Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Gay, Grizzlies, Korver, Smith

February 24th, 2013 at 11:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Hoops Rumors would like to wish a speedy recovery to former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley as he remains in a Chicago-area hospital days after suffering a stroke, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal details. Heisley is interested in buying another NBA team, and has recently been linked to the Wolves and Bucks. Here's more from around the Association..

Raptors star Rudy Gay told Chris Mannix of NBC Sports (on Twitter) that he was not happy about leaving the Grizzlies at a time when he felt that they were poised to make a run. The forward went on to say that the team was shocked and deflated by the Marreese Speights deal (Twitter link).
Soon-to-be free agent Kyle Korver is open to a return to the Bulls this summer, he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who notes that the sharpshooter was one of Derrick Rose's favorites."That’s a great organization, that’s an awesome jersey to put on," Korver said of the Bulls. "Great fans, good team. You only get to be a free agent so many times in a career, so I’ll definitely see what’s all there. But I would absolutely listen to what they’ve got to say."
Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, Josh Smith can go back to focusing on contributing to his Hawks team, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. In fact, for all of his ups and downs with the club over the years, he seems re-energized and upbeat about the second half of the year in Atlanta.
Mark Cuban says that Vince Carter was the Mavericks' most in-demand player at the deadline, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (on Twitter). "We're lucky to have him," said the owner.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Rumors: Kenyon, Celtics, Morrow, Cavs

February 23rd, 2013 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

After all the pre-deadline rumors about Josh Smith, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo changing places, more than a few people around the NBA might have been scratching their heads when none of them were dealt. A check of the standings reveals that both the Hawks and Celtics are within reach of high playoff seeds, so perhaps both teams felt like they could make a run with their teams largely intact. Atlanta is just three games back of the Pacers, who sit in second-place, while Boston trails Indiana by five games. While we wait to see how a tightly packed East shakes out, here's the latest from the conference:

Kenyon Martin is on a 10-day contract with the Knicks, but GM Glen Grunwald is hopeful the arrangement lasts for the rest of the season, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com documents. The veteran big man is glad months of waiting to rejoin the NBA are at an end, and he's eager to dispel criticism about his ability to fit in a team's locker room culture, Begley also writes.
The Celtics are close to signing D.J. White, but coach Doc Rivers said the team will look for another big man as well. Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com runs down a few likely candidates.
Anthony Morrow, whom the Mavs acquired at the deadline for Dahntay Jones, is glad to be in Dallas, and hinted at displeasure about his time with the Hawks, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com notes via Twitter. "I feel so blessed to be here, coming from my last situation," Morrow said.
A half dozen draft picks changed hands at the trade deadline, but all of them were second-rounders. That's why Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer thinks the Cavs were shrewd to acquire a first-rounder from the Grizzlies as part of their swap last month.

Recap Of Deadline Trades

February 21st, 2013 at 7:44pm CST by Sean Highkin

A complete recap of trades that were completed before Thursday's trade deadline:

The Houston Rockets traded Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns and Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, and Toney Douglas to the Sacramento Kings for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt, and a future second-round pick.
The Miami Heat traded Dexter Pittman and a future second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Ricky Sanchez and cash considerations.
The Washington Wizards traded Jordan Crawford to the Boston Celtics for Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins.
The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Eric Maynor to the Portland Trail Blazers for a trade exception and the rights to Georgios Printezis. The Blazers waived Ronnie Price to clear a roster spot for Maynor.
The Thunder also acquired Ronnie Brewer from the New York Knicks for a future second-round pick.
The Atlanta Hawks traded Anthony Morrow to the Dallas Mavericks for Dahntay Jones.
The Suns traded Sebastian Telfair to the Toronto Raptors for Hamed Haddadi and a future second-round pick.
The Orlando Magic traded J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon, and Ishmael Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Beno Udrih, Tobias Harris, and Doron Lamb.
In a separate deal, the Magic traded Josh McRoberts to the Charlotte Bobcats for Hakim Warrick.
The Golden State Warriors traded Jeremy Tyler to the Hawks for a second-round pick. They also traded Charles Jenkins to the Philadelphia 76ers for an additional second-round pick.

Josh Smith Unlikely To Re-Sign With Hawks

February 21st, 2013 at 4:13pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Atlanta Hawks were unable to complete a trade for Josh Smith before Thursday's trade deadline, after backing out of a deal that would have sent him to Milwaukee. Now, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that Smith is "highly unlikely" to re-sign with the Hawks this summer, when the nine-year veteran will be an unrestricted free agent.

Zillgitt writes that Smith is likely going to want more money than Hawks GM Danny Ferry is willing to pay him to re-sign. Other teams can offer Smith a maximum of four years and $78MM as a free agent, while the Hawks could offer him five years at $97MM, although they have reportedly been hesitant to offer him that much.

Warriors Send Jenkins To 76ers, Tyler To Hawks

February 21st, 2013 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Hawks Backed Out Of Smith Trade With Bucks

February 21st, 2013 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Magic, Bucks, Hawks Talked Three-Team Trade

February 21st, 2013 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Josh Smith Rumors: Thursday

February 21st, 2013 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

We're counting down the hours until today's 2:00pm CST trade deadline, and Josh Smith still appears likely to be on the move sometime before then. In yesterday's round-up of Smith rumors, we passed along word from HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy that "source after source" indicates Smith will be dealt today. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports the same thing, writing that the Hawks are expected to trade their veteran forward for the best deal that won't hurt their long-term financial flexibility. We'll track today's Smith rumors right here, with the latest added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The Nets are still "hanging by a thread" in the Smith talks, tweets TNT's David Aldridge. Milwaukee still appears to be the leader, Aldridge confirms.
The Suns are essentially out of the running for Smith, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who adds that the Bucks are viewed as the favorites (Twitter link).
The Bucks and Hawks are still "seriously engaged" in talks for Smith, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Rockets appear to be out of the mix for Smith, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

Earlier updates:

Knicks Rumors: Deadline, Amundson, Redick

February 21st, 2013 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks' front office typically doesn't talk to the media too often, which leaves coach Mike Woodson to discuss the team's plans as the trade deadline approaches. And Woodson has been insisting this week that a deal isn't likely for the Knicks, who the head coach believes can beat the Heat with the current roster. Here's the latest out of New York from Marc Berman of the New York Post:

One source to Berman, on the Knicks' deadline plans: "They’re not even waiting on anything. It’s pretty safe to say they’re not making a deal."
The Knicks are more likely to sign a free agent after they wait to see which players receive buyouts. Jermaine O'Neal is one possibility there, and the team also continues to monitor current free agent Kenyon Martin.
Contrary to previous reports, Berman says the Knicks have "no interest" in Louis Amundson.
A source shot down a previously-reported rumor that the Knicks could explore trading Iman Shumpert and Amare Stoudemire for Josh Smith. No surprise there, since the idea of the Hawks taking on Stoudemire's contract was always pretty outrageous.
There's also no traction on talks with the Magic involving J.J. Redick, says Berman. The Knicks would have needed to include a third team, and weren't interested in giving up Shumpert anyway.

Kyler’s Latest: Suns, Redick, Lakers, Novak, Blair

February 21st, 2013 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

With less than six hours until today's trade deadline, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld explores a few of the latest rumors in his NBA AM piece. Here are the highlights:

Besides Jermaine O'Neal, Sebastian Telfair is another candidate to be a roster casualty once the Suns finalize their acquisition of Marcus Morris, says Kyler. If Phoenix trades either player for virtually nothing, the Grizzlies, who have seven trade exceptions and a need to add a 13th man to their roster, could get involved.
As they explore J.J. Redick deals, the Magic continue to seek a high-level first-round pick or a package that includes a young player and second-round picks. Several teams have questioned whether it's worth meeting that asking price for what could be a 30-game rental of Redick, according to Kyler.
If the Lakers make a trade, it's expected to be one that reduces their luxury-tax bill rather than one that drastically changes the roster.
In addition to shopping Ronnie Brewer, the Knicks have also made Steve Novak available. The duo isn't drawing a whole lot of interest though.
The Hawks are a potential destination for DeJuan Blair, particularly if Atlanta finalizes a Josh Smith trade.