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NBA Rumors for Wed, Jan. 21, 2015

InsideHoops NBA rumors updated 3:30 p.m. ET. More NBA rumors stories and other news also appears on the InsideHoops basketball blog.

The Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and Orlando Magic's Victor Oladipo have committed to participating in the All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk contest, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Yahoo Sports

Brooklyn Nets center Mason Plumlee will be a part of the competition too, sources told Yahoo Sports. The dunk contest is set as the final event of All-Star Saturday night on Feb. 14 at the Barclays Center in New York. Another strong possibility to join the field is Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Zach LaVine, league sources told Yahoo. Yahoo Sports

When Shawn Marion headed to the Cleveland bench late in last week's game at US Airways Center, "The Matrix" was saying goodbye to Phoenix. Marion said he plans to retire after this season with Cleveland, ending a 15-year NBA career that was mostly spent as a star with the Suns. Arizona Republic

When the Suns drafted Marion in 1999, Marion set a goal to play 15 seasons. The 36-year-old believes he could play another three seasons but being away from his first child, 8-month-old Shawn, has convinced him to retire after this season with the Cavaliers. "I wanted to go out on my terms," Marion said. "The biggest thing is having a son. I got attached to him. Seeing him periodically is hard. Watching him grow up on pictures and videos is hard." Arizona Republic

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Credit Phil Jackson’s top adviser, Clarence Gaines Jr., for playing a part in “Langsanity.’’ According to a source, Gaines, the only front-office personnel man Jackson has hired to date, was the top supporter for bringing new combo guard Langston Galloway into the fold after he went undrafted in June out of little St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia. NY Post

The source said Gaines first saw Galloway at the Portsmouth, Va. pre-draft camp last spring. Gaines, the Bulls’ college scout when Jackson coached Chicago, has a knack for discovering guys who fit into Jackson’s team-player mold and has the president’s ear, according to the source. NY Post

Cleanthony Early said he sprained his right ankle landing on the foot of Jason Smith while taking a jumper during an informal scrimmage Saturday. Early said he might be out until next week because of swelling. The medical staff is being cautious because it’s the same leg on which he had knee surgery. NY Post

The New York Knicks have signed forward Lou Amundson to a second consecutive 10-day contract. Amundson, 6-9, 225-pounds, has averaged 1.5 points and 2.1 rebounds over 8.6 minutes in 14 games (one start) with Cleveland and New York this season. In two games with the Knicks, he is averaging 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds over 20.5 minutes. Inside Hoops

The Denver Nuggets assigned rookie guard Erick Green to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League today, according to General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly. The Nuggets drafted Green 46th overall (second round) in the 2013 NBA Draft. He has appeared in 14 games this season, averaging 3.3 points in 7.3 minutes per game. Inside Hoops

The Wizards are now 29-13 and in second place in the Eastern Conference. At Verizon Center, Washington is 18-5. Washington leads the Eastern Conference with 18 home victories... Washington is 16-0 when leading after three quarters and 24-1 when holding their opponents to less than 100 points. Inside Hoops

Magic among the NBA’s best in takeaways: The Orlando Magic recorded a season-high 14 steals in their win over the Houston Rockets on January 14. The Magic have notched at least five steals in 38 games this season, which is tied for the third most in the NBA. Inside Hoops

Cavaliers star LeBron James missed practice with flu-like symptoms, leaving his status for Wednesday's game against Utah uncertain. James recently missed eight games with a strained back and knee. The Cavs went 1-7 without him, but have gone 3-1 since the four-time league MVP returned. James scored 26 points in 36 minutes on Monday night as Cleveland won its third straight, 108-94 over the Chicago Bulls. AP

Marcus Smart: “In college I took a lot of bad shots because I was on a team where I had to take a lot of bad shots,” Smart said. “Here, I just have to knock down open shots and take the good ones." It makes sense that Smart's 3-point percentage would steadily improve. At OSU, he was assigned much of the ballhandling duties and the responsibility of creating offense for the Cowboys. Oklahoman

76ers backup point guard Tony Wroten will fly to California Wednesday morning to see a specialist about his sprained right knee. Philadelphia Inquirer

"Every team is capable of being beat; we just got to make sure we don't underestimate these guys," Amar'e Stoudemire said. "They're a professional basketball club …so we know they're going to come out to play. We just got to match their energy. "We have to, at this point, with our record, we don't have a chance to not bring energy or the enthusiasm that we need. So we got to come out with that from the start." NY Daily News

In Rondo's 28 clutch minutes with the Mavs -- using NBA.com's definition of the last five minutes of a game with the score within five points -- Dallas has outscored opponents by 29 points. “He’s a big-time player, and big-time players make big plays down the stretch,” center Tyson Chandler said. “He’s not going to always put up the huge numbers that are going to wow you, but he’s one of those guys that you want with you in the trenches when you know the game is on the line. He’s just going to do something – something – to make an impact on the game.” ESPN Dallas

Former Phoenix Suns forward Richard Dumas has been sentenced to three years of probation in a case stemming from thefts from a store on a military base. Dumas was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Sam Myers of Maricopa County Superior Court under a plea agreement with prosecutors. AP

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