J.J. Barea

Wolves Interested In Jarrett Jack

1:58pm: The Minnesota deal doesn’t appear to be happening, Amick tweets.

1:54pm: It sounds like the Wolves and Cavs haven’t been able to agree on a deal involving Jack, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com.  It’s unknown if the Cavs have other discussions going at this time.

1:14pm: A Jack-for-Barea deal is “not likely,” a source tells Spears (on Twitter).

1:09pm: A source confirmed to the Plain Dealer (via Twitter) that the Wolves and Cavs have discussed a deal with Jack and J.J. Barea, but Jack having two years left versus the one on Barea’s deal has proven to be problematic.

1:06pm: The best chance the Cavs had of moving Jack was to Kings for Jason Thompson, but Cleveland balked at taking back salary, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

12:02pm: The Timberwolves, falling short on getting Andre Miller, are reaching out to Cavs to try and get Jack, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com.

11:59am: The previously reported Jack-for-Thompson deal is on life support, writes Sam Amick of USA Today.  The initial report indicated that the Cavs wanted a third team to send Thompson to, and apparently they’re finding that extraordinarily difficult.  Putting all the pieces together, it sounds like Jack is staying put.

11:31am: With less than three hours from the deadline, a deal involving Jack seems considerably less likely, sources tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter).

7:58am: The Cavs probably won’t end up dealing Jack, a source tells the Plain Dealer (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 10:59pm: The Cavs are unlikely to send Jack to Sacramento unless they find a third team to take the Kings’ Jason Thompson, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein, putting Cleveland in an all too familiar scenario. A deal that would have had Jack leaving Cleveland stalled earlier this week when the Cavs couldn’t find a destination for Jason Terry. (Twitter links)

3:17pm: The Nets are hesitant to take on Jack because of his lengthy deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who says it’s unlikely that the Cavs and Nets would pull off a trade.

11:19am: The Cavs and Kings have spoken about including Jason Thompson or Marcus Thornton in a Jack deal, reports Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.

10:56am: The talks involving the Nets and Cavs are “not on the front burner,” according to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald (Sulia link).

9:59am: The Wizards are looking for a backup point guard, but they’re not in on talks for Jack, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

TUESDAY, 8:59am: The Kings are also in on the Jack talks, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s not entirely clear if they’re competing with the Nets for the guard’s services, or if they’re willing to absorb Terry in a deal that sends Jack to Brooklyn.

MONDAY, 4:38pm: The Nets are looking to replenish their draft-pick stock in the swap, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

3:44pm: The Cavs and Nets have indeed engaged in discussions about a trade involving Jack and Terry, report Youngmisuk and ESPN.com colleague Marc Stein. The Cavs would prefer to find a third team to take on Terry, according to the report.

2:23pm: The Nets are eyeing guard Jarrett Jack, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com, who hears that there’s a chance Brooklyn swaps Jason Terry for Jack. It’s unclear how strong the odds are of that, or if the Cavs are interested in Terry.

Jack is in the first season of a four-year, $25.2MM contract that pays him $6.3MM each season, while Terry will make about $5.625MM this year and slightly more than $5.85MM next season in the final year of his deal. The difference between their salaries would be compounded for the Nets, who are well into the tax. New Cavs GM David Griffin would be parting with one of predecessor Chris Grant‘s key offseason additions if Cleveland surrenders Jack, who hasn’t had the same impact for the Cavs as he had last year with Golden State.

Jack, 30, is shooting a career-worst 39.7% this season, and his 8.5 points per game is his lowest scoring average since he was a rookie. Terry, whom the Nets acquired from the Celtics in the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce blockbuster, is plumbing even farther depths. The 36-year-old is posting new lows in scoring, rebounding, assists, field goal percentage and minutes.  If Jack is dealt to Brooklyn, it’ll be his seventh team in nine NBA seasons.

Nuggets, Wizards In Serious Andre Miller Talks

11:35am: The Wizards and Nuggets are close to a deal involving Miller, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

11:15am: The Nuggets and Wizards are engaged in “serious talks” about a deal that would send Andre Miller to Washington for Eric Maynor and Jan Vesely, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Wolves have fallen off the pace in the Miller sweepstakes, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities notes that they want to trade J.J. Barea to another team before taking on Miller (Twitter link).

There would probably need to be a third team involved, since the Nuggets don’t want to take Maynor, according to Marc J. Spears and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links).

The veteran guard left the club earlier this year and apparently has no interest in returning to them this season.  The 37-year-old isn’t the player he once was, but he has proven to be one of the most durable players in the league.  The guard is probably a bit overpaid at a $5MM salary and makes $4.625MM next year in the final year of his deal, but that’s only partially guaranteed for $2MM as long as he’s waived before July.

Wolves, Grizzlies Discussing Budinger, Barea

12:26pm: A source involved in the talks tells Berger that the proposal is “dead,” though others are holding out hope for revival. Some members of the Memphis camp suspect the Timberwolves are using these discussions to further their chances for a different deal, according to Amick (Twitter links).

12:13pm: The Grizzlies are “very unlikely” to yield on Allen, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

11:12am: The Wolves are eager to swap Barea, but they’re somewhat reluctant to move Budinger, Wolfson adds (on Twitter).

11:01am: There’s no way Wolves executive Flip Saunders will make the trade without Allen as part of it, Wolfson tweets.

10:50am: The teams are “nowhere close to a deal,” according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who seconds what Wojnarowski is hearing about the Grizzlies’ reluctance to include Allen (Twitter link). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities nonetheless hears the clubs are making progress, as he notes on Twitter.

10:45am: The Wolves are insisting that Allen be included along with Prince in a deal for Budinger and Barea, but the Grizzlies are resisting at the moment, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

WEDNESDAY, 10:23am: The Grizzlies and Wolves have gained momentum toward a deal involving Prince and Allen, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Presumably, Budinger and Barea are also still a part of the talks.

MONDAY, 7:04pm: The Grizzlies are discussing a deal with the Timberwolves centered on forward Chase Budinger and guard J.J. Barea, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.  Memphis wants to include forward Tayshaun Prince into the package and the deal could be expanded to include guard Tony Allen, though components of a proposed deal are still fluid.

Memphis has been trying to unload Prince and his cumbersome contract, sources tell Wojnarowski.  The forward is earning $7.2MM this season and will make $7.7MM in 2014/15. on his contract.  Meanwhile, Wolves GM Flip Saunders is believed to want to add defensive toughness to his roster, and that would make Allen a natural fit.

Budinger, 25, missed much of the early season recovering from knee surgery, and has averaged 6.0 PPG in 17.7 minutes per game this season.  Barea, 29, is averaging 8.7 PPG in 18 minutes per contest this season.  The Wolves badly want to make the playoffs this season with Kevin Love’s free agency on the horizon and they have reportedly been open to moving the diminutive guard in order to help make that happen.

Allen has been sidelined since early January with a fracture in his left hand.  In his 27 games this season, Allen has averaged 10.2 PPG off of 49.3% shooting from the floor.

Wolves Have Interest In Andre Miller

TUESDAY, 2:00pm: The Wolves would be Miller’s top choice for a trade destination, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who notes that it’s probably not a factor in Denver’s thinking. The Nuggets still aren’t making progress on a Miller trade, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 9:05pm: The Timberwolves are among the clubs that have expressed interest in Nuggets guard Andre Miller, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  The Wolves would only acquire Miller if they find another home for guard J.J. Barea, however.

A straight-up swap of the two probably isn’t in the cards as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter) believes that such a deal has already been proposed.  The Nuggets, unsurprisingly, rebuffed the Wolves’ offer.

The veteran guard left the club earlier this year and apparently has no interest in returning to them this season.  The 37-year-old isn’t the player he once was, but he has proven to be one of the most durable players in the league.  Our own Chuck Myron recently looked at Miller as a trade candidate.

Amick On Expected Buyers, Sellers At Deadline

In his most recent column, Sam Amick of USA Today passed on a lot of information gathered from six NBA executives speaking anonymously regarding what he thinks will be a “very active swapping season.” Talk includes teams from around the league looking to win now or bolster rebuilding efforts. The entire article is worth the read, but here is a brief roundup:

      • The Knicks “have decided to think big” as the deadline approaches, and believe that the CelticsRajon Rondo is more available than Boston general manager Danny Ainge is letting on. Trading Carmelo Anthony is not being given serious consideration, despite all the speculation surrounding his willingness to re-sign this summer.
      • Rival executives think that if Ainge were to make any Rondo move, he would wait until just before the deadline to do so.
      • The Pelicans are thought to be willing to trade Eric Gordon, although moving the two-year, $29MM left on his contract would be a challenge.
      • If the Suns don’t acquire Pau Gasol, Thaddeus Young is another possible trade target before the deadline. It’s also believed that Phoenix would have strong interest in Rudy Gay this off season should he opt out of his player option.
      • The Spurs and Bobcats were mentioned by an executive as possible destinations for the SixersEvan Turner, either through a trade this season or when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer.
      • It’s more likely that the Pistons move players with expiring deals (Rodney StuckeyCharlie Villanueva or Jonas Jerebko, for instance) than for them to part with Greg Monroe before the deadline.
      • The Timberwolves have great urgency to make the playoffs and keep Kevin Love content, and are thought to be willing to part with J.J. Barea, Dante Cunningham, and Alexey Shved for a deal that would help them avoid finishing another season outside the playoffs.
      • While the GrizzliesZach Randolph hasn’t said whether he will opt out of his contract this summer, he has indicated that he wants to remain with Memphis. For their part, the Grizzlies don’t appear to be shopping him. The Suns inquired about the power forward, but were told he wasn’t available.
      • The Magic aren’t eager to move Arron Afflalo, and it would likely take a proven player in addition to any draft picks to pry him away from Orlando.

Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Roberson, Barea

Here are some links from around the Northwest Division tonight:

Western Notes: Barea, Blazers, Rockets, Gibson

Earlier in the day, we rounded up several items out of the Pacific Division. Now, let's shift our focus to the West's other two divisions, with a few links relating to Southwest and Northwest teams….

  • J.J. Barea tells Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta of ESPNDeportes.com that while he wouldn't be opposed to returning to the Mavericks eventually, he's not looking to change addresses anytime soon. "I'm happy in Minnesota," Barea said. "They're the ones that wanted me there, the ones that signed me for four years, so until they decide to trade me, I'm going to give them all my effort in the games."
  • The Trail Blazers aren't looking to trade LaMarcus Aldridge and he's looking forward to playing with the new-look roster, but if the team's season gets off to a slow start, it's worth keeping a close on Portland's situation, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
  • Lance Thomas was grateful for the opportunity to re-sign with the Pelicans after the team released him in July, as he tells Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com.
  • The Rockets had some interest in free agent guard Daniel Gibson at one point, but don't anymore, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
  • Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com gives the Mavericks a grade of B- for the team's new deal with Bernard James.

Odds & Ends: Nets, Celtics, Mavs, Barea

The Nets and Celtics had agreed last month to the framework of a trade that involved Paul Pierce, but not Kevin Garnett, writes Howard Beck of The New York Times. Then, Brooklyn GM Billy King asked Boston counterpart Danny Ainge whether Garnett would be available, too, and the deal began to morph into the nine-player swap that was finalized today. Here's more on an ever-changing NBA landscape:

  • The Mavs lost a pair of guards to injury, but they aren't interested in a trade that would bring back J.J. Bareatweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities.
  • According to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), it's
    worth keeping an eye on Jordanian forward Zaid Abbas, who may be NBA-bound next
    month. Amick adds in a second tweet that Abbas is holding off on signing with a
    Chinese team due to optimism about potential NBA workouts in August.
  • The Rockets hold the rights to Kostas Papanikolaou after acquiring him as part of the Thomas Robinson trade, but the Bucks are among other NBA teams with interest in the 6'9" Greek small forward who "definitely" wants to play in the NBA this season, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link).
  • With Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington and Omri Casspi all joining other teams, the Cavaliers renounced their rights to the trio today, according to the RealGM transactions log. The Cavs did the same with Luke Walton, who remains a free agent.

Spurs Made Run At Andrei Kirilenko

The Spurs explored the possibility of acquiring Andrei Kirilenko from the Timberwolves via a sign-and-trade deal, but talks between the two sides appear to have ended without an agreement, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Although San Antonio seriously considered a multiyear offer for Kirilenko, the club doesn't have the cap space or exception room to add the Russian forward without a sign-and-trade. So far though, Timberwolves president Flip Saunders has shown little, if any, inclination to assist Kirilenko in securing a significant financial commitment from another club, sources tell Wojnarowski.

Kirilenko and the Spurs had been discussing an annual salary worth about $8-9MM, and Minnesota was unwilling to take back the salary necessary to complete a sign-and-trade for that amount, says Wojnarowski. Doing so would have compromised the Wolves' ability to add free agents Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger, and would have affected their continued pursuit of Corey Brewer.

According to Wojnarowski, the Thunder have resisted the idea of accommodating a sign-and-trade for Martin, while the Nuggets have been similarly reluctant to work out a sign-and-trade involving Brewer. Denver isn't interested in acquiring Luke Ridnour or J.J. Barea, which would likely be necessary for Brewer to earn a $5MM annual salary with the Wolves, notes Wojnarowski.

Although the Nuggets were also very interested in re-signing their own free agent swingman, the team has been unwilling to go as high as the Wolves on an offer for Brewer. With other teams also in the mix, it now appears unlikely that Brewer will return to Denver, according to Woj.

Wolves Rumors: Pekovic, Martin, Trades, Rubio

According to reports from Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities and Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, the Timberwolves have formally extended a multiyear contract offer to restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic. Zgoda, who expects Pekovic to sign a four-year deal worth $12MM or more, says the offer was made on Friday and that the Wolves expect an answer from the big man's camp early this week.

Here's more out of Minnesota from Wolfson:

  • The Thunder have interest in signing-and-trading Kevin Martin to the Wolves, but an outright signing is more likely. Andrei Kirilenko's camp is also pushing for a sign-and-trade, says Wolfson, but the Wolves are more likely to simply renounce his rights.
  • In their search for a defensive-minded wing, the Wolves are exploring trades involving Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea. While Ridnour is drawing more interest, the team may prefer to move Barea, since head coach Rick Adelman likes Ridnour.
  • Prior to being waived yesterday, Greg Stiemsma was offered to every team in trade talks, but no clubs were willing to give up anything of value.
  • The Wolves have inquired on Chauncey Billups, but are focusing on other needs for now.
  • Barring an unforeseen catastrophe, Ricky Rubio will be offered a new five-year contract next summer, when he becomes extension-eligible.
  • While Wizards exec Milt Newton appeared to be a candidate for the Wolves' GM job, he'll likely remain in Washington. Wolves president Flip Saunders figures to promote internally for the team's GM job, with Wolfson citing Rob Babcock as a possibility.