Richard Jefferson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Unlikely To Make Move Before Deadline

January 31st, 2013 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors will be adding one potential impact player to their rotation for the season's second half, but he'll be returning from an injury rather than arriving via trade. According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, while Golden State is welcoming Andrew Bogut back to the lineup, it's highly unlikely that the team acquires another player via trade. One team source told Thompson that the odds of a Warriors move are "remote."

The Warriors wouldn't mind adding a big man, and Thompson mentions names like Timofey Mozgov and DeJuan Blair as potential fits. The club could also use a backup shooting guard or an athletic wing. However, acquiring anyone that fits that bill would likely require Golden State to give up a player it likes, in which case the team would prefer to stand pat.

The Warriors are also slightly above the luxury-tax threshold, so if anything compelled the team to make a move, it might be a desire to get out of tax territory. Still, Thompson believes the Warriors would have to shed a big contract like Richard Jefferson's or Andris Biedrins' to get below the tax line, which is extremely unlikely.

Even without Bogut for most of the season, the Warriors are exceeding expectations, having recorded a 28-17 record so far, good for fifth in the Western Conference.

Berger On Gay, Pierce, Stoudemire

January 11th, 2013 at 5:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

Earlier today, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported that 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov, who previously attempted to buy the Golden State Warriors, is interested in buying the Kings from the Maloof brothers and keeping the team in Sacramento. For a full recap of Berger's information and other reports that have emerged today regarding a potential Kings sale, keep an eye on HoopsRumors.com's roundup.

Berger wrote another column today that features updates on several high-profile players who may be on the move at the trading deadline. Here are the highlights:

Berger gives an update of the rumors surrounding the Grizzlies' efforts to move Rudy Gay. The Warriors, Suns, Raptors, and Kings have shown the most interest in trading for the seven-year veteran, whom Berger writes the Grizzlies are looking to move primarily to avoid paying luxury tax.
Berger writes that the Suns' offer would be centered around Jared Dudley, draft picks, and the ability to absorb the majority of Gay's contract. The Raptors could offer Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon, although the Grizzlies are looking to get at least one good young player in return.
A potential deal with the Warriors is unlikely, writes Berger, because it would likely involve Memphis taking back either Andris Biedrins or Richard Jefferson, neither of whom the Grizzlies have any interest in.
Berger writes that the Knicks are open to trading Amare Stoudemire for cap relief, although he does not believe it likely that a team would be willing to trade for him given his health and contract.
Berger is more optimistic that the Celtics would be able to move Paul Pierce if they were so inclined, because his contract is only partially guaranteed for next season and he is still performing at a high level.

Rudy Gay Rumors: Tuesday

January 8th, 2013 at 9:19pm CST by Luke Adams

9:19pm: The Cavaliers would appear to be an ideal trading partner considering the amount of cap space, draft picks, and young talent they have, but the Grizzlies have not had any discussions with them about Gay nor would they likely be interested in what Cleveland would be willing to concede (Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reports).

6:25pm: Matt Moore of CBS Sports writes that the Grizzlies are said to only be interested in a salary dump and view draft picks as the only value return.

4:37pm: The Kings and Celtics are other teams that have had conversations with the Grizzlies about Gay, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Kennedy also points out that the Rockets and Raptors have shown interest in Gay in the past, and are candidates to re-enter the mix.

12:37pm: The Warriors also engaged in preliminary discussions with the Grizzlies about Gay, but talks didn't go anywhere, reports Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. The Warriors like Gay, but the Grizzlies aren't interested in taking on any of Golden State's bad contracts (ie. Richard Jefferson), and the Warriors likely don't have the combination of young players and draft picks that Memphis is seeking, according to Thompson.

Zach Lowe of Grantland reported last week that the Warriors had "long coveted" Gay, but said they didn't seem to be a good match as a trade partner for the Grizzlies.

Warriors Notes: Curry, Cap, Jefferson, Biedrins

November 1st, 2012 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

It was a big day for the Warriors on Wednesday, as the team locked up point guard Stephen Curry to a four-year, $44MM extension, then went out and beat the Suns in a nailbiter in Phoenix, despite a rough outing from Curry. As the Warriors prepare for tomorrow's home opener against the Grizzlies, let's round up a few notes on the team, courtesy of Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News (all links go to Twitter):

Curry's $44MM deal is fully guaranteed and doesn't contain any injury clauses, according to Kawakami. It'll start at just over $10MM next season.
Kawakami estimates that Curry's extension means Golden State will have about $73.6MM committed to nine players for 2013/14. I'm not sure the team salary heading into the summer will be quite that high — by my count, the Warriors' nine players will cost between $65MM and $66MM, though Kawakami's figure would be within reach if Carl Landry and Brandon Rush each exercised their $4MM player options. Either way, the luxury tax looks like a real possibility.
Despite the Warriors' significant 2013/14 salary commitments, Kawakami doesn't expect big contracts like Richard Jefferson's and Andris Biedrins' to be moved. As he points out, it's hard to move that sort of salary without either taking on longer-term money or giving up draft picks.

Western Notes: Roy, Conroy, Jefferson, Bogut

October 10th, 2012 at 7:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

Brandon Roy's knee appears to be holding up so far for the Timberwolves, an early sign that his $10.4MM contract might prove a shrewd gamble by GM David Kahn. We've heard about the influence Roy's friend and current teammate Will Conroy had on channeling him to the Wolves, but that's not the only push Conroy gave him.

Roy wasn't sure about coming back at all until Conroy sold him on the idea, Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes. "He was one of the main influences for me to take it serious," Roy said about Conroy. "I was kind of playing around at first, but he was the one who told me, 'You're not done.' He was real big for my confidence."
In the same piece, Conroy insists to Richardson that Roy's presence isn't the reason why he was invited to Wolves camp. "I'm here because they thought I could help the team," said Conroy, who was also in camp with the Wolves last year. "Kahn and (coach Rick) Adelman know what I can do."
Richard Jefferson said he experienced "culture shock" after his trade from the Spurs to the Warriors last season, according to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. Jefferson says the laid-back atmosphere that disturbed him last year has changed with the additions of Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry, the return of Andrew Bogut from injury, and a stricter attitude from coach Mark Jackson.
As for Bogut, the big man expects he'll be ready for game action when the regular season opens, but Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com says there's a legitimate chance he could need more time.
Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune shares initial observations from some of the Hornets about top-pick Anthony Davis, two preseason games into his NBA career.
Though to a smaller degree than Davis, 25th overall pick Tony Wroten is also making his presence felt for the Grizzlies, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal examines.

Warriors Rumors: Trades, Draft, Thompson, Curry

June 27th, 2012 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we heard from ESPN.com's Chris Broussard that the Nuggets and Warriors had discussed the possibility of a trade that would send the No. 7 pick to Denver and Wilson Chandler to Golden State. Broussard is back with more Warriors info this afternoon, tweeting that the team is eyeing other small forwards besides Chandler, including Rudy Gay, Andre Iguodala, and Marvin Williams. No deals are imminent, according to Broussard, but the Warriors are a good bet to be active either today or tomorrow. Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group has a few more Warriors items, so let's check those out:

Warriors Rumors: Drummond, Deng, Waiters, Ross

June 21st, 2012 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Reports continue to suggest that the Trail Blazers are enamored by Damian Lillard, enough to draft him sixth overall. Such a move would mean that one of the players initially viewed as a consensus top-six pick, Andre Drummond, could be available when the Warriors picked seventh overall. According to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, there could be a very interesting debate among Warriors execs if Drummond was on the board at No. 7. For what it's worth, our mock draft earlier this week had Lillard to Portland at six and Drummond slipping to the Raptors at eight.

Let's round up a few more Warriors-related rumors from Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group….

Odds & Ends: Odom, Aldridge, Jefferson, Celtics

March 18th, 2012 at 6:51pm CST by Michael Pina

In his first game since becoming a member of the Warriors, Richard Jefferson had a tough go, making just two of 14 shots and scoring nine points in just under 38 minutes of play. On Thursday, the Spurs dealt Jefferson for veteran swingman Stephen Jackson. Due to the approximate $30 million due his way over the next three years (including an $11 million player option in 2013-14 which he's likely to exercise), the Warriors were questioned for making the deal.

Here are a few other notes from around the league.

John Denton tweets that Otis Smith is content with the Magic roster and can't see adding any of the recently bought out vets like Derek Fisher and Ronny Turiaf. CBS Sports' Matt Moore explores potential landing spots for Fisher.
The Blazers have announced a Monday press conference for Jonny Flynn and Hasheem Thabeet, suggesting they passed their physicals (via Mike Tokito tweet).
Yesterday, Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears wrote a detailed feature on Lamar Odom's struggles in Dallas. Inside the piece, Spears notes that Odom formally requested a buyout in February, but was rejected by owner Mark Cuban and general manager Donnie Nelson.
Upon hearing that Ronny Turiaf has officially been bought out by the Nuggets, WEEI.com's Paul Flannery takes a look into whether the Celtics might be interested in bringing the 6'10" Frenchman aboard. Boston made no moves at the trade deadline but with the future of Jermaine O'Neal still in serious doubt, they're still in need of a big man or two.
Since taking over for the Trail Blazers former head coach Nate McMillan, Kaleb Canales has decided to utilize LaMarcus Aldridge more from the elbow. According to CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes, the move was made before Friday night's win against Chicago, and Portland's best player has said he's enjoying the change.

Hollinger On Deadline Deals

March 15th, 2012 at 8:35pm CST by Sean Highkin

ESPN.com's John Hollinger has posted grades for every trade that took place today. The post is only available to ESPN Insider subscribers, but here are the highlights:

The Nuggets were smart to shed Nene's contract, even if trading for JaVale McGee is a risk.
However, Hollinger views the Wizards' acquisition of Nene is an overreaction to McGee's contract demands.
For the Clippers, Hollinger doesn't believe Nick Young is a perfect solution, but that he's worth the risk since they didn't have to give up any significant assets.
Hollinger praises the Blazers' rebuilding effort in the Gerald Wallace trade, although he has reservations about the players they got back from Houston for Marcus Camby.
He doesn't think the Nets made a smart move giving up a lottery pick for short-term help when they risk losing Deron Williams at the end of the season.
Hollinger likes the Rockets' acquisition of Camby as a short-term pick-up to help them make a playoff run.
The Warriors' acquisition of Richard Jefferson is counterproductive to their efforts to tank for a draft pick, Hollinger writes. However, he praises the Spurs for shedding Jefferson's contract for Stephen Jackson's shorter one.
Hollinger questions the Cavaliers for taking on Luke Walton's expensive contract while giving up Ramon Sessions, but loves the deal for the Lakers, as Sessions is a massive upgrade at point guard over Derek Fisher and Steve Blake.
Hollinger likes the Sam Young acquisition for the 76ers, and while he doesn't believe losing him will shift the Grizzlies' playoff hopes one way or another, he questions whether it was necessary to shed him simply for cap reasons.
He sees the Leandro Barbosa trade as a low-risk deal for both the Raptors and Pacers, giving Indiana immediate help at shooting guard while freeing up room for other players to get more minutes in Toronto.

Recap Of Trade Deadline Deals

March 15th, 2012 at 5:33pm CST by Sean Highkin

Here's the complete list of trades that took place this week leading up to the trade deadline earlier today:

On Tuesday, the Warriors sent Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
The Warriors then flipped Jackson to the Spurs for Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford, and a first-round pick on Thursday.
The Grizzlies traded Sam Young to the 76ers for the rights to former second-round pick Ricky Sanchez.
The Pacers acquired Leandro Barbosa from the Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
The Blazers entered rebuild mode by trading Gerald Wallace to the Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a 2012 first-round draft pick with top-3 protection.
Portland also sent Marcus Camby to the Rockets for Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, and a second-round pick.
The Rockets acquired Derek Fisher from the Lakers as well as the Mavericks' 2012 first-round pick (from the Lamar Odom trade) for Jordan Hill.
The Lakers also traded for Ramon Sessions, sending Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a 2012 first-round pick to the Cavaliers and also receiving Christian Eyenga. The Cavs will also have the ability to swap the Heat's 2013 pick (which they own from the LeBron James sign-and-trade) with the Lakers' pick that year.
The Nuggets, Wizards, and Clippers agreed to a three-team deal that will send Nene, Brian Cook, and a future second-round draft pick to Washington; Nick Young to the Clippers; and JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver.