Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Jamison, Sessions, Lewis

July 5th, 2012 at 10:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Five days into free agency, a number of big names, such as Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, are off the market. But there are still plenty of players out there looking for contracts. We'll wrap up many of today's free agent updates right here, with the latest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….

Antawn Jamison had dinner in Charlotte with Bobcats executives Rod Higgins and Rich Cho, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The former UNC star has also been talking to Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Jamison's former agent, and will chat with head coach Mark Jackson in the near future.
The Mavericks have reached out to Ramon Sessions for a second time and pitched a starting job to the veteran point guard, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
Rashard Lewis will visit the Heat this weekend after having his contract bought out by the Hornets, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter links). The Hawks and the Knicks are among other teams interested in the veteran forward.

Earlier updates:

The Timberwolves' offer to Nicolas Batum now exceeds $11MM per season, reports John Canzano of The Oregonian (on Twitter). The Trail Blazers told Batum during a meeting this afternoon that the team will match any offer the player receives, tweets Jason Quick of The Oregonian.
Even with the addition of Jason Kidd and the likely retention of Jeremy Lin, the Knicks remain in the market for a third-string point guard, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
The Lakers remain interested in retaining restricted free agent Devin Ebanks and will match any deal barring a huge offer, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Andrei Kirilenko wants to return to the NBA, but "wants way too much money" and may end up staying in Russia, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (Twitter links). Kirilenko plans to make his decision by Aug. 1 on whether he will sign with an NBA team, says Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (on Twitter).
Ric Bucher of ESPN.com names the Mavericks, Rockets, Pacers, Clippers, Knicks, and Suns as teams that still have a shot at O.J. Mayo (Twitter link). I'd guess the Clips are off that list after reaching deals with Jamal Crawford and Chauncey Billups.
Bucher adds in the same tweet that the Mavs, Pacers, Spurs, Kings, and Jazz are in the running for Chris Kaman.
Asked about the Pacers pursuing Courtney Lee or O.J. Mayo, Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star tweeted that Mayo is Indiana's "clear No. 1 choice." Whether that means he's the team's top free agent target overall or just compared to Lee, it's clear that Mayo is very much on the Pacers' radar.
Teams are offering Ryan Anderson frontloaded contracts to make it difficult for the Magic to retain him, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Ramon Sessions has been contacted by several teams, including the Mavericks, but not the Knicks, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. A multiyear deal and a starting spot remain Sessions' top priorities, says Amico (Sulia and Twitter links).
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com names Jordan Hill, Kirk Hinrich, Antawn Jamison, and Shelden Williams as some players the Warriors have reached out to so far in free agency.
According to Steinmetz, the Warriors may not match an offer sheet for Brandon Rush if it approaches $5MM. Steinmetz hears that the Raptors may be considering an offer for Rush, though given Toronto's agreement with Landry Fields, that would surprise me.

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Rashard Lewis Eyeing Five Teams

July 4th, 2012 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 1:33pm: Lewis has been in contact with at least three teams on his list so far, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld — the Lakers, Knicks, and Heat.

TUESDAY, 3:37pm: Having cleared waivers, Rashard Lewis will likely be looking to sign with one of five teams, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. Berman names the Knicks, Heat, Spurs, Hawks, and Lakers as the clubs on Lewis' "short list."

Kennedy On Paul, Williams, Beasley, Ebanks

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:27pm CST by Michael Pina

Despite turning down a three-year, $60MM offer from the Clippers when free agency started, Chris Paul is acting like someone who plans on staying in Los Angeles for a long time, writes Hoopsworld.com reporter Alex Kennedy. Paul has been working the phones and setting up face to face meetings with free agents, selling them on joining him for a chance at winning multiple championships. Paul is eligible after the 2012/13 season to sign a five-year, $110MM contract should the Clippers offer it.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Tuesday

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

4:43pm: The Magic haven't ruled out trading Howard to the Nets, and continue to talk to the Lakers, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

12:54pm: The Lakers are prepared to offer Bynum and Metta World Peace in exchange for Howard, providing Dwight agrees to sign an extension, tweets Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com. Based on Wojnarowski's report, I'd be a little surprised if Orlando agreed to that deal. Plus, it would hinge on both big men agreeing to sign new contracts.

The Magic would include Jason Richardson in any Howard deal, Rudolph adds in a second tweet.

12:49pm: The Magic are focusing on Lakers center Andrew Bynum as their top target in Howard trade talks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. However, the Magic would likely want more than just Bynum for Howard, and they'd need assurances that Bynum, who is also entering the final year of his contract, would sign an extension.

Wojnarowski adds that there's another trade scenario that involves a "significant player" that intrigues the Magic, but the team and player are unknown.

8:42am: There's not "great enthusiasm" within the Magic front office that the Nets can put together the most appealing offer for Howard, tweets Wojnarowski. However, the Magic also haven't received an offer from any team that they feel is enough to seriously consider trading Howard now, Wojnarowski adds in a second tweet.

8:03am: For progress to be made on the Magic/Nets talks, a third team would need to agree to take Humphries in the deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

7:49am: The Magic and Nets have re-engaged in talks on a possible deal for Dwight Howard, reports ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (all Twitter links). According to Broussard, the two sides are discussing a trade that would send Howard to Brooklyn in exchange for Kris Humphries, Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, and three first-round picks (2013, 2015, 2017).

Such a trade would be tricky financially, particularly if the Nets also take on Hedo Turkoglu, as Chris Mannix of SI.com suggests they're willing to (Twitter link). Sign-and-trades for Lopez and Humphries would be subject to Base Year Compensation — if their new salaries are more than 20% larger than their old salaries, then the Nets would use either their previous salary or 50% of their new salary (whichever is greater) for trade purposes, while the Magic would use their full salary. For instance, if Lopez signed for $10MM in year one, it would act as $5MM for the Nets' salary-matching purposes.

Ken Berger of CBS Sports confirms the talks between the Magic and Nets, but says those aren't the only discussions Orlando is having (Twitter links). According to Berger, GM Rob Hennigan is also trying to engage the Hawks, Rockets, Lakers, and possibly Mavericks. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld hears that Dallas has been aggressive in pursuing Howard, but says the Lakers and Clippers are reluctant to deal without assurances D12 would sign an extension (Twitter links).

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How The Joe Johnson Deal Works Financially

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

When the Nets agreed to acquire Joe Johnson from the Nets, the general perception was that Brooklyn's cap space allowed the team to absorb Johnson's mammoth contract. However, while the Nets' cap flexibility affords them the opportunity to make the deal, it actually appears that they won't be using any cap room in this trade or in any other moves this summer.

As I outlined when I previewed the Nets' offseason, even with only about $13MM in guaranteed salary on the books, Brooklyn's cap holds for free agents like Deron Williams, Kris Humphries, and Brook Lopez take the club well past the salary-cap line. To claim all that potential cap space, the Nets would have to renounce their rights to those free agents, which they've yet to do, and it doesn't appear they will.

Because they're still technically an over-the-cap team, the Nets had to meet salary-matching rules in the deal for Johnson. Based on the guidelines of the Traded Player Exception, we can work backwards from Johnson's $19,752,645 salary and determine that the Nets would need to come up with $14,752,645 in salary to send to Atlanta — that way they'd be absorbing no more than the outgoing salary + $5MM, which is the rule for any amount between $9.8MM and $19.6MM.

So how did that outgoing salary add up for Brooklyn? Let's take a look….

Jordan Farmar: $4,250,000
Anthony Morrow: $4,000,000
Johan Petro: $3,500,000
Jordan Williams: $762,195

With those four players in the deal, the Nets are still a little short of the salary requirements, at $12,512,195. Enter DeShawn Stevenson. In order to make up the necessary difference, the Nets will include a sign-and-trade deal for the veteran wing. Stevenson would have needed to sign for a minimum of $2,240,450 to make the financial details work, so his reported agreement worth $2.3MM makes perfect sense.

While the Nets will view the trade as a simultaneous deal, for Atlanta it works as a non-simultaneous trade. From the Hawks' perspective, they're sending out Johnson's $19,752,645 salary and have one year to take back up to that amount. Farmar's, Morrow's, Petro's, and Stevenson's salaries all must be absorbed within that figure, but Williams' minimum-salary contract can be taken on using the minimum salary exception. When all is said and done, the Hawks should have a traded player exception worth $5,702,645 that they'll have a year to use.

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Odds & Ends: Hawks, D-Will, Calderon, Celtics

July 3rd, 2012 at 12:15am CST by Chuck Myron

It's been another whirlwind day of player movement in the NBA, as the Hawks agreed to two significant trades, sending Joe Johnson to the Nets and Marvin Williams to the Jazz. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld speculated that Josh Smith may be the next Hawk to go (Twitter link), but Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com report that Smith is excited about the moves, which would free up plenty of cap space for next summer, when Atlanta could go after Smith and other major targets. Here's news from elsewhere around the busy Association.

Free Agent Rumors: Lin, Hinrich, Kaman, Nash

July 2nd, 2012 at 10:07pm CST by Luke Adams

While a report surfaced last night suggesting that the Knicks may be reluctant to match a backloaded offer to Jeremy Lin, it doesn't appear that such an offer will come from Brooklyn. According to TNT's David Aldridge, the Nets haven't reached out to Lin, and appear to be viewing Steve Nash as Plan B if they can't lock up Deron Williams. Let's round up a few more free agent tidbits from around the league….

While an earlier report (linked below) from K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune suggests the Bulls will only offer the minimum to Kirk Hinrich, Johnson says he's now emerging as the team's top target (Twitter link).
Chris Kaman had a "positive" meeting with the Pacers today, but no offer was made, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes Lin and Nash may be an either/or proposition for the Knicks.

Earlier updates:

Lin has received interest from a number of teams, including the Raptors, Mavericks and, contradicting Aldridge, the Nets, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes. At least one of those teams has considered making Lin a backloaded offer, according to Kennedy.
Lin and fellow restricted free agent Greg Stiemsma have withdrawn from the USA Olympic select team. Lin is off the team because of contract concerns, as Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets, and Stiemsma is nursing a foot injury, tweets Howard Beck of The New York Times.
Jamal Crawford will spend Tuesday with the Clippers, frontrunners for his services, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The Celtics, Sixers, Suns and Wolves are also interested.
It's likely the Bulls won't pick up C.J. Watson's option, but that could change if they don't match Omer Asik's offer sheet from the Rockets, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Restricted free agent Devin Ebanks has drawn the eye of the Magic, Thunder, Nets, Hawks and 76ers, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
The Warriors, one of the teams on Brandon Roy's list of finalists, would like to bring him aboard, but can't afford to commit cap space to someone whose status is so uncertain, says Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group, who adds that if Roy is unwilling to sign for the minimum, it's unlikely he'll be a Warrior (Twitter link).
The Bulls are pursuing Derek Fisher, write Ramona Shelburne and Nick Friedell of ESPN.com, and the Heat, Mavs and Thunder are also on the radar for the veteran guard. The report also confirms the team's interest in Brandon Roy (linked below).
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com hears that John Lucas III is a good bet to re-sign with the Bulls (Twitter link).
Marco Belinelli is drawing interest from teams targeting shooting guards, and the Mavericks are one possibility for him, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Berger also tweets that interest in unrestricted free agent centers Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby has increased since Omer Asik agreed to a deal with the Rockets.
Goran Dragic is expected to meet with Rockets officials today in Houston, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has been in contact with Brandon Roy about the possibility of signing with Chicago, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Roy has met with the Timberwolves and Mavericks, and intends to meet with the other three clubs on his wish list before making a decision, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
While they're rumored to have interest, the Cavs haven't made an offer to Alexey Shved, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
Chris Wilcox, recovering from aortic surgery, has been cleared for full-court contact, his agent tells TNT's David Aldridge.
Steve Novak is drawing heavy interest, as nearly a dozen teams contacted his representatives yesterday, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman says the Knicks are targeting Anthony Tolliver as a possible alternative if Novak gets away.
The Suns and Pistons are among the teams pursuing Michael Beasley, according to Sam Amick of SI.com.
Amick also says the Raptors, Suns, Nets, Hornets, Lakers, and Rockets have expressed some interest in Goran Dragic.
The Bulls' talks with Kirk Hinrich have focused on the veteran's minimum, which is unlikely to get it done with eight teams in the mix, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
The Wizards have reached out to a handful of their own free agents as well as John Lucas III and Hinrich, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Jonny Flynn is receiving interest from the Hawks in addition to the Cavs, says Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.

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Nets, Hawks Discussing Joe Johnson Trade

July 2nd, 2012 at 4:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 4:04pm: Colin Stephenson of the Newark Star Ledger is hearing that a deal that would send Johnson to the Nets is "pretty much done," he says via Twitter.

SUNDAY,11:06pm: The Nets are now offering Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Williams, DeShawn Stevenson (via sign-and-trade) and a future first-round pick for Johnson, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Sources say that the Nets are insisting that the trade includes at least one of their free agents via sign-and-trade – Stevenson or Gerald Green – in hopes of staying over the salary cap and keeping their MLE.

Stein adds that the Nets will only go ahead with the deal if it means keeping Deron Williams in Brooklyn.

The Nets would have to sign-and-trade Stevenson at a low number in order to make the numbers match up, tweets John Hollinger of ESPN.com.

9:45pm: The Nets are still trying to get a trade done for Johnson and hoping to get it resolved by mid-week, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

4:17pm: Atlanta has spoken with about 20 teams and is in at least a half dozen active discussions, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

3:47pm: The deal is in jeopardy as the Nets fear that they'll be surrendering too much financial flexibility in the trade as currently structured, according to Marc Stein and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Another major stumbling block is the Hawks' insistence on acquiring MarShon Brooks.

10:58am: The Nets and Hawks could reach a decision on a possible Johnson trade today, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski. If the two sides don't agree to a deal, Brooklyn figures to turn its attention to O.J. Mayo. Atlanta, meanwhile, is "much more focused" on moving Johnson than Josh Smith, tweets Wojnarowski.

SATURDAY, 8:34pm: The Nets and Hawks are in talks about a possible swap that would send Joe Johnson to Brooklyn, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Both sides are in talks on several fronts, and while no deal between the two teams is close, Atlanta and Brooklyn have "gone back and forth" on the possibility, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).

Johnson has four years left on a massive six-year, $123.7MM contract, so any trade would have to involve a great deal of assets going to the Hawks in exchange. Since the Nets have only about $13.7MM in guaranteed contracts for next season, Brooklyn would have to engineer some sign-and-trades to make a swap for Johnson feasible. Deron Williams appears unlikely to be part of any Johnson deal, as Wojnarowski says the Nets' intent would be to pair Johnson in the backcourt with Williams, who's reportedly leaning toward re-signing with the team.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News says that no two NBA GMs are closer than Nets boss Billy King and new Hawks GM Danny Ferry, who played together in college at Duke. Bondy has wondered whether that relationship would lead to a trade, speculating it could involve Josh Smith instead (Twitter links). Zach Lowe of SI.com tweets that since the Nets currently have no one under a guaranteed contract for 2013/14, they could theoretically sign Williams, acquire Johnson and still have enough money left over for Dwight Howard, who's set to become a free agent next summer.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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Free Agent Rumors: Terry, Lewis, Bass, Young

July 1st, 2012 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

As the first day of free agency continues, reports continue to pour in on teams reaching out to certain players, perhaps to schedule meetings or make contract offers. We've rounded up plenty of those items already today, but we'll use this space to follow a few more updates, as they come in….

Ray Allen Rumors: Sunday

July 1st, 2012 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

It's possible that we've heard more rumors and rumblings about Ray Allen than any other free agent on the market so far. The flurry of activity surrounding Allen makes some sense — he's a veteran player with a championship under his belt, and could be obtainable for the mid-level exception, making him a popular target for contenders in need of a shooter. Here's the latest on Allen: