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Western Links: Brown, Mavericks, Clippers

June 29th, 2013 at 9:39pm CST by Spencer Lund

The deadline for the Suns to waive Shannon Brown in order to pay half of his $3.5MM salary for the 2013/14 season has passed, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter). Brown was re-signed to a two-year deal worth $7MM with excess Suns' cap room in July of 2012.

The Suns could waive Brown and only eat half of his $3.5MM contract if they did so before whichever occurred first: 36 hours after 11:59 pm the day of the 2013 NBA Draft, or June 30th. That first deadline has passed, so now the Suns are on the hook for the full amount.

Here are some more notes on the Western Conference, including Kobe Bryant's thoughts on Dwight Howard's free agency:

Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes that no matter when the Mavericks see Howard, they'll have a captive audience.
But fellow Dallas Morning News columnist, George Diaz, wants his Mavs readers to remember that Howard cherishes fun over titles.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that the Mavs don't expect to hear from Shawn Marion today, since they'll only be notified if he elects to opt out of the final of his contract, and they expect the deadline to pass quietly. Marion has an early termination option for the last year of a deal that will pay him $9.32MM next season (w/ some performance bonus'). SI's Chris Mannix confirms he's not going to opt-out (Twitter).
According to Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune, DeMarre Carroll is hoping to get a longer stay with the Jazz.
ESPNLosAngeles.com writers Ramona Shelburne and Arash Markazi debate whether the addition of Doc Rivers makes the Clippers championship contenders.
Shelburne also says the Clippers are taking their time before making any moves after bringing on Doc Rivers (Twitter), so they're going to take their time with possible Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan moves.
Dan McCarney of the Express-News checks in with the Spurs' Euro stash.
Mike Trudell of Lakers.com spoke with the Lakers' Kobe Bryant about Dwight Howard's impending free agency, and sent out a few tweets with Kobe's answers.

Odds & Ends: Brown, Granger, Brooks, Cavs

June 29th, 2013 at 12:02am CST by Chuck Myron

It's been a relatively quiet post-draft night around the NBA, but such inactivity won't last long. Teams can negotiate with free agents from other clubs starting Monday, and we'll likely find out the destinations for most of the top available talent in the week ahead. Here's what we know now:

Spurs assistant Brett Brown is a candidate for both of the league's remaining head coaching vacancies, but while the Sixers have strong interest in hiring him, Brown is "extremely" interested in the Celtics job, a source tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe.
Before Larry Bird returned this week as Pacers president of basketball ops, the team appeared to favor keeping Danny Granger rather than trading him this summer. Bird is on board with that plan, notes Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star.
The Nets tried to trade MarShon Brooks during the draft for a second-round pick, but when they found no one willing to do such a deal, they substituted him for Reggie Evans in the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce blockbuster, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
The Cavaliers are looking for a center, small forward and backup point guard, and they're willing to swing a trade to fill those needs, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
The Rockets timed renovations to their home arena to coincide with free agency, so potential players could see the franchise's upgrades in action, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details.
Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News speculates on potential trade targets for the Pistons, who've had Wilson Chandler of the Nuggets "on their radar" for a while, Goodwill writes.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside identifies five players left undrafted Thursday whose chances of making the NBA could benefit from a D-League stint.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer figures the kind of deal Brandon Jennings gets in restricted free agency this year could set the bar for Kemba Walker, whose rookie-scale contract with the Bobcats is up in 2015 (Twitter link).

Western Rumors: Mo Williams, Mavs, Harris

June 28th, 2013 at 6:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

There's a major shakeup going on in the Eastern Conference now that Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are on their way to Brooklyn. An even more resounding move could happen in the West, where Dwight Howard's primary suitors are. We've got more on that storyline and others from the Western Conference:

Mo Williams is expected to discuss re-signing in Utah with Jazz brass, but a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that Williams isn't interested in returning if he's not the starter. Last night, the Jazz wound up with point guard Trey Burke in the draft, and he has eyes on the starting job, too, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. (Twitter link).
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tells Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News that he has a couple of meetings with players scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, presumably referring to Howard and Chris Paul. Still, those two big fishes aren't the team's sole focus, as Cuban also says the Mavs were in discussions yesterday about a deal that would have prevented the team from making a maximum-salary signing this summer.
Devin Harris dropped hints Friday about returning to the Mavericks, where he began his career, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News observes. "It’s always crossed my mind," Harris said. "It’s crossed my mind since I left. Obviously, I think it would be cool to come back. But I also like it in Atlanta. It comes down to what best fits me."
Howard won't necessarily make the Lakers the last stop on his listening tour as he fields free agent pitches this summer, even though the purple and gold brass would like to see that happen, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
The Lakers are declining the chance to tender Darius Morris a $1.2MM qualifying offer, but the team has interest in re-signing him to a deal worth less than that, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Andrew Goudelock may return as well, but Devin Ebanks won't be back, Pincus adds in a look at the team's would-be restricted free agents.
Brian Scalabrine is talking with the Warriors about joining the team as an assistant coach, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Spurs officially announced their hiring of Pacers assistant coach Jim Boylen as an assistant on Gregg Popovich's staff. Boylen is not to be confused with Cavs assistant Jim Boylan.

Boris Diaw Exercises Player Option

June 28th, 2013 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 1:31pm: Diaw's agent, Doug Neustadt, confirms that his client is opting in, telling Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that the letter has been sent to the team.

THURSDAY, 8:25pm: Boris Diaw expects to opt in for the final year of his contract with the Spurs, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Diaw's 2013/14 player option would pay him a guaranteed $4,702,500 if he exercises it.

Given Diaw's production in 2012/13 (5.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 11.9 PER), he'd be very unlikely to land a deal with a higher annual salary than the $4.7MM he'll receive from San Antonio, so it'd be pretty surprising if he decided to opt out. Assuming he makes the decision official, he'll become the second Spur to pick up his player option this week, as Patty Mills exercised his on Monday.

Berger On Knicks, Spurs, Plumlee, Hawks, C’s

June 27th, 2013 at 5:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com is passing along a number of draft-night updates via Twitter, so let's dive in and check out the latest from him….

The Knicks figure to keep their first-round pick and will likely target the best available shooting guard at No. 24. Berger suggests Jamaal Franklin or Allen Crabbe.
With the Spurs hoping to get younger and more athletic, teams view Tony Mitchell and Lucas Nogueira as possibilities for San Antonio at No. 28.

Earlier updates:

Mason Plumlee is a "strong possibility" for the Hawks at No. 17 or 18, according to Berger. The team's other pick would likely be a draft-and-stash international player.
Jamaal Franklin has drawn interest from the Hawks, Bulls, Knicks, and Clippers.
Berger says that NBA teams are eager to see what the Celtics do at No. 16. If Boston drafts a point guard, it could be an indication that the club is open to trading Rajon Rondo as part of its rebuild.
On the other hand, if the Celtics intend to rebuild around Rondo, rival teams believe Reggie Bullock is a likely target for the C's at No. 16.
The Pacers (No. 23), Clippers (25), Wolves (26), and Nuggets (27) are teams who could end up moving their first-round picks.

Southwest Notes: Spurs, Pelicans, Draft, Burke

June 27th, 2013 at 1:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest draft rumors out of the Southwest Division..

Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter) hears that point guard Trey Burke was very close to a promise from the Pelicans at No. 6. Hoops Rumors' most recent mock draft has the Michigan product going No. 8 to the Pistons.
Among the players believed to have piqued the Spurs' interest are Murray State guard Isaiah Canaan, Michigan guard Tim Hardaway Jr., North Carolina small forward Reggie Bullock, and Louisville center Gorgui Dieng, notes Jeff McDonald of the Express News.
Virginia Tech's Erick Green made a second trip into San Antonio to workout recently for the Spurs, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Wojnarowski notes that Green, a 6'4" guard, is one of the draft's better scorers.

Odds & Ends: Marbury, Shaw, J.R. Smith, Calathes

June 26th, 2013 at 11:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

Stephon Marbury hasn't played in the NBA since the 2008/09 season, and he's not interested in making a comeback, telling reporters Tuesday in China that he prefers to continue playing in the Chinese league. Jonas Terrado of Tempo has the details. With the draft now just hours away, there's plenty of news on guys who are and will be a part of the NBA, and here's the latest:

New Nuggets coach Brian Shaw has a three-year deal with an option for a fourth, and his annual salary will be around $2MM, reports Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. It's not clear whether the option belongs to the Nuggets or to Shaw, though usually options in coaching contracts belong to the team.
The top priority for the Knicks this summer is retaining J.R. Smith, a source tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who passes along the note in an updated version of his story on the team's decision to extend a qualifying offer to Pablo Prigioni.
The Mavs own the rights to former second-round pick Nick Calathes, and there's mutual interest in bringing him to the NBA next season, reports Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Other NBA teams are interested, too, and the Mavs are willing to trade him if they can't fit him on their roster, McMahon writes.
While noting that Luol Deng's camp is dismissing the idea that there's an extension in the works with the Bulls, as we heard yesterday, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the Bulls are calling around to see what they can get for Richard Hamilton.
Pacers assistant Jim Boylen has an agreement in place with the Spurs to join Gregg Popovich's coaching staff in San Antonio, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Boylen is not to be confused with former Bucks coach Jim Boylan, whom the Cavs hired as an assistant coach earlier today.
Sixers insiders expect minority owner Dave Heller to take over Adam Aron's role as liaison between the team's basketball operations and principal owner Josh Harris, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Cavs, Bulls, Spurs Talking Thomas Robinson

June 26th, 2013 at 10:43pm CST by Luke Adams

10:43pm: The Bulls and Spurs have improved their offers, and the Cavs may be left behind, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.

1:36pm: According to Stein (via Twitter), if the Bulls were to acquire Robinson, they would flip him in a subsequent trade.

12:31pm: Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio tweets that the Spurs remain in the running for Robinson as well, though it's not clear what a San Antonio offer would look like.

WEDNESDAY, 12:26pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein is hearing that the Cavaliers No. 19 pick and the Bulls' No. 20 pick are both on the table for Robinson (Twitter link). Stein adds (via Twitter) that more and more league executives view Houston as the frontrunner for Howard, making a Robinson trade more likely.

TUESDAY, 11:38am: The Rockets are engaged in "advanced talks" on a deal that would see them trade Thomas Robinson, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. According to Feigen, the Cavaliers and Spurs are among the teams with interest in Robinson. Feigen's source adds that the Rockets have also talked to the Bulls about a potential deal, though it's not clear if those talks related to Robinson or a larger trade.

The Rockets would like to move Robinson without taking any salary back in return, since the team hopes to clear enough space to make a run at unrestricted free agent Dwight Howard. The Bulls would be able to accommodate such a deal, since Chicago has a $5MM trade exception that could absorb Robinson's salary.

It's not clear whether the Cavs have quite enough room to take on Robinson's salary this week, since 2012/13 salaries still apply up until June 30th, but they'll have plenty of cap space available in July, so they could reach an agreement with Houston this week and make it official next month. As for the Spurs, their path to a deal with the Rockets is a little hazy, unless they renounced their rights to some of their free agents next month to create cap room for Robinson. A three-team deal could also be a possibility, as Feigen speculates.

According to Feigen, the Rockets may prefer to wait until July to move Robinson anyway, since trading him wouldn't be absolutely necessarily unless the team felt it had a strong chance to land Howard and needed that extra cap room to make a max offer. If Howard elects to sign elsewhere, Houston may be better off hanging on to last year's fifth overall pick.

Spurs Notes: Ginobili, Splitter, Diaw, Draft

June 26th, 2013 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Six days after the Spurs lost Game 7 in Miami, San Antonio GM R.C. Buford publicly discussed the team's offseason today, addressing free-agents-to-be, option decisions, and the next steps for the club. Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News has the details and the quotes from Buford, so let's round up the best of his piece:

Manu Ginobili has indicated that he has no desire to play for another NBA team, and that feeling appears to be mutual. "I think all of our hopes are that Manu finishes his career in San Antonio," Buford said.
Buford appeared less certain about restricted free agent Tiago Splitter, who the Spurs would like to bring back, but who figures to draw more interest on the open market. "Until we know what the market says, and how that impacts our planning for the future," Buford said. "You can’t answer with incomplete information."
The team has yet to receive word from Boris Diaw on whether he'll exercise his $4.7MM player option, though I'd expect him to pick that up at some point this week.
Until the Spurs resolve the situations with their own free agents, Buford isn't prepared to say whether or not the team will have the opportunity to pursue outside free agents. "There’s a lot of guys (we like)," Buford said. "You just don’t know if you can afford them."
With the 28th and 58th picks in the draft, Buford suggested that the team isn't going into Thursday night with a specific plan on whether to draft for immediate impact or long-term potential. "You don’t know until you get to your pick what’s available," Buford said.

Odds & Ends: Bynum, Ginobili, Heat, Joerger

June 25th, 2013 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

It's already been a busy day of news and rumors, and things don't figure to slow down anytime soon. With the draft fast approaching and free agency to follow shortly thereafter, the NBA's roster-movement season is in full swing. As we try not to let anything slip through the cracks, let's round up a few Tuesday odds and ends from around the Association:

Free-agent-to-be Andrew Bynum has completed rehab on his knee and is set to resume basketball workouts next week, writes Dan Gelston of the Associated Press. Agent David Lee indicated there's "not a concern in the world" that Bynum will be ready for training camp, and said he expects to meet with a couple teams when free agency opens next week.
While it appeared during the playoffs that Manu Ginobili would consider retiring this offseason, the longtime Spur wrote in Argentinian newspaper La Nacion that he can't imagine not continuing his playing career. Mike Monroe and Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News have the details.
Asked about the opt-out clauses the Heat's Big Three have in their contracts for 2014, Dwyane Wade echoed LeBron James' comments, indicating that it wasn't something he'd seriously considered or discussed yet (link via Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald).
Dave Joerger's contract as head coach of the Grizzlies will have at least three guaranteed years, and could end up being for four years, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
If Channing Frye were unable to play for the Suns again next season after missing last year due to a heart condition, the team would receive salary-cap relief, but Frye tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that he's "extremely hopeful and optimistic" about his future and plans to return to action in 2013/14.
In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman addresses the possibility of Ray Allen opting out and the Heat signing Greg Oden.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps has met with draft prospects Ben McLemore, Anthony Bennett, and Victor Oladipo, Demps confirmed today to Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Glen Rice Jr., who is working out for the Bucks for a second time, and Allen Crabbe headline Milwaukee's list of workout participants today (Twitter links via the team's official PR account).
Agent Marc Cornstein spoke to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News about Metta World Peace's decision to opt in for 2013/14.