Paul Pierce Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Bulls, Kidd, Cavs

October 19th, 2014 at 9:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Mary Stevens of Basketball Insiders looked at three under-the-radar rookies to watch, including Doug McDermott of the Bulls. The former Creighton standout will have to adjust to pace of the NBA quickly as Chicago has high hopes for this season, but he is widely regarded as one of the most NBA-ready players out of the 2014 class. More from the Central Division..

Bucks coach Jason Kidd told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com he now believes the rumors that the Nets wanted to fire him as their coach last December. Later, the offseason trade that sent him to Milwaukee in exchange for two second-round draft picks convinced him of that, though many would say that it was Kidd who forced that situation. Kidd also questioned the Nets’ decision not to retain free agent forward Paul Pierce, who signed a two-year, $11MM deal with the Wizards. “I believe it,” Kidd said regarding Pierce’s claim about not being offered a contract. “I mean, if they don’t offer [Pierce] a contract worth what a first-round pick is, then why did we do the deal [last year for Pierce and Kevin Garnett]?”
After dropping Stephen Holt and Chris Crawford today, the Cavs need to make at least one more cut before the regular season begins. However, it’s more likely that they will make two cuts to leave a roster spot open for a free agent, writes Chris Haynes of The Plain Dealer.
Spencer Dinwiddie sees an opportunity for increased playing time with the Pistons, between his improving knee and this week’s trade that sent Will Bynum to the Celtics. The point guard, who suffered a torn ACL last winter, told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com that his knee is feeling better and that he is ready to compete for minutes. Detroit traded Bynum away within days of Dinwiddie taking part in his first simulated game action, which may or may not be coincidental.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

New York Notes: Nets, Pierce, Knicks, Executives

October 8th, 2014 at 10:26am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets and Knicks will renew their intracity rivalry this season as both teams hope to get off to faster starts than they did in 2013/14. Each club figures to be in the mix for a playoff spot again this season, so while we wait to see if we’ll have a subway series come the postseason, here’s the latest from the Big Apple:

Nets GM Billy King insists the team is still doggedly pursuing a championship and isn’t focused on making financial cutbacks, telling reporters, including Newsday’s Rod Boone, that he still has permission from owner Mikhail Prokhorov to make expensive acquisitions. King made his remarks in response to Paul Pierce‘s assertion that the team was no longer willing to spend to win. ” . . . We have some younger guys like Mason Plumlee who are under rookie contracts, and that helps your payroll. But [Prokhorov] hasn’t wavered in pursuit of what he wants,” King said.
That seems to conflict with King’s admission last month that money was a factor in the team’s decision not to re-sign Pierce and that the club doesn’t want to repeat its more than $190MM expenditure on players and luxury taxes last season. Pierce’s representatives with Excel Sports Management asked the Nets for a two-year, $24MM deal this summer, but the Nets didn’t want to pay that much, according to Boone.
Former Magic GM John Gabriel‘s influence is growing within the Knicks front office, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Gabriel, who holds the title of director of basketball operations, is on the upswing while former Nuggets GM and current Knicks director of player personnel Mark Warkentien is losing sway, and assistant GM Allan Houston doesn’t have the pull that he once had, either, Berman adds.
The Knicks have hired former D-League assistant and small college head coach Kevin Whitted as head coach of their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Whitted went to college with Houston, who serves as the GM of the Knicks D-League affiliate in addition to his duties with the big club.

Atlantic Notes: Pierce, Lockout, ‘Melo, Johnson

October 6th, 2014 at 4:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

Paul Pierce originally thought he’d wind up re-signing with the Nets, but he tells TNT’s David Aldridge that Brooklyn never made an offer, as Aldridge writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Pierce said the Clippers looked like Plan B, but the Nets wouldn’t accommodate a sign-and-trade once Doc Rivers used the team’s mid-level exception on Spencer Hawes instead.

“You know what, I didn’t know what to expect,” Pierce said. “Brooklyn’s been, or New Jersey, Brooklyn, they’re a franchise that’s going in a different direction, I think. They said they wanted to cut costs; they felt like they weren’t going to be a contender. Right now, they’re kind of in the middle right now. And I really didn’t want to be in the middle. I didn’t know if they wanted to do a sign-and-trade. I had to make my own destiny. I couldn’t put it in the faith of somebody else. And that’s when I was like, I’m coming here [to the Wizards].”

The reference to New Jersey seems like a subtle twist of the knife on Pierce’s part, given the desire of Nets brass to establish the Brooklyn monicker, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News points out. Here’s more from around the Atlantic.

Nets union representative Deron Williams believes the league and the players are on a path toward a work stoppage in 2017, noting that preparing for one was the focus of a union meeting in July, as he told reporters, including Bondy, who writes in a separate piece.
Carmelo Anthony said today that he had no interest this summer in signing a two-year deal, as LeBron James and others did, to take advantage of the influx of TV revenues, notes Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link).
The Celtics had hoped to find a way to keep Chris Johnson amid the flurry of transactions surrounding the Keith Bogans trade, notes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Sixers claimed him off waivers after the C’s let him go.

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’.“

Nets Notes: Pierce, King, Kidd

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:06pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Nets are looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Miami in the Conference Semifinals, but they’ll have to move forward into the new season without Paul Pierce, who spurned Brookyln to sign a deal with the Wizards earlier this summer. The Nets and Pierce couldn’t reach an agreement on a new contract, and we’ve detailed the reasons why below, amid tonight’s look at the latest out of Brooklyn..

Nets GM Billy King said money was a factor in the team’s decision not to re-sign Pierce and acknowledged that the team is trying to reign in its spending as he spoke to reporters, including Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “We did [want to bring Pierce back]. That was the plan of attack and I think as we started negotiating, the numbers that they asked for were, you know,” King said. “And I thought at one point that he was definitely leaving. And then you started switching gears because you start hearing that he’s going to end up at a different place. So then you start preparing. And then when he came back to us [to try to negotiate again], we already moved on.”
Furthermore, Jason Kidd‘s departure from the Nets had no bearing on Pierce’s decision to skip town, according to Robert Windrem of NetsDaily, who hears that the 36-year-old initially sought a two-year deal worth $10MM from Brooklyn (Twitter link). The Nets weren’t about to shell out that much, and they were also concerned about his deteriorated defensive abilities, Windrem says.
The Nets expect to finish as a top four team in the East, tweets Rod Boone of Newsday, noting that Brooklyn had the same goal last season. An improved Eastern Conference will challenge the Nets’ chances, but Brooklyn will have an opportunity to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish if its players can stay healthy.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Lionel Hollins On The Nets

August 31st, 2014 at 9:00am CST by Eddie Scarito

Lionel Hollins returns to the sidelines this season, replacing Jason Kidd as the head coach of the Nets. In an interview with reporters, Hollins addressed a number of subjects, and Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com has some of the highlights.

Hollins still hasn’t spoken with Kevin Garnett, who hasn’t committed to returning for another season yet. In regards to Garnett, Hollins said, “He’s such a heckuva competitor. He’s very focused and intense, and you like that about a player that brings it every night, and you know what you’re going to get from that player. That’s huge. Just his level of competitiveness and his willingness to do whatever it takes to win.”
When asked about Paul Pierce‘s departure via free agency, Hollins said, “Players retire, players get traded, players leave in free agency. You take what you have and you work with them.”
When discussing rookie guard Bojan Bogdonovic, Hollins said, “I think he’s got great size, he’s also got great speed and quickness. He can shoot the ball, but also put the ball on the floor. He can post up. I’m looking for players. Players that have multiple skills and are not just one-dimensional.”
Asked if he would use Brook Lopez similar to how Marc Gasol was utilized in Memphis, Hollins said, “I’m gonna utilize Brook in a way that fits Brook. Like I said, he’s a very talented kid, skilled kid, and he’ll be a very talented piece of what we’re trying to do offensively, but I want him to be a big part of what we’re trying to do defensively as well.”

Paul Pierce Signs With Wizards

July 17th, 2014 at 2:40pm CST by Cray Allred

JULY 17TH: The deal is official, the team announced.

“We are very happy to welcome Paul to our organization and add his championship experience and history of clutch play to our team,” Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld said. “He will be a good fit alongside our young, dynamic backcourt while his presence and leadership will make a difference for us both on and off the court.”

JULY 12TH: Paul Pierce has agreed to sign a two-year contract worth roughly $11MM with the Wizards, in a move first reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The second year is a player option, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter). Washington will use the full midlevel exception to sign Pierce, per a tweet from Zach Lowe of Grantland. If the star receives the maximum allowable 4.5% raise in the second year, he would be paid $5,305,000 in 2014/15 and $5,543,725 in 2015/16, for a total of $10,848,725 that comes in just below the approximate values being reported.

The Wizards are adding Pierce after losing Trevor Ariza, who signed with the Rockets after turning in a career year as Washington’s starting small forward. Pierce hops from the Nets to Washington after a single season in Brooklyn where he performed well, if not up to his career standards. The 36-year-old is a proven winner with the championship experience and demeanor the young Wizards are hoping to cultivate as they look to improve upon last year’s playoff run. Pierce’s teams haven’t missed the playoffs since the 2006/07 Celtics bottomed out before adding Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to complement “The Truth.”

League sources tell Tim Bontemps of The New York Post that the Nets passed on a chance to re-sign Pierce to avoid further luxury tax penalties (Twitter link). The Excel Sports Management client was looking for $9MM-$10MM per season as a free agent, and made over $15MM last season, so this contract appears to be a great value for Washington. The deal might look even better as the market for small forwards tightens further once Chandler Parsons‘ offer sheet with Dallas is matched or declined by the Rockets. Other teams had shown interest in acquiring Pierce, with the Clippers being the most confident in their ability to draw coach Doc Rivers‘ former player away from Brooklyn.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Rumors: Warriors, Lakers, Clippers, Pierce

July 15th, 2014 at 10:45am CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors have been closely linked to Kevin Love trade talk for several weeks, but Golden State GM Bob Myers doesn’t think his team needs a drastic upgrade, as he told Bob Fitzgerald Monday on KNBR radio. Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group has the transcription.

“What I think people often do and maybe sometimes make the mistake doing is pull the trigger quickly on your roster without giving it time to develop,” Myers said. “And we think we’ve got a lot of youth, and we do think we’ve got a higher ceiling than 51 [wins last season]. We like our roster. Obviously if you’re not good enough, you’ve got to make changes, but we think we’re good.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Perceived Lakers coaching front-runner Byron Scott has already interviewed for the job three times, but he’d likely need to go through another interview before he could be named coach, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. GM Mitch Kupchak said in an appearance Monday on NBA TV that he believes the team will make a hire in the next couple of weeks, as McMenamin notes.
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers believes the franchise’s muddied ownership situation is taking its toll during free agency, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News details. “It has hurt us some this summer,” Rivers said. “You go in to talk to a free agent and most guys, teams will bring their owner. I go in, looking like this, by myself. I don’t know what effect that has had but that’s not been great for us.”
The Clippers fell short in their pursuit of a sign-and-trade for Paul Pierce, and while previous reports indicated that the Nets had no interest, Brooklyn would have been on board if a third team were involved to absorb players from the Clippers, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Darren Collison indeed received slightly less than the $5.305MM mid-level exception from the Kings, and his salary will be $4,797,664 for the coming season, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.

Eastern Notes: Boozer, Garnett, Bradley

July 13th, 2014 at 9:24am CST by Eddie Scarito

With the reported agreement to sign Pau Gasol and the potential stateside arrival of their 2011 draft pick Nikola Mirotic, the Bulls will likely amnesty Carlos Boozer, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago has until the July 16th amnesty deadline to decide on Boozer’s fate. Johnson also notes that the team is still in talks to re-sign veteran point guard Kirk Hinrich.

Rockets Rumors: Parsons, Deng, Ariza, Pierce

July 12th, 2014 at 11:12am CST by Cray Allred

After striking out on signing Chris Bosh, the Rockets are in scramble mode, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston might have some major rebuilding to do after shipping out Jeremy Lin in a cap-clearing move, and Omer Asik is still set to depart as soon as the Pelicans create room to finalize that separate agreement. Here’s the latest on Houston’s latest turbulence, including more from Feigen’s article:

The Rockets have been in contact with free agent small forwards Luol Deng and Trevor Ariza, a sign that they are considering alternatives to matching the Mavs offer sheet signed by Chandler Parsons, writes Feigen. Houston was prepared to pay Parsons a max salary as a piece in a premier lineup featuring Bosh, but is less eager to do so now.
Paul Pierce recently showed interest in joining the Rockets, although Feigen is unsure if that interest was contingent on Houston obtaining Bosh.
The talks with Deng and Ariza were described as “advanced” by Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (on Twitter). McMahon considers the development a good sign for Dallas’ hopes of acquiring Parsons, but notes that nothing is yet certain.
However, Houston appears out of the running for Deng, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Stein says the Rockets are “still in the hunt” for Ariza.
The Rockets have joined the Heat, Cavs, and Mavs in pursuit of Chris Andersen, tweets Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report.
Earlier, we passed along news that the Rockets have reached a snag in contract negotiations with No. 25 pick Clint Capela.