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Nuggets, Rockets Swap Hamilton, Brooks

February 20th, 2014 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nuggets announced that their deal sending Jordan Hamilton to Houston in exchange for Aaron Brooks is now official. It initially appeared Hamilton would be on his way to the Knicks, but it turns out he won’t have to travel quite as far. NBA: San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets

Brooks, who had the option of declining the deal, fills Denver’s need for a point guard. Meanwhile, the swap makes it seven straight deadline in which Rockets GM Daryl Morey has swung a deal.

Brooks will likely see more playing time in Denver than he did in Houston, where he was stuck behind Patrick Beverley and Jeremy Lin. The Nuggets have been looking for a backup to Ty Lawson ever Andre Miller and coach Brian Shaw got in a public spat around New Year’s, prompting Denver to send Miller home. Denver agreed to trade Miller to the Wizards in a three-team arrangement today.

The Nuggets’ decision to send Hamilton to Houston instead of the Knicks appears to have stymied New York’s efforts to trade Beno Udrih, whom Denver would have received, since the Knicks had no other suitors left for the veteran point guard, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. All the interest in Hamilton is somewhat surprising, though the 23-year-old has made 11 starts for a banged-up Denver team this year, averaging career highs in an assortment of categories in his first significant playing time after mostly riding the pine during his first two NBA seasons. The small forward is nonetheless shooting just 39%.

Hamilton and Brooks will both be unrestricted free agents at season’s end. Denver elected to decline its 2014/15 option on Hamilton’s rookie scale contract before the season. Hamilton is making about $1.17MM, while Brooks gets the minimum salary.

Zach Links contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Shams Charania of RealGM.com first tweeted news of the deal.

Deadline Rumors: Hill, Nelson, Bulls, Kaman

February 20th, 2014 at 1:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest from around the league as we inch closer to the deadline..

All is quiet for the Bulls, Grizzlies, Warriors, Mavericks, and Pelicans at the moment, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks have interest in Lakers big man Jordan Hill but the proposal is problematic because of L.A.’s desire to move both Hill and fellow big man Chris Kaman in order to get under the luxury tax, Amick writes.
The Kings are still shopping anyone not named DeMarcus Cousins from the Maloofs regime, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
The Magic and Wizards were discussing a deal involving Jameer Nelson before the Andre Miller deal was agreed upon, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
The Bulls, who are $678K under tax, are comfortable standing pat, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. They believe they can stay under the threshold even with bonuses and 10-day deals.
The Cavs were never in on Lakers big man Chris Kaman, despite reports to the contrary, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
More from Amico, who tweets that Cavs acting GM David Griffin was unwilling to give up a first-round pick and a player for Rockets big man Omer Asik. The Cavs went out and got Spencer Hawes instead.

Rockets Begin Asik Talks Again, Sixers In Mix

February 20th, 2014 at 11:06am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 11:05am: The Rockets were strongly leaning toward keeping Asik as of last night, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who notes that Morey is nonetheless usually itchy to make a deal on deadline day (Twitter links).

WEDNESDAY, 7:40am: Sam Amick of USA Today on Tuesday night raised the notion of the Bucks as a dark horse in the race for Asik, but this morning he hears there have been no recent talks between Houston and Milwaukee (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 4:38pm: The Sixers have been Asik’s most likely destination for months, according to Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders, who notes Philadelphia GM Sam Hinkie’s connection to the big man. Hinkie was with the Rockets when they signed Asik last year (Twitter links).

1:34pm: Hours after a report indicated all was quiet surrounding Omer Asik, the Rockets have picked up trade talks for the center once more, with the Sixers emerging as a possible partner, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Philadelphia was one of the teams in heavy pursuit of Asik in December, when the Rockets were aggressively trying to pull off a trade.

The Raptors and Nets have no interest in Asik, given his nearly $15MM balloon payment for next season. The Hawks are interested, but not at the price point the Rockets have set. Houston is looking for a first-round pick in return, Berger writes.

The Rockets are interested in Spencer Hawes, but Philadelphia is looking to acquire first-rounders, not unload them, as Berger notes. The Sixers were also hesitant to take on Asik’s payment for next season when the teams spoke in December, and that reluctance could be exacerbated now, as Berger explains. The actual payout to Asik is smaller than his cap hit this season, so the more paychecks a team can issue to him this year, the less that team will feel the impact of his bloated paychecks for 2014/15. I examined the issue in depth earlier this season.

Rockets Interested In Rajon Rondo

February 19th, 2014 at 3:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:23pm: The teams have yet to speak about any Rondo deal, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

2:25pm: The Rockets have “absolute interest” in trading for Rajon Rondo, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. That alone doesn’t make a deal happen, Stein cautions, but he notes that talks could easily strike up between Rockets GM Daryl Morey and his former boss, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge (Twitter link). The Rockets were also linked to Rondo last month.

The asking price for Rondo is astronomical, as the team appears to be looking for a pair of unprotected first-round picks virtually guaranteed to come near the top of the order. A source tells Stein that Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck is behind the team’s lofty demands, as the ESPN scribe noted in a piece earlier today.

The Celtics would insist on acquiring Chandler Parsons, but Houston doesn’t appear willing to give him up, Stein tweets. Still, the Rockets are making renewed attempts at trading Omer Asik, and Boston was involved in rumors when Morey made efforts to unload his backup center in December. The notion of Asik getting involved in any Rondo talks is just my speculation, however.

Ford’s Latest: Knicks, Rockets, W’s, Pelicans

February 19th, 2014 at 11:32am CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford of ESPN.com takes an Insider-only look at the trade market for a handful of teams with little more than 24 hours remaining before Thursday’s 2:00pm Central trade deadline. We’ll round up the highlights here:

The Knicks are shopping Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert and Beno Udrih as they seek to upgrade their point guard spot. Ford mentions Jeremy Lin as a long shot possibility for New York, but Houston is adamant it doesn’t want to give him up. Trading for Lin or Kyle Lowry would require the Knicks to relinquish Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Warriors have been listening to offers for Harrison Barnes, and they’ve gone as far as to counter a few of them, Ford hears. Greg Monroe, Thaddeus Young, Tristan Thompson, Kenneth Faried, John Henson and Amir Johnson all intrigue the W’s as possible targets in exchange for Barnes, Ford writes. Golden State is also enamored with Kevin Love, as most teams around the league are.
Ford describes David Lee as available, too, but he notes there isn’t much of a market for him, which makes sense, given his bloated contract.
Part of the Pelicans‘ motivation for exploring trades for Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans is the feeling that they could fall back into position to snag a top-five pick in this year’s draft if both guys are off the roster, according to Ford. Their first-rounder goes to the Sixers if it’s No. 6 or worse. Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote earlier this morning that New Orleans was looking to move either Gordon or Evans, but not both.

Amick’s Latest: Rondo, Love, Asik, Ilyasova

February 18th, 2014 at 8:06pm CST by Charlie Adams

Despite the high asking price set by Celtics GM Danny Ainge, Rajon Rondo is still being pursued by several teams, most actively by the Raptors, Knicks, and Kings, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Ainge is seeking multiple first round picks and a young prospect in exchange for Rondo, and no team has been able to present a deal that meets such a hefty cost. Here’ more from Amick:

The Timberwolves are willing to listen to offers for any player on their roster besides Kevin Love, says on league executive. It’s a common belief Love will part ways with Minnesota in the summer of 2015 to seek out a deal with the Lakers, and the Wolves want to do everything they can to help prevent such a scenario.
Omer Asik has been asking for a trade since the Rockets signed Dwight Howard, but Amick hears it’s unlikely the disgruntled big man gets moved this week. It’ll be interesting to see where Asik is come Thursday, since this news contradicts an earlier report stating the Sixers might be in play to land him.
The Bucks have emerged as a possible “longshot destination” for Asik, as the Rockets would be interested in a swap involving Ersan Ilyasova. The Bucks remain hesitant to take on Asik, who will receive a steep pay increase next season, despite word that Ilyasova is unhappy in Milwaukee.
Amick reiterates earlier reports that suggest Mike Dunleavy is unlikely to be traded away from the Bulls.
Jeff Teague might emerge as a fallback option for clubs that are unable to trade for Rondo, as rival executives believe Teague will be available to teams if the price of the package coming their way is high enough.

No Trade Talk Surrounding Omer Asik

February 18th, 2014 at 10:02am CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets have no ongoing discussions about trading Omer Asik, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link). GM Daryl Morey said last month that it’s likely the team will keep Asik through next season, and it appears he’s keeping his word. Morey indicated the team would trade Asik in December, but no deal came about.

Houston also isn’t making much traction toward acquiring Bulls swingman Mike Dunleavy, Amick tweets. The Bulls appear unwilling to move him, according to Amick, in spite of his $3.183MM salary this season and $3.326MM pay for 2014/15.

The Rockets would love to move Asik, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports wrote last night, but the nearly $15MM balloon payment Asik will receive next season, in contrast to an $8.37MM cap figure, appears to be scaring off suitors. A January report indicated Houston was targeting Dunleavy, though not necessarily for a deal involving Asik.

Odds & Ends: Cavs, China, Akognon, Melo

February 17th, 2014 at 11:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The fates of GM David Griffin and coach Mike Brown hang in the balance, as does Cleveland’s appeal to free agents as the team embarks on a season-ending stretch run that’s one of the most important times in franchise history, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. The Cavs are 20-33 coming out of the All-Star break and will hope for a major turnaround in their last 29 games. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..

The Chinese basketball season is through and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando rounded up a list of notable CBA players who will now be available for NBA clubs. The list includes Pooh Jeter, Delonte West, D.J. White, Lance Thomas, and Josh Akognon.
Akognon has offers from Puerto Rico and Europe but may head to the D-League in an effort to keep his NBA hopes alives, Carchia writes. Akognon averaged 28 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 5.0 APG in 30 games for his Chinese clubs.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com gives props to LaMarcus Aldridge and Carmelo Anthony for caring about the wellbeing of the NBPA. Both stars were vocal about the union during the weekend in New Orleans.
In his latest mock draft, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders dropped Duke’s Jabari Parker to No. 5 after executives told him that they were concerned he might be a tweener in the NBA.
The Warriors announced that they have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Kuzmic has compiled averages of 6.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 21.4 minutes in nine games (one start) on previous assignments to Santa Cruz this season. He has appeared in 17 games for Golden State.
The Rockets announced they have re-assigned guard Isaiah Canaan to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League. To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments and recalls, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Spears On Rondo, Lin, Barnes, Turner

February 17th, 2014 at 8:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Can the Rockets keep soaring past the All-Star break? In his latest power rankings, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports brings Houston up from No. 7 to No. 4, putting them right behind the Heat, Pacers, and Thunder. Will they make a big splash in the days to come to hold their spot? Spears has the goods on that and more..

According to a source, the Kings offered the Celtics Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore, and two picks for Rajon Rondo. However, Rondo wasn’t interested in re-signing with Sacramento.
While the Rockets would love to trade Omer Asik, a source says they won’t trade reserve Jeremy Lin due to the scoring value he brings.
Sources tell Spears that Warriors executives have informed forward Harrison Barnes that, barring a blockbuster offer, he will not be traded before Thursday’s deadline. Recently, Warriors owner Joe Lacob said that he hopes to keep Barnes for the long haul.
The 76ers want to move Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes and could act as a third team in a significant trade.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey is in the final year of his deal but Spears hears that he has impressed GM Masai Ujiri.
The Pelicans could be trading guard Austin Rivers and the rights to D-League guard Pierre Jackson between now and Thursday.
The Kings are in the market for a veteran backup point guard who can push the ball up the floor.
With several teams looking for backup point guards, Bucks veteran Luke Ridnour could be on the move.

Deveney’s Latest: Gordon, Sixers, Rockets

February 17th, 2014 at 1:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

There are plenty of trade rumors flying around the NBA, even if no superstars seem on the verge of being dealt by Thursday’s deadline. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News shares the latest from his notebook, as we highlight here:

The Pelicans have been trying to trade Eric Gordon all season, Deveney hears, which contradicts what Gordon says the team told him. New Orleans would be willing to add salary in a deal that sends Gordon away, Deveney notes. The Sporting News scribe also seconds an earlier report that the Pelicans are looking for a big man.
The Sixers are asking for more in return for Thaddeus Young than they are for Evan Turner or Spencer Hawes, Deveney writes, though it’s not clear exactly what the price difference is.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey has been as active as any executive around the league, Deveney notes, which is no surprise given Morey’s history. Houston remains keen on upgrading at power forward, according to Deveney, though Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle wrote Friday that the team’s desire for perimeter help had grown stronger than its longing for a four man.