Tayshaun Prince Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Berger’s Latest: Jackson, Kings, Nuggets, Lee

February 17th, 2015 at 11:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

Reporters make a habit of emptying their notebooks as the deadline draws near, when rumors that would normally make headlines wind up buried beneath the deluge of news. We already passed along highlights from a jam-packed piece that Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports authored tonight, and we’ll do the same with a dispatch from Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who’s also heard plenty:

Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group provides some clarity on Lee, saying that the Warriors have always been willing to trade him for assets of value but that the team almost certainly won’t find what it’s looking for on the market. Golden State isn’t likely to simply give away the veteran, a favorite of co-owner Joe Lacob, unless it’s forced to in the offseason, Kawakami adds (All Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

Teams around the league expect the Thunder to trade Reggie Jackson before Thursday’s 2pm Central time trade deadline, Berger writes, indicating that they believe tax concerns would be the catalyst for Oklahoma City to make a deal.
Sacramento is intent on making an upgrade at the deadline in an effort to please DeMarcus Cousins, sources tell Berger, who identifies Arron Afflalo as the team’s No. 1 target. The Kings are dangling Nik Stauskas to the Nuggets as they seek Afflalo, to the puzzlement of some executives from other teams, Berger hears. The Kings continue to dangle Stauskas to other teams as well, according to Berger.
The Nuggets are in “full-on firesale mode,” and, notwithstanding Sacramento’s focus on Afflalo, Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler are the players on Denver’s roster who are drawing the most interest from other teams, Berger writes.
Berger indicates that the Warriors are trying to trade David Lee, which conflicts with an earlier report that the team would like to keep him through the season to avoid disrupting chemistry. The CBSSports.com columnist also includes Kevin Martin on a list of players that teams are trying to trade, but Flip Saunders is reportedly showing little interest in doing so. Martin would be destined for a buyout if the Wolves don’t trade him, Berger hears.
Milwaukee has fielded offers for Brandon Knight, but the Bucks aren’t biting, sources tell Berger.
The Wizards are more likely to sign a free agent who would fill their desire for backcourt help than to make a trade, the CBSSports.com scribe hears.
The Clippers are still the front-runners for Tayshaun Prince should he and the Celtics do a buyout deal, according to Berger, who adds that Boston is trying to trade Brandon Bass.

Wojnarowski’s Latest: Prince, Clippers, Nelson

February 17th, 2015 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Thursday’s NBA trade deadline creeping ever closer, things are going to heat up rather quickly. The reports that the Suns are looking to trade Goran Dragic are likely just the beginning of what should be an interesting couple of days around the NBA. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relayed some of the latest deadline rumors from around the league:

The Celtics are continuing to try to include Tayshaun Prince in a trade package, but if unable to find a taker, the team will work out a buyout arrangement after the deadline, Wojnarowski notes.
After missing out on Amar’e Stoudemire, who is reportedly on his way to Dallas once he clears waivers, the Clippers’ best chance to improve their roster will be to sign a free agent, Wojnarowski opines. Los Angeles may attempt to sign Prince if he is waived by Boston, Wojnarowski adds. The Blazers are also interested in Prince, the Yahoo! scribe relays.
The Clippers have dangled Jamal Crawford in an effort to acquire a first round draft pick that the team could use to nab the Nuggets‘ Wilson Chandler or Arron Afflalo, the Yahoo! scribe adds. Los Angeles continues to show interest in the Suns‘ Gerald Green as well, Wojnarowski reports.
Los Angeles had scouted Lance Stephenson recently, but the Clippers never engaged in discussions with the Hornets regarding the mercurial guard, Wojnarowski relays.
There are several teams around the league that are hoping Jameer Nelson reaches a buyout arrangement with the Nuggets, Wojnarowski notes. Denver currently has no plans to cut the veteran point guard loose, adds the Yahoo! scribe.
Wolves president Flip Saunders has shown little inclination that he wishes to deal Kevin Martin and Thaddeus Young, Wojnarowski relays.
Teams that miss out on acquiring Afflalo may take a look at nabbing the Wolves‘ Chase Budinger, Wojnarowski writes. While teams like Budinger’s ability to spread the floor, his $5MM player option is a deterrent for some interested franchises, the Yahoo! scribe adds.

Celtics Rumors: Bass, Prince, Thornton, Trades

February 10th, 2015 at 9:00pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Celtics have swung a league–leading nine trades so far this season, but word around the league is that Boston’s front office is interested in reshaping its roster even further, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald details. Of the pieces the C’s would be willing to move, Tayshaun Prince carries the most value, Bulpett hears from one executive. However, Bulpett also relays that teams are hesitant to part with a second-rounder in exchange for the 34-year-old, believing Boston and Prince will reach a buyout if no deal is made, allowing for an opportunity to sign the veteran forward without losing a pick.

We’ll wait to see if the Celtics continue to make moves with the future in mind as the trade deadline approaches. For now let’s round up all of the latest rumblings from coming out of Boston..

Brandon Bass has been included in trade discussions since the early going of the season, a source tells Bulpett for the same piece, but in spite of the big man’s solid play this year, teams are potentially turned off by the less-than-stellar numbers he amassed before arriving in Boston. “It’s crazy,” the source said to Bulpett. “People have seen how well he’s played in Boston, but it’s as if they’ve backed off him because of how he played in Dallas or Orlando. I don’t get it. We don’t have a need for him right now, but whoever gets him is going to like what he can do, even if it’s just in limited minutes.”
Although Marcus Thornton has put up efficient numbers for the C’s in his limited minutes on the floor this season, Bulpett passes along in the same story that teams haven’t shown a desire or willingness to take on his expiring deal worth $8.6MM.
Coach Brad Stevens isn’t necessarily opposed to all the player movement his team has experienced so far this year, but he admits it’s difficult to form cohesion when there are so many moving parts. A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com has the details.

Spears On Prince, Plumlee, Kings, Kenyon

February 2nd, 2015 at 1:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

It’s no surprise to see the Hawks and Warriors atop the latest power rankings from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, but Spears doesn’t just list the NBA’s 30 teams from top to bottom. He passes along several tidbits of note with the trade deadline just two and a half weeks away. He seconds an earlier report from Marc Stein and Ian Begley of ESPN.com that the Knicks are shopping Jose Calderon, but much of what Spears has is new information, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

Boston is unlikely to find a trade for Tayshaun Prince before the deadline, Spears hears from a source. Prince reportedly plans to push for his departure the Celtics, though he’s publicly said that he’s committed to playing for Boston, at least for the time being. A buyout deal appears likely should the Celtics fail to garner the draft pick they’re looking for in a swap, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald wrote last month, though coach Brad Stevens hopes to keep Prince for the balance of the season.
The Suns aren’t garnering much interest as they try to trade Miles Plumlee, a source tells Spears, though that’s not a shock, since the team is reportedly looking for at least one first-round pick.
Sacramento continues to pursue an “athletic big man” to pair with DeMarcus Cousins, according to Spears’ source. The Kings are reportedly shopping Derrick Williams, and Jason Thompson is among the Sacramento players the team is apparently open to trading.
The Knicks didn’t re-sign Kenyon Martin this summer after he spent the previous two seasons with them because the team felt he wouldn’t be a fit for the triangle offense, Spears says. Martin and the Bucks followed a pair of 10-day contracts with a deal for the rest of the season.

Latest On Celtics, Tayshaun Prince

January 28th, 2015 at 10:43am CST by Eddie Scarito

JANUARY 28TH: Sources tell Bulpett that Prince will push to leave the Celtics, a notion that the forward hinted at publicly.

“Obviously I want to be in a winning situation,” Prince said. “Everybody wants to be in a winning situation, make no mistake about it, especially toward the end of your career. But at the end of the day, it’s about doing what’s right and going out there and having fun. If you get to the point where I am in my career after all these years, you just want to go out there and have a chance to win and do the right things.”

JANUARY 24TH: The Celtics still wish to trade Prince prior to the February deadline, and are seeking a future draft pick in return, Bulpett reports. There have been reports that Boston would attempt to work out a buyout deal if they failed to find a taker for Prince. But Celtics coach Brad Stevens may lobby for the team to keep the forward if a trade fails to materialize, Bulpett adds. Stevens believes that Prince can help the franchise with both with his talent and leadership, Bulpett notes. Stevens also added, “I think there’s no question about his value, but also there’s the fact that he’s a veteran who knows how to,” the coach said. “The other thing is he just has such great poise and presence. Tayshaun just knows how to play. There’s a lot of things that come very natural to him. I think natural is right, but also he’s been in the league for 13 years.”

JANUARY 19TH: A buyout deal with Prince is likely in the event the Celtics don’t end up trading him, Bulpett writes.

JANUARY 18TH: The Celtics are expected to attempt to trade Prince, and perhaps do a buyout deal if they can’t find a taker, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Prince told reporters including Bulpett that all options remain in play, adding that talks about his future with Boston took place today for the first time. The Clippers and Prince reportedly have mutual interest, though the Clips would rather sign him post-buyout than trade for him.

“But the most important thing is, even though all options are on the table, my job is to be a Boston Celtic at this point in time and help where help is needed,” Prince said. “So that’s the main thing, and I can’t have one foot in and one foot out the door right now — even though everything’s on the table. That would be wrong on my behalf. So we’ll see how it plays out.”

4:40pm: Ainge and Prince will meet in Los Angeles during Boston’s upcoming trip to the West Coast to discuss Prince’s future with the club, and it’s not out of the question that Prince would remain with the Celtics, Murphy tweets.

JANUARY 15TH, 9:14am: The Celtics are exploring potential trades involving Prince as they seek more draft picks, and a buyout is a “secondary option,” according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. They can’t aggregate his salary in a swap, since they just acquired him via trade, but they’re otherwise still allowed to flip him.

JANUARY 13TH, 6:44pm: Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link) reports that “no substantive talks” have taken place between Prince and the Celtics regarding a buyout yet.

6:27pm: Prince is unlikely to ever don a Celtics uniform, and the two sides are making progress on reaching a buyout agreement, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reports (Twitter link).

4:43pm: The Celtics continue to reshape their roster with an eye on the future. Boston and newly acquired forward Tayshaun Prince are negotiating toward a buyout arrangement, Chris Mannix of SI.com reports (Twitter link). No agreement has been reached just yet, Mannix adds. Prince is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and is making $7,707,865 in the final year of his deal.

Prince came to Boston as part of the three-way deal between the Celtics, Grizzlies, and Pelicans that sent forward Jeff Green to Memphis. But with Boston obviously building toward next season and wanting to get a better look at younger assets, Prince seemed like an obvious candidate to be dealt to a contending team or to reach a buyout arrangement that would allow him to try and catch on with a squad in the playoff hunt. The Cavs have been reported to have interest in the 34-year-old if he were to become a free agent.

In a career spanning 908 games, Prince has averaged 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. His slash line is .455/.368/.758. He was averaging 7.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG for Memphis this season prior to being dealt.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Prince, Wroten

January 20th, 2015 at 5:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the Knicks‘ playoff hopes being essentially non-existent at the halfway mark of the season, rookie coach Derek Fisher has no intention of allowing his team to tank for a shot at a higher lottery selection, Peter Botte of The New York Daily News writes. “I’ve only worked for one team in this capacity so I can’t get into what other teams may or may not feel,” Fisher said. “The only way I know how to approach a game is to try to win it every time. So I can’t read other people’s minds and what other organizations are trying to do. That’s not my job. You’re asking the wrong person about that. Maybe if you talk to them you can ask them. But there’s no interest in thinking about which pick we might get based on the way the ping pong [ball] bounces when we play Philadelphia Wednesday night.”

“There’s just no correlation in my mind,” Fisher continued. “Maybe some people see it differently. It’s the NBA. You always will get a chance to have good players. But will you have a foundation, a system, a way of playing that allows for the good players you have or the good players you eventually have in the future to be able to be successful?”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Carmelo Anthony acknowledges that the Knicks‘ recent trades will mean tough times for the remainder of the season, but ‘Melo believes things will turn around for New York in the future, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens called Tayshaun Prince a “good addition” to the team, and he hopes that the veteran will remain on the roster the rest of the season, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. The Celtics are reportedly going to try to trade Prince or, failing that, discuss a buyout of his contract
Tony Wroten will be out indefinitely with a sprained right knee, and the player will fly to California this week to consult a specialist about his injury, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The Sixers had reportedly discussed a potential deal with the Clippers for Wroten earlier this month, but with Los Angeles having recently acquired Austin Rivers, the chances of Wroten becoming a Clipper are likely nil this season. With Wroten having missed the last five contests, his trade value around the league will have taken a hit as well, though that is just my speculation.

Atlantic Notes: Prince, Galloway, Sixers

January 20th, 2015 at 11:05am CST by Chuck Myron

The last time the Knicks won a game, NBA teams had only pulled off one trade during the 2014/15 regular season. By the time New York snapped its 16-game losing streak Monday, there had been 11 trades, including the January 5th three-team swap with the Cavs and the Thunder that the Knicks were a part of. While we wait to see if the Knicks can make it back-to-back victories for the first time since early November, here’s the latest from the Atlantic Division:

It won’t be up to Brad Stevens to decide whether the Celtics keep Tayshaun Prince for the rest of the season, but the coach hopes Danny Ainge and his staff will retain the veteran forward, notes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. The Celtics are expected to try to trade Prince, and they’re likely to arrange a buyout deal if no trade partner emerges, as Bulpett reported this past weekend.
The Sixers are the only team that voted against lottery reform this past fall that stands to benefit in this year’s draft from the measure’s failure, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller observes. Philadelphia would have a 96% chance at a top-five pick if it finishes with the league’s third worst record, which the team has now, as our Reverse Standings show. The Sixers would be in line for only a 56% chance at a top-five pick had the league’s lottery proposal passed, as Ziller explains.
Knicks 10-day signee Langston Galloway has been a bright spot in an otherwise dreary season for the team, as George Willis of the New York Post examines.

Mutual Interest Between Clippers, Prince

January 17th, 2015 at 5:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 5:50pm: The Clippers’ preferred method of acquiring the small forward would be a free agent signing after he agrees to a buyout with the Celtics, rather than a trade with Boston, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

FRIDAY, 9:00am: It doesn’t appear a foregone conclusion that the Celtics will unload recent trade acquisition Tayshaun Prince, but there’s already mutual interest between the 13th-year veteran and the Clippers, as Chris Mannix of SI.com reports within his Open Floor column. The Clippers are the front-runners to land Prince, according to Mannix, who expects the Clips to aggressively seek bench help over the next month.

The Austin Rivers trade left the Clippers with an open roster spot, and it appears the team is angling to fill it with Nate Robinson. The Clippers are also reportedly working toward a buyout with Jordan Farmar, and Dahntay Jones occupies one of their roster spots on a 10-day contract, so the team is poised to have as many as three spots available soon.

The Celtics haven’t decided whether to pursue a buyout deal with Prince, trade him, or keep him, though the forward will meet soon with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to discuss all of those options, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reported Thursday. Prince, who turns 35 next month, is due to make nearly $7.708MM this season in the final year of his contract. Prior to Monday’s trade that sent him from Memphis to Boston, he was seeing his fewest minutes per game since his rookie season, and his PER of 8.7 over the past season and a half is indicative of a sharp decline.

Celtics Rumors: Picks, Bass, Thornton, Green

January 13th, 2015 at 1:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics stand to make at least six extra first-round draft picks in the years ahead after acquiring yet another in Monday’s Jeff Green trade. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge believes a team can never have too many picks, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald notes.

“No, because draft picks are always tradeable; players are not [always tradeable]. Draft picks are always assets,” Ainge said. “Until sometimes they’re drafted. Until they become players. Or until they become paid.”

The tear-down continues in Boston, and we’ll pass along the latest on the team’s next moves:

There is interest around the league in Brandon Bass, but the Celtics have yet to draw any serious offers for him on the trade market, league sources tell Bulpett for the same piece.
The C’s have talked about coming to buyout deals with Marcus Thornton, Jameer Nelson and Tayshaun Prince, but no decisions have been made, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.
Boston’s concern that Green would opt out and sign with another team this summer helped fuel the deal that sent him to the Grizzlies, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com explains. Ainge parted with Green but said he believes the forward still hasn’t hit his prime, Blakely notes.

And-Ones: Cavs, Prince, Ferry, Draft, Taylor

January 13th, 2015 at 11:31am CST by Chuck Myron

David Blatt believes his comment questioning whether Kevin Love is a max player was “misunderstood or misconstrued” by many, but Love says he and the Cavs coach are on the same page, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group relays.

“Kevin Love for me is a player of the highest order,” Blatt said. “Whether you want to define that by max contract or any other thing, he’s one of the best players in the NBA and that’s the way we value him.”

Love can hit free agency this summer if he turns down his player option, but tonight he’ll hit the floor against the Suns and seek to help Cleveland avoid dipping below .500. There’s more on the Cavs amid the latest from around the league:

The Cavs would be interested in Tayshaun Prince if he and the Celtics strike a buyout deal, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Cleveland apparently had interest in trading for Prince prior to Monday’s swap that sent him to Boston. Prince and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge are set to discuss the forward’s situation, and a buyout is on the table, as Chris Mannix of SI.com reported Monday.
Al Horford would welcome Hawks GM Danny Ferry back from his leave of absence, as the center tells Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). Ferry has appeared unlikely to return in the wake of racially charged comments he made about Luol Deng.
Fringe first-round draft prospect Chris McCullough will miss the rest of the season for Syracuse after tearing the ACL in his right knee, the school announced Monday (Twitter link). The freshman power forward is No. 29 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress prospect rankings and comes in 31st with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. NBA teams saw him as a long-term project even before the injury, Givony tweets.
Russia’s Dynamo Moscow has let go of former Nets point guard Tyshawn Taylor, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Taylor appeared in 23 games for Brooklyn last season, making three starts, but has been out of the NBA since the Pelicans waived him shortly after the Nets traded him to New Orleans nearly a year ago.