Isaiah Thomas Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Rumors: Suns, Love, Miller, Miles

July 2nd, 2014 at 3:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns have spoken with Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza, Luol Deng, Spencer Hawes, Danny Granger, Ed Davis, Marvin Williams, Josh McRoberts, Gordon Hayward, Chandler Parsons, Isaiah Thomas and Patrick Patterson, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Still, Coro cautions that they aren’t necessarily interested in all of them. Phoenix also made contact with Eric Bledsoe, P.J. Tucker and Channing Frye on the first day of free agency, Coro adds. Here’s more from the West, including a Kevin Love update:

The Wolves are indeed insisting that the Warriors take back Kevin Martin in any trade involving Love, a source tells Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). Minnesota is also holding firm on its insistence that Klay Thompson be a part of the Warriors’ package, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press.
The Clippers, Nuggets, Rockets, Thunder and the incumbent Grizzlies are among the teams pursuing Mike Miller, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. He’ll allow the Grizzlies to make a final push before he makes his decision, and while he said on Sports56 radio in Memphis that he’s received at least five offers, he added that his heart is in Memphis, as Tillery notes (Twitter link).
The Thunder and C.J. Miles had mutual interest before he agreed to sign with the Pacers, but Oklahoma City wasn’t willing to have the contract go quite as long as the four years that Indiana gave him, as The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry tweets. The Thunder are believed to be limiting their new contracts this summer to two years with Kevin Durant‘s potential free agency looming in 2016, Mayberry adds (on Twitter).
The Clippers have reached out to unrestricted free agent Ed Davis, reports Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
The Jazz are among several teams interested in Kent Bazemore, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).

Celtics Rumors: Thomas, Bradley, Bazemore

June 30th, 2014 at 11:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The term “fireworks” has been a popular one to describe the offseason ahead for the Celtics, and with July 4th approaching, it seems like the appropriate time to set some off. Here’s the latest on Boston’s initial forays into free agency:

The Celtics were the first team on the horn with restricted free agent Isaiah Thomas when free agency started, a source tells Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). President of basketball operations Danny Ainge made the call.
Restricted free agent guard Avery Bradley has received calls from the Celtics and 76ers since free agency started, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (on Twitter).
Unrestricted free agent Kent Bazemore received a personal call from Celtics coach Brad Stevens after midnight, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter). The Mavs and Hawks are also showing interest.

Pacific Rumors: Gasol, Clippers, Lakers, Kings

June 30th, 2014 at 11:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pau Gasol won’t be having any in-person meetings tonight, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The big man will be taking calls at his home in Los Angeles instead. The market for him will take shape over the first week of free agency as Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James make their choices. Of course, many free agents will find themselves in a holding pattern until those two decide on where they’ll sign. In the meantime, here’s more news from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers registered interest in Carmelo Anthony tonight and will be meeting with him on Thursday, a source tells Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).
Spencer Hawes is a free agent target for the Clippers, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Clips targeted him at the trade deadline.
The Clippers are interested in bringing back Darren Collison, Glen Davis, and Danny Granger in that preferred order, Markazi also reports (on Twitter).
One of the top off-season priorities for the Clippers is upgrading at small forward and they will reach out to Paul Pierce and Trevor Ariza, Markazi tweets. Clippers coach/president Doc Rivers will recruit his former pupil Pierce while Chris Paul will work on his former teammate Ariza (link).
The Lakers like Ariza, Kyle Lowry, Luol Deng, and Chandler Parsons, but won’t offer any of them deals longer than one or two years, tweets Mark Medina of the Daily News.
The Kings will look to add a point guard even if they re-sign restricted free agent Isaiah Thomas, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.

And-Ones: Knicks, Kings, Heat

June 25th, 2014 at 11:57pm CST by Cray Allred

It’s been a busy day around the league, and things could get even crazier tomorrow. Here’s a roundup of the night’s notes:

If Zach Randolph isn’t signed prior to the draft and the Grizzlies select a power forward, it could be an indication that Memphis is preparing to move on from Randolph, writes Ronald Tillery of Commercial Appeal.
A rival executive tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that he could envision the Knicks breaking into the first round by flipping newly acquired Shane Larkin, as we speculated earlier tonight.
Beck tweets that the Knicks hope Jose Calderon‘s presence will help them lure Marc Gasol to New York when the dynamic center hits free agency before the 2015/16 season.
The Kevin Love talks between the Wolves and Warriors were “never off” and remain ongoing, tweets Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
The Kings primary concern is adding perimeter shooting, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “I think it’s a very important factor for the draft,” GM Pete D’Alessandro told Jones. “I think it’s something we have to take seriously and take a strong look at, for sure.”
A person with knowledge of restricted free agent Isaiah Thomas‘s situation tells Sam Amick of USA Today that the point guard’s market value is between $4MM and $6MM per year.
Dwyane Wade has yet to make his decision regarding the early termination clause in his contract, but sources tell Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press that he, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh had a positive meeting regarding their offseason (Twitter link).

Kings Extend Qualifying Offer To Isaiah Thomas

June 25th, 2014 at 11:44am CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings have extended a qualifying offer to Isaiah Thomas, meaning he’ll enter next month as a restricted free agent, the team announced. The offer is for one year at $2,875,131, as I explained this spring, but it will likely serve only as a placeholder for Thomas, who can command a long-term deal for significantly more money on the market.

The news is no surprise, as GM Pete D’Alessandro told reporters this spring that he planned on extending the QO. It’ll allow Sacramento to match offers for the 25-year-old. D’Alessandro has publicly praised Thomas, but the team would like to bring aboard a pass-first point guard this summer, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee notes via Twitter.

An Eastern Conference executive in March pegged the market value of the ASM Sports client at $4-5MM per year. That would fit within the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, though the Kings, in addition to having the right of first refusal, have full Bird rights on Thomas.

And-Ones: Frye, Thomas, Love, Lue

June 23rd, 2014 at 9:14pm CST by Zachary Links

There’s mutual respect between Channing Frye and Warriors coach Steve Kerr, as TNT’s David Aldridge notes in his latest Morning Tip column for NBA.com. The Warriors are reportedly eyeing the sharpshooting big man who’ll almost certainly opt out of his deal with the Suns.

It would “mean a lot” to Kings restricted free agent Isaiah Thomas to receive an offer sheet from the Lakers, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The guard grew up as a diehard Lakers fan and has idolized Kobe Bryant since he was a child, but he still spoke highly of the Kings and would like to return.
There have been mixed reports on this aspect of the Kevin Love talks, but Sam Amick of USA Today hears that the Warriors are very wary about taking on Kevin Martin‘s contract as a part of a deal. Meanwhile, despite the hangups in talks and the buzz that a deal with the Warriors is dead, Amick believes that things could pick up again between Golden State and the Wolves.
Sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports that Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue has agreed to become the associate head coach of the Cavaliers. Lue was considered a head coaching candidate for Cleveland but the Cavs opted to hire David Blatt instead.
Marquette forward Jamil Wilson worked out for the Mavericks today, according to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times (on Twitter). Wilson has auditioned for about a dozen teams in total.
The Cavs will bring in Oregon’s Mike Moser and Iowa State’s Melvin Ejim for a workout on Tuesday, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.
The Suns worked out center Walter Tavares earlier today, Scotto tweets. The 7’3″ center is rising up draft boards around the league. DraftExpress currently has Tavares going to the Bucks with the No. 31 pick in their mock draft.
The Pistons will bring in DeAndre Daniels and Mike Moser for a workout on Wednesday, tweets Scotto.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Williams, McDermott, Draft

June 8th, 2014 at 10:44am CST by Eddie Scarito

Chaz Williams wants to be part of the new trend of undersized guards becoming successful in the NBA, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. The 5’9″ Williams has been in contact with Kings guard Isaiah Thomas for advice, notes Murphy. Of his conversation with Thomas, Williams said, “It’s great to know another small guy out there is successful, and is a fan of mine as well. He gave me a lot of encouraging words, and told me what to look for in these workouts. He told me to be myself and go out there and play hard. We spoke via text and communicated for a little while on Twitter. We’re with the same agency. I approached him. I’m a fan of his, and I wanted to pick his brain and learn. I’m a student of the game and can learn more every day. If I can learn more in a situation where people say I can’t, then that will help me a lot.”

Kings Intend To Retain Rudy Gay

April 28th, 2014 at 2:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro says he didn’t trade for Rudy Gay just to have him around for this year, and he’ll continue to talk to the forward who’s undecided on a player option worth more than $19.3MM for 2014/15, as D’Alessandro tells Katie Cracchiolo of Kings.com. Gay has a chance to become a sought-after free agent this summer, but D’Alessandro apparently wants to ensure that he’s back one way or another.

The Octagon Sports client expressed profound indecisiveness nearly a month ago about his option, which would likely give him a greater salary for next season than he could receive on a new contract. Still, a fresh deal would no doubt allow Gay to lock in a greater amount over the long term, and it would give him freedom to pursue interest from rumored suitors like the Suns and other teams that could give him a better chance to win sooner than Sacramento can.

D’Alessandro says that he’s optimistic that Gay has enjoyed the Sacramento community, and Gay said in January that he was comfortable with his new home following the December trade that brought him from Toronto. The 27-year-old also expressed excitement about the on-court freedom coach Michael Malone has given him, and D’Alessandro is similarly high on what Gay has done for the team.

“We did our analysis of Rudy before we did our deal. Rudy is exactly what I expected, which has been nothing short of great,” D’Alessandro said. “We see him as a very consistent, top-level player.”

The Kings have about $47MM in commitments for next season, but that doesn’t include Gay or Isaiah Thomas, who’s set for restricted free agency. D’Alessandro said he and the team “just think the world of” Thomas, and that he’ll be talking to his reps at ASM Sports, too. New contracts for both would likely eat up most, if not all, of Sacramento’s cap flexibility, but if Gay opts out and the Kings re-sign him at a lower salary for next season, it’ll give the club more breathing room beneath the tax line. I took a look at Gay’s free agent stock last week.

Kings Notes: Thomas, Draft, Biggest Need

April 22nd, 2014 at 7:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Believe it or not, the last time that the Kings reached the postseason was in 2005/06, which then marked the franchise’s eighth consecutive playoff appearance since the 1998/99 season. More notably, that year denoted the mid-year blockbuster deal which sent Peja Stojakovic to Indiana in exchange for Metta World Peace (then-Ron Artest) as well as Rick Adelman‘s final year as head coach in Sacramento. At 18-24 in late January of 2006, the Kings finished 26-14 to close out the regular season before falling in six games to the 63-19 Spurs.

Earlier today, Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro shared some of his thoughts on how he’ll try to utilize the draft this year as he looks to continue building a competitive roster that will eventually end Sacramento’s playoff drought. We have a few more interesting things to share from D’Alessandro, and you can find them below:

D’Alessandro confirmed to reporters today, including Cowbell Kingdom’s Jon Santiago, that he plans to extend a qualifying offer to Isaiah Thomas to make him a restricted free agent this summer (Twitter link). It’ll be worth $2,875,131, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors explained last month.
He believes in drafting the best player available and would not be averse to selecting a small forward in late June, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. While some may wonder what that could mean for Rudy Gay, D’Alessandro cites Gay’s versatility to presumably dispel notions about a potential logjam at that position.
The Kings’ GM also says that the the team’s biggest need is shooting and is particularly looking for shooters who will be significant rotation players (Jones adds via Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pistons Considering Griffin, Zarren, Vandeweghe

April 18th, 2014 at 5:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars’ announcement that he was “stepping aside”, the speculation as to who would take over his post began. The team intends to conduct a comprehensive search for their next GM, report Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today. According to the article, there are several names are on the Pistons’ radar.

The latest names to be mentioned in connection with Detroit are Cavaliers acting general manager David Griffin, Celtics assistant GM and team counsel Mike Zarren and NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Kiki Vandeweghe.

Other names connected with the search per the article, are Magic assistant GM Scott Perry, who is from Detroit and used to work for the team, Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk, and former Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo.

It was also reported earlier this week that Grant Hill, a former Pistons player who is now working for Turner Sports, is also a possibility for the post. The Pistons may also look into an arrangement similar to the one Doc Rivers has with the Clippers, the article notes. Rivers is both coach and senior vice president of basketball operations and works with vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks on personnel decisions.

The other wild card here could be former Pistons great Isiah Thomas, who was reported to be openly campaigning for the job, despite the team shooting down those rumors. There has also been talk that the team may want to hire Chauncey Billups for the front-office, but the exact role hasn’t been revealed.

Currently Pistons director of basketball operations Ken Catanella and assistant GM David George are preparing for the draft and free agency. They report to ownership executives Phil Norment and Bob Wentworth, both of whom are partners is Gores’ private equity investment firm, Platinum Equity, write Zillgitt and Amick.