Lance Stephenson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Pacers, Varejao, Deng

December 22nd, 2013 at 12:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers aren’t looking for Danny Granger trades, but they wouldn’t be averse to such a move if they came across the right deal, as we passed along yesterday. Team president Larry Bird can envision re-signing both Granger and Lance Stephenson in free agency this summer, as Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star noted in his piece, but that could be a tight squeeze unless owner Herb Simon relents on his no-tax pledge, a change of heart Bird seems to hope for. Here’s more on the teams looking up at the first-place Pacers in the Central Division standings:

The Cavs would have had to relinquish either Anderson Varejao or a first-round pick to acquire Jeff Green if they had acted as a facilitator in a rumored three-way trade, and that’s a price they were unwilling to pay, as Bob Finnan of The News-Herald notes in his weekly column. Finnan also suggests that Asik’s agent, Arn Tellem, wouldn’t have been on board with any trade that sent Omer Asik to Cleveland, where he would back up Andrew Bynum.
Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com is convinced the Bulls will trade Luol Deng before the deadline if the right offer comes along, in spite of a report that the team is determined not to deal him. Still, Friedell admits Deng’s $14.275MM salary makes him tough to fit into a swap.
The Bulls are giving recent signee D.J. Augustin heavy minutes, and that indicates that the team will keep him around as the backup point guard this season, Friedell writes in a separate piece.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer checks in with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s emerging as a contributor for the Bucks just months after Milwaukee used the 15th overall pick on the then-18-year-old small forward.
Schmitt Boyer talks trades and other Cavs-related topics in her latest mailbag column.

Pacers Notes: Bird On Stephenson, West, Hibbert

December 14th, 2013 at 9:15pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

Mark Montieth of Pacers.com sat down with Larry Bird to discuss all things Pacers. Here are a few highlights from that discussion.

Bird thinks the Pacers are the best option for Lance Stephenson and says the Pacers would want to resign Stephenson next summer. Bird claims they will offer Stephenson a “great offer” but doesn’t know what is going to happen next summer.
Bird attributes David West‘s signing with the Pacers for less money than the Celtics were offering, to West’s agent, Lance Young of Excel Sports Management, expressing to him that West was very interested in playing for the Pacers as well as his willingness to meet with Pacers’ doctors regarding his knee injury.
Had it not been for Roy Hibbert‘s agent, David Falk, the Pacers might not have drafted Hibbert. Bird was promised by Falk that he would make sure Hibbert fell to the Pacers 17th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. When Falk kept his end of the deal, Bird followed through and drafted Hibbert.

Central Notes: Deng, Bulls, Pacers

November 29th, 2013 at 6:01pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Cavaliers reportedly had interest in trading for Luol Deng this past summer but were rebuffed by the Bulls, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. As of now, Deveney adds, it doesn’t appear that anything on that front will change anytime soon, and unless Chicago can obtain a 2014 draft pick, there isn’t much sense in moving Deng. Here’s more out of the Central Division tonight, including much more from Deveney:

That same piece explores the trade value of Carlos Boozer, who according to one general manager isn’t really being sought after by any team at this point. While the Bulls still have the former Duke product on their books until 2015, Deveney opines that the Knicks might become desperate enough to make a move for him to shore up their struggling front court.
Deveney also writes that Joakim Noah still has high value around the league despite his battles with injury over the last few seasons. The Knicks would appear to be another logical landing spot for the 6’11 center, although the Pelicans, Thunder, and Mavericks are expected to be in pursuit should the Bulls place Noah on the trading block.
Lastly, with reports that Nikola Mirotic – whose draft rights are still owned by the Bulls – has developed into a star in Spain, Deveney says that if Chicago were to package his rights in a deal including Deng, Noah, or Boozer, they would be looking to get a star player in return. According to one scout, Mirotic is currently the “best player who is not in the NBA right now.” If Mirotic weren’t included in a deal involving any of those three, the Bulls would supposedly settle for cap relief, draft picks, and/or young talent.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com opened his mailbag and dissects trade suggestions sent in by his readers.
Sports Illustrated’s Ian Thomsen thinks the Pacers currently have the requisite pieces in place to make a title run this season. However, considering Indiana’s vow to remain under the tax threshold, the team isn’t likely to maintain the same type of depth after this year, especially with Danny Granger‘s contract set to expire and Lance Stephenson due for a new contract.

Pacers Signal Intent To Re-Sign Stephenson

November 8th, 2013 at 6:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pacers president Larry Bird has been dropping hints to Lance Stephenson that the team intends to take care of him in free agency this summer, as Stephenson tells Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. Bird keeps telling him, “You’re next,” Stephenson says, likely in reference to the lucrative contracts the team has handed out the past two summers to Roy Hibbert, David West and George Hill.

Stephenson is confident he’ll stay with the Pacers even though his bargain contract, which pays him slightly more than $1MM this year, expires at season’s end. The Pacers also have Danny Granger on an expiring deal, and with about $60.6MM committed for next season, it’ll be a tight squeeze to stay under the projected $75.7MM luxury tax line. Indiana’s brass has repeatedly expressed unwillingness to pay the tax, so it may come down to a choice between Stephenson and Granger, barring a trade to clear more room.

I doubt Stephenson will see a contract with an eight-figure annual salary, like the deals for Hibbert and West, but perhaps the club would be willing to do something similar to Hill’s $40MM deal, in which the team spread the money out over the maximum five seasons. That still wouldn’t leave much room for Granger if he returns to a form that’s at all close to what he exhibited before missing almost all of last season, but it would still give the team some breathing room to sign draft picks and other free agents.

Of course, the Pacers and Stephenson can’t sign a new contract until after the July Moratorium, more than eight months from now, and he’s ineligible for an extension, so plenty can change before pen hits paper. Stephenson left tonight’s game with a sore left knee, and while it doesn’t sound too serious, it serves as a reminder that a significant injury could prompt the team to change its plans.

Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Stephenson, Korver

November 7th, 2013 at 7:36pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Eric Bledsoe has kicked off his inaugural campaign as a full-time starter in Phoenix with a bang, averaging 21.0 PPG, 7.2 APG, 5.0 RPG, 1.8 SPG in 33.8 MPG, and helping the Suns to a 3-2 record after five games. The 4th year veteran is set to become a restricted free agent next summer after failing to land an extension last week, and while some may be worried that this potentially means a short tenure for Bledsoe in Phoenix, GM Ryan McDonough was openly optimistic about being able to re-sign him (Adam Green of Arizona Sports, hat tip to Burns and Gambo of Arizona Sports 620):

“I feel very confident that he’s going to be a Sun long-term…We negotiated with Eric and his agents. I think the contract situation was handled very professionally on both ends…We can match any offer to Eric next summer…Another advantage would be we have an extra year to play with. Other teams who are making Eric an offer can offer him four years, we can offer him up to five if we chose to do so…So there’s some inherent advantages that I just mentioned, also we can give higher percentage increases than another team could give Eric in a contract.”

Here are some more miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight:

Looking into Lance Stephenson‘s comments that he thinks the Pacers would “do anything” to keep him in Indiana for the long term, Candace Buckner of IndyStar.com (along with USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt) explores how the 23-year-old shooting guard could be positioning himself for a five-year max deal next summer. While I’m not too sure about labeling Stephenson as a max-level player at this point, if he can maintain his current averages of 16.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 47% shooting from the field, he should draw some very lucrative offers next July.
Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post notes how the Nuggets’ plans to recruit Kyle Korver this past summer led to nothing more than brief contact because of the massive turnover that had been going on within the front office and coaching staff. Korver would eventually re-sign with the Hawks.
The Thunder have hired former Raptors vice president and assistant GM Maurizio Gherardini in a senior adviser/international affairs position, according to Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK.

Lance Stephenson Plans To Stay With Pacers

November 4th, 2013 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Having locked up Paul George to a maximum-salary extension this offseason, the Pacers’ ability to continue adding salary for 2014/15 may be limited. However, Lance Stephenson, who will hit free agency next summer, tells Mark Montieth of Pacers.com that he fully intends to remain with the Pacers.

“It’s a long season, I’m not thinking nothing about contracts,” Stephenson said. “I’m going to stay with the Pacers, so I’m not even thinking about the contract.”

Asked if that meant he’d turn down a larger offer from another term to re-sign with Indiana, Stephenson said again that he’s “staying with the Pacers.” We’re still nearly eight months from next year’s free agent period, so we probably shouldn’t read too much into Stephenson’s comments yet. When other teams with deeper pockets get the opportunity to court him, things could change. For now though, it seems as if the 23-year-old wants to work out a new deal with the Pacers

The Pacers already project to be an over-the-cap team in 2014/15, with about $60MM committed to eight guaranteed contracts. Adding Luis Scola‘s partially guaranteed deal and a modest salary for Stephenson could have the team inching toward tax territory, which is likely an area ownership wants to avoid.

Because he’s playing his fourth season in the NBA, Stephenson will be an unrestricted free agent in 2014. That means the Pacers won’t necessarily have the opportunity to match rival offers for the former second-round pick, but it sounds like he’ll probably give the club that chance anyway.

Eastern Notes: Stephenson, Jordan, Marshall

November 3rd, 2013 at 12:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lance Stephenson is off to a hot start for the Pacers, further underscoring the dilemma the team will face in the summer when the shooting guard’s bargain contract runs out. Stephenson nonetheless swears to Mark Montieth of Pacers.com that he’ll be back in Indiana, despite the team’s cramped financial picture.

“I don’t think about that,” Stephenson said about his impending free agency. “It’s a long season, I’m not thinking nothing about contracts. I’m going to stay with the Pacers, so I’m not even thinking about the contract.”

It’s not uncommon for a player to declare allegiance to his franchise when he’s months away from free agency, only to change his mind when the money’s on the table. While we wait to see if Stephenson is true to his word, here’s more from the NBA:

Bobcats owner Michael Jordan wants to see the NBA implement rules that would compel more draft prospects to work out for teams, and is encouraged that the new collective bargaining agreement is making it tough on superstar-laden clubs. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer shares that and more from Jordan in the leftovers from their interview this week.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, in his weekly roundup, believes the recently-waived Kendall Marshall could interest a rebuilding team, but counts the Celtics out as a possibility, given their luxury tax concerns.
Whether Michael Beasley and Greg Oden have an effect on the Heat won’t be evident until later in the season, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, who wonders if Chris Andersen has the stamina to produce all year long.

Central Notes: Cavs, Granger, Zeller

October 5th, 2013 at 8:09pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Cavs went through their Wine & Gold scrimmage today and it appears No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett is struggling with his conditioning, reports the Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Lloyd. He was winded after playing just four minutes in the scrimmage.

The scrimmage ended early after second-year center Tyler Zeller took a nasty fall and Anderson Varejao landed him on, adds Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Zeller suffered a strained left hip, which is not considered serious, but he was impressing coach Mike Brown before the scary fall.

Here's more on the Cavs and some notes on the Pacers' possible new sixth man while most fans are taking in all the early preseason action tonight…

Kyrie Irving dominated the Wine & Gold game writes Boyer, with some flashy moves on his way to scoring a game-high 17 points during the intra-squad scrimmage.
Bennett looks to be 10-15 pounds overweight writes the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto, echoing Lloyd's report from above. But Pluto also relays Brown's belief that Bennett has NBA 3-point range; although, he still needs to work on his defense.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel alluded to James Harden and Manu Ginobili when talking about the possibility of Danny Granger coming off the bench, tweets the Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner. But she adds, via Twitter, that Granger would share starters' minutes with Lance Stephenson.

Central Rumors: Bucks, Stephenson, Jack, Diop

September 30th, 2013 at 9:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bucks owner Herb Kohl issued an ultimatum at the team's media day today, saying that the city must build a new arena to keep the team in town. "We're going to have both in the future or we're going to have neither," he said (link via The Sports Xchange).

Incoming commissioner Adam Silver recently said the BMO Harris Bradley Center, the team's home since the 1988/89 season, is too small and lacks the amenities necessary for an NBA team. City leaders have considered the idea of renovating their existing building as well as constructing a new one, but with Sacramento having held on to the Kings this year, it looks like Milwaukee is next in line for a fight to keep its team. Here's more on the Bucks and their Central Division rivals:

Pacers president Larry Bird acknowledges that it will be a financial challenge to keep Lance Stephenson after this season, when his bargain contract expires, but Bird says the team will do whatever it can to keep him, notes Scott Agness of Pacers.com.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio passes along comments that Cavs GM Chris Grant made to reporters on media day, including insight on the team's pursuit of Jarrett Jack. "We went into the offseason and knew we needed to get another guard," Grant said. "We also wanted someone with some leadership, some toughness, somebody that could and has made big shots, and somebody that’s played on a playoff team. Obviously, (Jack) fit all those categories."
The last time the Cavs acquired DeSagana Diop, they did so with the eighth overall pick in the 2001 draft. He's merely trying to make the team out of camp on this go-around, as Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer examines.
The Bucks made a front office move, promoting director of player personnel Dave Babcock to vice president of player personnel, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.

Eastern Notes: George, Pacers, Deng

September 19th, 2013 at 7:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Hoopsworld's Yannis Koutroupis explores the possible implications from a potential contract extension for Paul George and suggests that Danny Granger has now become an expendable piece. Losing Lance Stephenson - who is coming off of a career year and may have likely played himself out of Indiana's price range next summer – would be a bitter pill to swallow, opines Koutroupis. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference:

Granger believes that Indiana can contend for a title next season and calls the addition of Luis Scola "our biggest free agent pickup" (Scott Agness of NBA.com).
ESPN's Chad Ford (via Twitter) notes that Luol Deng has been working out at BYU-Hawaii over the last several weeks and says that the Bulls forward appears to be in fantastic shape.
Erildas Budraitis of RealGM catches up with CSKA Moscow's Jeremy Pargo, who last played for the 76ers and Cavaliers during the 2012/13 season. The 6'2" point guard admitted that he probably won't think of returning to the NBA for another one or two years and calls his exit from Cleveland "unfortunate."
Earlier today, Yahoo's Marc J. Spears reported that Cavs number one overall pick Anthony Bennett resumed playing five-on-five basketball this week.
Nets star Deron Williams is even more eager to get the season started after hearing head coach Jason Kidd and teammate Jason Terry say they expect him to be a part of the MVP conversation in 2013/14 (link via Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report).
Despite NBA commissioner David Stern's recent efforts to quell tension between the Knicks and Nets owners, the players don't seem to be necessarily following suit. When Paul Pierce was asked today about J.R. Smith calling him a bitter person recently, the Brooklyn forward tersely responded with "Who? Who are we talking about right now? Exactly" (Tim Bontempts of the New York Post).