Pistons Discussed Jason Maxiell, Will Bynum Deals
The Pistons were inactive on deadline day, having already been involved in their lone trade last month, when they acquired Jose Calderon from the Raptors. But that doesn't mean that Detroit wasn't exploring its options leading up to the deadline.
According to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News, the Pistons spoke to the Trail Blazers about swapping J.J. Hickson and Jason Maxiell. However, Portland wanted the Pistons to include a first-round pick, which Detroit was unwilling to do. Maxiell also drew some interest from the Spurs, reports Goodwill.
Besides Maxiell, another Piston on an expiring contract, Will Bynum, received a little interest. The Thunder inquired on Bynum before eventually trading Eric Maynor to the Trail Blazers and acquiring Ronnie Brewer from the Knicks, says Goodwill.
Bucks To Acquire Redick In Six-Player Deal
The Magic have agreed to trade J.J. Redick to the Bucks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Milwaukee will send Doron Lamb, Beno Udrih, and Tobias Harris to Orlando in the deal (Twitter link). Along with Redick, Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith are heading to Milwaukee, tweets Wojnarowski.
After a flurry of Redick rumors leading up to the deadline, the Bucks emerged as the frontrunners in the hours leading up to 2:00pm, as the Spurs, Pacers, and other suitors fell out of the running. While it initially appeared that Milwaukee was targeting Redick to replace Monta Ellis if Ellis was part of a Josh Smith trade, the club ultimately pulled the trigger on Redick anyway, meaning the sharpshooter will join a backcourt that features Ellis and Brandon Jennings.
Meanwhile, the Magic had been seeking a first-round pick in exchange for Redick, but will instead acquire a pair of young prospects in Lamb and Harris, along with Udrih's $7.37MM expiring contract, which will come off the books this summer. According to various reports, the only first-round picks Orlando was offered for Redick would have been very late in the first round. Given the value of draft picks and rookie-scale contracts in the new CBA, teams seemed reluctant to give up any picks better than that.
Warriors Send Jenkins To 76ers, Tyler To Hawks
3:15pm: The Warriors acquired a pair of second-round picks, one from the Sixers and one from the Hawks, in their respective deals, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The Sixers' pick is top-55 protected, GM Tony DiLeo tells Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com (Twitter link).
2:59pm: The trade deadline was nearly an hour ago now, but news of a couple deals is still trickling in. According to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links), the Warriors reached agreements to send out Charles Jenkins and Jeremy Tyler in two separate trades. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Jenkins is heading to the 76ers while Tyler is going to the Hawks.
Golden State had been looking for a way to get under the luxury-tax threshold, and was able to do so by moving two minimum-salary players like Jenkins and Tyler. As such, no players will be coming back to the Warriors in either deal.
Jenkins, the Warriors' second-round pick in 2011, was notoriously kept on the team's roster in place of Jeremy Lin prior to the '11/12 season. He has played in 47 games for the team this year, though he averages just 6.2 minutes per contest. He's on an expiring contract, so the Sixers will have the option of offering him a qualifying offer and making him a restricted free agent at season's end.
Tyler, 21, hasn't seen as much playing time for the Warriors this season, though he's averaged 15.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in a handful of games for the D-League's Santa Cruz Warriors. The 6'10" youngster, who was selected five picks ahead of Jenkins in the 2011 draft, has a non-guaranteed contract for next season, so the Hawks will have a chance to decide whether or not to bring him back at a reasonable price.
Both Jenkins and Tyler are earning $762,195 this season, so moving them takes the Warriors about $300K below the tax. That gives them enough wiggle room to add players on 10-day contracts or perhaps a rest-of-season deal.
Grizzlies Acquire Dexter Pittman From Heat
2:54pm: The Heat have confirmed in a press release that they've sent Pittman to Memphis. The Grizzlies also received cash considerations from the Heat, according to the release.
12:48pm: The Grizzlies and Heat have agreed to a deal that will send Dexter Pittman and a second-round pick to Memphis, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports that the Heat will acquire the rights to Ricky Sanchez, who is currently playing in Argentina, in the trade (Twitter link). Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal first reported that the two sides were in serious talks about a swap.
For the Grizzlies, Pittman represents another piece of frontcourt depth off the bench. Memphis had been carrying just 12 players, and would have been required to add a 13th man in the very near future had the team not acquired a player via trade today. The team had intended to make use of one of its seven trade exceptions, but likely won't need to do so, since the third-year big man is making the minimum salary of $854,389.
From Miami's perspective, the trade allows the club to open a roster spot for a potential free agent addition later in the season. According to Windhorst (via Twitter), the Heat have kept in touch with Kenyon Martin, but will likely wait until March to explore all their options.
Moving Pittman also reduces the Heat's tax bill slightly, and the cost to do so wasn't exactly exorbitant — Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter) that the second-rounder is Miami's 2013 pick, which is currently projected to be 59th overall, as our projected draft order indicates.
I would assume that Sanchez, who was drafted by the Trail Blazers in 2005, will never see the floor for the Heat. The Grizzlies simply had to include a piece in the deal so that they weren't acquiring Pittman and a pick for nothing. Miami will also obtain a trade exception worth $854,389 (Pittman's salary) in the move.
Trail Blazers To Waive Ronnie Price
The Trail Blazers had been carrying 15 players heading into the trade deadline, so they'll need to waive a player to clear a roster spot for Eric Maynor. According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Ronnie Price will be the player released by the Blazers (Twitter link).
Haynes notes (via Twitter) that Price is dealing with a severe right ankle sprain, but he does plan to return to action this season, so he could find another NBA job once he clears waivers hits free agency.
Price, 29, had averaged 2.7 PPG and 1.9 APG in 39 appearances for Portland this season. His minimum-salary contract was guaranteed, so he'll receive that salary and the Blazers will assume the cap hit.
Hawks Backed Out Of Smith Trade With Bucks
2:47pm: The Hawks were close to reaching an agreement with the Bucks for Smith that may have included the Magic as a third team. However, Atlanta backed out of the deal at the last minute, according to ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game. Bucher reports (via Sulia) that the Bucks' offer would have sent Ekpe Udoh, Luc Mbah a Moute, Beno Udrih's expiring contract, and a protected first-round pick to Atlanta.
2:04pm: Neither the Bucks nor the Nets were able to finalize a deal with the Hawks for Josh Smith, who will remain in Atlanta, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. According to Windhorst (via Twitter), the Hawks decided they valued Smith too much to give him up for the offers they received.
Thunder To Acquire Ronnie Brewer
2:37pm: The second-round pick heading to New York in the deal will be the Thunder's own 2014 selection, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
2:24pm: The Thunder and Knicks have agreed to a deal that will see Oklahoma City acquire Ronnie Brewer in exchange for a second-round pick, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (via Twitter). It was Mayberry who first reported that the Thunder were expected to land Brewer (Twitter link).
The Knicks had been shopping Brewer this week in an attempt to clear a roster spot, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com noted today. Now just carrying 14 players on their roster, the Knicks could take a flier on a free agent – perhaps Kenyon Martin, or Jermaine O'Neal if he receives a buyout – without having to release a player on a guaranteed contract.
For the Thunder, it was a small price to pay to add a solid defensive guard who had fallen out of the Knicks' rotation in recent weeks. Brewer, 27, had started 34 games for New York, but didn't seem to fit with the team nearly as well as he did with the Bulls' "Bench Mob" over the last couple seasons. So far this year, Brewer has recorded a career-low 10.2 PER.
Thunder To Send Eric Maynor To Blazers
2:27pm: The Blazers are sending the draft rights to Giorgio Printezis to the Thunder as part of the deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
2:14pm: Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman reports the Blazers will not send a draft pick to the Thunder (Twitter link). It's unclear exactly what Oklahoma City is getting for Maynor.
1:53pm: The Thunder will send Eric Maynor to the Blazers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, via Twitter. The teams had been in serious discussions about such a trade, as Stein tweeted just moments earlier. Portland will absorb Maynor with an exception, and is likely sending a draft pick to Oklahoma City, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If the Blazers aren't giving up anyone in return, that means they'll have to waive someone, since they're at the 15-man roster limit. Mike Tokito of The Oregonian tweets speculation that Elliot Williams could be the one to go.
Williams is attempting to make it back from a torn Achilles' tendon. The Blazers have a disabled player exception for Williams, but it's not worth enough to accomodate Maynor. Portland has a $2,247,740 trade exception from the Raymond Felton deal, and since teams are allowed to add $100K to trade exceptions to accomodate someone, that's how Maynor's $2,338,721 salary fits in.
Maynor had fallen out of favor in Oklahoma City, where he'd lost the backup point guard job to Reggie Jackson. The Thunder were holding out hope for a first-round pick in return as they shopped Maynor aggressively toward the deadline. The Raptors and Jazz had been linked to him in recent days.
The Blazers pick up a piece for their under-performing bench in the deal. Maynor will be a restricted free agent at season's end, and Portland will have the ability to match offers from other teams. Though he kept his interest quiet, Blazers GM Neil Olshey has had Maynor on his radar for more than a month, according to The Oregonian's Jason Quick (Twitter link).
Magic, Bucks, Hawks Talked Three-Team Trade
2:20pm: ESPN.com's Chad Ford reports (via Twitter) that the Hawks pulled out of a three-team trade that would have sent Josh Smith to Milwaukee at the last minute before the deadline.
1:55pm: The Magic are working on a three-team trade that involves J.J. Redick, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). The Bucks are also a part of the talks, Robbins reports.
We've already heard a ton of Redick updates today, but the latest rumors in our round-up suggest that the Pacers and Spurs are out of the running, while the Bucks and Sixers remain in the mix.
Celtics To Acquire Jordan Crawford
2:16pm: The Wizards will also acquire Jason Collins from the Celtics in the trade, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
12:46pm: The Wizards have agreed to a deal that will send Jordan Crawford to the Celtics, reports TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter). Boston will send Leandro Barbosa to the Wizards, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The teams are still working on the details of the trade, but Fab Melo will not be headed to Washington, Aldridge hears (Twitter link). Crawford "desperately" wanted the Wizards to trade him, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, and that's in line with previous reports indicating the swingman was unpleased with his reduced role of late.
The Mavs reportedly jumped into discussions for Crawford as well, but the Celtics seemed to have the inside track as the deadline approached. An Eastern Conference executive told Michael Lee of the Washington Post last night there was likely "very little" the Wizards could get for Crawford, and indeed that appears to be the case, as Washington is getting a player who's out for the year with a torn ACL in his left knee. In taking back Barbosa's expiring deal for the minimum salary, the Wizards essentially clear Crawford's salary, worth $1.2MM this year and $2.6MM next season, off their books. The Wizards had an open roster spot going into the trade, but they could waive Barbosa at any point this season to free up more room if they wish, though they'll have to keep paying Barbosa's salary either way.
Adding Crawford for Barbosa adds a little salary to Boston's books, but still allows them to stay below their $74.307MM hard cap for the season. Following his injury, the C's sought to use Barbosa to increase their flexibility, as they considered waiving him to create room on the roster, or, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe suggested, using him as trade ballast as they're doing with the Wizards. Nonetheless, a one-for-one deal involving Barbosa was unexpected, Washburn tweets.
Crawford is averaging 13.4 points and 3.7 assists this year, similar to the third-year player's career numbers. He's seen his minutes drastically reduced, to 12.4 per game this month from 35.8 in December, with the return of John Wall from injury and the emergence of rookie Bradley Beal. He was used on the ball as the Wizards struggled to find a solution in Wall's absence at point guard this year, so perhaps he could help Boston's current shorthanded situation at the position.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors contributed to this post.