March 2021 Basketball Wiretap

Rockets Expected To Receive 'Significant Trade Interest' In Christian Wood

Nov 30, 2021 1:02 PM

Christian Wood will become a free agent in 2023, which could compel the Houston Rockets to entertain trade offers for him.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer writes that the Houston Rockets are expected to "receive significant trade interest" in Wood if they make him available.

Wood signed with the Rockets in 2020 thinking he would join James Harden on a contending team. Wood is on a $13.67 million contract this season and $14.32 million deal in 22-23.

Wood is averaging 16.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists this season for the Rockets. 

Kevin O'Connor/The Ringer

Tags: Christian Wood, Houston Rockets, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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John Wall Meets With Rafael Stone, Stephen Silas On Potential Return To Rockets

Nov 30, 2021 12:55 PM

John Wall met with Rafael Stone and Stephen Silas about returning to the lineup of the Houston Rockets.

“Rafael (Stone, the Rockets general manager) and I did meet with John (on Sunday) and he had indicated that he wants to play and work towards that so right now we’re in that phase as far as getting him back in game shape,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “He’s been doing a lot of one-on-oh type stuff and one-on-one type stuff but nothing up and down, nothing four-on-four, five-on-five.

“Right now is the ramp-up time. That’ll probably take a couple weeks. We’ll continue our conversations and try to determine what it looks like.”

Before the season, Wall agreed with Houston's plan to have him sit out while they pursue a trade. Wall has since begun lobbying directly to Stone and on social media to begin playing.

“That’s part of the discussions we’re going to be having,” Silas said. “Yesterday was discussion No. 1. That was very much centered around him getting to a place he can play in an NBA game. He’s in great shape.

“He is diligent as far as his work. He’s been positive and all that stuff. But as far as getting in game shape, our guys have had training camp and they’ve been practicing and they had games. He hasn’t had any of that. Right now, it’s about getting him to that point.”

Silas said it would be a goal to have Wall ready and available to play though there are additional considerations.

“Yeah, if he’s able to play,” Silas said. “It has to be good for everybody. It has to be good for him. It has to be good for our organization. It has to be good for our group. There’s more to it than just one conversation and getting ready to play and now you play.

“There’s what does the role look like? What does it look like for the group? What does it look like for everybody? We’re at stage one.”

Jonathan Feigen/Houston Chronicle

Tags: John Wall, Houston Rockets, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Nikola Vucevic Reveals He Was Involved In Trade Process With Magic

Nov 26, 2021 7:08 AM

Nikola Vucevic revealed that his trade from the Orlando Magic to the Chicago Bulls was a mutual decision in which he was looped in by his former team.

‘‘Yeah, it wasn’t a situation where they traded me out of nowhere,’’ Vucevic said of the deal that sent him from the Magic to the Bulls last season. ‘‘It was something that we discussed a lot, and it was mutually agreed. It wasn’t a situation where they told me I wasn’t going to get traded and then I get traded. A lot of it came from my communication with them, so it wasn’t a surprise for me.

‘‘Never will I ever have any bad feelings toward Orlando; it will always be positive. It was time for the team to go in a different direction. It was time for something new to happen. It wasn’t working the way we wanted, and I think it worked out for both parties in the end.’’

The Magic acquired Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first round picks for Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu.

Joe Cowley/Chicago Sun-Times

Tags: Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Kings Expect Internal Improvement After Coaching Change, Not Interested In Major Trade

Nov 23, 2021 10:12 PM

The Sacramento Kings made the league's first coaching change of the season in replacing Luke Walton with Alvin Gentry.

Rather than pursue a significant trade, the Kings' front office expects Genry, De'Aaron Fox and the rest of the Kings to recapture the play they exhibited when they started the season well.

Gentry remains under contract through the 22-23 season and will coach the team for the duration of the season barring unforeseen circumstances. 

Jake Fishcer/Bleacher Report

Tags: Sacramento Kings, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Kings, 76ers Not Currently Holding Ben Simmons Trade Talks

Nov 23, 2021 9:30 PM

The Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings are not currently holding significant discussions on a trade centered on Ben Simmons.

The Kings have deemed De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Halliburton as unavailable, while Tyrese Maxey has emerged this season as a legitimate starting point guard.

Heading into the season, there was chatter that a slow start by the Kings could intensify their pursuit of a trade for Simmons.

Jake Fischer/Bleacher Report

Tags: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia Sixers, Sacramento Kings, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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76ers Comfortable Waiting Until 2022 Offseason To Trade Ben Simmons

Nov 21, 2021 8:09 AM

While some have speculated that the Philadelphia 76ers are operating under the February 10th trade deadline to find a deal involving Ben Simmons, some believe the front office is comfortable resuming discussions again next offseason when a new set of opportunities become available. 

By waiting that long, the 76ers' list of targets could expand due to sign-and-trade possibilities, stars finally requesting trades, or simply new management hires.

The downside of not trading Simmons by the deadline, however, is they will effectively lose a possible playoff run in which their roster is maximized. 

There could be some acceleration of talks beginning on December 15th when players signed to new contracts become eligible to be traded.

Kyle Neubeck/Philly Voice

Tags: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia Sixers, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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76ers Not Interested In Jerami Grant

Nov 21, 2021 8:04 AM

The Philadelphia 76ers do not have Jerami Grant on their list of approximately 30 players they would trade Ben Simmons for across the league. 

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported this week that the 76ers have had discussions with the Detroit Pistons on Grant, outsources say those talks are old and were of little interest to the team.

Grant represents a positional overall with Tobias Harris and is not enough of a difference maker for what they seek.

Kyle Neubeck/Philly Voice

Tags: Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia Sixers, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Sixers Interested In Jerami Grant, James Harden For Ben Simmons

Nov 19, 2021 8:58 AM

The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly have a wide list of targets they'd consider in a trade for Ben Simmons. That list includes a couple of old friends of those in power in Philadelphia.

A year after the Sixers tried to trade Simmons to the Houston Rockets for James Harden, the team is considering making another run at the star guard. Harden, a Daryl Morey favorite, did not sign a contract extension with the Brooklyn Nets. That has some in the 76ers organization wondering if a package built around Simmons could entice Sean Marks and the Nets to make a deal.

Another target is former Philadelphia forward Jerami Grant. The Sixers have held talks with the Detroit Pistons that were built around a Simmons for Grant swap. Grant started his career with the 76ers before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016.

Keith Pompey/Philadelphia Inquirer

Tags: Ben Simmons, James Harden, Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia Sixers, Brooklyn Nets, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor

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76ers Believe Rival Teams Now Less Motivated To Trade For Ben Simmons

Nov 18, 2021 3:26 PM

The Philadelphia 76ers believe rival teams have become even less motivated to trade for Ben Simmons than they were previously due to the "escaping uncertainty that surrounds him," sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic. 

Simmons has cited mental health issues as why he is not ready to play for the 76ers currently and it has led to speculation that it could go beyond his trade situation.

Simmons and his representatives have recently reiterated his strong desire to be traded.

The number of players across the NBA who can be traded will be expand in December as offseason signing restrictions are lifted. 

Sam Amick/The Athletic

Tags: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia Sixers, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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76ers Have List Of 30 Players They'd Accept In Ben Simmons Trade

Nov 18, 2021 11:52 AM

The Philadelphia 76ers have a list of approximately 30 players who would satisfy them in a trade of Ben Simmons and there's internal belief that approximately five to 10 of them could be available within the next year or two, a source tells Sam Amick of the Athletic

The list represents six percent of the league and is the rough equivalent to the number of All-Stars selected every season. 

“This is like a multi-year thing,” a Sixers source said.

Simmons cannot become a free agent until 2025, which the 76ers believe gives them time to be patient.

Sam Amick/The Athletic

Tags: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia Sixers, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Kings In No Rush To Trade Marvin Bagley

James Ham/The Kings Beat

DeMar DeRozan Thought Sign-And-Trade To Lakers Was 'A Done Deal'

Chris Haynes/Yahoo! Sports

Brad Stevens On Jaylen Brown Trade Rumors: Nothing Doing

Bill Sy/CelticsBlog

Pistons Interested In Marvin Bagley III

Marc Stein/Substack

Rich Paul: 76ers Have Exacerbated Mental Health Issues For Ben Simmons

Shams Charania/The Athletic

Collin Sexton, Cavaliers Had Sticking Point On Length Of Extension

Shams Charania/The Athletic

Celtics Have Engaged 76ers On Trade For Ben Simmons

Shams Charania/The Athletic

76ers Increasingly Frustrated By Ben Simmons' Lack Of Clarity On Mental Health Assistance

Shams Charania/The Athletic

76ers Resume Fining Ben Simmons After He Misses Thursday's Game

Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Damian Lillard Wavered For Two Months On Staying With Blazers

Chris Haynes/Yahoo! Sports

Ben Simmons Tells Daryl Morey He's Still Not Mentally Ready To Play

Shams Charania/The Athletic

Ben Simmons Preferring To Work With NBPA On Mental Health Instead Of 76ers

Ramona Shelburne, Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Damian Lillard In Response To Philly Fans: I'm 10 Toes In Rip City

Tim Bontemps/ESPN