Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kyler On Rockets, Gasol, Pacers, Blazers, Smith

March 15th, 2012 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler reported that Dwight Howard is highly unlikely to change his mind again, but that the Magic seem to have a deal they'd do with the Nets if Howard waffles once more. You can follow all of today's Howard updates here, and check out the rest of Kyler's morning notes below:

The Rockets are discussing more than half their roster in trades, having offered around Terrence Williams, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson, Luis Scola, Hasheem Thabeet and Courtney Lee. According to Kyler, Houston would trade any combination of those players to acquire Chris Kaman.
The Bulls want Lee, but aren't likely to meet the Rockets' asking price, which would mean parting with Taj Gibson or Omer Asik. The Pacers and Timberwolves are also eyeing Lee.
Houston has a standing offer out to the Lakers for Pau Gasol, but it doesn't include Kyle Lowry, so nothing is expected to happen there.
If the Blazers' three-team deal with the Timberwolves and Lakers involving Jamal Crawford falls through, Portland may have a backup trade in place with the Pacers.
The Magic won't be able to make a move for Josh Smith, which isn't a surprise. One league source tells Kyler the Hawks want an All-Star frontcourt player in exchange for Smith, so a deal is very unlikely.

Kyler On Smith, Magic, Bulls

March 14th, 2012 at 6:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld passed along a few goodies on Twitter, so let's take a look (all Twitter links, of course):

The Magic are one of multiple teams trying to get the Hawks to change their minds about keeping Josh Smith, even though it's a long shot. One potential scenario would have the Magic sending Jason Richardson to the Wolves and Ryan Anderson to the Hawks while Michael Beasley would go to Atlanta. Ownership would be reluctant to do that deal because they believe Smith is worth twice that price. David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets that no such talks between the Magic and Hawks have taken place.
The rumored three-team trade involving the Lakers, Wolves and Blazers is just one of the options the Wolves have.
The Bulls are eyeing Courtney Lee, and would look to Raja Bell as a fallback.
Kyler is much more confident about the Mavs' chances of landing Deron Williams now that Dwight Howard is close to committing to the Magic for next season.

Magic Exploring Three-Way Trade For Josh Smith?

March 14th, 2012 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Amidst rumors that Dwight Howard will remain with the Magic for another season, Orlando may turn its attention to trying to trade for help around Howard. Multiple reports have suggested Josh Smith may be a target for the Magic.

While Jarrod Randolph of RealGM.com reported earlier today there didn't seem to be anything to rumors involving Orlando and Smith, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld indicates (via Twitter) that a three-team deal is still being discussed. The Timberwolves would be the third team in the equation, according to Kyler (via Twitter).

As I said when this rumor first surfaced, I can't imagine the Magic finding the non-Howard assets to land a player like Smith. This one seems like an extreme long shot to me.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday

March 14th, 2012 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Even after an impressive overtime win by the Magic against the Heat last night, the post-game focus was on the off-court story: Dwight Howard's future. As we covered in yesterday's round-up of Howard rumors, D12 told reporters he'd like the Magic to keep him for the rest of the season and "roll the dice" this summer. Considering earlier Tuesday reports indicated that Howard's long-term plan involves signing with the Nets as a free agent so New Jersey doesn't have to trade core assets, Dwight's suggestion that Orlando roll the dice seemed particularly brash.

Zach Lowe of SI.com called Howard's post-game speech the low point of the ongoing saga, while Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported that some Magic executives were privately disgusted with the star center's comments. We expect plenty more updates to pour in as the day goes on, so we'll track them all here, with the latest items up top:

The Knicks are intrigued by the possibility of acquiring Howard, but won't offer Carmelo Anthony, since James Dolan "loves him," tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. I'd say that takes New York out of the running, since the Magic wouldn't be nearly as interested in an Amare Stoudemire/Tyson Chandler package.
There are no legs to the rumor that the Magic are working on a three-team deal to bring in Josh Smith (linked below), tweets Jarrod Randolph of RealGM.com.
According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the Nets would be open to offering the Magic anything they want for Howard, with the exception of Deron Williams.
Orlando still seems to be entertaining deals that could bring in help around Howard, as Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld reports that they're eyeing the Hawks' Josh Smith. The Magic would need to get a third team involved, perhaps the Timberwolves and Michael Beasley. Given Orlando's lack of tradeable assets, acquiring Smith seems like an extreme long shot to me.
The Magic are telling teams they intend to move Howard if they don't receive a commitment beyond this season from Dwight, according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. We have the details here.
Nets sources insist the team would give up assets in the next 24 hours if it meant landing Howard, but Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld explains why New Jersey may not be motivated to make a substantial offer. If Howard and Williams sign in Brooklyn this summer, the pair would want a third significant player to join them, and the Nets may be considering saving its trade chips to acquire that player.

Amico On Mbah a Moute, Sessions, Jamison, Ellis

March 14th, 2012 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio chatted with fans about trade topics this afternoon. Here are a few of the highlights:

Plenty of teams "love" Luc Mbah a Moute and are calling the Bucks about him.
The Cavaliers continue to be aggressive in their pursuit of draft picks, and Amico expects them to land a first-rounder, possibly for Ramon Sessions.
Antawn Jamison isn't drawing a ton of interest, and still appears likely to remain in Cleveland.
Addressing the rumored three-team deal involving the Cavs, Lakers, and Rockets, Amico says he heard one of the three teams told the other two, "Let me get back to you on that" and talks haven't progressed since then.
Amico thinks it would make more sense for the Hornets to amnesty Emeka Okafor than to trade him to the Cavs with a first-round pick, as was rumored. I can see the league-owned Hornets preferring to avoid the amnesty clause as long as the ownership situation is in flux though.
The Lakers, Hornets, Hawks, and perhaps the Bobcats are among the teams with whom the Cavs have had "long discussions."
The Bucks have "absolutely zero interest" in flipping Monta Ellis to another team.

Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Hornets, Smith, Harris

March 13th, 2012 at 10:48pm CST by Ryan Raroque

After playing an instrumental role in defeating the Heat tonight, Dwight Howard publicly stated that he'd like to stay put with the Magic for the remainder of the season. With that in mind, here are some other reports of teams that aren't trying to make any splashes by Thursday, as well as other miscellaneous links from tonight:

Mark Cuban doesn't see a reason why the Mavericks would be involved in the trade market right now, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reports that the Hornets are not looking to add any payroll in a deal involving Chris Kaman, which makes a deal tough. (Twitter link)
Despite numerous reports that Josh Smith wants out of Atlanta, Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson believes that the chances of the team receiving equal value for their star forward is very unlikely, according to an Associated Press article by the Star Tribune.
Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune tweeted that the Jazz are not trying to move Devin Harris.
Clippers GM Neil Olshey tells Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that the team is not looking to trade any of their remaining assets unless it makes an "impact acquisition."
A panel of experts from ESPNChicago.com discussed the current state of the Bulls, and all agreed that the Bulls should remain intact past the deadline.
Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation gives a rundown of the team's thought process as the trade deadline looms. While they may not have the trade assets to get anything major done, they could look to the waiver wire after the deadline.
Stephen Litel of HoopsWorld offered his opinion on trade scenarios in a chat with fans.

Berger’s Latest: Felton, Blake, Okafor, Gasol

March 12th, 2012 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few trade updates from Ken Berger of CBSSports.com:

Rival executives believe the Blazers are interested in trading Raymond Felton to the Lakers for Steve Blake. Since Portland would be giving up the better player and some salary flexibility, the Blazers would need to be compensated with another piece in such a deal.
The Hornets aren't interested in packaging Emeka Okafor with the first-round pick they acquired from the Timberwolves, even if it means saving the $28MM+ left on his deal.
The Hawks appear likely to make only a small move or two at the deadline.
Pau Gasol could be traded in the right deal, but the Lakers will need to ensure it's a basketball upgrade rather than a cost-saver. "If they're going to send a message to Kobe Bryant that they're not about winning, they're about money," one league source told Berger. "That's going to set off a whole new deal."
Berger also has an update on the Jamal Crawford trade talks, as we covered earlier.

Lakers Notes: Trade Options, Gasol, Brown

March 12th, 2012 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

With this Thursday's trade deadline looming, the Kamenetzky brothers at ESPN Los Angeles see three possible directions for the Lakers. The team could go for broke this season, using its trade exception and extra first-rounder to bring in extra talent; it could hold out for a blockbuster trade that would bring in a superstar like Dwight Howard or Deron Williams; or it could blow up the roster and start from scratch. I'm guessing option A is the most likely path for the Lakers, but they still have three days to make a decision. Here are the rest of this morning's Lakers notes:

GM Mitch Kupchak has been telling people within the last few days that he doesn't expect to trade Pau Gasol, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (video link). The Rockets, Hawks, and Warriors have "their eye" on Gasol, says Broussard, but a trade isn't likely.
Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that coach Mike Brown can't wait until the trade deadline passes and he's no longer asked about it by everyone, including his son.

Latest On Josh Smith

March 12th, 2012 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

It appears Josh Smith will remain an Atlanta Hawk for at least the rest of this season, if not the calendar year. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reports that Smith's camp was told last week by the team that a trade by March 15th is unlikely, but the situation could be seriously revisited around the draft. Kyler's report supports Friday's story by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, which suggested the Hawks aren't presently looking to trade Smith, despite his desire to be moved.

The Hawks have talked to other teams about Smith, but "nothing seems real or imminent," Kyler adds. For his part, Smith isn't letting the trade rumors affect his play — his 28 points, three steals, and three blocks last night led Atlanta to a victory in Sacramento.

"I'm here. I have one more left on my deal," Smith said when asked about remaining in Atlanta long-term. "We have to see what happens. I just have to keep playing the way I'm capable of playing and keep doing what I'm doing and not worry about any outside distractions."

Finnan On Sessions, Jamison, Williams

March 11th, 2012 at 12:00pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Cavaliers are officially in the mix for the playoff push as the squad sits two games behind the Knicks for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They'll look to make it three in a row when they host the Rockets later this evening. Let's take a look at the latest from The News-Herald's Bob Finnan to see what the Cavaliers plan on doing between now and the trade deadline:

The prospect of the Cavaliers receiving a lottery pick for Ramon Sessions has diminished into likely netting the team a lesser first-round pick or even a second-round selection. While the Cavs must ensure they receive proper compensation for trading the talented point guard, the time is now to pull the trigger, says Finnan. If Sessions isn't traded, Finnan predicts the former Nevada star will opt out of his contract to test free agency.
Finnan believes Antawn Jamison will remain a Cavalier for the rest of the season rather than be traded or have his contract bought out by the team. The former Tar Heel is widely viewed as a strong lockerroom presence and would prefer to remain with the team if given the choice. Jamison, 35, is currently averaging 18.3 PPG and 6.7 RPG on the season.
One move that may make sense for the Cavaliers would involve the Hawks as a trade partner. Finnan notes that the Cavs have been in contact with the club to potentially bring Marvin Williams to Cleveland. Another scenario would add Josh Smith to the mix in return for Sessions and Jamison.