Atlantic Notes: Iguodala, 76ers, Williams
Even though the Sixers are sitting atop the Atlantic thanks to a surprisingly strong first half of the season, there have been plenty of calls for the team to upgrade as they look ahead to the postseason. Here's more on Philly and the rest of the Atlantic..
- Andre Iguodala isn't on the trade block but knows that things can change quickly, tweets Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. "We lost some games, so you never know. Next week, we might be back at it again," said the 28-year-old. The team discussed Iguodala with several clubs prior to last year's draft but has since stopped those talks.
- If fans are looking for the 76ers to make a franchise-altering deal before the trade deadline, they should think again, writes John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Team president Rod Thorn appears committed to allowing the roster to grow together while one Eastern Conference GM told Mitchell that he doesn't see the club making a mid-season deal.
- Iguodala isn't surprised to see the Sixers flourishing under second-year coach Doug Collins, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Blakely points out that in his three previous head coaching stints , Collins' teams averaged six more wins from the first year to the second.
- In his piece concerning Deron Williams and Dwight Howard this morning, Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes that the point guard doesn't seem fazed by the notion of leaving $25MM-$30MM on the table to sign elsewhere. “I want to win,” the All-Star said. “[The contract] doesn’t matter to me. It’s not all about money. I want to win at the end of the day, so I’m just going to wait until the end of the year and see what happens.”
- Even though it's not a position that he or the Knicks envisioned when he signed a five-year, $100MM deal with the club, Amare Stoudemire says that he's okay with taking a backseat this year the betterment of the team, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Expired Trade Exceptions
There were a great deal of trade exceptions obtained in the days leading up to last season's February 24th trade deadline and with a full year gone by they have expired. In certain trade scenarios, a team can acquire a traded player exception, which is worth a specific amount of money and can be used at any time over the next year.
For a more detailed refresher on how trade exceptions work, check out our glossary of salary cap exceptions and Larry Coon's CBA FAQ. Here's a look at the exceptions that expired this week..
Feb. 22nd
- Nuggets: $4,640,536 (Carmelo Anthony), $1,675,000 (Renaldo Balkman), $854,389 (Shelden Williams)
Feb. 23rd
- Hawks: $1,042,320 (Jordan Crawford)
- Hornets: $762,195 (Marcus Thornton)
- Jazz: $1,815,873 (Deron Williams)
Feb. 24th
- Bobcats: $1,486,330 (Gerald Wallace)*
- Celtics: $473,604 (Semih Erden), $473,604 (Luke Harangody)
*Charlotte used roughly $1.28MM of this trade exception plus a 2013 second-round pick to acquire center Byron Mullens from the Thunder in December.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Saturday
Yesterday, Dwight Howard manned the sidelines for the All-Star celebrity game but beforehand had to fend off questions about his immediate future. Even though the big man tried his best to sidestep the issue, the media still pressed Howard for answers. Here's a look at today's rumors..
- The All-Stars were paired for a “Day of Service” event in the community and Magic officials were upset when the NBA paired Howard with Deron Williams, writes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Saturday
The Dwight Howard rumor mill has quieted down lately with many pundits believing that the Magic will keep the center right up until the trade deadline. This morning, however, we learned that there could be another serious suitor in the Howard sweepstakes. Here's the latest, with the most recent updates up top.
- Stephen Jackson's indication to HoopsWorld last night that he would love to play for the Magic gives Orlando fans a glimmer of hope that their team can convince Howard to stay, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins suspects the Magic's failure to acquire Jackson around draft time last year, when the Bucks picked him up, may have led to Howard's questioning of GM Otis Smith. Still, Robbins believes Jackson, and his $10.5MM payday next season, may not be a worthwhile risk.
- The Warriors are convinced that they're still players in a potential deal for Dwight Howard, writes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. Warriors sources believe the Magic could part with Howard without receiving a draft pick in return, if there are enough players involved. Golden State has a 14-man roster to work with and could put together a deal like David Lee, Monta Ellis and either Ekpe Udoh or Klay Thompson for Howard and Glen Davis.
Iverson Declines Offer From Venezuela
12:35pm: Guaros de Lara GM Tomas Morris says that Iverson has declined the offer from the club, though the door remains open to a deal happening, tweets Francisco Vega of Latinbasket.com. Sources tell Vega (via Twitter) that Guaros de Lara's offer was worth twice as much as the offer from Puerto Rico.
11:13am: Venezuelan club Guaros de Lara reached agreement on a deal with guard Allen Iverson, Venezuelan sources tell Sportando. The pact will likely be announced at some point today.
Iverson was said to be deciding between the offer from Guaros de Lara and Puerto Rico's Indios de Mayaguez. The eleven-time All-Star also had conversations with the Lakers but the deal would have required the 36-year-old to spend time in the D-League.
Odds & Ends: Jackson, Freeland, Heat, Calderon
Saturday afternoon linkage..
- If Stephen Jackson wants to leave Milwaukee to play with Dwight Howard in Orlando, the guard will have to give the Bucks $5MM or so back in a buyout, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- Former Blazers draft pick Joel Freeland denied a report from earlier this week that he agreed to a contract extension with his Spanish club, writes Nick Gibson of SheridanHoops.com. The big man also insists that he has nothing against the prospect of playing in Portland and will make the transition to the NBA “if the situation is right.”
- The Heat could use an upgrade at center as they may have to face Tyson Chandler, Dwight Howard, and Joakim Noah to win the Eastern Conference in the postseason, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
- Some fans are calling for the Raptors to start tanking, but that doesn’t guarantee much for the club and would hurt the locker room culture, writes Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun. Some are also calling for Toronto to deal Jose Calderon as the point guard has just one year remaining on his deal, but Jerryd Bayless hasn’t done enough prove that he be the team’s one-guard going forward.
- A number of contenders could benefit from adding Steve Nash to the fold, but the point guard continues to stand his ground and won’t ask for a trade, writes J.A. Adande of ESPN.com.
- There isn’t a trade out there that will be good enough to boost the 76ers into a finals team, opines John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News.
- In his piece earlier today, Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that the Warriors could use a 10-day contract as a tryout for a D-League big man. Will Foster of the Rio Grande Valley and Bakersfield’s Brian Butch could both be considered.
Knicks Notes: Smith, Lin, Grunwald
Last night, the Knicks' seven-game winning streak came to a halt as they lost to the Hornets 89-85 at the Garden. Here's a look at some Knicks news as they get set to take on Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks tomorrow afternoon..
- The Knicks aren't concerned about J.R. Smith's past off-the-court troubles, writes Christopher Hunt of ESPNNewYork.com. “We did our due diligence on this and we had people that had, let’s say, inside personal experience with J.R. and they all came out in favor of this move,” Knicks interim general manager Glen Grunwald said.
- Grunwald hopes to keep Smith beyond 2012 and is hopeful that it will be more than a "one-year run" for the guard in New York, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- In the same piece, Berman notes that the Knicks might now be faced with a good problem in that they will have too much depth. Rookie power forward Josh Harrellson returns after the All-Star Break from a fractured wrist and point guard Baron Davis is set to debut.
- With the emergence of Jeremy Lin and the addition of Smith, Grunwald believes that New York is in position to contend, writes Berman.
Knicks Notes: Lin, Novak, D’Antoni, Grunwald
After tonight's performance against the Raptors, it doesn't look like the attention surrounding Jeremy Lin is going to decrease anytime soon. Lin turned the ball over quite a bit in the first half but wound up with 27 points, 11 assists, and the game winning shot. Here's more on the Knicks..
- Before Lin, the D-League's Erie BayHawks' top alum was Hawks forward Ivan Johnson, writes Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog. Johnson averaged 22.6 points in 49 games with the BayHawks before getting his opportunity with Atlanta this year.
- While Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni has a hand in the club's personnel decisions, the signings of Lin and Novak were driven by interim General Manager Glen Grunwald, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. Grunwald has kept a low profile since accepting the position over the summer but has quietly revamped the Knicks roster.
- Howard Beck of the New York Times writes that contrary to speculative reports, D’Antoni was not in danger of being fired when the Knicks were spiraling earlier this year. By all indications, the Knicks are prepared to let him finish the season.
- Lin has reignited the Knicks this year but the point guard could have wound up as a Raptor, writes Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun. Team president Bryan Colangelo liked Lin in pre-draft workouts in 2010 and also had him in mind at one point this season.
- Several factors are at play when it comes to how much Lin can earn in a new contract this summer, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. A new provision in the collective bargaining agreement allows players who achieve certain playing-time benchmarks to land a higher qualifying offer. In Lin's case, the highest qualifying offer he could get under these new rules would be about $2.7MM.
Trade Candidate: Deron Williams
As their roster currently stands, it seems unlikely that the 8-21 Nets will find their way into the playoffs. Of course, the team has been linked to Dwight Howard for quite some time and they are reportedly one of three clubs on the center's list. While some pundits and fans expect Howard to wind up in New Jersey before the trade deadline, it's also possible that the Magic strike a deal elsewhere or even decide to roll the dice and hang on to their superstar.
If that's the case, the Nets could head into the summer and try to retain Deron Williams while also pursuing Howard. Alternatively, they could consider shopping Williams prior to the trade deadline. Even though Billy King & Co. gave up an awful lot to land the point guard, it may be in their best interest to trade him if they don't feel confident in their ability to keep him beyond this season.
With his deal set to expire at the end of the year, Williams could put the kibosh on any swap by refusing to agree to a contract extension. While that could hurt the Nets' leverage, trading an elite point guard will always bring a solid return. So what are some potential landing spots?
The Lakers could certainly use a playmaker of Williams' caliber and they showed before the start of the season in their ill-fated talks for Chris Paul that they're willing to give up real value for a top one-guard. If Paul was worth both Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to Mitch Kupchak, he'd likely pay close to that to put Williams alongside Kobe Bryant. If a third team can be brought in to provide the Nets with draft picks and long-term value, a proposal which gives them Gasol and subtracts Johan Petro's contract could be a good starting point.
The other obvious destination for Williams would be the Mavericks as the guard spent his formative years in The Colony, Texas, just 30 miles of Dallas. However, the Mavs also have a dearth of young talent and it's hard to imagine the club putting together an attractive package for the Nets on their own. Dallas could try to ply pieces away from a third party to pair with the expiring contract of Jason Terry, but they wouldn't feel compelled to do so unless Williams appears to be bound for another team.
Things should improve for the Nets in the short-term with Brook Lopez set to return from injury in the coming weeks. However, the club's on-court play over the next month won't have much bearing on Williams' trade candidacy. For the Nets to feel confident in their ability to hold on to the point guard, they'll have to demonstrate that they have the vision and means to compete beyond 2012.
Trade Candidate: Chris Kaman
It has been a strange year for Hornets center Chris Kaman. The club seemed set on moving the big man in late January and excused him from team activities as General Manager Dell Demps combed the league for a trade. To his surprise, finding a quality haul for the one-time All-Star proved to be difficult. After a little more than a week, the Hornets brought Kaman back from hiatus and reportedly shut down trade talks.
However, as we've heard all week, New Orleans still hopes to find a suitor for Kaman and will showcase him in order to drum up interest. The Pacers and Rockets have been linked to the 29-year-old and appear to have the most interest.
Houston seems like a solid fit for Kaman as they would like to add more size to their lineup. Trouble is, the young pieces that they would be willing to part with aren't terribly exciting. Former top eight picks in the 2009 draft Hasheem Thabeet and Jordan Hill would give the Hornets flexibility with expiring contracts but are still extremely raw. Guard Jonny Flynn could also be in play but the Syracuse product hasn't looked like the same player since undergoing hip surgery prior to last season.
Demps & Co. are said to be looking for one solid young player or a quality draft pick for Kaman but his $14MM salary (though expiring) makes finding such a deal difficult. The Hornets also want to avoid taking back cumbersome deals that extend beyond 2011/12.
Will the Hornets find the deal that they're in search of? That's likely up to Kaman himself. The center saw action in two games since returning to the team before sitting out last night's loss to the Blazers with a tweaked ankle. For the Hornets to land a first-round pick or a talent with upside, Kaman has to show that he's ready to regain some of his 2009/10 form.
One team to keep an eye on is the Cavs, who have three extra future first-round picks and a lack of depth at the center position behind Anderson Varejao, who suffered a wrist injury on Friday. Antawn Jamison's expiring $15MM contract would make the numbers work, but the 35-year-old has looked especially sharp as of late.
If he can produce and stay healthy, the Hornets might be able to finagle an expiring contract and first-round pick from a center-starved team. If he can't, New Orleans just might opt to hang on to Kaman and put that extra cap room to use over the summer.