Celtics, Mavericks Eyeing Jordan Crawford
12:45pm: Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com is hearing that the Mavs aren't heavily involved in the hunt for Crawford (Twitter link). It looks to me as if a deal between the Celtics and Wizards that swaps Melo and Crawford could be the most likely outcome.
12:21pm: The Mavs and Celtics continue to lead the way for Crawford, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter). However, talks may go down to the wire, as the Wizards are "waiting this one out," tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
11:20am: We can add another team to the mix for Crawford. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (via Twitter), the Mavericks have also discussed a Crawford deal with the Wizards.
9:37am: The Celtics are looking to add perimeter scoring and are considering Jordan Crawford as a target, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Broussard reports that the Celtics are dangling Fab Melo in trade talks, as we heard yesterday.
For his part, Crawford appears to be unhappy with his role in Washington and would likely welcome a trade. In discussing both Melo and Crawford as trade candidates, I noted that their small salaries may make it difficult for the C's and Wizards, respectively, to find a match. However, since Crawford's $1.2MM salary is a near match for Melo's $1.25MM, it wouldn't be hard to build a deal around the pair.
Grizzlies In Serious Talks To Acquire Pittman
The Grizzlies are in serious talks with the Heat to acquire big man Dexter Pittman, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). The proposed deal would see the Grizzlies land Pittman and a second-round pick using one of their seven trade exceptions.
Because Pittman is only making a minimum salary ($854,389) this season, the Grizzlies could use one of their smaller exceptions to absorb his contract, rather than using a chunk of their $7.49MM TPE from the Rudy Gay trade. From Miami's perspective, the team could clear a roster spot and save some money on its luxury-tax bill.
Lakers Made Push For Daniel Gibson
The Lakers and Cavaliers finalized a trade last year on deadline deal, but it doesn't appear they'll do so again. According to Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld, the Lakers made a push to acquire Daniel Gibson from the Cavs today, but couldn't put together a package to Cleveland's liking. Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio first reported this afternoon (via Twitter) that the Lakers were eyeing Gibson and D.J. Augustin of the Pacers.
Earlier today, we heard that the Lakers were shopping Steve Blake, Chris Duhon, Darius Morris, and Devin Ebanks in an effort to clear roster spots, cut costs, and land second-round picks. I would guess that the Lakers' offer to Cleveland included either Blake or Duhon, perhaps paired with one of the youngsters, but that's just my speculation.
Trade Rumors: Knicks, Lakers, Pierce, Pistons
With so many trade rumors swirling around in the hours leading up to the deadline, we're scrambling to keep tabs on them all. Here's the latest:
- The Knicks won't make a major move, but they're exploring make a trade to clear a roster spot for an eventual free agent pickup, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times is fairly confident the Lakers won't make a move today (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- Although the Celtics continue to discuss Paul Pierce, they're seeking a big package of expiring contracts and draft picks, which is unlikely, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. The Nets are "on the outside looking in" when it comes to Pierce, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
- TNT's David Aldridge was told unequivocally that the Rockets won't flip Thomas Robinson in a second trade. Houston "loves" Robinson, according to Aldridge (Twitter link).
- "Nothing at all" is happening on the trade front for the Pistons, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, though he notes there's still some time for that to change (Twitter links).
- The Warriors and Suns are on Eric Gordon's list of desired destinations, tweets Amick. While there's a chance Gordon is moved today, a deal down the road, perhaps this summer, is more likely — Gordon isn't even eligible to be traded to Phoenix until July.
- Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News is hearing that the consensus is the Spurs' asking price for DeJuan Blair remains too high.
Timofey Mozgov Unlikely To Be Moved
Despite a flurry of rumors related to Timofey Mozgov in the days leading up to the deadline, the Nuggets appear unlikely to deal the big man, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Most recently, we heard that the Heat had expressed interest in Mozgov, who is headed for free agency this summer. The 26-year-old has also been linked to the Timberwolves, Knicks, and Bobcats this week.
J.J. Hickson Likely To Remain With Blazers
THURSDAY, 12:14pm: A Hickson deal looks increasingly unlikely for the Blazers, even if the big man were willing to approve a deal. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports (via Twitter) that Portland doesn't have one offer on the table that makes sense, while Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweets that there may not even be much interest if the team downgrades the asking price to a second-rounder.
WEDNEDAY, 1:27pm: J.J. Hickson has been the subject of a few trade rumors in recent weeks, but unlike most trade candidates, Hickson has the ability to veto any deal he doesn't like. Hickson didn't negotiate a no-trade clause into his contract like Kevin Garnett, but because he re-signed with the Trail Blazers on a one-year pact and would lose his Bird Rights if he were moved, the big man can block a deal.
As Joe Freeman of the Oregonian observed while speaking to Hickson, it doesn't make a ton of sense for the 24-year-old to approve a deal that would strip him of his Bird Rights, reducing his leverage in free agency as he enjoys a career year. Hickson agreed with Freeman's assessment of the situation.
"There you go then — you just said it," Hickson said, laughing. "You just answered all your questions."
While Hickson didn't entirely rule out the possibility of approving a trade, he told Freeman that he's focusing on playing for Portland right now. And if the club comes to him with a trade for him to consider? "I’ll deal with it when I cross that path."
Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge noted earlier today that the presence of other available big men such as Marreese Speights and Jermaine O'Neal on the trade market was softening Hickon's value. And given the year Hickson is having so far, if the Blazers can't even find a good offer for the N.C. State product, it's unlikely they'll consider a move.
Clippers, Celtics Unlikely To Reach Deal
12:09pm: Sources tell Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter links) that Garnett seems "dead-set" on remaining with the Celtics as long as Paul Pierce is there and they're a playoff team. While the Clippers will keep working the phones, a trade would be a surprise, says Markazi.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com adds that one person involved in previous Clippers/C's talks hasn't detected a renewed push to revisit talks (Twitter link).
11:08am: Bulpett clarifies in a second tweet that some members of the Clippers' front office are in favor of revisiting talks with the Celtics, while others aren't so sure.
11:03am: On Tuesday night, we heard that the Clippers and Celtics had shut down trade talks involving Kevin Garnett, Eric Bledsoe, DeAndre Jordan, and anyone else. Although reports since then have suggested it may be a quiet deadline for the Clips, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald is hearing word of a "new push" from L.A. to do something with the Celtics (Twitter link).
As we've noted previously, Garnett would have to waive his no-trade clause if the Celtics hope to include him in any deal. KG has publicly said he has no intention of doing that, but the Clippers are believed to be perhaps the one team that could convince him otherwise. Of course, it's worth mentioning that Bulpett's tweet didn't specifically mention Garnett, but I'd be surprised if the two teams were discussing an entirely new deal.
Grizzlies Weighing Multiple Trade Scenarios
The Grizzlies are "actively working" two separate trade possibilities, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). Both scenarios would involve Memphis landing a big man, though neither player is a household name, adds Tillery.
With just 12 players on their roster, the Grizzlies will be required to add a 13th man soon to adhere to NBA rules. The team is expected to do so by using one of their seven trade exceptions to acquire a player today. Tillery tweets that the Grizzlies' current talks would "only involve" one of those exceptions, though Memphis would technically have to add another outgoing piece, even if it's something like a heavily-protected future second-rounder.
Rockets Send Morris To Suns, Get Kings’ Robinson
The Rockets have finalized a pair of deals they agreed upon Wednesday night, sending Marcus Morris to the Suns for a second-round pick and trading Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, Toney Douglas and $1MM to the Kings for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt. The second-rounder heading to Houston is Phoenix's own 2013 selection. The Suns, who were at the roster limit of 15 players going into the trade, waived Luke Zeller to make room for Morris.
Houston was reportedly deciding between a pair of deals for Morris, whom the Rockets held out of their win against Oklahoma City on Wednesday. With Houston's top two power forwards gone, it looks like a pair of rookies, in Robinson and Terrence Jones, will man the position as the team fights to hold on to the final playoff spot in the West. One of the motivations to trade Morris was to free up time for Jones, according to HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler.
As Grantland's Zach Lowe points out via Twitter, the pair of moves will save Houston approximately $1.6MM for next season if they decline their option on Garcia. Lowe surmised earlier that Houston would look to cut between $1.5MM and $2MM to clear room for a max deal to land Dwight Howard, who'll be a free agent this summer. The Rockets also get the No. 5 overall pick from this past June's draft in Robinson, who's seen just 15.9 minutes per game as a reserve for the Kings this year. Nonetheless, Robinson is grabbing 4.7 rebounds in his limited action, which would extrapolate to 10.6 rebounds per 36 minutes.
Sacramento had appeared unlikely to make a deal as their ownership situation remains in limbo, but they flipped Robinson for two expiring deals and Patterson, who will enter the final season of his rookie contract next year. The move was all about cost-cutting and not something the Kings current management wished to do, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Chris Hansen/Howard Ballmer group from Seattle that has a deal in place to buy the Kings was briefed on the trade before it went down, according to fellow Yahoo! Sports scribe Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). It's unclear exactly where the directive to make the trade came from, though SB Nation's Tom Ziller indicated Wednesday night that co-owner Gavin Maloof and Geoff Petrie are the driving forces in the Kings front office at the moment.
The Suns considered trading a first-round pick for Morris when the Rockets drafted him 14th overall in 2011, but wound up nabbing him for a second-rounder, currently projected to be the 35th overall selection. Now the power forward will reunite with his twin brother, Markieff Morris, whom the Suns took 13th overall in 2011. With the next pick that year, the Rockets drafted Marcus.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (All Twitter links) initially broke the news of both trades. Sam Amick of USA Today (All Twitter links) and TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link) contributed additional details.
Bulls To Keep Carlos Boozer
The Bulls "definitely" won't be moving Carlos Boozer today and are unlikely to make any deals at all, according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter link).
Boozer and Richard Hamilton were considered the two players most likely to be traded by the Bulls, but as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com noted earlier today, neither guy has drawn much interest. One report indicated that the Bulls are reluctant to pair Hamilton with a draft pick to get below the tax line, in which case I wouldn't expect the team to find a taker.