Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dwight Howard Eyes Bucks?

March 1st, 2016 at 10:23am CST by Chuck Myron

Dwight Howard said he likes Milwaukee and wanted to go to the Bucks at the trade deadline, according to Bucks television play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, who relayed details of his conversation with the former All-Star center during Monday’s broadcast of the Rockets-Bucks game (video link via Rob Perez of The Big Lead; hat tip to Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk). Johnson said Howard told him the sticking point was that the Bucks wanted him to sign an extension. That’s similar to what Marc Stein of ESPN.com heard when he reported on deadline day that talks between the Rockets and Bucks fell apart because Howard wouldn’t agree to opt in for next season. Howard is expected to turn down his option, worth $23.282MM, in pursuit of a max deal this summer with a starting salary of about $30MM.

The news seemingly pits the Bucks as a free agent contender for Howard. Milwaukee surprisingly landed Greg Monroe last year, a signing that jarred the perception of Milwaukee as an unattractive destination, but the Bucks reportedly made Monroe available before the trade deadline last month. Jason Kidd, who’s apparently been the prime mover of player personnel for the Bucks, appears to be losing influence within the team’s power structure, and Howard recently fired agent Dan Fegan, so both sides seem to be in transition.

Howard is widely expected to leave the Rockets in free agency, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com wrote last month, though the 30-year-old center denies that he asked to be traded, saying that he wants to find success in Houston. He’s also continually downplayed rumors of discord between him and James Harden.

Milwaukee has about $61.6MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $90MM cap, and with at least an additional $2,173,884 in cap holds the Bucks would have to carry, they’re likely a few million dollars shy of the cap space necessary to sign Howard outright to a max deal. Monroe and Howard would be an awkward pairing, particularly with fellow big man John Henson also recently signed to a four-year extension, so it’s quite conceivable another round of Monroe rumors will surface if Howard shows continued interest in Milwaukee.

Magic To Aggressively Target Chandler Parsons

March 1st, 2016 at 8:30am CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic loom as the most significant threat to the Mavericks to sign Chandler Parsons to a new contract this summer, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Parsons is a virtual lock to turn down his $16.023MM player option for next season with the salary cap moving sharply upward, and he’s expected to receive a maximum-salary contract, MacMahon writes. Sources who spoke with MacMahon anticipate an aggressive pursuit from Orlando and expect the Heat, Lakers, Nets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Rockets and Nuggets to come after the 27-year-old, too. The Thunder, would also have interest if Kevin Durant bolts, MacMahon adds, pointing to the presence of Billy Donovan, Parsons’ college coach, in Oklahoma City.

The Mavs realize they’ll need to once more put on a recruiting effort for the versatile small forward they signed to a loaded offer sheet in 2014, but they nonetheless appear to be the favorites for him again this summer, according to MacMahon. That’s because of the loyalty he feels toward owner Mark Cuban and teammate Dirk Nowitzki, as well as the fondness Parsons has for Rick Carlisle, having advocated for the five-year extension the team gave the coach earlier this season, the ESPN scribe writes. The relationship between Parsons and Carlisle is nuanced, MacMahon explains, with Parsons wary of whether Carlisle fully trusts him on the court, but Carlisle this week referred to Parsons as “a franchise-caliber player in the making” in a message to MacMahon.

The Magic opened enough cap flexibility in trades last month to sign two players to max contracts this summer, with only about $36MM in guaranteed salary on next season’s books against a projected $90MM cap. Orlando and soon-to-be free agent Al Horford reportedly have mutual interest, and Horford went to the University of Florida, just as Parsons did.

Parsons is in his fifth season, so he’ll be eligible for the lowest of the three maximum salary tiers, likely with a starting salary approaching $21MM. The Mavs will have only his Early Bird rights this summer, though they’ll function essentially as full Bird rights would for Parsons because his projected max is within 175% of his nearly $15.362MM salary for this season. The only difference will be that the Mavs can only offer four years instead of the five that they could with full Bird rights. Dallas will still have the opportunity to give him 7.5% raises instead of the 4.5% that the Magic and others will be limited to. That would mean a difference of some $4MM over the life of a four-year deal. Still, Parsons will value comfort and on-court opportunity over money as he decides where to sign, sources familiar with his thinking tell MacMahon.

In any case, the Mavericks appear committed to doing what they can to keep Parsons. Cuban indicated as much about a month ago to MacMahon, referring to Parsons and Wesley Matthews as a “crushing tandem on the wing.”

Wolves, Rockets Interested In Chris Copeland

February 29th, 2016 at 3:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Timberwolves have had internal discussion about Chris Copeland, and the Rockets also have a level of interest in the stretch forward who’s twice hit waivers in the past week, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Minnesota’s brass is also talking about other would-be additions, and no signing is close, Wolfson adds. That jibes with coach Sam Mitchell‘s comments from this weekend, when he said the team would likely wait awhile to make a move even as he called the Wolves “awfully thin” up front.

Minnesota has an open roster spot in the wake of Andre Miller‘s buyout and has reportedly engaged in advanced discussions with Kevin Martin about a buyout of his own that would give the Wolves a second opening. The Rockets are in a similar position, having opened one vacancy with Friday’s release of Marcus Thornton while reportedly exploring the idea of a buyout with Ty Lawson, but it appears as though Lawson will likely be sticking around.

Copeland failed to have much effect for the Bucks on the one-year, $1.15MM deal he signed this past offseason, appearing for only 6.5 minutes per game over 24 contests and sticking just 10 of 36 3-point attempts. That’s well beneath his 36.5% career rate of accuracy from behind the arc. Milwaukee waived him a week ago to make room for Steve Novak, and Orlando claimed him off waivers only to release him the next day in a move designed to help the Magic reach the salary floor.

Western Notes: Wolves, Motiejunas, Gallinari

February 29th, 2016 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Timberwolves interim coach Sam Mitchell would like for his team to make a signing, lamenting how “awfully thin” the Wolves are inside, but he doesn’t anticipate a move until well after Tuesday, the last day players can hit waivers and still be eligible to play in the postseason for another team, notes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Mitchell, who isn’t assured of his job beyond this season, said the Wolves will be patient while free agents head to playoff-bound teams, according to Zgoda.

“After the dust settles, there are going to be some guys out there we’ll want to look at,” Mitchell said. “You don’t want to do it too fast because you don’t want to fill a spot and then someone becomes available. There are only so many playoff teams and only so many roster spots.”

Minnesota has an opening in the wake of its buyout with Andre Miller, and the team has reportedly engaged in advanced discussions with Kevin Martin about a buyout, too. See more from the Western Conference.

Donatas Motiejunas said he doesn’t resent the Rockets for trying to trade him to Detroit, observes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The deadline-day trade that would have sent the soon-to-be restricted free agent to the Pistons fell apart when he didn’t pass Detroit’s physical. Motiejunas played nine minutes Sunday in his first action for Houston since December 31st. “I feel good,” Motiejunas said. “This team traded me because of the first-round pick, the lottery pick. It’s a big thing. I don’t see any problems with it. They were really waiting for me to get back. I love these guys, love the team, love the fans.”
Danilo Gallinari expects that he’ll miss the next three to four weeks with injury, as he told Davide Chinellato of La Gazzetta dello Sport (Twitter link). The leading scorer for the Nuggets had an MRI on Saturday after suffering a severely sprained right ankle in Friday’s game, notes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The team has an open roster spot.
Steve Kerr and Draymond Green largely dismissed any idea of tension stemming from a tirade that Green delivered to Warriors coaches at halftime of Saturday’s game, notes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. The versatile frontcourt player, who’s missed his last 12 3-pointers, was upset because he felt the coaches don’t want him to shoot, according to ESPN’s Lisa Salters.

And-Ones: Durant, Harden, Most Improved, Hawks

February 28th, 2016 at 10:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant has a shot at the largest contract in league history when his free agency officially arrives this summer, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Durant will have plenty of options to choose from, starting with the Thunder, who would love to keep him and Russell Westbrook together through the prime of their careers. The Warriors are believed to be the front-runners if Durant decides to leave Oklahoma City, and his hometown Wizards will surely be calling, along with the Lakers, who will need a star to replace Kobe Bryant. Or Durant could sign a one-year deal with OKC, maximize his earning power as a 10-year veteran and put off the larger decision until 2017. “Everybody’s going to ask me, so of course I’m going to have to think about it now,” Durant said. “To tell you one thing, it’s great to feel wanted, I guess.”

There’s more news from around the world of basketball:

James Harden says he feels unfairly targeted for the bad situation in Houston, Washburn writes in the same piece, particularly the rumored rifts with Rockets center Dwight Howard and former coach Kevin McHale. “All the time,” Harden said when asked if he feels he’s being singled out over team disunity, “but I don’t really pay attention to it. I can’t focus on negativity because that drains you. I focus on what I can do, what I can control, and go out there and just compete at a high level.”
The Blazers‘ C.J. McCollum is almost certain to win this season’s Most Improved Player award, according to Eric Saar of Basketball Insiders. McCollum, who’ll be up for a rookie scale extension this summer, has become a full-time starter and has raised his scoring average from 6.8 points a game last year to 21.1 points this season. Saar’s other candidates for the award are the Warriors‘ Draymond Green, the Celtics‘ Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder and the Raptors‘ Kyle Lowry.
The Hawks have recalled center Edy Tavares and guard/forward Lamar Patterson from the Austin Spurs of the D-League, the team announced today. Tavares has averaged 10.1 points and 9.6 rebounds in 14 D-League games, while Patterson’s averages are 15.6 points, 5.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds in seven games with Austin.
Chris Douglas-Roberts, whom the Pelicans cut in training camp, will be rejoining the D-League’s Texas Legends, who are the affiliate of the Mavericks, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

Southwest Notes: Howard, Thornton, Dekker

February 28th, 2016 at 5:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks have no interest in signing Rockets center Dwight Howard if he opts out this summer, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Sefko touched on two other free agent centers, stating that Dallas is concerned about “off-court issues” involving Miami’s Hassan Whiteside, while Atlanta’s Al Horford would be a nice fit between Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons. In a question-and-answer session, Sefko also said the Mavericks may pursue Harrison Barnes if Parsons opts out, but he believes Barnes will stay with the Warriors.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Former Rockets guard Marcus Thornton cleared waivers this afternoon, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston released Thornton on Friday after he was sent to Detroit in a deal at the deadline that was later voided because of health concerns involving Donatas Motiejunas. Despite trading for Thornton, the Pistons don’t have any interest in signing him.
The Rockets have recalled rookie combo forward Sam Dekker from their D-League affiliate, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston made Dekker the 18th overall pick in last summer’s draft, but he has only appeared in three games for the Rockets because of back surgery. A Wisconsin native, Dekker was called up just in time for the team’s trip to Milwaukee on Monday. “That’s just how it worked out,” he said. “… Now I get to go home, see my family. … I’m sure there will be a lot of Badger fans in Bradley Center tomorrow.”
The versatility of Lance Stephenson, who was acquired in a draft day trade with the Clippers, has helped the Grizzlies deal with the loss of Marc Gasol, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. There were concerns that Memphis might collapse after Gasol’s broken foot, but the team was averaging 108.6 points in five games without their center before Saturday’s loss at Phoenix. “It’s a whole new identity for us with different groups, different guys,” coach Dave Joerger said. “I’m trying to play Lance at four different positions. Matt Barnes is playing two different positions, sometimes three. We can struggle defensively, but we’ll just keep working at it.”

Southwest Notes: Lee, Pachulia, Stephenson, Miller

February 27th, 2016 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The addition of David Lee could cut into the playing time of Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Lee signed with Dallas as a free agent Monday after agreeing to a buyout with the Celtics, and he’s been productive, posting a 14-point, 14-rebound performance on Friday. Meanwhile, Pachulia’s numbers are declining. He’s shooting just 35.8% from the floor in February, while averaging 6.2 points and 9.7 rebounds. “One of the reasons we wanted to bring Lee on board was we wanted to alleviate a few of his [Pachulia’s] minutes,” said coach Rick Carlisle. “We’ll look at trying to keep everybody as fresh as possible. The thing about Zaza is he’s been a real important chemistry guy for us all year long. I think he’s ready.” Pachulia is making $5.2MM this season in the final year of his contract.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

Although the Rockets have an open roster spot, it’s unlikely that shooting guard Kevin Martin will come to Houston, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Martin is a candidate for a buyout with the Wolves before Tuesday, but the Spurs are considered to be the front-runner to sign him. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the Rockets are looking at options to fill the open spot and could sign someone currently playing overseas (Twitter link).
The Grizzlies‘ Lance Stephenson blames an inability to “fit in” for his failures with the Hornets and Clippers, writes Peter Edmiston in The Commercial Appeal. Memphis has a team option on Stephenson’s contract and can bring him back for another season at $9.405MM. “I’ve definitely got something to prove,” Stephenson said. “I just want to get back to my old self, get back to playing in a rotation and helping my teammates win. God is good, so wherever He guides me, I’m going to try my best to figure it out.”
The expected addition of point guard Andre Miller gives the Spurs the two oldest players in the league, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. At 39, Miller is the oldest, 37 days older than center Tim Duncan.

Southwest Notes: Howard, Motiejunas, Joseph

February 27th, 2016 at 2:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rockets center Dwight Howard offered little explanation about his motive for firing agent Dan Fegan in comments to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Howard, who seems virtually certain to opt out of the final year of his contract this summer, announced Friday that he was severing ties with Fegan and Relativity Sports. “It was nothing against my agent,” Howard said. “It wasn’t anything bad that he did to me. Sometimes, change is good. I just made a decision based on what I feel I needed to change. I always respect him and love him. We still talk now. But as far as him being my representation, I decided to go other ways.” Howard said he hasn’t thought about choosing a new agent or his possible free agency, but said he has been considering how to improve his “situation” since the All-Star break.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets‘ Donatas Motiejunas, whose trade to the Pistons was voided Monday due to health reasons, has received medical clearance to start playing again, Feigen writes in a separate story. The Lithuanian big man was able to participate in the Rockets’ shootaround this morning. Back troubles have limited Motiejunas to 14 games this season, and he hasn’t played for Houston since December. “All the doctors that I consult are one of the best in the United States for back injuries and none of them saw any change or anything,” he said. “I’m ready to go. I played four games in the D-League. I practiced already with the team. I practiced by myself. I feel great lately.”
Cory Joseph, who signed with the Raptors in free agency last summer, credits the four years he spent with the Spurs with making his a better player, according to Chris O’Leary of The Toronto Star. “I went to two finals, I went to the Western Conference finals, and was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last year,” Joseph said. “You play a lot of big games and you get the full experience.” Joseph, who received about $30MM over four years, is averaging 9.1 points per game as a reserve in his first season in Toronto.
The loss of Bryce Dejean-Jones less than a week after signing a three-year contract continues a three-year string of injuries for the Pelicans, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Dejean-Jones is expected to miss six to eight weeks after breaking his right wrist.

Rockets, Ty Lawson Explore Buyout

February 27th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 11:20am: Lawson has indicated that his preference is to finish the season in Houston, which makes a buyout arrangement unlikely at this point, Feigen tweets.

12:59pm: The Rockets want to keep Lawson and fellow buyout candidate Marcus Thornton, but they’ll do what’s necessary to upgrade the roster, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.

FRIDAY, 12:32pm: Agent Happy Walters, who represents Lawson, confirmed to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston that the sides have indeed talked about a buyout. “Yes, we have discussed a few things and we are exploring, but definitely not for sure,” Walters said. The agent made similar comments to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, telling him that a discussion about a mutually beneficial arrangement has taken place (Twitter link).

11:45am: The Rockets and Ty Lawson are exploring the idea of a buyout, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Wojnarowski doesn’t specifically say whether the sides have begun talks, but presumably that’s the case. Lawson has a salary of more than $12.404MM this season, the final guaranteed year on his contract. He’d give up some of that to reach free agency, and Houston could use the savings to pursue other players coming free on the buyout market, since the Rockets currently have only $524K to spend beneath their hard cap, as Wojnarowski points out. The sides realistically have until the end of Tuesday to reach a deal, since that’s the last day players can hit waivers and still play for other teams in the postseason.

Houston can’t spend beyond that hard cap, which it triggered when it signed Montrezl Harrell to a deal that, combined with the team’s pact with K.J. McDaniels, meant the team had used more than the $3.376MM taxpayer’s limit on the mid-level exception. The Rockets are reportedly among the teams with interest in Joe Johnson, but some other suitors have significantly more to spend. A Lawson buyout would help the Rockets to a degree, though the most they could spend on any one free agent if they were to free up more room beneath the hard cap would be $914,430, since that’s all they have left on their mid-level. That number, which would decline with each passing day, would pale in comparison to the $2MM or so that other contenders for Johnson could give him.

The Rockets and Jazz reportedly engaged in talks before the deadline about a would-be swap involving Lawson and Trey Burke. Wojnarowski referred to the discussion as merely casual, though Marc Stein of ESPN.com heard the teams were serious about the idea. Wojnarowski wrote then that it seemed doubtful at the time that the Rockets would end up waiving Lawson, but Stein heard the Rockets would give strong consideration to cutting him, and the ESPN scribe today portrays the buyout talks as an inevitable consequence of the failed trade discussion (Twitter link). The Knicks were also among the teams that apparently spoke with the Rockets about trading for Lawson.

Eastern Notes: Sullinger, Thornton, Moore

February 27th, 2016 at 8:56am CST by Eddie Scarito

Jared Sullinger is in line to become a restricted free agent this offseason provided the Celtics submit a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683, but the big man would prefer to remain in Boston for the long-term instead of heading elsewhere, Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7FM writes. “Most definitely. Most definitely. My oldest brother always told me that the worst thing to happen to me sometimes is change and that I don’t handle change well. I strongly disagree,” Sullinger said, responding to a question regarding his desire to remain in Boston. “Sometimes, you just don’t want to change the scenery. When you play for the greatest franchise in the NBA and you see all those banners and all the fans come at you, you don’t want to leave that place because you know it’s a special place in your heart. It’s the first team I played for in the NBA and hopefully it’ll be the last.”

The power forward has enjoyed flying under the radar this season thanks to the attention All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas has received, Petraglia adds. “It’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of fun. Growing up, I wasn’t really a high-profile guy,” Sullinger relayed. “Going into middle school, especially entering high school, and I kind of came out of nowhere and came into my own. My main thing was just to win. When they see you win, they see all the big-time games. That’s what I was told, especially in the AAU. Playing in the AAU, the more you win, the more you play against high-profile that get to this level, and the more you get exposure. The more you win, it just takes care of itself. As long as you focus on winning, the outcome is always greater.”

Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:

Despite Marcus Thornton being part of the nixed trade for Donatas Motiejunas, the Pistons likely won’t have any interest in signing him now that the Rockets have waived him, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press notes (on Twitter). According to Ellis, Thornton was just “trade filler” and Detroit had no plans to use him in the rotation.
The Hawks were extremely interested in signing center Anderson Varejao after the Blazers waived him, but the veteran chose to head west and join the Warriors instead, Vivlamore tweets.
After languishing on Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg‘s bench early in the season, E’Twaun Moore has flourished since being moved into a starter’s role, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “I’ve always been confident,” Moore said. “I know I’m capable of playing well. It’s not really a surprise. And I don’t think it’s a surprise to my teammates either. They see how hard I work and they’ve got faith in me. It’s no big deal to me.“