Kwame Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Links: Rondo, Green, Knicks, Kidd, Brown

November 29th, 2012 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

While much has been made about the new, cross-city rivalry between the Nets and Knicks, the Atlantic Division's fiercest rivalry might be between the Nets and Celtics. Things got scrappy between the two teams last night, with Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Kris Humphries, and Gerald Wallace among the players involved in a scrum that spilled off the court below the Nets' basket. While we wait to see what sort of fines or suspensions are in store for the players involved, let's round up a few other items out of the Atlantic….

As the Celtics' star, Rondo should be avoiding confrontations like last night's, not instigating them, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Appearing on WEEI this morning, Celtics coach Doc Rivers expressed some disappointment in Jeff Green's play so far (link via ESPNBoston.com). As Grantland's Zach Lowe tweeted this morning, Green's PER (8.3) and salary ($8.385MM) are nearly identical, an indication that big four-year deal Green signed this offseason isn't off to a great start.
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com wonders what the Knicks' best offseason move was, with a number of the team's decisions paying dividends already.
One of the Knicks' summer additions, Jason Kidd, continues to be sidelined with back spasms, but Tyson Chandler recognizes that it's important for the team to have a healthy Kidd later in the season rather than rushing him back now. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News has the story.
Sixers center Kwame Brown tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he's modeled himself after players with longevity rather than continuing to try to live up to the expectations of being a first overall pick.

Odds & Ends: Casspi, Tolliver, Leonard, Blatche

August 19th, 2012 at 2:30pm CST by Sean Highkin

According to Fox's John Telich, the Cavaliers may buy out Omri Casspi's contract. (Twitter link) FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico tweets that there have been rumors regarding Casspi's want to play overseas.

Here's a rundown on some of the latest news and notes from around the NBA this weekend:

According to Hoopshype.com, free agent forward Anthony Tolliver is receiving heavy attention from Greek's Panathinaikos.
Paul Klee of IlliniHQ.com reports that the Trail Blazers may have been weary of eventual first round draft pick Meyers Leonard's health, performing health checks up until the day he was selected.
Recent amnesty victim Andray Blatche says he doesn't care where he is next year, as long as he's playing basketball. And that includes the D-League, according to CBSSports.com's Ben Golliver.
ESPNLA.com's Andy Kamenetzky takes a look at the Nuggets, and how they should stack up against the new look Lakers next season.
According to ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley, the Knicks should seriously consider playing Carmelo Anthony at the power forward position more and more next season. The move would allow New York's best player to be more explosive offensively, and less of a liability on defense.
Entering his 13th season in the NBA, Corey Maggette takes a moment to speak with HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham about his role in Detroit and his future plans for his career.
Royce Young of Daily Thunder writes that the Thunder must now focus their attention on an extension for James Harden, having locked up Serge Ibaka yesterday.
Sixers head coach Doug Collins talks about what new frontcourt acquisitions Andrew Bynum and Kwame Brown bring to the team.
Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld has a list of remaining free agents who could be value signings, including Lou Amundson, Andray Blatche, Kenyon Martin, and D.J. White.

Amico On Sixers, Centers, Wolves, Andersen

August 13th, 2012 at 8:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers are well-stocked at center, with Andrew Bynum arriving to join Spencer Hawes and Kwame Brown. Lavoy Allen could also man the position, and rookie power forward Arnett Moultrie, at 6'11", gives the team yet another big man, notes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. That makes the Sixers one of the few teams with size in the NBA, giving them a distinct advantage this year, Amico writes. It could also lead to some player movement, and Amico has the details:

Philly's frontcourt bounty has some around the league believing Brown, Hawes or Allen will be available at the trading deadline, if not sooner, Amico says, adding that other teams are already preparing to gauge the Sixers' interest in a deal.
The Wolves are in the market for a center, and though they haven't reached out to the Sixers yet, they've had exploratory discussions with other teams, Amico hears. Still, the talks have subsided in recent weeks.
Amico hears Chris Andersen, whom the Nuggets waived using the amnesty clause last month, is open to a one-year deal. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com reported earlier today that the Birdman has received offers from between $1.2MM and $5MM, though the high end of that range seems a stretch, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors observed.

Sixers Sign Kwame Brown

July 19th, 2012 at 9:23pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY: The deal is now official with Brown's signature, agent Mark Bartelstein told John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

FRIDAY: Free agent big man Kwame Brown has agreed to sign with the 76ers, according to agent Mark Bartelstein (Twitter link via SI.com's Sam Amick). Brown's contract will be for two years and is worth a little under $6MM, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The second year of the deal is a player option.

It was just earlier today that we heard that the Sixers had about $2.9MM of cap space remaining and were looking to sign a player that could start at center. It appears Brown will be signed using the team's leftover cap room, and looks like a good bet to crack the starting lineup.

Brown, 30, signed a one-year deal with the Warriors in December, but played only nine games for Golden State before suffering a season-ending chest injury. In his last relatively full season, the former first overall pick appeared in 66 games for the Bobcats in 2010/11, averaging 7.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per contest.

Free Agent Rumors: Flynn, Heat, Mahinmi

July 10th, 2012 at 10:15pm CST by Luke Adams

We're less than 14 hours away from the July moratorium coming to an end and this season's signing period beginning in earnest. As of 11:00pm central time tonight, teams can officially sign free agents, trades can be consummated, and players can sign contract extensions. In the meantime, free agents have one more day to try to reach contract agreements before clubs start finalizing the moves they've agreed to over the last week and a half. We'll track today's rumors on free agents here, with the newest updates up top:

Jonny Flynn has worked out for the Hawks and will visit the Bulls on Friday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Count the Cavs as another team interested in the point guard's services.
Look for the Heat to add a minimum-scale big man, such as Kwame Brown or Joel Przybilla, as they finish up their offseason spending, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link) hears from NBA officials that the Bucks have some interest in Ian Mahinmi.

Earlier updates:

Woelfel On Bucks, Phil Jackson, Kwame Brown

June 14th, 2012 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

It was easy to miss in the midst of our flurry of draft updates on Wednesday, but Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times weighed in yesterday to discuss the Bucks' options with the 12th overall pick. According to Woelfel, Milwaukee has zeroed in on a short list of prospects, mostly big men, for pick No. 12 — Meyers Leonard, Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Perry Jones III, and Terrence Ross are among the team's targets.

Woelfel also shared a few more tidbits from around the NBA in his column, so let's dive in….

Failed Deals: Nets, Bucks, Kaman, Pistons

March 16th, 2012 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after yesterday's trade deadline, we rounded up a few near-deals that didn't quite get done. Reports continue to trickle out about offers that were turned down and trades that were close, so let's cover a few more:

Appearing on KNBR in San Francisco, Ric Bucher of ESPN.com reported that the Nets offered Brook Lopez to the Bucks for Monta Ellis shortly after Milwaukee acquired Ellis from Golden State (hat tip to RealGM.com). Unsuprisingly, the Bucks turned it down, according to Bucher.
Bucher added that the Warriors could have acquired Chris Kaman from the Hornets in exchange for Brandon Rush, Kwame Brown's expiring contract, and a second-round pick, but chose to land Bogut instead (link via RealGM).
The Pistons were also in on Kaman, offering the Hornets one of their big contracts along with a future first-round pick, says Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Ben Gordon is the only Piston whose contract would've worked in a one-for-one deal.
After turning down that offer, the Hornets countered with Carl Landry for Jason Maxiell and an unprotected 2012 first-rounder, says Goodwill. The Pistons rejected that one.

Odds & Ends: Beasley, Bucks, Spurs, Nash

March 15th, 2012 at 10:49pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:

The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Jerry Zgoda talked to Michael Beasley, who was shopped heavily by the Timberwolves prior to the trade deadline. Beasley would like to remain in Minnesota past this season but recognizes that it is not in his control.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Michael Hunt believes the trade of Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown makes sense for the Bucks in both the short and the long term.
Spurs GM R.C. Buford hints that there may be another roster move to come, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News's Tim Griffin.
The Arizona Republic's Paul Coro highlights the loyalty Steve Nash has displayed to the Suns as something that distinguishes him from other stars in the league.

Recap Of Trade Deadline Deals

March 15th, 2012 at 5:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

Here's the complete list of trades that took place this week leading up to the trade deadline earlier today:

On Tuesday, the Warriors sent Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
The Warriors then flipped Jackson to the Spurs for Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford, and a first-round pick on Thursday.
The Grizzlies traded Sam Young to the 76ers for the rights to former second-round pick Ricky Sanchez.
The Pacers acquired Leandro Barbosa from the Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
The Blazers entered rebuild mode by trading Gerald Wallace to the Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a 2012 first-round draft pick with top-3 protection.
Portland also sent Marcus Camby to the Rockets for Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, and a second-round pick.
The Rockets acquired Derek Fisher from the Lakers as well as the Mavericks' 2012 first-round pick (from the Lamar Odom trade) for Jordan Hill.
The Lakers also traded for Ramon Sessions, sending Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a 2012 first-round pick to the Cavaliers and also receiving Christian Eyenga. The Cavs will also have the ability to swap the Heat's 2013 pick (which they own from the LeBron James sign-and-trade) with the Lakers' pick that year.
The Nuggets, Wizards, and Clippers agreed to a three-team deal that will send Nene, Brian Cook, and a future second-round draft pick to Washington; Nick Young to the Clippers; and JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver.

Reactions To The Bogut/Ellis Trade

March 14th, 2012 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors and Bucks finalized the first major trade of 2012 last night, with Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown heading to Milwaukee in exchange for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. The deal is an interesting one, particularly since Bogut's fractured ankle could sideline him for the rest of this season.

My thoughts: the move is a risky one for both sides. Bogut has suffered multiple major injuries in his career, and hasn't played more than 69 games in any of the last four seasons — his health has to be considered a question mark going forward. For the Bucks, pairing Ellis with Brandon Jennings may not be ideal, since both players are at their best when they're controlling the ball. Considering the Bucks were also able to acquire a youngster with upside in Udoh and swap Jackson's hefty 2012/13 salary for Brown's expiring deal, I prefer Milwaukee's side. But if the Warriors slide down this year's standings (keeping their top-seven-protected draft pick), then get a healthy, productive Bogut back next season, the deal will end up looking pretty good for Golden State.

Here are a few more reactions and opinions on the trade:

The upside is higher for the Warriors than the Bucks in the deal, though Milwaukee obviously benefits more in the short term, writes Zach Lowe of SI.com.
Christopher Reina of RealGM doesn't love the trade for either side, giving the Warriors a C grade and the Bucks a C+.
In a piece for The Basketball Jones, Mark Deeks says the trade doesn't make sense, concluding that two teams that were going nowhere before are still going nowhere.
The Jazz and Knicks are the big losers of the deal, according to John Hollinger of ESPN.com (Insider link). The Jazz will own the Warriors 2012 first-rounder if it's not a top-seven pick, while the Knicks are currently tied with the Bucks for eighth in the East. Hollinger likes the deal a lot for the Bucks, particularly because of the cap ramifications.
In a statement, Warriors GM Larry Riley said the team was "extremely excited" to acquire Bogut, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News explains the Warriors' motivations for the deal, and why it should work (in theory).