J.J. Redick Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wolves Rumors: Pekovic, Prince, Henderson

July 15th, 2013 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

As I explained last Friday, the Timberwolves have done a good job this summer managing the cap, allowing the team to add Kevin Martin, Corey Brewer, and Ronny Turiaf, while locking up Chase Budinger. However, the offseason can't truly be viewed as a success until the T-Wolves re-sign free agent big man Nikola Pekovic. Here's the latest on that front, along with a few more noteworthy items out of Minnesota:

A source close to Pekovic tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that there has been no movement in negotiations with the Wolves. Minnesota still has an offer on the table, believed to be for four years and $50MM, and persumably Pekovic's camp feels comfortable that the offer isn't going anywhere.
Timberwolves president Flip Saunders still intends to hire a general manager and VP of basketball operations. According to Wolfson, two candidates we've heard mentioned before remain in play: Rob Babcock and Milt Newton. Wolfson's report suggests two candidates will be hired (or promoted), rather than one exec filling both roles.
While a Wolves source says a three-year, $21MM deal for Andrei Kirilenko was at least briefly discussed, a source close to Kirilenko tells Wolfson that there was never an offer on the table to bring the forward back to Minnesota.
Before they signed Brewer, the Wolves had a chance to acquire Tayshaun Prince from the Grizzlies, but passed, given Prince's price tag, according to Wolfson.
The T-Wolves had "heavy interest" in Gerald Henderson prior to agreeing to terms with Martin.
The Wolves like O.J. Mayo, but determined he wouldn't be a good fit with Ricky Rubio, since the team wanted to add a two guard who didn't need the ball in his hands a whole lot, says Wolfson. Minnesota also pursued J.J. Redick before landing Martin, but couldn't negotiate a sign-and-trade as beneficial as the Clippers' deal.
Reps for Nate Robinson and Delonte West called the Wolves to see if the club has interest in either player, but the answer appears to be no, writes Wolfson.
After being selected 58th overall in the 2012 draft, Robbie Hummel spent last season playing in Spain, but now that he's back with the Wolves' Summer League squad, he's eager to show that he's deserving of the team's final open roster spot, as he tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. "That’s the ultimate goal," Hummel said. "It always has been my dream to play in the NBA. I’m thankful for this opportunity and want to show I belong."

Eric Bledsoe To Suns, Redick To Clippers

July 10th, 2013 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

JULY 10TH: The Bucks have officially announced that the three-way deal has been finalized (Twitter link). Milwaukee will receive Toronto's 2014 second-round pick (via the Suns), and the Clippers' 2015 second-rounder, which is protected in '15 and '16, but unprotected in '17 (Twitter link). That Raptors pick also has some unusual protection, the details of which can be found at RealGM.com.

JULY 2ND: The Clippers, Bucks, and Suns have reached agreement on a three-team deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler will go to the Suns, Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick (sign-and-trade) will head to the Clippers and two second-round picks will be sent to the Bucks, according to sources. The Clippers and Suns will each kick in a second-rounder, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.

Redick's brand new deal will pay him $27MM over the next four years, Wojnarowski (link) hears from sources. The shooting guard will also get a trade kicker in his contract, Wojnarowski tweets.

The Clippers were in the market for a shooter this summer and they get a tremendous one in the former Bucks guard. Redick averaged 14.1 PPG last season for the Bucks and Magic, though his downtown shooting dipped to 36.6% versus his 40% clip from the previous six seasons. It's also worth noting that Redick attempted 5.8 threes per game, versus 3.1 prior to 2012/13.

Bledsoe is a major acquisition for the recently-crowned GM Ryan McDonough. The 23-year-old guard will team up with No. 5 overall pick Alex Len for the Suns who are hoping to recover from a rough 2012/13 campaign. The Clippers were extremely high on Bledsoe and his potential, but even ardent supporter Chris Paul acknowledged earlier this year that he would likely be traded to fill a greater need. Bledsoe was stellar last season, averaging 8.5 PPG and 3.1 APG in 20.4 minutes per contest, serving primarily as Paul's understudy. Bledsoe's addition figured to change things for point guard Goran Dragic and may also effect last year's first-round pick Kendall Marshall.

The Suns also get Butler in the swap and they'll pay him $8MM in his upcoming walk year. The veteran averaged 10.4 PPG last season, his lowest mark since his sophomore campaign in 2003/04. He started all 78 games that he played in for the Clippers last season but played just 24.1 minutes per contest. One has to imagine that he'll see a good amount of burn for the rebuilding Suns.

Dudley started 50 games (79 played in total) for the struggling Suns last season, averaging 10.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG. The 6'7" forward has a reasonable contract as he earns $4.25MM in each of the next two seasons and can make the same amount in 2015/16 if he triggers his player option. While he's not the centerpiece of the deal for L.A., he can certainly be a valuable addition to their bench.

As for the Bucks, this deal is something of a head-scratcher. Milwaukee parted ways with Tobias Harris in a six-player deal to acquire Redick back in February and five months later, they have just two second-round picks to show for it.

Clippers Notes: Trade, Bledsoe, Redick

July 2nd, 2013 at 8:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Clippers wanted to land a shooter this offseason and they managed to pull it off in their three-way trade earlier tonight when they got J.J. Redick in a sign-and-trade with the Bucks and Suns. Here’s the latest fallout from Clipperland..

Surprisingly, the deal was conceived and completed inside of 24 hours, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). While there has been speculation around the NBA that Eric Bledsoe would be moved this summer, he wasn’t available until Chris Paul agreed to a contract extension.
Redick was close to signing with the Timberwolves before the Clippers deal came together, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
The Clippers still want to re-sign Matt Barnes after acquiring Redick and Jared Dudley, but it “may be tough” to bring back Chauncey Billups, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
Los Angeles won’t move Jamal Crawford and they’re focused on finding another big, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
The Clippers, as well as the Suns, improved with the three-way swap, writes Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld. The Clippers were looking for another shooter and depth at the shooting guard position, both of which Redick provides.

Northwest Rumors: Wolves, Jazz, Brewer, Aldridge

July 2nd, 2013 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

With the exception of the defending division champs from Oklahoma City, we've got a little something this morning on every Northwest team, so let's dive in and round up the latest….

J.J. Redick and Chase Budinger have received four-year contract offers from the Timberwolves, as we heard last night. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter) that Redick is the priority for Minnesota, but the team would like to sign one of those two players.
The Jazz met with Paul Millsap late on Sunday night when free agency opened, according to Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune. While Utah didn't make Millsap an offer, the team expressed a "high interest" in re-signing the big man, who figures to be a Plan B for some of the clubs that fail to land Dwight Howard.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that Corey Brewer is garnering interest from the Pelicans, Hawks, and Nuggets. Brewer is also set to meet with the Rockets, who believe that he would be a strong complementary piece for their top target (Howard).
Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge does an excellent job of rounding up all the LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors to date, including the latest from Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.

Los Angeles Rumors: Bledsoe, Redick, Vujacic

July 2nd, 2013 at 7:33am CST by Luke Adams

Dwight Howard has met with the Rockets, Warriors, and Hawks so far this week, and the Lakers, along with the Mavs, will finally get their shot to make a pitch to the All-Star free agent today. As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets, Golden State's and Atlanta's presentations yesterday went well, with Howard considering both team's head coaches (Mark Jackson and Mike Budenholzer) to be impressive.

As the Lakers prepare to meet with the biggest free agent left on the market, let's round up a few more updates out of Los Angeles….

It's sounding "more and more" as if the Clippers may just hang on to Eric Bledsoe, says Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. As Shelburne notes, it's hard to imagine Bledsoe re-signing with the Clippers long-term, either this offseason or next summer as a restricted free agent, but Doc Rivers seems in no hurry to part with the point guard, even after exploring possible deals (all Twitter links).
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the Clippers have received trade inquiries on Bledsoe from the Raptors, Magic, Pistons, Bucks, and Mavericks.
The Clippers are searching for a way to sign-and-trade for J.J. Redick, who dined with Rivers on Monday night, tweets Wojnarowski. However, sources call the possibility a long shot.
Sasha Vujacic intends to return to the NBA for the 2013/14 season, and the Lakers would be his top choice, reports Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).
Kobe Bryant offered his latest hints that he'll be sticking around past next summer, insisting to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com that he'll be able to play at a high level for "at least another three years," and pointing to his injury and the Spurs' run to the Finals as motivation (Twitter links).
The Lakers have expressed interest in re-signing Earl Clark, who is drawing attention from "two or three teams" besides L.A., writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Watson, Jazz

July 1st, 2013 at 9:25pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Northwest Division:

Earl Watson is currently in discussions with several teams, according to a tweet from the Deseret News' Jody Genessy. The free agent point guard spent last season with the Jazz.
Also according to Genessy, the Jazz have spoken to Mo Williams and DeMarre Carroll, as have other teams.
The Salt Lake Tribune's Bill Oram reiterates Genessy's report that the Jazz and Carroll have been in heavy discussion, but nothing is imminent.
Also according to Oram, the Jazz are said to be very interesting in re-signing forward Paul Millsap, but no deal has been offered yet.
According to a tweet from 1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson, the Timberwolves have reached out to Alan Anderson.
The Timberwolves also have four-year offers out to J.J. Redick and Chase Budinger, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski.

Clippers, Bucks Discussing Bledsoe, Redick?

July 1st, 2013 at 5:17pm CST by Luke Adams

5:17pm: The Clippers and Redick will be meeting soon, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

3:36pm: There are rumblings that the Clippers and Bucks are discussing a potential deal that would send Eric Bledsoe to Milwaukee and J.J. Redick to Los Angeles, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).

Having reached a verbal agreement with Chris Paul on a maximum-salary contract, the Clippers have seemingly shifted their focus to acquiring a shooting guard to pair with Paul in the backcourt. Although free agents like O.J. Mayo and Tony Allen have been mentioned as possible targets, L.A.'s best way to acquire an impact player may involve using Bledsoe as trade bait.

While it's not clear how far talks between the Clippers and Bucks have progressed, it's easy to see why such a deal would appeal to both teams. Redick is coming off the best year of his career and would give the Clippers a deadly sharpshooter from the outside, while Bledsoe (and perhaps Caron Butler's expiring contract) would be an excellent haul for a Bucks team looking to acquire or retain backcourt help. Since Redick is a free agent, a sign-and-trade agreement would be required — that would allow the Clippers to offer him more than the mid-level exception.

We also heard earlier this afternoon that the Clippers haven't ruled out the possibility of trading Bledsoe to the Magic in a deal for Arron Afflalo.

Wolfson On Mayo, Iguodala, Redick, Dunleavy

July 1st, 2013 at 10:17am CST by Chuck Myron

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has plenty on all things Timberwolves in his latest dispatch, including a look at the itinerary for president of basketball operations Flip Saunders that sheds some light on the team's order of free agent priorities. Here's what Wolfson is sharing:

The team's top targets appear to be Mayo, Redick and Martin, Wolfson tweets.

Earlier updates:

Saunders will meet with O.J. Mayo, and he could meet with Andre Iguodala as well, since agent Rob Pelinka has them together in Los Angeles. Iguodala, though, is probably out of the team's price range, Wolfson writes.
Saunders will then see Wasserman Media Group clients J.J. Redick and Mike Dunleavy Jr. Dorell Wright will likely meet with Saunders as well. Finally, Saunders will take his reported meeting with Rick Adelman favorite Chase Budinger, who's strongly interested in signing with the Bucks.
Kevin Martin is on the Wolves' radar, too, according to Wolfson. If Saunders can't land him or any of the above targets, he'll turn to Marco Belinelli.
Though it's more likely that Andrei Kirilenko will sign elsewhere, he'll still consider re-signing with Minnesota, a source tells Wolfson. The team made phone calls and held meetings last night, but it did not reach out to Kirilenko, Wolfson tweets.
Owner Glen Taylor's strong preference is to stay out of the luxury tax, and it's likely the team will remain below the tax line, but if Saunders can make a "can't miss" proposition to become a tax team, Taylor may consent to doing so.
We'd heard that the team plans to waive Greg Stiemsma before his non-guaranteed contract becomes fully guaranteed later this month, and Wolfson says the same is true for Mickael Gelabale, though Wolfson believes the team may try to find trading partners for them in the meantime.
J.J. Barea, Luke Ridnour and Derrick Williams are the others on the team's trading block.
The team has not reached out to Carlos Delfino, Wolfson reports via Twitter.

Bucks Have Redick Sign & Trade Opportunities

June 30th, 2013 at 11:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Sign-and-trade opportunities are emerging for the Bucks and J.J. Redick, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Meanwhile, there haven't been any talks on a return to Milwaukee.

We heard earlier today from Wojnarowski that it was appearing less and less likely that the shooting guard would be back in a Bucks uniform next season. Redick came to Milwaukee at the deadline in a six-player deal with the Magic. Between the two teams, Redick averaged a career-high 14.1 PPG in 30.5 minutes per contest.

Lawrence On Messina, Nets, Pacers

June 9th, 2013 at 11:04am CST by Zachary Links

Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News has tons of interesting bits in his latest column and we have the highlights..

There has been talk about the Nets looking for a “fresh face" rather than going with an established coach and Italian coach Ettore Messina would fit the bill, along with Pacers assisstant Brian Shaw. A group of Russian Nets executives who report to Mikhail Prokhorov is quite familiar with Messina, which could help his candidacy. Communication also won't be an issue for Messina as he speaks English fluently. “Players will find that Ettore has the technical mind to do the job, he can do the X’s and O’s, so strategically, it would not be hard for him at all,’’ said Spurs GM R.C. Buford.
The Pacers know they need outside shooting help and would love to add Kyle Korver or J.J. Redick. Both players, of course, will be free agents on July 1. The club's other free agents, Tyler Hansbrough and D.J. Augustin, are expendable, which can give them some extra breathing space this offseason.
David Stern plans to step down from the competition committee – which has the power to make rules changes – once he's done being commissioner. Lawrence's bet, however, is that he’ll still be used by the committee as a consultant.
Lionel Hollins wants to paint Grizzlies assistant Dave Joerger like the bad guy if he doesn’t get a new deal in Memphis, but people in the NBA feel that he hasn’t done anything to bounce Hollins and get the job for himself. The Memphis front office doesn’t want Hollins back unless it’s on the cheap and he starts buying into the club's statistical analysis.
New Raptors GM Masai Ujiri wants to hire Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman to be his top assistant. Weltman and former Knick president Scott Layden were up for the Suns gig that went to Ryan McDonough.