Matt Barnes Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Matt Barnes Leaning Toward Joining Clippers

September 12th, 2012 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

After two seasons with the Lakers, Matt Barnes may continue playing his home games in the Staples Center while wearing a different uniform. According to Sam Amick of SI.com, Barnes is close to signing with the Clippers, and could formalize a deal later this week.

Amick indicates that Chris Paul would play a role in luring Barnes back to Los Angeles, as the point guard "would love to make Barnes the latest addition" to a Clippers team that has involved Paul in its decision-making process. Barnes has also drawn interest from the Lakers, Nets, and Heat, according to Amick.

If Barnes were to sign with the Clippers, it would have to be for the minimum salary, since the club used its full mid-level exception to sign Jamal Crawford and its bi-annual exception to add Grant Hill. The Clippers currently have 14 contracts (13 guaranteed) on their books, so Barnes would almost certainly be assured of a roster spot for the regular season.

Winderman On Curry, Barnes, Bell

September 3rd, 2012 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

In his piece yesterday for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman discussed Dexter Pittman, confessing he was surprised when the Heat decided to guarantee the big man's contract for 2012/13. Even with Pittman on board, rumors continue to swirl, linking the Heat to a big man. In today's Sun Sentinel, Winderman addresses a big man Miami has given up on, and the possibility of signing a free agent wing. Here are the highlights:

While the Heat have cut players like Anthony Morrow and John Lucas III from camp in recent years, Winderman doesn't expect the team to have any regrets about parting ways with Eddy Curry. Heat coaches "know what they saw in practice last season," and it was enough to ensure the big man won't return to Miami this year.
Asked about the possibility of Matt Barnes joining the Heat, Winderman questions whether the veteran would be willing to take a reduced role, given the sheer amount of players the Heat have at the wing positions. Although the team could use another defensive stopper, Barnes, who is said to be talking to a few clubs, isn't a likely addition.
Winderman has similar views on Raja Bell, who he thinks could still get a buyout from the Jazz. Bell was upset with a reduced role in Utah, so it's unclear whether he'd be interested in accepting a bench role in Miami, if given the opportunity.

Matt Barnes In Talks With Multiple Teams

August 31st, 2012 at 5:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Matt Barnes hasn't exactly had an ideal summer, but the unrestricted free agent swingman indicated to TMZ.com that he and his agent are making progress toward an NBA contract. His minutes with the Lakers dwindled in the playoffs this year, and he was arrested for allegedly threatening a police officer who stopped him with a warrant for driving on a suspended license. Days later, Barnes was sued for allegedly rear-ending a car on an L.A. freeway. Still, a return to the Lakers remains a possibility.

"They are one of the teams we're talking to," Barnes said. "There's a couple other teams, so hopefully we'll get this arrest situation out of the way, so I can go ahead and move forward with my career."

The Lakers hold Barnes' Early Bird rights, so even though they're well over the tax apron, they could give him a deal worth as much as $5.276MM next season. It's unlikely he'd get nearly that much, though, and since an Early Bird contract must be for at least two years, the Lakers might be reluctant to give him any more than the minimum, which would require only a one-year commitment. Writing for CBSSports.com, Ben Golliver says the Lakers wouldn't have much room Barnes since they go two-deep at every position, but I think Barnes could beat out Devin Ebanks as the backup small forward, and Dwight Howard's lingering back injury could force coach Mike Brown to do some lineup shuffling that might open up a few more minutes.

There haven't been any legitimate rumors linking Barnes to any other team this offseason, even though some of his numbers from last season suggest the 32-year-old still has a lot left. He averaged 7.8 points and tied a career high with 5.5 rebounds. His PER of 15.5 and rate of 0.8 blocks per game were the best marks of his nine-year career.

Money Time: Upcoming Free Agents In The Playoffs

June 9th, 2012 at 2:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Throughout the playoffs, we've been tracking soon-to-be free agents week by week as they make their final impressions heading into the offseason. With 12 members of the Finals-bound Thunder possessing guaranteed contracts for next season, most of the cases have been closed. So, here's a look at the three impending free agents who made the most significant leaps throughout the entire postseason, and the three who took the greatest steps back.

Spurs Notes: Salary Cap, Free Agency, Popovich

June 7th, 2012 at 5:08pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Spurs' season came to an early conclusion on Wednesday evening as they fell to the Thunder 107-99 in Oklahoma City. The loss marked the second consecutive season in which the team finished with the best regular season record in the Western Conference but failed to reached the NBA Finals. With an aging roster and Tim Duncan's pending free agency, the Spurs face a summer of slight uncertainty heading into the 2012/2013 season. Here's the latest news and notes out of San Antonio…

Atlantic Notes: Allen, Meeks, Sixers, Celtics

June 6th, 2012 at 5:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

For much of the season, there were rumors that Boston's "Big Three" were playing their last games for the Celtics. Now, as Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes, the Celtics are on the verge of forcing the Heat to break up their Big Three if Miami fails to rally in the Eastern Conference Finals. There's been plenty of speculation today about the future of the Heat, but that team isn't the only one casting an eye toward the future.

Lakers Notes: Iguodala, Barnes, Morris, Bynum

May 24th, 2012 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

A roster upheaval could be coming in Los Angeles, as Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak expects to explore "all opportunities" to improve the team's roster. Our round-up of Lakers items this morning includes some hints at possible moves, as two Lakers free agents discuss the future and Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identifies a potential trade target….

Expect the Lakers to target Andre Iguodala again this summer, Kennedy writes in HoopsWorld's NBA AM feature. The Lakers pursued Iguodala a year ago, and a source tells Kennedy that Kobe Bryant would welcome the acquisition of an athletic small forward.
In his exit interview, Matt Barnes acknowledged that he may have played his last game as a Laker, as Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com notes. Barnes also suggested that his priorities in free agency may be different this time around: "The last few teams I’ve went to, it was in search of a ring, and have fallen short. I’ve always turned down a significant amount of money to do that. So that’s something we’ll have to sit down and see."
Darius Morris enjoyed his rookie season in Los Angeles but may end up heading somewhere where he can earn more playing time, writes Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN LA. "I love it here in L.A.," Morris said. "But being a young player, it's really important to be somewhere you feel you have an opportunity to play and get to grow on the court most importantly… We'll see what happens."
Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News questions whether Andrew Bynum is the player the Lakers should be building around long-term as they prepare for Kobe Bryant's last few seasons.

Money Time: Upcoming Free Agents In The Playoffs

May 19th, 2012 at 1:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

With another week of the playoffs in the books, let's check again on how soon-to-be free agents are faring in the postseason. You can catch up on the first and second installments by clicking the links. A number of players on expiring contracts are putting up impressive performances in the second round, but with size always a premium in the NBA, let's focus on three big men who are getting it done:

Winners

Kevin Garnett, Celtics: Garnett turns 36 today, but he's not atop this list because it's his birthday. It's hard to overlook his 3-for-12, nine-point, seven-turnover outing in the Celtics collapse against the Sixers last night, but Garnett's playoff renaissance has been one of the most compelling stories of the past few weeks. His 192 total points in 10 playoff games is more than anyone except Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and teammate Paul Pierce. Garnett's scoring (19.2) and rebounding (11.0) averages are his best in the playoffs since the Celtics' run to the title in 2008. He's protecting the basket, too, averaging 1.8 blocks per game. That's a figure he only exceeded once in the regular season, during his MVP year in 2003/04.

Tim Duncan, Spurs: A few weeks after his 36th birthday, Duncan can't believe how healthy he feels, and that's certainly been reflected in his play. He's led in his team in scoring with 22.0 PPG in two wins over the Clippers, while also averaging 7.5 rebounds, two steals and a block during the series. His 53% shooting for the postseason as a whole is the third-best percentage he's ever had in the playoffs, and his 25.4 PER is the fifth best of anyone on any playoff team this year. It's hard to imagine him leaving the Spurs, but he's probably earned a few extra dollars and another year or two on his next contract with his throwback performance.

Roy Hibbert, Pacers (restricted): He has exploited the Heat's weakness inside to the tune of 14.7 PPG and 13.3 RPG in three games against Miami, with three blocks a night to boot. He's pulled down 14 offensive rebounds in the series so far, and forced Miami coach Erik Spoelstra to start little-used Dexter Pittman in a vain attempt to match up with Hibbert's 7-foot-2, 278-pound size. For the playoffs as a whole, he's averaging 12.4 PPG and 11.8 RPG, and at age 25, he might be the No. 1 center on the free agent market this summer.

Losers

Ray Allen, Celtics: His 1-for-7 performance in Boston's closeout victory over the Hawks in the first round has carried over to the series against the Sixers. Allen is averaging only 9.3 points per game against Philadelphia on 29.4% shooting from behind the arc. That's not much of an improvement over his 27.8% three-point accuracy against the Hawks. Odder still is his 60% postseason free-throw shooting. He says his right ankle feels all right, but you have to wonder.

Matt Barne s, Lakers: His appearance on this list has a lot to do with Metta World Peace's return from suspension, but it never helps a free agent's case to become a forgotten man. He's played just 41 minutes so far against the Thunder, taken just seven shots, pulled down four rebounds and has more turnovers (four) than steals (three). The red flags will be flying especially high if he doesn't get much time tonight, with the Lakers playing a rare playoff back-t0-back.

Reggie Evans, Clippers: Evans, too, has seen his minutes cut drastically in the second round, but in his case there's not a clear reason why. Foul trouble might be to blame for his paltry eight minutes in Game 1, but he picked up just one foul as coach Vinny Del Negro went to him for just 11 minutes in Game 2, and his lack of playing time has contributed to an 82-66 advantage for San Antonio on the boards. Evans has seven rebounds in the series so far after bettering that total in six of the seven games against Memphis.

Pacific Notes: Williams, Kings Arena, Barnes

April 3rd, 2012 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers will host the Nets at the Staples Center tonight, but if you're a Los Angeles basketball fan, you can be forgiven for looking ahead to tomorrow night's matchup. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers square off against Chris Paul and the Clippers in a game that will directly impact the top of the Pacific Division standings. The Lakers currently hold a one-game lead over the Clips, but that could change quickly, with just over three weeks left in the regular season.

Here are a few Tuesday afternoon updates out of the Pacific:

If he's facing a reduced role with the Clippers heading into next season, Mo Williams could decline his player option and look for a new contract elsewhere, according to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. While Williams has conveyed a desire for long-term financial security in the past, I have a hard time believing he'd give up a guaranteed $8.5MM for next season.
Sacramento City Council faces another vote on the Kings' new arena proposal tonight, as Ryan Lillis and Tony Bizjak explain in an informative piece for the Sacramento Bee. Meanwhile, one group in Sacramento is planning a petition drive to stop the city from financially supporting the arena without voter approval, says Bizjak in a separate article.
Matt Barnes appeared on 710 ESPN in Los Angeles to discuss the Lakers' bench and coach Mike Brown's rotation, among other topics, as Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes.

Pacific Notes: Ebanks, Lakers, Clippers, Hill

March 21st, 2012 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacific Division was turned upside down last night, as the division's three playoff contenders all lost, while the last-place Kings topped Memphis behind 31 points from Marcus Thornton and Jason Thompson's fourth consecutive double-double. As the Lakers, Clippers, and Suns look to get back in the win column tonight, let's round up the latest updates on the Pacific's top three squads….

Devin Ebanks' agent David Bauman told the Los Angeles Times that his client likely won't return to the Lakers next season if Matt Barnes and Metta World Peace are still on the team and receiving most of the small forward minutes: "He'll find an opportunity where he'll have a better chance to break into a rotation." Ebanks, 22, will be eligible for restricted free agency if the Lakers extend him a qualifying offer worth $1.03MM, in which case L.A. would be able to match any offer sheet he received. Barnes' contract expires at season's end, while World Peace is an amnesty candidate.
The ongoing changes to the Clippers' roster and rotation have affected the team's offensive output, says Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Suns forward Grant Hill wants to keep playing until he "can't go or it's not fun anymore," he tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. The 39-year-old, who's on a one-year, $6.5MM contract, thinks he can play for at least another season or two.