Jason Collins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Considering Jason Collins

February 23rd, 2014 at 10:54am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 10:54am: With the rumor that the Clippers will be signing Glen Davis when he clears waivers later today, this makes it more likely that Collins will sign with the Nets. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles (Twitter Link) has heard that Collins and the team have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon.

FRIDAY, 4:40pm: The Nets will wait to see if they can sign Glen Davis, for whom they appear to be competing against the Clippers, before further investigating the idea of signing Collins, write Marc Stein and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com.

THURSDAY, 6:00pm: The Nets are looking at Collins but also have interest in Ivan Johnson and other bigs, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com.

5:01pm: The Nets worked out Jason Collins this week in Los Angeles and are giving strong consideration to signing him to a 10-day deal, according to Ohm Youngmisuk and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. A deal would make Collins the NBA’s first openly gay player.

Sources with knowledge of the situation say the Nets, after letting today’s trade deadline pass without a deal for Lakers big man Jordan Hill, are weighing the addition of another big man and have identified Collins as a prime candidate. Collins last stepped on an NBA court almost a year ago as a member of the Wizards.

On a conference call this afternoon, Nets GM Billy King acknowledged that he’ll be looking to add a big man via free agency, tweets Rod Boone of Newsday. He mentioned that the club has guys on the radar in the D-League and elsewhere.

Collins’ name resurfaced in the media this month when NFL draft prospect Michael Sam came out of the closet, putting him in contention to be the first openly gay active athlete in one of North America’s big four leagues. If Collins puts pen to paper with Brooklyn, he’ll take ownership of that title.

The Nets and Pistons were among the clubs giving Collins consideration over the summer but neither team would up signing him.

Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Melo, Lakers

January 28th, 2014 at 10:33pm CST by Cray Allred

The questions about Carmelo Anthony‘s pending free agency (assuming he opts out this offseason, as expected) continue to circulate. Anthony told reporters his wife said “nothing wrong” when claiming he would “definitely” stay with the Knicks while promoting her new book, per Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “That’s my wife, I support her.” He also addressed recent Bulls rumors, saying he has no relationship with Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau and hasn’t thought about Chicago as a destination.

Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune wouldn’t be surprised if Rick Adelman retires after this season, when he and the Timberwolves have a mutual option on his contract. Eggers would also be “shocked” if Kevin Love is still in Minnesota after next year’s trade deadline.
The Lakers are another team that gets brought up as a potential suitor for Anthony, but Larry Coon of Basketball Insiders says (via Twitter) that he hears Los Angeles doesn’t value the forward enough to offer a competitive contract.
While speaking of her disappointment in the Lakers‘ season to Janis Carr of the Orange County Register, team president for business operations Jeanie Buss maintained hope for an improved team. Despite her displeasure with oft-criticized coach Mike D’Antoni‘s hiring over Phil Jackson (her boyfriend) last year, Buss voiced support for D’Antoni. “You saw our general manager come out and give a vote of confidence to the coach,” she said. “And if he feels confident, then I have to feel confident.”
Jason Collins, who remains a free agent, was First Lady Michelle Obama’s guest at tonight’s State of the Union address. Collins tells ESPN.com he’s still training in pursuit of another NBA job, and that he’s unsure if coming out as a homosexual in the offseason has been a barrier to his continued career. “I have no idea. For me, again, it goes back to what I can control, and that’s my training.” Collins believes he can still contribute: “I know that I’m in great shape and that if I get an opportunity … if an owner, coach, GM calls my agent … I’ll be ready to play.”
Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders explains why Dante Exum is projecting as a top draft choice next year. “As far as point guard prospects go, Exum is on par with some of the best to come across in recent years, including Michael Carter-Williams, Trey Burke and even Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard.”

Odds & Ends: Collins, Augustin, Mavs, Cavs

December 11th, 2013 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jannero Pargo‘s contract with the Bobcats became fully guaranteed when the team didn’t waive him yesterday, and A.J. Price passed his contract guarantee threshold with the Timberwolves this weekend. That means the rest of the players with non-guaranteed contracts won’t have their deals fully guaranteed unless they remain on their teams until the leaguewide guarantee date of January 10th. We’ll continue to track non-guaranteed contracts here until that date. Here’s more from around the league:

Free agent center Jason Collins told Michael K. Lavers of the Washington Blade that he doesn’t pin the reluctance of NBA teams to sign him on his sexual orientation. Collins, who hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since publicly revealing last spring that he is homosexual, says he hopes a team will sign him by March 1st.
The Bulls are zeroing in on D.J. Augustin, and the move would give them four point guards, not including the injured Derrick Rose. They probably won’t be carrying all four by the end of the season, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
With Devin Harris suffering a setback in his rehab, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News wonders if the Mavericks will go after Augustin.
The Cavs have assigned Carrick Felix, Sergey Karasev and Henry Sims to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. It’s the first assignment for Karasev, while Felix and Sims are making return trips to the Canton Charge.
Other teams reportedly expect the Nuggets will soon trade Jordan Hamilton for little in return, but the third-year small forward has earned the trust of coach Brian Shaw, according to Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com.
Shelvin Mack is making the most of his non-guaranteed contract with the Hawks, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines (subscription required).

Knicks To Stand Pat, Won’t Add Big Man

November 8th, 2013 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

9:51am: Head coach Mike Woodson confirmed today to reporters, including Newsday’s Al Iannazzone (Twitter link), that the Knicks won’t sign or acquire anyone for now.

8:19am: A week and a half into the NBA season, the Knicks are the first team under pressure to make changes to their opening night roster. Following Tyson Chandler‘s right fibula injury, which will sideline the center for four to six weeks, the Knicks are thin in the frontcourt, but according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the club appears likely to stand pat, at least for the short term.

Berman reports that “if things become a disaster,” the Knicks will seriously consider signing Ike Diogu, who had an impressive showing in camp with the team last month. However, for now, the front office is content to see how the club fares with a shortened frontcourt rotation and a few more small-ball lineups.

We heard yesterday that the Knicks have spoken to Louis Amundson, and Berman cites a source who says the team has been in touch with Jason Collins‘ reps as well. Berman notes that Collins, a 12-year veteran, would qualify for a minimum salary of about $1.4MM and suggests James Dolan doesn’t want to spend the money.

It’s unclear if Berman is referring to spending specifically on Collins, but either way, mentioning his potential $1.4MM salary is a bit disingenuous. Any player who has two or more years of NBA experience would cost an equal amount to the Knicks on a one-year deal: A pro-rated portion of about $884K, with the league picking up the rest of the tab. That means most of New York’s likely targets, including Collins, Amundson, Diogu, and Jeremy Tyler, would have identical cap and tax hits for the club, though perhaps some of those players are more willing to sign non-guaranteed contracts than others.

Berman also reiterates that Chris Smith is the strongest candidate to be cut if the Knicks change their stance and sign a big man. Nonetheless, New York wants to keep J.R. Smith‘s younger brother as a practice player until the D-League starts, according to Berman. D-League camps are set to open today, while the regular season will get underway in two weeks.

Knicks Rumors: Collins, Diogu, Barron, Woodson

November 7th, 2013 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Plenty of last year’s playoff teams, including the Nuggets, Bulls, and Grizzlies, are off to slow starts in 2013/14, but few have as much cause for concern as the Knicks, who will be without Tyson Chandler for at least the next four weeks. That means we should expect to see a healthy dose of small-ball lineups from Mike Woodson tomorrow night in Charlotte. As we wait to see if the Knicks can avenge Tuesday’s loss to the Bobcats, let’s round up a few of the latest items out of the Big Apple….

Woodson told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link), that he’d talk to GM Steve Mills today about the possibility of signing a free agent big man. Asked specifically about Jason Collins, Woodson replied, “It’s hard for me to even comment on Jason or any big right now until I talk with (the front office)” (Twitter link via Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com).
Al Iannazzone of Newsday suggests (via Twitter) that if the Knicks can’t acquire a frontcourt player via a trade, the team should strongly consider signing Ike Diogu or Earl Barron. Both names surfaced yesterday as potential options, since the club is already familiar with them.
A source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that Woodson was “taken aback” by James Dolan’s expectation of a championship this season and privately questioned why the roster didn’t include more veterans with championship experience. While the Knicks’ roster is still fairly veteran-heavy, this year’s version includes players like Cole Aldrich, Toure Murry, and Chris Smith in place of guys like Jason Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, and Kurt Thomas.

Odds & Ends: Mavs, D-League, Collins, Dragic

November 1st, 2013 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Dirk Nowitzki publicly questioned Mark Cuban‘s approach to retooling the Mavericks back in January, and the team struck out on its top target again this summer when Dwight Howard decided to join the Rockets. But Nowitzki tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he’s pleased with the roster Cuban and Donnie Nelson put together this offseason, and he’s encouraged by the club’s direction.

“I think as a franchise, we’ve moved on,” Nowitzki said of the failed attempts to recruit star free agents. “We didn’t go for the whole cap space deal again, like we did last year, so I was obviously pleased to see that.”

Here are a few more Friday afternoon odds and ends:

With the D-League draft set to get underway at 6:00pm CT tonight, the Iowa Energy traded the third overall pick as part of a deal with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Heat camp invitee and NBA champion Jarvis Varnado headed to Iowa in the move, as Keith Schlosser writes at Ridiculous Upside.
One player who won’t be playing on a D-League squad anytime soon is free agent big man Jason Collins, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. Stein hears from a source that Collins isn’t considering playing overseas or in the D-League, since he still believes he’s an NBA player and prefers to continue his workout regimen at home in Los Angeles.
In a separate ESPN.com story, Stein writes that the Suns are comfortable with Eric Bledsoe heading into free agency next summer. However, it sounds like Phoenix hasn’t ruled out the possibility of facilitating a sign-and-trade involving Bledsoe in July if he gets too pricey, so the team likely won’t shop Goran Dragic for now.
John Jenkins tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld it “feels great” that the Hawks elected to exercise his third-year option for 2014/15 yesterday.
$14MM over four years is a reasonable price for Quincy Pondexter, but he’ll have to continue to develop for his new contract to be a good investment for the Grizzlies, says Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com.
DeShawn Sims, who was in camp with the Celtics in October, has signed with Galil Gilboa in Israel, agent Mike Silverman tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Since being released by the Rockets, Tim Ohlbrecht has remained in the U.S. in hopes of landing another NBA job, but continues to consider overseas offers, according to Schlosser at Ridiculous Upside.

Lowe On Faried, Horford, All-NBA, Collins

October 22nd, 2013 at 2:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Zach Lowe of Grantland unveils 32 predictions for the upcoming season in his latest post, but the column isn’t based entirely on speculation. Lowe passes along several tidbits from conversations with execs around the league, so let’s dive in:

Multiple sources tell Lowe that the Nuggets are gauging the willingness of other teams to trade for Kenneth Faried. The sources say Denver is demanding plenty in return for the power forward, and Nuggets officials deny they’ve had any talks with other teams about Faried, but Lowe predicts a deal will happen.
The Hawks‘ roster is “built to trade,” but Ferry has emphatically turned away teams calling about Al Horford‘s availability, Lowe hears.
The NBA is considering the removal of the center position from All-NBA teams, shifting to two backcourt and three frontcourt players as the league did with the All-Star ballot last season. That could alleviate a logjam among forwards and result in more money for Paul George, whose new extension will become more lucrative if he earns another All-NBA selection, under the terms of the Derrick Rose Rule.
Several executives believe Jason Collins will find an NBA home after January 10th, the date when all contracts become guaranteed for the season. Many of the guys on non-guaranteed deals will be released in advance of that date, creating opportunities for teams to sign the player who would become the first openly gay male athlete in major North American pro sports.

Bucher On Nets, Pacers, Stephenson, Jordan, Collins

October 22nd, 2013 at 11:08am CST by Zachary Links

In his first column for Bleacher Report, Ric Bucher writes that GMs from across the league are reporting that their owners have skyhigh/unrealistic expectations for the upcoming season. Bucher spoke to several execs and asked them about their chief concern for 2013/14 and Nets GM Billy King was the only one whose biggest concern centered on basketball. The expectation level of owners and front office turnover has changed the mindset of many execs who were once seeking the formula for success but are now zeroed in on survival. More from Bucher’s column..

The Pacers are a young squad with a payroll ($71.431MM) on the cusp of the luxury-tax threshold, but one opposing GM said that, for financial reasons, they will have a hard time ever fielding a team deeper in talent than this one. Danny Granger’s $14MM contract comes off the books next season, but that savings is wiped out by Paul George’s extension kicking in. The bottom line is that locking up free-agent-to-be Lance Stephenson will require stripping the roster of its current depth. “One thing I can tell you,” the exec said. “Indy is not paying the luxury tax.”
Some are skeptical of Clippers coach Doc Rivers‘ praise for center DeAndre Jordan and his effort, but Bucher hears that it’s legit. “He’s more engaged than ever before,” a scout said of Jordan, who clashed with previous coach Vinny Del Negro. “He’s constantly talking on defense, and that’s new.” Of course, Rivers will have quite a bit of say in personnel in L.A.
Several GMs say they have an aversion to free agent center Jason Collins – not because of his sexual orientation, but over the relentless media attention it will generate. “If it were just an initial blast and you knew it would settle down after that, it would be one thing,” said one executive. “But you know this is something that he and his teammates are going to be asked about everywhere they go, all season long, and all it takes is one guy to say something a little off and it could really blow up. He’s still good enough to play in the league, but when you throw in the ongoing media frenzy, most teams are going to decide it’s just not worth it.” The Nets and Pistons were reportedly among the clubs with some level of interest in the free agent big man.
One GM who was polled said the shift from commissioner David Stern to Adam Silver is his biggest worry. “I don’t know how much he thinks about the integrity of the game,” the GM said. “He’s more about selling widgets.”

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Bobcats, Antic, Raptors

October 11th, 2013 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

As the second week of training camps nears an end, let’s check in on a few notes from around the Eastern Conference…

Pistons owner and Los Angeles native Tom Gores is planning on becoming more visible in Detroit this season, and told reporters, including Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, that he also plans on having weekly meetings with the team’s front office, coaching staff, and players.
In the wake of news that Brendan Haywood will be sidelined for three months with an ankle injury, the Bobcats aren’t looking at Jason Collins as a potential fill-in, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein’s ESPN colleague Kevin Arnovitz published a story today about what we’re learning from Collins’ free agency.
Pero Antic, who was signed by the Hawks this summer, tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that he didn’t head into the offseason intending to pursue an NBA job. However, when he got a call from Atlanta head coach Mike Budenholzer, he couldn’t turn down the opportunity.
While no NBA organization would admit to intentionally tanking, Raptors coach Dwane Casey was particularly adamant in his dismissal of the subject, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun details. “Fans are going to talk about tanking, that’s their prerogative, I think it’s an interesting subject for them,” Casey said. “I’m not even thinking (about it though). That hasn’t even crossed my mind. That hasn’t been discussed in the organization and it won’t be discussed.”

Odds & Ends: D-League, Celts, Collins

October 10th, 2013 at 7:17pm CST by Alex Lee

Yesterday, commissioner David Stern boasted of the job that the NBA has done in developing the D-League while also taking a shot at the NCAA, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I’m very proud of the development league,” Stern said. “It’s working. That march is continuing. The drumbeats I hear about colleges not liking what they refer to one-and-done. We now have a league in the NBA Development League that will accept players that are 18 and will do a better job of educating them than the college programs in which they are…. Take that.”

Those are some big words from Stern. Let’s take a look at some of the other odds and ends from around the league:

There are a handful of 2011 and 2012 draftees that are candidates to have the second or third year options on their rookie contracts declined for next year before the looming October 31 deadline, writes Mark Deeks of SB Nation. Among the more notable names on the list are Jan Vesely and Derrick Williams.
According to his daughter, longtime Celtics coach Red Auerbach would not have given in and dealt Boston staples Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett this offseason, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. As Spears details, Auerbach’s intense loyalty was on display throughout his reign in Boston, allowing stars like Larry Bird and Kevin McHale to walk off into the sunset wearing Celtics green. Current C’s general manager Danny Ainge admitted that the memory of Auerbach’s resolve did cross his mind before he sold off his stars.
While his agent received several inquiries this offseason, Jason Collins remains a man without an NBA contract nearly six months after announcing he is a gay professional basketball player, writes Harvey Araton of the New York Times. Collins knows that his veteran status — and the contract demands that come with it — complicates his ability to land an NBA deal. What he doesn’t know, and wouldn’t comment on, is if any discriminatory forces are playing a role in his ongoing free agency. Either way, Collins will continue to explore an NBA deal before he considers playing overseas.

Zach Links contributed to this post.