Paul Millsap Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Millsap, Heat, Pierce

October 1st, 2014 at 5:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks expect to have competition for Paul Millsap‘s services next summer when the player hits free agency, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. But Atlanta intends to try and keep the power forward on their roster, notes Vivlamore. “We want to keep him,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He is someone who is really important to us. He fits us very well. We’ve communicated that with him on a regular basis.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Chris Andersen‘s decision to re-sign with the Heat never depended on what LeBron James ultimately decided to do, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post writes (Twitter link). Andersen told Lieser that he knew he wanted to return to Miami prior to the free agent signing period beginning.
A businessman named Haider Zafar might have directly contributed to LeBron leaving the Heat, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald writes. Zafar, who allegedly conned Mike Miller, James Jones and Rashard Lewis out of millions in 2013, is expected to plead guilty to multiple wire fraud charges. Goodman details Zafar’s saga, and how the organization’s treatment of Miller in the wake of the fraud, including amnestying him, and refusing to reach a settlement that would return a portion of the swindled funds that went towards purchasing tickets to Heat games, left a lingering bad feeling between James and the Heat organization.
Paul Pierce chose the Wizards this offseason in free agency after discussions with then-Wizards assistant coach Sam Cassell and former Washington forward Al Harrington convinced him that it was the right place to continue and possibly finish off his career, Adi Joseph of USA Today writes. “I asked them at first what the guys were like to work with, you know, Bradley Beal and all these guys,” Pierce said. “I asked them about the culture, ‘Are there good guys in the locker room?’ And they kept on saying, ‘You’re really gonna like these guys. You’re really gonna like these guys’.“

And-Ones: Kobe, Lakers, Woodson

March 11th, 2014 at 10:02pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Lakers are expected to officially declare Kobe Bryant out for the rest of the 2013/14 season, as per Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The 35-year-old guard is still dealing with discomfort after fracturing the tibial plateau in his left knee back in December. Ding adds that while the superstar guard has expressed hope in the team significantly re-tooling this summer via free agency, all signs point to the front office planning accordingly to have cap flexibility for the summer of 2015.

You can find more of tonight’s noteworthy links below:

With Kobe, Steve Nash, and Robert Sacre presently listed as the only guaranteed contracts for next season, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times looks at the rest of the current roster to determine who has the best chance of sticking around after this year.
Mike Woodson‘s reported mistrust of Steve Mills partially stems from the Knicks executive’s presence in coaches meetings, practices, and road trips for large chunks of the season, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. According to Kyler, Woodson’s camp viewed it as meddling in the process and casting doubt on the coach’s job from the start.
Marco Belinelli doesn’t hold a grudge against the Bulls for declining to make him an offer this past summer, but his first choice would have been to re-sign with the Bulls, in spite of Tom Thibodeau’s efforts to convince the team to do so. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News has the details, noting that when Gregg Popovich called Thibodeau for a recommendation, Thibs gave the shooting guard an endorsement.
Paul Millsap says he didn’t go “kicking and screaming” from the Jazz when they parted ways over the summer, adding that he respected the team’s decision not to pursue re-signing him, as Brad Rock of the Deseret News observes.
J.J. Hickson has hired Muhammad Abdur-Rahim and Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management as his new agents, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). They replace Andy Miller of ASM Sports, whom the Nuggets big man jettisoned earlier this season.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Omer Asik Rumors: Wednesday Morning

December 18th, 2013 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets‘ self-imposed deadline for an Omer Asik deal is right around the corner, which means we should expect to hear plenty of rumors about the big man today. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld even suggested last night that a trade could be agreed upon today, though nothing is imminent quite yet. Here’s the latest on Asik, who appears almost certain to be on the move by week’s end:

The Celtics are “increasingly active” in Asik talks and are viewed as the Sixers‘ strongest rivals for the center’s services, according to Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The ESPN duo reports that neither Boston nor Philadelphia is scared off by the $15MM balloon payment owed to Asik in 2014/15.
According to Stein and Windhorst, many league sources believe one reason Rockets GM Daryl Morey imposed the December 19th deadline in the first place was a belief that he could get a deal done by then with Sixers GM (and former Rockets assistant GM) Sam Hinkie. The Rockets would want to do a deal involving Spencer Hawes and at least one first-round pick.
The Cavaliers are more likely to act as a third-team facilitator than to acquire Asik directly, according to the ESPN.com report. Stein and Windhorst detail one scenario in which the Celtics would land Asik and send Jeff Green to the Cavs, though Chris Mannix of SI.com hears there’s “no way” Boston will include Green in an Asik deal (Twitter link).
Although Green and Thaddeus Young have frequently been cited as potential targets for Houston, Stein and Windhorst say the Rockets would be reluctant to take on the long-term contract of either player, since it would negatively impact the team’s ability to lock up Chandler Parsons.
Stein and Windhorst, as well as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, report that while the Rockets would love to acquire Paul Millsap, the Hawks‘ interest in Asik is “lukewarm” at best.
Within Berger’s piece, the CBSSports.com scribe writes that multiple league executives have told him the Rockets are open to packaging Jeremy Lin with Asik. However, considering Lin also has a big salary bump coming next season, sending the two players to the same team is unlikely.
One scenario that has emerged is the possibility of a three-team deal involving the Celtics and Sixers, with Asik going to Boston, says Berger. However, one league source called it a long shot, describing it as a “weird deal.”
The Knicks attempted to get involved in the Asik sweepstakes, discussing a potential deal with the Rockets and a third team, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Despite their efforts though, the Knicks are on the outside looking in, and are very unlikely to land the seven-footer.
We heard last night from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that the Hawks, Celtics, Cavs, and Sixers are squarely in the mix for Asik, with a “wild card” team in play as well.

Latest On Omer Asik

December 15th, 2013 at 8:27pm CST by Zachary Links

While there are strong rumbles that the Sixers, led by former Houston exec Sam Hinkie, will be the team to land Omer Asik, Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears that the Celtics are worth keeping an eye on as well. The Celtics have two players in Jeff Green and Brandon Bass that at different salary ranges could fit next to Dwight Howard.

Boston also has a spare first-round draft pick or two to plug into any trade equation to sweeten the deal for the Rockets, a big deal considering that GM Daryl Morey wants to come away with at least one future first. It also helps that the Morey and coach Kevin McHale have longstanding relationships with Celts president Danny Ainge.

Stein wonders openly if the Rockets can afford to take on someone like Green ($18.4MM over two seasons after this one) or Philly’s Thaddeus Young ($19.4MM over same span) when they know they’ll have to give an extension bump to Chandler Parsons when he becomes eligible. That means it’s likely that a third team will get involved in an Asik swap.

Meanwhile, it’s believed that the Cavs like the thought of keeping Anderson Varejao better than the prospect of trading him for Asik. Word is the Cavs would prefer to join in as a third-team facilitator that helps Asik land in a different city. The Hawks also have an attractive frontcourt piece in Paul Millsap, but it’s believed that GM Danny Ferry is holding on to him for a better prize than the disgruntled Houston center.

Rockets Still Plan To Trade Asik Next Week

December 13th, 2013 at 7:50pm CST by Luke Adams

7:50pm: The Cavs could get involved in an Asik deal if the Rockets need a third team to facilitate a trade, Lloyd writes, adding that it’s not clear what the Cavs would ask for in that scenario. Executives around the league believe the Rockets already have an Asik trade in place, and that GM Daryl Morey and company are seeing if they can find a better offer before they commit to a deal, tweets USA Today’s Sam Amick.

5:27pm: The Cavs don’t have interest in Asik, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd doesn’t say for certain whether Houston’s demands of more than just Anderson Varejao have put Cleveland off, or if Asik never intrigued the Cavs that much in the first place.

9:53am: Following up on Aldridge’s report, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein says that while the Rockets have had interest in Varejao in previous years, they wouldn’t be inclined to move Asik straight-up for him. As for the Cavs, it’s not clear whether they’d be willing to include additional assets in a swap, particularly since Cleveland would still rather acquire a small forward than a center.

Stein adds that league insiders continue to believe Paul Millsap is Houston’s top target, but as we heard already today, the Hawks don’t seem overly enthusiastic about moving him.

8:36am: A report last week suggested that the Rockets intended to move Omer Asik by December 19th, and the team still appears to be aiming for that self-imposed deadline. TNT’s David Aldridge reports (via Twitter) that the Rockets will trade Asik by Wednesday or Thursday of next week, adding that the Cavaliers should not be discounted, since Anderson Varejao would be a fit in Houston.

December 19th is significant because it gives the team a two-month cushion before this season’s February 20th deadline. Over-the-cap clubs like the Rockets are prohibited from including a recently-acquired player in a trade package within two months of acquiring him, so completing a deal by next Thursday would give Houston the flexibility to flip pieces acquired for Asik at the deadline.

As for Aldridge’s assertion that the Cavs are worth keeping an eye on, Varejao would probably mesh nicely with Dwight Howard in Houston, but I’m not sure it would make sense for Cleveland to pair Asik with Andrew Bynum. Additionally, while Varejao’s cap hit for next season is slightly larger than Asik’s, only $4MM of Varejao’s 2014/15 salary is guaranteed, whereas Asik will be owed a balloon payment of about $15MM. Up until this point, the Cavs have maintained enough 2014 cap space to make a run at a maximum-salary player like LeBron James, so it’s not clear if the team is willing to give up that flexibility.

Whether or not the Cavs are a serious suitor for Asik, it seems as if the Rockets should have plenty of options. The Pelicans, Hawks, Bucks, Celtics, Mavericks, and Sixers are among the other clubs who have been mentioned as potential fits at some point, though some of those destinations look more viable than others. Houston is said to be seeking a quality forward and/or first-round picks in any deal.

Kyler’s Latest: Asik, Randolph, Anderson, Lakers

December 13th, 2013 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

In his NBA AM column for HoopsWorld this morning, Steve Kyler weighs in with new tidbits on several trade possibilities, so let’s dive right in and round up the highlights from the piece….

The Rockets no longer appear to be holding out for multiple first-round picks in talks for Omer Asik, as they reportedly were at the start of the month.
The Hawks and 76ers are among the clubs who have been linked to Asik in recent weeks, but Kyler hears that Atlanta currently has no interest in moving Paul Millsap, while Philadelphia wouldn’t include a draft pick in any offer for Asik.
Although the Sixers are resistant to parting with a first-round pick for Asik, they don’t have a problem with next season’s balloon payment, since it wouldn’t have a huge effect on the team’s cap space. A one-for-one trade of Asik for Thaddeus Young would work under CBA rules, though the Rockets may be seeking a more significant return.
A report yesterday suggested the Grizzlies are shopping Zach Randolph with an eye on Ryan Anderson, but according to Kyler, both teams are denying interest in such a deal. Pointing out that teams are making calls and listening to calls a little more seriously than they were a couple weeks ago, Kyler writes that both the Grizzlies and Pelicans are probably just being open-minded about their options. It’s unlikely that either Randolph or Anderson is traded, says Kyler.
Despite their injury woes at the point, the Lakers aren’t likely to be active on the trade market unless they can land the kind of player they’d be targeting anyway in 2014 free agency, according to Kyler.

Hawks Links: Millsap, Nogueira, Schroder

October 3rd, 2013 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

The forgotten suitor in July's Dwight Howard sweepstakes, the Hawks didn't have a splashy offseason, but the team re-signed a couple of its own key contributors in Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver, and brought in players such as Paul Millsap and Elton Brand to replace outgoing free agents like Josh Smith. As the retooled Hawks look to return to the postseason for the seventh straight year, let's check in on a few items out of Atlanta….

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld spoke to Teague, GM Danny Ferry, coach Mike Budenholzer, and Millsap himself about the Hawks' signing of the former Utah big man. Millsap is optimistic about the club's new pieces fitting together, as he tells Kennedy: "Because we have smart and intelligent guys, hopefully it won’t take that long [for the group to jell]. We’ve already been going through some things and we’re getting a feel for what we’re going to do. It’s been working out."
The Hawks and first-round pick Lucas Nogueira have filed the paperwork to remove Nogueira's cap hold from their books, reports Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter). As Deeks notes in a second tweet, that means Atlanta can't sign their 2013 first-rounder until next July, and it creates a little more cap flexibility for the team.
Lang Greene of HoopsWorld takes a look at Dennis Schroder, the Hawks' other first-round pick this past June, who projects to be a long-term piece in the club's backcourt.

Odds & Ends: Hawks, Bradley, Bobcats, Stern

August 27th, 2013 at 7:35pm CST by Alex Lee

Here are some odds and ends from around the NBA on Tuesday night:

The Hawks' offseason represents a step forward for the organization, writes Zach Harper of CBS Sports in his detailed offseason review of Atlanta. Harper condemns the former regime's running-in-place approach, and says the Hawks had a solid draft and made the right decision to replace Josh Smith with the much cheaper Paul Millsap. While he expects Atlanta to again end up in that familiar middle-of-the-playoff-pack area, Harper writes that the flexibility and roster construction created by Danny Ferry should give it a different feel.
Avery Bradley has focused on getting bigger and stronger this offseason in an attempt to stay healthy, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston. Bradley says that, due to injuries and the lockout, this offseason has easily been the most productive of his career as a professional. He will certainly have an opportunity to shine on the new-look Celtics' roster.
While success and roster continuity are typically linked in the NBA, the Bobcats are this year's exception, writes John Schuhmann of NBA.com. Charlotte will bring back 11 players that accounted for over 85 percent of the team's total minutes played last year, which is the third highest percentage in the NBA this offseason, The Bobcats have only added Cody Zeller, Anthony Tolliver and Al Jefferson at this point. It is not surprising that first, second and fourth teams on that list are the Heat, Thunder and Spurs, respectively.
In an Insider-only piece, David Thorpe of ESPN points out the burning questions facing each of the teams in the Southeast division this season, adding that the division is stocked with youth and talent as well as, of course, the two-time defending champs.
With Adam Silver set to take over the commissioner's office in February, Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld provides a retrospective look at David Stern's 30 year reign as the NBA's front man.

Hawks Sign Paul Millsap To Two-Year Deal

July 10th, 2013 at 10:09am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 10TH: The Hawks have officially signed Millsap, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 5TH: The Hawks have agreed to a deal with power forward Paul Millsap, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It's a two-year deal, Vivlamore adds via Twitter. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld first reported the two sides were in serious discussions. The pact will total $19MM, according to Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

Millsap, a client of agent DeAngelo Simmons, gets a slight bump from his $8.6MM salary this past season, and presumably will be playing power forward next to Al Horford in Atlanta. Horford is one of just three returning Hawks players who entered the summer with guaranteed contracts, though Atlanta re-signed Kyle Korver earlier this week. The Hawks, armed with plenty of cap space, figure to be active now that Dwight Howard is heading to Houston instead of his hometown, and the team has already been linked to a possible sign-and-trade involving Josh Smith and Omer Asik.

The Jazz renounced their rights to Millsap earlier today after absorbing the expiring contracts of Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins and Brandon Rush. That rendered Utah unable to make a competitive bid to retain Millsap, since the Jazz are up against the cap.

Paul Millsap, Hawks In Serious Discussions

July 5th, 2013 at 9:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks and Paul Millsap are engaged in a serious dialogue about a deal, according to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (Twitter link). The Jazz renounced their rights to Millsap earlier today, limiting Utah to re-signing him for no more than their $2.65MM room exception. Conversely, the Hawks have plenty of cap room to sign the power forward to a much larger deal.

There's been little chatter about Millsap in the free agency period, though the Celtics were reportedly interested in him at the trade deadline and again this spring, before they went into rebuilding. The DeAngelo Simmons client saw declines in his scoring and rebounding averages this past season, but at age 28, Millsap remains in the upper echelon of NBA power forwards, far outpacing expectations when he was a second-round pick in 2006. Millsap made $8.6MM in 2012/13, the last year of a four-year, $32MM pact.

The Hawks have an agreement with Kyle Korver on a four-year, $24MM deal, but they have only three other players from last season on fully guaranteed deals. They're reportedly linked to the Rockets in what could be a sign-and-trade deal involving Josh Smith and Omer Asik, and given their cap space, they could become even more active now that it's assured they won't be signing Dwight Howard.