Shawn Marion Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs Pushing To Acquire Mavs’ First-Round Pick

June 26th, 2013 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are pushing to make a deal for the Mavericks' 13th overall pick, with a focus on drafting Sergey Karasev, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It's not clear what Cleveland is offering, but various reports have suggested the Cavs would have to give up either the 19th pick or the 31st and 33rd picks for Shawn Marion and No. 13.

It doesn't appear likely Karasev will still be on the board if the Cavs stay put at No. 19. Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter) that the Cavs believe they have to at least get ahead of the Bucks at No. 15 to have a shot at the Russian forward, but it's possible they'd have to move even higher. During a chat earlier today, ESPN.com's Chad Ford named Karasev as a potential target for the Sixers (No. 11) and the Thunder (No. 12).

If the Mavs keep their first-round pick, Karasev would also be a likely target for them, since the club is looking to clear cap space to make a run at Dwight Howard. Karasev is a potential draft-and-stash candidate, though the club is reportedly much more likely to simply trade the pick.

Ford’s Latest: Draft Rumors, Aldridge, Jazz, Pacers

June 26th, 2013 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Chad Ford is staying busy as Thursday night nears, chatting with fans this afternoon and also publishing a new story with Marc Stein on the latest draft-related rumors and rumblings. Here are the highlights from both links:

Stein reported earlier today that the Cavaliers were offering the No. 19 pick to the Rockets for Thomas Robinson, but that pick may also be necessary to complete another deal, whether it's a Shawn Marion trade with the Mavericks or a bigger move. If the Cavs can't finalize another trade though, they'd try to acquire Robinson with that pick, according to Stein and Ford.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal is skeptical that the Cavs would really offer the 19th pick for Robinson, since the team didn't have much interest in him as of a couple weeks ago (Twitter link).
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link) is also hearing, like Stein and Ford, that the Cavaliers are still trying to figure out a way to make a "mega-deal." Even if the Cavs are interested in such a move, they'd have to find a willing partner, which has been tricky so far. Ford notes in his chat that the Cavs would likely have to include Tristan Thompson along with the No. 1 pick to pull off something big.
If the Rockets can make a Robinson trade with the Cavs or Bulls, they'd almost certainly use that first-round pick to draft-and-stash an international player, according to Ford and Stein. Sergey Karasev, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lucas Nogueira, Dennis Schroeder, and Rudy Gobert are potential targets.
Ford wouldn't be shocked if the Bobcats traded down with the Wolves and used the No. 9 pick to draft Cody Zeller. Minnesota is attempting to trade into the top five.
Positional need likely won't be a major priority for the Kings, according to Ford, who adds that he thinks Sacramento's roster will be significantly overhauled by opening night of 2013/14.
Ford anticipates the Trail Blazers will "seriously listen" to LaMarcus Aldridge trade offers this summer.
If the Jazz want to move into the top 10 to take a top point guard, they'll probably have to make Alec Burks available, rather than just the Nos. 14 and 21 picks, says Ford.
The Pacers are trying to trade the No. 23 pick, and have been linked to both Robinson and Jimmer Fredette, according to Ford.

Kyler’s Latest: Bledsoe, Marion, Warriors, Deng

June 25th, 2013 at 9:37am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2013 draft now just two days away, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tackled some of the most frequently mentioned trade rumors, passing along the latest updates he's heard on Eric Bledsoe, Shawn Marion, and others in today's NBA AM piece. Here are the highlights:

A rumored deal that would send Bledsoe and Caron Butler to the Magic in exchange for Arron Afflalo may also include Andrew Nicholson and/or a 2015 draft pick going to the Clippers, says Kyler. L.A. appears to be exploring all its options for Bledsoe, but if no team tops Orlando's offer, a trade could happen on draft night.
While the Mavericks are denying that Marion would be attached to a deal involving the No. 13 pick, Kyler is hearing that there are two scenarios on the table that include Marion and the pick. One is with the Cavaliers, while the other is with the Pelicans. A Marion deal isn't necessarily Cleveland's top priority, however, and the fact that Marion has yet to officially exercise his 2013/14 player option may also be complicating discussions.
The Warriors would like to trade into the draft and pick up a late first-round pick, but given the team's proximity to the tax line, adding a guaranteed rookie salary to the books may not make sense for Golden State.
Breaking down the latest Luol Deng rumors, Kyler notes that it makes sense for Deng to play out the final year of his contract with the Bulls, but adds that he's heard a couple sources describe an eventual Deng trade as "inevitable."
Following up on the rumor that the Cavaliers tried to acquire LaMarcus Aldridge, Kyler says there are rumblings the Suns made a play for Aldridge as well. It seems unlikely that the Trail Blazers would move the big man at this point, but there's certainly a market for him.
Kyler confirms that the Timberwolves, who have been very aggressive over the last few weeks, tried to make a play for MarShon Brooks involving the No. 26 pick.

Cavs, Mavs In ‘Serious’ Talks About Shawn Marion

June 21st, 2013 at 4:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers are engaged in "serious" discussions with the Mavericks about acquiring Shawn Marion and the No. 13 pick in exchange for the No. 19 pick, sources tell Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com. Such a deal would have to be contingent on Marion opting into the final season of his contract, worth $9,316,796, though the veteran small forward is likely to do so. It would also have to include other players unless it took place next month, since the Cavs, with about $55MM in team salary for 2012/13, won't be far enough under the cap to absorb Marion's salary straight up until the league calendar flips to 2013/14 in July.

The Cavs view Marion as an upgrade over incumbent small forward Alonzo Gee, and they're targeting another small forward, Sergey Karasev, for the No. 13 pick they'd acquire in a deal for Marion, according to Kotoch. The Cavs are also willing to package the 31st and 33rd selections on draft night if they see a prospect they like available during the latter part of the first round. If the draft were held today, Alex Len would be the Cavs' choice for the No. 1 pick, Kotoch writes, though Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times hears Otto Porter is at the top of Cleveland's draft board (Twitter link).

As he unveils the latest version of his mock draft, Kotoch lists the Mavs, Timberwolves and Blazers as teams seeking to trade their first-round picks, as he's done in the past. Dallas is aggressively trying to unload its No. 13 pick, as a source told Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News this week that there's no chance the player taken with that selection winds up on the Mavs roster next season. Chad Ford of ESPN.com linked the Cavs, as well as the Thunder and Knicks, to discussions for the Dallas pick, with the Mavs' desired return as either a 2014 first-rounder or the willingness to take on Marion's contract.

The Mavs are seeking to clear the necessary cap space to sign a marquee free agent this summer, and while moving Marion's salary would be a key component in doing so, I'd be a little surprised if Dallas acquired the 19th pick as part of a deal with the Cavs. The savings between the cap hold for the No. 13 pick ($1,655,300), and the No. 19 selection ($1,223,200) would be minimal.

Odds & Ends: Bucks, Mavs, Nuggets, Jones

June 19th, 2013 at 7:50pm CST by Alex Lee

As we all wait with bated breath for game seven tomorrow night between the Heat and the Spurs, let's round up some odds and ends from around the NBA on this Wednesday night:

Craig Brackins, Tyler Honeycutt, and Mickell Gladness are among the NBA free agents at a mini-camp being held by the Bucks this week, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com explains how the Early Bird exception could help the Mavericks re-sign Brandan Wright this summer.
While the Mavs are likely to move their first rounder, Mark Cuban tells MacMahon that any rumors about that deal that involve a Shawn Marion salary dump are false.
In an offseason that's already seen them lose a head coach, a GM, and an assistant GM, the Nuggets will lose two more executives from their front office, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post outlines.
The Jazz, who officially brought Jerry Sloan back to the organization earlier tonight, are close to naming Brad Jones their new bench assistant, tweets Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune. Jones was previously an assistant coach for player development for the team.

Cavs Rumors: McLemore, Bynum, Oden, Granger

June 10th, 2013 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio leads off his latest column by going into more detail on Friday's report, which suggested the Cavaliers were weighing the possibility of drafting Ben McLemore first overall. With Dion Waiters already on board, the fit wouldn't necessarily be ideal, so it remains just one of many options Cleveland is considering. Amico has plenty more notes on the Cavs, so let's check out the highlights from his piece….

Due to concerns about Anderson Varejao's ability to stay healthy, the Cavs are expected to focus on adding frontcourt depth this summer.
Amico hints that Al Horford and Nikola Pekovic could be among the Cavs' offseason targets as the club looks to add another big man, though the Timberwolves will have the ability to match an offer sheet for the restricted Pekovic, and I'd be surprised if the Hawks traded Horford.
Andrew Bynum isn't on Cleveland's radar, but the team is still eyeing Greg Oden, in spite of some skepticism about the health of his knees.
The Cavs also have reservations about Danny Granger's knee problems, but still have interest if the Pacers consider moving him, which it sounds like they will.
The Mavericks continue to "intensely" shop the No. 13 overall pick, with one offer asking for the Cavs' 31st and 33rd overall picks, along with a 2014 selection, in exchange for the 13th pick and Shawn Marion. Cleveland turned down that proposal, but the club remains a willing trade partner, with only Kyrie Irving viewed as untouchable.
Cleveland remains interested in Alex Len and Otto Porter, but would probably want to trade down a little to draft either player, rather than selecting one of them first overall. However, trading down a few spots "appears very unlikely," according to Amico.

Cavs Rumors: Pierce, Marion, Iske, Porter

May 26th, 2013 at 10:57am CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers came away from the lottery with the top pick for the second time in three years, and with plenty of cap space and a young All-Star in Kyrie Irving, Cleveland's basketball fortunes are on the upswing. Speculation continues that all of that could spell the return of LeBron James to the shores of Lake Erie in 2014, with Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post the latest to connect the dots. Still, next summer is a long way off, and both LeBron and the Cavs have plenty to consider before any reversal of "The Decision" can come into play. Here's the latest on what the Cavs are working on:

Bob Finnan of The News-Herald hears it's likely that the Celtics waive Paul Pierce by June 30th to reduce his cap hit for next season from $15.333MM to $5MM. Finnan believes Pierce will wind up with a contender, but he expects Cavs GM Chris Grant to make a strong push for the 15-year veteran.
According to Finnan, the Cavs will probably decline a rumored trade proposal in which Cleveland would send the 19th, 31st and 33rd overall picks in this year's draft to the Mavericks for Shawn Marion and the No. 13 pick. Finnan refers to the Dallas pick as No. 12, but the Mavs have the 13th pick.
The Cavs have interviewed Nuggets assistant coach Chad Iske for a position on Mike Brown's staff, Finnan reports.
If the Cavs trade the top pick, they'll target Otto Porter and another asset, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler figures (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Mavs, Wright, Marion, Pau

April 10th, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we passed along a few of the day's stories out of the Eastern Conference. Now, let's head west and round up a handful of Western Conference headlines….

Brandan Wright has increased his free agent stock in recent weeks and could be in line for a deal similar to the four-year, $16MM pact Ian Mahinmi signed with the Pacers last summer, says Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. MacMahon wonders whether Wright is worth that much to the Mavericks or whether he'll land on another team for next season.
Set to turn 35 years old next month, Mavericks forward Shawn Marion spoke to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about his future in the NBA, noting that he feels as if he has "a lot of basketball left" in him.
Examining whether the Lakers ought to consider amnestying Pau Gasol in July, salary cap expert Larry Coon concludes that the idea is "ridiculous." Gasol's trade value may not be at a high point this summer, but Coon thinks that at least half the teams in the league would have some level of interest in a player like Pau.
The five-year contract Mike Conley received from the Grizzlies in 2010 was viewed by many at the time as a signficant overpay, but as Sean Deveney of the Sporting News writes, that's certainly not the case anymore.

Western Notes: Spurs, Marion, Mayo, Collison

February 27th, 2013 at 9:49pm CST by Alex Lee

Stephen Curry absolutely went off at the Garden on Wednesday night, dropping 54 points via 11 treys on the Knicks in the game of the night. Despite Curry's efforts, the Warriors still came up short, losing by four. Here are some other notes from around the Western Conference:

Gregg Popovich says that the Spurs, as always, will do their due diligence in scouring the post-March 1st buyout market, but with their roster already 15 deep, he doesn't expect anything to come of it, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News answered a few questions about the Mavericks roster in a chat on Tuesday. Sefko doesn't see the Mavs dealing Shawn Marion next season just to free up cap space, opining that Marion is still a starting caliber player that warrants something worthwhile in return.
Sefko also considers re-signing O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison critical to the team's chances of luring whatever big name free agents they'll set their sights on, largely due to their youth. Keeping both players, who have had nice seasons in Dallas, will be difficult without overpaying, Sefko says.
Pau Gasol, likely still a month from returning, has been cleared to work out on an elliptical machine, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Gasol tore his plantar fascia three weeks ago and the Lakers are sticking to their original timetable of six-to-eight weeks for his return.

Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Gordon, Heat, Rose

February 14th, 2013 at 8:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Despite Mark Cuban's belief that adding an overpaid player with a massive contract would be a huge mistake considering the framework of the current CBA, Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas wonders if the Mavericks would explore trading for Hornets guard Eric Gordon as a possible fallback option if the team falls short in its effort to land Dwight Howard this summer. On another note, Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops explains why it would be wise for Dallas to deal Vince Carter and Shawn Marion for expiring contracts and draft picks now if they want to give themselves a legitimate chance at going after Howard, Chris Paul, or Andrew Bynum in upcoming free agency.

Here are more of this evening's odds and ends:

A report from ESPN (via the Associated Press) states that NBA Commissioner David Stern expects a concrete plan from Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson within the next two weeks regarding the Kings' future. Although the NBA Board of Governors does not meet until April 17-18, Stern believes that the official proposal could be made by March 1st "if (Mayor Johnson) follows through on what he's told us." He also put the kibosh on the idea of expansion and doesn't foresee a scenario where both Seattle and Sacramento wind up with teams.
With 15 guaranteed contracts and the team on a roll as of late, Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida figures that the Heat will be very quiet at the trade deadline next week (Twitter link).
Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago gets the sense that Bulls superstar Derrick Rose won't be returning this season.
Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside provides a rundown of the top available point guards in the D-League and organizes them in groups by what they specifically have to offer.
After suffering a torn ACL on Tuesday night, Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel figures to be on a six-to-eight month recovery. Once touted by some to be the number one overall pick in this June's draft, Noel has slid to number three in Chad Ford's ESPN rankings of the top 30 prospects (Insiders only). On a side note, Darren Rovell (also of ESPN) tweets that Noel has a $10MM insurance policy in the event that he suffers a career ending injury.
In a statement issued to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, David Falk (the former agent of Michael Jordan) apologized for his disparaging comments about John Wall and the Wizards recently.
There have been a flurry of reports today about Lakers owner Jerry Buss' bout with terminal cancer, which was first reported by Amber Goodhand of Radar Online this morning. In a statement issued by the team today, it was made clear that there is no intention of selling the team to an outside group and that the Buss family plans to keep ownership of the Lakers for many generations to come (Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News).