Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Sixers, Martin, Jennings

March 12th, 2012 at 8:47pm CST by Michael Pina

Sixers president Rod Thorn says Philadelphia will likely be quiet at the trade deadline, according to the Philadelphia Daily News’ Bob Cooney. When you combine Evan Turner‘s recent transformation into a serious impact starter with the eventual return of injured center Spencer Hawes, who was playing the best basketball of his career before going down, the 76ers aren’t exactly in a position of need. Any trade could screw up one of the league’s most symbiotic rosters.

Rockets guard Kevin Martin says he’s frustrated with his up and down play as of late, and knows it could be the difference as to what team he’s on by the end of March, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen. The loss of Kyle Lowry, who’s out at least two weeks with a bacterial infection, may have an impact on whether or not the Rockets choose to move Martin. If they want to make the playoffs this year, they can’t afford to remove their starting backcourt from the equation and expect to compete on a nightly basis.
Brandon Jennings appears to be flustered by an SI report earlier this week that said he was available “for the right price.”
In a column over at Hoopsworld.com, Joel Brigham says that Dwight Howard should be dealt to Chicago, but the Bulls will never pull the trigger. In the piece, Brigham criticizes Chicago for over-valuing its homegrown talent. He cites the team’s refusal to go after Pau Gasol and Kevin Garnett in year’s past as evidence that it’s unlikely they’ll make a rightful run at Howard before Thursday’s deadline.
ESPNBoston.com’s Chris Forsberg tweets some interesting words from Celtics GM Danny Ainge says “there’s nothing going on right now” and that “we need another big body for sure, at some point.” The words seem to mean that if Boston doesn’t swing a deal before the deadline, they’ll either pursue someone from the D-league or a bought out player. Injuries to Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Wilcox have depleted the team’s front court.

Amick On Jennings, Bogut, Batum, Rockets

March 12th, 2012 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Sam Amick of SI.com has a few updates on this week's trade candidates, so let's dive in….

Brandon Jennings could be had "for the right price." Long considered a franchise cornerstone, Jennings irked some Bucks officials with his comments last month about exploring free agency.
Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle hears from Warriors sources that reports of Golden State's interest in Andrew Bogut are "nothing more than hype." However, sources tell Amick that the team's interest is real. The Wizards also inquired on Bogut, but talks went nowhere, says Amick. The Rockets aren't thought to be involved on the Bucks' center.
Amick goes on to say that the Bucks feel this may not be the best time to get full value for Bogut, considering he's still on the shelf for a few weeks with a fractured ankle.
The Blazers may be active this week, but they don't intend to move Nicolas Batum, who they are determined to keep long-term.
Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger, Jonny Flynn, and Terrence Williams are among the Rockets who would "likely welcome a trade," according to Amick. Goran Dragic is also a trade candidate, since he's not expected to be re-signed this summer. Though I'd imagine Houston will be more inclined to keep Dragic with Kyle Lowry's return date up in the air.

Lakers Notes: Trade Options, Gasol, Brown

March 12th, 2012 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

With this Thursday's trade deadline looming, the Kamenetzky brothers at ESPN Los Angeles see three possible directions for the Lakers. The team could go for broke this season, using its trade exception and extra first-rounder to bring in extra talent; it could hold out for a blockbuster trade that would bring in a superstar like Dwight Howard or Deron Williams; or it could blow up the roster and start from scratch. I'm guessing option A is the most likely path for the Lakers, but they still have three days to make a decision. Here are the rest of this morning's Lakers notes:

GM Mitch Kupchak has been telling people within the last few days that he doesn't expect to trade Pau Gasol, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (video link). The Rockets, Hawks, and Warriors have "their eye" on Gasol, says Broussard, but a trade isn't likely.
Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that coach Mike Brown can't wait until the trade deadline passes and he's no longer asked about it by everyone, including his son.

Kyle Lowry Out Two To Four Weeks

March 11th, 2012 at 9:51pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

The Houston Rockets suffered a blow to their playoff hopes with news that point guard Kyle Lowry will miss the next two to four weeks with a bacterial infection (hat tip to Ben Golliver of CBS Sports).

Houston currently holds the no. 8 seed in the Western Conference. So far as player movement is concerned, Goran Dragic is a nice trade chip for the Rockets and if they have any hopes of playoff contention it probably moves him off the table unless the right deal (Pau Gasol) comes along. But the Rockets will remain, as always, looking for that one elite or near elite player to tie their assortment of parts together.

Where Lowry's absence could make things interesting is for teams sitting just outside of the playoffs that might see this as an opportunity to secure a playoff seed. Any such team sitting on the fence about making a move might be compelled to pull the trigger, even if just for a rental, with Houston likely to fade.

Trade Candidate: Terrence Wiliams

March 10th, 2012 at 8:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While he certainly hasn't taken the league by storm, Terrence Williams appeared talented enough to be selected in the lottery of the 2009 NBA draft, going 11th to New Jersey ahead of Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson, and Darren Collison. Now more than halfway into his third NBA season, Williams is struggling to crack the rotation in Houston while the other three players have found success and steady roles with their respective teams.

Senior writer Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld reports that Williams is unsure of his future with the Rockets and implied that he would not be upset if he were to be dealt. Kevin McHale weighed in on the matter of his lack of playing time: “It’s tough. We have a lot of wings. It’s really loaded up in that spot. It’s just a situation where he got some time early. He got some time lately and it’s just a tough situation for a lot of those wings.”

During his rookie season, the former Louisville Cardinal played in 78 games and started in 9 of them, averaging 22.6 MPG, 8.4 PPG, and 4.5 RPG. This season, Williams is averaging 4.5 PPG, and 2.4 RPG and played a total of just 32 minutes in the last 20 games. If given minutes, there is a chance that Williams could be a productive rotation player. In the season opener against the Magic, he scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in 27 minutes. In a January game against the Thunder, he played 23 minutes and shot 5-for-8 from the field en route to 13 points and 3 rebounds.

The 6'6'' guard-forward is on the final year of his rookie contract and accounts for 2.4MM of the Rockets' salary cap. At that number, Williams could either be packaged along in a deal involving Luis Scola (or another big contract) in order to help match salaries or find himself as the next target for teams looking to add wing help for cheap. Taking a chance on Williams would not have too much financial implication, as a team that trades for him could simply let him walk at the end of the season if the situation doesn't work out.

Lakers Notes: Lowry, Bynum, Price

March 9th, 2012 at 7:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers are about to tip off their game with the Timberwolves tonight, and they catch a break, as Kevin Love is out with back spasms. Still, on the heels of ugly losses to the Pistons and Wizards in their last two outings, the Lakers must know they can't take any team for granted. There's been talk of a deal between the Lakers and Rockets for Pau Gasol today, but for now nothing appears imminent. In the meantime, here's the rest of what's going on in L.A.:

Kyle Lowry is not a part of any talks between the Lakers and Rockets about Pau Gasol, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
James Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press passes along a rumor that the Lakers are looking at Will Bynum of the Pistons and A.J. Price of the Pacers as secondary options if they don't get a juicier name at point guard.
John Hollinger of ESPN weighs in with eight trades he thinks teams would be smart to make before the deadline, including a deal involving Pau Gasol and the Rockets that would net the Lakers a grand haul of Luis Scola, Goran Dragic, Hasheem Thabeet, Marcus Morris, Chase Budinger and a 2012 first-round pick. (Insider only)

Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday

March 9th, 2012 at 6:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com wrote last night that the Magic would seek a Carmelo Anthony-esque haul if they decided to trade Dwight Howard. The teams on Howard's list of preferred destinations may have difficulty putting together such a package, but plenty of other clubs, such as the Hawks, Warriors, and Rockets, are still in the hunt. We'll follow today's Howard rumblings right here, with the latest updates at the top of the page:

The Magic leaked the Thunder's interest in Howard just to let other teams know that a price similar to the package of James Harden and Serge Ibaka is what Orlando is looking for, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets that the Magic executives are not at odds over Brook Lopez, who is in the discussion because the Nets are Howard's favored destination. Question remains, however, about whether team CEO Alex Martins or GM Otis Smith has final say on a deal.
Robbins also tweets that the only way Howard would agree to a sign-and-trade is if the team he wants to go to does not have enough cap space for him.
Sam Amick of SI.com shares some Howard updates in his latest column, noting that the Bulls have been "quietly deliberating" a play for D12 all season, but won't pursue him without assurances he'd remain in Chicago. Amick also hears that Magic GM Otis Smith isn't seriously interested in anyone the Warriors could offer for Howard.
Howard's list of teams is becoming somewhat irrelevant at this point, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. If the Magic get a serious offer from a team besides the Mavericks, Lakers, or Nets, they're just as likely to pull the trigger as they would be with one of those clubs.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel can't see any sort of trade with the Hawks working. He doesn't think Howard would re-sign in Atlanta if dealt there, and he doesn't think the Magic could acquire Josh Smith without giving up Howard — even if they could, he's not sure the presence of Smith convinces D12 to stay in Orlando (Twitter links).
Brian Schmitz of the Sentinel (Twitter link) also doesn't see the Hawks as a fit for Howard, saying the hometown team "offers no allure" for the Atlanta native. He adds that the Magic want Kyle Lowry from the Rockets in any Howard deal.
The Magic talked to the Thunder about Howard, but Oklahoma City balked at giving up James Harden and Serge Ibaka, reports Schmitz (via Twitter). While that's entirely understandable, the idea of Howard playing with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, even if it's just for two months, is pretty fun, isn't it?
It was reported yesterday that Otis Smith has talked to "all 29 teams" about Howard, but Schmitz tweets that only six to eight are serious — the other GMs just want to tell their owners they've called.

Berger On Gasol, Rondo, Jamison, Jackson, Okafor

March 9th, 2012 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has a few late-Friday afternoon updates on the trade market for us. Here are the highlights:

Berger echoes a number of other reporters who say that, while the Lakers and Rockets are discussing Pau Gasol, no agreement has been reached yet.
The Celtics had been fielding offers for Rajon Rondo in recent weeks, but have disengaged from those talks.
The Trail Blazers have "made it clear" they're accepting offers for Gerald Wallace.
Antawn Jamison's camp is intrigued by the possibility of Jamison going to the Lakers, but Los Angeles hasn't expressed any sort of serious interest in the veteran, says Berger. Even if they were interested, I can't see a way the two teams could match up, given Jamison's $15MM+ cap figure. Nonetheless, the Cavaliers are aggressively seeking future assets for Jamison.
One executive predicts that "no one's touching" Stephen Jackson unless he's bought out by the Bucks.
In addition to pursuing offers for Chris Kaman, the Hornets are also shopping Emeka Okafor.
The Timberwolves are gauging interest in Wayne Ellington and Anthony Tolliver.

Rockets Aggressively Pursuing Pau Gasol

March 9th, 2012 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have continued to "aggressively probe" the Lakers in pursuit of a Pau Gasol trade, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. No deal is imminent, however, according to Wojnarowski and Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link).

Houston's interest in Gasol has been well-documented — the Rockets nearly acquired the 31-year-old in December's Chris Paul-to-the-Lakers blockbuster, before the deal was nixed by David Stern. The Lakers may have recently floated the idea that a package of Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola could pry Gasol away, but Houston still appears unwilling to include Lowry in any deal, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reports.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports wrote earlier today that if the Rockets won't part with Lowry, they may have to involve a third team in any trade for Gasol in order to get the Lakers the point guard upgrade they desire.

Spears On Howard, Bynum, Lowry, Gasol

March 9th, 2012 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

A number of NBA executives are predicting a relatively uneventful trade deadline, and the ones who have spoken to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports echo that sentiment, calling this the quietest deadline in years.

"I'd be surprised if we see a lot of deals," one Western Conference exec told Spears. "In a short season, you can survive another 30 games and start talking trade to teams during the draft lottery."

While we may not see a blockbuster deal by next Thursday, there are still plenty of major trade possibilities out there, and Spears has updates on a few of the bigger names:

The Dwight Howard sweepstakes continue to hold up other trades around the league, as one GM tells Spears: "Everyone has crazy ideas here and there. But teams are reluctant to make a trade until something happens [with Howard]."
The Lakers aren't interested in trading Andrew Bynum unless it nets them Howard.
With the Rockets still unwilling to include Kyle Lowry in a deal for Pau Gasol, Houston would probably need to recruit a third team to send Los Angeles a point guard if they hope to acquire the Spaniard.
No changes on these fronts: The Celtics won't move Rajon Rondo unless they get a star in return, the Suns will only trade Steve Nash if he asks for it, and the Warriors prefer to deal Monta Ellis only if they can acquire Howard.