Emeka Okafor Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Broussard’s Latest: Carmelo, Rondo, Love

January 30th, 2014 at 10:39am CST by Chuck Myron

Most of the executives to whom ESPN Insider’s Chris Broussard has spoken believe the Bulls will make a run at Carmelo Anthony this summer. Some are “completely convinced” Chicago will go after him, Broussard writes. A rival GM thinks the team’s confidence in Nikola Mirotic‘s ability will play heavily into the team’s decision regarding Anthony. A report in recent days indicated the Bulls are among the front runners for last year’s scoring champ. Broussard has plenty more in latest piece, and we’ll round it up here:

Rajon Rondo quickly ended extension talks with the Celtics, and the discussions didn’t even get to the numbers stage, according to Broussard, who says the point guard wants to keep his options open as he seeks a payday and a winning situation. Rondo has expressed his commitment to Boston, but the Knicks, who remain interested in trading for him, view him as the perfect complement to Anthony.
A GM tells Broussard that it’s “a 100% certainty” that Kevin Love will sign with the Lakers after next season. Most executives who’ve spoken to the ESPN.com scribe also believe the former UCLA star is headed for the purple-and-gold.
The Lakers might be willing to overpay Eric Bledsoe to bring him aboard via restricted free agency this summer, a source tells Broussard. Suns owner Robert Sarver has indicated he’s willing to match any offer for the point guard, so it’d be a surprise if Bledsoe wound up back in L.A.
If the Celtics, who are looking to clear cap room, can find takers for Gerald Wallace, Jeff Green and Avery Bradley, “they’re gone,” Broussard says. It’s not a surprise that GM Danny Ainge would be quick to unload Wallace, but his apparent enthusiasm for moving Green and Bradley is noteworthy.
The Raptors had engaged in trade talk with other clubs about DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry before their run to the top of the Atlantic Division, but Toronto is no longer looking to move DeRozan, barring an substantial offer. Broussard hears the Raptors are not high enough on Lowry to offer him a sizable contract when he hits free agency this summer, but an opposing GM thinks Toronto will hang on to Lowry through the trade deadline because of fears about alienating the fan base.
The Pacers will only trade Danny Granger if another team “blows them away” with an offer, Broussard writes.
Broussard detects a strong sense around the league that the Pistons are eager to trade Josh Smith.
The Sixers would be willing to take back a little bit of salary to acquire draft picks for their veterans, according to Broussard. I assume he’s referring to long-term salary commitments rather than players on expiring deals.
The strong play of the Grizzlies has quieted chatter surrounding Zach Randolph, Broussard reports.
The Heat are interested in Andrew Bynum, but they’re unwilling to pay him more than the minumum salary, an executive tells Broussard. Bynum is reportedly holding out for more than that.
GMs who spoke to Broussard identified the following players as candidates to be traded before the deadline: Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson, Emeka Okafor, Kenneth Faried, Shawn Marion, Dion Waiters, Jarrett Jack, Francisco Garcia and Arron Afflalo.

Emeka Okafor Could Be Trade Chip For Suns

January 27th, 2014 at 6:18pm CST by Zachary Links

As we approach the February 20th trade deadline, notable names like Kyle Lowry and Andre Miller figure to see lots of time on the pages of Hoops Rumors. However, one of the most desirable players on the trade block might be someone you wouldn’t quite expect – Emeka Okafor. The big man has been sidelined all season long with a neck injury, but with insurance picking up the tab on 80% of what remains on his $14.5MM salary, he could bring quite a return for Phoenix.

The Suns, who are determined to make the postseason despite losing Eric Bledsoe to injury, have expressed a willingness to absorb a veteran player on a short-term deal who wouldn’t wreck their future cap space, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. With clubs looking for ways to dump payroll and avoid luxury-tax penalties, Phoenix could have a multitude of deal possibilities to consider over the next few weeks.

The Suns could have up to six first-round draft picks over the next two years, including four in the talent-packed 2014 draft. GM Ryan McDonough has said he is willing to explore using his draft picks, young assets, and cap space (~$5MM) to explore possible deals for All-Star-level caliber players.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Clippers, Okafor

January 16th, 2014 at 2:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

There’s a compelling race going on for the top spot in the Pacific Division, and the playoff seeding priority that comes with it. The Clippers hold a one and a half game lead, but they’re without Chris Paul for about another month, and the Warriors have won 11 of 13 to move to within a game and a half of the lead. The Suns lurk three games back in the loss column, and could be a factor if they can tread water while Eric Bledsoe is out. Here’s the latest:

The Warriors are about $2.2MM below the luxury tax threshold after adding salary in yesterday’s trade, and GM Bob Myers says ownership hasn’t given him a mandate to stay below that line, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. It would nonetheless take a “special deal” to make the team consider it, Howard-Cooper adds.
Myers hinted that additional moves may be coming, telling reporters “Nobody is sitting back and saying, ‘Well, we’re done now. We did our jobs. Let’s see what happens,'” according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).
It’s no surprise that the Clippers chose to retain Darius Morris over fellow point guard Maalik Wayns, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, who points out that Doc Rivers likes Morris’ defense and Wayns rarely saw the floor (Twitter link).
Former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy helped sell Rivers on the idea of acquiring J.J. Redick, as Rivers tells Markazi.
Insurance would cover about $5.8MM of Emeka Okafor‘s $14.5MM salary for the Suns if he’s unable to return from injury this season, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
The Lakers picked the right time to bottom out since, for once, they hold their own first-round pick for a well-stocked draft class, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation.

Odds & Ends: Irving, Raptors, Trade Talk

January 1st, 2014 at 9:16pm CST by Alex Lee

As the Andrew Bynum rumors continue to pour in, the Cavaliers got some very good news today. Currently sitting only three games out of the East’s eight seed, the Cavs announced that star guard Kyrie Irving‘s left knee sustained no structural damage on Tuesday when he had to be helped off the court after an awkward fall.

Let’s take a look at what else is happening around the NBA on Wednesday:

As Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM writes, the rebuild that the Raptors appeared to be destined for a month or two ago may have already happened in the form of the Rudy Gay trade, which has galvanized the remaining Raptors and given Dwane Casey a bench to work with.
For Insiders, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton outlines what to watch for in the NBA in 2014, including whether flawed but dangerous teams like the Clippers, Blazers and Rockets will load up for a playoff run as well as if one of the top prospects for the 2014 NBA Draft separates himself from the pack by June.
There are some players that will still be off limits for that trio of teams via trade, as well as the rest of the NBA, as Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld writes. Pincus outlines every player not yet eligible to be traded because of a variety of NBA rules.
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld lists Ben Gordon, Paul Pierce, Danny Granger, Kris Humphries and Amar’e Stoudemire as soon-to-be free agents that will likely have to deal with significant pay cuts in their new deals this summer. Brigham designates Andris Biedrins, Emeka Okafor and Richard Jefferson as honorable mentions.

Rockets Have Sought Omer Asik Trade

November 15th, 2013 at 5:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:38pm: Wojnarowski clarifies that the Rockets have discussed possible Asik trades with teams over the past few months, but those talks aren’t necessarily active (Twitter link).

5:17pm: The Rockets have asked for an “impact player” in return for Omer Asik in trade talks with multiple teams, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. That’s in spite of a report last night indicating that Houston had denied Asik’s trade request.

Teams have deemed GM Daryl Morey‘s asking price too high so far, Wojnarowski writes. The GM would prefer to acquire a frontline player who can help the team compete for a championship this year, but if he can’t find someone like that for Asik, he’d like to get a largely unprotected 2014 first-round pick. The Rockets were in talks with the Wizards before they traded for Marcin Gortat last month, but Morey was unwilling to take back Emeka Okafor, as the Suns did.

Morey and Andy Miller, the agent for Asik, have been regularly discussing how the Rockets can offload the 7-footer, as Wojnarowski reports. Asik’s camp this week reiterated the trade request they originally made back in July, when the Rockets were closing in on signing Dwight Howard. A rumor around that time suggested the Rockets might trade Asik for Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson, but New Orleans never showed much interest, and Wojnarowski hears the Rockets have been unwilling to get the Pelicans to reconsider.

Just as Woj’s report surfaced, the Pelicans announced center Greg Stiemsma will be out six to eight weeks with a left knee injury that he suffered Tuesday. Perhaps his absence will prompt GM Dell Demps to listen more closely to what Morey has to offer, though that’s just my speculation. It’s unlikely that any deal will take place before December 15th, when players who signed this past offseason may be included in deals, Wojnarowski points out.

Emeka Okafor May Miss All Of 2013/14

October 25th, 2013 at 8:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

There hasn’t been any official timetable given for Emeka Okafor‘s recovery from a herniated disk in his neck, but Chris Mannix of SI.com hears the injury could keep him out all season (Twitter link). Others, including TNT’s David Aldridge, have noted that the Suns didn’t acquire Okafor and his expiring contract for what he could give them on the court, and it appears he may never take the court for Phoenix at all (Twitter link).

The notion that Okafor might miss the entire season clearly lent a sense of urgency to the Wizards negotiations to trade for Marcin Gortat. Washington has aspirations of making the playoffs this season, and the team would have been forced to scramble for a center if Okafor couldn’t play. Wizards coach Randy Wittman could have made Nene the starting pivotman, but the Brazilian prefers to guard opposing power forwards, as Mannix points out on Twitter.

Okafor will make $14,487,500 this season in the final year of his deal. The Suns will likely go with Miles Plumlee, whom they acquired via trade this summer from the Pacers, or Alex Len, the fifth pick from this year’s draft, as their starting center.

Wizards Acquire Marcin Gortat From Suns

October 25th, 2013 at 6:02pm CST by Luke Adams

6:02pm: The Wizards have officially announced the trade on their website. The Suns have also made an announcement via their site.

5:23pm: TNT’s David Aldridge’s tweets more about the protection on the first-round pick the Wizards are sending to Phoenix: If it falls inside the top 12 for 2014, it’ll be top-10 protected from 2015 through 2019, and unprotected after that.

4:24pm: The Wizards will acquire Marcin Gortat from the Suns, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein reports that Emeka Okafor will head to Phoenix in the deal, while Shannon Brown and Kendall Marshall will join Gortat en route to Washington (Twitter link).

Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com fills in a couple more details, tweeting that the Suns will acquire a protected 2014 first-rounder, while Malcolm Lee will also head to Washington. According to Goodman (via Twitter), the first-round pick acquired by Phoenix will be top-12 protected in ’14. The Suns now hold the Pacers’, Wolves’, and Wizards’ first-round picks, in addition to their own.

For the Wizards, the move will provide more scoring punch in the frontcourt, not to mention a healthier center — Okafor is out indefinitely with a herniated disc, whereas Gortat can be plugged into the lineup immediately. Brown, Marshall and Lee appear to be salary throw-ins, as Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweets that they aren’t expected to stick in Washington.

By reaching an agreement before the season begins, the Wizards will be able to complete the four-for-one trade without waiving three players already on their roster. Once Washington finalizes the deal, it will have 18 players on guaranteed contracts, three of which will need to be dropped before opening night, and it looks like the three extra players in this swap are the prime candidates.

All five players involved in the trade are essentially on expiring contracts. Only Marshall has years on his deal beyond 2013/14, but the final two years on his contract are team options, which the Wizards could decline if they so choose.

For the Suns, the deal clears up their roster logjam. Phoenix had 17 players with full or partial guarantees, but now will be carrying just 14 players, giving the club the option of adding another free agent.

The salaries going in both directions nearly match up exactly, so neither team gains a significant amount of cap relief in the deal, but the Wizards should save about $370K in the move. Considering the team had less than $1MM in breathing room before hitting the tax line, that extra flexibility could come in handy by season’s end. Washington also should create a small trade exception in the transaction which, by my calculations, will be worth about $1.25MM.

Southeast Rumors: Porter, Williams, Wizards

September 28th, 2013 at 7:24pm CST by Spencer Lund

The No. 2 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Otto Porter, suffered a right hip flexor injury, reports the Associated Press, and was limited in practice. Fortunately for Wizards fans, Nene Hilario and John Wall are healthy, but as Michael Lee of the Washington Post points out on Twitter, Trevor Booker was also limited in practice with a sore right knee.

Here's more on the Wizards and Hawks…

As J. Michael of CSN Washington summarizes, the Wizards have been suffering from the injury bug as training camps open around the league. Emeka Okafor (herniated disk) and Chris Singleton (left foot/toe surgery) are already out and now Booker and Porter are limited.
Wall added to Lee's piece that after watching footage from the 2012/13 season, he's confident of the team's success this coming year. "We know what we're capable of as a team," Wall told him. "We just got to play like we did last year, be a great defensive team, be a faster team, get out in the open court," said Wall.
On the injury front, the Hawks scoring guard (Lou) Louis Williams has no timetable on a return from the ACL tear he suffered last season, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution [subscription only].
Vivlamore adds that former Hawk Damien Wilkins is liable to make the team if Williams isn't able to go right away. After suffering the torn ACL in his right knee in January, the recovery period is 9-12 months and Williams has yet to participate in any scrimmaging with the team before training camp opens.
Vivlamore goes on to include that a new coach, Mike Budenholzer, means there will be a new system in place for even the veteran Hawks to learn in this month's training camp.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that Kemba Walker, after two years of losing in Charlotte, led a "jump-start" on the Bobcats' training camp.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Wizards, Hawks

September 26th, 2013 at 10:45pm CST by Ryan Raroque

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune discusses the health of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, Luol Deng's uncertain long-term future with the franchise, how Mike Dunleavy Jr. will look to mesh with the roster, and how Jimmy Butler will handle a move to starting shooting guard as five things to look at for the Bulls going into fall. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago (via Twitter) says that Chicago's official training camp roster is expected to be released tomorrow but doesn't expect Malcolm Thomas or Chris Wright to be on the list.
Michael Lee of CSN Washington wonders if John Wall is ready to lead the Wizards to the playoffs, who will step up in the absence of Emeka Okafor, if Bradley Beal is primed for a breakout season, what to expect from Otto Porter, and the health of Nene as the team's top storylines heading into training camp.
Hawks GM Danny Ferry wouldn't set a timeline for the return of Louis Williams (who is still recovering from reconstructive knee surgery), though he did say that the eighth-year guard has been playing one-on-one games and has had no restrictions in doing so. Ferry also appeared encouraged about what Dennis Schröder can contribute to the team now as a promising prospect and said that Lucas Nogueira and Mike Muscala still need to continue their development overseas (USA Today via the Associated Press).
As Tom Layman of the Boston Herald points out, Celtics coach Brad Stevens will look toward Avery Bradley to be the team's floor general while they wait for the return of Rajon Rondo. In another piece, a handful of college coaches had positive comments for Stevens regarding how they believe he'll be able to transition to the NBA game (NBA.com via the Associated Press).
With Steve Mills in place as the Knicks' newest GM, Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld thinks that it will be important for Mills to start forming a strong relationship with Carmelo Anthony now, especially with the possibility that he could become a free agent this upcoming summer.
Since arriving in New York City, Anthony has been able to build his brand and explore plenty of business opportunities, writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. From the sound of it, Zwerling doesn't think that Anthony will be leaving New York anytime soon, even with an opt-out clause at the end of the season.
Ian Begley of ESPN New York examines the orange and blue's current situation at small forward.
With the rest of the NBA's power elite growing tired of the Heat's dominance, Sam Amick of USA Today delves into why the 2013/14 season could be Miami's toughest campaign for a title yet. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the Bulls are especially eager to put a halt to the Heat's reign as the NBA's top dog.

Free Agent Notes: Wiz, Byars, Powell

September 18th, 2013 at 6:31pm CST by Alex Lee

Despite news that Emeka Okafor is out indefinitely with a herniated disc and Chris Singleton will undergo surgery today, the Wizards cannot guarantee money to any free agents to replace them (without letting go of someone else on a guaranteed contract by opening night), tweets NBA.com's David Aldridge. Washington already has 15 guaranteed deals on their roster, including Okafor and Singleton, but as Aldridge points out (via Twitter), a trade is always possible. CSN Washington's J. Michael confirms Aldridge's report, via Twitter, adding that the Wizards are likely to bring two or three other players to camp in addition to the 15.

Let's take a look at some other free agent notes from around the league:

In his latest piece for HoopsWorld, Lang Greene examines a number of unsigned NBA veterans who are still looking for work, including Richard Hamilton, Tyrus Thomas, and Stephen Jackson.
Memphis native and former Spur Derrick Byars is set to work out for the Grizzlies this week, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Spears adds that the Knicks also have some interest.
Josh Powell has worked out with New Orleans for a second time, tweets Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. The Pelicans, who expect to add more players to their camp roster, auditioned Powell last month.