2012 July | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Notes: Williams, Free Agents, Allen

By Luke Adams | at July 13, 2012 11:50 am

With Elton Brand set to clear waivers later today, we should know in a matter of hours which team has submitted the winning bid for the amnestied Sixer. In the meantime, the 76ers continue to move on, searching for pieces to replace Brand and fill out the rest of their roster. Coach Doug Collins shared a few comments on the team's plans with Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News, so let's check out the highlights (all Twitter links)….

1 comment Philadelphia 76ers Lavoy Allen Lou Williams

Rockets Reconstruct Trade Offer For Howard

By Luke Adams | at July 13, 2012 11:35 am

11:35am: Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets that he doesn't believe last year's rookies (Morris, Parsons) and this year's three draftees (Lamb, White, Jones) are all a part of the Rockets' offer, but that many of them could be involved.

7:43am: In an effort to convince the Magic to deal Dwight Howard directly to Houston, the Rockets are in the process of reconstructing their trade proposal for the star center, according to an ESPN.com report by Marc Stein and Chad Ford. Stein and Ford write that the Rockets are looking to clear the necessary cap space to absorb at least three additional contracts in addition to Howard's, from a group that includes Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Duhon, Glen Davis, and Jason Richardson.

Hornets, Clippers Talk Belinelli Sign-And-Trade

By Luke Adams | at July 13, 2012 11:13 am

The Clippers have interest in Marco Belinelli, but having already committed their full mid-level exception to Jamal Crawford, don't have a ton of cap flexibility to sign him. As such, the Clips have discussed the possibility of a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets, as we heard from ESPNLosAngeles.com's Ramona Shelburne earlier this week. However, according to John Reid of the Times Picayune, the Hornets aren't interested in L.A.'s offer of Ryan Gomes and a second-round pick.

0 comments Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Clippers New Orleans Pelicans Marco Belinelli Ryan Gomes

Pacers Sign D.J. Augustin

By Luke Adams | at July 13, 2012 10:46 am

FRIDAY, 10:46am: The Pacers have officially signed Augustin, the team announced in a press release.

THURSDAY, 3:44pm: The Pacers have reached an agreement with D.J. Augustin on a one-year contract, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). The deal will pay Augustin $3.5MM, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The move not only comes on the heels of Augustin becoming an unrestricted free agent, but also a day after the Pacers agreed to send point guard Darren Collison to the Mavericks.

3 comments Indiana Pacers Transactions D.J. Augustin

Suns Meeting With O.J. Mayo

By Luke Adams | at July 13, 2012 10:27 am

While the Suns wait to see if their offer sheet for Eric Gordon is matched by the Hornets, Phoenix is already working on Plan B. The Suns are meeting with O.J. Mayo today, as reported by Craig Grialou of ArizonaSports.com. Mayo himself confirmed today via Twitter that he has arrived in Phoenix to visit the club.

1 comment Phoenix Suns O.J. Mayo

Odds & Ends: Lorbek, Magic, Mavs, Nash

By Luke Adams | at July 13, 2012 9:56 am

Although the Spurs will bring one international prospect stateside this season, having signed Nando De Colo to a contract, another of the team's top international players doesn't appear headed for San Antonio. Spanish club Regal Barcelona announced today that they have re-signed Erazem Lorbek to a three-year deal to remain with the team (English translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). The Spurs, who hold Lorbek's NBA rights, were said earlier this offseason to be "very close" to a deal with the Slovenian forward, so it's a little surprising to see him re-up with Regal Barcelona.

Let's round up a few more Friday morning odds and ends….

0 comments Boston Celtics Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Lakers Milwaukee Bucks Orlando Magic San Antonio Spurs Toronto Raptors D.J. Mbenga Dionte Christmas Erazem Lorbek Jacque Vaughn Jose Calderon Steve Nash

Warriors Interested In Kenyon Martin

By Luke Adams | at July 13, 2012 8:46 am

After acquiring veteran guard Jarrett Jack earlier this week, the Warriors have shifted their focus to adding another big man. According to GM Bob Myers, Golden State is targeting power forwards, and one report yesterday linked the team to Carl Landry. A sign-and-trade might be necessary to snag Landry, but the Warriors are also eyeing more affordable options, including Kenyon Martin, says Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com.

4 comments Golden State Warriors Kenyon Martin Sr.

Nuggets Offer JaVale McGee Five-Year Deal

By Luke Adams | at July 13, 2012 8:06 am

We haven't heard many JaVale McGee rumors this summer, but that doesn't mean that the seven-footer hasn't received any interest. According to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post, the Nuggets have a five-year offer worth $50MM on the table for McGee. However, the center's representatives don't appear to be in a hurry to finalize a deal, and will continue to negotiate.

0 comments Denver Nuggets JaVale McGee

Free Agent Rumors: Humphries, Stiemsma, Lin

By Luke Adams | at July 12, 2012 11:02 pm

As NBA teams continue to agree to contracts and officially sign this year's free agents, you can keep tabs on all the activity by checking out Hoops Rumors' 2012 Free Agent Tracker. We're continuously updating our database to reflect the latest contract agreements, adding details on years and salaries as they become available. But there are still plenty of unsigned players left on the market, so we'll track today's rumors on those guys right here:

TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter) cites league sources that believe Kris Humphries would be more inclined to remain with the Nets than leave for the Bobcats. Marc Stein tweeted that the Nets could be involved no matter what Humphries decides to do, and could end up offering to negotiate a sign-and-trade if he chose Charlotte.
The Timberwolves are waiting for Portland to make a decision on Nicolas Batum before they extend an offer sheet to Greg Stiemsma, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

Earlier updates:

Jeremy Lin will sign his $28.8MM offer sheet with Houston on Friday, marking the start of the three day clock in which the Knicks can match the offer (Twitter link via Howard Beck of the New York Times).
TNT's David Aldridge says that the Nets want to keep Kris Humphries and are not currently facilitating a sign-and-trade deal with the Bobcats (Twitter link). In fact, it appears that both teams are competing against each other to sign him. ESPN's Marc Stein tweets that Charlotte is currently offering a three-year deal worth $22MM, while the Brooklyn is offering three years and $24MM.
Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York tweets that the Knicks have interest in Ronnie Brewer.
Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas reports that the Mavericks remain interested in re-signing Delonte West.
Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida says that although Rasheed Wallace had been contemplating a return since 2010 and even had a workout with the Heat last season, the 6'11 forward/center appears to be "done" (Twitter link).
With the Bulls casting out a wide net in free agency, Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald tweets that Chicago could have already been in touch with Greg Oden.
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that Will Barton and his agent are currently working out a deal with the Trail Blazers.
If they lose Nicolas Batum, the Timberwolves are interested in signing Courtney Leeoutright, rather than in a sign-and-trade deal, tweets Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld.
C.J. Watson will become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers tomorrow afternoon, but there's no guarantee he'll go unclaimed. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweetsthat Watson is drawing interest from several teams.
Brad Miller isn't technically a free agent, but his contract for 2012/13 is non-guaranteed, meaning he could hit the market soon. While Miller is expected to retire, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that nothing is official on that front. The deadline to waive Miller without paying his full guarantee is July 30th, so the Timberwolves are expected to continue looking to include him in a trade before that date.
The Bulls, Mavericks, Lakers, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves are eyeing Anthony Tolliver, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Twitter link).
Courtney Lee and the Timberwolves have continued to talk daily since free agency opened, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter). Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune agrees that Lee could become Minnesota's top target if the team's offer sheet for Nicolas Batum is matched by the Trail Blazers.
Greg Oden's agent Mike Conley tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that his client has begun working out and is interested in playing in the NBA in 2012/13. Conley's comments about Oden's desire to play this season, perhaps with the Heat, echo what we heard in May.
The Bulls continue to negotiate with John Lucas III even though he's drawing interest from the Heat, Wizards, and other teams, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

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20 comments Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Lakers Miami Heat Minnesota Timberwolves New York Knicks Portland Trail Blazers Washington Wizards Anthony Tolliver Brad Miller C.J. Watson Courtney Lee Delonte West Greg Oden Greg Stiemsma John Lucas III Rasheed Wallace Ronnie Brewer Will Barton

Dwight Howard Rumors: Thursday

By Luke Adams | at July 12, 2012 10:52 pm

While reports yesterday suggested that the Magic had suspended Dwight Howard trade talks while they search for a new head coach, it appears the team is still willing to listen to new offers. However, those offers likely won't be coming from the Nets for a while. After Brooklyn agreed to re-sign Brook Lopez to a four-year, maximum-salary contract, it took the team's top trade chip from the trade block until at least January 15th, at which point he's eligible to be traded again. Who knows if Howard will still be in Orlando by that point, but here's the latest on the Magic's star center:

Although Howard remains Houston's number one priority, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweeted earlier that acquiring Andrew Bynum in a three-way deal with Orlando and the Lakers is the designated back up plan.
Interestingly enough, ESPN's Marc Stein retweeted a follower who recognized that the Rockets' official Twitter account decided to follow Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, Glen Davis, and Jason Richardson as of tonight.
John Denton of NBA.com says that according to GM Rob Hennigan, there is nothing imminent in Howard trade talks.