DeAndre Jordan Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Pursuing Both Aldridge And Jordan?

June 30th, 2015 at 6:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Executives believe that the Lakers are looking to clear space in order to offer deals to both LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). As Woj previously reported (link), the Lakers are currently working to unload contracts in order to carve out significantly more cap space than they presently have.

On Tuesday, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported that Jordan is tired of being third in line behind Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and wants a larger role on offense. In that story, Broussard painted the Jordan chase as something of a two horse race with a 50/50 shot of him either staying with the Clippers or joining up with the Mavs. Now, it sounds as though Jordan could remain in Los Angeles while changing uniforms. Jordan, who’s said he won’t be “greedy” and seek a one-year deal that would take him to a surging salary cap next summer, can receive more money and a longer contract from the Clippers than from any other team. However, it’s likely that Jordan will sign a four-year deal with a player option on year four no matter which team he signs with, as Broussard reported earlier today. The Mavs, meanwhile, offer the advantage of no state income tax, which neither the Clippers nor Lakers can offer.

The Lakers are set to meet with Aldridge Tuesday night and Kobe Bryant is expected to be a part of their pitch. Magic Johnson, meanwhile, won’t be around for the Lakers’ initial free agent pitches, since he’s on vacation in Europe. On Monday it was reported that the Blazers big man is leaning towards signing with the Lakers.

Latest On DeAndre Jordan

June 30th, 2015 at 11:55am CST by Chuck Myron

11:55am: Jordan is tired of being third in line behind Paul and Blake Griffin and wants a larger role on offense, Broussard hears, as he writes in a full story. There’s a 50% chance he goes to the Mavs and a 50% chance he stays with the Clippers, a source told Broussard.

TUESDAY, 11:13am: It’s likely that Jordan will sign for four years, with a player option after the third, no matter which team he chooses, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That limits the edge the Clippers have as the only team that can offer five years, notes Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).

5:46pm: Jordan is scheduled to meet with the Mavericks, Lakers and Knicks on the first day of free agency on Wednesday, sources told Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). He will meet with the Clippers on Thursday, Turner adds.

MONDAY, 1:15pm: The Clippers have a slight edge, a league source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), which runs counter to what Amick said the Clippers believe (below).

SUNDAY 9:25pm: The Bucks are “a long shot” to land Jordan and it is unlikely they meet with him, reports Sam Amick of USA Today, who cites a person with knowledge of the Bucks’ situation.

Amick tweets that there is some sense from the Clippers’ side that the Mavs have a slight edge in the Jordan sweepstakes, but the upcoming meetings hold weight.

While sources indicate to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times that Jordan will either stay with the Clippers or go to Dallas, an acquaintance of Jordan claims the big man would love to play for the Rockets. Houston, of course, already has a quality center in Dwight Howard.

7:08pm: Jordan will also meet with the Knicks once the free agent negotiating period commences, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports.

1:11pm: The Clippers and Mavs remain the front-runners for Jordan, a source tells Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling, who suggests that the Knicks might end up meeting with the Relativity Sports client, too.

8:17am: Rumors of a rift between DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul are true, and the Mavs, Lakers and Bucks, as well as the Clippers, will have pitch meetings with Jordan at his home when free agent negotiating begins next week, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Chandler Parsons has been recruiting Jordan to the Mavs while the two have been hanging out together in Houston this summer, Turner also hears.

Bill Reiter of Fox Sports 1 first reported last month that Paul and Jordan had a falling out, though teammate Dahntay Jones and Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers separately denied it. Rivers is apparently confident about re-signing the seven-year veteran, whom the Clippers will offer a max deal.

Jordan, who’s said he won’t be “greedy” and seek a one-year deal that would take him to a surging salary cap next summer, can receive more money and a longer contract from the Clippers than from any other team, though the Mavs offer the advantage of no state income tax in Texas. The center, who turns 27 next month, has reportedly expressed serious interest in signing with Dallas, and the Mavs are high on the idea themselves. The Mavs front office has kicked around the idea of a sign-and-trade that would involve Jordan coming Dallas and Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton going to the Clippers, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reported.

Chandler is also an apparent target for the Bucks, along with Brook Lopez, as coach Jason Kidd and GM John Hammond aim high. The draft-night acquisition of Greivis Vasquez nonetheless puts a squeeze on Milwaukee’s finances, and the Bucks would probably have to clear some salary for an estimated $18.96MM max salary for Jordan next season if Jared Dudley opts in.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote last month that the Lakers would love to have Jordan, and he’ll apparently be one of a coterie of big men the team will target in free agency, along with LaMarcus Aldridge, who’s also a Mavs target, and Kevin Love. Interior players will no doubt be a priority for the Lakers, who have max-level cap flexibility, now that the team has used the No. 2 pick on guard D’Angelo Russell.

Bucks To Pursue Brook Lopez, Tyson Chandler

June 30th, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Chuck Myron

JUNE 30TH, 11:01am: It appears the interest between Chandler and the Bucks is mutual, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Some league executives who spoke with ESPN’s Chris Broussard believe he’ll end up in Milwaukee, though the Mavs aren’t out of the running (Twitter link).

JUNE 12TH, 8:27am: The Bucks have grand designs for the summer ahead and plan a hard push to sign at least one of Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler, league sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Bucks, who set themselves up with an additional $7.9MM in cap flexibility with Thursday’s Ersan Ilyasova trade, would also like to go after DeAndre Jordan, but it’s widely regarded a two-team race between the Clippers and Mavericks for his services, Stein also hears.

Lopez has a player option worth more than $16.744MM for next season. Some people around the league told Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times during the spring that they thought Lopez might consider opting out and signing with the Bucks, citing his ties to former Nets and current Bucks coach Jason Kidd. Still, multiple reports from about six weeks ago indicated that it was likely Lopez would turn down his option and re-sign with the Nets, with one opposing GM telling Fred Kerber of the New York Post that Lopez would be back with Brooklyn at the max. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News wrote shortly thereafter that “genuine uncertainty” existed about Lopez’s plans for the option, though Nets GM Billy King has said time and again that the Nets intend to keep Lopez one way or another.

Milwaukee would likely have competition for Lopez even if he does decide to leave the Nets, and speculation, at least, has suggested the Spurs have interest. Lopez and Kidd have a good relationship, Woelfel wrote, but Robert Windrem of NetsDaily casts doubt on that notion, writing that Kidd wasn’t enamored with Lopez’s game during their time together in Brooklyn. Kidd wanted the Nets to trade Lopez and Mirza Teletovic to the Bucks for Ilyasova and Larry Sanders last year, though Kidd made that push knowing that he could end up coaching Milwaukee, according to the NetsDaily scribe.

Chandler, a former teammate of Kidd’s, has made it clear that he would prefer a return to the Mavs, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wrote earlier this week. He isn’t the top priority for Dallas, MacMahon cautions, though the Mavs would like to retain him if they miss out on Jordan. He’s expected to garner at least a three-year, $36MM deal, according to MacMahon. The Bucks, thanks to the Ilyasova deal, could afford that sort of arrangement and a new deal for Khris Middleton, even if Middleton ends up with the max. Milwaukee is set on matching any offer sheets for the soon-to-be restricted free agent, and a source told Stein that the degree of certainty that Middleton will be back with the Bucks is a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Middleton’s diminutive cap hold of slightly more than $2.725MM will help the Bucks have cap space even for a more costly max deal for Lopez, who as a seven-year veteran would be eligible for an estimated starting salary of roughly $19MM. It would get tricky if Lopez lingers on his decision and another team signs Middleton to a lucrative offer sheet that the Bucks would have three days to match, but he couldn’t sign an offer sheet until after the end of the July Moratorium, which runs through July 8th. The Bucks, as it stands, have only about $36MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $67.1MM cap. Milwaukee’s dream scenario involves signing Lopez or Chandler and a well-regarded perimeter defender, according to Stein, who also identifies adding more shooting as one of the team’s priorities.

Doc Rivers Confident DeAndre Jordan Returns

June 15th, 2015 at 8:03pm CST by Will Joseph

By trading Spencer Hawes in a package with Matt Barnes to the Hornets for Lance Stephenson, Clippers President of Basketball Operations and coach Doc Rivers is confident DeAndre Jordan will return to the team, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets.

The Clippers will offer Jordan, who comes in eighth in the latest Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, a max deal, as Rivers has made clear. Rivers nonetheless expressed concern last month about the possibility that he’d walk to another team this summer, so it appears his faith in Jordan’s return has grown. The Mavs have appeared to be a serious threat since late April. Rivers previously expressed concern over whether or not the team would re-sign Jordan.

Hawes was the team’s insurance if Jordan leaves. The Clippers lost confidence in Hawes, who averaged 5.8 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game in the 2014/15 season, Markazi also tweets.

Southwest Notes: Ellis, Llull, Duncan, Collins

June 11th, 2015 at 1:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavs won’t prioritize re-signing Monta Ellis if he opts out in search of a raise, as expected, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Ellis, who made $8.36MM this season, had a negative effect on team chemistry this past season because of his moodiness and selfish behavior, a source told MacMahon. The Mavs prefer to spend on either a combination of LaMarcus Aldridge and Tyson Chandler or DeAndre Jordan and a three-and-D wing player, MacMahon adds. That’s in part because the Mavs believe Chandler Parsons will be better off without Ellis’ on-court and off-court influence, as MacMahon details. Still, the Mavs are liable to change their minds based on unforeseen scenarios, just as they did when they decided to up their offer when they signed Ellis two years ago, MacMahon cautions. I looked further into Ellis scenarios when I examined the offseason ahead for the Mavs. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:

The Rockets have let Sergio Llull know that they’re willing to offer him a three-year deal worth $15-18MM, sources tell Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. Houston GM Daryl Morey batted down a similar report from Javier Maestro of Encestando.es in March, but coach Kevin McHale recently made it clear that the team would like to sign the draft-and-stash point guard. Still, there’s a pricey $4MM buyout attached to Llull’s contract with Real Madrid, Varlas writes, adding that if Llull doesn’t end up in Houston for next season, the team would push to sign draft-and-stash center Marko Todorovic.
Attorneys for Tim Duncan today requested that a trial in his lawsuit against a former financial adviser of his take place next summer so that he won’t miss playing time, tweets Guillermo Contreras of the San Antonio Express-News. That doesn’t necessarily signal that the Spurs star intends to play next season, only that he isn’t ruling it out, writes Express-News scribe Jeff McDonald, though it’s an interesting tidbit nonetheless.
Chris Mannix of SI.com has heard Jarron Collins‘ name bandied about as a possible assistant coach for new Pelicans head man Alvin Gentry (Twitter link). Collins, like Gentry, has spent this past season as a Warriors assistant coach.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Russell, Jordan

May 29th, 2015 at 10:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Shelley Sterling found it appealing that Steve Ballmer would put up all of the money in his bid for the Clippers by himself and not as part of an investment group, since it signaled he’d treat the team like family instead of as another asset, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. “I never wanted to sell it, and we never would’ve sold it,” Sterling said. “But I didn’t want to see it being dismantled. I mean, maybe they wouldn’t even play for the whole year. I didn’t know what the league was going to do. The only thing I knew is that I had to keep the team from being dismantled.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Though many mock drafts peg the Lakers to snag a big man with the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the team is considering Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell at that spot as well, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “For us, we [have] some holes to fill. So it’s not like we only have one need,” coach Byron Scott said. “We have three or four different needs we need to fill. Obviously in this draft, you got two great bigs and you got a great point guard in Russell, as well. We got to wait and see what Minnesota does. So we are going to do our due diligence to bring them in and work them out and go from there.” You can view Hoops Rumors’ full prospect profile for Russell here.
With DeAndre Jordan set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and a challenging salary cap situation for the team to navigate, the Clippers have an important decision to make regarding the big man. Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) breaks down the different scenarios for the franchise regarding re-signing Jordan, as well as what could happen if he departs this offseason.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: D’Alessandro, Draft, Clippers

May 28th, 2015 at 9:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers denies that there is any rift between teammates Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com relays. “I can put this to rest: They get along great,” Rivers told Fred Roggin of The Beast 980. “Clearly, like everybody, they don’t get along all the time, and they don’t get along with me all the time, either, by the way. I don’t see that as an issue. I think all three, and I’m including Blake [Griffin] in this as well, understand how important the other guy is to them. Meaning, they all three need each other to win, and I think all three get that and all three know that and all three want to do it together. To me, that’s the most important thing.”

Here’s the latest out of the NBA’s Pacific Division:

The Clippers held workouts today for Phil Greene, Rayvonte Rice, Cady Lalanne, Maurice Walker, Bryce Dejean-Jones, and Matt Carlino, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops reports (Twitter link).
Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro is a “significant candidate” for the now vacant athletic director post at St. John’s University, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). D’Alessandro lost a significant amount of his authority when the team hired new president of basketball and franchise operations, Vlade Divac.
The Suns worked out Quinn Cook, Marcus Thornton (Georgia), D.J. Newbill, Tyler Haws, Matt Stainbrook, and Aaron Thomas, Scotto tweets.
When speaking about potential 2015 draftees Aaron Harrison and Kevin Pangos, both of whom recently worked out for the team, Suns coach Jeff Hornacek noted that both players may not get selected this June, but could have a shot at making an NBA roster because of the changes in how guards are used today, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “There are probably more guys that are the combo guards because they’re not really true point guards,” Hornacek said. “They’re all scoring guys. They all come up with the scoring mentality. You try to find those guys that can do both those things. But especially in today’s game, the point guard, he may be a scorer but he’s still got to lead the team. He’s still got to have that ability to direct guys and not be afraid.“

Mavs Consider Chandler-Jordan Sign-And-Trade

May 27th, 2015 at 2:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

Members of the Mavs front office have tossed around the idea of engineering a sign-and-trade that would send Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Clippers for DeAndre Jordan, should Jordan elect to sign with the Mavs this summer, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. The Mavs brass, who talked about the idea in a brainstorming session, according to MacMahon, wants to “do right” by Chandler, who would sign a market value contract with the Clippers as part of the scenario, though Dallas would insist that Felton be a part of such a deal, MacMahon writes. The Clippers appear poised to offer Jordan the max to stay, but the league’s leading rebounder has said the Clips aren’t necessarily the favorites to re-sign him and has apparently made it clear to the Mavs that he’s highly interested in playing for them, as MacMahon previously reported.

The Mavs would seek to re-sign Chandler, a somewhat less athletic version of Jordan at the center position, at market value if they miss on Jordan or sign LaMarcus Aldridge instead, MacMahon writes. Chandler has expressed a desire to return to the Mavs, but the Clippers may well hold appeal as an alternative, since Chandler is a Southern California native and former teammate of Chris Paul, MacMahon notes. The Clippers, given their existing salary commitments for next season, likely won’t have the means to sign Chandler outright. President of basketball operations Doc Rivers would thus be “crazy” not to show interest in a Chandler-Jordan sign-and-trade proposal from the Mavs, MacMahon posits, though a guaranteed long-term deal for Chandler would tie up money the Clips could spend in the summer of 2016 and beyond.

The Clippers have more than $58MM in commitments for next season, not counting more than $6.7MM in non-guaranteed money for mainstays Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes. The luxury tax threshold is projected to come in at $81.6MM, meaning the luxury tax apron, the line the Clippers can’t cross in any sign-and-trade acquisition, is projected at $85.6MM. It’s unclear just how much a market value deal for Chandler would entail, but Felton will be due more than $3.95MM next season once he makes his decision to opt in official, so the mechanics of the sign-and-trade the Mavs are considering could get dicey.

Chandler, a veteran of more than 10 seasons, is eligible for a max that’ll probably come in around an estimated $22MM. Jordan, a seven-year vet, could make about $19MM next season based on those same estimates. They’d be limited to four-year deals and 4.5% raises in any sign-and-trade deals.

Western Notes: Jordan, Draft, Nuggets

May 26th, 2015 at 9:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Mavericks don’t have a great track record of attracting top-tier free agents to Dallas, but the franchise badly needs to land Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas.com writes. Jordan represents the Mavs’ last hope to put a championship-caliber team together around Dirk Nowitzki, Taylor opines. The 26-year-old big man has expressed through back channels that he’ll be “extremely interested” in signing with the Mavs this offseason, but the Clippers have indicated that re-signing Jordan is the team’s top priority.

Here’s the latest from the NBA’s Western Conference:

The Nuggets will begin their pre-draft workouts on Wednesday, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reports (Twitter links). The first group to display their wares for Denver will consist of J.J. Avila, Askia Booker, Derek Cooke, Alex Herrera, Stanton Kidd, and Mitch McCarron, Dempsey notes. Working out for the team on Thursday will be Daniel Bejarano, Michael Frazier II, Cam Griffin, and Brett Olson, the Denver Post Scribe relays.
Arizona guard T.J. McConnell said that he worked out for the Spurs, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Working out for the Jazz on Wednesday will be Dallin Bachynski, Ryan Harrow, Kendall Gray, Tyler Harvey, Hugh Greenwood, and Tyler Kalinoski, the team announced.
Duke freshman point guard Tyus Jones‘ first team workout will be for the Mavericks this coming Monday, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports (via Twitter).
The Timberwolves have workouts scheduled with Harvey and Michael Qualls for this Friday, Wolfson tweets.

And-Ones: Max Players, Clippers, Bulls, Payrolls

May 22nd, 2015 at 3:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

The benefits to this summer’s max-level free agents of signing a short-term deal to re-enter free agency when the cap surges in the next couple of years outweigh the risks, argues Louis Roxin of RealGM. A couple of executives who spoke to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders take the opposite viewpoint, arguing that the specter of a decline in production, a major injury, or both make it too difficult to pass up a four- or five-year deal (Twitter links). Of course, team executives probably want to avoid paying a premium if they can avoid it, but how it all plays out this summer will be fascinating to watch. Here’s more from around the league:

Clippers reserve Dahntay Jones insists there’s no rift between DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul, as had been reported, telling TMZ that everyone on the team is united in their desire for Jordan to re-sign in free agency this summer. “Those guys are brothers, man,” Jones said of Jordan and Paul. “They sit with each other on the plane, on the bus. If you don’t like a guy you stay away from him.”
The Bulls front office was miffed when Tom Thibodeau left his last contract extension unsigned for months and think he hasn’t given them enough credit for building the roster, while some in the organization feel the coach wants more power, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com hears. Friedell provides a timeline of the breakdown in the relationship between the coach and the Chicago brass.
The Nets have the highest 2014/15 payroll, but their paltry $351K in money to the waived Brandon Davies pales in comparison to the $24.8MM the crosstown Knicks spent on six players no longer on the roster, including Amar’e Stoudemire, as Pincus examines.