Elton Brand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavericks Links: Collison, Brand, Mayo

April 18th, 2013 at 10:05pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Headed for free agency this summer, Mavericks point guard Darren Collison told reporters that he’s capable of starting on any team. Despite finishing the final 23 games of the season as a reserve, the former UCLA product hasn’t ruled out a return to the Mavericks, even if it means he’d continue that role (Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram reports). Also, as Jon Machota of SportsDayDFW notes, Collison hasn't had any discussions with his agent about where he could end up next season. Here are a few more links to share out of Dallas:

Price also hears that Elton Brand would like to return to Dallas next season in order to make up for being unable to help the team make the playoffs this season. Picked up off of amnesty before the start of the season, the former number one overall pick averaged 7.2 PPG and 6.0 RPG, marking the first year in his career with his scoring average in the single-figures.
Count head coach Rick Carlisle among the proponents of bringing O.J. Mayo back in a Mavs uniform next season, writes Price. This morning, we heard that the 25-year-old swingman plans to opt out of his contract in hopes of negotiating a long-term deal with Dallas.

Southwest Notes: Hornets, Mayo, Brand, Spurs

April 17th, 2013 at 4:47pm CST by Luke Adams

As we look forward to the last night of the NBA's 2012/13 regular season, let's round up a few items out of the Southwest Division….

Although the Hornets will finish as one of the bottom three teams in the Western Conference, coach Monty Williams is encouraged by the strides some of his players made this season. "There are a lot of positives," Williams told John Reid of the Times-Picayune. "We firmly believe that guys who come here have a great chance to improve their game because of our program and the things we do. I think it’s just going to get better as we add experience and start to bring in more talent in the next few years."
O.J. Mayo, who has a player option for 2013/14, says he'd like to return to the Mavericks next season, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I'd still be surprised if Mayo exercises the option rather than exploring the market.
Elton Brand also expressed a desire to return to the Mavs next season, though he said "we'll see what happens in the summer," as Price tweets.
Writing for The Basketball Jones, Mark Deeks of ShamSports notes how unusual it is for established NBA players like Tracy McGrady to sign deals at the end of the regular season. For the Spurs, there may not be much potential reward, but there's no risk either, says Deeks.
The Grizzlies inked a pair of free agents earlier today, adding Donte Greene and Willie Reed.

Mavs Interested In Jennings, Not Josh Smith

February 12th, 2013 at 11:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

11:47pm: Following up on his Jennings report, Stein adds that the Mavs aren’t looking at Josh Smith (Twitter link).

11:40pm: The Mavs are interested in point guard Brandon Jennings, and if the Bucks decide to make him available before next week’s trade deadline, Dallas will be one of the teams in the mix, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Mavs owner Mark Cuban, president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson and coach Rick Carlisle have all said in recent days that the team is unlikely to make any deadline deals, but multiple reports suggest that’s not the case. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears the team is seeking offers for Shawn Marion, while Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, as part of a chat with readers today, wrote that anyone aside from Dirk Nowitzki and Elton Brand is liable to be dealt.

Bucks GM John Hammond wants an overwhelming offer in return if he’s to part with Jennings, Amico hears. Jennings’ recent change of agents, from Bill Duffy to Jeff Schwartz, could suggest he wants to join a large-market team when he hits restricted free agency this summer. The Bucks will have the opportunity to match, and the team has reportedly told Jennings they’ll do so with any offer sheet he signs. Still, Milwaukee declined to extend Jennings’ rookie deal this past fall when he was reportedly asking for an annual salary of about $9MM to $10MM, and he could receive offers for much more on the open market.

In his chat, Sefko named Rodrigue Beaubois, Dominique Jones, Vince Carter and Brandan Wright as the Mavs players most likely to be dealt. I don’t think a package involving any combination of them or Marion would be enough to bowl Hammond over to the point that he’d be ready to deal. Though the Mavs have a wealth of expiring contracts, it will be hard for them to match salaries for Jennings, who’s making just $3.179MM this season in the final year of his rookie deal. They’d probably have to take back one of Milwaukee’s less desirable contracts, like that of Drew Gooden, who’s due more than $20MM between this season and 2015. Since the Mavs have their eyes set on pursuing maximum-salary players like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, I’m not sure they’d be willing to compromise their flexibility to fit one of them under their cap to bring Jennings aboard.

Sefko On Dwight, Marion, Kaman

January 29th, 2013 at 9:46pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW, who believes that the Mavericks will have at least one new player after the trade deadline, engaged in a chat with his readers today and answered a number of questions about the team. Here are some of the highlights:

Any possible deal for Dwight Howard would have to hinge on the inclusion of Shawn Marion, and adding O.J. Mayo to the discussion could give the deal some legs. Since the Nets still possess the more attractive players, Dallas would have to get a third team into the mix in order to sweeten their offer to the Lakers.
Chris Kaman could be of worth to a team looking to shed a large contract within the next coming weeks. One hypothetical scenario would include Kaman being packaged with younger assets to the Celtics in exchange for Paul Pierce (with a third team involved). Although the Mavericks would have to bear Pierce's contract in 2013/14, they would subsequently have a good amount of cap room that summer. Sefko makes it clear that while he isn't necessarily promoting a Kaman-for-Pierce swap, he suggests that those type of deals may be available.
Free agency remains the team's best avenue toward rebuilding, especially since they don't currently possess enough trade assets to pull off a major deal or can acquire anything that would be considered long-term help via trade. He also notes that other than Marion, the only enticing pieces on the Mavericks are the one-year contracts that might interest teams looking for financial relief.
Sefko wonders if Rodrigue Beaubois' recent increase in playing time is meant to to boost his trade market value, or if it's because Rick Carlisle thinks he can be a viable contributor down the stretch.
With better financial opportunities possibly waiting in the wings this summer, Elton Brand could be tough to retain once his contract expires at the end of the year.

Berger On NBPA, Mavs, Grizzlies, Oden, Young

January 17th, 2013 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

It's been months since Derek Fisher, Billy Hunter, and the NBPA were making headlines, but the law firm hired to look into how the Players' Association has spent its money and conducted its business is nearly ready to release the results, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. While it's not clear exactly what the report will reveal, several players believe the union needs a change in leadership, and are hoping Hunter will step down from his post even if the report exonerates him of any wrongdoing, according to Berger.

The latest edition of Berger's "Postups" column also features some trade rumblings, so let's round those up….

Mark Cuban's declaration this week that the "Bank of Cuban" is open was met with indifference by some rival executives, who don't see many attractive assets on the Mavericks besides Dirk Nowitzki. "I don't think anybody is in a hurry to get [Chris] Kaman or [Elton] Brand and all that stuff," a rival executive said. "Unless he's trying to take a contract that's loaded."
Since Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien is determined to make a good basketball trade rather than just dumping salary, there's a growing sense that Memphis will hang on to Rudy Gay and others, and deal with the team's cap and tax issues over the summer. I suggested as much when I looked at the Grizzlies' cap situation earlier this week.
While Greg Oden doesn't expect to return to action until next season, he hopes to sign with an NBA team in the next month to get into a training and conditioning program with a club. The Celtics are monitoring Oden's progress, and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com reports that the Spurs and Cavaliers have also expressed interest.
Berger suggests that Nick Young is worth keeping an eye on as the trade deadline approaches, since his expiring contract could be valuable for a team in need of a scorer. The Sixers are currently four games out of a playoff spot — if they fall any further back, it definitely wouldn't surprise me to see them consider selling off pieces like Young.

Players Still Ineligible To Be Traded

January 15th, 2013 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

Today is January 15th, which means that a number of players who had been ineligible to be traded until this point are now free to be moved by their respective teams. As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors outlined last month, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Ersan Ilyasova, and Jeff Green are among the players who weren't eligible to be dealt until today.

However, in addition to rules that keeps players from being traded until December 15th or January 15th, the CBA also includes a stipulation that a team must have a player on its roster for three months before being able to trade him. That means guys who have signed contracts since October 15th are still ineligible to be dealt.

Here are the players who can't be traded quite yet, along with the dates they'll become trade-eligible:

Leandro Barbosa (Celtics): January 18th
Daniel Orton (Thunder): January 31st
Shaun Livingston (Cavaliers): February 15th

Because the trade deadline arrives on February 21st, players signed after November 21st won't become trade-eligible until after the season. Here are the guys who fit that description:

Jeff Adrien (Bobcats)
James Anderson (Rockets)
Patrick Beverley (Rockets)
Daequan Cook (Bulls)
Kevin Jones (Cavaliers)
Mickael Pietrus (Raptors)
Garrett Temple (Wizards)

In addition to recent signees, players who were claimed off amnesty waivers last July are also ineligible to be traded until July 2013. Some amnesty victims, like Andray Blatche, cleared waivers without being claimed and signed new contracts, so they're trade-eligible now, but the following players can't be moved this season:

Elton Brand (Mavericks)
Brendan Haywood (Bobcats)
Luis Scola (Suns)

Finally, players on 10-day contracts, such as Dominic McGuire, Maalik Wayns, and Josh Harrellson, also won't be trade-eligible at any point this season, even if they eventually receive rest-of-season contracts.

Sefko On Howard, Trade Targets, Chemistry

January 8th, 2013 at 10:36pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW answered questions from fans on Tuesday about the current state of the Mavericks among other rumors. Here are some of the more noteworthy topics of discussion from his chat:

Three centers that should be on the team's list of targets this summer include Al Jefferson, Andrew Bynum, and Dwight Howard. He also thinks that either Paul Millsap and/or Jefferson are destined to be dealt from the Jazz, and that the Mavericks' projected draft position at this point could garner a high enough pick to offer for one of Utah's big men.
From the above list, the team should still have a shot at landing Howard, depending on if the Lakers continue to struggle.
Jose Calderon will be in very high demand near the trade deadline and should be on Dallas' radar. While he hasn't heard anything with regard to Devin Harris being on the trade block in Atlanta, Sefko notes that the former Mavericks player is in the last-year of his deal and would instantly become the team's starter if they were to somehow acquire him.
Despite the team's struggles at this point in the season, there doesn't seem to be any serious issues in the locker room. He also thinks that Rick Carlisle has the ability to keep the team from splintering.
Considering that players picked up off of amnesty last summer can't be traded this year, it's one reason to advocate an increased role for Elton Brand.

Atlantic Notes: D-Will, Carmelo, Nets, Lowry, 76ers

November 27th, 2012 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony matching up in Brooklyn for the first time last night, Ken Berger of CBS Sports takes a look back at the February 2011 trade deadline. Nets general manager Billy King believed he had a chance to acquire Anthony right up until the moment he got the call saying Carmelo had been sent to the Knicks, says Berger. The CBS scribe speculates that, if things played out a little differently at the '11 deadline, Anthony and Williams could still be cross-town rivals now, with 'Melo in Brooklyn and D-Will in Manhattan.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the Atlantic:

Also from Berger's piece, King spoke about his three top targets when he assumed the role of Nets GM: "I got the job and I knew there was… the potential for three guys to be available. I made a run at Chris [Paul], [the Hornets] said no right away, and then I made the run at Carmelo. I figured if I got him, then I could go after Deron as a free agent. Really, I was getting Carmelo to get Deron."
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, while King was "privately maligned" by rival GMs for the March 2012 trade that sent out a lottery pick for Gerald Wallace, the Nets GM recognized that Williams needed a veteran addition to help him get through the final few months before free agency.
The Raptors love the toughness and swagger of new point guard Kyle Lowry, and would like those traits to be part of the team's identity, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
Despite Andrew Bynum's injury woes, the Sixers are better off having made the blockbuster deal that brought him to Philadelphia, argues Danny Pommells of CSNPhilly.com.
With the Mavericks set to play in Philadelphia tonight, Elton Brand will get a chance to see family in the area and to reunite with his old head coach Doug Collins, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes.
Speaking to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, Jeff Green says it was a "no-brainer" to sign with the Celtics this offseason.

Odds & Ends: Redick, Kapono, Brand, Grizzlies

November 19th, 2012 at 4:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards will be looking to win their first game of the season tonight, while the Spurs and Grizzlies will aim to be the first teams to nine wins. As we await the evening's seven-game slate, let's check out a few odds and ends from around the NBA:

J.J. Redick is on an expiring contract and there's been speculation that he's a candidate to be traded, but if it were up to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic would keep Redick and re-sign him at season's end.
Jason Kapono and Greek team Panathinaikos finalized a contract agreement last week, but the deal may have hit a sang after complications with Kapono's wife's pregnancy, according to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. The two sides are in constant contact to determine whether Kapono will be able to travel to Greece this week, but there's a chance the contract could be voided.
Speaking to Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld, Elton Brand talked about the 76ers' decision to amnesty him this summer, noting that the team informed him of its intentions early on and that there are no hard feelings there.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio talked to Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace about putting together a team that's off to the best start in the NBA this year.
Current Knicks GM Glen Grunwald acquired Tyson Chandler and a number of other players during the last two offseasons, but Donnie Walsh deserves plenty of credit too for the Knicks' turnaround, considering the moves he made before Grunwald took over, says George Willis of the New York Post.
After all the offseason additions the team made, the Clippers will now have to figure out how to balance minutes and egos, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if Juan Dixon will be the latest NBA veteran to use the D-League as a means of auditioning for NBA clubs.

Western Notes: Grizzlies, Wolves, Jefferson, Brand

November 16th, 2012 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest Insider piece for ESPN.com, John Hollinger explores the concept of the "second draft," an idea that involves acquiring players who had the talent to be high draft picks but who fell out of favor with their previous teams, for whatever reason. Hollinger points to the Grizzlies as one team taking full advantage of the "second draft" concept this season, with Jerryd Bayless, Quincy Pondexter, Wayne Ellington, and Marreese Speights making the club's bench one of the best in the NBA so far.

Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:

Before the Timberwolves signed Josh Howard, they "politely turned down" interest from Kenyon Martin's camp, and made the same minimum-salary offer to Mickael Pietrus, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Howard accept the team's proposal first, as Pietrus' camp is still holding out for the mini mid-level.
Al Jefferson was upset after the Jazz' game against the Celtics that Boston media had interpreted his comments about his C's history to mean he wanted to return to Boston, according to James Patrick of the Deseret News.
While Mike D'Antoni won over the media when he was introduced in Los Angeles yesterday, it will be more important long-term for the Lakers' new coach to win over Dwight Howard, says Ken Berger of CBS Sports.
After he didn't land the Lakers' coaching job, Phil Jackson is unlikely to be considered a serious candidate for the next Team USA coach, according to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game, who says (via Sulia) that newly re-elected chairman Jerry Colangelo and Jackson aren't exactly close.
Elton Brand appeared on ESPN Radio Dallas to discuss the eventual return of Dirk Nowitzki and the adjustments that fellow offseason acquisition O.J. Mayo has had to make with the Mavericks (link via Sports Radio Interviews).