Ekpe Udoh Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors, Bucks Swap Ellis, Bogut In 5-Player Deal

March 14th, 2012 at 6:54am CST by Ryan Raroque

The Warriors and Bucks have completed a deal to send Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to Golden State for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown. Both teams confirmed the move today via press release.

After this season, Ellis is owed $11MM annually over the next two seasons, with an opt-out for the second year. Udoh is still in the midst of his rookie contract that will be guaranteed until he is eligible for a team option after the 2012/13 season. Brown and his $6.7MM salary falls into the deal as an expiring contract. Bogut is still owed a total of $27MM through the end of the 2013-14 season, and Jackson has one year remaining after this season that will pay him approximately $10MM. Each side of the deal totals about $21MM in 2011/12 cap figures, so neither club is adding or reducing salary for this season.

For the Warriors, dealing Ellis gives head coach Mark Jackson the opportunity to start rookie Klay Thompson at shooting guard and him more significant minutes to develop. The deal also hinges on the health of Andrew Bogut. If he can fully recover from a broken ankle suffered earlier in the season, Bogut becomes the mainstay at center for Golden State after Jackson experimented with Andris Biedrins and Udoh in the starting lineup.

Stephen Jackson returns to the team in which he had a tumultuous exit in 2009, but with reports of unhappiness in Milwaukee due to an irreparable relationship with coach Scott Skiles, he finds himself out of that situation. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, sources say that the Warriors do not plan to buy out Jackson's contract (Twitter link).

The deal almost certainly takes the Warriors out of the running for both Dwight Howard and this year's playoffs. However, the short-term downgrade to the roster improves Golden State's chances of keeping its 2012 first-round pick, which will head to the Jazz unless it lands in the top seven.

Milwaukee receives a dynamic and explosive combo guard in Ellis, who had been averaging 21.9 PPG, 6 APG, and 1.5 SPG in 36.9 MPG. It will be interesting to see how Skiles handles the shots between Ellis and Brandon Jennings, as the Bucks traded two players that are not currently in the rotation for Ellis' 19 FGA (Jennings currently averages 17 FGA). Udoh, formerly picked by the Warriors with the 6th overall selection in 2010, is an intriguing prospect for the Bucks moving forward. Most importantly, it may help cover up the potential loss of forward Ersan Ilyasova to free agency, who recently said that he may leave the Bucks in the offseason for whoever offers the most money. It is questionable if Brown fits in Milwaukee's long term plans, as he is due to be out for the rest of the year while recovering from a chest injury and is slated to become a free agent this summer.

The trade was first reported by Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and then tweeted by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Thompson On Jackson, Udoh, Wright

March 13th, 2012 at 9:29pm CST by Ryan Raroque

As if the acquisition of Andrew Bogut didn't make enough waves, here are some other things that the Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson heard regarding the Warriors organization:

Thompson tweets that the Warriors are looking to move Stephen Jackson and are likely seeking a big man.
Dorell Wright wanted to be part of the deal and is not happy that he wasn't included. (Twitter link)
While the Warriors were intially reluctant to part with Ekpe Udoh, they included him in the deal after Ellis publicly vented his frustration. Udoh was seen as a necessary casualty as Milwaukee would not concede to a trade without him. (Twitter link)

Pacific Rumors: Gasol, Kaman, Evans, Kings

March 13th, 2012 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

Let's head west and check in on the latest rumors out of the Pacific Division….

A league source tells Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld that the biggest obstacle for a Pau Gasol trade is that not many owners would take on that sort of salary for one player. Owing about $20MM annually to a single player is scary for any team not in a major market, adds Kyler (Twitter links).
According to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, if they were to trade Chris Kaman to the Warriors, the Hornets would want to acquire Ekpe Udoh as part of the deal. A recent report suggested the Hornets may be interested in extending Kaman, but Deveney considers that a smoke screen.
In a column yesterday for SI.com, Sam Amick hinted that Tyreke Evans may not be in the Kings' long-term plans, and that the team could eventually field trade offers for him. If Sacramento reaches that point, don't expect the Cavs to be interested, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter).
Speaking of Sacramento, if you have a few million dollars burning a hole in your pocket, perhaps you'd be interested in owning a portion of the Kings. Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee reports that a 7% minority share of the team will be auctioned off due to Bob Cook's personal bankruptcy.

Rotation Notes: Udoh, Fields, Turner

March 5th, 2012 at 6:59pm CST by Michael Pina

With big games going on across the league tonight—including a meeting between Dallas and Oklahoma City in a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals—we take a quick look around to see how coaches are shaking up their starting lineups.

Despite playing a season-low 15 minutes in Boston yesterday, and often times struggling with assertiveness in his sophomore season, Landry Fields will remain in New York's starting lineup for the foreseeable future, according to Calvin Watkins at ESPNNY.com. However, in a tweet, the New York Post's Marc Berman says rookie Iman Shumpert could replace him sooner than later if he keeps playing as well as he's been.
In an attempt to shake things up, Golden State head coach Mark Jackson has removed the deplorable Andris Biedrins from his starting lineup and replaced him with defensive savant Ekpe Udoh, Warriors beatwriter Marcus Thompson said in a tweet. Biedrins says he's "fine" with the decision.
Philadelphia's Director of Public Relations, Michael Preston, mentioned on Twitter that Evan Turner and Nikola Vucevic would start tonight against the Bucks. Lavoy Allen and Jodie Meeks have been downgraded to the bench.