Sixers Acquire Sam Young
The 76ers have acquired Sam Young from the Grizzlies, reports Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. Memphis receives the rights to former second-rounder Ricky Sanchez, who is currently playing in Argentina, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The Sixers confirmed the move in a press release.
"Sam preferred another location because he wasn’t playing," Memphis GM Chris Wallace told Tillery. "Sam earned his keep around here and is clearly an NBA player. He was a guy who was a big part of us being able to be successful when Rudy Gay went down last year. But teams evolve."
The move isn't entirely unexpected for Memphis, since the team had been sitting barely above the luxury tax line. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported yesterday that the Grizzlies were looking to move Young to sneak below that threshold. Sanchez, who was drafted with the 35th overall pick in 2005, "will never wear a Grizzlies uniform," according to Tillery. Tillery also points out (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies could use the savings to pursue Gilbert Arenas.
For the Sixers, they'll likely take on Young's salary using part of the traded player exception they acquired when they dealt Marreese Speights to Memphis earlier this season. Young's cap figure for this season, the final year of his contract, is $947,800.
In 21 games for the Grizzlies this year, Young has played just 11.4 MPG, averaging 3.5 PPG and 10.6 PER.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Thursday
If you haven't been able to keep up with the twists and turns of the Dwight Howard saga, you're not alone. An eventful Wednesday ended with Howard telling Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com that he will sign an ETO waiver this morning and remain in Orlando for another season. Howard was apologetic about the "circus" he's caused, and cited "bad advice" he'd received from advisors as one reason for his indecision.
Nothing's official until Howard puts pen to paper though, so until we get definitive pre-deadline resolution on D12's future, we'll track today's updates right here, with the newest items up top:
- There may still be skepticism about Howard's intentions, but the Nets, at least, are convinced he'll waive his ETO. According to Ric Bucher of ESPN.com (via Twitter), New Jersey is turning the page, and will move on to other deals.
- Sources tell SI.com's Sam Amick that Howard's representatives had been pushing the superstar to hit free agency, which was a source of frustration for the Magic. Howard would "routinely express a willingness" to stay with Orlando, only to reverse course after meeting with his agency, says Amick.
- Howard is expected to sign his ETO waiver at around 12:30 Eastern, says Rudolph (via Twitter).
- Following Howard's latest reversal, the Magic told Dwight to sleep on his decision before signing anything today, reports ESPN.com's Chris Broussard.
- It's highly unlikely that Howard waffles again, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. In the event that does happen, the Magic seem to have a trade they'd do with the Nets, Kyler adds.
- Howard is "definitely not firing" agent Dan Fegan, D12's manager Kevin Samples tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). As long as Fegan is representing Howard, he'll need to sign the ETO paperwork as well.
- Magic officials aren't expected to suspend trade talks involving Howard until they receive the signed ETO paperwork, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, Wojnarowski says (via Twitter) the Nets are working on separate trade scenarios to bring in help around Deron Williams, in case Howard does remain in Orlando.
- A league source tells J.A. Adande of ESPN.com that missing the playoffs would cost Howard significant bonuses in his Adidas contract. Adande wonders if the threat of being traded to the 15-29 Nets and potentially losing those bonuses contributed to Howard's change of heart.
Ainge: 50/50 Chance of Celtics Trade
Interviewed on WEEI in Boston this morning, Celtics GM Danny Ainge said there was a "50/50 chance" he'd make a trade by this afternoon's deadline (hat tip to ESPNBoston.com).
"It may be a small deal," Ainge said. "It may be not as exciting as people may expect. But we’re working hard, we’ll work hard the rest of the day until 3:00."
A wrist injury to Jermaine O'Neal and season-ending aortic surgery for Chris Wilcox have the Celtics searching for a big man. However, Ainge says he's happy with the current Celtics' roster and doesn't feel pressure to get something done today.
"I have no desire to move anybody on our team," the Celtics GM said. "It’s just I have to look and so far I have nothing. We don’t have anything that we’re really excited about right now. If somebody steps up and ups their offers today who knows what might happen by the trade deadline. But I am prepared and comfortable with letting the season play out. If somebody wants to throw in first-round draft picks or give quality young players, that’s something we have to consider."
Nets Rebuffing Trade Interest In Deron Williams
With Dwight Howard apparently ready to commit to the Magic for 2012/13, the outlook for the Nets has become cloudier. But even now that they may not have a chance to acquire Howard today or this summer, the Nets aren't likely to trade Deron Williams, tweets Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the Nets are rebuffing trade interest in Williams, telling teams they're not looking to move him (Twitter link).
According to Stephenson, the Nets are willing to take their chances on convincing Williams to sign long-term with the team this summer. With Howard potentially off the market, it will be a tougher sell, but the Nets should still have plenty of cap space to try to woo other free agents to Brooklyn.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier today (on Twitter) that the Nets are looking at other trade scenarios that could bring in help around Williams. John Hollinger of ESPN.com, meanwhile, explored some deals involving Williams the Nets could explore if they decided to shop the star point guard.
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Kyler On Rockets, Gasol, Pacers, Blazers, Smith
In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler reported that Dwight Howard is highly unlikely to change his mind again, but that the Magic seem to have a deal they'd do with the Nets if Howard waffles once more. You can follow all of today's Howard updates here, and check out the rest of Kyler's morning notes below:
- The Rockets are discussing more than half their roster in trades, having offered around Terrence Williams, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson, Luis Scola, Hasheem Thabeet and Courtney Lee. According to Kyler, Houston would trade any combination of those players to acquire Chris Kaman.
- The Bulls want Lee, but aren't likely to meet the Rockets' asking price, which would mean parting with Taj Gibson or Omer Asik. The Pacers and Timberwolves are also eyeing Lee.
- Houston has a standing offer out to the Lakers for Pau Gasol, but it doesn't include Kyle Lowry, so nothing is expected to happen there.
- If the Blazers' three-team deal with the Timberwolves and Lakers involving Jamal Crawford falls through, Portland may have a backup trade in place with the Pacers.
- The Magic won't be able to make a move for Josh Smith, which isn't a surprise. One league source tells Kyler the Hawks want an All-Star frontcourt player in exchange for Smith, so a deal is very unlikely.
D’Antoni Fallout: Carmelo, Lin, Amare, Phil Jackson
The Knicks and Mike D'Antoni parted ways yesterday due to "conflicting visions" about the team's future. Part of that conflict may have stemmed from D'Antoni's desire to trade Carmelo Anthony to the Nets in exchange for Deron Williams, an idea James Dolan adamantly opposed. Needless to say, players, coaches, and reporters around the league are talking about D'Antoni's exit from New York, so let's round up a few links on the subject:
- Despite reports earlier this week suggesting Anthony was at odds with the Knicks coach, Carmelo says he and D'Antoni "never had any issues." Added Carmelo: "Any disagreements that he had with us as a team we talked it out and we went from there" (via ESPNNewYork.com).
- Jeremy Lin on D'Antoni: "What he did for my career, I’m not going to forget what he did for me personally. It’s very emotional. I’m sad to see him go and I owe a lot to him" (via New York Daily News).
- According to Amare Stoudemire, not everyone was buying into D'Antoni's system, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. "It made it look bad," Stoudemire said. "I guess stepping down was the best way for him."
- Phil Jackson will be a prime candidate to take over the full-time Knicks job, as Marc Berman writes.
- The Knicks shouldn't expect Jackson to come out of retirement to save them, says Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Knicks GM Glen Grunwald called D'Antoni's decision to step down a "selfless move," says Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Nets coach Avery Johnson was surprised by the announcement, as he tells Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger. When Pistons coach Lawrence Frank was told of the news, he called it "ridiculous" and "a damn shame," writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Heat, Kings, Suns Expecting Quiet Deadline
As trade rumors continue to surface around the league, a number of clubs are saying they don't expect to be active today. Here are a few quotes from teams who don't anticipate any moves, but are leaving the door open just in case:
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald:
"I am on the phone with Pat [Riley], but our focus is on this group. We feel we have enough. Andy [Elisburg] and Pat and Nick [Arison] will always look for opportunities to make our team better, but we made a big splash two summers ago."
Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee:
"If we [make a move], it's more than likely to be something on the periphery of things. It's really unlikely there's some huge deal out there."
Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic:
"As of now, there is nothing that appeals to us. It's possible that something would coalesce, but I wouldn't expect it to…. I don't anticipate that we will have anything, but we will keep talking to the last possible minute."
Los Angeles Rumors: Beasley, Gasol, Bledsoe
The Lakers appear to be closing in on a three-way deal that would land them Michael Beasley, but different variations of the deal are being discussed. Most reports have Steve Blake and a first-rounder heading from L.A. to Portland, but Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported last night that it may be Luke Ridnour, rather than Blake, who goes to the Blazers. In that hypothetical trade, the Lakers would still give up a first-round pick, but wouldn't necessarily need to make a follow-up to replace Blake at the point.
While we wait to see how those negotiations shake out, here are a few Lakers- and Clippers-related rumors out of Los Angeles:
- A Pau Gasol trade is "highly unlikely," tweets ESPN.com's Chris Palmer. Palmer says interest dropped way off after the Lakers reportedly backed out of talks involving Gasol and Rajon Rondo.
- The Clippers continue to explore trades that would see them move Eric Bledsoe for a "big guard," says Palmer in a separate tweet.
- Pedro Viola of ESPNLosAngeles.com thinks the Clippers will ultimately decide they can maximize Bledsoe's value by keeping him rather than trading him.
Rockets Rumors: Howard, Lowry, Martin, Dragic
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle shares a few pre-deadline updates on the Rockets in his latest column. Let's check out the highlights:
- The Rockets have been aggressive about trying to engage Orlando in Dwight Howard talks, but the Magic aren't very interested in Houston's assets.
- One front office executive believes Houston will end up offering Kyle Lowry for Pau Gasol before Thursday's deadline, though the Rockets continue to insist that won't happen.
- The Rockets still hope to either make it work with Kevin Martin, or pursue a deal down the road when Martin's value is a little higher than it is now.
- Houston "went hard" after Andrew Bogut before the big man was traded to Golden State.
- Terrence Williams likely could be had for a second-round draft pick.
- Feigen considers Goran Dragic the Rocket most likely to be moved in a deal like last year's Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier trades.