April 2013 Basketball Wiretap

Gasol Hopes To Remain With Lakers

Apr 29, 2013 10:32 AM

Pau Gasol has one season remaining on his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and hopes to return even though he could be dealt in the offseason.

"I would like to be a part of another championship team here, but it is not totally up to me," Gasol said.

"We could definitely get it done [if the roster stayed intact], but I would be pretty surprised if there was no changes whatsoever. I would be surprised if that happens."

Gasol said he had "certain desires that [Phil Jackson] would be chosen" to replace Mike Brown instead of Mike D'Antoni.

Gasol and Jackson remain in frequent contact.

Dave McMenamin/ESPN

Tags: Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Cavaliers Interested In Trading For LaMarcus Aldridge

Apr 24, 2013 11:10 AM

The Cleveland Cavaliers have held internal discussions of pursuing a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers for LaMarcus Aldridge, according to sources.

The Cavaliers have enough assets in the form of young players and picks to acquire a player of Aldridge's caliber, but the front office is said to value Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters higher than the rest of the NBA.

Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

Tags: LaMarcus Aldridge, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Raptors Would Likely Need To Include Asset To Trade Bargnani

Apr 23, 2013 5:04 PM

Andrea Bargnani has $22.5 million remaining on his contract and sources say the Toronto Raptors would likely have to include an asset in order to trade him.

The Raptors pursued a trade of Bargnani throughout the season, something Bryan Colangelo even admitted.

Bargnani signed a $50 million extension with the Raptors in July of 2009.

Ryan Wolstat/Toronto Sun

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Demps Not Ruling Out Eric Gordon Trade

Apr 22, 2013 1:39 PM

Dell Demps said on Monday that the New Orleans Pelicans plan to use their cap space this summer and are open to trade possibilities -- even those that include Eric Gordon.

"We want to maximize opportunity to use cap space," Demps said.

Gordon signed a contract extension with New Orleans last offseason, but there have been rumors about the displeasure between he and the organization.

Gordon averaged 17 points and 3.3 assists in 42 games this season.

John Reid/The Times Picayune

Tags: Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Mavericks Want To Upgrade At Point Guard, Center Before Next Season

Apr 20, 2013 1:50 PM

The Dallas Mavericks would like to add a perimeter player capable of engineering their offense while also creating shots for himself and others.

“Look, we’ve been spoiled with guys like [Steve] Nash and Jason Kidd, and those are certainly big shoes to fill,” Donnie Nelson said. “And I think, you know, the quarterback position is one that we’re going to look very, very hard at. We’ve always liked players that are veteran, players that are smart, and having the ability to raise our collective IQ is also something that’s important to us.”

Nelson also covets a defensive center capable of protecting the rim and controlling the glass.

“We’re always into rim protectors and shot blockers,” Nelson said. “That certainly makes life a lot easier for everyone on the floor. But we’ve got six guys under contract. We’ve got three veterans and three young guys, and we’re in pretty short order going to try to address all of those available positions. … It’s free agency, it’s draft, it’s trade, and so we’ll turn over every rock in attempt to get where we need to be, which is not where we are right now.”

The Mavericks finished the season with nine players on expiring contracts.

Earl K. Sneed/NBA.com

Tags: Dallas Mavericks, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Evan Turner Confident He'll Be Back With Sixers

Apr 20, 2013 1:48 PM

Evan Turner believes he'll be back with the Philadephia 76ers next season.

Turner’s name has come up in several trade rumors.

"Not to be arrogant or cocky, but my name comes up, I believe, because of trade value in that situation," Turner said. "Regardless of whether I get heat for certain situations or certain bad nights and stuff, I still think I'm a valuable player in this league."

Turner averaged a career-best 13.3 points this season and was the only Sixer to start all 82 games.

"I'm just tapping the surface," said Turner, who averaged 7.2 points as a rookie and 9.4 last season. "The difference between 14 points and 18 points are a couple of foul calls. So people might agree that I get fouled a lot. So if I get to 18 points, that's all-star numbers."

Keith Pompey/Philadelphia Inquirer

Tags: Evan Turner, Philadelphia Sixers, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Olshey: Blazers Targeting Draft Day Trade, Want To Add Defensive Center

Apr 19, 2013 7:13 PM

Neil Olshey is targeting a draft day trade in which the Portland Trail Blazers absorb the contract of a proven, defensive center in exchange for one or more draft picks.

"We are going to be aggressive to construct a deal to make the team better on draft night," Olshey said.

Anderson Varejao has been mentioned as a possible target of the Blazers, who want to upgrade at center from J.J. Hickson.

The Blazers could use most of their expected $11.6 million in cap space to execute the trade.

"If there is a player under contract that we can absorb into our room on a team that values a draft pick more than the established player, or they are moving in a different direction and it moves us forward faster, it's clearly what we are going to do," Olshey said.

Jason Quick/Oregonian

Tags: Portland Trail Blazers, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Warriors Turned Down Pierce For Barnes, 2014 Expiring Offer From Celtics At Deadline

Apr 18, 2013 6:06 PM

At the deadline, the Golden State Warriors turned down an offer of Paul Pierce from the Boston Celtics for Harrison Barnes and the expiring 2014 contract of either Andris Biedrins or Richard Jefferson.

Barnes was the seventh overall pick in last June's draft and started 81 games at small forward.

With Pierce, the Warriors presumably would have improved their short-term chances in the playoffs.

Bill Simmons/ESPN

Tags: Paul Pierce, Harrison Barnes, Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Raptors 'Quickly Rebuffed' Valanciunas For Harden Trade Inquiry From Thunder

Apr 18, 2013 6:01 PM

The Oklahoma City Thunder spoke to the Toronto Raptors about a trade centered on James Harden for Jonas Valanciunas.

The Raptors 'quickly rebuffed' the interest from Sam Presti in the trade.

The Thunder eventually traded Harden to the Rockets while also acquiring the Raptors' lottery guaranteed pick.

Valanciunas averaged 8.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game during his rookie season.

Bill Simmons/ESPN

Tags: Jonas Valanciunas, James Harden, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Kobe Asks For Gasol Trade Speculation To End Following Triple Double

Apr 18, 2013 10:43 AM

Pau Gasol recorded a triple-double in the Los Angeles Lakers' 99-95 overtime win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday to secure the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.

Gasol had 17 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists, his second triple double of April.

"Can the talk of trading Pau Gasol come to a cease now?" Bryant said via Twitter.

Mike Bresnahan/Los Angeles Times

Tags: Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Sources: Hornets Could Look To Trade Gordon This Summer

John Reid/Times Picayune