The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:
Although the Nets acquired Gerald Wallace at the trade deadline to provide immediate on-court help, the team has been in a nosedive over the last week and a half, losing six of its seven games since the trade. The slide has taken New Jersey out of the playoff picture, though it has increased the team's chances of retaining its lottery pick, which is top-three protected.
According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, if the Nets don't luck out in the draft lottery, the club will target power forwards like Kevin Garnett and Ersan Ilyasova in free agency. SI.com's Chris Mannix previously identified Garnett and restricted free agent Ryan Anderson as potential targets for the Nets, and Bondy says Anderson would also be a "welcome upgrade." However, the Nets would prefer a stronger rebounder to play alongside Brook Lopez.
The Nets, who were long thought to be a player for Dwight Howard this summer, are exploring backup plans now that D12 has opted into the final year of his Magic contract. If Wallace and Jordan Farmar choose to play out the final year of their contracts, and the Nets are able to re-sign Deron Williams and Lopez, the team won't have as much cap space as initially thought. However, the expiring contract of Kris Humphries, among others, should still create enough room to make a play for at least one free agent.
Ersan Ilyasova is poised to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and at 25 years old, he'll be one of the more intriguing power forwards on the market. Earning increased playing time in Milwaukee this season after Andrew Bogut went down, Ilyasova has averaged 14.4 points and 11.1 rebounds in 17 games since the start of February.
The emergence of Ilyasova means the Bucks have a decision to make, says Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Bidding for Ilyasova figures to be competitive this offseason, and the Bucks already have two forwards (Drew Gooden and Luc Mbah a Moute) under contract through 2014/15. If the Bucks hope to outbid potential suitors for the unrestricted free agent, they'd need to commit to long-term deals for three solid but unspectacular forwards with similar skillsets.
Another factor in the Bucks' decision is the interest Ilyasova is drawing overseas. We heard last month that the 24-year-old has received offers from five European teams that wanted to buy him out of his Bucks' contract, and those clubs figure to pursue him again this summer. One NBA exec told Woelfel that he wouldn't be surprised if Ilyasova returned to Turkey, his home country, where he may be able to earn a tax-free annual salary of $5MM.
Considering the Bucks may lose Ilyasova for nothing in the offseason, Woelfel wonders if the team would trade him now. The Bucks are three games back of the Knicks for the final playoff spot in the East, so I can't see them becoming sellers at the deadline. But Ilyasova, who earns just $2.54MM this season, would be an attractive trade chip for contenders in need of size.
Here are a few Bucks updates, as Milwaukee tries to snap a three-game losing streak tonight in Orlando….
On this date last year, Jerry Sloan stepped down after 23 seasons as coach of the Jazz. Earlier today we passed along the news that at least six teams are trying to convince Sloan to come back to the bench. Here are some more tidbits from around the league today:
Ersan Ilyasova is poised to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason, but there are a few non-NBA clubs that would like to get ahold of him before then. Ilyasova told Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times that five European teams have made him offers, and are trying to buy out his Bucks contract.
Given Ilyasova's recent performance, it makes sense that the Bucks have turned down any and all offers to date. With injuries plaguing Milwaukee's front-court, the 6'10" forward has been dominant on the boards over his last eight contests, averaging 9.1 rebounds in just under 23 minutes per game.
Ilyasova figures to remain a Buck for the rest of this season, but he hasn't made any decisions yet when it comes to his free agency.
"It's hard to say where I'll be next season," said the 24-year-old. "It's going to be about the money difference (whether he remains in the NBA or goes overseas). It's always business. I don't want to think about it because I don't want it to affect my game. We'll see what happens."