J.J. Redick

Central Rumors: Pistons, Redick, Bynum, Ayon

A pair of Central Division teams welcomed additions to their lineups last night, as J.J. Redick made his debut for the Bucks while Danny Granger saw his first action of the season for the Pacers. If and when Derrick Rose makes his way back to the Bulls this year, the Central's playoff-bound teams will be poised to enter the postseason on an upswing. Here's more on Redick, the Bucks, and other news from the Central: 

  • The Magic's pursuit of a first-round pick derailed talks the Pistons had about acquiring Redick, reports MLive's David Mayo. The Blazers' insistence on a first-rounder also put an end to Detroit's pursuit of J.J. Hickson, as we heard earlier, but according to Mayo, the Pistons never spoke to the Thunder about Will Bynum.
  • The Spanish website El Contraataque is reporting that FC Barcelona is trying to engineer a buyout of Gustavo Ayon's contract with the Bucks so that he can sign a three-year deal worth the equivalent of $2MM annually with the overseas club (translation via HoopsHype). FC Barcelona acquired his Spanish league rights in October, but shortly thereafter, Ayon's agent, Emilio Duran, said his client is content to remain in the NBA. Milwaukee holds a $1.5MM team option on Ayon for next season.
  • USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal that Kyrie Irving will be invited to a four-day tryout camp this summer in Las Vegas for Team USA's entry in the 2014 basketball World Cup.

Deadline Notes: Redick, Robinson, Luxury Tax

Reactions continue to pour in following the trades made at Thursday's deadline, especially now that players are beginning to make their debuts with their new teams. Here is the latest post-deadline buzz:

Odds & Ends: Deadline, Nets, Colangelo, Hibbert

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday evening:

Kennedy On Trade Deadline Winners

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld posted a new column examining the reasoning why many teams opted to stand pat at the trade deadline rather than make any major deals. He also wrote that, although the trade deadline was relatively uneventful, it could set up an exciting summer of trades and free-agent signings.

Kennedy also ran down the teams he thought improved with deadline deals:

  • Kennedy thinks J.J. Redick will be valuable to the Bucks as they push for a playoff spot.
  • The Thunder added Ronnie Brewer at little cost, and Kennedy believes he will form a formidable perimeter defense tandem with Thabo Sefolosha.
  • Kennedy praises Rockets GM Daryl Morey for acquiring the fifth pick in the 2012 draft, and believes Thomas Robinson will flourish in a better situation than the one he was in with the Kings.
  • The Raptors picked up Sebastian Telfair, giving them a serviceable backup for Kyle Lowry at little cost, Kennedy writes, also noting that Telfair has strong relationships with several players already on the team.
  • Kennedy praises the Blazers for acquiring much-needed bench help in Eric Maynor.

Recap Of Deadline Trades

A complete recap of trades that were completed before Thursday's trade deadline:

Bucks To Acquire Redick In Six-Player Deal

The Magic have agreed to trade J.J. Redick to the Bucks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Milwaukee will send Doron Lamb, Beno Udrih, and Tobias Harris to Orlando in the deal (Twitter link). Along with Redick, Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith are heading to Milwaukee, tweets Wojnarowski.

After a flurry of Redick rumors leading up to the deadline, the Bucks emerged as the frontrunners in the hours leading up to 2:00pm, as the Spurs, Pacers, and other suitors fell out of the running. While it initially appeared that Milwaukee was targeting Redick to replace Monta Ellis if Ellis was part of a Josh Smith trade, the club ultimately pulled the trigger on Redick anyway, meaning the sharpshooter will join a backcourt that features Ellis and Brandon Jennings.

Meanwhile, the Magic had been seeking a first-round pick in exchange for Redick, but will instead acquire a pair of young prospects in Lamb and Harris, along with Udrih's $7.37MM expiring contract, which will come off the books this summer. According to various reports, the only first-round picks Orlando was offered for Redick would have been very late in the first round. Given the value of draft picks and rookie-scale contracts in the new CBA, teams seemed reluctant to give up any picks better than that.

J.J. Redick Rumors: Thursday

Based on reports late last night, it sounds like the Magic are still on the fence about whether or not they'll trade J.J. Redick. While the team is clearly fielding offers, Orlando also seems willing to hang on to Redick for the season if no suitable proposals are made. We'll track today's Redick rumors here, with the newest items added throughout the day:

  • The Pacers are out of the running for Redick, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard.
  • The Redick talks are coming "down to the wire" with the Pacers, Sixers, and Bucks still involved, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. The Spurs are out, according to Aldridge.
  • A source involved in the Redick talks now believes there's a strong chance the sharpshooter will remain in Orlando, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

Earlier updates:

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Knicks Rumors: Deadline, Amundson, Redick

The Knicks' front office typically doesn't talk to the media too often, which leaves coach Mike Woodson to discuss the team's plans as the trade deadline approaches. And Woodson has been insisting this week that a deal isn't likely for the Knicks, who the head coach believes can beat the Heat with the current roster. Here's the latest out of New York from Marc Berman of the New York Post:

  • One source to Berman, on the Knicks' deadline plans: "They’re not even waiting on anything. It’s pretty safe to say they’re not making a deal."
  • The Knicks are more likely to sign a free agent after they wait to see which players receive buyouts. Jermaine O'Neal is one possibility there, and the team also continues to monitor current free agent Kenyon Martin.
  • Contrary to previous reports, Berman says the Knicks have "no interest" in Louis Amundson.
  • A source shot down a previously-reported rumor that the Knicks could explore trading Iman Shumpert and Amare Stoudemire for Josh Smith. No surprise there, since the idea of the Hawks taking on Stoudemire's contract was always pretty outrageous.
  • There's also no traction on talks with the Magic involving J.J. Redick, says Berman. The Knicks would have needed to include a third team, and weren't interested in giving up Shumpert anyway.

Kyler’s Latest: Suns, Redick, Lakers, Novak, Blair

With less than six hours until today's trade deadline, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld explores a few of the latest rumors in his NBA AM piece. Here are the highlights:

  • Besides Jermaine O'Neal, Sebastian Telfair is another candidate to be a roster casualty once the Suns finalize their acquisition of Marcus Morris, says Kyler. If Phoenix trades either player for virtually nothing, the Grizzlies, who have seven trade exceptions and a need to add a 13th man to their roster, could get involved.
  • As they explore J.J. Redick deals, the Magic continue to seek a high-level first-round pick or a package that includes a young player and second-round picks. Several teams have questioned whether it's worth meeting that asking price for what could be a 30-game rental of Redick, according to Kyler.
  • If the Lakers make a trade, it's expected to be one that reduces their luxury-tax bill rather than one that drastically changes the roster.
  • In addition to shopping Ronnie Brewer, the Knicks have also made Steve Novak available. The duo isn't drawing a whole lot of interest though.
  • The Hawks are a potential destination for DeJuan Blair, particularly if Atlanta finalizes a Josh Smith trade.

Magic Still Mulling Possible J.J. Redick Deal

11:58pm: Redick prefers either staying in Orlando past the deadline or a trade that sends him to a contender, according to Robbins. He said he and the Magic haven't begun discussions about a new deal, and denied a report that he would seek a four-year, $40MM contract this summer.

11:50pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that the Spurs also have interest in Redick. The Magic, from the start, have wanted no less than a first-round pick in return, Stein adds.

11:43pm: The Magic remain in discussions about possible deals involving J.J. Redick, but league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports they wouldn't rule out the notion of Redick remaining with Orlando the rest of the season (Twitter link). Though Redick, in his seventh year with the Magic, has become a fixture with the team, the DeVos family, owners of the Magic, won't stand in the way of any deals, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets.

Several teams have reportedly sought the sharpshooting Duke product, including the Bucks, Wolves, and Grizzlies, who've all been linked to him just within the last 24 hours. He'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so if any team trades for him, it could merely be a rental, though the team would acquire his Bird rights. Still, Redick is frustrated by restrictions in the new CBA he believes are limiting the number of teams willing to take him on, as John Denton of Magic.com notes via Twitter. The Associated Press recently spoke with team officials and agents as they examined the inhibiting effect the CBA is having on trades.

Redick is making $6.19MM in the last season of a three-year deal with the Magic that was originally an offer sheet he signed with the Bulls in 2010. He's scoring 15.2 points per game on 45.4% shooting, both career highs.