Latest On Dwight Howard
1:57pm: Howard will stay with the Rockets, ending weeks of speculation of him getting traded, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
11:07am: There is a strong belief from Howard’s camp that he will not be traded before today’s deadline, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports.
7:44am: The Rockets and agent Dan Fegan are hard at work to find a new team for Dwight Howard, reports Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Houston is prioritizing its pursuit of a Howard trade over serious talks with the Jazz on a Ty Lawson/Trey Burke swap, though no favorite to acquire Howard has emerged, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Most executives from teams aside from the Rockets were saying as of Wednesday that a deal involving Howard was unlikely, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Houston turned down an offer of Al Jefferson and Spencer Hawes from the Hornets, league sources tell Isola, and little chance exists of those teams doing a Howard deal unless Houston’s demands come down markedly, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer hears (Twitter links). The Rockets called the Cavs to offer Howard, but Cleveland didn’t bite, according to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops (on Twitter).
The Celtics, Heat, Hawks and Raptors have also reportedly spoken with the Rockets about Howard, at least on a cursory level, though Houston has apparently been underwhelmed with the proposals it’s hearing. One GM told TNT’s David Aldridge he doesn’t think the Rockets want to end up with Howard still on the roster after the 2pm Central time deadline (Twitter link), which suggests Houston will bring its asking price in line with the market.
Salary concerns complicate any Howard trade. He’s making more than $22.359MM this season, but a 15% trade kicker in Howard’s contract means teams would have to match salaries based on a $22,970,500 figure for him. The Rockets are also less than $1MM shy of a hard cap of $88.74MM, so they have sharply limited flexibility. The Rockets and others expect Howard to turn down his more than $23.282MM player option and hit free agency this summer.
Mavs Make Long Shot Run At Ben McLemore
1:39pm: The Mavs took several calls regarding McLemore, but are not expected to pull the trigger on a deal involving the shooting guard, Sam Amick of USA Today Sports tweets.
1:28pm: The Mavericks are making a late push for Ben McLemore, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). Haynes calls the Mavs a darkhorse candidate for the shooting guard. The Kings are reportedly “desperate” to move McLemore with the Bulls, Timberwolves and Cavaliers also in the hunt.
Haynes’ report comes after Mavs GM Donnie Nelson told reporters that Dallas will not be making any moves today. The Mavs reportedly called the Nets about Thaddeus Young, and considering they were unable to strike a deal it is conceivable that they are looking elsewhere.
McLemore, the seventh overall pick from 2013, is making almost $3.157MM in year three of his four-year rookie scale contract. McLemore is averaging 7.7 points per game this year, a figure that is down from his 12.1 points per game last season.
Bulls, Raptors Talk Taj Gibson, Patrick Patterson
THURSDAY, 1:10pm: The Raptors continue to make offers to teams that include both Patterson and the first-round pick the Knicks owe them in an effort to upgrade at the four, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
8:03pm: One source who spoke with Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com cast doubt on the idea of a Gibson trade, saying he isn’t going anywhere.
1:54pm: Chicago asked for the lesser of the Raptors’ two first-round picks, a source told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, who adds that it’s not clear whether the Bulls initiated the talks or the Raptors did. Presumably, Johnson’s referring to the pair of 2016 first-rounders the Raps have, and not the two 2017 first-round picks they also possess.
WEDNESDAY, 9:33am: The Bulls have proposed a swap that would send Taj Gibson to Toronto and bring Patrick Patterson to Chicago, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. However, the Raptors love Patterson and GM Masai Ujiri doesn’t appear to feel as strongly about any of the available power forwards who might bump Luis Scola from the starting lineup, Lowe adds in a different portion of his wide-ranging trade deadline column. Ostensibly, that signals Ujiri’s preference for Patterson over Gibson, though that’s not entirely clear. The Raptors would have a strong chance to re-sign Al Horford if they traded for him, sources tell Lowe, but it would take just about all Toronto has to give to wrest him from the Hawks, and a Horford-to-Toronto swap is unlikely, Lowe writes.
Gibson is making $8.5MM this season, with $8.95MM due in 2016/17, so he’d be a more expensive option than Patterson, whose contract runs the same length of time and gives him close to $6.269MM this year and an even $6.05MM next season. The Raptors are barely above the salary cap for this season, which would give them plenty of flexibility to make such a move, though it would add to the nearly $70MM in guaranteed salary they have for 2016/17, a figure that doesn’t include a new contract for DeMar DeRozan. A swap of Gibson for Patterson straight up would conversely represent a key savings for the Bulls, who are about $4.7MM above the tax threshold. It would cleave about $3.3MM from Chicago’s projected tax bill.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports first reported Gibson’s availability, though that was before Joakim Noah went out for the season and Nikola Mirotic had two surgeries related to appendicitis. Chicago would have preferred to have traded Noah rather than Gibson, Marc Stein of ESPN.com recently wrote. Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors examined Gibson as a trade candidate.
Many teams are high on Patterson, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, and Patterson’s name emerged as a figure in a rumored proposal between the Raptors and Nets.
Bulls, Magic Talk Aaron Brooks, Shabazz Napier
The Bulls and Magic are discussing a would-be deal involving Shabazz Napier, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Aaron Brooks would be heading Orlando’s way, reports Vince Goodwill of CSNChicago.com (Twitter link). Orlando is believed to have been making Napier available, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported earlier today. Brooks could veto any trade, since he re-signed with the Bulls in the offseason on a one-year contract and would lose his Bird rights if he’s dealt.
Wolves Receive Late Pitches On Rubio, Martin
The Bucks and Timberwolves had a renewed discussion about Ricky Rubio today but were unable to gain traction, and while the Knicks made a run at trading for Kevin Martin today, it appears unlikely Minnesota will trade him to New York, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
This jibes with recent reports that indicated while Rubio is currently on the block, Minnesota doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to deal him for the time being. Martin, meanwhile, is unlikely to end up in a trade unless he turns down his player option, worth nearly $7.378MM for next season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. It would not make much sense for Martin to do that because he’d have a tough time making up that money on the free agent market this summer.
Kidd is said to be a longtime admirer of Rubio. Yet the Bucks head coach, who holds sway over the team’s personnel decisions, expressed doubt last week that Milwaukee would make any moves.
Kings Interested In Iman Shumpert
10:27am: The would-be deal to send Shumpert to Sacramento is losing steam, Jones hears (on Twitter).
8:20am: The Kings would like to trade with the Cavaliers for Iman Shumpert, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, who indicates that the teams are working off of a proposal that would have Ben McLemore and Kosta Koufos going to Cleveland and Timofey Mozgov joining Shumpert on the Kings. Shumpert was unlikely to be traded as of late Wednesday, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reported, but McLemore and Koufos are reportedly of interest to the Cavs. Cleveland has apparently explored trading Mozgov but met with rejection on that front from Sacramento.
McLemore and Koufos are also part of a deal the Kings are apparently discussing with Chicago involving Pau Gasol. Both Sacramento and Cleveland are working on multiple fronts, and its unclear how much of a priority either side is making the other. The Kings-Cavs proposal would be a money-saver for Cleveland, since Shumpert’s salary of almost $8.989MM and Mozgov’s $4.95MM pay totals about $3.1MM more than the combined salaries of Koufos ($7.7MM) and McLemore (close to $3.157MM).
The Cavs would save many times that amount in projected luxury tax penalties. However, it would be a wash in terms of long-term salary commitments, since Mozgov is the only one on an expiring deal. Shumpert is fresh off signing a four-year, $40MM deal in the offseason, at about the same time Koufos landed a four-year, $32.879MM contract with Sacramento. McLemore is in year three of a four-year rookie scale contract and the Kings are reportedly “desperate” to find him a new home as they work with his camp to find a trade partner.
Andrew Nicholson’s Camp Pushing Magic For Trade
Andrew Nicholson camp is pushing for the Magic to trade him to a team that would give him more playing time, and the Magic are believed to be making him and Shabazz Napier available, reports Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Nicholson, whose minutes have dried up the past few weeks, is making almost $2.381MM in the final season of his rookie scale contract and is eligible for restricted free agency this summer. Napier is only in year two of his rookie deal, with just more than $1.294MM coming his way this season.
Nicholson is averging 15.3 minutes per game this season, up from last year’s 12.3, but he’s only appeared in five of the Magic’s last 12 games. His 18 minutes in the team’s last game before the All-Star break represented his only double-digit-minute game since January 6th. Still, he’s been as effective as ever when he has played, averaging a career-best 3.6 rebounds per contest and draining 35.2% of his 3-pointers, also a career high.
Napier would figure to have a reduced role on the Magic following Tuesday’s trade for fellow point guard Brandon Jennings. As it is, Napier sees only 12.1 minutes per contest.
Nets Hire Sean Marks As GM
The Nets have hired Sean Marks as their GM, the team announced via press release. Marks leaves his job as Spurs assistant GM. He has a four-year contract with Brooklyn, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Brooklyn had apparently been upping its offer in negotiations late Wednesday, after Marks reportedly turned down the job. The Spurs reportedly envisioned him eventually taking a greater role in their organization and wanted him to stay, but Marks instead joins the Nets on trade deadline day.
“After an exhaustive vetting process, we are delighted to have Sean as our general manager,” Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in Brooklyn’s statement. “His experience on the court, in coaching and management gives him a 360 degree view of the job at hand. His background helping to build one of the greatest teams in the NBA gives him an unparalleled frame of reference. And he impressed us all with his vision, his values, his personality and his enthusiasm for the club. The vote to select him from an incredible list of talent was unanimous. We welcome Sean into our Nets family and look forward to his strong leadership and independent thinking as we build our own success story.”
Marks takes the reigns from assistant GM Frank Zanin, who’d been running the front office since the team removed Billy King from the job last month. It’s unclear just how much say Marks will have in Brooklyn’s decision-making today with the 2pm Central time trade deadline only hours away.
“I am very excited to be named the general manager of the Brooklyn Nets, and to become a member of the vibrant and dynamic organization that represents Brooklyn,” Marks said, according to the Nets’ press release. “I would like to thank Nets’ ownership for giving me this opportunity, and I look forward to the challenge of creating a unified culture and building a winning team.”
Prokhorov denied on Wednesday that he’d offered the job to Marks, as had been reported, joking that he’d never heard of him. The owner raised the idea of taking another week to make a hire, casting doubt on the idea that the Nets wanted to have a GM in place before the deadline.
Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina reportedly has a strong chance to fill the Nets’ head coaching vacancy now that Marks is in Brooklyn, but the Nets apparently planned on making whomever they’d hire as GM only one part of a committee that will choose the next coach. The same committee was in charge of the GM search, with Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas reportedly next in line had Marks not agreed to take the job, with Rockets executive Gersson Rosas and former Suns and Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo also among those who had been in the final mix.
Marks, 40, had a 12-year NBA playing career that ended with the 2010/11 season. He joined the Spurs organization the next season, and he’s served them in multiple front office and coaching capacities.
Bucks, Suns Talk Teletovic; Markieff Still On Block
The Bucks and Suns are in talks about a trade that would send Mirza Teletovic to Milwaukee, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). It’s among multiple conversations Phoenix is having, Stein notes. The Suns continue to shop Markieff Morris and receive interest from the Raptors and others in P.J. Tucker, Stein adds (on Twitter). The effort on the Morris front is in spite of Morris having said Wednesday night that he wants to stay in Phoenix, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
“Happy where I am now and we’ll see what happens,” Morris said. “It’s a part of the game. I’ve learned that this past two years. A lot of stuff is going to happen that’s not in my control. All I can do is wait to see if I’m here. If I’m not, I had a couple great years here and I loved it. If I am, keep on moving forward and get better.”
Morris and Teletovic both play power forward. Jon Leuer is the only other natural four on the Phoenix roster. Teletovic’s $5.5MM salary is slightly too large for Milwaukee’s $5.2MM trade exception, as Stein points out, so the Bucks would have to send at least $3.6MM in salary to the Suns to faciliate a deal.
The Raptors had interest in Morris, but they’re apparently out of the mix on him. The Suns as of mid-January had reportedly been delaying talks about Teletovic, who’s on a one-year contract, and Tucker until they had a better idea of whether they could make the playoffs, but Phoenix hit the All-Star break 13 games out of a playoff spot.
2016 NBA Trade Deadline Primer
The trade deadline is at 2pm Central on Thursday. Hoops Rumors has several resources to help you prepare for it and to follow along once players start moving. We’ll sum them up:
- Our free and highly customizable Trade Rumors app for iOS and Android allows you to monitor deadline activity on the go, and you can set up alerts that let you know when the action happens. Download it now!
- Our Trade Candidate Series provides in-depth looks at 15 players who’ve either drawn frequent mention in trade rumors or appear to be logical fits for a trade. Markieff Morris, Jeff Teague and Rudy Gay are among the figures we examine.
- Six trades have taken place already this season in the NBA. See the details on each of them here. We’ll also be summarizing all the deadline trades on this page once they happen.
- A complicated set of rules govern NBA trades. This entry in the Hoops Rumors Glossary breaks down the salary-matching parameters.
- See more in-depth explanations on NBA trade and salary cap rules in our full glossary.
- Trade exceptions allow teams to circumvent salary matching. Here’s a list of every existing trade exception and how much they’re worth, categorized by team.
- Trade kickers are bonuses players receive when they’re traded. Several players have these clauses in their contracts, making it more difficult for teams to put them into deals. We run down the players with trade kickers here.
- These players can veto trades either because they have no-trade clauses, re-signed with their teams on short-term deals, accepted qualifying offers, or signed offer sheets that were matched.
- First-round picks are valuable trade assets, but some teams aren’t allowed to trade any at the deadline this year, and other front offices don’t have many picks they can trade. We examined the ability of all 30 teams to trade first-rounders.
- Our list of 2016 free agents shows you who’s on an expiring contract.
- What’s next? Our calendar shows the rest of the key 2015/16 dates.