Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Timberwolves, Rush, Mills

July 17th, 2012 at 8:42pm CST by Luke Adams

A couple more notable names came off the free agent market this morning, when Kris Humphries landed a two-year deal from the Nets and Grant Hill agreed to sign with the Clippers. While a number of solid rotation players are still available, the market is rapidly thinning for teams in search of starters. As clubs continue to jockey to sign the remaining available players, we'll track many of today's free agent rumors right here:

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune lists who the Timberwolves will target with nearly $14MM in cap space if they lose out on Nicolas Batum, specifically highlighting Courtney Lee, Jordan Hill, and Greg Stiemsma.
Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times says that despite the delay on an official decision regarding Brandon Rush's future, the Warriors are still likely to retain him.

Earlier updates:

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com clarifies that Spurs guard Patty Mills re-signed with San Antonio for the value of his qualifying offer of about $1.08MM with a $1.13MM player option for 2013-14 (Twitter link).
Jason Quick of The Oregonian says that the Trail Blazers could target free agent point guard A.J. Price (Twitter link), also mentioning that Price's agent, Jeff Schwartz, declined to comment.
The Cavaliers, Rockets, Timberwolves, Hornets, 76ers, Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, and Raptors are all eligible to make a bid on recently amnestied Andray Blatche (Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets). Mannix also says (via Twitter) that although doesn't expect a team to bid, Blatche will draw interest as an unrestricted free agent.
Mike Trudell of KCAL-9 in Los Angeles tweets that owner Jim Buss has reiterated GM Mitch Kupchak's comments that the team would like to re-sign Jordan Hill.
John Reid of the Times Picayune writes that the Hornets are interested in Ryan Hollins.
The Clippers' agreement with Hill likely takes them out of the running for Marco Belinelli, but Belinelli is still drawing interest, says Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. Pincus names the Bulls, Magic, Warriors, and Knicks as potential suitors.
Mavericks VP of basketball operations Donnie Nelson says the Mavs are still interested in bringing back Delonte West, who has "other options on the table he's going through." Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News has the details.
Raja Bell, who is attempting to work out a trade or buyout from the Jazz, hasn't heard from the Heat, but has drawn interest from six other teams, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
Anthony Randolph has "more than piqued" the Nuggets' curiousity, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
Nuggets coach George Karl has a standing offer out to unrestricted free agent Anthony Carter to become an assistant coach under Karl whenever his playing career is over, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link). However, Carter still believes he can help a team as a third point guard and hopes to play for a couple more years, according to Tomasson.
Despite rumors of overseas interest, Sonny Weems continues to seek an NBA contract, agent Roger Montgomery tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter).
The Nets' next move might be signing Nazr Mohammed or Ryan Hollins as a backup center, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
The Clippers are also looking to add a big, and are eyeing Hollins and Darko Milicic, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
In a piece for ESPN Deportes, Andres Nocioni confirms he'll continue playing for Caja Laboral in Spain next season rather than returning to the NBA (hat tip to Sportando for the translation).

—–

Lakers, Rockets Continue Pursuing Dwight Howard

July 17th, 2012 at 5:45pm CST by Luke Adams

5:45pm: Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal cites a team executive involved in the discussions between the Lakers and Magic who says that both teams have been talking about Dwight for weeks but haven't been making much progress. Lloyd also references an Eastern Conference executive who believes that the Magic are in no hurry to move Howard and are holding out for the Rockets to improve their offer.

4:24pm: The Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin offer sheets won't affect the Rockets' discussions for Howard, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. However, reports that Houston would take on all of Orlando's bad contracts in a Howard deal are "ridiculous," tweets SI.com's Chris Mannix.

Feigen also notes that the Magic/Lakers talks would likely involve the Rockets as a third team (Twitter link), while Mannix cautions that both Howard and Bynum would have to agree to sign long-term with their new teams before any trade could happen (Twitter link).

1:57pm: Talks between the Lakers and Magic are ongoing, but a Howard trade would be "very tough to pull off," a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). That news isn't surprising — I briefly outlined below why the two teams aren't an ideal match.

11:02am: The Lakers are "pushing hard" to acquire Dwight Howard and are meeting with the Magic today to discuss a possible deal, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Spears, the Lakers continue to seek a long-term commitment from Howard.

Weekend reports indicated that the Lakers and Magic were involved in Howard talks that also included the Cavaliers, though Cleveland seems to have disengaged from those discussions. While the Lakers' Andrew Bynum is a better centerpiece than rival suitors can offer for D12, it's still hard to imagine the Lakers and Magic consummating a deal without involving at least one more team. The Magic are seeking cap relief, young talent, and draft picks in any Howard trade, and outside of Bynum, L.A. can't offer that. The Lakers included four picks in their sign-and-trade for Steve Nash, and are over the luxury tax line, making it difficult for them to take on any bad contracts.

The Magic recently put Howard trade talks on the backburner while they search for a new head coach, but are still fielding offers from interested teams. The Rockets are also seriously pursuing the star center, reportedly offering a package that included recent draftees, future picks, and cap relief. However, Houston does not currently have a meeting set up to discuss Howard with the Magic, tweets Spears.

As for the Nets, having recently re-signed Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries, they appear to be out of the Howard sweepstakes until at least January. But as ESPN.com's John Hollinger points out, Humphries' sizable first-year salary could make it easier for the Nets to put together a package for Howard that lets them take back a few of Orlando's undesirable contracts. Of course, that scenario assumes Howard is still playing for the Magic in the new year, which is far from a certainty.

—–

Jeremy Lin Rumors: Tuesday

July 17th, 2012 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Knicks still not confirming exactly when they received the Rockets' offer sheet for Jeremy Lin, we can assume their deadline is tonight, even if we're not 100% sure. If a decision is indeed due later today, we can finally expect resolution on a topic that's sparked a ton of debate over the last couple days. A number of reports on the weekend suggested the Knicks were leaning toward not matching Houston's offer, but it appears no definitive decision has been made yet, as Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets. Here are the latest updates on Lin and his $25.1MM offer sheet….

ESPN.com's Larry Coon points out (in an Insider-only piece) that if the Knicks matched Lin's offer sheet and wanted to get out from under the third year of his deal, they could waive him using the stretch provision. The provision would allow the Knicks to spread Lin's $14.9MM 2014/15 salary over the next three years, at less than $5MM annually.

Earlier updates:

Odds & Ends: Calderon, Suns, Magic, Howard

July 15th, 2012 at 10:54pm CST by Alex Lee

Ever since the Raptors' acquisition of Kyle Lowry, there has been a steady flow of rumors revolving around Jose Calderon's future, or lack thereof, in Toronto. Calderon, who will run the point for Spain's Olympic team later this month in London, has already expressed his discontent with the thought of being relegated to back up duties, but according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, he may not have a choice.

Wolstat caught up with Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo who said, “We have had a few more trade inquiries regarding Jose (but) the scenario doesn’t seem to present itself to a trade today, but we’ll continue to monitor that and just try to determine whether it’s going to work in the long run.” Colangelo also implied that amnestying Calderon is not in the plans.

Here are some more updates from around the league on Sunday night:

Jeremy Lin Rumors: Sunday

July 15th, 2012 at 9:59pm CST by Daniel Seco

The return of Jeremy Lin to the Knicks seemed to be more of a sure thing than Michael Jordan smoking a cigar on the golf course merely 24 hours ago. With the Knicks set to add Raymond Felton to their backcourt through a sign-and-trade with Portland, Lin's future in New York remains unclear. The Knicks have until 11:59pm (EST) on Tuesday to make up their mind and will reportedly take the entire time allotted before announcing a decision. We'll keep track of all the latest rumors and news surrounding the offseason version of Linsanity with the latest news on top.

The New York Times' Howard Beck writes that a person with knowledge of the Knicks' situation said while it is "more likely than not" that they don't match the Rockets' offer, it is also "not definitive."
Carmelo Anthony is the latest to chime in on the offseason Linsanity. Anthony called the Rockets-Lin offer sheet "ridiculous" during an interview with reporters today, according to Yahoo's Marc Spears. Anthony also insisted that should the Knicks not match, it is not his doing. "It's up to ownership to match, not me," he said. "I'm tired of people trying to blame me for the fact that the Knicks might not match. I want everybody to get paid if they have the opportunity."
Ian O'Connor from ESPN New York gives his take on why the Knicks must match the Rockets' offer for Lin, saying that his stint of success last year, while brief, showed too much promise for the Knicks to not retain him.

Lin Signs Rockets’ Offer Sheet; Knicks To Match?

July 15th, 2012 at 9:05am CST by Daniel Seco

JULY 15TH, 9:05am: The acquisition of Raymond Felton doesn't mean Lin's tenure in New York has come to a close, as head coach Mike Woodson has been known to use two point guards in the backcourt, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.

JULY 14TH, 11:00pm: According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Knicks have received Lin's offer sheet from the Rockets and have until 11:59pm on Tuesday to match the offer (Twitter link).

5:46pm: Contrary to previous reports, the Rockets have not yet delivered the Lin offer sheet to the Knicks, reports Feigen (via Twitter).

4:18pm: The Rockets have met with Grunwald and the three-day period to match has begun, Feigen tweets.

3:39pm: In an odd twist, the Knicks seem to be playing a game of keep-away from the Rockets in an attempt to tie up their cap as long as possible, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. The Knicks, in Las Vegas for the summer league, have refused to accept the offer sheet at their team hotel, despite a courier's attempts to reach Knicks officials by phone and at their rooms. The Rockets sent the offer sheet via FedEx to the Knicks offices in New York, but the league has said GM Glen Grunwald must receive it personally (All Twitter links). The Knicks are reportedly upset with the Rockets for increasing the third-year salary in the offer to about $14.9MM.

3:00pm: The Knicks have yet to receive a signed offer sheet from the Rockets, tweets Steve Popper of the Bergen Record, and New York is unsure it will see the offer sheet at any point today, reports Newsday's Al Iannazzone, via Twitter.

JULY 13TH, 3:37pm: According to a handful of reporters, including ESPN.com's Marc Stein (Twitter link), the Knicks are expected to take the full three days to match the Rockets' offer sheet, tying up Houston's cap in the process.

2:57pm: Lin officially signed his offer sheet from the Rockets today, according to TNT's David Aldridge. Interestingly, the originally-reported terms seem to have been modified — Aldridge says that the deal is now for three years and $25.1MM, with a maximum salary in the third year (about $14.9MM). However, the Knicks still intend to match it, says Aldridge (Twitter links).

JULY 6TH, 7:58am: The Rockets' offer sheet agreement with Lin "hardly created a ripple" for the Knicks, who intend to match it, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.

"He's their guy," one source told Berman. "They'll match."

JULY 5TH, 6:35pm: Jeremy Lin has agreed to terms on an offer sheet from the Rockets, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. The deal is a four-year, $28.8MM offer with a team option in the final year, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (on Twitter). New York will have three days to match the offer beginning July 11.

According to reports, the Knicks are willing to pay whatever neccesary to retain Lin's services, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com says Lin's offer from the Rockets spikes during the third year of the contract due to the Gilbert Arenas Provision (on Twitter). Lin will reportedly earn $5MM during his first year with the Rockets, $5.2MM in his second and $9.3MM during the third and fourth years of his contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

The Rockets are in the market for a starting point guard after seemingly losing Goran Dragic to the Suns during free agency and trading Kyle Lowry to the Raptors. Houston's offer to Lin is similar to the one Dragic received from the Suns, except for Dragic's All-Star bonuses and his player option versus Lin's team option in the fourth year, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

—–

Magic, Lakers, Cavs Mulling Howard, Bynum Deal

July 15th, 2012 at 8:48am CST by Chuck Myron

SUNDAY, 8:48am: High-ranking officials from the teams involved in a potential Howard trade tell Amico that the Cavs have walked away from the deal again, ending all recent talks (Twitter link).

SATURDAY, 9:12pm: Magic general manager Rob Hennigan wants to build his team in a similar fashion to how the Thunder were constructed, writes Kennedy (via Twitter). This plan would require Orlando to acquire multiple lottery picks and successfully draft players who would turn into superstars.

7:07pm: The Magic prefer draft picks and young prospects as the team is not interested in making the playoffs as an 8th seed, tweets Kennedy. Orlando hopes to completely rebuild its roster if the team trades Howard.

6:41pm: The Cavs are seeking assurances from Bynum that the big man would sign an extension with the team before talks intensify, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link).

5:02pm: Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal says that while it makes sense the Cavs have entered the discussion again given their involvement in the rumored Howard/Nets deal last week, the Cavs and Magic would both be looking for draft picks as part of the deal, and the Lakers don't have any to spare (Sulia link).

4:22pm: The Lakers, Magic and Cavs have discussed a three-team deal that would send Dwight Howard to L.A., Andrew Bynum to Cleveland and provide the Magic with draft picks, prospects and cap relief, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports (Twitter links). Details are scarce and the situation is fluid, but the deal would make sense, says fellow HoopsWorld scribe Steve Kyler, especially if Bynum winds up in Cleveland, since the Magic prefer to acquire other assets instead of another veteran center (Twitter links).

Both the Rockets and the Lakers continue to pursue D12 and have been in contact with the Magic, Kennedy says, via Twitter. An earlier report by David Pingalore of local TV affiliate WKMG in Orlando suggested that a deal between the Lakers and Magic was in place and would be announced shortly, though Kyler suggests such reports might have been leaked to entice the Rockets to up their offer, and said he did not think a deal with the Lakers would be announced this week (Twitter links).

Kennedy said it's hard to tell whether the Rockets or Lakers are in the lead for Howard's services as the Magic weigh all their options (Twitter link). Kyler tweets that the Lakers' willingness to take on Jason Richardson's contract is appealing to Orlando, but the Magic still want more relief. Former Magic director of player development Adonal Foyle told Kyler yesterday he believes the Magic will wind up trading Howard to the Rockets, since they're the only team willing to take on Orlando's unfavorable contracts (Twitter links).

—–

Celtics Trying To Clear Space For Courtney Lee

July 14th, 2012 at 2:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics agreed to terms with Jason Terry last week, but they'd "love" to turn the deal into a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks in order to free their mid-level exception to pursue Courtney Lee, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that the Mavericks and Celtics discussed a sign-and-trade for Terry earlier in the process, but the Mavs are no longer open to such a move (Twitter link). Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com hears the only way a sign-and-trade happens is if a third team gets involved.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday

July 13th, 2012 at 9:57pm CST by Michael Pina

The Rockets and Magic are further from completing a deal than has been speculated, reports NBA.com's David Aldridge. It's been rumored that Houston had made the decision to amnesty Luis Scola so that they could take on several of Orlando's terrible contracts, but they're apparently only willing to take back one. Also, they're only willing to give up one of their three first round draft picks.

Rockets Amnesty Luis Scola

July 13th, 2012 at 2:33pm CST by Ryan Raroque

FRIDAY, 2:33pm: The Rockets have officially released Scola via the amnesty clause, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

THURSDAY, 8:57pm: Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld points out why Scola could actually clear the amnesty waivers and become an unrestricted free agent. An amnesty bid requires the incorporation of the non-guaranteed amount of the contract. While Scola was guaranteed $9.4MM and $10.2MM for the next two seasons, his final season was for $11MM with just $1MM guaranteed. A bidding team would have to account for the non-guaranteed $10MM over the life of the original deal (three years in this case), thus starting the bid at a minimum of around $3.3MM. Pincus mentions that teams won't have that kind of cap space to make such an offer, which increases the possibility that Scola clears waivers.