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.
Timberwolves Backed Out Of Beasley Deal
The Lakers and Blazers had agreed to a three-team trade that would've sent Michael Beasley to the Lakers, with Jamal Crawford and Derek Fisher heading to the Timberwolves, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. However, the T-Wolves pulled out of the deal, says Cooper (Twitter link).
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune echoes Howard-Cooper's report, saying that Minnesota decided upgrading from Beasley to Crawford wasn't enough to justify the additional salary heading to the T-Wolves (Twitter link). The Wolves also had no guarantee that Crawford would exercise his player option and remain in Minnesota next season, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Twitter).
Zgoda adds that Luke Ridnour and Steve Blake don't seem to have been involved in the discussed deal, as the Blazers would have received Dallas' first-round pick from the Lakers (Twitter links).
Failed Deals: Beasley, Crawford, Allen, Pierce
You've read about the trades that were completed prior to the deadline, but there were also plenty of moves that didn't quite work out. Here are a few that have been reported so far:
- The Lakers had been in talks to acquire Michael Beasley in a deal that would've sent Jamal Crawford and Derek Fisher to the Timberwolves, with Dallas' first-round pick going to the Blazers, says Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (on Twitter).
- Crawford also could've gone to the Lakers, but the Blazers didn't want to take on Derek Fisher, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Before they acquired Nick Young, the Clippers talked extensively with the Rockets about trading for Courtney Lee, tweets Sam Amick of SI.com.
- The Clippers were also "this close" from acquiring Ray Allen, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
- The Celtics had serious talks with several teams about both Allen and Paul Pierce, but nothing came together, says Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
- Another interesting tidbit from Amick: He says the Nuggets tried to engage the Kings on Nene/DeMarcus Cousins swap about a month ago, but the Kings weren't interested (Twitter links).
- The Bucks made a "strong late push" for the Hornets' Carl Landry, but couldn't work anything out, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
- GM Otis Smith told John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com that the Magic explored many deals to bring in help around Dwight Howard, but that the risk/reward factor didn't make sense (Twitter link).
Rockets Acquire Derek Fisher
The Rockets have acquired Derek Fisher from the Lakers in exchange for Jordan Hill, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Houston also receives the first-round pick in the Lakers acquired from Dallas in December's Lamar Odom trade, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
While the Lakers ended up moving both of their 2012 first-rounders in this trade and today's Ramon Sessions deal, they were able to upgrade their roster and improve their future cap situation. Fisher and Luke Walton were both under contract for multiple years, while Hill and Sessions could both come off the books at season's end.
The Rockets will explore a buyout, but could use the point guard depth for the time being with Kyle Lowry out, tweets Wojnarowski.
Lakers’ Talks For Michael Beasley Falling Apart
1:46pm: Amico's GM source now says talks for Beasley are "collapsing" (Twitter link). Mike Breshanan of the Los Angeles Times also says discussions are falling apart rapidly (Twitter link).
1:16pm: The Lakers are "closing in" on a trade for Michael Beasley, a Western Conference GM tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
Los Angeles managed to work out a deal for Ramon Sessions without using its $8.9MM trade exception, so the Lakers could absorb Beasley's salary without sending out any players. However, the Sessions deal saw the Lakers give up its 2012 first-round pick, so L.A. only has the Mavericks' 2012 first-rounder to work with now.
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).
Lakers Still Could Make Multiple Deals
The pace of the Lakers' trade talks has picked up to the point where Los Angeles could make multiple trades before the deadline, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
Yesterday, I would've assumed that two trades for the Lakers would mean bringing in Michael Beasley from the Timberwolves and Ramon Sessions from the Cavs, but J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today reports (via Twitter) that the Lakers' three-way talks with Portland and Minnesota for Beasley seem to be losing momentum. Falgoust hears that Portland "dragged its feet," and that other deals are now in the works.
Earlier reports suggested that the Lakers were gaining interest in Jamal Crawford.
Crawford Hoping For Trade; Lakers Interested
The Lakers and the Nets are the latest teams to enter the Jamal Crawford sweepstakes, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com hears that Crawford is hoping for a trade, and that his preferred destination is Orlando (Twitter link).
The Lakers had already been engaged in talks involving Crawford, but the proposed three-team deal would have sent Crawford to Minnesota rather than Los Angeles. The Nets, meanwhile, are reportedly close to a deal for Gerald Wallace, so it's unknown whether they would maintain their interest in Crawford if they acquire Wallace.
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.
Nets Would Turn Down Gasol For Williams
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that if the Lakers offered Pau Gasol for Deron Williams, the Nets would turn it down. According to Stein, the Lakers actually did make that pitch to New Jersey in December, so the Nets have already said no once.
News of Dwight Howard's latest decision, to opt in for next season and remain with the Magic, has led to rampant speculation about potential trades involving the Nets' star point guard. However, New Jersey is still turning away all interest in Williams.