Ford’s Latest: Smith, Hawes, Turner, Granger
In an earlier post, we passed along Chad Ford's report on Brandon Jennings' discontent in Milwaukee. Ford's latest Insider-only piece at ESPN.com featured plenty of additional trade notes though, so we'll round up the highlights here:
- The consensus around the NBA continues to suggest that Josh Smith is unlikely to remain with the Hawks next season, whether he leaves by trade or free agency.
- According to Ford, the 76ers have been "dangling" Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner as potential trade chips, and could be a team to watch in the Smith sweepstakes.
- The Raptors would like to acquire a backup point guard in an Andrea Bargnani deal.
- Danny Granger is probably out of the Pacers' price range over the long-term, so if he's not moved in the next week, he's a good candidate to be shopped this summer. Ford names the Clippers as a potential suitor for Granger.
- While anyone on the Suns' roster is available for the right piece, it's not entirely clear what they're looking for in return, as they've been linked to everyone from Al Jefferson to Iman Shumpert. Ford suggests that's a sign that Phoenix doesn't necessarily have a "coherent rebuilding plan."
Odds & Ends: Nets, Lakers, Shumpert, Noel, West
Trade talk has come in fits and starts over the past few days, but the action should start to pick up soon. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is among many who expect discussion to intensify this weekend, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. As the clock ticks closer to the deadline, which is a week from Thursday, here are a few late-night nuggets:
- While we've heard the Nets will go after Paul Millsap if they don't land Josh Smith, Nets Daily reports that Brooklyn has more interest in Millsap anyway, adding that MarShon Brooks and Mirza Teletovic are drawing consideration from other teams (Twitter links).
- The Lakers have an open roster spot, but coach Mike D'Antoni isn't anxious to add anyone, notes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. "We could bring somebody in and have them sit on the bench for a while but that doesn't make any sense either," the coach said. "You're playing games that you have to win. . . . Would I even play him?"
- Though he said this weekend that he couldn't assure Iman Shumpert he wouldn't be traded, Knicks coach Mike Woodson indicated to Stephen A. Smith on ESPN New York 98.7 FM radio that Shumpert is staying put. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com has the details.
- Center Nerlens Noel, one of the top contenders to become the No. 1 overall pick in June, suffered a knee injury in Kentucky's game tonight and, according to Andy Staples of SI.com, left the arena in a wheelchair en route to a hospital (Twitter links).
- Texas Legends co-owner Donnie Nelson, who doubles as president of basketball ops for the Mavs, maintains the "door is open" for Delonte West to join the D-League team, even though the guard has yet to report after the Legends acquired his rights last month, The Associated Press reports (link via ESPN.com).
- The Chicago Tribune's David Haugh wonders if agent B.J. Armstrong and the Wasserman Media Group, along with Adidas, are pushing the Bulls to delay Derrick Rose's return until next season.
- Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com catches up with Shelvin Mack, whom the Celtics are reportedly considering.
Mavs Interested In Jennings, Not Josh Smith
11:47pm: Following up on his Jennings report, Stein adds that the Mavs aren’t looking at Josh Smith (Twitter link).
11:40pm: The Mavs are interested in point guard Brandon Jennings, and if the Bucks decide to make him available before next week’s trade deadline, Dallas will be one of the teams in the mix, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Mavs owner Mark Cuban, president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson and coach Rick Carlisle have all said in recent days that the team is unlikely to make any deadline deals, but multiple reports suggest that’s not the case. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears the team is seeking offers for Shawn Marion, while Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, as part of a chat with readers today, wrote that anyone aside from Dirk Nowitzki and Elton Brand is liable to be dealt.
Bucks GM John Hammond wants an overwhelming offer in return if he’s to part with Jennings, Amico hears. Jennings’ recent change of agents, from Bill Duffy to Jeff Schwartz, could suggest he wants to join a large-market team when he hits restricted free agency this summer. The Bucks will have the opportunity to match, and the team has reportedly told Jennings they’ll do so with any offer sheet he signs. Still, Milwaukee declined to extend Jennings’ rookie deal this past fall when he was reportedly asking for an annual salary of about $9MM to $10MM, and he could receive offers for much more on the open market.
In his chat, Sefko named Rodrigue Beaubois, Dominique Jones, Vince Carter and Brandan Wright as the Mavs players most likely to be dealt. I don’t think a package involving any combination of them or Marion would be enough to bowl Hammond over to the point that he’d be ready to deal. Though the Mavs have a wealth of expiring contracts, it will be hard for them to match salaries for Jennings, who’s making just $3.179MM this season in the final year of his rookie deal. They’d probably have to take back one of Milwaukee’s less desirable contracts, like that of Drew Gooden, who’s due more than $20MM between this season and 2015. Since the Mavs have their eyes set on pursuing maximum-salary players like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, I’m not sure they’d be willing to compromise their flexibility to fit one of them under their cap to bring Jennings aboard.
Amico’s Latest: Garnett, Josh Smith, Millsap
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio is hearing plenty of chatter from around the league, and shares a lot of information in his latest dispatch. He identifies the player receiving the most attention as the deadline approaches, and dishes on several big names. We'll cover the highlights here:
- The Celtics are open to trading Kevin Garnett, but president of basketball ops Danny Ainge is looking for something to get "really, really excited" about, Amico writes. Garnett has a no-trade clause, and reportedly will only waive it if he's dealt to Los Angeles and the Celtics also trade Paul Pierce away.
- Josh Smith is the most-talked-about name on the rumor mill at present, and Amico reiterates that the Spurs, Nets and Bobcats are among the teams that have interest in the athletic forward. The Nets are anxious to deal Kris Humphries, and could be looking to get a third team involved in talks with Atlanta to faciliate a Smith-Humphries deal. Cavs GM Chris Grant spent time on the phone with Nets GM Billy King last week, and Amico notes the close ties Grant shares with King, as well as the connection between Hawks GM Danny Ferry and King.
- Grant wants more draft picks, and is apparently willing to rent some of the Cavs' ample cap space for a player whose deal expires after next season, as Humphries' does.
- If they can't land Smith, plan B for the Nets might be Paul Millsap. We heard about Brooklyn's interest in the Jazz power forward earlier today.
- Bulls GM Gar Forman also covets Smith and Millsap. Chicago has talked to the Nets about Carlos Boozer, but there's been no recent movement on that front.
- Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings are available, but only for a team that makes an overwhelming offer to Bucks GM John Hammond.
- The Mavs are publicly downplaying the chances of a trade before the deadline, but that's not the case behind the scenes, where basketball president Donnie Nelson is seeing what he can get for Shawn Marion.
- Eric Gordon would love to return to his Indiana roots and the Hornets have interest in Danny Granger, but the Pacers and New Orleans have not discussed a Gordon-Granger swap.
Amick On Nets, Josh Smith, Gay, Grizzlies, Mavs
Sam Amick of USA Today covers topics from around the league in his A-to-Z column, and with next week's trade deadline looming, it's no surprise the latest edition is full of intriguing tidbits. The Nets and Grizzlies figure prominently, as well as Josh Smith. We'll round it all up here:
- The Nets' efforts to land Smith aren't as aggressive as recent rumors make it seem, but Amick wonders just how much owner Mikhail Prokhorov is willing to spend. Despite the billionaire's deep pockets, the team's front office is under instructions not to add more costly contracts unless they significantly improve the team's title hopes.
- Brooklyn was interested in Rudy Gay before he went to the Raptors, but the Grizzlies rejected their offer because it included Kris Humphries.
- The Grizzlies, meanwhile, were "thrilled" to acquire Ed Davis. Amick refers to him as a fourth-year player, but he's only in his third season. Nonetheless, Davis will be up for an extension this summer, and Amick notes that Memphis views him as a part of the team's future.
- Smith's representatives have reached out to other teams and given them indication that he's unlikely to re-sign with the Hawks this summer, but many front offices don't share Smith's view that he's a maximum-salary player. One such team appears to be the Mavs, who have abandoned discussions with Atlanta about trading for Smith.
- While noting the Bucks' future salary flexibility, Amick speculates that Ekpe Udoh could draw attention from other clubs as "the sort of young, defensive-minded talent on a rookie contract that teams crave."
- Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo is still anxious to trade Andrea Bargnani, but there hasn't been a lot of interest from other teams.
Nets Rumors: Gordon, Josh Smith, Millsap
No team was more active last summer than the Nets, who signed two maximum-salary players and traded for a third in the span of a week. So it only seems appropriate that the club would be busy again at the trade deadline. Brooklyn has been linked to multiple possible trade targets this month, including Ben Gordon of the Bobcats and Josh Smith of the Hawks.
However, according to Mitch Lawrence and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the Nets aren't overly optimistic about landing Gordon or Smith. The Daily News report indicates that Brooklyn has "cooled" on Gordon, who the club doesn't view as a good fit defensively. Lawrence and Bondy also suggest that the Nets are pessimistic about their odds of landing Smith, since the Hawks are seeking a more attractive package than Brooklyn's, which would include Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks.
While talks with the Bobcats and Hawks may not be progressing, the Nets are still hoping to land a big man. Brooklyn is focusing on a group of power forwards that includes Paul Millsap, according to the Daily News report. Nearly a month ago, we heard that the Nets might try to make a play for Millsap, though a deal wasn't considered likely.
As trade rumors continue to swirl around the Nets, GM Billy King insists that he likes the current roster, and that a move isn't necessarily in the works. Even though he's in the last year of his contract, King wants to avoid making a desperation move, telling reporters yesterday that he won't shake things up for the sake of it.
"Are we going to make a trade? We may, we may not,'' King said. "I'm not going to make a trade just to make a trade. Do I believe this group can regroup and play well? Yes."
Eastern Links: Rose, Pargo, Shumpert, Will Bynum
As the Bulls continue to hang around in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, there's been speculation that getting a certain former MVP back in the lineup could make Chicago the biggest threat to knock off the Heat. But as he tells Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, Derrick Rose doesn't have a set timetable for his return and isn't about to rush back.
"I'm not coming back until I'm 110%," Rose said. "Who knows when that can be? It can be within a couple of weeks. It could be next year. It could be any day. It could be any time. It's just that I'm not coming back until I'm ready."
As Bulls fans wait on Rose, let's round up a few links from around the Eastern Conference:
- Jannero Pargo's second 10-day contract with the Hawks expired last night, and though Atlanta has interest in retaining him for the season, the team will keep the roster spot open for now, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). With just 14 guaranteed contracts on the books, the Hawks have a little flexibility to take on a player at the trade deadline.
- Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld weighs the pros and cons for the Knicks if they were to trade Iman Shumpert.
- Will Bynum's name figures to pop up in trade rumors over the next nine days, but the Pistons guard isn't thinking about that at all, according to David Mayo of MLive.com.
- ESPN.com's 5-on-5 panel debates whether "sell-high" trade candidates such as Amare Stoudemire, Kyle Korver, and Jameer Nelson would be worth the risk for potential suitors.
- The Pacers are the team that would benefit the most by acquiring J.J. Redick from the Magic, writes Bradford Doolittle in an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com.
Spears On Spurs, Smith, Maynor, Knicks, Grizzlies
Not content to simply rank the NBA's teams, one through 30, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports also includes plenty of interesting trade rumors and nuggets within his power rankings. Here are the items of note from Spears in this week's installment:
- The Spurs, who used to employ current Hawks GM Danny Ferry, are among the teams interested in Josh Smith.
- Eric Maynor has been drawing some interest, and Spears suggests that he could be a fit for the Jazz, the team that initially drafted him.
- The Knicks are still trying to decide whether they should wait on injured bigs Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace or sign a free agent.
- Zach Randolph appears safe in Memphis, but the Grizzlies could still try to make a deal using one or more of their seven trade exceptions.
- Spears hears from a source that it's been nearly three weeks since the Raptors and Bulls last discussed a Carlos Boozer/Andrea Bargnani swap.
- No Suns player is untouchable via trade.
- Talks between the Bobcats and Nets involving Kris Humphries and Ben Gordon remain at a standstill.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Redick, Smith, Wizards
The NBA's three worst winning-percentages all belong to Southeast teams, but two of those three clubs collected victories last night, as the Bobcats upset the Celtics and the Wizards beat the Bucks for their fourth straight win. Here's the latest out of the division:
- The Magic will be able to afford to keep J.J. Redick past this season, but must decide whether it's worth investing long-term money in a role player when they're trying to create cap flexibility, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes that the Magic certainly aren't sitting out the trade deadline, but may ultimately stand relatively pat if there are no deals out there that help them gather long-term assets and flexibility. The price on Redick has been "steep" and many of the offers out there wouldn't help Orlando in the long run, according to Kyler.
- Josh Smith tells Jeff Caplan of NBA.com that he has "a lot invested" in his hometown of Atlanta, and that he'll give full consideration to re-signing with the Hawks if he remains on the team through this season.
- The Wizards' acquisitions of Nene Hilario and Emeka Okafor are looking better now that the team has gotten healthy, says Tom Ziller of SBNation.com.
Nets Making Serious Push For Josh Smith
9:05pm: While the two teams are engaged in discussions, nothing is close yet, a source tells Broussard. The Nets are willing to give up Kris Humphries and guard MarShon Brooks for Smith, but it almost certainly will take more to make it happen and one source said the Hawks want a first-round pick.
Broussard writes that some scenarios that have been discussed include re-acquiring Anthony Morrow, but that would not be possible. A player cannot be traded back to a team within one year of that team trading him away, according to the CBA.
The Hawks also reportedly want a young center in return for Smith so the Nets may have to get a third team involved.
7:52pm: The Nets are going hard after Hawks forward Josh Smith, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN (on Twitter). While General Manager Billy King & Co. have also discussed a deal for Bobcats guard Ben Gordon, Smith is the bigger priority at the moment.
Earlier today, a report suggested that the Hawks aren't actively shopping Smith, despite the whirlwind of trade talk surrounding him. Meanwhile, Broussard handicapped the odds of Smith being shipped out of Atlanta at 60% earlier this week. It makes sense that the Hawks would explore a deal as they met with the 27-year-old's representatives this week and let them know that they're not interested in signing him to the max deal that he is seeking.
If General Manager Danny Ferry can take Smith off of the books, then he could potentially have room for two max deal players this summer. That prospect combined with the return that Smith could net would seem to make him one of the stronger trade candidates as we approach the deadline. The Suns, Rockets, and Bobcats have been said to have interest in acquiring Smith while the forward would like a trade to the Mavericks or Grizzlies if he had his way.