Two big names that are not free agents could be available on the open market: Boston’s Rajon Rondo and Indiana’s Danny Granger. Here’s more from CBSSports Ken Berger: “Based on that possibility, the Pistons were among the first teams to reach out to the Celtics and express interest in acquiring Rondo, the All-Star point guard who is coming off an ACL injury, league sources told CBSSports.com. Having already made lucrative pitches to free agents Josh Smith and Andre Iguodala, Pistons president Joe Dumars also has registered interest in Raptors forward Rudy Gay, one source said.”- More from Berger: “The Pacers‘ agreement with forward David West on a three-year, $36 million deal on Tuesday coincided with ongoing exploration of possible trades for Danny Granger andGerald Green, league sources said. Teams have been anticipating that the Pacers would be inclined to move one or both of them, especially if they re-signed West. The Pacers, who also have reached an agreement with backup point guard C.J. Watson, have to clear future room under the tax threshold as they plan for giving long-term deals to Paul Georgeand Lance Stephenson.”
The Sacramento Kings are attempting to retain Tyreke Evans, or replace him with Andre Igoudala: “Principal owner Vivek Ranadive, general manager Pete D’Alessandro and coach Michael Malone quickly exited Monday’s news conference for rookie guards Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum to meet with restricted free agent Tyreke Evans, who soon could leave Sacramento for a lucrative contract. The Kings also met Monday with prized small forward Andre Iguodala.”
According to Marc Stein, the San Antonio Spurs have reached an agreement to resign center Tiago Splitter: “The San Antonio Spurs have reached an agreement in principle to re-sign power forward Tiago Splitter, according to sources close to the process. Sources told ESPN.com that other teams chasing the restricted free agent dropped out of contention Tuesday as it became apparent that Splitter and the Spurs had essentially agreed to terms on a new deal. ESPN.com first reported the agreement. Yahoo! Sports reported that Splitter will receive a four-year, $36 million contract.”
The Portland Trailblazers have inquired about bringing in free agent center Samuel Dalembert: “The 6-11 center is said to be “intrigued” with the possibilities of joining the Trail Blazers. Portland reached out to Dalembert early on in the free agency process, but so did multiple other teams, CSNNW.com was told. The 11-year veteran could play a key role in the development of second-year center Meyers Leonard and rookie center Jeff Whithey. As this point in time, conversations between both sides have been exploratory. That could change however, being that Tiago Spiltter, a restricted free agent center the Trail Blazers were expected to pursue, agreed to a four-year, $36 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs.”
According to “sources” (who else), the Cleveland Cavaliers met with “Easy” Earl Clark on Tuesday. Alright, that’s not his actual nickname outside of this blog, but interest is said to be mutual: “Clark has plenty of connections to the Cavaliers. Mike Brown coached him (albeit briefly) with the Lakers last year, and Brown is a strong proponent of the stretch-4—power forwards who can shoot 3s and open the floor. Cavaliers assistant general manager Dave Griffin was with the Suns when Clark was drafted. Also, newly hired assistant coach Igor Kokoskov was in Phoenix for Clark’s first year-plus, and Kokoskov is considered one of the best talent developers in the game. He is generally credited for helping to turn players like Channing Frye into 3-point threats. The feeling in Cleveland is that he could help Clark do the same.”
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.