Mickael Pietrus Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Isiah, Raptors

September 8th, 2012 at 12:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at the latest out of the Atlantic Division, starting with the return of a familiar name to the back pages of the New York tabloids..

LaSalle Thompson is a candidate to join the Knicks as an assistant coach, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Thompson was Mike Woodson's teammate with the (Kansas City) Kings and also worked with Tyson Chandler as a Bobcats assistant.
Knicks owner James Dolan held a business meeting with Isiah Thomas Friday morning at a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, a person familiar with the situation told Marc Berman of the New York Post. The pow-wow comes two days after the resignation of MSG sports president Scott O’Neil, who a source says helped convince Dolan that rehiring Thomas wasn’t a smart move for the Knicks brand. Thomas has pushed for a formal to the organization since he was fired as the Florida International basketball coach last spring.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) says that Thomas never truly left the Knicks organization and has been in Dolan's ear even after his formal dismissal from the team. Isola also tweets that Thomas had a hand in the team's hiring of Mike Woodson.
The Raptors have had internal discussions about free agent Mickael Pietrus but are unlikely to sign him as they don't have their bi-annual exception available, writes Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Pietrus' agent insists that his client won't consider a minimum deal but Smith expects the Raptors to inquire on it anyway.

Washburn On Harden, Jones, Rockets

September 2nd, 2012 at 1:54pm CST by Daniel Seco

Free agent swingman Mickael Pietrus has made it clear he isn't willing to sign for the veteran's minimum, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Pietrus has expressed an interest in playing for the Celtics and taking the team's $1.95MM biannual exception, but Boston will likely hold onto it until the regular season, using it on a player who's been waived by another team.

Here's the latest news and headlines from Washburn…

Magic Johnson recently voiced his opinion on the moves the Lakers made this offseason. “It was a great move for the Lakers, not just for now but for the future because now we’ll have somebody we can build the Lakers around once Kobe is gone,”Johnson said. “I think that Steve Nash was also a key trade because Steve will make everybody better like Dwight Howard will make all the players better because he’s a great defender and he can get out on that break and run the pick-and-roll well.”
The Thunder's decision to re-sign James Harden isn't a lock even after helping the United States win a gold medal this summer in London. Team general manager Sam Presti may be reluctant to offer him a new contract due to Harden's struggles during the NBA Finals in which he missed 16 of 20 shots in Game 3 and 4 losses to Miami. “We’ll be open in saying that there are a lot of inherent challenges this organization faces as a result of the new CBA,” Presti said. “With that said, we also maintained that we’re going to figure out a way to build a team that’s competitive within the new system and capable of competing."
Former Cavs guard Damon Jones has moved on from his playing days and is now looking to make a career as a coach. He helped out friend Tyronn Lue with the Celtics this summer during the team's summer league and truly enjoyed the experience. “When you play like I have for 12 years, there’s so many different things that I saw during the course of my career that I can extend to younger players,” Jones said. “The players that we have here are very receptive. It’s been fun. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey approached the summer in search of a superstar player to build his roster around but enters the fall with Jeremy Lin as his big ticket acquisition of the offseason. While Morey didn't add the franchise player he was looking to acquire, the general manager is excited about what Lin brings to his team. "We’re always looking for opportunities to upgrade our team," Morey said. "We really like that we have Jeremy [Lin] and the other young players that we have and the other young players improving over time."

Odds & Ends: Pietrus, T-Wolves, Heat, Pistons

August 30th, 2012 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Late August isn't typically an active period for NBA transactions, but one notable move took place on this day 12 years ago. On August 30th, 2000, the Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, and Heat completed a three-team deal that sent Shawn Kemp to Portland, Brian Grant to Miami, and three players and a first-round pick to Cleveland. The Blazers ended up getting the short end of the swap — after averaging 17.8 PPG and 8.8 RPG the year before, Kemp's averages dipped to 6.3 PPG and 3.8 RPG in two unproductive seasons in Portland. The Blazers ended up releasing Kemp long before his massive contract came to an end.

12 years later, here are this afternoon's odds and ends from around the NBA:

Timberwolves president David Kahn has spoken to Mickael Pietrus' camp about the former Celtics wing, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500. Pietrus isn't likely to accept a minimum-salary deal, so the T-Wolves would probably have to trade a player to make the 30-year-old a real option.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel concedes that another veteran addition or two could help the Heat, but cautions not overstate the team's need.
In a mailbag for Pistons.com, Keith Langlois fields readers' questions about the Pistons' rookies, possible trade scenarios, and a handful of other topics.
Dave Deckard of Blazer's Edge examines which players will play at which positions for the Trail Blazers now and down the road.

Bucks’ Interest In Mickael Pietrus Has Waned

August 15th, 2012 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier in August, we heard that the Bucks were hoping to add an athletic wing to their roster, and were eyeing a couple free agent options in Mickael Pietrus and C.J. Miles. The Bucks have yet to make a move, and Miles has been snapped up by the Cavaliers, leaving Pietrus as an obvious fit. But while Milwaukee is still in the market for a big wing, the club's interest in Pietrus has "waned," according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter).

Pietrus' agent, Bill McCandless made some strong statements last month about his client's salary expectations, saying there was "no chance" Pietrus would sign for the veteran's minimum. The Bucks have $4.35MM of their mid-level exception remaining, so they could easily offer the 30-year-old more than a minimum salary, if they so choose. But based on Woelfel's tweet, it appears they're exploring other options.

As our list of unrestricted free agents shows, Josh Howard, Matt Barnes, Michael Redd, Josh Childress, Terrence Williams, and Tracy McGrady are among the wings still looking for an NBA contract. If none of those names interest the Bucks, the team could also explore the trade market or sign a lesser free agent to a non-guaranteed deal.

Bucks Eyeing Mickael Pietrus, C.J. Miles

August 3rd, 2012 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are currently looking to add an athletic wing to their roster, and according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, the team is mulling either a trade or a free agent signing. While trading one of their many power forwards for a wing is one possibility, the Bucks are eyeing a couple options on the free agent market. Mickael Pietrus and C.J. Miles are both potential targets for Milwaukee, says Woelfel.

According to Bill McCandless, Pietrus' agent, his client would "absolutely" be interested in playing for the Bucks. McCandless confirmed that he and GM John Hammond had exploratory talks in July, and given comments made by the agent last week, I'd assume he's looking for a portion of Milwaukee's mid-level exception for Pietrus.

Miles, meanwhile, is said to be drawing interest from the Cavaliers and Lakers in addition to the Bucks. Like Pietrus, he figures to be seeking more than a minimum-salary contract. For their part, the Bucks still have their full $1.957MM bi-annual exception and $4.35MM of their mid-level exception to use on free agents, if they so choose.

Woelfel adds that the Bucks are viewed as the frontrunners to land Joel Przybilla, whose meeting with the team earlier this week reportedly went well.

Agent: Pietrus Won’t Sign For Veteran’s Minimum

July 24th, 2012 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Celtics likely wouldn't mind having Mickael Pietrus on their roster for next season, it appears it will take more than the veteran's minimum to bring Pietrus back. Agent Bill McCandless tells WEEI.com's Ben Rohrbach that his client won't be accepting a minimum-salary contract this summer.

"[Pietrus] will not play for the veteran’s minimum. Period," said McCandless. "It’s not happening. That’s the beginning, middle and end of that…. He is not a veteran’s minimum player. There’s no chance he’ll ever sign for that."

The minimum salary for a nine-year veteran like Pietrus would be about $1.23MM, but McCandless says he's received an offer "triple that" from a team overseas. According to the agent, he's also engaged in serious talks with a few NBA teams about Pietrus, and has discussed money "much more than the veteran minimum."

"He’s looking for a team that likes him and respects what he does," Pietrus' agent said. "If he ends up on a championship or playoff contender, that’ll take care of itself…. He’s still open to a return. He loved Boston. Everybody knows that. But we’re all big boys, and this is a big boy business."

Free Agent Rumors: O’Neal, Bulls, Wallace

July 19th, 2012 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have made a handful of signings so far this summer, but every contract agreement they've reached has been for one of their own players — unrestricted free agents Tim Duncan and Boris Diaw will return, along with restricted free agents Danny Green and Patty Mills. Even the team's one new addition, Nando De Colo, wasn't a free agent, since San Antonio held his NBA rights exclusively. The Spurs are standing relatively pat this offseason, not pursuing outside free agents, and that's just fine with coach Gregg Popovich, as he tells Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

So while the remaining free agents on the market aren't likely to draw a ton of interest from San Antonio, there are plenty of other potential destinations out there. Here's the latest on a few available players:

The Bucks are taking a "long look" at Jermaine O'Neal's workout today, tweets Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.

Earlier updates:

The Bulls are eyeing shooting guards such as Marco Belinelli, Randy Foye, Delonte West, and Willie Green, according to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com.
Despite indicating earlier this year that he intended to retire, Ben Wallace would like to return to the Pistons for the 2012/13 season, says Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. The Pistons have a full roster, so they'd have to make a move to clear a spot to sign the unrestricted free agent.
The Warriors and Bobcats are still pursuing Carl Landry, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Charlotte, which could offer Landry more money, is attempting to work out a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets.
A number of teams have expressed interest in Mickael Pietrus, but the Celtics are still "very much in the picture," says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com adds (via Twitter) that Pietrus has a "huge" offer from an overseas team, but that he wants to play for an NBA contender on more than a minimum-salary deal.
The Clippers have reached out to Ryan Hollins and Darko Milicic, in hopes of adding a backup big man for the minimum salary, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Darko's agent Marc Cornstein says playing time will be a bigger factor for his client than money, since the Timberwolves are still sending him pay checks.
A big-name free agent came off the market yesterday when the Trail Blazers matched Nicolas Batum's offer sheet. As Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes, Blazers GM Neil Olshey stressed that reports suggesting Batum didn't want to return to Portland were orchestrated by the Timberwolves and Batum's agent. "Nic never said that," Olshey said. "Let’s be very clear. Nic made a couple of comments at the behest of the Minnesota Timberwolves and his agent. That was their agenda; it was never Nicolas’s agenda."

Celtics Trying To Clear Space For Courtney Lee

July 14th, 2012 at 2:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics agreed to terms with Jason Terry last week, but they'd "love" to turn the deal into a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks in order to free their mid-level exception to pursue Courtney Lee, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that the Mavericks and Celtics discussed a sign-and-trade for Terry earlier in the process, but the Mavs are no longer open to such a move (Twitter link). Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com hears the only way a sign-and-trade happens is if a third team gets involved.

Free Agent Rumors: Hill, Dragic, McGee, Shved

July 4th, 2012 at 10:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Happy Fourth of July to all of our American readers! Even though it's a holiday, we're expecting more free agent developments, so we'll be providing our usual updates all day long. Here are a few of Wednesday's more minor free agent rumors, with the latest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News tweets that Grant Hill will either join Steve Nash in signing with the Lakers or retire.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic tweets that the Suns are unwilling to offer Goran Dragic the $10MM per year he is reportedly seeking.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears that negotiations between JaVale McGee and the Nuggets are "going well."

Earlier updates:

Celtics Rumors: Garnett, Allen, Pietrus, Bass

June 22nd, 2012 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics may have not looked like a championship-caliber team for a good chunk of the 2011/12 season, but the end-of-season results were hard to argue. Unlike the Thunder, the Celtics managed to stretch their series against the Heat to seven games before falling to the eventual champs. Given how close Boston got to the Finals, a total rebuild this summer appears very unlikely. GM Danny Ainge continues to discuss his team's future in interviews, so here's the latest from Ainge on the Celtics' offseason: