Corey Brewer Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Love, Leonard, Smith

December 23rd, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The end of Kevin Love‘s time with Minnesota was “pretty much set in stone” in January 2012 when he inked a four-year extension with a player option after year three instead of a five-year extension, Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders admits, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. The move that owner Glen Taylor and former GM David Kahn made to withhold a five-year extension from the budding superstar seemingly came back to bite Saunders, Kahn’s successor, when Love made it clear this summer that he’d leave the team via free agency in 2015. Still, Love insists it wasn’t the primary reason he wanted out.

“I don’t know, I think more than anything I just wanted to win,” Love said. “Now that we’re doing it here, I’m very happy. I think that was very shortsighted when it first happened, but in the end it was more the constant losing.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich relayed that Kawhi Leonard may end up needing surgery this offseason to repair the torn ligament in his right hand, Mike Monroe of The San Antonio Express-News reports (Twitter link). Leonard is set to become a restricted free agent after the season.
A pair of D-League assignments this season have not impacted Pelicans rookie Russ Smith‘s confidence, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”If I go back down, then I’ll just go down and get better,” Smith said. ”But if I’m up here [with the Pelicans], I’ll get better as well. So it’s a win-win situation.” In six games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Smith has averaged 16.5 points, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals.
Houston’s newest acquisition, Corey Brewer, said he didn’t expect his transition to the Rockets to be so easy, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes (Twitter links). “But you get out there with these guys, and they make it easy,” Brewer said. His new coach, Kevin McHale was especially happy to have Brewer on the team, Creech adds. McHale called Brewer, “a breath of fresh air,” and also added that Brewer “plays without an agenda.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Cavs Eye Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez

December 22nd, 2014 at 1:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs have interest in twins Brook Lopez and Robin Lopez, but their respective salaries mean the acquisition of either is unlikely, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Brook Lopez makes more than $15.719MM and has a player option worth in excess of $16.744MM for 2015/16. Robin Lopez is set for free agency this summer after he earns nearly $6.124MM this season. The Nets are reportedly willing to trade Brook Lopez, who’s also drawn interest from the Hornets, but there are no such rumors surrounding Robin Lopez, who’s set to miss several more weeks with a broken hand. Robin Lopez also recently indicated a contentment with playing in Portland.

Cleveland continues to search for help at center, as the Cavs are one of the teams in the mix for Kosta Koufos, and they tried over a period of months to pry Timofey Mozgov from the Nuggets. However, the Cavs and Nuggets haven’t spoken about Mozgov recently, a source tells Amico. Cavs GM David Griffin and company have reportedly made several passes at the Blazers for Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez’s teammate, but Cleveland doesn’t have as much interest in the shooting guard as previously indicated, Amico writes. The Cavs have used 35-year-old backup center Brendan Haywood sparingly this season, but Amico hears that other teams have expressed their interest in him because of his contract, an unusually valuable asset, as I explained earlier.

The Cavs also had talks about acquiring Corey Brewer, though they never became serious, league sources tell Amico. Minnesota wanted draft picks and likely a player in return, Amico adds, which falls in line with what the Wolves received when they shipped Brewer to Houston instead.

And-Ones: Koufos, Brewer, Pistons, Hayward

December 21st, 2014 at 10:14pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Cavs have reportedly expressed interested in Grizzlies reserve center Kosta Koufos, and Memphis coach Dave Joerger can understand why. “The guy’s a starting center in my mind,” Joerger told reporters, including Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “I don’t want to say [for] eight teams, 10 teams. That’s not for me to say. But I believe he’s a starting center in this league. He’s absolutely the greatest teammate to be around.” Koufos has been stuck behind Marc Gasol on the Grizzlies’ depth chart this season, so while his minutes have been kept low, he’ll be an intriguing trade candidate going forward. As we wait to see if the 21-6 Grizzlies opt to move the 25-year-old or stand pat, let’s round up more from around the NBA:

Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said he decided to trade Corey Brewer when he learned the 28-year-old was planning to turn down his 2015/16 player option, relays Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The improved play of Shabazz Muhammad was another factor that aided in Saunders’ decision to move Brewer, Greder notes.
In wake of a disappointing 5-23 start to the season, Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy admits that focusing on the future is the highest priority for the team, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com transcribes. “The future certainly is the utmost priority at this point,” Van Gundy said. “The goals haven’t changed. We want to build a contending team. Rather than sacrifice the future to try to get to whatever number of wins is not probably the smart way to go. We’re still going to try to win as many as we can, but in terms of personnel moves, everything’s got to be aimed toward the future.“
The Hornets offered then-restricted free agent Gordon Hayward a maximum-salary contract last summer, but the Jazz elected to match Charlotte’s offer sheet and bring the swingman back to Utah. Derrick Favors expressed relief that the Jazz re-signed Hayward and believes the new deal has helped his teammate grow as a player, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News details.

Western Notes: Rockets, Williams, Green

December 20th, 2014 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Houston may have lost to the Hawks Saturday night, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the newest Rockets, reports Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. Corey Brewer and Alexey Shved left cellar-dwelling teams to join the Rockets in Friday’s three-team trade. They couldn’t play Saturday because all the players in the deal hadn’t undergone physicals in time, but they were happy to be in Houston. “In Minnesota we were the last seed and now I am with a team competing for the playoffs,” Brewer said, “so I am really excited to be here.”

There’s more from the Western Conference:

Troy Daniels, who was shipped from Houston to the Timberwolves in the Brewer deal, has an unlikely new teammate, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. As a member of the Trail Blazers, Mo Williams tried to intimidate Daniels during their playoff series last spring. Now that they’re teammates, Williams downplays the incident. “It’s all in competition and it was all in fun on my part,” he said. “He really didn’t do anything to me. He just made a couple of shots and I was like, ‘Where did this kid come from?’ It was like, ‘Let me get in his head, being the veteran I am,’ and I got a lot of attention on me, which was good.”
The Suns‘ Gerald Green has spent time in the D-League and been cut in China, so the soon-to-be free agent tells Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic he won’t be fazed by bad shooting nights. Green has been pulled from the last two games in the fourth quarter, but doesn’t plan to change anything. “If I’ve gotten to this point, nothing is going to make me not do what I need to do. I’m never going to stop because I had a bad game,” he said.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy got a surprise visitor after Wednesday’s game with the Mavericks, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Dropping by was Jameer Nelson, who told his former coach how happy he was to be in Dallas. The next day, Nelson was shipped to Boston as part of the package for Rajon Rondo. “He’s not a guy who’s going to pout or hang his head or anything else,” Van Gundy said of Nelson’s transition to the Celtics. “Not only a good player, they got a great locker room voice and a great teammate.”

Eastern Notes: Rondo, Muscala, Cavs, Nelson

December 20th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said that lingering uncertainty about Rajon Rondo‘s future in Boston, along with the team’s inability to immediately surround him with impact players, contributed to his decision to trade him to the Mavs, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reports. “There was definitely uncertainty into what might happen [with Rondo as a free agent] this summer,” Ainge said. “That was a big factor. We liked the players that we got in the trade. But, listen, with his impending free agency, and the uncertainty of what might happen this summer, I think that gave us the impetus of wanting to do a deal.”

Here’s more out of the East:

Ainge also discussed how difficult it was to trade away a player like Rondo, Forsberg adds. “It was hard. Yeah, it was very difficult to move Rajon,” Ainge said. “I know it’s a business in professional sports, but you really develop a lot of close relationships and I loved watching Rajon, I loved visiting with him, our one-on-one conversations were fun, entertaining, frustrating sometimes. And always a surprise. The guy was a very unique person. But watching him grow and watching him develop as a man and as a person and as a basketball player, I just enjoyed my interactions with him. It was an emotional time as we met last night. It was not an easy thing to do. But I believe it was the right thing to do.“
The Hawks have recalled Mike Muscala from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter link). This was Muscala’s second jaunt of the season to Fort Wayne, and in three D-League games, he has averaged 15 points and 9.7 rebounds.
Cavs GM David Griffin considered trading for Corey Brewer, but decided that he wanted to hang on to Cleveland’s $5.3MM trade exception, Terry Pluto of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports. Griffin has decided to wait instead, with his primary goal being to add a big man who can protect the rim and rebound, Pluto notes.
The Celtics and Jameer Nelson have had preliminary discussions on his future role with the team and “what if” possibilities before the February trade deadline, but buyout negotiations have not taken place yet, Shams Charania of RealGM reports.

Rockets Acquire Corey Brewer

December 19th, 2014 at 8:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:15pm: The trade is official, the Rockets have announced in a press release. Houston received Alexey Shved from the Sixers and Corey Brewer from the Wolves. Minnesota received Troy Daniels, along with the Kings’ 2015 second round pick (protected for picks 50-60), Houston’s 2016 second round pick (protected for picks 31-45) and cash considerations from the Rockets. Philadelphia received Houston’s 2015 second round pick and the rights to Serhiy Lishchuk from the Rockets, and Ronny Turiaf from Minnesota. The Rockets have also officially waived Francisco Garcia to reduce their roster count to 15.

5:52pm: The Sixers will also receive the rights to Serhiy Lishchuk from the Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter link). Lishouk was the No. 49 overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft.

5:24pm: Alexey Shved is likely to head to the Rockets as part of the deal, and Turiaf will go to the Sixers, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter links). Houston intends to release Garcia rather than include him in the trade, Wojnarowski also notes.

2:58pm: The Wolves receive Sacramento’s 2015 second-round pick, which the Kings previously sent to the Rockets, as long as it’s within the top 49 selections, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). The 2016 second-rounder going Minnesota’s way is Houston’s own, Zgoda adds.

2:48pm: Minnesota and Houston discussed Rockets swingman Francisco Garcia, Wolfson hears (Twitter link), though it’s unclear if he’ll be part of the final arrangement.

2:22pm: The Rockets are also sending cash to Minnesota in the deal, Feigen tweets.

1:36pm: The Wolves and Rockets have struck a deal that will send Corey Brewer to Houston, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Troy Daniels heads to Minnesota as part of the deal, Wojnarowski also tweets. Ronny Turiaf, who’s likely out for the season, is headed to the Rockets, though there’s a decent chance that he’ll wind up on a third team, Wojnarowski adds (on Twitter). Minnesota-Houston deal itself is liable to involve another team, too, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). As the deal stands, two future second-round picks are also heading from the Rockets to Minnesota, one of which is the 2015 second-rounder that Houston had acquired from the Kings, though the draft considerations are still being hammered out, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

Houston GM Daryl Morey and his staff had been pushing to use a trade exception worth nearly $8.375MM by no later than today so that the Rockets could flip whomever they acquired in another trade that aggregates that player’s salary prior to the trade deadline. It’s not immediately clear what the other elements of the Brewer deal are, but the Rockets are indeed taking Brewer’s salary of nearly $4.703MM into the exception, as Wojnarowski writes in a full story and Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets.

The teams first discussed a Brewer deal last month before Minnesota appeared to take him off the table amid injury woes. At the time it seemed as though Brewer’s suitors were pushing for him to waive his $4.905MM player option for next season, but it’s unclear if Houston was hung up on that notion or whether Brewer has indeed done so. The Cavs were also keen on acquiring Brewer both in November and this week, when Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders reignited the talks. Reports indicated that the Clippers had interest at both points, too, and the Heat were apparently eyeing Brewer at least during the initial round of talks.

Houston’s coaching staff is reportedly enamored with Brewer, and, as Wojnarowski writes, it’s primarily his defense at the small forward position that’s driven the Rockets to make the deal. Still, that’s somewhat odd, since the Rockets have given up the second fewest points per 100 possessions in the league so far, per NBA.com, even without Brewer. His game seems an awkward fit for Houston, as I examined when I looked at Brewer’s trade candidacy. A November report from Feigen that first revealed Houston’s eagerness to use the trade exception, a vestige of this summer’s Jeremy Lin trade that doesn’t expire until this coming July, suggested that the Rockets were merely trying to bolster their rotation, regardless of fit. Thus, Houston could put together a more attractive trade offer in pursuit of a star at the deadline, when the Rockets would be able to aggregate the salary of whomever they used the exception on with other salaries.

The Wolves, who are in a rebuilding stage, as Saunders recently admitted, announced earlier this week that Turiaf is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing hip surgery. He’d appeared in only two games so far this season because of the lingering hip injury, and his contract, which pays him a guaranteed $1.5MM this year, is up at season’s end. Saunders indicated this week that Minnesota would waive Turiaf if an intriguing free agent came available, but instead the 10th-year veteran is departing the Wolves via trade.

Daniels is heading to Minnesota after re-signing with the Rockets this past summer on a two-year deal that’s fully guaranteed for the minimum salary. The 23-year-old swingman was surprising playoff hero for Houston last spring, but he’s seen just 6.4 minutes per game across 17 appearances for the Rockets this season.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Rondo, Mekel, Conley

December 19th, 2014 at 3:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets were runners-up in the Rajon Rondo sweepstakes, but they’re set to land Corey Brewer, whom they’d reportedly been targeting for a while. Brewer is excited to reunite with Rockets coach Kevin McHale, who was behind Minnesota’s decision to draft Brewer seventh overall in 2007, as the swingman tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Still, Brewer made it clear wasn’t anxious to leave the Wolves and never asked for or wanted a trade, Zgoda tweets, which seems to conflict with an ESPN.com report indicating that he had requested that the Wolves send him to a contending team.

“Kind of mixed emotions just because I really love Minnesota,” Brewer said to Zgoda. “People don’t understand how much I love Minnesota. I wanted to end my career here. That’s why I signed back here. I thought it’d be possible, but I understand we’re going young. It’s going to be a few years, but the Wolves have great, young talent.”

Brewer, who has a $4.905MM player option for next season, can hit free agency this summer. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

New Mavs point guard Rajon Rondo wanted out of Boston, friend and former teammate Kendrick Perkins says, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports notes via Twitter. Rondo made several public statements indicating his fondness for the Celtics prior to the trade.
It’s unclear whether Brewer waived his player option as part of the Rockets deal, but Chase Budinger indicated that he wouldn’t do so with his $5MM player option when the Rockets gauged whether he would, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears (Twitter link).
Troy Daniels is disappointed that he’s leaving the Rockets as part of the Brewer trade agreement, he tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, though he added that he’s hopeful that he’ll see more playing time in Minnesota than he has in Houston.
Pelicans coach Monty Williams confirmed that the team isn’t ruling out a new deal with Gal Mekel, whom New Orleans waived earlier today, observes Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune (Twitter link). That jibes with this morning’s report from David Pick of Eurobasket.com that the Pelicans hope Mekel clears waivers.
Mike Conley is a bargain for the Grizzlies, making just slightly more than $8.694MM this year on a contract that expires after next season, and an Eastern Conference executive tells Chris Mannix of SI.com that the point guard would garner at least $14MM annually on the open market.

Corey Brewer Back On Trade Block

December 18th, 2014 at 6:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

6:58pm: The discussions between Houston and Minnesota include the possibility of Ronny Turiaf heading to the Rockets as well, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.com tweets.

THURSDAY, 6:20pm: The Rockets are involved in trade talks with the Wolves regarding Brewer and hope to have an agreement in place by Friday, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports.

WEDNESDAY, 8:25pm: The Timberwolves have placed veteran swingman Corey Brewer back on the trade block, Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com report. Minnesota, which has been hit hard by injuries and is dead last in the Western Conference with a record of 5-19, are again engaging contending teams in discussions for Brewer. The Rockets, Cavaliers, and Clippers are the franchises most interested in acquiring Brewer, Windhorst and Stein note. The Heat have also been mentioned as being interested in the swingman’s services.

Minnesota had made Brewer available in trade talks back in November, but then pulled hm off of the trade market, with team president Flip Saunders saying that the 28-year-old defensive whiz was “too valuable to trade.” This was due in part to the loss of Kevin Martin to a broken wrist, and Ricky Rubio to an ankle injury, which left Minnesota rather thin in its backcourt, note the ESPN scribes. Saunders had acknowledged last week that the Wolves had switched their focus from retooling to rebuilding in light of the rash of injuries and their poor record, which explains why Brewer is suddenly being made available again.

Houston and Cleveland remain in the best position to make a deal because both teams possess an active trade exception large enough to absorb Brewer’s $4.7MM salary, note Stein and Windhorst. But their sources say that the Wolves are seeking a future first-round pick in exchange for Brewer, something that the Cavaliers are reluctant to surrender. Both the Rockets and the Cavs could certainly benefit from Brewer’s strong perimeter defense and versatility.

As for the Rockets, Houston hopes to sell Minnesota on trading Brewer for the Knicks’ 2015 second-rounder that the Rockets hold the rights to, which is a pick with the potential to be attractive come June given the Knicks’ ongoing struggles, Stein and Windhorst add.

For his part, Brewer would likely welcome a trade since he admitted last week that he wasn’t too keen on going through another rebuild with the Wolves. “It’s tough for me, I’m not going to lie,” Brewer said. “When I came back here, I wasn’t expecting this, to rebuild again. It comes with the territory. It’s business. It’s basketball. It’s what I love to do. So I wake up every day and I come to work.”

For the season, Brewer has appeared in 24 games for Minnesota, including 16 as a starter. He is averaging 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals in 28.3 minutes of action per contest.

Western Notes: Crawford, Moreland, Brewer

December 16th, 2014 at 7:41pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Clippers guard Jamal Crawford is being mentioned quite a bit in exploratory trade talks, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reports (Twitter link). According to Amico, the Kings, Nuggets, and Thunder may take a run at acquiring the veteran guard, though no serious discussions are talking place just yet. In 23 appearances this season, Crawford is averaging 16.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 26.7 minutes per game.

Here’s the latest out of the West:

The Kings have once again recalled Eric Moreland from the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This was Moreland’s fifth sojourn of the season to Reno, and in seven appearances for the Bighorns he has averaged 13.7 points and 1.4 assists per contest.
For the second time this season the Rockets have assigned Clint Capela to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate, the team announced. The 6’10” rookie has made four appearances for the Rockets this season, recording a total of six rebounds, one assist, a steal and a block in 12 total minutes of playing time. In his first stint with the Vipers, Capela played in six games averaging 9.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in 14.1 minutes per contest.
The Rockets‘ coaching staff is enamored with Corey Brewer and are still pursing a trade with the Wolves for the swingman, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets. No deal is imminent, Wolfson adds.
Kevin Durant refuted the notion that players around the league don’t want to play with Kobe Bryant, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. When asked if this perception is why the Lakers have been unable to make a splash in in free agency lately, Durant said, “Excuse my language, but that’s [expletive]. I want to play with a winner every single night, especially somebody who wants to win that bad, who works that hard, who demands a lot, who raises up your level. I’d want to play with a guy like that every day. His style may make people uncomfortable, how he acts and just how he approaches the game, but I love that type of stuff. I think [the accusation] is BS.”

Western Notes: Wolves, Brewer, Lakers, Pelicans

December 11th, 2014 at 11:08am CST by Chuck Myron

Corey Brewer, a trade candidate, admits that he’s not enamored with the idea of going through a youth-focused rebuild with the Timberwolves, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes. Brewer can become a free agent at season’s end if he turns down a $4.703MM player option, and the Cavs, Rockets, Clippers and Heat have reportedly held interest in trading for him this season.

“It’s tough for me, I’m not going to lie,” Brewer said. “When I came back here, I wasn’t expecting this, to rebuild again. It comes with the territory. It’s business. It’s basketball. It’s what I love to do. So I wake up every day and I come to work.”

Still, the Wolves are relying heavily on Brewer for now, as we detail amid the latest from around the Western Conference:

The NBA has granted the Wolves a second 10-day period to keep a 16th roster spot via hardship, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Minnesota is holding on to Jeff Adrien, whom it signed to fill that spot the first time around, even though the team has a need a point guard, too, where Brewer, a swingman, is playing as the backup. “Let’s face the facts: Corey’s not the ideal point guard,” coach/executive Flip Saunders said. “But if something, heaven forbid, happened to Gorgui [Dieng], we have no center on our roster at all.”
The Lakers are still considering the addition of a wing player to the roster, and they’re still keeping a close eye on Roscoe Smith, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Smith, who’s playing for the Lakers D-League affiliate, was one of several players whom the Lakers worked out last month.
The Pelicans have once more assigned Russ Smith to the D-League, the team announced via press release. It’s the second time this season that the team has sent Smith to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. His first assignment was a three-day stint that ended Monday.