Will Bynum Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Interested In Will Bynum

January 28th, 2015 at 11:52am CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards have joined the Cavs among the teams interested in point guard Will Bynum, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The seven-year veteran is in China with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, who haven’t lost since he joined them in early December. The regular season ends February 1st for the Tigers, but the playoffs could keep him off-limits for NBA teams until late March, Charania adds.

Bynum has put up strong numbers in China, averaging 23.2 points and 7.4 assists against 3.3 turnovers per game. The longtime Piston went to the Celtics in a preseason trade, but the Celtics waived the Mark Bartelstein client amid a roster crunch before opening night in spite of a guaranteed salary of nearly $2.916MM.

Washington has an open roster spot, and though it seems the club would prefer to use it to sign Ray Allen, for whom the Wizards are reportedly the most aggressive suitor, it’s still seems a long shot that Allen would head to the nation’s capital. Washington, just like Cleveland, is limited to handing out the prorated minimum salary to Bynum, Allen or any other free agents.

Cavs Interested In Will Bynum, Bobby Brown

January 25th, 2015 at 9:18am CST by Eddie Scarito

SUNDAY, 9:18am: The interest between Brown and the Cavs is mutual, reports Jorge Sierra of Hoopshype. “I will say this about Cleveland: How could anyone not want to play with LeBron [James]? First off, he is the best player in the league and second, you have a chance to be a part of a championship team. Plus, playing in Europe, I was a big fan of [David] Blatt] and always wanted to play for him. Also, I have known [David Griffin] since I was in the draft and have always been a huge believer in him,” Brown said.

SATURDAY, 8:43am: With the Cavaliers still seeking to add depth at the point guard spot, Will Bynum and Bobby Brown are two players whom Cleveland is keeping an eye on, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal reports. Both are currently playing in China, and neither will be available until after the Chinese Basketball Association’s playoffs conclude in March, Lloyd notes. If the Cavs are unable to land a player via a trade before then, either Bynum or Brown could be brought aboard, Lloyd adds.

Bynum, 32, is a seven year veteran who will likely have a number of NBA offers to choose from, Lloyd writes. The Cavs will only be able to offer the guard the prorated veteran’s minimum, but a shot at an NBA title could be a strong draw for Bynum, Lloyd notes. Bynum has been playing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers since early December after being signed to replace the injured Emmanuel Mudiay, who is a likely 2015 lottery selection.

The Celtics had waived Bynum and his guaranteed contract, worth nearly $2.916MM, in order to free up roster space shortly after acquiring him from the Pistons in a preseason trade. Bynum’s career numbers in 353 NBA appearances are 8.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. His career slash line is .443/.280/.800.

Adding Brown would be a more complicated matter for the Cavs, Lloyd notes. The 30-year-old still has two years remaining on his contract with DongGuan, but there have been reports that Brown’s deal contains an NBA out clause. Brown went undrafted back in the 2007 NBA draft, and he has played for four NBA teams during his career. Brown had worked out for the Lakers prior to the season, but he had already inked his deal to head overseas prior to that display. Brown’s NBA averages over 113 career games are 5.1 points and 1.8 assists. His career slash line is .384/.311/.810.

And-Ones: Durant, Heat, Raptors, Bynum, Heslip

January 22nd, 2015 at 1:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards seem like prime contenders for Washington native Kevin Durant when he hits free agency in 2016, but the thought of a homecoming isn’t on the reigning MVP’s mind, at least yet, as he told reporters, including Royce Young of ESPN.com.

“I’ve never thought about it, to be honest,” Durant said. “I mean, I hear it in the summertime. I heard it for the first time this summer. That’s when it started heating up. I love playing for Oklahoma City, man. There’s just a certain level of pride that I have when I play with that Oklahoma City on my chest.”

The Thunder picked up a key victory Wednesday against the Wizards as they fight to grab a playoff spot and salvage this year’s chance to win a title while Durant remains under contract. Here’s more from around the league:

Miami won’t re-sign Tyler Johnson to another 10-day contract, at least for the time being, a source tells Hoops Rumors. The Heat want to maximize their flexibility in case of a trade, but it’s possible that they’ll re-sign him later, perhaps as soon as a week from now, the source added. Johnson’s original 10-day pact with the Heat expired after Wednesday.
The Raptors had interest in Tyrus Thomas before he reached a deal to sign a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
NBA interest is growing in former Pistons point guard Will Bynum, whose Chinese team has won 22 games in a row since he joined the club last month, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Still, the Chinese Basketball Association playoffs threaten to keep him off-limits to NBA teams until March, Wojnarowski notes.
Wolves camp invitee Brady Heslip will sign with BC Igokea in Bosnia, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt reports (on Twitter). Gino Pilato of D-League Digest first reported that Heslip had left the D-League affiliate of the Kings, with whom he had been playing since Minnesota cut him loose (Twitter link).
Providence junior small forward Tyler Harris plans to enter this year’s NBA draft, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. Harris is the 65th-best NBA prospect among juniors, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Chad Ford of ESPN.com doesn’t have him within his rankings.

Will Bynum Signs To Replace Mudiay In China

December 5th, 2014 at 8:32am CST by Chuck Myron

Will Bynum has officially signed with China’s Guangdong Southern Tigers, the team announced (translation via Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, via Twitter). The guaranteed deal is worth more than $1MM, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote overnight. Bynum will replace marquee draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay while he recovers from his sprained ankle, initially on a temporary basis, and the team will decide later whether to make the move permanent based on how the ankle responds and the way Bynum plays, Givony notes (Twitter link). Wojnarowski first reported the sides were nearing a deal late Thursday.

Mudiay’s timetable for recovery is three to four weeks, according to the club, and with 13 games this month, Guangdong wants to have a capable replacement, while Mudiay wants to take a cautious approach, as Givony explains (Twitter links). Mudiay hasn’t been making as much progress as Guangdong would have liked with the injury, which has kept him out since November 24th, and there was some disagreement over his recovery timetable, according to Givony (on Twitter). The 18-year-old played 10 games before the injury, averaging 17.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists, and NBA executives told Wojnarowski that his performance helped his draft stock. Mudiay, who abruptly scuttled plans to play for Southern Methodist University this season to sign a one-year deal worth $1.2MM with Guangdong this past summer, is No. 2 in the prospect rankings of both Givony and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The Spurs and Suns were among several teams to scout Mudiay early in the season, but the ankle injury kept others from traveling to observe the 6’5″ point guard, Wojnarowski writes.

Bynum, a Mark Bartelstein client, is landing an attractive overseas deal after the Celtics waived his guaranteed contract, worth nearly $2.916MM, in a crunch for roster space shortly after acquiring him from the Pistons in a preseason trade. The Chinese deal should allow Boston to recoup a small portion of that amount through set-off rights, though that amount wouldn’t be nearly as much as what Bynum’s new contract gives him. The seven-year NBA veteran will presumably be eligible to return stateside for the stretch run of the regular season, if not sooner.

Will Bynum In Talks With Chinese Team

December 4th, 2014 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

10:26pm: Mudiay is reportedly leaving China because of his injury, and his family wants him to fully recover in order to be ready for the 2015 NBA draft, according to Hupu.com (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).

9:49pm: Will Bynum is nearing a deal with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Bynum would be brought in to replace Emmanuel Mudiay, who has been out with an ankle injury since November 24th. It is unclear if this would mean Mudiay would be released from Guangdong, or if Bynum is simply being brought in to bolster the roster until Mudiay is able to return to action.

Bynum was waived by the Celtics back in October after Boston had acquired him via trade from the Pistons, though the Celtics had made attempts to trade his fully guaranteed salary rather than simply release him. In 353 career games in the NBA, Bynum has averaged 8.2 points and 3.3 assists, while logging 18.5 minutes per contest. His career slash line is .443/.280/.800.

Mudiay is widely projected to be a top-five pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and he has the potential to be selected No. 1 overall. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the rankings of both Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Prior to his injury, Mudiay was averaging 16.4 points, 6.1 assists and 6.0 rebounds per contest.

There has been some talk that Mudiay was planning to leave China prior to the end of the CBA season in order to keep his draft stock high, which would keep an aura of mystique around him similar to what surrounded Dante Exum last year. Mudiay denied such claims, but it remains to be seen how his ankle injury will affect his thinking in this regard.

Celtics Waive Will Bynum

October 27th, 2014 at 3:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics have waived point guard Will Bynum, the team announced via press release. The move had appeared likely since shortly after Boston acquired him via trade from the Pistons, though the Celtics made attempts to move his guaranteed salary rather than simply release it. The Celtics will be on the hook for Bynum’s nearly $2.916MM salary for this season unless another team claims him off waivers. Boston also announced the waiver of five other players in its press release, so the team is at the 15-man regular season roster limit.

Bynum has spent the past six seasons with Detroit, primarily as a backup point guard. He figured to be the third-stringer behind Brandon Jennings and D.J. Augustin this year, and there wasn’t much room for him on the Celtics, either, with Rajon Rondo and lottery pick Marcus Smart around, among others.

The C’s appeared to acquire Bynum in large measure to reduce the amount of guaranteed salary they would have to eat, as Joel Anthony, who went to the Pistons in that trade, will make $3.8MM this season, about $900K more than Bynum. Boston had been carrying 16 fully guaranteed deals all preseason, but it seems there wasn’t a trade to be had that could fix that logjam and save the C’s from releasing one of those contracts.

Celtics Likely To Waive Will Bynum?

October 22nd, 2014 at 6:48pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 6:48pm: Mark Bartelstein, Bynum’s agent, told A Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com that a decision regarding Bynum will be made by this weekend. “They like Will as a player,” Bartelstein said. “They value him as a player. They just don’t have a roster spot. If they could do something to create an opportunity (to keep him), they would look at that. But right now, they don’t have a roster spot open. So we’ll see what happens in the next couple days.” Bynum is still more likely to be waived than dealt, Blakely notes.

TUESDAY, 11:36am: The Celtics are seeking a trade partner who would take Bynum, but finding one would be a long shot, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. It’s more likely the point guard hits waivers than winds up in a trade, Murphy adds.

SATURDAY, 2:55pm: Mark Bartelstein, Bynum’s agent, says he and Ainge have been in ongoing talks regarding Bynum’s future, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Bartelstein also said that both sides plan to “take a deep breath” before finalizing a decision, Stein adds.

2:08pm: Bynum won’t play in Boston’s final two preseason games, and the Celtics are exploring other possible moves before they would waive Bynum, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald reports (Twitter links). This could include trading another player in order to keep Bynum, Bulpett adds.

12:45pm: The Celtics are expected to waive newly acquired guard Will Bynum, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reports. GM Danny Ainge is scheduled to meet with the player today, Washburn notes, and the likely outcome is that Boston places Bynum on waivers. Boston still has 20 players on their preseason roster, with 16 fully guaranteed deals, including Bynum’s $2.9MM pact. Bynum is expected to garner interest on the free agent market once he clears waivers, Washburn adds.

The 6’0″, 31-year-old out of Georgia Tech has been in the league for seven seasons, and has averaged 8.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 3.3 APG thus far in his career. Bynum has played in a total of 353 games, including 29 starts, and has logged an average of 18.5 minutes-per-contest.

Bynum wasn’t a good fit for the Celtics’ rebuilding roster, and with the team focusing on developing first-rounder Marcus Smart to take over for Rajon Rondo, Bynum didn’t figure to see major minutes once Rondo returns to action from his hand injury.

Eastern Notes: Harris, Celtics, Barganani

October 21st, 2014 at 7:59pm CST by Alex Lee

Here is a look at what is going on in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night:

After locking up Nikola Vucevic earlier tonight, the Magic will continue to work on reaching an agreement with forward Tobias Harris, who is also entering his fourth season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). While the Magic are reportedly eager to extend Harris, Wojnarowski cautions that the sides are not close on the terms.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders checks in on last week’s Pistons/Celtics trade that sent Will Bynum to Boston and Joel Anthony to Detroit. According to Pincus, the Celtics utilized the $4.25MM trade exception they received in July’s Kris Humphries deal to take on Bynum’s $2.9MM salary, reducing the exception to approximately $1.3MM. They received a new trade exception of $3.8MM for Anthony. Because these exceptions expire a year after the trade in which they’re acquired, Boston essentially downgraded their trade exception by about $450K in return for three months of additional time with which to use it (Pincus Twitter links here).
Any hope that Derek Fisher and the triangle offense could salvage last summer’s trade for Andrea Bargnani has been temporarily derailed by a preseason hamstring injury, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. There was talk that Phil Jackson and the Knicks were trying to move Bargnani this offseason, but his bloated $11.5MM salary for this season made that impossible.

Atlantic Notes: Rondo, Knicks, Celtics

October 18th, 2014 at 8:40am CST by Eddie Scarito

Sports Illustrated senior writer Ian Thomsen spoke with Kyle Draper and Bob Neumeier of CSNNE.com about the Celtics and the possibility that they deal Rajon Rondo this season. Thomsen believes it will be difficult for Boston to receive anything of value in return for their point guard. Thomsen said, “It all depends on Rondo or what he’s going to do, how well he’s going to play. I think he’s going to have a tremendous year looking forward to his free agency. I’m not sure how the Celtics get anything in a trade for Rondo because he wants to be a free agent and the Knicks and Lakers are going to be out there with max cap space [in the offseason]. How’s anyone going to keep him from going to one of those teams, including the Celtics?”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The battle for the final Knicks roster spot might just come down to Travis Wear versus Travis Outlaw, Keith Schlosser of SNY.tv opines. Wear is mastering the triangle offense quicker than Outlaw, but it is Outlaw’s expiring $3MM contract that might make him more valuable to retain on the regular season roster as a possible trade chip, notes Schlosser.
The Celtics got even smaller with the trade for Will Bynum, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. After adding the 6’0″ Bynum, this leaves the team with eight players 6’4″ or smaller, notes Blakely. Boston still has 16 fully guaranteed contracts on the books, so more dealing is very possible, according to Blakely.
The Knicks have a new look this season both on and off the court. The architect of this rebuild is new team president Phil Jackson, and Al Iannozzone, Mark LaMonica, and Anthony Carrozzo of Newsday take an in-depth look at all the changes that Jackson has brought to New York.

Pistons Notes: Bynum, Anthony, Gray, Dinwiddie

October 17th, 2014 at 1:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

Today’s Pistons/Celtics trade allows the Celtics to create a rather diminutive $884,092 trade exception equal to the difference between the salaries for Joel Anthony and Will Bynum, but the Pistons can’t reap an exception, since Anthony has the larger salary of the two. It was difficult to immediately see just why the Pistons pulled off the deal, since it doesn’t alleviate their dilemma of 16 fully guaranteed contracts against a maximum 15 regular season roster spots, but reports in the hours since the swap help explain, as we detail:

The heart ailment that’s keeping Aaron Gray out indefinitely was a major catalyst for the trade, which gives the team an additional backup center, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “The decision that we needed to beef up our front line was the driving force behind it,” Pistons GM Jeff Bower said, as Langlois relays. “Joel is a player that we have familiarity with that we feel can and will be able to do what he does best. Those are needs for us.”
Bower said Spencer Dinwiddie, who’s almost fully recovered from tearing his ACL in January, was a factor in the trade, too, as Langlois observes in the same piece. Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy views Dinwiddie, whom the team selected 38th overall in this year’s draft, as a “pass-first point guard who can shoot,” Langlois notes, even though the 6’6″ 21-year-old is often listed as a shooting guard.
The Pistons plan to keep Anthony around for a while, sources indicate to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News, suggesting that Anthony’s guaranteed contract won’t be one that the Pistons let go when they set their regular season roster (Twitter link).