HoopsHype.com Rumors

Shams Charania: Raja Bell has been searching for a team despite playoff ineligibility, but nothing has developed and it's clear he could sit entire season. Twitter @ShamsCharania

Free Agency, Raja Bell 

The Wolves were not among the teams to watch free agent forward Donte Greene work out last weekend. The Wolves are also not among the teams to express interest in Euroleague forward Tony Gaffney. He got out of his contract with Joventut Badalona (Spain). The Wolves have not reached out to free agent guard Raja Bell. 1500 ESPN

Minnesota Timberwolves, Free Agency, Raja Bell, Tony Gaffney, Donte Greene 

Q: Why, in your own words, didn't a buyout with the Jazz happen before the March 1 deadline so you could find a new team before the playoffs? Raja Bell: I just didn't have a guaranteed opportunity to play somewhere else. I didn't have a firm commitment from another team and those were the conditions that Utah put on the table. They told me that if I came to them with an opportunity to play somewhere else, they would buy me out. There were a lot of teams saying they wanted to do something ... but I didn't have a bird in the hand at any time. Or I would have taken it. ESPN.com

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Q: How hard was it then to hear your name linked constantly with the Lakers and how much Mike D'Antoni apparently wanted to bring you in and then not end up with them? Bell: Unfortunately it became almost comical at the end. I heard Jalen [Rose] and Magic [Johnson] saying (on ESPN's "NBA Countdown" show) that they thought I'd be with the Lakers within a day or two, which was frustrating because, knowing what was going on (with L.A.'s luxury-tax concerns), I knew it probably wasn't going to happen. ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Q: And if nothing materializes before the end of this season? A: I like to think that I'm a realist, but I have to see what kind of opportunities are out there for me. It's not totally in my control. But I'll be looking for an opportunity [this summer] to prove that I can still do it and that whatever happened in Utah was just an anomaly. At this point in my career, I've got a lot of experience, playing for a lot of different teams and playing with all kinds of different players and personalities, so I think I have something to offer that goes beyond just the minutes on the floor. If you asked any of the young fellas that played with me in my elder statesman role, I think they'd say I was pretty good to them. ESPN.com

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

The Utah Jazz's year-long standoff with guard Raja Bell came to an end Sunday when they waived the 36-year-old. The move opens up a roster spot for the Jazz, which according to a league source they will use to sign D-League All-Star Game MVP Travis Leslie to a 10-day contract. The Jazz's interest in Leslie was first reported on Friday by Yahoo! Sports. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell, Travis Leslie 

Bill Oram: Raja Bell has been waived by the Utah Jazz, agent tells @sltrib Twitter @tribjazz

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Bill Oram: Despite being waived by Jazz today, Raja Bell ineligible for playoffs with another team. Needed to take buyout by March 1 Twitter @tribjazz

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Bill Oram: Raja Bell's agent says the 36-year-old definitely plans to play again. Twitter @tribjazz

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Bill Oram: The Jazz officially announce that they have requested waivers on Raja Bell. No mention of Travis Leslie, although that move seems inevitable Twitter @tribjazz

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell, Travis Leslie 

To bring on a new player like Leslie, the Jazz would have to cut one player because the team's roster sits at an NBA maximum of 15. But the most likely candidate to be cut, Raja Bell, remains on the team's roster and payroll, continuing to get $3.48 million worth of paychecks for staying away from the squad. Asked multiple times Friday, Bell's agent, Herb Rudoy, said the exiled Jazz guard's camp did not hear from the organization about the situation. Deseret News

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Shams Charania: Raja Bell has yet to receive word about a potential release from the Jazz to create roster space, agent Herb Rudoy tells RealGM. Twitter @ShamsCharania

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Jody Genessy: Raja Bell's camp has not yet heard from the Jazz. Twitter @DJJazzyJody

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Jody Genessy: Raja Bell's camp hasn't heard from Jazz about contract resolution. Reports say Jazz signed D-League guard Travis Leslie, but roster's maxed. Twitter @DJJazzyJody

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell, D-League, Travis Leslie 

Mike D'Antoni tried to talk the Lakers into going after Utah's Raja Bell as late as last Monday if his former Suns guard could reach a buyout with the Jazz, according to a league source. But the Lakers didn't feel Bell was worth adding more millions to an already-humongous payroll, and they passed, leaving Bell with nowhere to go in time to be eligible for a playoff roster. NBA.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Unable to consummate a contract buyout with the Utah Jazz by Friday night’s deadline, guard Raja Bell is still aiming to find a team that he can help push toward the playoffs in the coming weeks, even if it then means sitting out the postseason, agent Herb Rudoy told RealGM. “He is in fabulous shape and ready to play again,” Rudoy said. To be eligible for the playoffs after a buyout, Bell had to reach agreement before the Friday deadline. The Jazz and Bell had a settlement in place that rested on the 36-year-old’s ability to find a deal elsewhere to make up the difference in salary, because Bell didn't want to lose money in the potential buyout. RealGM

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Bill Oram: My sense from Jazz is that the ball is in Raja Bell's court when comes to buyout. If he calls by midnight and agrees to minimum, it's his. Twitter @tribjazz

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Marc Stein: Word is Raja Bell buyout in Utah will continue to be discussed up to Friday's 11:59 PM ET deadline but Lakers NOT most likely destination. Raja Bell certainly fits, given that Kobe/Nash/D'Antoni rank as three of his biggest fans, but Lakes NOT eager to add to $100 mil payroll. Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

Kevin O’Connor, Utah Jazz Senior VP of Basketball Operations, recently sat down with 1280 The Zone to discuss, among other things, Bell's situation. "We'll be willing to look at a buyout. We're not just going to let him walk away; we're paying him the money. He can't get all the money from us and then get more from the Lakers, 'Oh Thank you!' I'd get fired for that — I'd fire me for that," O'Conner said in the interview. Deseret News

Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Raja Bell 

O’Connor said that if it were in the best interest of the team, he would keep Bell under contract so that he doesn't sign with the Lakers. The Lakers currently trail Utah and Houston for the final playoff spot in the West. "Raja said 'I'll take a buyout.' We said it from the start, all we want is a minimum buyout. We never heard from him. He never said yes to it; we would have done it right away." Deseret News

Utah Jazz, Raja Bell