Kevin Love Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Blazers GM, Aldridge Reps Discuss Possible Trade

July 17th, 2013 at 11:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

Blazers GM Neil Olshey met Sunday in Las Vegas with members of LaMarcus Aldridge's camp who suggested several trade scenarios, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The source described the meeting as productive, with both sides focused on the best outcome for all involved. Still, Haynes hears the team is in no hurry to trade the All-Star power forward, particularly if there isn't a fair deal available. Olshey and company don't want a package of draft picks in return, according to Haynes.

The Bulls, Timberwolves, Clippers, Hawks and Pelicans have declined to include Joakim Noah, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Al Horford and Anthony Davis, respectively, in any deal for Aldridge, Haynes hears. Aldridge has told Haynes and others that he has not requested a trade, and Haynes has confirmed that he hasn't done so. Still, Aldridge isn't opposed to a trade, just as he'd be OK with returning to Portland, as Haynes writes, echoing his report from last month.

A strong performance from Aldridge this season could help Olshey find the deal he wants next summer, when Aldridge will be down to one more year on his contract. The 28-year-old Arn Tellem client will make $14.628MM this season and $15.756MM in 2014/15.

Western Notes: Hollins, Clippers, Iguodala, Love

June 6th, 2013 at 5:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on her report this morning which indicated that negotiations between the Grizzlies and Lionel Hollins had become "dormant," Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com took to Twitter to add a couple more details.

According to Shelburne, talks between the two sides never really even got to money or terms, since there was a sense that the short-term deal the team wanted was a sign to Hollins that he wasn't really wanted back. Although Hollins wanted to return, coming back on a two-year contract with increased expectations and perhaps a lesser roster was a problematic scenario, says Shelburne.

Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:

One source told Shelburne that Hollins was scheduled to speak with the Clippers this afternoon (Twitter link).
Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweets that the Suns have named Pat Connelly – the former Wizards' director of player personnel – as an assistant GM. Ken Berger of CBS Sports added that Phoenix also hired Ronnie Lester – formerly the scouting director of the Lakers – as a scout along with promoting Trevor Bukstein as another assistant GM (Twitter links).
According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the Clippers' front office loves Brian Shaw as a head coaching candidate, while owner Donald Sterling may prefer George Karl.
Asked by TNT's David Aldridge what effect Karl's ouster in Denver would have on his odds of re-signing with the Nuggets, Andre Iguodala replied, "Good question. Need some time to let it sink in."
Ten years after the Spurs nearly landed Jason Kidd in free agency, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports looks back on a summer that would have changed the futures of two points guards, one (Kidd) who retired this week, and another (Tony Parker) who is playing in his fourth NBA Finals.
Appearing on ESPN's Sportscenter today (link via ESPN.com), Kevin Love said he had "absolutely" moved past any negativity he felt toward the Timberwolves and is looking forward to seeing what Flip Saunders will do as the team's new head of basketball operations.
John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune wonders if Danny Granger would make sense as a trade target for the Pelicans.

Flip Saunders Talks Kevin Love, Roster, Draft

June 6th, 2013 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

New Timberwolves head of basketball operations Flip Saunders made appearances today on ESPN's Mike and Mike as well as 830 WCCO in Minneapolis, and addressed a few topics of note. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweeted out a few of the highlights from the conversations, so let's jump in and take a look (all links go to Twitter)….

Saunders stressed that he has no intention of trading star forward Kevin Love, adding, "Maybe people will stop calling me now."
The T-Wolves need to find a way to balance their roster, according to Saunders, who suggested the team is currently carrying five point guards. Zgoda surmises that besides Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea, and Luke Ridnour, Saunders is referring to Malcolm Lee and Alexey Shved.
In addressing the odds of Minnesota trading up in the draft, Saunders said that the team is "not just going to give players away."
The Wolves plan to take the best player available if they stay at ninth overall, rather than drafting for need, according to Saunders. Zgoda follows up on that point by saying that the more he hears from the GM, the more he expects the Wolves to draft whichever top prospect slides to them, whether that's Alex Len, Shabazz Muhammad, Cody Zeller, or someone else.

Cavs Notes: Pekovic, Aldridge, Noel, Porter

June 1st, 2013 at 4:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reported earlier today that the Cavs aren't going after DeMarcus Cousins, and he has plenty more on Cleveland's team in his latest dispatch. He gets credit for the updates below, unless otherwise noted.

The Cavaliers have tried and failed to pry Kevin Love from the Timberwolves, and their alternative may be to go after center Nikola Pekovic, one of the leading restricted free agents. Cleveland has the cap room to make him an offer of $12MM or better, a price Wolves owner Glen Taylor has said he won't pay.
The Blazers have no interest in Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters or draft picks, and have turned down the Cavs' inquiries about LaMarcus Aldridge.
Nerlens Noel says he'll be ready to play around Christmas, but the Cavaliers don't think he'll be back from his ACL injury until February or March. The team remains undecided about whether Noel will be the No. 1 pick, and Amico confirms that Otto Porter is also in the mix for that selection.
Amico hears the Cavs are willing to trade up to nab Sergey Karasev in the middle of the first round if it doesn't look like he'll fall to them at No. 19. The Cavs are also high on Alex Len, and he could be theirs if they trade out of the No. 1 pick.
The Cavs like Shaun Livingston, but he's seeking a larger payday than the team wants to give him.
Omri Casspi and Luke Walton probably won't be re-signed, but the Cavs hope to bring back Wayne Ellington.
The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer answers reader questions in her mailbag column, and opines that Al Horford makes more sense as a trade target for the Cavs than Love or Aldridge do.

Cavs Would Give Up No. 1 Pick For Kevin Love

May 29th, 2013 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Immediately after the Cavaliers won this year's draft lottery, we heard that the team would be open to fielding trade offers for the first overall pick. But according to Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com, there's one particular the team with whom the Cavs would like to deal: The Timberwolves. Kotoch reports that the No. 1 pick would be available to the T-Wolves if they were willing to part with Kevin Love.

Kotoch's report doesn't come as a huge surprise — Love is a two-time All-Star and was a member of the gold-medal U.S. Olympic team in 2012, so he's a proven commodity, whereas there's no real consensus top pick in this year's draft class. Nerlens Noel, who sits atop many draft boards, is recovering from ACL surgery. As such, it makes sense that the Cavs, who hope to earn a playoff spot next season, would target a veteran who could make an immediate impact.

Love has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate in the past because he and the Timberwolves have had an up-and-down relationship since the team was unwilling to give him the five-year rookie scale extension he was seeking. Still, with former GM David Kahn out of the picture and Flip Saunders now running the show in Minnesota, I'd be shocked if the T-Wolves seriously considered moving Love this summer. Even if he does intent to opt out down the road, Love still has at least two more years remaining on his contract, so there'd be plenty of time for the Wolves to weigh their options.

In addition to the nugget on the Cavs and Love, Kotoch shared a few more draft-related rumors to go along with his latest mock draft. Here are the highlights:

Kotoch echoes a report by ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Twitter link) suggesting that Giannis Antetokounmpo has been given a first-round guarantee. According to Kotoch, two teams have made such a promise to the so-called "Greek Freak," and Kotoch believes one of them may be the Hawks, who have two first-round picks.
The Jazz are interested in C.J. McCollum, but would be happy to select Michael Carter-Williams or Dennis Schroeder if McCollum is off the board at No. 14, says Kotoch.
McCollum also intrigues the Thunder, who pick 12th, though Oklahoma City has been primarily linked to bigs so far.
The Knicks "really like" Shane Larkin, according to Kotoch.

Saunders: No Repair Work Needed With Love

May 14th, 2013 at 6:35pm CST by Spencer Lund

According to ESPN1500 columnist Judd Zulgad, the new president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves, Flip Saunders, spoke with the Wolves' franchise power forward, Kevin Love, on Tuesday. When asked whether the Wolves needed to do any repair work between the team and Love, Saunders replied, "I don't think so."

Love's 2012/13 season was difficult as he missed all but 18 games due to two separate fractures of his hand and averaged 18 PPG after averaging 26 PPG the year before. His previous career low in games played were the 60 he played in his sophomore 2009/10 season. But Love's antagonism with the Wolves extends beyond his injury-plagued 2012/13 season.

When former head of basketball operations, David Kahn, was in charge of the franchise, and Love's rookie contract was due for an extension in January of 2012, the Timberwolves only offered Love a four-year $62MM extension, with an option for the fifth year, instead of the maximum allowable, which would have paid Love $80MM over five years like fellow 2008 rookie, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook signed a $78.65MM extension for five years earlier the same week that Love signed his.

Not only that, but in an interview with Y! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski in December last year, Love was critical of the Timberwolves' front office, particularly Kahn, with Love wondering at the time, "Is there really a plan here? Is there really any kind of a … plan?"

But Saunders says the rift between the team and Love was largely exaggerated, and from what he's seen, Kevin is on board with what the Wolves are trying to do.

Continued Saunders:

"You hear a lot in the media, and having been in the media, I take everything with a grain of salt. Having been there, too, (when it comes to what's reported) and what's actual. A lot of times when players are actually going through interviews sometimes they are in a situation where the context of the interview, things can be taken a little bit out of context.

"I just know in my conversations with him since I've been here, he's just said that he's on board, he's looking forward to the journey that we're all going to take down the road and he's working hard to get in shape.

"I think in another week-and-a-half he'll be pretty much unlimited in what he can do physically. I don't see anything that's happened in the past that's going to really push him back and he's going to hold anything against the organization."

We'll know for sure in the summer of 2015, when Love can opt out of the last year of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent.

Odds & Ends: NBPA, James, Datome, Love

April 25th, 2013 at 9:01pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweets that the U.S. Attorney's office has indicted Prim Capital for falsifying a document to defraud the NBPA of $3MM. Wojnarowski provided a link to the full press release earlier as well. Prim Capital, in which the son of former NBPA executive director Billy Hunter was vice president, previously had a consulting contract with the player's union that was later deemed fraudulent by the U.S. Attorney's office. Here are more of tonight's odds and ends:

Knicks guard Jason Kidd credits Kenyon Martin for "saving our season," writes Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York. It is difficult to imagine where New York would have been without Martin's contributions, especially as the team has dealt with plenty of injuries in their frontcourt.
Eric Koreen of the National Post outlines the top ten legacies that are on the line during the NBA playoffs.
Jon Humbert of KOMO tweets that the Longshore Union filed an appeal over the land use challenge for the Seattle arena. Last month, a report from The Seattle Times (via the Associated press) said that the Longshoremen have been in staunch opposition of an arena being built near the Seattle waterfront, due to the congestion of the area that would be caused by athletic events.
Mike James proved to be a viable pickup for the Mavericks this season, averaging 8.1 PPG and 4.2 APG while helping the team finish 15-8 over their final 23 games. Although James said recently that he'd like to play two more seasons with the Mavs, Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas discusses why the Amityville product doesn't figure to be in the team's long-term plans.
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace is expected to travel to Rome next week to scout Gigi Datome, according to Sportando.net (hat tip to Il Corriere dello Sport).
Following up on a hypothetical trade proposed by Grantland's Bill
Simmons, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com examines the possibility of
the Bulls trying to trade for Kevin Love, exploring whether a package of
Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, the rights to Nikola Mirotic, and
Charlotte's first-round pick would be more than Chicago would be willing
to give up.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld looks at the evolution of Paul George into an All-Star and a leader in the Pacers locker room.

Broussard On Cavs, Bucks, Suns, Wolves

April 25th, 2013 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

Cavs fans worried about what the hiring of Mike Brown might mean for the team's potential pursuit of LeBron James in 2014 shouldn't put too much stock in the move one way or the other, says Chris Broussard in his latest ESPN.com piece (Insider-only link). Brown's return to Cleveland doesn't mean LeBron is coming back too, but it also shouldn't be a deterring factor, according to Broussard, who notes that there will be plenty of other factors in play over the next 14 months. The ESPN.com scribe explores that topic and a number of others in his article, so let's round up the highlights….

The Cavs are hoping to upgrade the roster before next summer in an attempt to lure James (or another impact free agent, presumably). As we heard from Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo! Sports yesterday, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, and draft picks could be dangled as trade chips. Broussard mentions LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love as potential targets.
The Bucks would like to keep all three of their free agent guards this summer, but recognize that they'll probably only be able to retain two, with Brandon Jennings the player most likely to stay put.
Several sources around the league believed Lance Blanks, who the Suns fired earlier this week, was a scapegoat for the team's poor season. According to Broussard, the widely panned signing of Michael Beasley was Lon Babby's call, and Blanks had "little to do with" Alvin Gentry's firing as well.
Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman is viewed as the frontrunner for the Suns' GM opening, says Broussard.
Former Suns assistant Elston Turner may join Rick Adelman's staff in Minnesota, with an understanding that if Adelman steps down, Turner would take over as the Timberwolves' coach. We've heard in the past that Adelman "badly wanted" Turner on his staff when he first took the Wolves' job.
While Kevin McHale isn't expected to step down as Rockets head coach anytime soon, Broussard hears from sources that the team would have "strong interest" in Stan Van Gundy if McHale left.

Odds & Ends: T’Wolves, Temple, Magic, Mavs

April 14th, 2013 at 12:24am CST by Ryan Raroque

Kevin Love seemed optimistic about being able to bounce back from a difficult season with the best offseason of his life, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune. He also spoke about his desire for Rick Adelman to continue coaching the team, saying: "We need to have him back…I know his family comes first, but hopefully we can sit down and talk to him. This year has given us a lot of perspective, and hopefully he can see we have the making of a very good team here. We can make a push and have a special year next year…I think he’ll come back.”

You can find more of tonight's miscellaneous links below:

According to Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press, Rick Adelman has deemed finding a quality shooting guard among the top of Minnesota's priorities this offseason.
Garrett Temple hopes to have found a home with the Wizards, telling J. Michael of CSN Washington that he'd "love" to be back with them next year.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel thinks that the Magic should look to move Arron Afflalo, Jameer Nelson, and/or Glen Davis (at least one of them) in order to continue creating cap space for the future.
Jan Hubbard of Sheridan Hoops wonders if a 35-year-old Dirk Nowitzki will have to endure another season like this one, especially if the Mavericks are unable to hit a home run in free agency for the second straight year after breaking up their championship roster.
Though Mark Cuban isn't happy that Dallas is going to miss the postseason, he vouched for coach Rick Carlisle: "Rick’s a great coach…We obviously didn’t have what we thought we would have, but we obviously should have had more. I don’t know if we could have, but we should have, so it’s all on me. If that means I let Rick down, I let Rick down" (Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram reports).
Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation writes that Manu Ginobili has been "progressing" in rehab according to coach Gregg Popovich, and that the Spurs veteran shooting guard could be cleared for full contact soon. On a more unfortunate note, Boris Diaw is expected to miss three-to-f0ur weeks (including the start of the playoffs) after the forward underwent a procedure to remove a synovial cyst that had been bothering his spine.

Zgoda on Kahn, Pekovic, Kirilenko, Saunders

April 13th, 2013 at 10:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune believes that several topics of discussion surrounding the Timberwolves are tied to whether or not Rick Adelman decides to return as head coach next season, namely Andrei Kirilenko's $10MM player option as well as the impending free agencies of Nikola Pekovic and Chase Budinger. Another question mark is tied to future of GM David Kahn, as majority team owner Glen Taylor maintains that he is undecided on Kahn's future and has no timetable on a decision. Zgoda has more things to discuss about the team, and you can find the highlights below:

Kahn seems confident that he'll return for the draft and next season: "Glen and I talk all the time…My sense is that we’ll be working on this for a while.”
The team hasn't made it a secret that they'd like to keep Pekovic for the long-term, but it remains to be seen if that stance will change should the 6'11 center garner a max contract offer from another team.
Although a $10MM salary in 2013-14 appears lucrative, Kirilenko – at age 32 – may find it wiser to opt out and seek a three-or-four year contract, which would likely be the last of his NBA career.
Taylor speaks regularly with Flip Saunders, mostly because the former Timberwolves head coach has been involved with an investment group looking to buy the team. With that being said, their relationship has fueled speculation that Saunders could be among the next in line to be considered for the general manager position if Kahn isn't retained.
Brandon Roy most likely doesn't have a future in Minnesota, but his salary could still be used to make a trade work around draft time.
Taylor, who looked to sell the team before the start of this season (preferably to a buyer with Minnesota ties that would keep the team where it is), looks to continue owning the team for the foreseeable future.
There has been some tension brewing after some comments that Kevin Love made about being unhappy with his contract situation earlier this year, causing some to speculate the 6'10 forward's desire to remain in Minnesota. With that being said, Love denies wanting out, and teammate Derrick Williams is among those who believe him: "I can vouch for my teammates, the people we’re around every single day, and I think he wants to be here…And we want him here. He’s one of the best players in the game. Who wouldn’t want one of the best power forwards in the game and in the world to be on their team?”