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Western Rumors: Turiaf, Clippers, Gasol, Lopez

December 16th, 2014 at 11:48am CST by Chuck Myron

Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders told reporters today that it’s likely he’ll try to find a way to use Ronny Turiaf‘s roster spot to help the team in the short term, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Turiaf had surgery today on his right hip, and it’s unclear when he’ll be able to return. His contract, which calls for him to make a guaranteed $1.5MM this year, is up at season’s end, as Zgoda notes. Minnesota is already carrying 16 players through a hardship exception granted in part because of Turiaf’s injury, so his extended absence wouldn’t give the team any more ammunition to apply for a 17th roster spot, which it would be unlikely to receive, anyway. There’s more injury-related news amid the latest rumblings from around the Western Conference:

  • Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers acknowledged a report that the team is interested in Jermaine O’Neal, telling gathered media, including Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, that he’s casting a wide net (Twitter link). “Hey, count me in for everybody,” Rivers said. “… We’re looking at everything.”
  • Jordan Farmar isn’t enamored with his limited role under Rivers, who’s giving him just 15.0 minutes per night, observes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Farmar’s deal with the Clippers includes a player option worth more than $2.17MM for next season.
  • Marc Gasol isn’t tiring of hearing his name in rumors as he nears free agency in the summer ahead, but he once more made it clear that he’s quite pleased to be in Memphis, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). The Raptors are the latest team reportedly gearing up for a run at the Grizzlies big man.
  • Robin Lopez is expected to miss the next four weeks after suffering a broken right hand in Monday’s win for the Blazers against the Spurs, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Blazers have 15 fully guaranteed contracts, so they have little flexibility to find a replacement.
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Northwest Notes: Lopez, Exum, Shaw

November 26th, 2014 at 4:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

If it weren’t for the 11-3 Blazers, who’ve won eight in a row, the Northwest Division would resemble one of the groupings from the Eastern Conference. Portland is the only Northwest team above .500, thanks in part to the offseason acquisition of backup center Chris Kaman, who’s averaging 10.9 points in 19.1 minutes to boost a bench that was a clear weakness last season. There’s more on another Blazers center who’s made a difference amid the latest from the Northwest:

  • Robin Lopez has enjoyed his season and change with the Blazers and isn’t thinking about moving on when he hits free agency in the summer, as he tells The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman. That’s just what his teammates want to hear, as many of them let Freeman know of their affection for Lopez, whose arrival last year coincided with the team’s ascent in the standings. “I really love it here,” Lopez said. “I feel like I’ve really found a niche. Nothing is set in stone, but I’m comfortable here, I’m happy here.”
  • Dante Exum, this year’s No. 5 overall pick, is off to a modest start, averaging just 4.9 points and 2.6 assists in 18.4 minutes per game, but the Jazz and coach Quin Snyder want to bring the 19-year-old phenom along slowly, as Aaron Falk of The Salk Lake Tribune details. Exum is “doing everything that we expected of him” so far, Snyder said.
  • Nuggets coach Brian Shaw acknowledged the pressure on him earlier this season, but he’s been in too many winning NBA locker rooms to panic, and Denver’s five-game winning streak makes it clear he never lost control of the team, opines Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post.
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Northwest Notes: Arthur, Blazers, Wolves

October 4th, 2014 at 2:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

When asked if he’d like to remain with the Nuggets past this season, Darrell Arthur said, “Oh yeah, for sure. My family loves it here. My mom was just up here for a couple of weeks and she just loves it – loves the atmosphere, loves the people here. I love the organization, everything. It’s a family organization, they welcome you with open arms. I definitely would like this to be home,” Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post relays. Arthur is in the final season of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Here’s more from the west:

  • NBA TV’s Steve Smith was in Portland covering the Blazers training camp and discussed the contract situations of LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, and Robin Lopez. All three players are in the final year of their respective deals and Smith was asked if it would become a distraction and he said, “LaMarcus being the main one. I can’t speak for him, but I think he’ll be the easiest one to figure out. He’ll be all right. I think Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez, financially — I’m not saying they’re not set, we all are, we play in the NBA — but LaMarcus is going to get the max. Now with those other two guys, you have to balance sacrificing for the team and making as much money possible in your career. I think this contract is … the big one for those guys.”
  • Smith also discussed the offseason additions of Steve Blake and Chris Kaman, saying, “It’s funny. Sometimes you look at moves — and, like you said, they’re not huge as far as names that go across the entire association — but Steve Blake is one of those veterans that just fits well with this team. You can tell just by watching practice. And he makes home here in Portland. So you have a guy who’s comfortable. He’s played here, what, three times? Chris Kaman, if you want to draw up a Portland Trail Blazer, it’s Chris Kaman. He just looks like he belongs. (laughs) And also, I think the pressure is off him. He can come in and be himself.“
  • Ricky Rubio believes that the departure of Kevin Love to the Cavs will be good for both Love and the Wolves, Jeff Caplan of NBA.com writes. “Of course we had a lot going on last year and the media was talking, they were wondering if Kevin wanted to be here, blah, blah, blah, and that hurt the team and hurt himself,” Rubio said. “Now that he’s not here, the media’s not going to talk about that anymore. I think that’s going to be good for him and for us.”
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Latest On Celtics-Rockets Omer Asik Talks

December 18th, 2013 at 10:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:01pm: Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe hears the Celtics and Rockets are “close” to a deal and echoes much of what we heard tonight before Bulpett reported that the talks are no longer active. It appears the teams are sending out conflicting information on the talks, perhaps in an exercise of negotiating tactics, though that’s just my speculation.

9:16pm: The Celtics proposed a deal of Bass, Lee and a protected first-rounder for Asik a week ago, but talks have been closed since then, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. While other reports have indicated the teams are currently negotiating, that’s not the case, Bulpett writes, suggesting that Celtics GM Danny Ainge isn’t budging from his offer and that the Rockets would have to sweeten their end of the deal to revive discussions. Bulpett also hears that when the Rockets brought Asik aboard in 2012, they promised him they wouldn’t sign another center to compete with him for the starting job.

8:11pm: The Celtics prefer to trade the Clippers’ 2015 first-round pick they acquired via the Doc Rivers deal, while the Rockets are seeking a 2014 first-rounder, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.

7:09pm: TNT’s David Aldridge suggests the Rockets won’t close on an Asik deal tonight, meaning they’ll have to pull one off Thursday to meet their self-imposed deadline (Twitter link).

6:50pm: The Trail Blazers, believing Asik isn’t worth the risk of disrupting team chemistry, aren’t involved in talks with the Rockets, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The Blazers have “grown to love” Robin Lopez and aren’t interested in any major acquisitions for now, Haynes adds.

6:24pm: Though the Hawks don’t appear too interested in Asik, his nearly $15MM balloon payment next season wouldn’t deter the team from taking him on, Vivlamore writes in a subscription-only piece.

5:58pm: The belief that the Celtics will land Omer Asik is growing stronger as other suitors drop out of the talks, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com. It looks like the deal would involve Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee and a draft pick headed to Houston in a trade that includes only the Celtics and Rockets. The two teams are debating over which pick Houston would get, Mannix adds (Twitter links). The Celtics had reportedly been reluctant to surrender their 2014 first-rounder, but it appears they’ve at least relented on the notion of draft compensation.

Lee spoke this afternoon about the possibility of getting traded, saying that he’d prefer to stay put but that he isn’t too concerned with the talk, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com notes (Twitter links). Lee is no stranger to Houston, having played there before the sign-and-trade that took him to Boston last year.

It’s not clear whether the Rockets would send anyone other than Asik to Boston, but Donatas Motiejunas is “desperate” for playing time, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, who points out that Motiejunas and Asik share an agent. Still, Motiejunas would prefer that he got added playing time in Houston rather than with another team, Feigen adds.

The Hawks, also reportedly an Asik suitor, were only in talks with the Rockets out of due diligence, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

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Sixers, Hawks, Bucks In Mix For Omer Asik

December 8th, 2013 at 8:38am CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets prefer to trade Omer Asik to an Eastern Conference team, and the Sixers, Hawks and Bucks are three clubs that appear to be strong candidates to land the 7’0″ center, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Portland had seemed to be an aggressive suitor based on the team’s reported discussions with Houston, but the Trail Blazers are enamored with what Robin Lopez has given them, and they aren’t planning to make a run at Asik, Stein writes.

Sixers GM Sam Hinkie was with the Rockets front office when they signed Asik in 2012, and his affinity for the 27-year-old from Turkey is one reason Stein believes many around the league are mentioning Philadelphia as a viable destination for Asik. Sixers power forward Thaddeus Young could fit together with Dwight Howard, Stein points out, adding that Philly isn’t likely to be able to find a player like Asik in the 2014 draft.

The Bucks are about to start looking for trades in the wake of a disappointing 4-16 start, Stein hears, concluding that Milwaukee could be Asik’s next home. That would seem to suggest the Bucks would be willing to trade Larry Sanders, whom they signed to a four-year, $44MM extension this past offseason, but that’s just my speculation.

Houston is no doubt one of many teams eyeing Paul Millsap‘s two-year, $19MM contract as an attractive bargain, so Stein figures the Rockets and Hawks could hook up on an Asik trade. Grantland’s Zach Lowe discussed the possibility of such a swap a few weeks ago, writing that it would work well for both teams and that Hawks GM Danny Ferry might take flak from Western Conference executives for giving such a significant boost to the contending Rockets.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey is also concerned about strengthening his Western Conference competitors, and that’s why he wants to send Asik to the East. Stein doesn’t think Morey will be doctrinaire about the idea, but the ESPN scribe points out that Asik is just the sort of defensive force who could cause Dwight Howard trouble in the playoffs.

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Western Notes: Carter, Dwight, Trail Blazers

October 3rd, 2013 at 6:51pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While we heard earlier today that Shawn Marion may not be entirely sure of what the future holds beyond this season, his Mavericks teammate Vince Carter feels eager to continue his NBA career as long as his body allows him to: "I don’t want to limit myself. I think doing that, you start thinking about it as the season goes on. I just go. I just let the body pretty much dictate how I feel at the end" (Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas). The 36-year-old guard/forward is entering the final year of his three-year contract this season, though MacMahon notes that team owner Mark Cuban has already gone on record saying he'd like to re-sign Carter this summer.  

Read more

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Northwest Notes: McCollum, Thunder, ‘Wolves

July 13th, 2013 at 9:03pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Blazers' first round draft choice C.J. McCollum has impressed at Las Vegas' Summer League tonight, going 6-for-10 from the field for 15 points in the first half. CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes spoke with the Blazers' ROY last season, Damian Lillard, about teaming with McCollum in the back-court next season. 

Lillard was happy the Blazers selected him, since they've been friends for a long time (Twitter link). Haynes tweets further praise for McCollum and alludes to a possible ROY nod. 

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld mimics Haynes' reports with his own tweet on the Lilliard-McCollum friendship, and  95.7 The Game's Ric Bucher applauds McCollum's steady hand during his first Summer League action in Vegas (Twitter link).

Here are a few more notes on the Blazers as well as the Thunder and Timberwolves:

  • Joe Freeman of the Oregonian spoke with new Blazers center Robin Lopez who told him he’s a little atypical for the NBA.
  • Freeman also has an update, via Twitter, on the leg injury suffered by rookie Victor Claver in his first Vegas Summer League game. It appears to be a quad contusion per Freeman's Tweet.
  • Rookie Steven Adams was really impressed with the Thunder’s coaching staff last week, tweets the Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry
  • CBSSports.com’s Royce Young on why the Thunder seem to have taken a step back by not making many moves this offseason.
  • The Minnesota Star-Tribune’s Jerry Zgoda tweets that Corey Brewer’s Timberwolves’ recruitment was impressive. When majority owner Glen Taylor called, said Brewer, "I was like, 'Ok, they really do want me.'"
  • Zgoda also writes that despite Brewer returning to the 'Wolves, they don't look anything like they did when Brewer sat on the bench after being drafted  by them in 2007.
  • Jim Souhan of the Star-Tribune opines that new GM Flip Saunders has set them up for success after all his moves this summer.
  • Chase Budinger told Bruce Brothers of the Pioneer Press that the 'Wolves will be "very good."
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Pelicans, Kings, Blazers Agree To Three-Way Deal

July 10th, 2013 at 7:15pm CST by Luke Adams

7:15pm: The Kings press release on the deal has Sacramento acquiring Vasquez from the Pelicans in exchange for Evans. The Kings also say they wind up with a 2016 second-round pick and future second-round considerations, presumably from the Blazers. 

6:43pm: The Blazers announced their part, with Lopez and Harris coming from the Pelicans in exchange for Jeff Withey, future second-round draft considerations, and cash.

JULY 10TH, 6:12pm: The Pelicans have confirmed their end of the trade, via press release. They acquire Evans and Withey, send Lopez and Harris to the Blazers, and ship Vasquez to the Kings.

JULY 4TH, 6:04pm: Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Portland will send Jeff Withey to the Pelicans and a future second round pick to the Kings as part of the three-team deal (Twitter links). 

4:44pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that Terrel Harris, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, will also be sent to the Blazers in the deal. Meanwhile, Portland will pay Lopez's 15% trade kicker, which will be worth about $1.57MM in total, spread equally across the next two seasons. Stein adds that Sacramento will be receiving two second-round picks from the Blazers, rather than one.

4:39pm: The Pelicans will receive cash and future draft picks from the Blazers in the deal, tweets John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Sam Amick of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that the Kings will also receive a future second-rounder from Portland.

3:55pm: The Pelicans, Kings, and Trail Blazers have verbally agreed to a three-way deal that will make Tyreke Evans a Pelican, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). The deal will send Evans to the Pelicans, Robin Lopez to the Trail Blazers, and Greivis Vasquez to the Kings, with the Blazers sending out picks and cash, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

Evans had been preparing to sign a four-year, $44MM offer sheet with New Orleans, so rather than lose him for nothing, the Kings decided to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal. The Pelicans had been motivated to move Lopez in order to make room under the cap for their offer to Evans, so involving the two players in the same deal made sense. Meanwhile, with New Orleans putting together a backcourt that will feature Evans, Jrue Holiday, and Eric Gordon, Vasquez was the odd man out, making him expendable as well.

Sacramento agreed to complete the three-way deal with the Blazers and Pelicans after Jose Calderon passed on an opportunity to sign with the team. According to Wojnarowski, the Kings wanted to sign Calderon and flip Vasquez to another team, but the Spaniard decided he didn't want to be part of a full-blown rebuild in Sacramento. Calderon will continue to negotiate with other teams, including the Pistons, tweets Wojnarowski.

As for the Pelicans, they get their man in Evans and figure to use him off the bench in a Manu Ginobili-type role, behind a starting backcourt of Holiday and Gordon. It's not clear where the cash and picks coming from the Blazers are headed, but I would guess the Pelicans will acquire something from Portland, since New Orleans is sending out multiple players in the move.

For Sacramento, the deal gives the team the opportunity to regain some value for Evans, and Vasquez's modest $2.15MM salary will allow the club to retain plenty of cap space to pursue other players. The Kings previously withdrew a four-year offer for Andre Iguodala, but should still have the flexibility to pursue Iguodala again, if they so choose. Sacramento may also get in on those draft and cash considerations from Portland, though we'll have to wait for further word.

Meanwhile, the Blazers continue to make use of their summer cap space by making trades rather than signing free agents, as Lopez will be absorbed using the team's room under the cap. Portland also agreed to acquire Thomas Robinson from the Rockets without including any outgoing salary. At the moment, only $500K of Lopez's 2013/14 salary is guaranteed, but the next two years of his contract will become guaranteed this weekend, since he won't be waived by tomorrow. He'll earn $5.12MM next season and $5.34MM in '14/15.

The three teams will be able to finalize the transaction when the July moratorium lifts next Wednesday.

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Western Notes: Cousins, Nedovic, Gordon

July 4th, 2013 at 8:12pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears, Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro, head coach Michael Malone, and team majority owner Vivek Ranadive visited DeMarcus Cousins in Alabama today. Though an extension is yet to be agreed upon, D'Alessandro told Yahoo that he is confident in Cousins as the face of the Kings' franchise (Twitter links). For a while, it seemed that Cousins' future in Sacramento was in limbo, as he had recently kept mum on the franchise at the behest of his agent Dan Fegan. Last month, Fegan reportedly wanted to negotiate a maximum deal for Cousins with the threat of a trade demand if a deal wasn't reached, and we also heard that D'Alessandro had planned to meet with Cousins in person at some point. Today's meeting could only bode well for the prospects of the 22-year-old center remaining in Sacramento for the long-term.

Here are more news and notes out of the Western Conference tonight:

  • Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News tweets that the Warriors would likely have to keep Nemanja Nedovic – their 2013 first-round pick – in Europe this upcoming season as one pre-requisite of clearing enough space to sign Dwight Howard. 
  • CBS Sports’ Matt Moore writes that following the three-team deal between the Pelicans, Kings, and Trail Blazers, New Orleans hasn’t given any indication that they plan to trade Eric Gordon. He also thinks that Robin Lopez is a perfect fit next to LaMarcus Aldridge, and lauds the fact that the Portland won’t have to surrender a big contract in order to land him.  
  • Dave McMenamin of ESPN LA tweets that if the Lakers were to match Earl Clark’s $4.5MM a year deal from the Cavaliers, it would cost them roughly $11.3MM with taxes in order to keep him, and therefore would be too steep a price.
  • Hoopsworld’s Eric Pincus notes that any free agent signing that the Lakers make will carry a hefty luxury tax bill along with them, though if Dwight Howard were to ultimately leave, the team’s tax multiplier would significantly decrease. This puts the franchise in a tricky situation: if they don’t want to commit to a player for more than a year, they’d have to overpay in year one; if they were to overpay, the team would face massive luxury tax implications (All Twitter links). 
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Kings Won’t Match Evans Offer, Discussing Trade

July 4th, 2013 at 12:30am CST by Luke Adams

3:51pm: Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that the proposed three-way deal would see Evans go to the Pelicans, Lopez to the Trail Blazers, and Vasquez to the Kings, with the Blazers sending out picks and cash. The specifics on the Portland picks and money aren't known, nor is it clear which team would receive them.

3:39pm: Jose Calderon has passed on an opportunity to sign with the Kings, clearing the way for the team to complete the three-way agreement that would see Vasquez land in Sacramento, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that the Pelicans had been hoping to sign Calderon and move Vasquez elsewhere.

11:11am: Sam Amick of USA Today confirms that trade talks are ongoing, but says the proposed scenario would be a three-way deal, with Vasquez going to Sacramento and Lopez heading to Portland. According to Amick, the Kings have "other situations still in play" but are looking to get something in return for Evans rather than just letting him walk (Twitter links).

7:49am: With Tyreke Evans preparing to sign a four-year, $44MM offer sheet with the Pelicans, the Kings do not plan to match the offer, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. However, according to Voisin, the Kings and Pelicans are working on an agreement that would send Greivis Vasquez and Robin Lopez to Sacramento in exchange for a signed-and-traded Evans.

For Evans to be part of a sign-and-trade deal, he'd have to hold off on officially signing the Pelicans' offer sheet — once he signs, the Kings would only have the option of matching the offer or letting him walk. With the July moratorium extending into next week though, the two teams have plenty of time to work out an agreement, avoiding the need for that offer sheet.

The Pelicans had been attempting to move Lopez in order to make room under the cap for their offer sheet to Evans, so involving the two players in the same deal makes sense. Meanwhile, with New Orleans putting together a backcourt that includes Evans, Jrue Holiday, and Eric Gordon, Vasquez appears to be the odd man out.

It's not clear if only Vasquez and Lopez would be heading to Sacramento in the proposed move, or if more pieces would be involved, but the Pelicans would be able to absorb Evans into their cap space, so no further players would be required.

According to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, the Kings' price to bring back Evans was something in the $8-9MM range, annually, which is significantly less than the $11MM annual salary the Pelicans offered. For him not to agree to New Orleans' offer, Evans was seeking a $12MM starting salary from Sacramento, says Jones.

While they debated whether or not to try to bring back Evans, the Kings also pursued Andre Iguodala, making him a four-year, $52MM offer. However, the club rescinded the offer when Iguodala was noncommital about signing it. With Evans seemingly on his way to New Orleans, the Kings could revisit Iguodala, but if they take on Vasquez and Lopez, their ability to make another big-money offer would be limited.

This post was first published on July 4th at 7:49am CST.

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