Ryan Anderson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Lakers, T-Wolves, Spurs, Speights

October 17th, 2012 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Only three of the 12 NBA teams in action last night were Western Conference clubs, with the only intra-conference matchup coming between the Jazz and Lakers. After a 34-point Jazz victory dropped L.A.'s preseason record to 0-4, it was no surprise that new point guard Steve Nash told Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register that the new-look Lakers are still a "work in progress." Here are a few more Wednesday updates from out west:

The Timberwolves aren't currently active "at all" on the trade market, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500.
Manu Ginobili doesn't envy the Spurs' decision-makers when it comes to deciding which camp invitee will earn the team's 15th roster spot, as he tells Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. In a separate piece, McDonald agrees that there's plenty of depth in camp for the Spurs, noting that the team probably wishes it could keep 17 players this year instead of 15.
Given Andrew Bynum's health issues so far this preseason, the Lakers may appear savvy for moving the big man when they did. But as GM Mitch Kupchak points out to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, the guy they acquired for Bynum had his own health questions. "Whatever concern we had (with Bynum's knees)," Kupchak said. "Was offset by Dwight [Howard] coming off offseason back surgery."
After earning a two-year deal from the Grizzlies in free agency this summer, Marreese Speights is aiming to repeat last year's breakout performance, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Ryan Anderson spoke to Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com about transforming from a trade throw-in to the core piece of a franchise in the last three years.

Odds & Ends: Magic, Anderson, Wizards, Mavs

August 31st, 2012 at 4:25pm CST by Luke Adams

As August comes to a close, let's round up a few Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:

Even after moving Dwight Howard and Jason Richardson, the Magic remain "open for business" on potential trades, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
New Hornet Ryan Anderson spoke to Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld about his new team and his expectations in New Orleans.
After signing Martell Webster, the Wizards are "in all likelihood" done making moves this summer, GM Ernie Grunfeld tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders whether Dirk Nowitzki might really retire two years from now.
Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com explores Vince Carter's role with the Mavericks for the coming season.
Pete Carril, the creator of the Princeton offense, talked to SI.com's Sam Amick about how the offense might work for the Lakers this year.
The Cavaliers are "comfortably in stage two of their rebuild," NBA.com's John Schuhmann writes in his preview of the team's 2012/13 season.

Jazz Tried To Acquire Ryan Anderson

August 13th, 2012 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Restricted free agent Ryan Anderson became a Hornet over a month ago, sent to New Orleans by the Magic in a sign-and-trade deal for Gustavo Ayon. Before the two sides completed that trade, however, the Jazz were in talks with the Magic to acquire the sharpshooting Anderson, according to Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.

Smith reports that the Jazz likely would have had to give up Paul Millsap in order to land Anderson, but that Utah eventually backed out of talks for last year's Most Improved Player. The Jazz ultimately acquired another forward in Marvin Williams, and signed an outside shooter in Randy Foye. It's not clear whether the four years and $34MM that Anderson will earn with New Orleans was more or less than he could have received from Utah.

For the Magic, the traded player exception they earned from the Anderson sign-and-trade allowed them to absorb Josh McRoberts' and Christian Eyenga's salaries in last week's Dwight Howard blockbuster, which helped create a massive $17.8MM trade exception in the move. If, rather than Ayon, Orlando had acquired Millsap and his $8.6MM expiring contract for Anderson, it may very well have impacted what the team was willing to give and take in the Howard deal.

Hornets Acquire Ryan Anderson In Sign-And-Trade

July 11th, 2012 at 10:40am CST by Michael Pina

WEDNESDAY, 10:40am: The Magic have officially announced the completion of the Anderson/Ayon sign-and-trade in a press release.

SUNDAY, 3:21pm: The Hornets will acquire Ryan Anderson in a sign-and-trade deal with the Magic, writes Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski. Once the moratorium ends, Anderson will agree to a four-year, $36MM deal with New Orleans, and the Magic will receive Hornets center Gustavo Ayon.

Ryan Anderson Likely Won’t Re-Sign With Magic

July 8th, 2012 at 2:47pm CST by Michael Pina

2:47pm: In a tweet from Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, Anderson's contract will be four years, approximately $36MM. Also, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the trade for Anderson is not expected to interfere with New Orleans decision on whether or not they'll match the Suns offer sheet with Eric Gordon. But it does affect the futures of Chris Kaman and Carl Landry, two big men who played for the Hornets last season who are almost certain to find a new team shortly.

2:10pm: According to a tweet from the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins, the Magic are discussing a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets centered around Ryan Anderson. Also, in a tweet from the New Orleans Time-Picayune's Jimmy Smith, the deal is close to being done, and involves current Hornets big man Gustavo Ayon.

1:29pm: Magic forward Ryan Anderson likely won't re-sign with the Magic, and will be dealt in a sign-and-trade, according to a tweet from Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski. Anderson is currently a restricted free agent. The Kings have reportedly been extremely interested in the sharp shooting forward's services, with hopes of playing him at the small forward position.

Free Agent Rumors: Jamison, Sessions, Lewis

July 5th, 2012 at 10:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Five days into free agency, a number of big names, such as Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, are off the market. But there are still plenty of players out there looking for contracts. We'll wrap up many of today's free agent updates right here, with the latest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….

Antawn Jamison had dinner in Charlotte with Bobcats executives Rod Higgins and Rich Cho, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The former UNC star has also been talking to Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Jamison's former agent, and will chat with head coach Mark Jackson in the near future.
The Mavericks have reached out to Ramon Sessions for a second time and pitched a starting job to the veteran point guard, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
Rashard Lewis will visit the Heat this weekend after having his contract bought out by the Hornets, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter links). The Hawks and the Knicks are among other teams interested in the veteran forward.

Earlier updates:

The Timberwolves' offer to Nicolas Batum now exceeds $11MM per season, reports John Canzano of The Oregonian (on Twitter). The Trail Blazers told Batum during a meeting this afternoon that the team will match any offer the player receives, tweets Jason Quick of The Oregonian.
Even with the addition of Jason Kidd and the likely retention of Jeremy Lin, the Knicks remain in the market for a third-string point guard, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
The Lakers remain interested in retaining restricted free agent Devin Ebanks and will match any deal barring a huge offer, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Andrei Kirilenko wants to return to the NBA, but "wants way too much money" and may end up staying in Russia, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (Twitter links). Kirilenko plans to make his decision by Aug. 1 on whether he will sign with an NBA team, says Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (on Twitter).
Ric Bucher of ESPN.com names the Mavericks, Rockets, Pacers, Clippers, Knicks, and Suns as teams that still have a shot at O.J. Mayo (Twitter link). I'd guess the Clips are off that list after reaching deals with Jamal Crawford and Chauncey Billups.
Bucher adds in the same tweet that the Mavs, Pacers, Spurs, Kings, and Jazz are in the running for Chris Kaman.
Asked about the Pacers pursuing Courtney Lee or O.J. Mayo, Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star tweeted that Mayo is Indiana's "clear No. 1 choice." Whether that means he's the team's top free agent target overall or just compared to Lee, it's clear that Mayo is very much on the Pacers' radar.
Teams are offering Ryan Anderson frontloaded contracts to make it difficult for the Magic to retain him, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Ramon Sessions has been contacted by several teams, including the Mavericks, but not the Knicks, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. A multiyear deal and a starting spot remain Sessions' top priorities, says Amico (Sulia and Twitter links).
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com names Jordan Hill, Kirk Hinrich, Antawn Jamison, and Shelden Williams as some players the Warriors have reached out to so far in free agency.
According to Steinmetz, the Warriors may not match an offer sheet for Brandon Rush if it approaches $5MM. Steinmetz hears that the Raptors may be considering an offer for Rush, though given Toronto's agreement with Landry Fields, that would surprise me.

—–

Kings Meet With Ryan Anderson

July 2nd, 2012 at 8:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:40pm: Petrie reiterated to Jones that Thompson remains his top priority, saying the team has made him an offer and added that he can envision Anderson sliding over to play small forward for the team (Sulia link).

7:32pm: The Kings met with restricted free agent Ryan Anderson today, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Jones opines the three-point sharpshooter, who attended high school in the Sacramento area, would make sense for the Kings (Twitter link). With Anderson in town and Thomas Robinson, another power forward, arriving through the draft, Jason Thompson is taking a "wait-and-see" approach to re-signing with the Kings.

Anderson, Lopez, Brooks Receive Qualifying Offers

June 28th, 2012 at 1:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:47pm: Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports the Suns have issued qualifying offers to Robin Lopez and Aaron Brooks (Twitter link). The offer to Lopez is $4,001,917, and the offer to Brooks is $2,976,637. The Suns are reportedly planning to match offers other teams make to Lopez in restricted free agency.

1:40pm: The Magic have tendered a qualifying offer to Ryan Anderson, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports, via Twitter. The one-year offer is unlikely to be accepted and is largely a procedural move that will allow the Magic to match any offer that other teams can make after July 1. The offer to Anderson, who meets the starter criteria, is $4,385,416.

Money Time: Upcoming Free Agents In The Playoffs

June 9th, 2012 at 2:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Throughout the playoffs, we've been tracking soon-to-be free agents week by week as they make their final impressions heading into the offseason. With 12 members of the Finals-bound Thunder possessing guaranteed contracts for next season, most of the cases have been closed. So, here's a look at the three impending free agents who made the most significant leaps throughout the entire postseason, and the three who took the greatest steps back.

Winners

Kevin Garnett, Celtics: Garnett and Tim Duncan were both carrying the banner for 36-year-old former power forwards getting it done at center in the playoffs, but in the conference finals Garnett has set himself apart. In the series, he's averaged 20.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, helping Boston to the cusp of the NBA Finals. For the playoffs as a whole, he's ninth in points per game (19.5), fourth in rebounds per game (10.5), and second in Basketball-Reference.com's defensive rating (93.5).

Roy Hibbert, Pacers (restricted): The most significant question surrounding Hibbert's postseason performance is why his 9.5 shot attempts per game were down from the 10.3 he saw in the regular season. That reflects much more poorly on his Pacers teammates than it does upon Hibbert, who shot 50% and controlled the boards to the tune of 11.2 RPG, the second highest rebounding average in the postseason. Though his team was eliminated in the conference semifinals, Hibbert is still second in total offensive rebounds for the postseason, with 45, and third in total blocks, with 34, in 11 games. His defensive rating of 94.8 slots fourth, right behind Garnett and the next man on this list.

Lavoy Allen, Sixers (restricted): One of Garnett's playoff combatants was almost equally as impressive in the playoffs, particularly considering he's less than a year removed from being the 50th pick in the draft. Allen logged just 19.7 minutes per game, but played them efficiently, posting a 17.2 PER. His defensive rating of 94.5 was the third best in the playoffs, between Garnett and Hibbert, and his 55.7 field goal percentage was fifth among qualifiers.

Losers

Ryan Anderson, Magic (restricted): Sure, he made 40% of his three-pointers, slightly better than the 39.3% regular season clip that helped him win the NBA's Most Improved Player award. Yet he was little more than a spot-up shooter in the postseason. He took only 2.8 shots per game from inside the arc, as opposed to 5.5 during the regular season. That explains why his 16.1 PPG for the season was cut to 9.6 in the playoffs. He also had drastic regressions in rebounding (7.7 to 4.6) and PER (21.2 to 7.2).

O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies (restricted): He had more turnovers (18) than made baskets (17) in the playoffs this year, making a strong case that he's unfit the spot duty at point guard he saw against the Clippers. Mayo made 27.4% of his field goals, 29.2% from three-point range, and compiled a PER of 7.9 — well below average. In a roundabout way, he may have created a little more bargaining power for himself this summer, as the Grizzlies may decline to tender him a qualifying offer to avoid the luxury tax, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Matt Barnes, Lakers: In the regular season, Barnes was an asset to the Lakers, rebounding and blocking shots at a higher rate than ever as he settled into the primary backup role at both wing positions. In the playoffs, he was so much of a liability that he barely saw the floor in the last four games against the Thunder. The extra rebounding and blocked shots disappeared, and Barnes shot just 27.1 percent from the field, including an atrocious 5-for-31 from three-point range.

—–

Odds & Ends: Calathes, Rockets, U.S. Select Team

June 6th, 2012 at 12:41pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Thunder have an opportunity to make it four wins in a row tonight against the Spurs as the series heads back to Oklahoma City for Game 6. A victory would send Kevin Durant and company to the NBA Finals and further validate general manager Sam Presti's experiment in which the team has generally been constructed through NBA lottery picks like Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Let's check in around the league to catch up on the latest news and stories making headlines on this Wednesday afternoon…