Evan Turner Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs Shopping Dion Waiters

November 27th, 2013 at 6:25pm CST by Luke Adams

6:25pm: Waiters says he’s content to remain in Cleveland and adds that it’s up to he and Irving to make their pairing work, observes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. “I’m not happy with us losing but I’m happy here, the city of Cleveland, yeah,” Waiters said.

5:42pm: Waiters confirmed to reporters from the Plain Dealer and other outlets that he has not asked to be traded and called Broussard’s report that he and Grant met for three hours “nonsense” (Twitter link).

4:47pm: The Cavs say they aren’t shopping Waiters, but have fielded inquiries on him, according to the Plain Dealer (Twitter link). The denial from the team is no surprise, since it would hurt the Cavs’ leverage if they looked eager to move him. I’m guessing Waiters is very much available, and whether or not Cleveland is actively “shopping” him is a matter of semantics.

3:29pm: Deng, Shumpert, and Evan Turner are among the Cavs’ targets in talks for Waiters, tweets Broussard.

3:03pm: In his full story on the Cavs and Waiters, Broussard says that while the guard hasn’t requested a trade, he brought up the possibility during a meeting last week with GM Chris Grant and coach Mike Brown. Broussard adds that Waiters and Irving “are not close” and that Waiters believes the Cavs hold him to different standards than Irving.

According to Broussard, the Cavs have interest in Luol Deng, and are believed to have reached out to clubs besides the Bulls, Knicks, and 76ers. While Iman Shumpert would appear to be the obvious trade candidate for the Knicks, New York is “not interested” in such a deal for now.

2:43pm: The Cavaliers are shopping Dion Waiters as a potential trade chip, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Broussard, the Bulls, Knicks, and Sixers are among the teams who have spoken to Cleveland, but no deal is imminent.

Last week, we heard that Waiters may be at the center of some of the Cavs’ chemistry issues, though the second-year guard denied being involved in a physical altercation during a players-only meeting. Broussard reports (via Twitter) that rumors of a fight between Waiters and Kyrie Irving are false, but says Waiters and Tristan Thompson had an “intense argument” and needed to be separated.

Whether or not Waiters has become a problem in the team’s locker room, he’s open to being moved, according to Broussard. However, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford isn’t convinced the Syracuse product would have significant value on the trade market.

Waiters, the No. 4 overall pick in 2012, averaged 14.7 PPG in his rookie season, but has yet to show strong signs of developing into the impact scorer the Cavs are hoping for. The 21-year-old has shot just 40.9% from the floor so far in his NBA career. If Cleveland were to find a deal involving Waiters, he may be part of a larger package, since his modest $3.89MM salary wouldn’t accommodate a ton of trade options.

Amico On Aldridge, Turner, Bulls, Thornton

November 25th, 2013 at 4:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Sam Amico of FOX Sports has tons of great stuff in his latest column, let’s dive in and check out some of the highlights..

LaMarcus Aldridge was all over Hoops Rumors this summer with talk of dissatisfaction with the Blazers and trade demands, but it sounds like we can finally put that to rest. Aldridge, who looks like the best power forward in the league so far this season, appears to be content with his 12-2 club.
There is some relevance to a suggested potential trade involving the 76ers and Cavs, according to league sources. Philly is likely to shop small forward Evan Turner, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and the Cleveland is exploring the idea of landing a starting-caliber small forward. It could be a good match, depending on the Cavs’ desire to gamble on the uncertainty of Turner’s contract. The possibility also exists the Sixers will hold on to Turner and re-sign him in the summer as he has played well and been a team leader under new coach Brett Brown.
However, Cavs GM Chris Grant is not actively trying to make a deal, even though he likes to make trades and is always willing to listen.
League sources believe Kings swingman Marcus Thornton is available. Thornton is a talented scorer, but a less-than-stellar defender and has fallen out of Michael Malone‘s rotation.
The Derrick Rose-less Bulls could shake things up. Chicago still wants to win and get into the playoffs, sources say, but if things head south quickly, they could gut the roster and aim for a high lottery pick to pair with Rose when he returns. A team source says if the Bulls trade Luol Deng, they would have to get what they consider a steal (a young player and picks) to move him within the Eastern Conference. The asking price from a Western team wouldn’t be as high.
One league source said that as of today, the Bulls won’t even think about what to do with Deng until the trade deadline nears.
Guards Richard Hamilton, Shannon Brown, and Kendall Marshall remain unsigned, but they’re all drawing interest from several teams. League sources expect Brown and Marshall to sign somewhere by the New Year, and Hamilton perhaps not long after that.

Atlantic Notes: Woodson, 76ers, Wallace

November 14th, 2013 at 6:04pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Iman Shumpert met with Knicks head coach Mike Woodson before last night’s win in Atlanta to address the recent flurry of trade rumors involving him and was told he should be flattered that other teams are interested, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman later adds that Shumpert hasn’t necessarily been on Woodson’s good side since the Las Vegas Summer League, specifically when the third-year guard left the team after one game to go to China for a tour with Adidas.

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division tonight:

When asked if there was an ideal type of point guard for Carmelo Anthony to play alongside, Woodson bluntly responded with, “Raymond Felton” (Chris Herring of the Wall-Street Journal via Twitter).
After observing the 76ers strong start, Philly.com’s Michael Kaskey-Blomain wonders if now would be an opportune time to trade Evan Turner.
With former Daryl Morey-protégé Sam Hinkie running the Sixers’ front office, Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead compares Philadelphia’s rebuilding project with the Rockets’ three-year journey from being part of the “NBA middle” to becoming an expected title contender. With prospects such as Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, and what could potentially be two lottery picks in a loaded 2014 draft (Philadelphia is currently owed a top-five protected pick from the Pelicans), McIntyre suggests that Hinkie has plenty of assets available to possibly enter trade discussions for a big name down the line.
Celtics forward Gerald Wallace told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he may not be as durable as he once was: “I understand my situation…don’t think I could play 35-40 minutes a night for 82 games anymore” (Twitter link).
Jared Sullinger adamantly downplayed the idea of tanking this season in Boston: “(The media was) talking about the lottery. We didn’t even think about that,…We don’t care about that. We want to win, we want to make the playoffs, and we want to make a run. At the end of the day, that was something that you talked about, not us…we definitely wanted to shut (them) up. Definitely” (Jimmy Golen of Boston.com)
NBA.com’s Marc D’Amico discusses the Celtics’ struggles with consistency so far.

Amico On Turner, Young, Granger, Cousins

November 10th, 2013 at 8:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio has his weekly column posted; let’s dive in and take a look at the highlights..

If the Sixers start to slide and they turn their focus to the offseason, they could find a trade partner in the Mavericks. The two sides have yet to talk, but sources around the league wonder if Dallas might be interested in landing Evan Turner in an effort to make a playoff run and appease star Dirk Nowitzki. Turner wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg and a package of Shawn Marion and a draft pick would probably get the job done for the former No. 2 overall pick.
If the Sixers part with Turner, word around the league is that the Thunder and T-Wolves will also be among the teams with interest.
Sixers small forward Thaddeus Young is also off to a hot start and is likely to draw interest around the trade deadline or sooner. Young may be a little tougher to move than Turner at $8.6MM this year and $9.1MM next with a player option for $9.7MM in 2015), however.
With the Pacers off to a 7-0 start, league execs wonder what Danny Granger‘s role might be when he comes back from injury. With his expiring contract and recent injury history, it seems as if the Pacers would be receptive to moving him. If they do dangle Granger, they’ll probably seek out some backcourt help, specifically someone adept at handling the basketball.
One league exec told Amico, “If the Kings aren’t any good, mark my words: They’ll trade (DeMarcus) Cousins.” Cousins is still on his rookie contract this year, but has a max extension kicking in next season, which will make it trickier to trade him due to CBA rules, albeit not impossible.

Odds & Ends: Turner, Draft, SportVU

November 9th, 2013 at 10:54pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

Coming off a 31-point performance this evening, Evan Turner continues to impress so far this season. Averaging the same amount of playing time as he did last year, Turner is putting up nearly 10 more points per game in what appears to be his last year on the 76ers’ roster. This strong improvement would seem to warrant a long-term deal from his current team but Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer feels Turner and the Sixers will part ways either by trade in February or free agency next summer, regardless of Turner’s play this season. Turner is motivated by Philadelphia’s lack of interest and promises to be “a gem” to whatever teams he winds up on in the future. Here’s more news from around the league:

One of the reasons the 76ers may not be interested in Turner returning to their roster is the talent in store for next year’s draft. Three of the players predicted to be in the top of that draft, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, and Jabari Parker, will play on the same court this Tuesday at the Champions Classic in Chicago. In addition to those three players, five of the Draft Express projected top 10 picks for 2014 and 18 of their top 100 players will all play in the event. Of course, this is no secret to the 76ers or any other NBA team as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports there are expected to be over 80 NBA personnel on hand to watch these future NBA picks compete against each other.
Shane Battier, known for his deep interest in analytics, explains the impact he anticipates SportVU technology will have on contract negotiations in the NBA to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
Mark Cuban told Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News he expects “there’s a good chance” one or two NBA expansion teams are on the horizon. Cuban believes expansion will occur before a current NBA team relocates.

NBA Executives Discuss Sixers, Tanking

November 8th, 2013 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have come back to earth a little since their hot start, but their resumé still includes impressive wins over presumed title contenders like the Heat and Bulls. While I expect the club to finish in or near the Eastern Conference cellar, the team’s first week had observers wondering if GM Sam Hinkie needed to alter his approach one way or the other. Perhaps the team could build around its current nucleus, or maybe Hinkie needed to move a productive veteran or two to ensure that the better-than-anticipated performance didn’t continue.

ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard spoke to several East executives about the Sixers, and how those execs would handle the situation if they were running the show in Philadelphia. The answers, which touched on tanking and trade scenarios, were pretty interesting, so let’s round up a few of the more notable quotes….

A general manager on trade possibilities:

“What I would expect Sam Hinkie to do is to get on the phone and try to move his last good veteran pieces that are playing well. I’m sure [agent] David Falk is trying to get Evan Turner out of there. But I don’t know who takes him because Turner is in the last year of his contract, and Falk is trying to get a lot of money for him. And the problem is that a guy like Thaddeus Young is hard to move because of his contract. So I don’t know who would trade anything of value for him.”

A second executive on the odds of the Sixers continuing to stay above .500:

“I would be stunned if they can sustain this. Besides Michael Carter-Williams, Turner, [Spencer] Hawes and Thaddeus Young, they’ve got nobody. There is no way, if I were Hinkie, I would begin to think this is a nucleus I can build around. No way. Not right now. I thought before the season they were going to win less than 10 games. Their bench guys weren’t even that good in college.”

That same executive on tanking:

“Tanking is a hard thing to do. It’s easy to say you’re going to do it, but when you’re going through the dog days of January and you’re 5-30 and there are 4,000 people in the stands, it’s painful. The other thing is that while Andrew Wiggins is a good prospect, he’s not the next LeBron [James] — or even Kobe [Bryant] when he came out back in ’96. He’s not that. He’s a very good player, but it’s not like when Tim Duncan was coming out of college.”

A third executive on whether the Sixers should try building around their core:

“Would I start to think I’ve got a nucleus to build around if I were Hinkie? Hell no. There is no part of me that thinks they have something to build around. Come on, look at that roster. I’m not saying they’re horrible, but it’s just not realistic at all. They will probably try to trade Evan Turner, but that’s going to be tough. David Falk is going to ask for the world [in Turner’s next contract]. He’s a tough agent. Everybody’s thinking that.”

Odds & Ends: Hayward, Jazz, Nash

November 3rd, 2013 at 10:12pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While the Jazz and Gordon Hayward fell short of agreeing on a contract extension last week, both Hayward and the franchise are still interested in getting something done eventually. Hayward told Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: “(Not reaching an agreement) in no way changes the way I feel about Utah at all…I love being here. I love playing for them…Hopefully (an extension) will get worked out next summer.”

Utah GM Dennis Lindsey had this to say about Hayward’s agent Mark Bartelstein and future negotiations: “Mark’s been one of the best agents in the business because he negotiates hard. He was fair. He played by the rules. He’ll continue to play by the rules. We’ll be fair as well, and we’ll come back and start talking in July…Just because (Hayward) said no to our last offer, his character hasn’t changed. He is an outstanding person…He’s someone we can see being in a Utah Jazz jersey until he retires. That’s our hope. We think we’re great fits.”

We have a handful of miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight, and you can read them below:

ESPN LA’s Arash Markazi weighed in on some of the rumblings which suggest that Steve Nash could eventually wind up in Toronto, saying that a deal between the Raptors and Lakers makes sense but isn’t sure if something gets done. Markazi opines that L.A. would like to clear Nash’s salary off their books while the Raptors would enjoy increased ticket sales by bringing the Canadian legend back to his home country (All Twitter links).
Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld tweeted a list of players who may be traded this season, including: Omer Asik, Jameer Nelson, Arron Afflalo, Glen Davis, Evan Turner, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Bass, and Gerald Wallace.
Kennedy also shared what 76ers rookie Michael Carter-Williams told him about his chances on winning the Rookie of the Year Award: “I think I have a pretty good chance at it. I’m just going to go out there, play my game and hope for the best” (Twitter link).
Entering tonight’s game with a record of 1-2 before their win against the Wizards, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade acknowledged that some minor chemistry issues are affecting the team (Michael Wallace of ESPN.com). More specifically, Wade had this to say: “Let me give you an example…If you’re in a relationship with a woman for a long time, you start getting comfortable. You stop doing the little things that you should do, that you did in the beginning. It’s just like a relationship. We got a little comfortable. Now we have to get back on that edge a little bit.”
Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes that Knicks forwards Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin will have their own individualized schedules as far as playing or sitting out games, a decision meant to preserve the health of both in the long run.
Mavericks point man Jose Calderon appears to be regaining his groove after a sluggish start to the season, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Bradley, Lawal

November 2nd, 2013 at 9:01am CST by Chuck Myron

The stripped-down Sixers have somehow managed to start 2-0, with wins over the Wizards and Heat. Still, not all is rosy in Philadelphia, where Evan Turner and GM Sam Hinkie appear to be suffering from a disconnect. Turner has spoken about feeling unwanted with coach Brett Brown, who doesn’t think the issue will cause problems for the team this year, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer observes. Here’s more on the Sixers and their Atlantic Division rivals:

Avery Bradley isn’t worried that he and the Celtics couldn’t come to a deal on an extension, and neither is GM Danny Ainge, notes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. “It doesn’t mean anything other than we talk next summer,” Ainge said. “He’s a big piece of our future.”
The Sixers waived camp invitee Gani Lawal last week, and he’s headed back to Italy, where he played last season. Lawal has agreed to a deal with Olimpia Milano, reports Chema de Lucas of Gigantes (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
Paul Pierce knew weeks before the Celtics traded him to the Nets this summer that his time in Boston was short, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com, who examines the attitudinal adjustment Pierce and Kevin Garnett have brought to the Nets.
Executives from rival teams are convinced the Celtics have some sort of clause in their six-year contract with Brad Stevens that would allow them to recoup money in case Stevens leaves early, according to Ian Thomsen of SI.com. That’s an indication of the unusually high stature Stevens has as he enters his first NBA job.

Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Turner, Bradley

November 1st, 2013 at 11:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns might not get a discount on Eric Bledsoe this summer after passing on an extension for him last night, but team president of basketball operations Lon Babby would be OK with seeing Bledsoe’s price tag escalate if he has a breakout year. Matt Petersen of Suns.com shares that and more from Babby in the wake of last night’s extension deadline.

“I can’t say that we received an unqualified declaration of [Bledsoe wanting to stay in Phoenix long-term], but I wouldn’t expect that,” Babby said. “That’s part of the issue. He’s only been with us for a short time. But if you’re asking me is there any indication he’s not happy here, absolutely not. I think he’s very, very happy and we’ll do everything we can to make sure he’s happy. He’s an important part of this franchise for a long, long time to come.”

There’s more on a pair of players who’ll also hit restricted free agency this summer as we round up the latest from the Association:

Evan Turner said earlier that he and Sixers GM Sam Hinkie didn’t have any talks about an extension, and that silence extends to any mention of Turner’s future in Philadelphia, as Turner told reporters, including Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. Turner isn’t sure if that future includes the Sixers after seeing the team trade Jrue Holiday, a player he called a “walking legend.” (Twitter links).
Avery Bradley isn’t concerned that the Celtics passed on what reportedly would have been a four-year extension, telling Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald and other assembled media today that he’d love to stay in Boston.
We already knew that the Rockets had protected B.J. Young from tonight’s D-League draft, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes the team did the same for fellow camp casualties Jordan Henriquez and Troy Daniels (Twitter link).
In an interview with the YES Network, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov shared his enthusiastic response when informed of the prospect of the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade and explained that his desire for a non-traditional coach led him to Jason Kidd. Newsday’s Roderick Boone has the details.
Commissioner-in-waiting Adam Silver spoke with Jared Weiss of CLNS Radio about the this season’s leaguewide rollout of SportVU cameras, expressing the league’s desire to create a level playing field in terms of the data and technology available to teams.

Eastern Rumors: Turner, Celtics, Raptors, Bulls

November 1st, 2013 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Two title hopefuls meet in Brooklyn tonight, as the Nets prepare to host the Heat in their home opener. While we look forward to what could be a playoff preview, here are a few of the latest items from around the Eastern Conference:

Although other extension candidates negotiated right up until last night’s deadline, Evan Turner told reporters, including Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that he had no talks whatsoever with the Sixers. “I didn’t expect anything, because [Sam] Hinkie is not my GM,” Turner said. “I didn’t come up with Hinkie or anything. He has his own plan for stuff, and that’s pretty much it.”
The Celtics are viewed league-wide as a strong candidate to pursue Gordon Hayward next summer, given Hayward’s ties to coach Brad Stevens, writes Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
Following up on Marc Stein’s report about the Raptors exploring trade options, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford tweets that no one covets Canadian prospect Andrew Wiggins more than Toronto GM Masai Ujiri.
Within Stein’s piece on Jameer Nelson, the ESPN.com scribe also noted that the Bulls had been trying to acquire a first-round pick for Marquis Teague throughout October, to no avail.
Howard Beck of Bleacher Report spoke to Bucks owner Herb Kohl and GM John Hammond about Milwaukee’s roster-building model and the franchise’s aversion to tanking.
Solomon Jones suffered a torn meniscus and will be sidelined indefinitely after he undergoes surgery, according to a press release from the Magic. The injury is bad news for Jones, who had beat out several other camp invitees to earn a roster spot, and for the Magic, who may end up having to guarantee Jones’ non-guaranteed contract depending on how much time he misses.
I didn’t expect anything, because Hinkie is not my GM,” Turner said. “I didn’t come up with Hinkie or anything. He has his own plan for stuff, and that’s pretty much it.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20131102_Sixers_pick_up_contract_options_on_Wroten__Moultrie.html#RdDCwEmmje8mZ2qB.99