Martell Webster Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Rumors: Babbitt, Webster, Wolves

March 6th, 2013 at 7:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

The only two teams idle on a 14-game night in the NBA reside in the Northwest Division, as the Thunder and Nuggets get the night off to enjoy their victories on Tuesday. The rest of the division is on the court, and making noise off the court as well, as we detail here:

As Victor Claver has inherited Luke Babbitt's role with the Blazers, The Oregonian's Joe Freeman writes that it seems clear the team doesn't plan to re-sign Babbitt when he hits unrestricted free agency this summer.
The Blazers and Wolves have hashed out an agreement over compensation related to Minnesota's complaints that Portland didn't fully disclose the extent of Martell Webster's ailments before trading him to the Wolves in 2010. A Wolves spokesperson didn't disclose specifics, and simply said the teams have "have resolved this matter amicably," as Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. Since there likely would have been an announcement if a draft pick had changed hands, as the Wolves were reportedly seeking, it seems likely Minnesota received financial considerations, if anything, in the settlement, though that's just my speculation.
The Wolves are looking into applying for an injury exception that would allow them to sign a 16th player, but they might not need it. According to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, who noted that Kevin Love may be nearing a return, Chase Budinger could be back in a few weeks as well.
Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors earlier today asked readers which Western Conference team is most likely to miss the playoffs, and though Utah holds a two and a half game on the Lakers in the standings, the eighth-place Jazz are neck and neck with L.A. atop the poll results.

Odds & Ends: Magic, Webster, Leonard, Speights

January 25th, 2013 at 10:39pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes that the Magic's recent losing streak is a difficult adjustment for the team's veterans, who are used to playoff contention.
Schmitz also writes that the Magic have yet to identify a permanent starter at the small forward position.
Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press catches up with former Timberwolves forward Martell Webster, who has found a steady role and better injury luck this season with the Wizards.
Joe Freeman of the Oregonian writes that Trail Blazers rookie center Meyers Leonard found a new perspective on his role while missing several weeks with an ankle injury.
Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer notes that the Cavaliers have coveted big man Marreese Speights for several years. They acquired him this week from the Grizzlies.

T-Wolves Rumors: Webster, Rubio, Ownership

October 19th, 2012 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

Few NBA owners are as accessible and candid as Glen Taylor, and the Timberwolves owner was more than willing to discuss a few topics related to his team with Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 this week. Here are the highlights from Taylor, via Wolfson's weekly Scoops piece:

Taylor expects to get closure on the Martell Webster compensation case sometime in December. The T-Wolves are hoping for financial or draft pick reimbursement, as they believe the Trail Blazers traded Webster to Minnesota as damaged goods in June 2010. Earlier this year, the NBA awarded the Celtics a second-round pick from the Thunder for a similar situation involving Jeff Green.
The T-Wolves aren't active on the trade market on the moment, but that could change by February's deadline.
Taylor isn't opposed to making Ricky Rubio the Timberwolves' designated player with a five-year extension when he's eligible, though GM David Kahn recently said Rubio is likely to receive the same four-year offer that Kevin Love did.
A month ago, we heard that Taylor was considering prospective owners for the Wolves, but there are no new developments on that front. Taylor stressed that he expects to continue as the club's majority owner for at least a couple more years.
Taylor is willing to take on salary or add payroll if Kahn and coach Rick Adelman "sell him" on a free agent.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Chalmers, Webster, Howard

August 29th, 2012 at 8:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers may have made the bigger offseason splash, but executives around the NBA still view the Heat as the most dangerous team heading into the 2012/13 season, according to SI.com's Sam Amick. Of the 19 execs, including 10 GMs, asked by Amick to pick their favorites for the 2013 title, 15 chose the Heat, with two opting for the Lakers and two naming the Thunder. We've heard a lot about Southeast Division teams today, so we'll round it all up here, with the latest on top:

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel doesn't think the Heat are quite as willing to trade for a point guard as they were last year (Sulia link). He says he's seen reports that the Wolves might be looking to deal someone from their backcourt, and though we haven't heard anything specific, Darren Wolfson of ESPN Radio 1500 reported earlier that Minnesota is attempting to work out a trade to free cap room for Anthony Tolliver.
Mario Chalmers, whose continued development has apparently impressed his bosses with the Heat, sees himself among the league's elite point guards, but that might be stretching it a bit, as Winderman writes.
Michael Lee of The Washington Post has more on Martell Webster's signing with the Wizards, which became official today. Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld hopes Webster can improve the team's outside shooting, but Webster, who sees himself as "more of an all-around player," doesn't want to be typecast as a three-point specialist.
Dwight Howard's decision to fly to China for a promotional appearance two weeks after saying his injured back would not allow him to travel to Orlando for his children's basketball camp in Orlando is another sign the former Magic center wanted out of town all along, opines Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.

Earlier reports:

Shane Battier tells Andrew Beaton of The Chronicle (Duke's student newspaper) that he'd love to recruit former Duke players for the Heat: "We’ve got a pretty full roster, so we didn’t recruit any Duke guys this summer. But, if the opportunity arises, I won’t be afraid to make a phone call."
Newest Wizard Martell Websterspoke to WashingtonWizards.com about signing with Washington and what he expects to bring to the team.
Dwyane Wade has returned to the court for the first time since undergoing knee surgery, as Winderman writes.
In examining four teams he believes are "set up to fail" in the 2012/13 season, Derek Page of HoopsWorld names two Southeast squads: The Bobcats and the Magic.

Wizards Sign Martell Webster

August 29th, 2012 at 11:01am CST by Michael Pina

AUGUST 29, 11:01am: The Wizards have confirmed the signing via the team's website. Webster's addition brings the roster to 14 players.

AUGUST 23, 8:08pm: A source has told SI.com's Sam Amick that Webster's contract would be for one year and $1.6MM. (Twitter link)

6:51pm: The Wizards have signed free agent forward Martell Webster, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Webster was waived by the Timberwolves earlier this summer and auditioned for Washington earlier this week. In seven NBA seasons, Webster has averaged just 8.4 PPG in 394 career contests for the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves.

As our Luke Adams wrote yesterday, Webster is still just 25 years old and could really help Washington's depth at shooting guard and small forward. The Wizards still have their entire $5MM mid-level exception, but it's unlikely they use it all with this signing.

Wizards Eye Terrence Williams, Shawne Williams

August 22nd, 2012 at 8:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards reportedly have interest in Martell Webster, as we heard earlier today, and they're also among a handful of teams in the mix for Michael Redd. Michael Lee of The Washington Post confirms the team's interest in those two and says the team is also considering Terrence Williams and Shawne Williams.

Lee reports the Wizards are watching a number of free agents as they consider whether to add a player to their roster, which stands at 13. They have about $3MM in cap room, but plan to sign someone for the minimum, Lee says. That would make it hard to corral Anthony Tolliver, another player on Washington's radar, since agent Larry Fox has said his client isn't “in the minimum game.”

Terrence Williams hasn't drawn much interest this summer, though a report early last month linked him to the Kings, Pistons and Suns. The Kings signed Williams, the 11th overall pick in the 2009 draft, this past season after he was waived by the Rockets. He put up solid numbers in 20.5 minutes per game for Sacramento, averaging 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 18 contests, but the team elected not to give him a qualifying offer before June 30th, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Shawne Williams opted in to the final year of his contract with the Blazers, worth $3.135MM, but became a free agent last month when the Blazers bought him out last month. Williams missed most of 2011/12 with a left foot injury, and was sent from the Nets to Portland in the Gerald Wallace deal at the trade deadline. He appeared in 25 games before the injury and shot poorly, with a percentage line of just .286/.241/.727 compared to the .426/.401/.837 he put up in 2010/11 with the Knicks.

Wizards Interested In Martell Webster

August 22nd, 2012 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

After being waived earlier this summer by the Timberwolves, Martell Webster is drawing interest from the Wizards, and auditioned for the team this week, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. According to Stein, the Wizards are on the "short list" of likely destinations for Webster.

Webster had been set to earn $5.7MM+ for the coming season, but his contract was only partially guaranteed for a presumed $600K. The ability to save $5MM+ by waiving him made Webster a logical cut as the T-Wolves looked to shed cap space in order to extend an offer sheet to Nicolas Batum and pursue other free agents.

In seven NBA seasons, Webster has averaged just 8.4 PPG in 394 career contests for the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves. Still, the former sixth overall pick is only 25 years old and has exhibited an ability to hit the outside shot over the course of his career (.374 3PT%).

The Wizards could use some size and experience at shooting guard, where Bradley Beal and Jordan Crawford are the team's current options. Webster shouldn't require a significant financial commitment, but if he's seeking more than the veteran's minimum, the Wizards do still have the full $5MM mid-level exception at their disposal.

Grizzlies, Timberwolves Discussing Trade

July 17th, 2012 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 12:11pm: The Grizzlies believe they have a verbal agreement to swap Dante Cunningham for Wayne Ellington, but the Timberwolves seem to be looking to include Cunningham in another deal before finalizing anything, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillery speculates that the T-Wolves are waiting for resolution on Nicolas Batum's offer sheet before making any other moves official.

"The shoe will drop this week or it won't get done," one source told Tillery, on the Grizzlies/Timberwolves trade talks.

Nicolas Batum Signs Timberwolves’ Offer Sheet

July 14th, 2012 at 7:46pm CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY 7:46pm: The Trail Blazers' unwillingness to work out a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves may stem from the two teams' ongoing discussions to resolve a dispute involving a prior trade for Webster, reports Ric Bucher of ESPN.com.

FRIDAY 6:15pm: After waiving Martell Webster and trading Brad Miller earlier today, the Timberwolves will not be able to submit their offer sheet to Nicolas Batum until Sunday, writes Jaynes.

THURSDAY 9:51pm: Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com writes that Minnesota added a 15% trade kicker to Batum's offer sheet in which a hefty 15% tax is imposed on the team that trades him during his new contract. This essentially makes it more difficult for Portland to match the deal, however, since the Timberwolves have not submitted the offer sheet to the league yet, there still remains the possibility of a sign-and-trade with the Trail Blazers.

T-Wolves Waive Webster, Trade Miller To Hornets

July 13th, 2012 at 5:48pm CST by Luke Adams

5:48pm: The Timberwolves have also traded Brad Miller and two second round picks to the Hornets for a future second round pick, the team announced today.

4:15pm: The Timberwolves have released Martell Webster, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Webster's contract for 2012/13 was only partially guaranteed, so most of his $5.7MM salary will come off Minnesota's books. Assuming he clears waivers, Webster will become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team.