NBA Rumors Round-Up
NBA Rumors: HEAT’s Deng Not Asking for Trade
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated16 Oct 2023
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When asked about an ESPN report that the Memphis Grizzlies are interested in trading for him, Deng said he is happy in Miami and is not looking to leave.
“It’s not in my hands or anything,” he said Thursday after the team’s shootaround at Moda Center. “I’ve just gotta continue doing what I need to do.”
“I’ve had no issues,” he said. “My whole thing this year has been trying to get it right. It’s never been that I’m unhappy. Just because there are trade rumors– I’m not the one asking for a trade… I’m not the one starting the rumors or whatever’s going on. I know just as much as you, honestly.”
On Thursday, an ESPN report indicated that the Memphis Grizzlies were pursuing veteran small forwards such as Miami’s Luol Deng and Boston’s Jeff Green.
However, it sounds like this is just a case of Memphis doing their due diligence and seeing what kind of options are out there in the event that they want to make a trade to upgrade that position.
Green recently said that he doesn’t want to be traded from the Celtics, and Deng made similar comments yesterday. He just signed with the HEAT this past offseason and wanted to stress that he hasn’t requested a trade or been unhappy with the situation.
Expect more rumors like this to surface between now and the Feb. 19 trade deadline, as talks will continue (and inevitably leak) until then.
The Portland Trail Blazers have signed General Manager Neil Olshey to a multi-year contract extension, it was announced today by team owner Paul Allen. Olshey has also been named President of Basketball Operations.
via Blazers press release
In yesterday’s NBA PM, our own Yannis Koutroupis broke down what Neil Olshey has done in Portland and why this is a strong move for the Blazers.
Team owner Paul Allen discussed the extension and praised Olshey.
“Our team has made great strides under Neil’s leadership, and I am excited to extend his contract,” said Allen. “Neil has done an outstanding job as General Manager by quickly rebuilding our team into a playoff contender. The franchise is clearly on the upswing, and I hope to see further improvements in the years to come.”
Olshey added: “This extension is a validation of the efforts of the entire Trail Blazers front office and an endorsement of the level of commitment expected of us by our owner Paul Allen. The level of passion for this franchise by our owner, season ticket holders and fans, drives us to build a team that this community can be proud of.”
I'm told Bucks haven't officially waived Nate Wolters yet. They may be trying to trade him, rather than waive him, to make room for K-Mart.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) January 9, 2015
There's a belief that Nate Wolters won't clear waivers if cut, which is why a team may want to trade for him now to ensure they get him.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) January 9, 2015
The Milwaukee Bucks are clearly moving on from Nate Wolters in order to add Kenyon Martin on a 10-day contract. They are doing this because they have a logjam at point guard, and believe adding a veteran big like Martin can help them as they attempt to make a playoff push.
However, it remains to be seen how Milwaukee will part ways with Wolters. They have not waived him yet or told his camp that such a move is coming. Instead, some league sources believe Milwaukee may be trying to trade Wolters rather than just waive him outright. This would allow the Bucks to land a draft pick for Wolters instead of losing him for nothing.
Wolters may not clear waivers, so a team may want to trade for him to ensure that they can acquire him. Expect some kind of decision – either they’ll trade him or, if they can’t find a suitor, waive him.
