Martell Webster Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Eyeing Webster, Jamison, Maynor

July 1st, 2013 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

2:30pm: The Wizards view Webster as a "great locker-room voice" and are hoping to get him locked up quickly, says TNT's David Aldridge. According to Aldridge, Washington would probably use part, but not all, of its mid-level exception to bring back Webster (Twitter links).

12:58pm: While the Wizards have some interest in outside free agents, one of their own free agents remains the team's top priority. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), the Wizards will make an offer today to try to bring back Martell Webster, who Spears and Michael Lee of the Washington Post (Twitter link) agree is the club's number one target.

Webster may be the Wizards' first priority, but he's not the only free agent they're eyeing. According to Spears (via Twitter), there's mutual interest between the club and Antawn Jamison, who spent five and a half seasons in Washington earlier in his career.

Meanwhile, Lee reports (via Twitter) that the Wiz have also reached out to Eric Maynor, as they search for a point guard to back up John Wall.

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Nets, Deng, Webster

June 28th, 2013 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

Based on the direction in which the Sixers are heading, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel doesn't expect the Heat to ever see the lottery-protected first-round pick they acquired a year ago for Arnett Moultrie. With Jrue Holiday on his way to New Orleans and the Sixers not expected to re-sign Andrew Bynum, the young roster is unlikely to earn a playoff spot in 2014, thereby keeping its first-rounder. If Philadelphia's first-rounder lands in the lottery in '14, the Sixers will instead convey their 2015 and 2016 second-rounders to Miami.

Here are a few more Friday updates from around the Eastern Conference:

The Nets have agreed to terms with three assistant coaches, the team announced today in a press release. Lawrence Frank, Roy Rogers, and Eric Hughes will join Jason Kidd's staff.
Scott Gleeson of USA Today has an interesting behind-the-scenes look of draft day from Nerlens Noel's perspective, including Noel's reaction to slipping to No. 6 and being traded to the 76ers. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News has a similar look at Thursday's events from the perspective of Philadelphia's other first-round pick, Michael Carter-Williams.
Trade rumors have swirled around Luol Deng in recent weeks, but Bulls GM Gar Forman says Deng remains a "big piece of what we're doing moving forward," as Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald writes.
After the Wizards drafted a pair of wings last night, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com wonders if there will be room for the team to bring back Martell Webster.

Odds & Ends: Celtics, Wolves, Blazers, Hunter

May 3rd, 2013 at 11:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics made quite an attempt at a comeback, both in the series and in tonight's Game Six, but ultimately the Knicks polished off Boston this evening to set up a second-round date with the Pacers. The loss left some in Boston's locker room wondering about their futures as they spoke with reporters. Coach Doc Rivers isn't entirely sure he'll want to come back for next season, but he anticipates he'll opt to return to the bench when he makes up his mind this summer. Rivers isn't certain Kevin Garnett will come back, either, though that decision is up to KG. For his part, Garnett says he's not ready to make up his mind, but suggests the team's decision on whether to keep Paul Pierce will have heavy influence.

Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com rounds up more comments from the C's as they begin their offseason, and as they ponder their next moves, here's what's happening elsewhere across the NBA:

Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune examines Glen Taylor's decision to abandon the idea of selling the Wolves, and points out the owner's cryptic remarks about his plan to keep the team in Minnesota.
Sources tell Henry Abbott of ESPN.com that the Trail Blazers paid the Wolves $1.5MM to settle their dispute over Martell Webster, and Abbott explains how the outcome can be considered a coup for ousted Wolves GM David Kahn.
Lindsey Hunter isn't assured of remaining the coach of the Suns, but if he's bounced, he shouldn't count on a soft landing with the Pistons, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
On the eve of Game Seven against the Nets, Sam Smith of Bulls.com answers reader questions about Derrick Rose and the Bulls' offseason plans.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders if soon-to-be free agent Kirk Hinrich's postseason performance has made him too expensive for the Bulls to re-sign.

Odds & Ends: Dwight, Expansion, Thunder

April 26th, 2013 at 10:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

The storyline on the Lakers tonight is their makeshift starting backcourt of Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock, but as soon as their season ends, the attention will no doubt shift back to marquee names, and Dwight Howard in particular. HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram, with an assist from colleague Eric Pincus, breaks down the numbers to show that Howard would make more money in the first four years of a contract with the Rockets than he would in as many seasons with the Lakers, thanks to differing tax rates. Still, L.A.'s ability to offer a fifth season, enhanced endorsement opportunities and the cachet of the purple and gold provide varying levels of motivation for Howard to re-sign with the Lakers.

As we wait for yet another Dwight decision, there's plenty of news from around the league:

Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com suggests David Stern's stance on expansion may be softening somewhat (Sulia link). Stern had been adamant that the league won't try to solve the Kings dilemma by adding a team, though Spurs owner Peter Holt, chairman of the Board of Governors, said the issue isn't off the table.
In an Insider piece, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com argues the Thunder shouldn't regret the James Harden trade in the wake of Russell Westbrook's injury as much as the deadline move that sent Eric Maynor away.
A team executive who saw Greek swingman Giannis Adetokunbo practice tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News that while he's a project who probably won't see significant playing time for two or three years, he's still worth a first-round pick (All Twitter links).
Martell Webster is open to coming off the bench if he re-signs with the Wizards, notes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The Wizards and Webster, whom I tabbed one of the season's best mid-level exception signees, appear to have mutual interest in a return.
Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv wonders what would have happened if Kenyon Martin were on the other team in the Knicks–Celtics series. Martin was close to a deal with Boston earlier this season.

Wizards GM Talks Wall, Webster, Satoransky, 2014

April 23rd, 2013 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

A year ago today, the Wizards were on the verge of announcing a contract extension for team president Ernie Grunfeld. After a disappointing season in which early-season injuries to John Wall and others killed Washington's chances of contending for a playoff spot, Grunfeld spoke to the media about the direction of the club. Michael Lee of the Washington Post and the Wizards' official Twitter account shared the highlights from Grunfeld, via Twitter….

The team will "have conversations" with Wall and his reps this summer to see if the two sides can work out a contract extension. Grunfeld stressed again that the Wizards want to keep the former first overall pick long-term and build around him.
The Wizards would like to add another veteran to the roster for next year if the opportunity arises. Grunfeld also said Martell Webster complemented Wall and Nene well, and that the club would try to bring him back.
The team hopes to have 2012 second-round pick Tomas Satoransky on its Summer League squad, and will make a decision after that on whether to try to bring him stateside for the season.
"Nobody's happy" about being in the lottery, and the goal for next season is to not be in that position again.

Odds & Ends: Jeffries, Coaches, Kahn, Raptors

April 17th, 2013 at 11:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

Blazers owner Paul Allen spoke to reporters this evening about the offseason for his team, which begins tomorrow, and it seems one decision will have to be made fairly quickly. Jared Jeffries is under contract for the next two seasons, but neither is guaranteed. Next season would become guaranteed if he's not waived by the fifth day following Portland's final game this season, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com believes it's likely that Jeffries won't be back, judging by the 31-year-old's lack of playing time this season, so it appears the Blazers could be cutting him loose soon. Jeffries wants to remain in the NBA next season, however, and tells Haynes that he'll be looking for more playing time wherever he winds up.

As we wait to learn the fate of Jeffries and others as the offseason begins for nearly half the league, there's plenty more NBA news:

Sam Amick of USA Today examines which coaches are most likely to be out of work soon, placing Mike Dunlap among those in the greatest danger of losing their jobs, along with Keith Smart, Byron Scott and Lawrence Frank. He also suggests that if Rick Adelman returns to the Wolves, GM David Kahn will as well, but if the coach isn't back, Kahn may be on the outs, too.
Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo insists to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun that he never tried to fire coach Dwane Casey this season, as Simmons had previously reported.
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, speaking with the team's broadcasters during tonight's game, said retaining unrestricted free agent Martell Webster will be key, confirming a pair of recent reports. CSNWashington.com has the video, in which Leonsis also expresses a desire to keep John Wall long-term.
Executives around the league who spoke to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game are widely split on how much O.J. Mayo could command if he turns down his $4.2MM option for next season. Some figure he can't expect much of a raise, and others believe he could easily make $10MM-$12MM (Sulia link).
Point guard Josiah Turner, who played professionally in Canada this year after leaving the University of Arizona, will enter the draft, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Neither DraftExpress nor ESPN.com rate Turner as a top 100 prospect.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Redick, Magic, Webster

April 11th, 2013 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Southeast-leading Heat have clinched the NBA's best record of 2012/13, ensuring that they'll have homecourt advantage throughout the entire postseason. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the Bobcats' latest losing streak has once again put them in position to secure the best odds for the No. 1 pick this June. A game and a half behind the Magic, Charlotte would have to win at least two of its final four games in order to give up the top spot in the draft lottery, as our reverse standings show. Here's the rest of the latest out of the Southeast:

Securing the league's best record has already guaranteed Miami a nice chunk of the NBA's $13MM playoff pool, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explains. Assuming the Heat advance to the Finals, as most of us expect them too, the team would earn more than $3MM that would likely be divided among players and other members of the organization.
Former Magic guard J.J. Redick spoke to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel about returning to Orlando to play his former team last night. Redick also discussed his impending free agency, noting that while many factors will enter into his decision, salary will be a big one. "I think for any player sometimes, if the money is so different between offers, you go with the money," Redick said. "You secure you and your family's financial future. But there's other things, for sure."
In examining a few optimal fits for this year's draft prospects, Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider link) suggests that Michigan's Trey Burke would do well with the Magic.
According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, the Wizards may shut down Martell Webster (abdominal strain) for the rest of the regular season. With Webster facing unrestricted free agency, it's possible he has played his last game for the Wizards, but the team is reportedly very interested in bringing him back.

Odds & Ends: Webster, Wright, Pachulia

March 30th, 2013 at 6:20pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In his Weekend Dime piece, ESPN's Marc Stein writes that one of the main reasons for the Wizards dealing Jordan Crawford for Leandro Barbosa's expiring contract – despite Barbosa being out from a season ending injury – was to create more flexibility to increase their chances of retaining Martell Webster this summer. The former Seattle Prep star is arguably having his best pro season in Washington this year, putting up career bests in scoring (11.7), free throw percentage (86.4%), field goal percentage (45.4%), and three-point percentage (43.3%) in 29.3 MPG. Here are a few more tidbits from around the league tonight:

Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago (via Twitter) expects Mavericks big man Brandan Wright to be an under-the-radar commodity this summer as an unrestricted free agent.
Hawks center Zaza Pachulia – projected to be out six months after season ending surgery next week – says that he hasn't thought about his future and adds, "I'm still part of this team until July 31," tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Derek Page of HoopsWorld held his weekly chat with readers this afternoon, discussing how Nerlens Noel and Cody Zeller are his top overall draft prospects and that the Mavericks won't rebuild until Dirk Nowitzki is finished playing, among other topics.
Looking back at the summer of 2010, former Suns GM Steve Kerr says that he, along with Phoenix brass and their medical staff, agreed that a large financial commitment to Amare Stoudemire would not have been prudent considering the possible health issues down the line (Frank Isola of the New York Daily News).

Wizards Want To Retain Martell Webster

March 24th, 2013 at 2:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Recently, Martell Webster made it known that he is extremely happy in Washington and wants to return next season. It appears that the feeling is mutual as all indications point to the Wizards wanting to bring Webster back for 2013/14, according to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (on Sulia).

Webster has started 54 of 68 games for the Wizards this season and is averaging a career-high 11.6 PPG to go with 3.8 RPG and 1.9 APG. The swingman reiterated his desire to stay in D.C. to Bucher and explained that while he liked individuals that he played with in Portland, he finds that he’s happy with the Wizards organization in all aspects.

The former No. 6 overall pick is earning $1.6MM this season and will likely seek a pay bump this summer.

Martell Webster Wants To Return To Wizards

March 17th, 2013 at 9:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Fresh off of a career-high 34 point performance against the Suns, Wizards swingman Martell Webster says that he would like to stay in Washington next season, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post (on Twitter).

“I would love to be here next year but this is a business and we’ll see what happens. I’m having an extraordinary time here," said the 26-year-old.

Webster will likely seek out a pay raise over his current salary of $1.6MM on a multi-year deal. His 34 point showing obviously isn't par for the course, but Webster has given the Wizards a career-best 11.5 PPG with 3.8 RPG and 1.9 APG this season. The former No. 6 overall pick would probably appreciate some stability as well, having played for three teams since 2009/10.