More Reactions To The 4-Way Howard Blockbuster
On a day when Team USA's semifinal game against Argentina was expected to dominate the headlines, the Olympics have taken a back seat to an epic four-way trade that will see three 2012 All-Stars changing hands. In a deal that's expected to be officially agreed upon later today, the Lakers will acquire Dwight Howard, the Sixers will land Andrew Bynum, and the Nuggets will get Andre Iguodala, while the Magic acquire a package of players and picks. We already examined some of the reactions to the agreement last night, but the links continue to pour in, so let's round up a few more….
- According to Wojnarowski, the Rockets' offer for Howard included recent first-rounders, future lottery and unprotected first-round picks, and the opportunity to move bad contracts and gain cap space (Twitter links). I've maintained for a while that Houston's looked like Orlando's most logical trade partner, and none of the details about the Rockets' offer make me think otherwise.
- In response to John Hollinger's tweet linked below, Brian Schmitz stresses, via Twitter, that the Howard deal ran through Hennigan first, before progressing to Martins and the DeVos family.
Earlier updates:
- ESPN.com's John Hollinger tweets that it was likely Magic CEO Alex Martins, rather than GM Rob Hennigan, that ran the Howard deal.
- In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Hollinger says he likes the four-way trade for three teams, but really can't understand it from the Magic's perspective.
- Sam Amick of SI.com argues that it's unfair to criticize the Magic for the deal yet, since there's a major "wait-and-see" aspect to their haul.
- With everyone wondering whether the Magic could have acquired more from the Nets a month ago, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets Brooklyn's final offer for Howard: Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries (on a one-year, $9.6MM guarantee), MarShon Brooks, and four unprotected first-round picks for Howard, Jason Richardson, Chris Duhon, and Earl Clark.
- Bynum had been open to re-signing with the Lakers, but was also very receptive to signing with a team where he could earn more touches, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Acquiring Bynum and his Bird Rights makes the Sixers the overwhelming favorites to retain him long-term, as I suggested earlier this week.
- The Howard trade is the latest bitter pill for the Mavericks' front office to swallow, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
- National NBA fans may consider the Dwightmare to be over, but Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel says Howard's departure could haunt Magic fans for years.
Fallout From Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum Trade
The news of the night is the news of the year in the NBA: An agreement has been reached on a trade that sends Dwight Howard to the Lakers. Andrew Bynum is also involved, as he heads to the Sixers. Of course, both players are eligible to become unrestricted free agents next summer, so the rumor mill is unlikely to stop for either of them anytime soon. Nonetheless, it still represents a blockbuster and a major turning point for several teams in 2012/13 and beyond. Here's what writers around the league are saying:
- If the Lakers can't re-sign Howard next summer, the Mavs "will be there waiting for him," a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Howard has expressed fondness for the Mavs in the past. In the same report, Kobe Bryant is described as being "ecstatic" about the deal.
- Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com says Howard represents an upgrade over Bynum because of his defense, his athleticism, and his ability to fit better with Steve Nash.
- A few league executives believe there has to be something more in the deal for the Magic, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com wonders why the Magic waited so long to make a deal when the offers never improved (Sulia link). Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel isn't sure any notable free agents would be interested in signing with the depleted Magic next summer (Sulia link).
- Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News says the Sixers now have the dominant big man team president Rod Thorn and coach Doug Collins have coveted. Cooney took to Twitter to say the trade is a coup for the Sixers, who get at least one season from Bynum and cap space if he leaves.
- Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post says the Nuggets will lose some offense, but Andre Iguodala will allow them to make major strides on defense, where they've struggled in recent seasons.
- Tim Bontemps and Fred Kerber of the New York Post look at the deal from the perspective of the Nets, who were once considered frontrunners for Howard. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News says, via Twitter, that the deal demonstrates that the Magic were never too high on Brook Lopez.
- The Cavs were asked to give up a lot more for Bynum when they were a part of trade talks, says Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Sulia link).
Najera Drawing Interest, Considering Retirement?
THURSDAY, 8:15am: Peter Vecsey of the New York Post (Twitter link) hears that Najera is planning on retiring to become an assistant coach in the D-League, so it's unclear at the moment exactly what the 36-year-old's future holds.
WEDNESDAY, 7:02pm: The Rockets, Timberwolves, and Nets are among the teams interested in free agent forward Eduardo Najera, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Najera is now fully recovered from a fractured forehead frontal bone and is back to playing.
Najera, 36, spent the last two seasons with the Bobcats, where he averaged 2.4 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 12.1 minutes per contest. The veteran also spent a season-and-a-half with the Nets before being traded to the Mavericks for Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams in January 2010. In eleven NBA seasons, Najera has averaged 4.9 PPG and 3.7 RPG with his most productive seasons in Dallas and Denver.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nets, Atkinson
- Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston (via Twitter) noted Celtics guard Avery Bradley's thoughts on Ray Allen leaving Boston: "We’re a family before anything… It’s tough, but we all wish him the best."
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes that Nets GM Billy King and head coach Avery Johnson will be in London this week to attend the Olympics, presumably to watch Deron Williams play.
- According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Tyson Chandler sees the departure of assistant coach Kenny Atkinson to Atlanta as a big loss for the Knicks (Sulia link).
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Nets, Meeks, Blazers
After previously looking at the biggest winners and losers of the NBA offseason, SI.com's Zach Lowe ran down the most intriguing teams of the summer. Among them are the Nets, who have unquestionably upgraded their roster in the short-term, but may have hampered themselves in the long run. The Nets now have roughly $65MM committed annually to four players across the next four years and may not be able to build on their roster if they can't swing a deal for Dwight Howard in January. Here's more from around the Association..
- A source told HoopsHype (via Twitter) that the Lakers are working out Rashad McCants and 2009 second-round pick Patrick Beverley today. Beverley, 24, was named MVP of the Eurocup last season.
- Jodie Meeks' agent, David Bauman, says that his client won't sign for a minimum contract, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times. Bauman added that there are four or five teams looking at Meeks, including the Lakers.
- Even though the Blazers have ushered in a rebuilding period, guard Nolan Smith isn't sold on the perception that Portland will be lottery-bound for the second-straight year, writes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld. Smith also supported Kaleb Canales returning as head coach but expects him to stay on with the organization in an important capacity regardless.
- Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com likes the Jazz's hire of Dennis Lindsey as their next General Manager and tip his cap to the organization for conducting a swift and productive search for Kevin O'Connor's replacement.
Amick On Olympics, Martin, Mason, Harden
You might expect Thunder GM Sam Presti to fall in line behind Mavs owner Mark Cuban in calling for limits on the participation of NBA players in the Olympics, considering Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka are all playing in London after a long postseason run this spring. Sam Amick of SI.com writes that while Presti is officially neutral on the issue, his enthusiasm for the benefits of international play is apparent, as he harked back to the growth he saw in Durant and Westbrook after the 2010 World Championships. "I think it's really helpful for them to play under different circumstances; it only rounds them out as players and makes them better," Presti said. "What we observed from the World Championship was just the mental endurance that it takes to go through an international competition and the training camp that leads up to it in medal-round play just to get there." The comments made by Presti, a product of the Spurs front office, seem to echo what Spurs GM R.C. Buford has said about the issue. Amick has plenty more in today's piece, and we've got the highlights here:
- The market for remaining frontcourt players is being held up while teams wait for Kenyon Martin to sign, Amick hears. The Lakers and Nets are among teams he's considering, but the willingness of many others to settle for the minimum salary so far this summer has eroded Martin's leverage. Martin is reportedly uninterested in a deal for the minimum.
- Amick takes a closer look at how NBA teams are being more cautious in handing out deals under the new CBA, along with the rise in minimum-salary deals. Luke Adams compiled a list of pacts for the minimum through August 1. The contract Roger Mason signed this weekend with the Hornets is another minimum deal, Amick reports. He also notes that players union president Derek Fisher and vice president Maurice Evans, two key figures in last year's lockout, remain unsigned.
- Emptying his notebook, Amick passes along a James Harden quote from last month that gives indication he's confident about his prospects for an extension with the Thunder. "I'm pretty, a hundred percent, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be in Oklahoma City," Harden said. "I'll let my agent and Mr. Presti and [Thunder owner Clay] Bennett discuss all that, so I'll let them handle that and stay out of it for right now and worry about the USA Olympics."
Atlantic Rumors: Garnett, Delfino, Knicks, Teletovic
It's not uncommon for NBA players to own a stake in other sports. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are joint owners of a racehorse, and LeBron James is a part of Fenway Sports Group, the parent company of baseball's Boston Red Sox and English soccer club Liverpool FC. Nonetheless, the NBA will not permit Kevin Garnett to invest in AS Roma, an Italian soccer team, because Celtics minority owner James Pallotta is already one of the club's owners, as Frank Dell’Apa of the Boston Globe reported this weekend. We've got more on the C's and their Atlantic Division rivals here:
- Celtics coach Doc Rivers tells the Argentinian website Ole (translation via HoopsHype) that the team has looked into signing Carlos Delfino and wishes they had the money to get a deal done. The Hawks, Pacers, Rockets and Cavaliers have also been linked to the 6'6" swingman, who's reportedly seeking a multiyear deal.
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News hears Knicks assistant coach Kenny Atkinson is nearing a deal to take a similar position with the Hawks. Atkinson is the lone remaining holdover from the staff of former Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni. Jeremy Lin credited Atkinson for helping him to his sensational play this past season.
- Nets signee Mirza Teletovic spoke to Drago Perko of Kosarka.si, a Slovenian website, about his decision to come to Brooklyn (translation via NetsDaily). The 6'9" forward said he held off on jumping to the NBA for two or three years, and is focused on winning championships. He paid a $2MM buyout to Caja Laboral of Spain to get out his deal overseas and sacrificed close to another $2MM to sign for the taxpayer's mid-level exception instead of the full mid-level with the Nets so the team wouldn't be hard-capped this season.
Odds & Ends: Pacers, Stoudemire, Williams
Happy birthday to Knicks legend Patrick Ewing as he turns 50 today. New York has won exactly one playoff game (2012 against the Heat) since the Hoya Destroya's 38th birthday. Here's the latest news and headlines from around the league…
- With an eye on building stronger team chemistry, the Pacers will be getting together for a workout later this month in Los Angeles, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. They'll meet up again three weeks before training camp to do the same thing.
- Amare Stoudemire begins training today in Houston with Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon to work on his game, says Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). The value of working with Olajuwon can be seen in the play of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who have had the opportunity to work with the big man in the past.
- Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams has done all the right things this summer by losing 15 pounds and playing relatively well during the NBA Summer League, but Minnesota isn't convinced that the former Arizona star can effectively play small forward this season, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov believes his investment in the organization has at least doubled since he purchased a majority stake in the team in 2010, writes Daniel Massey of Crain's New York.
Poll: Which NYC Team Will Win More Games?
The Knicks and Nets will begin their battle for ownership of New York City on opening night of the 2012/13 season at the Barclays Center. With the Nets adding and retaining key pieces like Joe Johnson and Deron Williams to their roster, the team looks to be more formidable heading into the season.
The Knicks weren't quiet either during the offseason as they strengthened their bench in a series of different moves that netted Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby, among others. The question becomes which team will finish the season with the most wins and be able stake claim to the title of best team in New York City.
Which New York Team Will Win More Games This Season?
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Nets 49% (589)
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Knicks 45% (539)
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Same amount of wins 6% (72)
Total votes: 1,200
Josh Howard Close To Decision
Yahoo!'s Marc J. Spears tweets that unrestricted free-agent forward Josh Howard is close to making a decision on where to sign for the 2012/13 season. Spears reports that Howard's current team, the Utah Jazz, are in the mix to land him, along with the Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Knicks.
Terms of Howard's upcoming deal are not known. Howard, 31, made approximately $2.1MM last season, averaging 8.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG for the Jazz.