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Celtics Rumors: Rondo, Wallace, Humphries

November 19th, 2013 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

Despite reports that the Knicks called the Celtics about the possibility of acquiring Rajon Rondo, GM Danny Ainge told reporters yesterday that he hadn’t spoken to any other teams about Rondo. According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Ainge wasn’t just playing semantic games; the Celtics GM clarified that he hadn’t shot down any clubs attempting to talk about Rondo either.

Whether or not you believe Ainge, his message is clear: Boston’s star point guard isn’t going anywhere. That doesn’t mean there won’t be chatter surrounding Rondo and other C’s over the next several weeks and months though, so let’s check in on the latest:

  • Here’s what one rival GM told Bulpett about the possibility of the Celtics trading Rondo: “If you don’t hear of some superstar going back to the Celtics for Rondo, don’t pay any attention to it. They don’t want to trade the guy anyway, but when people are throwing names like Iman Shumpert and Raymond Felton and Amar’e Stoudemire out there, you can be sure Rondo’s not involved…. I’m sure they’d have to listen if there was another major star involved, but it would have to be really big. This other stuff just doesn’t make any sense.”
  • Bulpett notes that the Celtics have also been linked to Omer Asik, but a source questions whether Houston would receive an offer strong enough to deal him, since he’s limited offensively and has a $15MM balloon payment coming in 2014/15.
  • While they may not be interested in moving Rondo, the Celtics are still active on the market, according to Bulpett, who names Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries as two players the team would “love to move.”
  • Ainge, on the possibility of swinging a deal: “I think that we don’t have much flexibility, as much as we would like. I wouldn’t say it’s a priority, but we are having conversations.”
  • Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com provides a primer for Celtics fans on how to deal with rumor season.
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Danny Ainge Denies Discussing Rondo Trade

November 18th, 2013 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

12:12pm: Ainge also spoke to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, expressing in even stronger terms that no teams have inquired on Rondo and that he doesn’t expect any clubs to do so.

“Rondo is coming off an injury and I think people know how much we love Rondo, so I don’t expect anybody to inquire, quite honestly,” Ainge said. “People know that Rondo is a big part of our future and that we’re not going to trade him.”

I find it hard to believe that not one team has at least kicked the tires on Rondo, but either way, he seems to be unavailable. In Ainge’s words: “He’s going nowhere.”

11:57am: In what has become an annual ritual, Celtics GM Danny Ainge denied having trade talks about Rajon Rondo, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Previous reports have suggested that the Knicks inquired on the injured point guard, but Ainge wouldn’t confirm having talked to New York.

“I haven’t talked to any teams about Rajon Rondo,” said the Celtics GM, adding that Rondo remains very much a part of the club’s plans going forward.

I’m inclined to believe that the Knicks at least asked about Rondo, though based on the rumored package they suggested, it makes sense that the conversation wouldn’t have lasted long. So perhaps when Ainge says he hasn’t spoken to any teams about his point guard, he means he hasn’t actually entered any negotiations beyond that initial inquiry.

Rondo has been subject to trade rumors in the past, despite Ainge’s repeated public insistence that Boston isn’t looking to trade the last key member of the club’s championship core. According to Bulpett, the recent reports prompted several other teams to call Ainge and inquire about Rondo’s availability, which the C’s GM referred to as “frustrating.” I expect Ainge will be frustrated a few more times before February’s trade deadline, since the interest in Rondo should only increase as he gets healthier.

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Knicks Rumors: Shumpert, Thompson, Faried

November 18th, 2013 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

Since word broke last week that the Nuggets and Knicks discussed a potential deal centered around Kenneth Faried and Iman Shumpert, several subsequent reports have added more details related to Shumpert’s availability. There’s reportedly leaguewide interest in Shumpert, who appears more and more likely to be moved at some point, since he represents the Knicks’ best trade asset.

Yesterday, we learned that the Knicks made a run at Rajon Rondo, but were rebuffed by the Celtics, who would be open to taking on Amar’e Stoudemire‘s contract if it meant moving Gerald Wallace and Courtney Lee. Meanwhile, reports also indicated Shumpert underwent a previously unreported surgical procedure, which could have negatively affected his trade value.

After an eventful weekend of rumors and rumblings surrounding Shumpert and the Knicks, let’s round up a few Monday morning leftovers….

  • Frank Isola of the New York Daily News noted in yesterday’s piece that reports have linked the Knicks to the Kings, adding that Jason Thompson is represented by the same agency as many Knicks players. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks have indeed inquired with the Kings on Thompson.
  • The Knicks’ proposal to the Celtics for Rondo would have included both Shumpert and Stoudemire, reports Ian Begley of ESPN New York. However, such a deal probably wouldn’t work for either side — Boston isn’t eager to move Rondo, while New York would prefer not to take back contracts like Wallace’s and Lee’s, since that would affect the Knicks’ ability to create significant cap room in the summer of 2015.
  • According to Begley, the Knicks believed they had a trade completed with the Nuggets for Faried last Tuesday morning, but the deal fell through when Denver requested at least one draft pick from New York.
  • Isola’s latest column for the Daily News focuses on Mike Woodson, whose “hands are tied” when it comes to some basketball decisions, according to one Knicks player. Minutes restrictions for Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin are being dictated by James Dolan and Knicks medical director Lisa Callahan rather than Woodson, says Isola, who adds that the coach isn’t in “imminent danger” of losing his job.
  • While the Knicks are highly motivated to make a trade in the short term, most NBA teams aren’t interested in dealing until at least December 15th, when offseason signees become trade-eligible, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
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Knicks Notes: Shumpert, Rondo, Celtics, Asik

November 17th, 2013 at 8:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported that Knicks guard Iman Shumpert received a second offseason knee surgery that was kept under wraps from fans and others in basketball.  The Knicks have chatted with the Nuggets about a possible deal involving Kenneth Faried and, as Isola reported, called the Celtics about Rajon Rondo, but today’s developments don’t bode well for his trade value.  Here’s more on Shump and the Knicks..

  • Right now, the Celtics have every intention of keeping Rondo and seeing if they can build around him, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  That’s not surprising to hear as that has been the C’s public position ever since the club traded away Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
  • If the Knicks want to try their luck with the Rockets and center Omer Asik, they might not get far.  The club’s lack of draft picks (they can’t trade a first rounder or an unencumbered second-round pick before 2018) will be too much of an obstacle in a potential deal, tweets Chris Mannix of NBC Sports.  “When dealing with Boston and Houston, it’s all about picks,” a rival exec told Mannix.
  • While the C’s aren’t moving Rondo, they would take back Amar’e Stoudemire in a deal where they could unload the longer deals of Gerald Wallace and/or Courtney Lee, tweets Broussard.
  • Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link) hears that Shumpert’s surgery went down in mid-to-late August and was so minor that the guard didn’t even need to use crutches.
  • The timing of Shumpert’s left knee surgery annoyed some people in the Knicks organization, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Adam Zagoria of SNY (Twitter link) notes that the offseason surgeries of Shumpert and Stoudemire were kept quiet by the Knicks and first reported by Isola, with whom the club is famously hostile.
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Knicks Tried To Trade For Rajon Rondo

November 17th, 2013 at 5:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Knicks guard Iman Shumpert has been in trade rumors for the last few weeks and it doesn’t sound like they’ll be slowing down anytime soon.  New York has desperately been trying to package Shumpert in a number of deals, including one pitch to the Celtics for star guard Rajon Rondo, writes Frank Isola of the Daily News.  Unsurprisingly, the Knicks were rebuffed by Danny Ainge.

Isola also reports that Shumpert had a second knee surgery over the summer that was previously kept under the rug.  It’s unclear if that development has had any impact on the 23-year-old’s trade value.

As for the Rondo offer, the Celtics are highly unlikely to part with one of the top point guards in the league and even less likely to move him to a divisional rival.  The Knicks also pitched the Nuggets on a swap involving Kenneth Faried and got turned down, but the Kings are also said to have interest.   Isola notes that Kings forward Jason Thompson is represented by Leon Rose, the agent for Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, and Chris Smith.

Over two seasons-and-change in New York, Shumpert owns career averages of 8.3 PPG with 3.3 RPG in 26.3 minutes per contest.

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Odds & Ends: Jennings, Rondo, Shumpert

November 15th, 2013 at 11:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings admits basketball wasn’t his primary focus during the first four years of his career, but the free agent process this summer jolted him out of complacency, as he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

“I just wanted a new start,” Jennings said. “Seeing a bunch of my teammates leave, Monta (Ellis), J.J. (Redick), Mike Dunleavy, everybody, the coaching staff I’d been around for four years, everything was different. I felt like they were going in a different direction and I felt like I had do the same.”

Jennings considered signing his one-year qualifying offer from the Bucks to get to unrestricted free agency in 2014, but Milwaukee’s hiring of an unfamiliar coach in Larry Drew dissuaded him from that idea, Jennings says. Still, at least one beat writer doesn’t see him as Detroit’s point guard of the future, as we detail in our league-wide roundup:

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Eastern Rumors: Shumpert, Rondo, Heat, Pacers

November 9th, 2013 at 3:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Six Eastern Conference teams have 2-3 records, and all of them had playoff aspirations coming into the season. The Bulls, Nets and Knicks had even loftier expectations, but they’re among the clubs that find themselves below .500 five games into the season. It might not seem like it’s time for a drastic move yet, but tell that to Mike Brown, whom the Lakers fired five games into last season. Our look across the East has the latest on a team that could make a change soon:

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Odds & Ends: Hayward, Jazz, Nash

November 3rd, 2013 at 10:12pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While the Jazz and Gordon Hayward fell short of agreeing on a contract extension last week, both Hayward and the franchise are still interested in getting something done eventually. Hayward told Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: “(Not reaching an agreement) in no way changes the way I feel about Utah at all…I love being here. I love playing for them…Hopefully (an extension) will get worked out next summer.”

Utah GM Dennis Lindsey had this to say about Hayward’s agent Mark Bartelstein and future negotiations: “Mark’s been one of the best agents in the business because he negotiates hard. He was fair. He played by the rules. He’ll continue to play by the rules. We’ll be fair as well, and we’ll come back and start talking in July…Just because (Hayward) said no to our last offer, his character hasn’t changed. He is an outstanding person…He’s someone we can see being in a Utah Jazz jersey until he retires. That’s our hope. We think we’re great fits.”

We have a handful of miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight, and you can read them below:

  • ESPN LA’s Arash Markazi weighed in on some of the rumblings which suggest that Steve Nash could eventually wind up in Toronto, saying that a deal between the Raptors and Lakers makes sense but isn’t sure if something gets done. Markazi opines that L.A. would like to clear Nash’s salary off their books while the Raptors would enjoy increased ticket sales by bringing the Canadian legend back to his home country (All Twitter links).
  • Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld tweeted a list of players who may be traded this season, including: Omer Asik, Jameer Nelson, Arron Afflalo, Glen Davis, Evan Turner, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Bass, and Gerald Wallace.
  • Kennedy also shared what 76ers rookie Michael Carter-Williams told him about his chances on winning the Rookie of the Year Award: “I think I have a pretty good chance at it. I’m just going to go out there, play my game and hope for the best” (Twitter link).
  • Entering tonight’s game with a record of 1-2 before their win against the Wizards, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade acknowledged that some minor chemistry issues are affecting the team (Michael Wallace of ESPN.com). More specifically, Wade had this to say: “Let me give you an example…If you’re in a relationship with a woman for a long time, you start getting comfortable. You stop doing the little things that you should do, that you did in the beginning. It’s just like a relationship. We got a little comfortable. Now we have to get back on that edge a little bit.”
  • Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes that Knicks forwards Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin will have their own individualized schedules as far as playing or sitting out games, a decision meant to preserve the health of both in the long run.
  • Mavericks point man Jose Calderon appears to be regaining his groove after a sluggish start to the season, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram.
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Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Celtics, Anderson

October 24th, 2013 at 10:27pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Zach Braziller of the New York Post, Knicks coach Mike Woodson plans to meet with GM Steve Mills and team brass either tonight or tomorrow to determine the five cuts he has to make before Monday’s deadline. In another piece, Braziller writes about how Carmelo Anthony took it upon himself to have a heart-to-heart talk with J.R. Smith about the importance of staying focused and keeping out of trouble moving forward.

You can find more of tonight’s links out of the Atlantic Division below:

  • Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston notes that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is “very proud” of Rajon Rondo‘s progress in rehab: “I think he’s working as hard as he can. I’ve been very proud of him of how he really wants to get out there and I think he wants to get out there, not for his own benefit, but he wants to really help the team. He sees how he’s missed and he just loves to play. He wants to get back for all the right reasons.”
  • Ainge also elaborated on why he wants to keep the team under the luxury tax: “Right now we’re barely under the luxury tax, so we really have no choice…If there are deals made later in the year, that would open up roster spots and open up to keep us under the tax. But we will stay under the tax this year. We have to. As we’re rebuilding, not just from a standpoint of the financial budget, but as a competitive advantage.”   
  • Yesterday, we heard that James Anderson was one player who had “all but wrapped up” a spot on the 76ers’ roster. Today, Tom Moore of The Intelligencer discusses how Anderson secured a spot in Philadelphia after establishing himself as a starter and the team’s top perimeter threat.
  • Former NBA executive and current NBA analyst Steve Kerr explains why he thinks the Knicks are the fifth-best team in the East (Justin Terranova of the New York Post).
  • Clippers coach Doc Rivers took time to defend current Nets Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the criticism hurled at them by LeBron James last week, who insinuated that they had abandoned Boston: “Paul and Kevin were traded…They were traded. Paul was traded whether he wanted to be or not. Kevin was the only one who had to agree to be traded even though he had already been traded. He had to agree to the trade. That’s completely different…You could make more of a case for me leaving than Paul and Kevin” (Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News [hat tip to ESPN Radio in Miami]).
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Celtics Links: Rondo, Roster, Bradley

October 24th, 2013 at 5:43pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Danny Ainge tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that Rajon Rondo is “absolutely” the centerpiece to the Celtics’ rebuilding project. Also, just as we had heard yesterday, Ainge confirmed that the team plans to keep the roster to 14 guaranteed contracts in order to stay under the luxury tax (Twitter links). Here are a few more noteworthy links to share out of Boston tonight:

  • When asked about the approaching deadline regarding a potential contract extension for Avery Bradley, Ainge told Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston that he’s currently in negotiations with the 6’2 guard, which suggests that a new deal could still be reached before October 31st (Twitter links). Forsberg notes that this is a considerable change in stance compared to earlier this summer, when Ainge said he planned to curb contract talks until Bradley hit restricted free agency during the 2014 offseason.
  • A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via Twitter) notes that Ainge admitted to being in contract talks with Bradley’s camp but chose not to elaborate on where those discussions currently stand.
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