Paul Pierce Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Links: Bynum, Knicks, Celtics

March 9th, 2013 at 9:00pm CST by Ryan Raroque

After paying a hefty price of Andre Iguodala, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless and a first round pick to bring Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia, the 76ers have had little to reap from that investment this season. Ben Bolch of the LA Times wonders if it will be worth the risk offering the one-time All-Star a new deal this summer, something that GM Tony DiLeo called the team's "Plan A" for the upcoming offseason. Here's the rest of what we've heard out of the Atlantic Division tonight:

Howard Beck of the New York Times clarifies that Amar'e's contract is uninsured in the event of a career ending eye or knee injury (Twitter link).
Amare Stoudemire's injury could open up some playing time for sparingly-used Chris Copeland, writes Mark Herrmann of Newsday. Meanwhile, ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling talks about the fallout of not having Stoudemire and how the Knicks will have to adjust for the rest of the season.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com highlights the potency of the Celtics bench, who he says has had an impact on nearly every aspect of the game. In another article, Jackie MacMullan of ESPN Boston delves heavily into the complete team player that Paul Pierce has been and how he has carried the Celtics on his back this season.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer profiles Raptors' rookie Jonas Valanciunas, who despite his inexperience has earned a significant role with coach Dwane Casey because of his high activity level and toughness.

Celtics Nearly Traded Pierce In Deal For Josh Smith

March 8th, 2013 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Celtics stood relatively pat at last month's trade deadline, the team very nearly agreed to a blockbuster deal that would have sent Paul Pierce to Dallas, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski reports that the Celtics, Mavericks, and Hawks discussed a three-way trade that would have seen Boston acquire Josh Smith. However, the Hawks wanted a first-round pick in the deal, which the C's were unwilling to include.

According to Wojnarowski, the package that would have gone to the Hawks from the Mavericks featured Dahntay Jones, Jae Crowder, and Brandan Wright, along with the ability to swap picks in the 2013 draft. Based on Wojnarowski's report, it appears Atlanta was on board with the pieces coming from Dallas, but required one more sweetener from Boston, and the C's didn't relent.

The failed deal makes sense from Atlanta's perspective, since the club was looking to acquire some combination of young talent, expiring contracts, and draft picks in exchange for Smith. From the Celtics' perspective, Danny Ainge presumably felt that Smith was a player in his prime that the team could attempt to re-sign and keep for the long-term, though the GM wasn't willing to pay an exorbitant price to land him.

As for the Mavericks, they would have received another All-Star caliber veteran to pair with Dirk Nowitzki, but both players are in their mid-30s, and keeping Pierce next season would have eaten up the majority of the club's 2013/14 cap space. I feel like there must be a detail missing from the package that would have gone to Atlanta, since the Jones/Crowder/Wright trio earns significantly less than Pierce this season, meaning more salary would have to be included to make the deal work under CBA rules. Perhaps Shawn Marion, who has a $9.07MM player option for '13/14, was also in the proposal, which would have allowed Dallas to retain some financial flexibility in the summer. That's just my speculation though. Including Chris Kaman's expiring contract would also have worked for salary-matching purposes.

After being unable to finalize this deal, all three involved teams made smaller moves. The Celtics acquired Jordan Crawford from the Wizards, the Hawks acquired Jeremy Tyler from the Warriors, and the Mavericks and Hawks swapped Jones and Anthony Morrow.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nets, Collins, Rasheed

February 28th, 2013 at 10:16pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made his weekly appearance on WEEI radio in Boston to talk about what transpired during the trade deadline as well as his thoughts on the team moving forward. Greg Payne of ESPN Boston has the highlights, including Ainge's thoughts on why Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce weren't dealt, the CBA having a significant impact on the trade deadline, the long-standing interest in Jordan Crawford, and whether or not he would have been able to convince Garnett to waive his no-trade clause. Here's more out of the Atlantic Division tonight:

Guard/forward Terrence Williams received a vote of confidence from his former coach at Louisville Rick Pitino, who tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that Williams may have possibly found the perfect situation in joining the Celtics.
Roderick Boone of Newsday notes that Deron Williams and Joe Johnson are still trying to figure out how to mesh with one another in the Nets backcourt. Seth Walder of the New York Daily News believes that Williams' recent emergence with strong performances will be key in carrying the team for the remainder of the season, especially with Johnson recovering from injury.
With the team's recent struggles, Matt Moore of CBS Sports wonders if Doug Collins' days as the 76ers head coach are numbered. Tom Haberstroh of ESPN (Insiders only) discusses why Philadelphia has been disappointing this season, pointing to the team's shot selection, lack of playing time for Arnett Moultrie, and the offseason departure of two key veterans.
Marc Berman of the New York Post writes that Rasheed Wallace's decision to have surgery on his left foot instead of letting it heal on its own indicates that the 6'11 veteran plans on making a possible return during the postseason for the Knicks.

Celtics Discussed Several “Significant” Shakeups

February 26th, 2013 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics didn't end up participating in many trades at last week's deadline, completing one minor move, sending Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins to Washington in exchange for Jordan Crawford. Despite the team's apparent inactivity though, owner Wyc Grousbeck told WEEI today that the team was very active in trade discussions leading up to the deadline (link via Gary Dzen of the Boston Globe).

According to Grousbeck, the Celtics discussed several deals that would have been "significant" shakeups for the club, including one four-way trade that ultimately fell through because two other teams backed out.

"Most of the other guys in this league are not as confident as we are in making trades," Grousbeck said. "We are aggressive in exploring things through. I'm not saying we're always right. But we are more likely to make a trade and stick to it than anybody else in the league. The rest of them are afraid to do anything. They'll say they'll do it and then they won't…. It takes two teams to trade, and it's very incorrect to accuse us of not looking for things."

Had one of those "significant shakeups" occurred, it likely would have involved Kevin Garnett and/or Paul Pierce heading to another team. According to Grousbeck, those two veterans were the players that drew the most interest in trade discussions. Earlier today, we heard from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that a deal sending Garnett to Los Angeles for Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan was "closer to happening than people think." KG would have had to waive his no-trade clause to approve any move.

Josh Smith Rumors: Thursday

February 21st, 2013 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

We're counting down the hours until today's 2:00pm CST trade deadline, and Josh Smith still appears likely to be on the move sometime before then. In yesterday's round-up of Smith rumors, we passed along word from HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy that "source after source" indicates Smith will be dealt today. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports the same thing, writing that the Hawks are expected to trade their veteran forward for the best deal that won't hurt their long-term financial flexibility. We'll track today's Smith rumors right here, with the latest added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The Nets are still "hanging by a thread" in the Smith talks, tweets TNT's David Aldridge. Milwaukee still appears to be the leader, Aldridge confirms.
The Suns are essentially out of the running for Smith, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who adds that the Bucks are viewed as the favorites (Twitter link).
The Bucks and Hawks are still "seriously engaged" in talks for Smith, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Rockets appear to be out of the mix for Smith, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

Earlier updates:

Trade Rumors: Knicks, Lakers, Pierce, Pistons

February 21st, 2013 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

With so many trade rumors swirling around in the hours leading up to the deadline, we're scrambling to keep tabs on them all. Here's the latest:

The Knicks won't make a major move, but they're exploring make a trade to clear a roster spot for an eventual free agent pickup, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times is fairly confident the Lakers won't make a move today (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

Although the Celtics continue to discuss Paul Pierce, they're seeking a big package of expiring contracts and draft picks, which is unlikely, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. The Nets are "on the outside looking in" when it comes to Pierce, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
TNT's David Aldridge was told unequivocally that the Rockets won't flip Thomas Robinson in a second trade. Houston "loves" Robinson, according to Aldridge (Twitter link).
"Nothing at all" is happening on the trade front for the Pistons, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, though he notes there's still some time for that to change (Twitter links).
The Warriors and Suns are on Eric Gordon's list of desired destinations, tweets Amick. While there's a chance Gordon is moved today, a deal down the road, perhaps this summer, is more likely — Gordon isn't even eligible to be traded to Phoenix until July.
Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News is hearing that the consensus is the Spurs' asking price for DeJuan Blair remains too high.

Celtics Rumors: Pierce, Barbosa, Ainge

February 21st, 2013 at 1:56am CST by Chuck Myron

With the names of Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce all invoked in recent trade chatter, the Celtics could be the most interesting team to keep an eye on Thursday. Following the team's late-night loss to the Lakers, here's the latest on the C's.

A league source told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com on Wednesday that the Celtics have sought at least an All-Star caliber talent in return for Pierce, or a rotation player and a future first-round pick.
Blakely mentioned earlier this week that the Celtics could waive injured Leandro Barbosa if they need extra roster space at some point this season. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe believes the reason they haven't let him go yet is so they can use him as trade ballast, as they did with Marquis Daniels in 2011 (Twitter link).
No player in his tenure as Celtics president of basketball operations has been entirely untouchable, Danny Ainge tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.

Celtics, Nets Have Discussed Paul Pierce

February 20th, 2013 at 5:31pm CST by Zachary Links

5:31pm: A source with ties to the Nets indicates to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld the team is unlikely to acquire Pierce.

4:25pm: The Celtics and Nets have discussed a trade for Celtics star Paul Pierce, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. However, the Celtics want a better package than what Brooklyn is currently offering, according to the sources.

The Nets' offer centered on forward Kris Humphries, guard MarShon Brooks and a first-round draft pick. "The Celtics still highly value Pierce and it wouldn't make sense to trade him for that kind of a package if they're keeping Kevin Garnett," one league source said.

Boston has shown interest in forward Mirza Teletovic and securing another possible first-round pick, but the Nets don't seem willing to pay that kind of price for the 35-year-old guard. Boston had interest in guard C.J. Watson in a separate deal, but GM Billy King & Co. don't want to part with him, sources said.

The Nets and Celtics discussed a deal for Pierce at last year's deadline, but the C's decided to keep him for another playoff run. The veteran is averaging 18 PPG for the Celtics this season while shooting just 41% from the floor, his worst percentage in the past eight seasons.

“Lukewarm” Interest In Paul Pierce

February 20th, 2013 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Celtics having assured Rajon Rondo that he won't be moved and ending talks with the Clippers involving Kevin Garnett for now, the C's are down to one major trade chip, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com: Paul Pierce. And according to Blakely, interest in Pierce has been "lukewarm" so far.

The supposed lukewarm interest in Pierce doesn't necessarily mean the Celtics won't find a deal they like, involving the longtime Celtic or another player. But general manager Danny Ainge has been downplaying the idea that Boston will make a big move in the next 24 hours, suggesting that a smaller move to bolster the current roster is the more likely path.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier today that the Celtics were shopping Fab Melo in trade talks, and players like Courtney Lee, Brandon Bass, and Jason Terry have also been mentioned as smaller-scale trade candidates. In the meantime, the Celtics finalized a 10-day contract with Terrence Williams to add another healthy body to the roster.

Atlantic Links: Bynum, Celtics, Knicks

February 19th, 2013 at 7:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

76ers center Andrew Bynum still hasn't set an exact return date for his practice debut, telling reporters that he expects to be able to join the team in "a week, could be two" (reports Jason Wolf of USA Today). The young center provides a distinction between returning to practice and going up against "live defenders," the latter of which he doesn't think he'll be ready for until a couple of weeks from now. Slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July, Bynum remains confident he can still return to NBA action at some point this season. Here's more out of the Atlantic Division tonight:

Baxter Holmes of Boston.com looked further into Danny Ainge's uncertainty about the Celtics getting a trade done within the coming days. Ainge admitted that he's been involved in a lot of conversations due to their misfortune with injuries, also mentioning that he's had to field a lot of "waste-of-time calls from the media and other teams."
Paul Pierce thinks that the Celtics need to add help – whether through trades or free agency – for practice and preservation's sake (CSNNE.com report). Coach Doc Rivers thinks the team needs two guards (at least one for practice), but also made it clear that they won't go after somebody they don't want.
Knicks big men Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby had limited participation in today's practice, although head coach Mike Woodson says that they still have a lot to show him before he can consider putting them back into games (Barbara Barker of Newsday reports).