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And-Ones: Bosh, Rockets, ‘Melo, Thunder

July 7th, 2014 at 11:28pm CST by Charlie Adams

Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski told FOX Sports 1 that Chris Bosh told the Rockets something that they don’t want to hear: “I want to be in Miami, I want to play with LeBron [James],” (link via Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders).  More from around the league..

  • Carmelo Anthony is “torn” over where to spend the prime years of his career, a friend of the Knicks All Star forward tells Frank Isola of the Daily News.  Anthony, 30, is still debating his next move with the Knicks, Lakers, and Bulls as his top three choices, the source claims.
  • The Knicks are feeling uneasy about the Melo situation, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears.  Meanwhile, the Bulls are encouraged by his indecisiveness, writes Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times.
  • Thunder coach Scott Brooks met today with Pau Gasol, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
  • In his introductory press conference, new Nets coach Lionel Hollins presented himself as a very different man than Jason Kidd, writes Mitch Abramson of the Daily News.
  • A bunch of teams, including the Warriors, concluded early after July 1st that Channing Frye would get more than the mid-level exception, tweets Zach Lowe of Grantland.  However, teams didn’t expect him to land with the Magic.  Frye is set to ink a four-year, $32MM pact with Orlando.
  • Kobe Bryant is recruiting Steve Blake and Caron Butler to the Lakers, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
  • Blazers point guard Mo Williams is scheduled to meet with the Mavericks tomorrow, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
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Western Notes: Williams, Warriors, Blake

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mo Williams met with the Mavericks today, and the meeting had “positive momentum,” writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The team is waiting on ‘Melo’s decision before proceeding with any other signings, and Williams’ desired destination is Dallas, tweets Zwerling.

More from out west:

  • It appears that the Warriors are only offering the minimum salary to Kent Bazemore, reports Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link) . The only way that would be enough to lure Bazemore is if his other options fall apart, opines Thompson.
  • With the loss of free agent Darren Collison to the Kings, the Clippers are turning their attention towards signing Jordan Farmar, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
  • McMenamin also tweets that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has also reached out to representatives for the team’s former point guard, Steve Blake.
  • Jarron Collins, twin brother of Nets center Jason Collins, is on the verge of being added to Steve Kerr‘s coaching staff with the Warriors, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • Free agent center Spencer Hawes is visiting with the Suns today, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
  • During their meeting today, the Lakers told Carmelo Anthony that they would offer the maximum they could, a 4-year, $97MM contract, if he chose them, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
  • The Jazz aren’t concerned about Gordon Hayward‘s ability to take the leap forward and become an elite player, which is why they aren’t worried about signing him to a possible max contract, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake City Tribune (Twitter link).
  • Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman tweets that Thabo Sefolosha had also drawn interest from the Wizards and the Pelicans.
  • In a separate article, Mayberry looks at the three reasons the Thunder agreed to sign Sebastian Telfair as a free agent.
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West Rumors: Sterling, Williams, Afflalo, Miller

June 30th, 2014 at 8:02pm CST by Zachary Links

A new doctor has declared Clippers owner Donald Sterling mentally fit after a comprehensive medical examination in Las Vegas over the weekend, a source with knowledge of the situation told Shelby Lin Erdman of CNN.  The testing was arranged by one of Sterling’s attorneys and conducted with one of the top dementia and Alzheimer’s disease specialists in the country.  More out of the West..

  • Free agent Mo Williams has no meetings set with other teams and his “only goal” is to sign a new deal with the Blazers, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (on Twitter).
  • New Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo sounds intent on exercising his opt out after the 2014/15 season.  “It’s probably something that I always anticipated, even beyond when I first signed this deal with Denver,” Afflalo told Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “I knew my game, I knew my maturity, I knew I would grow as a player. And I wanted to have that option as I got older and I progressed as a player. So hopefully I’ll out-perform my contract and put myself in a better situation. That was my intent from the beginning, even before this year, was to play out the four years and progress as a player.”
  • Grizzlies swingman Mike Miller tells Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (via Twitter) that he’s meeting with his agent tomorrow in Los Angeles before talking with four or five clubs.  Meanwhile, the Grizzlies can prevent him from looking around if they come to him with the right deal.
  • A source tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (on Twitter) that there are four or five suitors out there for Jordan Hill, including the Rockets and Mavs.  He’s not ruling out a Lakers return and will take his time through the process with an eye on a longer deal.
  • Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak says the club is putting Julius Randle through a series of physicals this week to test his foot though, right now, he doesn’t expect surgery, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
  • There is strong mutual interest in Vince Carter‘s return to the Mavericks, but several playoff teams are expected to express interest in the 37-year-old swingman, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.  The Heat, Thunder, Blazers, and Raptors are among the playoff teams that are seen as potential fits for VC, according to a source.
  • Warriors coach Steve Kerr is discussing an assistant coaching job on the staff with Luke Walton, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
  • Lakers unrestricted free agent Kent Bazemore is expected to draw interest from the Hawks, Celtics, and Suns among others, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
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Free Agent Rumors: Lowry, Gasol, Parsons, Ariza

June 30th, 2014 at 12:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri is likely to make a strong push to re-sign Kyle Lowry just as free agency begins tonight to prevent the Heat and Rockets from having a chance to jump in, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Here’s more free agency chatter with 11 hours left to go until negotiations can begin:

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Mo Williams To Opt Out

June 23rd, 2014 at 6:27pm CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 23rd: Williams has formally informed Portland that he will become a free agent, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN (on Twitter).

MAY 16th: Williams said once more that he will opt out of his contract, as he told reporters, including Haynes, at the team’s exit interviews today (Twitter link). He’ll seek a three-year contract which he believes will be his last, notes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian (on Twitter),

JANUARY 9th: Mo Williams intends to turn down his 2014/15 player option at season’s end, becoming an unrestricted free agent, he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. According to Williams, opting out was always his plan, but he hopes to sign a new contract with the Trail Blazers in July.

“I would like to be here long-term,” Williams said. “My goal is to work something out with Portland this summer. I like it here and I want to make this place home…. For me, it’s about finishing my career the right way for the X amount of years that I have and I’d love to do it here because of the fan support, the familiarity with the coach and [GM] Neil [Olshey].”

Williams, 31, signed a two-year contract with the Trail Blazers in the offseason that will pay him $2.65MM this season, with a second-year player option worth $2.77MM. Often, in that sort of modestly priced two-year deal, the player option serves as an insurance policy — for instance, if Williams were to suffer a serious injury this spring, he’d have the chance to opt into the second year, ensuring him a regular pay check for 2014/15.

Many of Williams’ per-game averages this season (9.4 PPG, 24.4 MPG) are the lowest marks since his rookie year. Still, he has filled the role Portland had anticipated for him, providing a veteran presence and serving as a dangerous third guard off the bench, backing up Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews. While he may not be in line for a big raise if and when he opts out, he could easily secure another multiyear deal.

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And-Ones: Hansen, Blazers, Aldridge, Love

May 30th, 2014 at 10:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite losing one his biggest and wealthiest partners in Steve Ballmer to the Clippers, Chris Hansen remains committed to bringing a team to Seattle, according to an article by The Associated Press. Hansen said that environmental reviews on a proposed arena are nearing completion and “we will soon be in a strong position to attract a franchise to Seattle“, the article notes.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Jeff Kramer of SB Nation looks at why it would be a good move for LaMarcus Aldridge to sign a contract extension with the Trail Blazers.
  • The Trail Blazers face a difficult decision in regards to free agent guard Mo Williams, writes Roger Gregory of The Oregonian. Williams decided to opt out of the second year of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
  • The staff at Basketball Insiders (video link) debate the best landing spot for Kevin Love, should the Timberwolves decide to trade him.
  • According to Phil Jackson, the Knicks intend to approach other teams in an effort to buy a draft pick, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
  • Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report looks at what the $2 Billion sale of the Clippers means for the Lakers.
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Wizards Show Interest In Udrih, Miller

February 20th, 2014 at 8:20am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY. 8:20am: The Wizards have offered Maynor, Singleton and Trevor Booker, among others, in their search for a backup point guard, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Their interest in Udrih makes sense, since they offered him the same deal they wound up giving Maynor this past summer, Kennedy observes (Twitter links). Washington also made an identical offer to Mo Williams, Kennedy says, but he’s clearly not in the trade conversation.

FEBRUARY 19TH: The Wizards maintain their interest in Miller, tweets Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, who suggests Chris Singleton and Eric Maynor as possible trade bait for the Nuggets. It’s not clear whether the Wizards are thinking of including those guys in a deal, or if Zwerling is merely speculating.

FEBRUARY 11TH: Multiple reports in the past few days have indicated Washington’s interest in acquiring a backup point guard, and one of their primary targets is Beno Udrih, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Washington also covets Andre Miller, Stein tweets, but the Wizards have been unable to find a workable deal with the Nuggets.

Udrih quickly backed away last month from a report that he asked the Knicks to trade him. Still, New York didn’t seem averse to the idea at the time, and apparently the Knicks wouldn’t have minded receiving a second-rounder in return for Udrih, whom they believed was siphoning playing time from Toure’ Murry. Udrih hasn’t played since January 24th, while Murry has made five appearances in that span.

Though Nuggets GM Tim Connelly says the team has nothing “definitive” in the works for Miller, the Timberwolves still have an eye on the point guard, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Similarly, the Kings continue to express interest in Miller, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. I predicted that offers for Miller would improve closer to the deadline when I examined his trade candidacy last month.

Washington has been going with minimum-salary signee Garrett Temple as the backup to John Wall instead of Eric Maynor, whom the club used its biannual exception to sign this past summer.

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Contract Details: Oden, Pargo, Williams, Udrih

August 14th, 2013 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com has updated his invaluable database of NBA salaries with details on many of the players who have signed over the last couple weeks. We hadn't yet heard the specifics on a number of those contracts, so let's round up the new info….

  • Initially reported as a two-year contract with a second-year player option, Greg Oden's deal with the Heat is actually only for one season, according to Deeks.
  • Jannero Pargo's one-year, minimum-salary pact with the Bobcats is only currently guaranteed for $300K. Pargo will be assured of his full salary (about $1.4MM) if he remains on the roster past December 10th.
  • The Trail Blazers signed Mo Williams using their full room exception, and included a 15% trade kicker in his deal.
  • There's also a 15% trade kicker on Beno Udrih's minimum-salary contract with the Knicks.
  • Another Knicks signee, Jeremy Tyler, has a $100K guarantee on his two-year deal.
  • Carrick Felix's four-year deal with the Cavaliers was originally reported as being fully guaranteed for three seasons. However, according to Deeks, the third year is non-guaranteed, and the fourth year is a team option.
  • The first year of Peyton Siva's pact with the Pistons is partially guaranteed for $150K.
  • Jeff Withey has a fully guaranteed rookie year with the Pelicans, while his second-year salary won't become guaranteed until next July.
  • Ryan Gomes' contract with the Thunder is currently non-guaranteed. He'll receive three $25K bonuses if he remains on the roster beyond September 1st, October 1st, and October 30th, but his salary won't become fully guaranteed until January.
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Odds & Ends: James, Bobcats, Bucks, Cavs

August 10th, 2013 at 10:59pm CST by Spencer Lund

There are a lot of contenders to the Eastern Conference crown that LeBron James and his Heat teammates have worn the last three seasons. James knows he's got to keep getting better if he wants to remain on top next year and advance to his fourth NBA Finals in his four seasons in Miami.

Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel caught up James during his charity event in Akron today to discuss all the wheeling and dealing in the Eastern Conference this off-season. 

James is aware that the Heat face an even harder field in the Eastern Conference next season, and he's doing everything in his power to meet the challenge, telling Richardson, "I've seen what so many teams have done to get better. I've seen the moves that we've made, so I've got to do my part."

Here's what else is happening around the league on Saturday night:

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Olshey On Williams, Aldridge, Offseason

August 8th, 2013 at 9:37pm CST by Alex Lee

With the signing of Mo Williams now official, Portland general manager Neil Olshey introduced his newest addition to Blazers fans and media earlier today.  Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge provides a transcript here and also offered his own thoughts on what Olshey had to say:

  • Olshey indicated that LaMarcus Aldridge was excited by the Blazers signing of Williams, writes Golliver, adding that Aldridge expressed similar sentiments earlier this offseason when Portland added Robin Lopez.
  • When asked about the Aldridge trade rumors that surfaced this summer, Olshey lectured the media about spreading false reports in an attempt to be the first to break what would be big news.  Olshey assured reporters that Aldridge never asked to be traded and is happy in Portland.
  • While Olshey conceded that the Blazers didn't do everything they could to be competitive last year, he also insisted that it was by design. The result, Olshey said, has been the additions of Lopez, Thomas Robinson and now Williams, according to Golliver.  
  • Williams will be the Blazers' sixth man, writes Mike Tokito of the Oregonian, adding that Olshey was Williams' pre-draft 'coach' a decade ago.  Olshey also pushed to bring Williams to the Clippers two seasons ago, where he was able to fit into a guard rotation that contained several guys capable of running the point, much like the situation in Portland. 
  • Tokito also tweeted that Olshey implied the Williams signing would wrap up Portland's offseason. 
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