Cavaliers Sign Donald Sloan
Moving quickly to fill the point guard hole left by Ramon Sessions' departure, the Cavaliers have signed Donald Sloan to a contract for the rest of the season, according to the team. Duane Rankin of the Erie Times-News initially reported that the Cavs would sign Sloan.
"This is a result of everything I did last year up to now," Sloan said. "It's paying off…. Anything I can do to come in and help, I'm going to try to make sure I do that and a little bit more."
Sloan, 24, played for the Hawks earlier this season, then signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Hornets, but only saw action in eight games for the two teams. He had been playing for the Erie BayHawks of the D-League, averaging 22.8 PPG and 7.4 APG in eight contests for the 'Hawks.
Sloan hears from his agent that the Knicks and Rockets also had some interest in signing him.
Buyout Rumors: Jamison, Bell, Diaw, Kaman
With the trade deadline behind us, the next deadline to look forward to is next Friday. Players must be bought out or must clear waivers by March 23rd if they hope to change teams and be eligible to play in the postseason. A number of trade candidates who weren't moved could now become buyout candidates, so let's take a look at the latest rumors on a few of those players:
- The Cavaliers have no plans to buy out the remainder of Antawn Jamison's contract, according to Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Raja Bell won't attempt to negotiate a contract buyout with the Jazz, reports Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- The Bobcats "want [Boris] Diaw gone yesterday" and are involved in buyout talks, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
- While GM Dell Demps didn't entirely rule out a buyout for Chris Kaman, he said last night that it was very unlikely. I expect if the Hornets weren't owned by the league, the situation would be different, but the NBA probably doesn't want Kaman going to a team where he could potentially have an impact on the Finals.
- The Blazers don't plan to buy out Raymond Felton, as we covered earlier.
Reactions To The Ramon Sessions Trade
Earlier today, the Lakers traded Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga. Here's a roundup of reactions to the deal from around the web:
- CBS Sports' Royce Young thinks both teams made out well, with the Lakers getting a major upgrade at point guard and the rebuilding Cavs adding a first-round pick and flexibility for free agency in 2013.
- Kurt Helin of NBC's ProBasketballTalk blog thinks the Lakers got better at point guard but cautions that Sessions isn't the slam-dunk the fans were hoping for.
- The Los Angeles Times' Mark Medina points to Sessions' efficiency in the pick-and-roll as another way of creating offense to take pressure off Kobe Bryant.
- ESPNLosAngeles.com's Brian Kamenetzky echoes the view that Sessions is a significant upgrade at point guard, while also pointing out that the Lakers didn't burn their trade exception from the Lamar Odom trade.
- The Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Tom Reed praises the Cavs' accumulation of draft picks in the deal, which he believes sets them up well for the future.
Hollinger On Deadline Deals
ESPN.com's John Hollinger has posted grades for every trade that took place today. The post is only available to ESPN Insider subscribers, but here are the highlights:
- The Nuggets were smart to shed Nene's contract, even if trading for JaVale McGee is a risk.
- However, Hollinger views the Wizards' acquisition of Nene is an overreaction to McGee's contract demands.
- For the Clippers, Hollinger doesn't believe Nick Young is a perfect solution, but that he's worth the risk since they didn't have to give up any significant assets.
- Hollinger praises the Blazers' rebuilding effort in the Gerald Wallace trade, although he has reservations about the players they got back from Houston for Marcus Camby.
- He doesn't think the Nets made a smart move giving up a lottery pick for short-term help when they risk losing Deron Williams at the end of the season.
- Hollinger likes the Rockets' acquisition of Camby as a short-term pick-up to help them make a playoff run.
- The Warriors' acquisition of Richard Jefferson is counterproductive to their efforts to tank for a draft pick, Hollinger writes. However, he praises the Spurs for shedding Jefferson's contract for Stephen Jackson's shorter one.
- Hollinger questions the Cavaliers for taking on Luke Walton's expensive contract while giving up Ramon Sessions, but loves the deal for the Lakers, as Sessions is a massive upgrade at point guard over Derek Fisher and Steve Blake.
- Hollinger likes the Sam Young acquisition for the 76ers, and while he doesn't believe losing him will shift the Grizzlies' playoff hopes one way or another, he questions whether it was necessary to shed him simply for cap reasons.
- He sees the Leandro Barbosa trade as a low-risk deal for both the Raptors and Pacers, giving Indiana immediate help at shooting guard while freeing up room for other players to get more minutes in Toronto.
Recap Of Trade Deadline Deals
Here's the complete list of trades that took place this week leading up to the trade deadline earlier today:
- On Tuesday, the Warriors sent Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
- The Warriors then flipped Jackson to the Spurs for Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford, and a first-round pick on Thursday.
- The Grizzlies traded Sam Young to the 76ers for the rights to former second-round pick Ricky Sanchez.
- The Pacers acquired Leandro Barbosa from the Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
- The Blazers entered rebuild mode by trading Gerald Wallace to the Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a 2012 first-round draft pick with top-3 protection.
- Portland also sent Marcus Camby to the Rockets for Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, and a second-round pick.
- The Rockets acquired Derek Fisher from the Lakers as well as the Mavericks' 2012 first-round pick (from the Lamar Odom trade) for Jordan Hill.
- The Lakers also traded for Ramon Sessions, sending Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a 2012 first-round pick to the Cavaliers and also receiving Christian Eyenga. The Cavs will also have the ability to swap the Heat's 2013 pick (which they own from the LeBron James sign-and-trade) with the Lakers' pick that year.
- The Nuggets, Wizards, and Clippers agreed to a three-team deal that will send Nene, Brian Cook, and a future second-round draft pick to Washington; Nick Young to the Clippers; and JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver.
Cavs Seeking Backup Point Guard
Having traded Ramon Sessions to the Lakers, the Cavaliers are now in the market for a point guard to back up Kyrie Irving. GM Chris Grant tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that the team will look to the waiver wire and the D-League in search of Sessions' replacement (Twitter link).
Cleveland had interest in acquiring Jonny Flynn from the Rockets in the event the team traded Sessions. However, Flynn was involved in a separate deal, heading to Portland in a move that saw the Rockets land Marcus Camby.
Earlier this week, Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside took an in-depth look at some players in the D-League who could receive a shot at the NBA after the trade deadline.
Lakers To Acquire Ramon Sessions
1:39pm: The Lakers will also send Jason Kapono to the Cavaliers in the trade, tweets Wojnarowski.
12:32pm: The Lakers and Cavaliers have agreed to a trade that will send Ramon Sessions to Los Angeles for a first-round pick, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, the Lakers will also receive Christian Eyenga in the deal, and will send Luke Walton to the Cavs. The first-rounder is the Lakers' 2012 pick, and will be top-14 protected (Twitter link). The Cavs also gain the option of swapping the Heat's 2013 first-round pick for the Lakers' '13 first-rounder, depending on which is higher, says Lloyd (Twitter link).
The pairing of the Lakers, who badly needed point guard help, and Sessions, who was stuck behind Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, seemed inevitable for weeks. When I examined Sessions as a trade candidate on February 2nd, I said I could see the Lakers eventually acquiring the point guard for a protected first-round pick.
By trading Walton in the deal, the Lakers avoid having to use their Lamar Odom trade exception to acquire Sessions. That $8.9MM exception is still available for another deal, perhaps for Michael Beasley, who is still drawing interest from L.A., according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
The price the Cavs pay for adding another first-round pick for this year's draft is taking on Walton, who will be due $6MM+ next season after his trade kicker takes effect. For the Lakers, Sessions holds a player option worth $4.55MM for next season, while Eyenga is still on his rookie contract.
Before making the move for Sessions, the Lakers were discussing D.J. Augustin with the Bobcats, reports Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Ramon Sessions Likely To Be Traded Today
While no reports have suggested a deal is imminent, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal hears that Ramon Sessions will be on the move today (Twitter link).
Sessions has been the subject of trade rumors for weeks, with the Lakers cited as the point guard's most likely suitor. Lloyd isn't sure if the Cavs will get the first-round pick they've been seeking for Sessions, but if he's dealt to Los Angeles, the Lakers have two first-rounders (their own and the Mavericks') that could be sent to Cleveland.
Lloyd adds in a separate tweet that Antawn Jamison's name barely comes up anymore, and that there's "very little buzz" surrounding him.
Hornets Rumors: Kaman, Ariza, Okafor, Jamison
Chris Kaman is still the most likely trade candidate for the Hornets, but John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune says any of New Orleans' veteran players are available for the right combination of draft picks and expiring contracts. Here are a few more of Reid's Hornets rumors:
- New Orleans is listening to offers on Trevor Ariza, though Ariza's agent David Lee said Wednesday he hasn't heard about any trade scenarios involving his client.
- The Hornets backed out of trade talks with the Cavaliers involving Emeka Okafor and Antawn Jamison, since Cleveland insisted on acquiring one of New Orleans' two 2012 first-round picks. The Hornets continue to try to trade Okafor though.
- There remains speculation that Mike Dunleavy, who is part of the group trying to buy the Hornets, may want to keep Chris Kaman around past this season. I can't see that having a major impact on the team's Kaman decision though, since the Hornets are still owned by the league for now.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday
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.