Jason Collins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Bell, Billups, Datome, Grizzlies

July 8th, 2013 at 10:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Knicks coach Mike Woodson is trying to convince Chauncey Billups to rejoin the club, sources tell Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). However, the veteran is unlikely to accept a minimum deal. The Knicks saw another one-guard target come off the board tonight when the Pistons agreed to a deal with Will Bynum. Here's tonight's look around the Association..

Raja Bell worked out for the Knicks today and stood out to the point where he could receive consideration for a roster spot, a league source told Shams Charania of RealGM. Bell, who sat out all of last year, shot well and outplayed New York’s incoming rookies in one-on-one drills.
Although an overseas report over the weekend suggested that the Grizzlies had made Italian forward Gigi Datome a contract offer, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says the two sides aren't close to a deal. Datome doesn't seem inclined to accept a one-year offer with his potential playing time in question, according to Tillery, who adds that he expects the Grizz to sign someone like Anthony Morrow (Twitter links).
After checking in with the T'Wolves, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) gets the sense that Metta World Peace isn't a fit in Minnesota. There's one caveat, however – Rick Adelman has yet to chime in and could conceivably fight for him. But right now, there's no interest there.
The representatives for free agent center Jason Collins have only had preliminary discussions with teams, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). It's still early for the reserve center market and Collins probably has to wait for the bigger fish to sign before he can.
C.J. Leslie's deal with the Knicks will be partially guaranteed until January 7th, even if he is cut or waived before that date and will be fully guaranteed after that date, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. New York signed the N.C. State product as an undrafted free agent. He was widely regarded as a mid-second round talent prior to draft night.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Nets Interested In Jason Collins, Kyle Korver?

June 29th, 2013 at 8:11am CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 8:11am: While two reports have shot down the Nets' potential interest in Collins, a source confirmed to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that the club has discussed signing the center, despite not really having a need for another big man.

FRIDAY, 7:34pm: Tim Bontemps of the New York Post also hears the Nets have no interest in signing Collins, backing up Broussard's report (below). In addition, Wojnarowski's story appears to have been updated to reflect that the team may not be as interested in Collins as it had been now that Reggie Evans is no longer a part of Brooklyn's mega-deal with the Celtics.

1:55pm: The Nets also have interest in signing free agent sharpshooter Kyle Korver, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. It's unlikely that Korver would sign for the minimum, but perhaps the Nets could lure him to Brooklyn with their $3.18MM mini mid-level exception.

Of course, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter), the Nets will be so far in the tax next season that a $3MM mid-level player could end up costing the team in the neighborhood of $15MM in total.

Meanwhile, a source tells ESPN.com's Chris Broussard that it's "very doubtful" the Nets sign Collins (Twitter link).

12:58pm: Now that they've reached an agreement with the Celtics to acquire Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry, the Nets are looking to fill out their roster with minimum-salary veterans to avoid increasing their tax bill even more. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, one target for a bench spot in Brooklyn will be free agent big man Jason Collins.

Collins, 34, has a history with new head coach Jason Kidd and new assistant Lawrence Frank, as Kidd and Collins were teammates on Frank's Nets teams several years ago. Wojnarowski writes that there's reason to believe Collins would have a "strong comfort level" in returning into an organization that knows him well and values his defense and his tough style of play.

The Celtics had Collins on their roster for part of the 2012/13 season before sending him to Washington in a deadline trade, so Garnett, Pierce, and Terry are former teammates of the veteran center as well. According to Wojnarowski, KG was "extremely frustrated" when Collins was dealt to the Wizards in February.

Collins made public his sexuality earlier this year, making him the first openly gay male athlete in a major North American sport. The announcement came after the regular season ended, so Collins didn't technically become the NBA's first active gay player, but he could earn that distinction if he ends up signing with Brooklyn this summer.

Odds & Ends: Dunleavy, Collins, Kings, Sixers

April 30th, 2013 at 4:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's check out a handful of Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the Association….

Mike Dunleavy is facing free agency this summer, and tells Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he'd be open to returning to Milwaukee, but that he'll have to talk to the Bucks to see what they're thinking.
The Wizards are unlikely to bring Jason Collins back for next season, considering he was included for salary purposes in a deadline deal and the team has plenty of frontcourt options already, as J. Michael of CSNWashington writes. Michael Lee of the Washington Post notes that the team's stance was unaffected by Collins' announcement this week.
The NBA relocation committee's recommendation to keep the Kings in Sacramento is more about Sacramento's future than its past, says Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
After yesterday's vote, the Sacramento group is moving to finalize its offer for the Kings in time for May's Board of Governors meetings, according to Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee.
Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com believes it makes sense for the 76ers to make a run at Dwight Howard this summer. I'm not sure how realistic a possibility this is, since the Sixers would have to either make other roster moves to clear the necessary cap space to make a max offer, or propose a sign-and-trade, less than a year after giving up many young assets and picks for Andrew Bynum.

Central Notes: Bucks, Jennings, Pistons, Bulls

April 29th, 2013 at 7:40pm CST by Zachary Links

After getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Heat, the Bucks gave their exit interviews with reporters. Milwaukee could look extremely different next season with several impact players bound for the open market and coach Jim Boylan reportedly on the hot seat. Here's more on the Bucks and other news out of the Central Division..

As Brandon Jennings gets ready to start fielding offer sheets from clubs this summer, he says that he'll leave the process up to agent Jeff Schwartz, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Jennings has been unsatisfied with the Bucks in the past but he recently expressed some fondness for the club in an interview with ESPN's Scoop Jackson.
In today's column, David Aldridge of NBA.com suggested that Knicks assistant Darrell Walker would be a good fit for the vacant Pistons job. Aldridge writes that the 52-year-old is a no-nonsense coach who's not afraid to challenge players when they give less than their best. Detroit is looking for a new head coach after letting Lawrence Frank go earlier this month.
The Milwaukee Association of Commerce recently met to discuss the idea of building a new arena for the Bucks and the ramifications of possibly losing their NBA franchise down the line, writes Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. The city may also renovate the BMO Harris Bradley Center which was opened in 1988.
While speaking about Jason Collins' decision to come out of the closet, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau revealed that the club met with him while he was a free agent last summer, tweets K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The spot that would have gone to Collins eventually went to Nazr Mohammed.

Celtics Notes: Rivers, Rondo, Collins, Wilcox

April 29th, 2013 at 2:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Celtics staved off elimination last night by defeating the Knicks 97-90 in overtime, but a former C's big man is the talk of the NBA world today. Jason Collins made history with his piece in Sports Illustrated today as became the first active male athlete in a major U.S. sport to announce that he's gay. Will Collins, who is known for his tough defense, hook on somewhere for next season? Here's more on that and other news out of Boston..

In an interview with Dennis & Callahan of WEEI, Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski weighed in on the future of the Celtics. While the Celtics have clear advantages over the Lakers thanks to coach Doc Rivers and a sharp front office, the Yahoo scribe sees L.A. getting back to prominence first because of the area's appeal. Going forward, Wojnarowski says Boston will probably center their rebuilding on guard Rajon Rondo.
The Celtics wanted to put Chris Wilcox in their February deal with the Wizards instead of Collins, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Unfortunately for Boston, Wilcox had a rare one-year deals that requires the player's consent to be dealt. In fact, the Celtics tried desperately to keep the 34-year-old out of the swap that brought them Jordan Crawford.
Stein (on Twitter) anonymously surveyed six teams and only four are convinced that Collins will be in the league next season while the other six have doubts. The teams that aren't sure if the center will find a job say that it's about his age and whether he can make meaningful contributions on the court in 2013/14, not his sexuality, Stein tweets.

Jason Collins Wants To Return To Celtics

April 8th, 2013 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Jason Collins enjoyed his time in Boston and Celtics coach Doc Rivers never wanted to let him go, but his tenure with the C's came to an end this season when the club had to acquire backcourt help in the wake of injuries to Rajon Rondo and Leandro Barbosa. He declined to comment when asked if he wanted a buyout of his deal in order to finish his career with a contender, but said he told Michael Lee of the Washington Post that he would "definitely" consider signing with Boston next season.

"[I] might put a no-trade clause in there," joked Collins, who was traded to Washington after Chris Wilcox refused to forfeit his Bird rights to facilitate the deal. "What an honor it was to play for a great organization that has so much history. Great group of guys in that locker room. The leadership with Doc, [Kevin Garnett] and [Paul] Pierce. Nothing but good memories."

For his career, Collins has averaged 3.6 PPG and 3.8 RPG while providing tough, physical defense off the bench. The big man will be a free agent this summer after earning the veteran's minimum for 2012/13.

Though he's far from a star player, Collins is accustomed to winning in his NBA career after time with Boston and the Jason Kidd-led Nets. For his part, Rivers says that he wouldn't mind having Collins back in green and white.

Atlantic Notes: Wilcox, Collins, Christmas, Bynum

April 7th, 2013 at 12:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks' magic number to clinch the Atlantic Division title is down to two, and while that number might not get any lower with a stern test against the Thunder this afternoon, it seems like New York will soon claim its first division crown since 1993/94. That year just about everything went right for the Knicks, save for an off night from John Starks that kept the team from beating the Rockets in Game 7 of the Finals. Knicks fans wouldn't mind a repeat of all but the final act of that season, and while we wait to see what the rest of 2012/13 holds for the team, here's more on a few of their division rivals:

The Celtics were going to include Chris Wilcox in the Jordan Crawford swap at the deadline, but wound up sending Jason Collins to Washington instead after Wilcox invoked his right to veto any trade this season, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Collins went from contributing to a playoff team to appearing in just five games thus far for the Wizards, but the 34-year-old center is convinced he has plenty left, and has no plans of retiring.
Dionte Christmas, who was in training camp with the Celtics this fall, confirmed via Twitter that he's signed to play the rest of the season in Italy with Montepaschi Siena. Il Corriere dello Sport first reported the agreement (translation via Sportando). The deal includes an option for next season as well, though it's not clear whether that's a team or player option, or whether it includes an out should Christmas get another NBA opportunity.
Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com thinks the Sixers are likely to let Bynum walk this offseason, but Moore believes that the team should consider re-signing the balky-kneed big man to a one-year deal with clauses that could reduce his salary if he misses too many games.
Despite whispers earlier this season that the Sixers might force out Doug Collins, the coach appears to be in control of his own fate. John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer argues that Collins should be allowed to keep his job.
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star answers reader questions about the Raptors and other NBA issues.

Recap Of Deadline Trades

February 21st, 2013 at 7:44pm CST by Sean Highkin

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

The Houston Rockets traded Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns and Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, and Toney Douglas to the Sacramento Kings for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt, and a future second-round pick.
The Miami Heat traded Dexter Pittman and a future second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Ricky Sanchez and cash considerations.
The Washington Wizards traded Jordan Crawford to the Boston Celtics for Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins.
The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Eric Maynor to the Portland Trail Blazers for a trade exception and the rights to Georgios Printezis. The Blazers waived Ronnie Price to clear a roster spot for Maynor.
The Thunder also acquired Ronnie Brewer from the New York Knicks for a future second-round pick.
The Atlanta Hawks traded Anthony Morrow to the Dallas Mavericks for Dahntay Jones.
The Suns traded Sebastian Telfair to the Toronto Raptors for Hamed Haddadi and a future second-round pick.
The Orlando Magic traded J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon, and Ishmael Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Beno Udrih, Tobias Harris, and Doron Lamb.
In a separate deal, the Magic traded Josh McRoberts to the Charlotte Bobcats for Hakim Warrick.
The Golden State Warriors traded Jeremy Tyler to the Hawks for a second-round pick. They also traded Charles Jenkins to the Philadelphia 76ers for an additional second-round pick.

Celtics To Acquire Jordan Crawford

February 21st, 2013 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

2:16pm: The Wizards will also acquire Jason Collins from the Celtics in the trade, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

12:46pm: The Wizards have agreed to a deal that will send Jordan Crawford to the Celtics, reports TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter). Boston will send Leandro Barbosa to the Wizards, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The teams are still working on the details of the trade, but Fab Melo will not be headed to Washington, Aldridge hears (Twitter link). Crawford "desperately" wanted the Wizards to trade him, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, and that's in line with previous reports indicating the swingman was unpleased with his reduced role of late.

The Mavs reportedly jumped into discussions for Crawford as well, but the Celtics seemed to have the inside track as the deadline approached. An Eastern Conference executive told Michael Lee of the Washington Post last night there was likely "very little" the Wizards could get for Crawford, and indeed that appears to be the case, as Washington is getting a player who's out for the year with a torn ACL in his left knee. In taking back Barbosa's expiring deal for the minimum salary, the Wizards essentially clear Crawford's salary, worth $1.2MM this year and $2.6MM next season, off their books. The Wizards had an open roster spot going into the trade, but they could waive Barbosa at any point this season to free up more room if they wish, though they'll have to keep paying Barbosa's salary either way.

Adding Crawford for Barbosa adds a little salary to Boston's books, but still allows them to stay below their $74.307MM hard cap for the season. Following his injury, the C's sought to use Barbosa to increase their flexibility, as they considered waiving him to create room on the roster, or, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe suggested, using him as trade ballast as they're doing with the Wizards. Nonetheless, a one-for-one deal involving Barbosa was unexpected, Washburn tweets.

Crawford is averaging 13.4 points and 3.7 assists this year, similar to the third-year player's career numbers. He's seen his minutes drastically reduced, to 12.4 per game this month from 35.8 in December, with the return of John Wall from injury and the emergence of rookie Bradley Beal. He was used on the ball as the Wizards struggled to find a solution in Wall's absence at point guard this year, so perhaps he could help Boston's current shorthanded situation at the position.

Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Blatche, Sullinger, Collins, Raps

February 4th, 2013 at 4:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Rajon Rondo's season-ending ACL injury was expected to leave an opening for the ninth-seeded 76ers to make a move in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers have held up their end of the bargain so far, winning three of their last four games, but the Celtics have been playing well without their All-Star point guard, winning four in a row. With Boston off tonight, the Sixers will look to gain a half-game in the standings by handing the Magic their 10th straight loss. Here are a few other updates out of the Atlantic:

A pair of sources tell NetsDaily (Twitter link) that there's no truth to an earlier report about the Nets making Andray Blatche available.
Agent David Falk says the Celtics recognized that his client, Jared Sullinger, would eventually require surgery on his back, but that the team and player were hoping it could be delayed until the summer. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe has the details.
ESPN.com's 5-on-5 panelists, including Sean Highkin of Hoops Rumors, put forth a number of hypothetical deals for trade candidates. Among their proposals are suggestions for how the Celtics could maximize their return on Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
The efforts of Jason Collins, who signed with the Celtics last summer on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, aren't going unnoticed, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star believes it makes sense for the Raptors to explore trading Alan Anderson for a backup point guard.