The Bucks may have interest in a couple of Knicks players, from Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York: “The Milwaukee Bucks have “strong” interest in the New York Knicks’ J.R. Smith and also want to make an offer to his teammate Chris Copeland, two league sources confirmed to ESPN.com. The Bucks will be entering free agency with their starting backcourt, Brandon Jennings andMonta Ellis, testing free agency. But they also have leverage because they are under the cap, unlike the Knicks, and they can outbid for the services of Smith and Copeland. The most Smith can make in New York is $5.58 million with early Bird rights. He declined his player option of $2.9 million earlier this month, making him an unrestricted free agent. For Copeland, who is now a restricted free agent because the Knicks extended an qualifying offer to him on Tuesday, the highest amount he could receive is $3.18 million — the Knicks’ mini mid-level exception.”
If J.R. Smith leaves the Knicks, Iman Shumpert will be ready to take over the role of secondary scorer, from Ja’pheth Toulson of Daily News: “I’m just working to get my handle tighter and make decisions earlier instead of just coming out there guessing,” Shumpert said Tuesday at the Youth Basketball Camp at Highlands Middle School in White Plains. “I just got to come out there with a plan and have something consistent to put on the table.” But he could be facing another challenge next season. J.R. Smith, the Knicks’ Sixth Man of the Year, will become a free agent and may not be back. If Smith doesn’t return, Shumpert is ready to pick up the slack. “I always accepted all challenges,” Shumpert said. “I would just take that as another challenge. “I would love to play with the same team. I have no complaints on our team this year,” Shumpert said. “I would love to play with those same guys. I built crazy chemistry with those guys toward the end of the year.”
Danny Ainge did not think Doc Rivers would truly end up with the Clippers, from Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston: “It still probably hasn’t hit me,” Ainge said, “because I didn’t really think it was going to happen. I have not talked to one coaching candidate at this point. I think [Monday] for the first time really, I thought, ‘This is going to happen. This is probably going to happen.’ Up until that time, I never really thought it was going to happen.”… “We were really never close to a deal with the Clippers, despite the reports. So I think that this is part of the business. You don’t want to get too emotional. Doc’s going to a great situation, a place that he chose to go and a place that he wants to be. It’s not a place that I chose for him to go or a place that I wanted him to be. But I wish him well.”… “I do not believe that Doc quit on the franchise,” Ainge said. “I believe he believed that. He knows the pulse of players better than anyone. I think he believed that a change was needed. Maybe he just felt like he needed a change.”
The Nets have inquired about Kevin Garnett’s availability, according to Stefan Bondy of Daily News: “A future Hall of Famer might become available, so Billy King did his due diligence and made the call. Multiple sources told the Daily News that the Nets GM inquired about Kevin Garnett’s desire to join Deron Williams in Brooklyn, but King didn’t get an answer while uncertainty surrounds the Celtics… As much as the Nets would love Garnett, it’s an unlikely pairing given the obstacles. Not only is it still unclear whether he’d agree to join the Nets — which is what King was hoping to figure out by reaching out to a third party — there’s also a very high hurdle of negotiating an inter-division trade. But it’s no surprise King inquired about Garnett, a 15-time All-Star and former MVP. The Nets not only desire a reliable starting power forward, they could use a vocal and respected leader. Garnett fits the mold.”
The Blazers may have interest in acquiring Nikola Pekovic or Tiago Splitter, from John Canzano of The Oregonian: “A league source said on Monday that the Blazers, who hold the No. 10 pick in the first round, have interest in two restricted free-agent centers: San Antonio’s Tiago Splitter and Minnesota’s Nikola Pekovic. This comes after a trade-proposal report that would have the Blazers trading their lottery pick to Phoenix for center Marcin Gortat. What the Blazers are trying to tell us is this: We don’t think we need a star. We need depth. And even as I think Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum are good NBA players, what the Blazers need is to add a star that would push one of those starters to the second unit. Do that, and you aren’t just a bubble team happy to dream about the playoffs, but an organization seizing its destiny.”
Ray Allen may look to become a free agent again. Here’s the explanation by Ira Winderman of Sun Sentinel: “As previously mentioned in this space, Allen benefits by not opting in, by not settling for the one year, at $3.2 million, remaining on the two-year deal he signed last summer when he left the Boston Celtics. Instead, he now can utilize the arcane Non-Bird exception in the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. With that measure, he can start a new contract next season at a 20-percent raise over the $3.1 million he earned this past season. In addition, under the Non-Bird guidelines, Allen can use that salary-cap exception to build a contract as long as four years, with annual 4.5-percent raises. What it means is that Allen will become a free agent on July 1, just as he did last season.”
Mitch Kupchak says Dwight Howard’s back is no longer an issue moving forward, from NBA.com: “That is, in part, where Howard comes to mind for Kupchak. Perhaps Howard’s most staunch supporter throughout a difficult 2012-13 season, Kupchak said he didn’t expect Howard to play through the back injury until January, and felt like he got much better as the season went on.”All in all, taking into consideration the season, new players and most importantly the injury that he had, I think he had a great season and just didn’t get enough credit for it,” said Kupchak. “Dwight is in a category of the great; he’s over his back injury and there’s no reason he can’t play seven or eight more years at that position, and there’s no doubt in my mind (that) if he does, he’s in the Hall of Fame, and those players are just hard to come by.” Kupchak was then asked to relay his main message about why the Lakers want Howard to return to Los Angeles: “He’s our future.”
