Knicks.

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Knicks Worked Out Diop, Aldrich, Others

September 17th, 2013 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

2:29pm: Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Reports adds DeSagana Diop to the list of players who participated in the Knicks' workouts this week (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld isn't sure if Hassan Whiteside worked out for the Knicks, but says the team has expressed interest in the former King (Twitter link).

1:47pm: The Knicks may have 16 players under contract, but the team is still eyeing free agents and weighing the possibility of adding a few more bodies to its camp roster. The club has conducted mini-camp workouts this week, and according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter links), Ike Diogu, Cole Aldrich, and Josh Powell are among the players who have auditioned.

Reports yesterday indicated that Ricky Davis and Justin Brownlee were also working out as part of the Knicks' mini-camp, so the team seems to be casting a wide net as it searches for potential contributors.

Despite the fact that the Knicks are already carrying more than 15 players, only 12 of those contracts are fully guaranteed. C.J. Leslie and Jeremy Tyler have small guarantees – $200K and $100K, respectively – which could give them an inside track at roster spots, but Tyler is recovering from foot surgery, so it's no surprise that New York is still auditioning big men.

If we assume Leslie will earn a roster spot, that would leave two possible openings for Tyler, Chris Smith, Toure Murry, and up to four more camp invitees.

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Cole Aldrich Working Out For NBA Teams

August 16th, 2013 at 4:39pm CST by Luke Adams

It was only three summers ago that Cole Aldrich was an NBA lottery pick, selected 11th overall by New Orleans in the 2010 draft. Now, Aldrich is still looking for an NBA job, and is working out for a handful of teams in the hopes of earning a contract.

Earlier in the week, we heard that Aldrich had worked out for the Kings, the team with whom he finished last season. According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter), the former Kansas big man, who shares an agent with Tyson Chandler at Excel Sports, has also been on the Knicks' radar. Zwerling doesn't make it clear whether or not Aldrich has a workout scheduled with the Knicks, but hears from a source (Twitter link) that New York will almost certainly sign one more big man, whether it's Aldrich, Hamed Haddadi, Earl Barron, or someone else.

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities also passes along word of Aldrich's NBA workouts (Twitter link), but hears from a source that the Timberwolves are unlikely to be one of the teams for whom the 24-year-old auditions.

Aldrich has underwhelmed in limited minutes during three NBA seasons with the Thunder, Rockets, and Kings, averaging 2.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 89 contests (7.9 MPG).

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Odds & Ends: Joseph, West, Delany, Wiggins

August 14th, 2013 at 6:50pm CST by Alex Lee

Here are a few odds and ends from around the NBA on Wednesday night:

  • Kris Joseph, who was waived last month by the Celtics, is weighing international offers in Italy, Russia and France as well as a few NBA invites, tweets Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest. 
  • Haynes also tweets that free agent guard Delonte West has impressed at a coach's camp in Las Vegas.  West, who spent some time in the D-League last year, hasn't played in the NBA since his 2011/12 campaign with the Mavericks.  West has also played with the Celtics and Cavs. 
  • The Heat have named advance scout Pat Delany the head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 
  • Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM evaluates the prospects of the eight 2010 first-round picks that are currently not on NBA rosters – Cole Aldrich, Xavier Henry, Luke Babbitt, Craig Brackins, Elliot Williams, Damion James, Dominique Jones and Lazar Hayward.
  • Andrew Wiggins has the potential to single-handedly turn around an NBA franchise, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, adding that his ceiling has teams lining up to better their chances for his services. Kennedy names the Sixers, Magic, Suns, Bobcats, Kings and Jazz as the six teams who have positioned themselves for Wiggins, and Celtics and Raptors as outside possibilities. 
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Western Notes: Pekovic, Rockets, Zanik, Aldrich

August 14th, 2013 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the biggest names on this summer's free agent market finally came off the board today when Nikola Pekovic reached a five-year, $60MM agreement with the Timberwolves. The deal will make Pekovic the highest-paid restricted free agent of the offseason, by both overall value and annual salary. He also landed the third-highest overall guarantee, behind only Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Here's more on Pekovic and other items from around the Western Conference:

  • The new deal for Pekovic won't affect the Timberwolves' ability to keep Ricky Rubio or Kevin Love long-term, president Flip Saunders told reporters today, adding that the team views those three players as the franchise's cornerstones (Twitter links via T-Wolves PR). Saunders also confirmed that Pek's contract doesn't include any team or player options, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
  • About 15 months before they ultimately landed Howard, the Rockets reached a tentative agreement to acquire the All-Star center from the Magic at 2012's trade deadline, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Orlando planned to move D12 at the deadline if he didn't waive his early termination option, and had offers from the Rockets and Nets — Magic officials preferred Houston's offer, says Berger.
  • Agent Justin Zanik, who has worked with Andy Miller at ASM Sports in recent years, is set to join the Jazz front office as the team's assistant GM, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Jody Genessy of the Deseret News has a few more details on the hiring of Zanik, who represented NBA players such as Omer Asik, Timofey Mozgov, and Sergey Karasev.
  • Cole Aldrich worked out for Sacramento on Monday, according to Jonathan Santiago and James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom. The Kings have an open roster spot, though it's interesting that they'd need to work out Aldrich, considering they got an extended look at the big man last year after acquiring him at the trade deadline.
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Zwerling On Knicks, Ivan Johnson, Humphries

August 1st, 2013 at 8:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com has tweeted a string of updates on the Knicks today, as we've noted in a pair of posts. Marc Berman of the New York Post delivered plenty more on the Knicks earlier today, and this evening Zwerling delivers a full story on the latest from New York. We'll hit the highlights from Zwerling's piece here:

  • The Knicks and Ivan Johnson are discussing a potential deal. The former Hawks power forward had been holding out for a team to commit its mini mid-level exception to him, but his interest in the Knicks, who can only offer the minimum, indicates that his price may have come down.
  • The Knicks' interest in Kris Humphries is mutual, but the Celtics are still unlikely to buy him out.
  • Other big men the Knicks are considering include Cole Aldrich, Hamed Haddadi, Jerome Jordan, Gani Lawal, Shavlik Randolph and Henry Sims.
  • The Knicks remain interested in Beno Udrih and Bobby Brown, but Zwerling confirms Berman's report that the team is no longer looking at Delonte West.
  • Berman wrote that the Knicks are expected to invite Toure Murry to training camp, and Zwerling hears that the team will do the same with "a few young developmental point guards."
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Sixers Ready To Explore Free Agent Market

July 31st, 2013 at 11:04pm CST by Alex Lee

It's been more than a month since the Sixers shipped Jrue Holiday and Pierre Jackson to New Orleans in exchange for Nerlens Noel and a 2014 top-five protected first round pick.  But outside of trading for the enigmatic Royce White, the team hasn't done anything to fill out its roster and is the only NBA team remaining without a head coach. 

One of those things is about to change, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who writes that the Sixers are finally ready to shop in free agency.  According to Pompey, on the team's wish list is a point guard to backup and mentor rookie Michael Carter-Williams as well as a perimeter shooter.

"We have needs all around," said Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie. "We are going to look for guys who can be a part of our future and have a chance, some guys who can grow with our team."

"We have needs all around," Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie said. "We are going to look for guys who can be a part of our future and have a chance, some guys who can grow with our team."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20130801_Sixers_finally_ready_to_shop_for_free_agents.html#AmvLHMYrYrPI64PB.99
"We have needs all around," Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie said. "We are going to look for guys who can be a part of our future and have a chance, some guys who can grow with our team."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20130801_Sixers_finally_ready_to_shop_for_free_agents.html#AmvLHMYrYrPI64PB.99
"We have needs all around," Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie said. "We are going to look for guys who can be a part of our future and have a chance, some guys who can grow with our team."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20130801_Sixers_finally_ready_to_shop_for_free_agents.html#AmvLHMYrYrPI64PB.99

At this point the Sixers intentions for next season are pretty obvious, making the addition of even mid-level free agents unlikely despite having the most available cap room in the league.  Pompey suggests that the team could bring back free agents Royal Ivey and/or Damien Wilkins, and also lists Ronnie Brewer, Luke Babbitt, Xavier Henry and Cole Aldrich as younger options that could pique the team's interest.

We heard yesterday that Hinkie believes the Sixers cap room enables them to be active trade participants if they choose to be and Pompey reiterates that in this story, specifically mentioning Evan Turner as a player who could be on the block and leaving the door open for the team to move any player on their roster. 

"It's a little early now," Hinkie added. "There's a lot of work to do for the team to be filled out. You could see all sorts of things happening."

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Pacific Notes: World Peace, Odom, Kings

July 13th, 2013 at 6:02pm CST by Spencer Lund

Metta World Peace was officially amnestied by the Lakers on Thursday, and remains on amnesty waivers, rather than regular waivers–instead of claiming his entire salary, teams can now place partial bids for his services, with the highest bid winning out. Here's the full explanation of the amnesty provision, and this year's amnesty primer.

Doug Davis, one of a pair of agents for the former Ron Artest, suggested that his client's assertion that he may leave the NBA should be taken with a grain of salt, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. World Peace doesn't want to uproot his family, so the Clippers appear to be his first choice among NBA teams, but Knicks coach Mike Woodson said the team is "on alert" in case World Peace clears amnesty waivers. 

"There’s a number of definitely positive things about New York," Davis said. "Hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to assess them [Sunday] after he clears waivers. It’s a very tense time, this 48-hour period. We want him to be in control of his own destiny."

Here's what else is happening around the Pacific Division on this Saturday in the midst of amnesty week:

  • The Clippers continue to eye free agent big men Lamar Odom and Antawn Jamison, but sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that the team is taking it slow as it determines the best fit (Twitter link).
  • Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times examines whether the Lakers should attempt to avoid paying the luxury tax this season.
  • The Kings have renounced their rights to Toney Douglas, who already has an agreement in place with the Warriors, according to the RealGM transactions log. The Kings also renounced their rights to Cole Aldrich.
  • And the Kings officially announced in a press release that rookie Ben McLemore had been signed: "The Sacramento Kings today signed first-round draft pick Ben McLemore to a contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. Sacramento selected McLemore with the seventh-overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed." 

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Recap Of Deadline Trades

February 21st, 2013 at 7:44pm CST by Sean Highkin

A complete recap of trades that were completed before Thursday's trade deadline:

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Latest On Trade Candidates From Reno

January 11th, 2013 at 7:40pm CST by Sean Highkin

Marc Stein of ESPN.com attended the NBA D-League Showcase in Reno, Nevada this week, where many NBA GMs and executives were present. He posted a roundup of trade-related chatter he heard during the event:

  • The Raptors are making the hardest push for Rudy Gay, offering the Grizzlies a package that includes Jose Calderon and Ed Davis. Memphis is still undecided as to whether they will move Gay.
  • There is a growing sense from front offices around the league that the Lakers will not ultimately trade Pau Gasol this season.
  • Teams have continued to ask the Kings about DeMarcus Cousins, and were told that he is not available.
  • A source told Stein that it is highly unlikely the Bucks will move Brandon Jennings before the end of the season.
  • The Jazz are more likely to trade Al Jefferson than Paul Millsap, even though both are free agents this summer.
  • The Hornets are not expected to trade Eric Gordon, despite previous rumors that he may be available.
  • Despite his recent statement that he intends on staying retired, the Nets are still making a hard push to convince Phil Jackson to be their next head coach.
  • Stein lists several players as having been made known to be available by their teams, including the Raptors' Andrea Bargnani, the Spurs' DeJuan Blair, the Cavs' Omri Casspi, the Rockets' Cole Aldrich, and the Bucks' Drew Gooden, Samuel Dalembert, and Beno Udrih.
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