Dwight Howard Rumors: Tuesday
Reports from both ESPN.com and CBS Sports yesterday indicated that the Magic continue to try to surround Dwight Howard with talent in an effort to get him to stay in Orlando. If Howard remains noncommittal, the Magic are expected to re-evaluate their options tomorrow, with about 24 hours remaining before the trade deadline. So for today at least, the Magic seem more likely to discuss deals that don't involve their star center. Still, the Howard rumors continue to trickle in, and we'll keep tabs on Tuesday's items here, with the latest added to the top throughout the day:
- Michael Wallace of ESPN reports that Howard has informed the Magic that he intends to stay for the rest of the season, and that the Magic must now "roll the dice." (Twitter link)
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel wrote that GM Otis Smith said during the Magic-Heat game that nothing is imminent, but implied that he won't rule anything out.
- Magic CEO Alex Martins says that there are several teams willing to take on Howard as a rental without assurances that he'll stay, tweets Brian K. Schmitz.
- Jason Lloyd of the Akron-Beacon Journal spoke with a few people around the league who have a feeling that the Magic will likely move Dwight within the next 24 hours. (Twitter link)
- The Magic appear to be a team that currently has no deals to make other than one that involves Howard on his way out of Orlando, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Owner Rich DeVos told reporters that he does not believe anything major was going to happen.
- Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel tweets that Howard has not informed Magic CEO Alex Martins of whether or not he plans to stay or go during the offseason. John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com quoted Martins (via Twitter): "If you're asking whether we’ve decided to hang onto him or trade him, we haven’t made that decision yet."
Thompson On Jackson, Udoh, Wright
As if the acquisition of Andrew Bogut didn't make enough waves, here are some other things that the Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson heard regarding the Warriors organization:
- Thompson tweets that the Warriors are looking to move Stephen Jackson and are likely seeking a big man.
- Dorell Wright wanted to be part of the deal and is not happy that he wasn't included. (Twitter link)
- While the Warriors were intially reluctant to part with Ekpe Udoh, they included him in the deal after Ellis publicly vented his frustration. Udoh was seen as a necessary casualty as Milwaukee would not concede to a trade without him. (Twitter link)
Timberwolves Targeting Richardson
Jarred Rudolph of RealGM says that according to league sources, the Magic are having discussions with the Timberwolves regarding shooting guard Jason Richardson. (Twitter link)
After being drafted by the Warriors and playing in Oakland for six years, Richardson had stints in Charlotte and Phoenix before being included in the blockbuster deal that sent reunited him with Gilbert Arenas in Orlando.
Richardson had signed a four-year deal worth approximately $25MM with the Magic during the offseason.
Spurs, Jazz, Timberwolves Discussing Trade
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports that the Spurs, Jazz, and Timberwolves are in talks that would see Josh Howard go to San Antonio, C.J. Miles and Jamaal Tinsley to Minnesota, and Wayne Ellington along with Danny Green to Utah.
He also writes that while no deal is imminent, talks are ongoing and it is likely that draft picks and more players are added to the deal.
Odds & Ends: Spurs, Diaw, Kaman, Morris
- The Spurs may be looking into the trade market for a point guard, according to Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld.
- Tony Parker spoke about his desire for Boris Diaw to join him in San Antonio should he be granted a buyout from the Bobcats. Interestingly enough, Parker referred to the Knicks as another team that is interested in Diaw.
- Center Chris Kaman says he feels comfortable with his role in New Orleans and would hope to stay with the Hornets, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune.
- Lakers rookie Darius Morris suffered a bruised wrist during a game in the D-League and will be day-to-day, says Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. (Twitter link)
- Greg Oden appears to be preparing to move on from the Trail Blazers. According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, a source close to the situation has said that Oden is in the process of selling his home in Portland and has no intention of returning to the team next season.
Kevin Martin Frustrated With Role
Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld hears from a source close to Kevin Martin that the shooting guard is tired of the inconsistent and unexplained rotation choices for the Rockets. Although he's close with Courtney Lee, Martin is frustrated about losing playing time to his Rockets teammate — Martin has played less than 20 minutes in each of Houston's last three games.
According to Ingram, the "word out of Houston" has Lee as the more likely trade candidate than Martin, since the Rockets prefer the 29-year-old. The Bulls, Clippers, Pacers, and Timberwolves are among the teams thought to have some level of interest in Lee, so the Rockets figure to receive plenty of inquiries before Thursday's trade deadline.
Sam Amick of SI.com noted yesterday that a number of Rockets might welcome a trade, and Ingram suggests that some Houston players are "rapidly tiring" of coach Kevin McHale and GM Daryl Morey. The Rockets' situation bears watching in the next couple days, since a roster overhaul isn't out of the question.
Minor Moves: Songaila, Wright, Graham, Williams
We'll keep tabs on the day's notable international or D-League-related transactions here:
- Darius Songaila, an eight-year NBA veteran who played 10 games for the 76ers last season, has signed with Spanish team CB Valladolid, tweets Sportando.
- Former NBA players Antoine Wright and Stephen Graham have joined D-League teams, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Wright will play for Reno while Graham is heading to Fort Wayne.
- The Mavericks have re-assigned Sean Williams to their D-League affiliate, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas. Williams had been recalled from the Texas Legends earlier this month.
Lakers Continue To Express Interest In Sessions
4:11pm: According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles, the Lakers and Cavs tried to bring the Rockets into the mix to facilitate a Sessions deal. In the proposed trade, the Lakers would have received Sessions from Cleveland and future considerations from Houston; the Rockets would have received a first-round pick from the Lakers; and the Cavs would have received Jonny Flynn from the Rockets. Those talks are dormant for now, says McMenamin.
12:29pm: The Lakers are stepping up their pursuit of Sessions, reports Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. While L.A. initially balked at Cleveland's asking price of a first-round pick, a source tells Amico now that the Lakers have explored the trade market, they're "finding a deal for Sessions may be the best fit."
8:56am: With two days until the trade deadline, the Lakers continue to express interest in Ramon Sessions, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The Lakers have been linked to Sessions for weeks.
It seems to me that the Lakers are exploring all their trade options in hopes of making a bigger splash, viewing Sessions as a fallback option. Cleveland's asking price for its backup point guard reportedly isn't outlandish, and I think a late first-round pick would get a deal done. The Lakers figure to have two at their disposal, having acquired the Mavericks' first-rounder for Lamar Odom.
Sessions also fits nicely into the $8.9MM trade exception the Lakers received in exchange for Odom. Although acquiring any player would have tax ramifications for Los Angeles, Sessions' $4.26MM cap figure is more reasonable than the salaries of other players the Lakers have been linked to, such as Michael Beasley ($6.26MM), Raymond Felton ($7.56MM), and Kirk Hinrich ($8.1MM).
Brandon Jennings Unavailable Via Trade
4:01pm: A source tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld definitively that Jennings is unavailable and won't be dealt this week.
7:57am: SI.com's Sam Amick reported yesterday that Brandon Jennings was available "for the right price," and HoopsWorld reports that if Andrew Bogut is dealt, Milwaukee may move Jennings next. However, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) hears from a source close to the situation that the Bucks don't intend to trade the 22-year-old.
Jennings created a bit of a stir last month when he told ESPN.com he intended to explore all his options at the end of his rookie contract, and that he'd been doing his homework on big markets. According to Amick, the comments irked some Bucks officials. The timing was particularly odd, since the third-year guard wouldn't be eligible for unrestricted free agency until, at the very earliest, the summer of 2014.
Despite Jennings' questionable PR tactics and his underwhelming .386 career FG%, he represents one of the Bucks' strongest assets, with an extremely affordable $2.49MM cap figure this year and $3.18MM for 2012/13. Even if the Bucks were considering moving the former tenth overall pick, it would take a pretty impressive package to pry him from Milwaukee.
Latest On Monta Ellis, Warriors
The Warriors have made it abundantly clear at this point that they're not interested in trading Monta Ellis unless it means acquiring Dwight Howard. But what does Ellis think of all the trade rumors swirling around him and his Warriors teammates? According to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, Ellis and the Warriors have discussed the possibility that it might be time for him to be traded (Twitter link).
While Kawakami notes that the conversation doesn't mean a trade will happen this week, he adds that Ellis is frustrated by the team's inability to build a roster that can contend. Andris Biedrins and Dorell Wright, whose names also came up in trade rumors this week, seem open to the possibility of being traded by the Warriors as well, says Kawakami (Twitter links).
Talking to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group about his current situation, Ellis said he wasn't about to request a trade, but hinted that he'd like to play for a contender.
"I probably could go to Orlando or Chicago and get a championship," Ellis said. "But if they don’t move me, what can I do? Hopefully — if they don’t move me – they get somebody in here so we can win and I don’t have to go through this every year."
Ellis is under contract next year, then has an early termination option for 2013/14. Asked if he planned to exercise that option, Ellis was noncommittal, telling Thompson, "We'll see."