David West Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Kings, Rivers, West

July 2nd, 2015 at 11:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Kings blundered when they agreed to a cap-clearing trade with the Sixers before they had a commitment from someone on which they could use that cap flexibility, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller opines. Besides, the Kings aren’t exactly inspiring confidence with primary targets such as Monta Ellis, who’s since agreed to sign with the Pacers, Rajon Rondo and Wesley Matthews, Ziller adds. It’s the latest in a string of puzzling decisions in Sacramento, as SportsBusiness Daily rounds up.

Here’s more from around the league:

Though he didn’t rule out a return to the Clippers, free agent guard Austin Rivers says that he intends to explore his options before making a decision, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
Draymond Green‘s representatives used Tristan Thompson‘s proposed deal with the Cavaliers as a baseline for their negotiations with the Warriors, Sam Amick of USA Today notes (on Twitter). Thompson is reportedly close to landing a deal in the $80MM-$82MM range, Amick adds.
The Warriors promoted Larry Harris to director of player personnel and hired Lachlan Penfold as head of physical performance/sports medicine, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweets.
Free agent forward David West is most likely to end up with either the Wizards or the Spurs, Stein tweets.
The Nuggets and unrestricted free agent Darrell Arthur have been engaged in productive talks about a new contract, but no deal appears to be imminent, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Arthur has drawn interest from several teams across the league, including the Pistons and Wizards, Dempsey notes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

David West Opts Out From Pacers

June 30th, 2015 at 1:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

JUNE 30TH, 1:12pm: The Pacers didn’t receive paperwork indicating that West would opt in by Monday night’s deadline for him to do so, so he has officially opted out, the team confirms, as Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports reports (Twitter link).

JUNE 24TH, 2:07pm: David West has decided to turn down his $12.6MM player option, reports Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). President of basketball operations Larry Bird wouldn’t confirm the report, telling Buckner that he hasn’t spoken with West or agent Jeff Austin (Twitter link). His choice gives the team the chance to open the cap space necessary for a legitimate run at Monta Ellis, in whom the Pacers reportedly have interest.

Mystery had surrounded West’s intentions with the option, just as it does with Roy Hibbert, who possesses a player option worth more than $15.514MM, though Pacers coach Frank Vogel said this spring that he had a gut feeling that West would opt in. That proved incorrect, and now West, who turns 35 in August, is free to seek out a new team or see if he can pry more salary, a longer deal, or both from Indiana.

The Raptors reportedly pursued West via trade at the deadline, and Toronto still appears to have a need at power forward. Indiana appeared reluctant to part with him as it chased a playoff berth last season. Bird has made it clear he wants to change the team’s style of play to a more up-tempo attack, and while he seemed to push Hibbert to opt out, it would be tough for the Pacers to implement a small-ball style if Hibbert opts in and West re-signs.

Latest On David West, Knicks

June 30th, 2015 at 8:09am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 8:09am: West doesn’t want to play for the Knicks, preferring a team in better position to contend for the title, an NBA source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post.

THURSDAY, 6:57pm: David West is likely to sign with the Knicks when he becomes eligible to do so after the July Moratorium, a source tells Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The power forward had his mind set on New York before reportedly deciding this week to opt out, Zwerling hears.

West turned down $12.6MM from the Pacers to hit free agency, though it’s unclear if he’d be willing to take less to secure a long-term deal with New York. The Knicks are expected to have plenty of cap room this summer, though the team would presumably attempt to go after more marquee free agents before circling back to the veteran who turns 35 in August.

Indiana would have the capacity to target Monta Ellis if West is indeed out of the picture for the Pacers.

Knicks Rumors: West, Monroe, Lopez, Hernangomez

June 28th, 2015 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks will definitely get a meeting with free agent forward David West, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Their prospects of signing West will depend on their success with other free agent targets — a list expected to include LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe and DeMarre Carroll — but Stein says he’s a “serious” name that they’re pursuing (Twitter link). It was reported this week that West is determined to sign with New York. West, 35, opted out of his contract with the Pacers last week.

There’s more from the Big Apple as free agency approaches:

The Knicks would love to add Aldridge or Marc Gasol, but Frank Isola of The Daily News argues that Greg Monroe is a more realistic target. Aldridge is probably headed to the Spurs, Lakers or Mavericks, Isola writes, while Gasol is likely to stay in Memphis. Isola notes that Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy acknowledged that Monroe will probably leave Detroit, and The Daily News reported in April that the Knicks are front-runners for his services. Monroe will meet with the team this week.
West and Robin Lopez could give New York the short-term fix it needs in free agency, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. He said the two veterans could probably be obtained for about the same amount it would cost to get Monroe, who is expected to command an annual salary starting at $15MM. Portland’s Wesley Matthews is another likely target following the draft-day trade of Tim Hardaway Jr. to Atlanta. However, Berman points out that Matthews is seeking an annual salary near $13MM, even in the wake of a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture, while San Antonio’s Danny Green could be available for less.
The Knicks have big plans for Guillermo Hernangomez, Berman writes in a separate story. New York sees the No. 35 pick, who was acquired from the Sixers for two future second-round selections, as a potential rotation player in 2016/17. Hernangomez will spend the upcoming season in the Spanish League, as his buyout is too large to consider, Berman writes.

Pacers Rumors: Hibbert, West, Stuckey, Scola

April 17th, 2015 at 11:21am CST by Chuck Myron

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird spoke today of shifting toward a small-ball approach and said that it would be the plan regardless of what Roy Hibbert does with his $15.514MM player option for next season, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star relays (Twitter links). Coach Frank Vogel said Hibbert’s role will be “diminished” and wouldn’t dismiss the idea that he’ll bench the center, Buckner notes (All four Twitter links). It’s forboding news for the slow-footed Hibbert, Buckner observes (on Twitter), and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com wonders if Bird’s remarks are intended to try to convince Hibbert to opt out (Twitter link). Bird said he has “no clue” what Hibbert will do with the option, Buckner points out (on Twitter). Windhorst finds it difficult to envision the big man turning down that much money, though Hibbert’s agent, David Falk, has had no shortage of success in finding the right deal on the market for Hibbert and his other clients, the ESPN scribe notes (on Twitter). There’s plenty more from the exit interviews in Indiana, and we’ll sum up the most relevant information here:

Bird said he didn’t know what David West would do with his $12.6MM player option, though he added that West had made references to next year when they spoke earlier, Buckner tweets. Vogel said that he has a gut feeling that West will opt in, but while he expects Hibbert will also do so, he emphasized that it’s just his speculation about the center, Buckner notes (Twitter links).
All of the Pacers who are set to become free agents expressed a desire to re-sign with the Pacers, Bird said, adding that whether that happens for all of them remains up in the air, as Buckner relays (Twitter link).
It’s important for the Pacers that soon-to-be free agent Rodney Stuckey re-signs, Bird believes, and he’s optimistic they’ll get a deal done, according to Buckner (on Twitter). “We need guys like Rodney,” Bird said.
Bird expressed hope that the team would re-sign Luis Scola, too, but the exec doesn’t think the Pacers will retain C.J. Watson, Buckner notes (Twitter links). It’s unclear whether Bird simply doesn’t intend to pursue a new deal with Watson or if he thinks the point guard will command more on the market than the Pacers will be willing to pay.

Atlantic Notes: Olynyk, West, Robinson

March 4th, 2015 at 7:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thomas Robinson is now playing for his fifth NBA team since being selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. Though the Sixers claimed him off of waivers as much for his contract as for his talent, the big man hopes to use his opportunity in Philadelphia to silence critics that have labeled him a draft bust, Chris Mannix of SI.com writes. When asked what he was hoping for in Philly, Robinson said, “A chance, man. I know what I can do. I’m just keeping it simple here; rebound, defend, get to the open spots. Energy and toughness is my game. That’s who I am as a player right now.”

Here’s the latest out of the Atlantic Division:

ESPN.com Insider Chad Ford (subscription required) believes that the Sixers would be the team most likely to use the No. 1 overall pick to select Emmanuel Mudiay instead of Jahlil Okafor, who is the consensus top pick amongst scouts. Ford also thinks that the Magic would select Karl-Anthony Towns over Okafor if given the opportunity, since Towns would slot in better alongside Nikola Vucevic, Orlando’s starting center.
The Raptors were interested in acquiring David West from the Pacers prior to the February trade deadline, but the impending return of Paul George from injury and the wide open Eastern Conference negated any chance of a deal, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com tweets.
Center Kelly Olynyk is expected to make his return to the Celtics‘ lineup tonight after missing over a month with a sprained right ankle, Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com relays. “I don’t know what to expect,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said of Olynyk. “I watched him play 3 on 3 yesterday and he looked good to me. So hopefully he can give us what he gives us and that is a skilled offensive guy and a guy defensively with some savvy.”

Reaction To Nuggets’ Firing Of Brian Shaw

March 3rd, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post takes Ty Lawson to task in a piece written before the Nuggets fired Brian Shaw today, and Hochman doesn’t completely believe Shaw is to blame for Lawson’s struggles of late. The post scribe passes along a comment from Shaw in response to a question about whether he should have tried a different approach to coaching Lawson this season.

“I believe what I’m doing. I don’t know if I’d say I’d do anything differently,” Shaw said. “There are a lot of circumstances that when [we talk to the media], I can’t talk about. I’ve always tried to be as honest as I possibly can. But there are also a lot of things I can’t say, because these are young men, and I look at them like I do my three kids — they make mistakes because they’re young. Our philosophy has been — make new mistakes, don’t make the same old mistakes. I feel obligated that when a guy makes a mistake — and I’m not talking about on the court, I’m talking about off the court — that I say, ‘I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon and dump on him because he made a mistake.’ “

Ultimately, those mistakes cost Shaw his job, and there’s plenty of news surrounding Denver’s decision apart from the latest on likely candidates, which we passed along earlier. Here’s more surrounding the firing:

There were moments of tension between Shaw and Lawson in the locker room this season, several league sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).
It was just days ago that Nuggets GM Tim Connelly said that Brian Shaw’s job was “absolutely” safe in comments the executive made in an video interview with The Denver Post’s Woody Paige and Les Shapiro, as Christopher Dempsey of the Post notes in his story on Shaw’s dismissal.
Shaw knew the “1, 2, 3 … six weeks!” chant the Nuggets gave as they broke a huddle Friday was a reference to the time left in the season, a league source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Shaw claimed Monday that the chant was about the six weeks that had passed since the team’s last home victory.
Pacers power forward David West pointed to a lack of “grownups” on the Nuggets roster as he expressed his disdain for the firing, notes Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com (on Twitter). Shaw coached West, who has a $12.6MM player option for next season, when he was a Pacers assistant.

Goran Dragic Rumors: Wednesday

February 18th, 2015 at 11:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The ultimatum that Goran Dragic‘s agent, Bill Duffy, issued to the Suns late Wednesday when he told them his client wouldn’t re-sign with the team this summer set in motion of flurry of trade rumors surrounding the league’s reigning Most Improved Player. We’ll round up the rest of today’s Dragic news here, with any additional updates added to the top:

The Suns are trying to attach Zoran Dragic to any trade packages involving his brother, Goran, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The Suns signed Zoran to a two-year contract last summer, largely as a way to make Goran feel more comfortable with re-signing with the organization, Wojnarowski notes.

11:20pm update:

According to a league source, no deal appears likely between the Lakers and Suns for Dragic, Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times reports.

9:18pm update:

Dragic’s concern in regards to being dealt to Boston is that he would be walking into a similar situation as the one he is caught in in Phoenix, a roster with an abundance of guards, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. The Celtics already have Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Evan Turner, and Phil Pressey, all of whom share the ball-handling duties for the team.

8:20pm update:

The Suns’ asking price for Dragic is a young player with significant potential and a first-round draft pick or two first-round picks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.

7:24pm update:

Coro’s full piece has more of Dragic’s input. “They give promises, OK. It’s hard. But at the same time, I wish them all the best,” Dragic said of the Suns. “They were great to me the past five years. I’m always going to have a good memory about Phoenix fans and the city. I just hit that point of my career that it’s better for me and my family to move on.”

3:53pm update:

The Suns are still resisting any Dragic deals and remain active in their attempts to trade Thomas instead, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Still, Dragic’s camp has complained to GM Ryan McDonough multiple occasions this season, Deveney hears.

2:01pm update:

Dragic told reporters today that he wants out of Phoenix because his role changed, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links). “I don’t feel comfortable with the situation,” Dragic said. The guard also called out the Suns front office. “I don’t trust them anymore,” he said.

1:39pm update:

The Knicks and Lakers lack the motivation, as well as the assets, necessary to make a competitive offer for Dragic because they know they have the cap flexibility to sign him in free agency this summer even without his Bird rights, Wojnarowski writes.

12:43pm update:

The Suns are more focused on talking with the Celtics, Rockets, Kings and others than with any of Dragic’s preferred destinations, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

11:47am update:

There’s a decent chance the Suns would attach Miles Plumlee to Dragic in a trade, Stein reports (on Twitter). The Knicks and Lakers reportedly have interest in both Dragic and Plumlee.

10:55am update:

Teams that have spoken with the Suns remain unconvinced the team will trade him, as it appears Phoenix is willing to call Dragic’s bluff and tempt him with the five-year deal that no other team could offer if the Suns keep him through the deadline, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter links).

10:15am update:

The Lakers and Knicks top Dragic’s preferred locations, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Phoenix offered Isaiah Thomas instead to the Lakers last week after the purple-and-gold made a pitch for Dragic, but the Lakers rejected that idea, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com adds to Stein’s story. The Suns this week showed a willingness to talk about a Dragic deal with the Lakers if they removed the top-five protection on the pick L.A. owes Phoenix, but the Lakers turned down that idea, too, Shelburne also reports.
The lack of minutes that the Suns are giving Zoran Dragic is believed to be part of Goran’s frustration with the team, Stein writes in the same piece.

8:34am updates:

The Pacers are conveying the sense that they want to stand pat, and while the prospect of a Dragic trade will be tempting, it’s hard to see Indiana putting together a package that convinces the Suns to trade him there, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). Wojnarowski on Tuesday noted interest from the Pacers and heard that they were a team that Dragic might be willing to commit to.
Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report hears a somewhat different story on the Pacers, whom his sources say are instead looking to move one of their high-salaried veterans to create the cap flexibility necessary to sign Dragic this summer. They’re believed to be willing to trade anyone aside from Paul George to accomplish that, Bucher writes. Bucher suggests that the team would be less willing to trade Roy Hibbert than David West or George Hill.
The Suns want a first-round pick as part of any package for Dragic, sources tell Bucher for the same piece.
Dragic is the No. 1 target of the Rockets, Bucher hears. It’s likely that the Rockets would give up Patrick Beverley in a trade for Dragic, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Assuming Beverley wouldn’t head out in a trade that brings Dragic to Houston, Beverley’s free agent stock would go down, and Beverley and Dragic are both BDA Sports clients, Wojnarowski notes (Twitter link). Dragic has signaled an unwillingness to make a long-term commitment to the Rockets.

Kyler’s Latest: Dragic, Deng, Garnett, Lawson

February 17th, 2015 at 10:09am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have engaged the Suns in talks as they keep an eye on Goran Dragic, just as the Lakers have done, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. The Knicks and Lakers would be on board with trading for a player whom they could otherwise just wait to sign outright in free agency this summer, like Dragic, but it doesn’t seem that either would give up major assets in any such swap. Kyler has plenty more new information with the trade deadline just two days off, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

Miami is open to trading Luol Deng, according to Kyler, who suggests that the veteran small forward isn’t garnering the sort of interest it would take for him to be traded. Kyler also lists Norris Cole, Chris Andersen and Danny Granger as players the Heat are making available, which jibes with earlier reports on all three.
Golden State is “more than” interested in Kevin Garnett, Kyler hears, which advances a suggestion from Grantland’s Zach Lowe on Monday that the Warriors would like to try to convince Garnett to waive his no-trade clause. The 20th-year veteran reportedly has no plans to seek a buyout.
The Bucks are “being linked” to Ty Lawson, Kyler writes, though it’s unclear just what sort of interest is there.
The Bulls would think about trading Tony Snell for a veteran shooting guard who fits what they’re looking for, Kyler writes. Still, while Chicago is speaking generally about doing some deals before the deadline, the team doesn’t appear to be willing to give up what it would take, according to Kyler.
The Suns are making Gerald Green available, according to Kyler.
Charlotte has interest in Wilson Chandler, but the Hornets would prefer to trade for Arron Afflalo, as Kyler hears. That’s the reverse of the Blazers‘ apparent preference. The Bulls are “sniffing at” both players, too, Kyler adds, nonetheless casting doubt once more on whether Chicago is willing to give up the assets necessary to swing a deal.
Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas have come up in trade rumors, but it’s more likely that the Raptors deal someone on an expiring contract, according to Kyler, naming Landry Fields, Tyler Hansbrough and Amir Johnson as examples.
Sources close to the Pacers tell Kyler that David West is likely to opt in with the Pacers for next season, when his contract calls for him to make $12.6MM.
There is “a sense” that the Magic are making Ben Gordon and Luke Ridnour available, Kyler says.

Raptors Seek West, Mull Ross, Valanciunas Deal

February 16th, 2015 at 4:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:42pm: It’s “all quiet on the trade front” for the Raptors at present, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.

11:08am: The Pacers are leaning against trading West unless he makes a push for a trade, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who believes that the power forward is unlikely to agitate for such a move (Twitter links).

10:41am: The Raptors are pursuing David West and they have considered trading Terrence Ross if they receive the right offer, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Executives from opponents who’ve spoken with the Raptors tell Kennedy that Toronto has thought about packaging Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas for a star (Twitter links). The Raptors have been listening to offers for Ross, several league sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe. Still, Lowe senses the team will keep him, as he says on Twitter, and a Raptors source told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that the team had “absolutely not” engaged teams about dealing for the former eighth overall pick (on Twitter). Ross has struggled of late but Toronto coach Dwane Casey remains a fan, Deveney hears (Twitter link).

Fellow Basketball Insiders scribe Steve Kyler wrote a couple of weeks ago that league sources had mentioned West’s name, among others, in connection with the Raptors. Lowe heard earlier this season that the Pacers were open to dealing West for a first-round pick, but that talk of that had dried up. The Grantland columnist makes much the same point in his latest dispatch, writing that West has been “available off and on” for that first-rounder over the last couple of months, according to several league sources. Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said recently that West hadn’t given him an indication of whether he’d exercise his $12.6MM player option for next season.

The Raptors are within $1MM of the tax threshold, so taking in West’s $12MM for this season would be troublesome unless they offloaded others. Ross and Valanciunas only make about $6.472MM combined this season on their rookie scale contracts, each of which runs through 2015/16, though West doesn’t fit the description of the star they’re apparently looking for. The team hadn’t been making it any easier to deal Ross in spite of the small forward’s disappointing play, as Deveney wrote late last month, and there hasn’t been much chatter surrounding Valanciunas, the fifth overall pick from 2011, so it would appear as though the Raptors would want a marquee return. That’s a problem for any potential deal, since there don’t appear to be any stars on the trade market, as Kennedy notes via Twitter.