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Broussard’s Latest: Carmelo, Rondo, Love

January 30th, 2014 at 10:39am CST by Chuck Myron

Most of the executives to whom ESPN Insider’s Chris Broussard has spoken believe the Bulls will make a run at Carmelo Anthony this summer. Some are “completely convinced” Chicago will go after him, Broussard writes. A rival GM thinks the team’s confidence in Nikola Mirotic‘s ability will play heavily into the team’s decision regarding Anthony. A report in recent days indicated the Bulls are among the front runners for last year’s scoring champ. Broussard has plenty more in latest piece, and we’ll round it up here:

Rajon Rondo quickly ended extension talks with the Celtics, and the discussions didn’t even get to the numbers stage, according to Broussard, who says the point guard wants to keep his options open as he seeks a payday and a winning situation. Rondo has expressed his commitment to Boston, but the Knicks, who remain interested in trading for him, view him as the perfect complement to Anthony.
A GM tells Broussard that it’s “a 100% certainty” that Kevin Love will sign with the Lakers after next season. Most executives who’ve spoken to the ESPN.com scribe also believe the former UCLA star is headed for the purple-and-gold.
The Lakers might be willing to overpay Eric Bledsoe to bring him aboard via restricted free agency this summer, a source tells Broussard. Suns owner Robert Sarver has indicated he’s willing to match any offer for the point guard, so it’d be a surprise if Bledsoe wound up back in L.A.
If the Celtics, who are looking to clear cap room, can find takers for Gerald Wallace, Jeff Green and Avery Bradley, “they’re gone,” Broussard says. It’s not a surprise that GM Danny Ainge would be quick to unload Wallace, but his apparent enthusiasm for moving Green and Bradley is noteworthy.
The Raptors had engaged in trade talk with other clubs about DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry before their run to the top of the Atlantic Division, but Toronto is no longer looking to move DeRozan, barring an substantial offer. Broussard hears the Raptors are not high enough on Lowry to offer him a sizable contract when he hits free agency this summer, but an opposing GM thinks Toronto will hang on to Lowry through the trade deadline because of fears about alienating the fan base.
The Pacers will only trade Danny Granger if another team “blows them away” with an offer, Broussard writes.
Broussard detects a strong sense around the league that the Pistons are eager to trade Josh Smith.
The Sixers would be willing to take back a little bit of salary to acquire draft picks for their veterans, according to Broussard. I assume he’s referring to long-term salary commitments rather than players on expiring deals.
The strong play of the Grizzlies has quieted chatter surrounding Zach Randolph, Broussard reports.
The Heat are interested in Andrew Bynum, but they’re unwilling to pay him more than the minumum salary, an executive tells Broussard. Bynum is reportedly holding out for more than that.
GMs who spoke to Broussard identified the following players as candidates to be traded before the deadline: Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson, Emeka Okafor, Kenneth Faried, Shawn Marion, Dion Waiters, Jarrett Jack, Francisco Garcia and Arron Afflalo.

Poll: Which Piston Is Most Likely To Be Traded?

January 19th, 2014 at 9:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

This wasn’t the result that Joe Dumars had hoped for when he signed Josh Smith to a four-year, $54MM contract, and Brandon Jennings to a three-year, $24MM contract, last summer. The Pistons currently have a record of 17-23, are third in the Central Division, and are tied with the Nets for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. If they hold that seed and make it to the playoffs, they have a first-round meeting with either the Heat, or the Pacers to look forward to. That doesn’t bode well for a deep playoff run.

With the rest of the league trending towards smaller lineups, the Pistons went against the grain with their front court pairing of Andre Drummond (6-10), Greg Monroe (6-11), and Smith (6-9). Josh Smith’s shot selection has come under fire, and Jennings is more of a scorer at the point, than a true facilitator. Currently, the Pistons average 99.4 PPG, good for 20th in the league, while giving up 102.6 PPG, which ranks them 25th overall. The larger front court hasn’t translated into the defensive presence they had hoped for. The Pistons do average 45.1 RPG, which is good for 7th overall.

With the trade deadline less than five weeks away, and the on court results not what they hoped for, the Pistons are expected to be very active on the trade front. Some NBA insiders think the team should take a run at Rajon Rondo, if the Celtics change their minds and make him available. Detroit has a number of assets that may be of value to other teams. Here’s a quick breakdown of the four main players that they could try and use to change their make-up:

Josh Smith, 28 years-old, is playing out of position at small forward, and would be better suited to play power forward. Smith is in the first year of a 4 year, $54MM deal. He’s averaging 15.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.3 APG. His slash line is: .406/.423/.592.
Greg Monroe, 23 years-old, earning $4,086,454 MM, and set to become a restricted free agent after the season. Monroe is averaging 14.4 PPG, and 8.8 RPG. His slash line is: .503/.000/.632.
Andre Drummond is only 20 years-old, earning $2,462,400 MM this year, and set to make $2,568,360 MM next season. He also has a team option for 2015-2016, of $3,272,091 MM. Drummond’s numbers are: 12.6 PPG, 12.7 RPG, and 1.8 BPG. His slash line is: .601/.000/.379.
Brandon Jennings, 24 years-old, and just signed to a 3 year, $24 MM deal. He’s the team’s leading scorer at 16.4 PPG, and also leads them in assists, with 8.4 APG. His slash line is: .374/.340/.781.

The Pistons can choose to stand pat, but could find themselves in a similar position next season. In addition, Monroe can leave as a restricted free agent, with the team getting nothing in return. So the Pistons have some difficult decisions to make. They could trade Monroe, and hope to get an impact player, or a first-round draft choice in return, though teams might be hesitant to deal a pick for a player they could lose after the year. Dumars could admit that signing Smith was a mistake, and attempt to deal him to a team that can let him return to his natural position, but that contract will be difficult to move. They could try and trade Jennings, similar to what they did with Brandon Knight, and attempt to upgrade at the point. Jennings’ contract isn’t unmovable, and as a young player under team control for two more years, he has value. The least likely to be moved would seem to be Drummond, who is under contract at a reasonable salary for two more seasons.

The Pistons also have other assets they could use to sweeten any potential deal. They could have a decent first-round selection this year, if they fail to make the playoffs. The Pistons keep their pick if they land in the first eight picks. If they make the playoffs, or if the pick falls between say, 9-14, then the pick goes to the Bobcats. They also have Rodney Stuckey, who is making $8.5 MM in the final year of his deal, as well as Charlie Villanueva‘s expiring $8.58 MM deal. So, let us know which of the four starters mentioned you think is most likely to leave Detroit by the February 20th trade deadline, and fill us in on your choice in the comments.

Eastern Notes: Josh Smith, Sixers, Knicks

November 20th, 2013 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers will aim to become the NBA’s first team to 10 wins this season tonight when they face the reeling Knicks in New York. As we look forward to that contest and a handful of others, let’s check in on the latest out of the Eastern Conference….

The Pistons laid the groundwork for this summer’s signing of Josh Smith by pursuing the forward back in 2008, when he hit restricted free agency with the Hawks, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit didn’t make an offer at the time, since Atlanta seemed poised to match any offer sheet, but the Pistons maintained their interest over the next several years.
Thaddeus Young knows he’ll be the subject of trade rumors this season, but the Sixers forward said all the right things to Lang Greene of HoopsWorld in discussing the possibility. “At the end of the day I realize the NBA is a business and things happen for different reasons,” Young said. “If it happens then so be it, but at the end of the day I love being in Philly. It’s like my second home. Right now I’m there.”
In spite of increasingly frequent “Fire Woodson!” chants at Madison Square Garden, Ian Begley of ESPN New York believes the Knicks‘ Mike Woodson deserves a chance to coach a healthy roster before any decisions are made.
Pacers consultant and former Knicks president Donnie Walsh says he was “surprised” by his old team’s decision to let GM Glen Grunwald go before the season, according to Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News.

Southeast Notes: Afflalo, Smith, Magic, Hawks

November 18th, 2013 at 8:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Sometimes, it’s the moves you don’t make that define your team. The Magic reportedly received “lots of interest” in guard Arron Afflalo, this summer, but ultimately decided to hang on to him. They’ve been handsomely rewarded for rebuffing the advances of other clubs as Afflalo is putting up 21.7 PPG – more than double his career average. Tonight’s look at the Southeast Division..

Pistons forward Josh Smith told 92.9 FM that the Hawks never came to him with a contract offer this summer, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “No, there wasn’t,” Smith said when asked if there was a contract offer. “During free agency, during that period, there were a lot of guys out in L.A. that were meeting with various teams. I was one of those guys. That’s where I work out in the summertime as well. The only time I saw the Hawks during free agency was when they came to one of my workouts just to say hello. I think they were meeting with Dwight Howard that day. They never came in or sat down with me during the free agency period to offer me anything.”
Veteran point guard Jameer Nelson is less-than-thrilled about his playing time situation with the Magic, but he’s refusing to blow it up into a major issue, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The 31-year-old wants to contribute, but at the same time, he wants to remain with Orlando for years to come.
Guys like Afflalo and Nelson have trade value, but their stocks will be even higher around draft time after logging productive seasons, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.

Odds & Ends: Pistons, LeBron, Anderson

September 12th, 2013 at 10:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

A panel of HoopsWorld columnists discussed their thoughts on the Pistons' offseason additions, current strengths and weaknesses, and where the team projects to finish in the Central Division standings this year. Count Brandon Jennings among those who seem most eager to get the season started, as he believes that with Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, and Josh Smith, Detroit should be a dominant rebounding force on both sides of the court (Detroit Free Press staff report). Here's the rest of tonight's noteworthy links:

Ken Berger of CBS Sports believes that with so many variables to consider, there's no way that even LeBron James knows what he's going to do on July 1st next year, when he'll have the ability to exercise his early-termination option and hit unrestricted free agency.
Jeff Goodman of ESPN (via Twitter) doesn't think it's a guarantee that UCLA's Kyle Anderson will declare for the draft after this year, especially since he's not considered a lock to get selected in the first round at this point.
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com gives the Trail Blazers a "B" for their offseason report card, highlighting their coaching staff and frontcourt as the team's strongest suits and identifying defense as their weakest one. In another a piece, Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge.com relays Damian Lillard's interview with True Hoop TV's Henry Abbott about his workload and expectations defensively.
Dan McCarney of Spurs Nation wades through the changes and holdovers of the Northwest Division and touches upon what to expect from each team in 2013/14.
Moke Hamilton of HoopsWorld held his weekly chat with fans, answering questions about Seattle, the Knicks, how Danny Granger's return from injury could affect Paul George, and the Pelicans' playoff chances among other topics.

Eastern Notes: Wilkins, Smith, Heat, Wizards

September 12th, 2013 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Eastern Conference teams have reached agreements with free agents today, as the Sixers worked to finalize a deal for Darius Morris, while the Bulls signed a pair of players – Patrick Christopher and Kalin Lucas – for camp. Here's more from around the East:

Free agent forward Damien Wilkins has been working out for the Hawks in Atlanta, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The 33-year-old, who has played for the Hawks, Pistons, and Sixers in the last three seasons, also worked out for the Spurs last week, says Charania. No deal is imminent, but the Hawks appear to have some interest.
Two months after he officially signed his deal with the Pistons, Josh Smith tells Keith Langlois of Pistons.com that he feels great about choosing Detroit. "Our team, our roster, is very impressive to me," Smith said. "Everybody wants to get better and everybody wants to do it together. Whenever you are able to be a part of something like that, it’s special."
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel is surprised the Heat would bring back a player like Michael Beasley, who "didn't exactly do things the Heat way," and that the team may give him minutes over guys like James Jones and Rashard Lewis, who have "toed every Heat line."
Although Mike James has played for several NBA teams since 2009, this will be the first time since then he has participated in training camp, writes Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. James reportedly agreed to a camp deal with the Bulls.
The Wizards have hired former Raptors executive Marc Eversley as vice president of scouting, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

Pistons Sign Josh Smith To Four-Year Deal

July 10th, 2013 at 12:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 10TH, 12:11pm: The Pistons have officially signed Smith, the team announced today (Twitter link).

JULY 6TH, 3:47pm: Smith's deal includes $54MM in base salary, but the value could rise to $56MM if he reaches performance incentives, writes Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.

2:54pm: No sign-and-trade is planned at the moment between the Pistons and Hawks, so the Smith acquisition figures to be an outright signing, notes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Windhorst also says the Rockets never engaged in sign-and-trade discussions about Smith with the Hawks.

2:34pm: Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press hears the deal totals just $54MM (Twitter links).

2:01pm: Josh Smith and the Pistons have agreed to terms on a four-year, $56MM deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Detroit lands perhaps the most enticing name on the free agent market now that Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are locked up, using its cap space to reel in the athletic forward. The Rockets appeared to be pursuing a sign-and-trade for Smith as recently as last night, but couldn't get any traction on a move that would have reunited Howard with his AAU teammate.

The deal falls short of the maximum contract Smith was looking for, and gives him just a slight bump from the $13.2MM he made last season with the Hawks. The Warriors and Hawks also had interest, and the Celtics reportedly were set to target Smith in the wake of having traded Paul Pierce, but no team pursued him with as much vigor as Detroit, as Wojnarowski writes. The Pistons met with the client of Wallace Prather and Brian Dyke in the first hours of free agency, and though an offer didn't come out of that encounter, it was clear the team regarded him as more than the "Plan B" he appeared to be for other suitors who were waiting to hear from Howard.

The Pistons also had their sights on Andre Iguodala, and would like to have re-signed Jose Calderon, but with both of them agreeing on deals with other teams, it looks like president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and company circled back to their No. 1 option. The team should still have close to $10MM in cap room to complement an impressive front line of Smith, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.

The 27-year-old Smith saw his numbers dip a bit from his career year in 2011/12, averaging 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists this past season. Though Smith is multitalented, the hole in his game is three-point shooting. He took more shots from behind the arc than ever in 2012/13, but he connected on just 30.3% of his 2.6 long-range attempts per game.

Odds & Ends: Clippers, Pistons, Cavs, Ellington

July 7th, 2013 at 7:52am CST by Spencer Lund

The Clippers seem to be done with all their moves this summer and will probably just sign minimum level contracts from here on out, writes Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). But Pincus also tweeted an update on the Clippers' salary info after the Darren Collison signing that used part of their available MLE earlier tonight.

The deal means Matt Barnes will get less as part of his announced re-signing with the Clippers yesterday. It was reported he'd worked out a three-year deal worth between $11-$12MM, but after Pincus' math that's likely to drop as they split the MLE with Barnes dropping to $10MM over three years.

Here's some more around the league, including teams pursuing free agent Wayne Ellington and the Cavs' future after signing Jarrett Jack.

League sources tell RealGM's Shams Charania that the Kings are eyeing free agent Sam Young of the Pacers.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio says free agent guard Wayne Ellington is drawing interest from the Bulls, Bucks and Pistons (Twitter).
About the Pistons, USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt says (via Twitter) that even though they landed free agent Josh Smith, they still want a point guard and shooting wing, the latter role one Ellington could fulfill.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com says (via Twitter) that there are 34 players making over $13.5MM next season. He goes on to say that number helps put "youknowwhat" into perspective. We're guessing it's the four-year $54MM (or $56MM, with performance incentives) Josh Smith just agreed to signed for with the Pistons.
A source has told 1500ESPN.com's Darren Wolfson the Timberwolves are maintaining a regular dialogue with unrestricted free agent Alan Anderson's camp (Twitter).
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal takes a look at how the Cavs roster is beginning to take shape in the wake of their agreement with Jarrett Jack.
Lloyd adds (via Twitter) that the Jack signing probably ends their flirtation with Ellington, whom they didn't tender a qualifying offer because they wanted an upgrade of the kind Jack gives them.

Dwight Howard On Decision To Sign With Rockets

July 6th, 2013 at 12:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Dwight Howard has been speaking with several reporters in the wake of his choice of the Rockets earlier this evening. HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy is one of them, and he delivers the big man's thoughts in Q-and-A format, including Howard's revelation that he asked the Lakers to hire Phil Jackson as coach. The entire piece is worth a read, but we'll pass along a few highlights here:

On the decision-making process and how the Rockets swayed him:

"It wasn’t really the presentation. Every team that I talked to had a great presentation. And it’s not like I came in thinking that the Rockets would be the team and didn’t pay attention in the other meetings or anything like that. I really listened. I took notes. I asked questions. I did everything I could to make sure I was making the best possible decision for myself. I just looked at everything in the end and I just felt like this was the place to go."

On turning down the Lakers:

“Very tough. Very, very, very tough. Very, very tough. People wouldn’t understand. Walking away from them and walking away from $30MM. That shows you right there that I want to win. I want to win. Nothing else matters other than winning. I don’t think anybody would’ve ever walked away from $30MM, but I want to win. But yeah, just walking away was tough. I was walking away from six million fans. I was walking away from a storied franchise. All of that makes it tough and it makes it a really, really big risk. I learned a lot from the situation in Orlando though, when I was afraid to walk away because I didn’t want to hurt people. I was afraid to leave because everything seemed like it was great. But now, I’m doing what’s best for Dwight. People are going to be mad and upset either way, so I’d rather be happy. I want to be happy playing basketball rather than upset doing what everyone wants me to do.”

On whether the Rockets pitched the idea of playing with Josh Smith:

“They didn’t talk to me about it. They just talked about the opportunity that they have for me and what they can provide for me as a player. That’s what was intriguing for me. But like I said in the beginning, it was very tough. Very, very tough.”

Rockets, Hawks Talk Josh Smith Sign-And-Trade

July 5th, 2013 at 10:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:50pm: The Rockets are getting "no traction" in their efforts to acquire Smith via sign-and-trade, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

7:16pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports hears the Rockets and Hawks haven't discussed a Smith sign-and-trade. Still, talks could begin soon, a source tells Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

6:16pm: The Rockets and Hawks are working on a sign-and-trade deal that would send Josh Smith to the Rockets, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, who figures Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin are headed to Atlanta. Presuming Dwight Howard signs with Houston, such a move would give the Rockets a third star to pair with James Harden while facilitating Asik's desire to move on.

It's not clear exactly what kind of contract Smith would get out of the deal, but he could wind up with as much as approximately $74MM over four years in a max deal, with a starting salary of about $17.35MM, though the final max figure won't be known until the July Moratorium ends next week. Asik's and Lin's salaries for next season add up to about $16.7MM, so a max deal for Smith, which he said during the season he'd be seeking, could be in the cards.

Of course, even if the Hawks and Rockets agree to a swap, Smith would have to give his consent. Smith has been contemplating his future since meeting earlier this week with teams including the Pistons, Rockets and Hawks.