Patrick Patterson

Pacific Notes: Dragic, Bogut, Kings, Iguodala

Many around the NBA believe Goran Dragic will be the next player the Suns trade away after Friday’s Marcin Gortat deal, but Phoenix GM Ryan McDonough insists that won’t be the case, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic notes. “He’s a good player on a good contract and a great guy,” McDonough said. “So, no, we’re not looking to move Goran Dragic.” Andrew Bogut is another player who probably won’t be traded this year now that he’s signed his extension, and he’s glad to stick around the Warriors, as we explain amid our look around the Pacific:

  • Andrew Bogut understands he could have snagged a better payday if he had held off on an extension and performed well this season, but he tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he didn’t want to play the season as a trade candidate on an expiring contract. Bogut says he’s put his anger about the Warriors‘ pursuit of Dwight Howard behind him and encourages his teammates to take discounts on their next deals so the team can stay together.
  • The Kings face a Thursday deadline for decisions on Jimmer Fredette‘s fourth-year option and extensions for Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson, and GM Pete D’Alessandro remains circumspect, observes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. “We’re still looking at things and evaluating before making a decision. … I think there’s some spirited conversations going on about all the guys near the deadline,” D’Alessandro said.
  • The moves that D’Alessandro and company have made so far during their brief tenure aren’t above reproach, but the key is whether their long-term investment in DeMarcus Cousins works out, The Bee’s Ailene Voisin opines.
  • Carl Landry should be out a few more months with his hip injury, so camp invitee Hamady N’Diaye could remain with the Kings for a while, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
  • Andre Iguodala‘s arrival to Golden State raises the expectations for the Warriors, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle examines.

Stein On Bledsoe, Davis, Turner, Pondexter

Gordon Hayward and the Jazz are working on an extension, and it looks like the two sides will work something out within the next 10 days, as ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported overnight. However, Hayward looks like the only member of the draft class of 2010 likely to receive a new deal by the October 31st deadline, in Stein’s view. The ESPN.com scribe examined the remaining extension-eligible players in his latest piece, so let’s round up the highlights….

  • Besides Hayward, Eric Bledsoe of the Suns and Ed Davis of the Grizzlies appear to be the strongest candidates to re-up with their respective teams. Sources tell Stein that Memphis has been discussing a new deal with Davis’ camp this month.
  • As for Bledsoe, Stein notes that next year’s free agent crop of point guards looks thin, meaning it may be risky for the Suns to let the ex-Clipper hit the open market, even as a restricted free agent. According to Stein, Favors’ deal may help Bledsoe’s negotiating position, since Utah paid its big man based in part on the expectation that his role and production will increase this season.
  • Evan Turner is more likely to be traded by the Sixers than extended.
  • Having spent big already on John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins respectively, the Wizards and Kings probably won’t extend their other fourth-year players this month. Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin are eligible for Washington, while Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson fit the bill in Sacramento.
  • Greg Monroe (Pistons) and Avery Bradley (Celtics) also continue to look like strong bets to hit free agency next summer.
  • A new deal for Quincy Pondexter hasn’t been completely ruled out by the Grizzlies, but Ekpe Udoh (Bucks) and Jordan Crawford (Celtics) won’t get extensions, says Stein.

Carl Landry Out 3-4 Months With Hip Injury

The Kings’ new front office and ownership group were fairly quiet in free agency this summer, but the team did make one major splash, inking Carl Landry to a four-year deal worth $26MM+. Landry’s time in Sacramento is off to an unfortunate start, however, as the team announced today that he’ll require surgery after suffering a tear in his left hip flexor. The veteran forward is expected to be sidelined for three to four months.

Given all the ex-Warriors in place in the Kings’ managerial and ownership ranks, it perhaps wasn’t a surprise that Sacramento targeted a player who excelled in Golden State a year ago. Landry, 30, appeared in all but one game for the Warriors in 2012/13, averaging 10.8 PPG to go along with 6.0 RPG and a 17.5 PER.

The Kings had already been deep at power forward, so it’s unlikely that the club will go out and acquire a replacement for Landry. However, it also means that Sacramento may no longer be able to deal from that area of depth, should a trade opportunity arise in the next few weeks or months. Jason Thompson and Patrick Patterson figure to handle the majority of the minutes at the four while Landry recovers.

Pacific Notes: Patterson, Warriors, Clips, Bledsoe

On the heels of signings by the Lakers and Clippers, let's round up a few more Thursday items out of the Pacific Division….

  • Kings forward Patrick Patterson, who had previously been represented by Odell McCants, has signed with Excel Sports Management and agent Sam Goldfeder, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (via Twitter).
  • Moke Hamilton of HoopsWorld examines what the addition of Andre Iguodala to the Warriors means for Harrison Barnes' role and development.
  • In revamping their bench this offseason, the Clippers appeared to prioritize offense over defense, as Jovan Buha of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes. Although L.A. has as much depth on paper as any Western contender, the defensive limitations of the team's bench may reduce its lineup flexibility, says Buha.
  • Former teammate Jamal Crawford believes Eric Bledsoe is headed for stardom, but the 2013/14 season will be the first chance for the Suns point guard to prove as much, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.

Pacific Notes: Howard, Gasol, Kings, McMillan

With the Lakers preparing to play the Magic in Orlando tomorrow night, Dwight Howard will be returning to the city where he spent the first eight years of his NBA career. In advance of the game, Howard spoke to Sam Amick of USA Today and expressed some regrets about the way he handled the situation in his final year with the Magic.

"In Orlando, I handled a lot of stuff the wrong way," Howard said. "If any of those people in Orlando are upset with how I did it, I apologize for the way I handled it and the way it was handled in the media."

Here's more from Howard and the rest of the Pacific Division:

  • Howard and Amick spoke about several other topics, including his recovery from back surgery and his recent comments about his former Magic teammates. USA Today has a transcript of the Q&A.
  • Amnestying Pau Gasol this summer may be an option for the Lakers if the team can't find a suitable trade, says Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (via Sulia). Clearing Gasol's near-$20MM cap hit from the books wouldn't get the Lakers out of the tax, assuming they re-sign Howard, but it would greatly reduce their bill. Still, I'd be pretty shocked if it came to that for the Lakers and Gasol.
  • Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee takes a look at the transition Patrick Patterson has been making as he takes on a new role with the Kings.
  • Appearing on 710 ESPN in Seattle, Nate McMillan said he's "definitely looking to get back into coaching" and suggested that if the Kings were moved to Seattle, that job is one that would interest him. Eric Schmoldt of Sports Radio Interviews has the details.
  • Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee provide an update on the latest news related to the Kings sale.

Pacific Notes: Kings, Nash, Gasol, Patterson

The latest news and notes from around the Pacific Division on Saturday morning:

Pacific Links: Kings, Patterson, Suns, Lakers

While the Los Angeles clubs stood pat and the Suns and Warriors only made small moves at the deadline, it was the Kings that were the Pacific Division's most active team, completing a six-player trade with the Rockets on Wednesday night. We have a couple links related to Sacramento's deal, as well as the rest of the latest items out of the Pacific:

Recap Of Deadline Trades

A complete recap of trades that were completed before Thursday's trade deadline:

Odds & Ends: Martin, Blatche, Lillard, Gibson

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

Rockets To Exercise Options On Patterson, Morris

12:27pm: Agent Tony Dutt tells Berman that the Rockets will also exercise the option for his client, Marcus Morris (Twitter link).

12:01pm: McCants has received word that the Rockets officially picked up Patterson's option, tweets Berman.

11:55am: Rockets GM Daryl Morey has informed Patrick Patterson's agent, Odell McCants, that Houston will be exercising its 2013/14 option on Patterson, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. The fourth-year option will pay Patterson about $3.11MM in '13/14.

In addition to Patterson's option, the Rockets still have decisions to make this week on two more players for 2013/14. Cole Aldrich has a team option worth about $3.25MM, while Marcus Morris has a third-year option worth about $1.99MM. Houston initially had five pending option decisions, but the team waived JaJuan Johnson and Lazar Hayward, choosing not only to turn down next year's options on both players, but removing from the roster immediately.

To keep tabs on all the offseason's 2013/14 option decisions, check out Hoops Rumors' tracker.