Kyler On Rockets, Gasol, Pacers, Blazers, Smith
In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler reported that Dwight Howard is highly unlikely to change his mind again, but that the Magic seem to have a deal they'd do with the Nets if Howard waffles once more. You can follow all of today's Howard updates here, and check out the rest of Kyler's morning notes below:
- The Rockets are discussing more than half their roster in trades, having offered around Terrence Williams, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson, Luis Scola, Hasheem Thabeet and Courtney Lee. According to Kyler, Houston would trade any combination of those players to acquire Chris Kaman.
- The Bulls want Lee, but aren't likely to meet the Rockets' asking price, which would mean parting with Taj Gibson or Omer Asik. The Pacers and Timberwolves are also eyeing Lee.
- Houston has a standing offer out to the Lakers for Pau Gasol, but it doesn't include Kyle Lowry, so nothing is expected to happen there.
- If the Blazers' three-team deal with the Timberwolves and Lakers involving Jamal Crawford falls through, Portland may have a backup trade in place with the Pacers.
- The Magic won't be able to make a move for Josh Smith, which isn't a surprise. One league source tells Kyler the Hawks want an All-Star frontcourt player in exchange for Smith, so a deal is very unlikely.
Los Angeles Rumors: Beasley, Gasol, Bledsoe
The Lakers appear to be closing in on a three-way deal that would land them Michael Beasley, but different variations of the deal are being discussed. Most reports have Steve Blake and a first-rounder heading from L.A. to Portland, but Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported last night that it may be Luke Ridnour, rather than Blake, who goes to the Blazers. In that hypothetical trade, the Lakers would still give up a first-round pick, but wouldn't necessarily need to make a follow-up to replace Blake at the point.
While we wait to see how those negotiations shake out, here are a few Lakers- and Clippers-related rumors out of Los Angeles:
- A Pau Gasol trade is "highly unlikely," tweets ESPN.com's Chris Palmer. Palmer says interest dropped way off after the Lakers reportedly backed out of talks involving Gasol and Rajon Rondo.
- The Clippers continue to explore trades that would see them move Eric Bledsoe for a "big guard," says Palmer in a separate tweet.
- Pedro Viola of ESPNLosAngeles.com thinks the Clippers will ultimately decide they can maximize Bledsoe's value by keeping him rather than trading him.
Rockets Rumors: Howard, Lowry, Martin, Dragic
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle shares a few pre-deadline updates on the Rockets in his latest column. Let's check out the highlights:
- The Rockets have been aggressive about trying to engage Orlando in Dwight Howard talks, but the Magic aren't very interested in Houston's assets.
- One front office executive believes Houston will end up offering Kyle Lowry for Pau Gasol before Thursday's deadline, though the Rockets continue to insist that won't happen.
- The Rockets still hope to either make it work with Kevin Martin, or pursue a deal down the road when Martin's value is a little higher than it is now.
- Houston "went hard" after Andrew Bogut before the big man was traded to Golden State.
- Terrence Williams likely could be had for a second-round draft pick.
- Feigen considers Goran Dragic the Rocket most likely to be moved in a deal like last year's Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier trades.
Latest On Rumored Lakers, Wolves, Blazers Deal
1:20am: Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports another variation on the proposed three-team swap, saying that the Timberwolves may send Luke Ridnour to the Blazers. According to McMenamin, the Blazers would still receive a first-round pick from the Lakers in the deal, which doesn't make sense to me — I'd think giving up Beasley and Ridnour would earn the T-Wolves that pick.
THURSDAY, 1:06am: A source tells John Canzano of The Oregonian that the deal should be completed Thursday morning (Twitter link).
Northwest Notes: Blazers, Jazz, Thunder
The most pressing news out of the Northwest Division tonight surrounds the three-team deal apparently in the works between the Lakers and two Northwest teams: the Blazers and Timberwolves. It continues to be held up by the Blazers, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), who are seeking a draft pick. Here's more from around the division:
- The Blazers took an embarrassing 42-point loss to the Knicks tonight, and John Canzano of The Oregonian thinks the problems can be traced to the front-office turmoil of the past few years.
- The Thunder like the view from the top, and unlike last year, when they acquired Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed, they aren't likely to make any deals before the deadline, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. As a result, the team has largely avoided the distractions that other teams encounter this time of year, coach Scott Brooks told fellow Oklahoman writer John Rohde.
- The Jazz are in contention for a playoff spot, but it will be better for them in the long run to make a deal before the deadline, even if it's a short-term negative, opines Patrick Kinahan on NBA.com.
Kyler On Smith, Magic, Bulls
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld passed along a few goodies on Twitter, so let's take a look (all Twitter links, of course):
- The Magic are one of multiple teams trying to get the Hawks to change their minds about keeping Josh Smith, even though it's a long shot. One potential scenario would have the Magic sending Jason Richardson to the Wolves and Ryan Anderson to the Hawks while Michael Beasley would go to Atlanta. Ownership would be reluctant to do that deal because they believe Smith is worth twice that price. David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets that no such talks between the Magic and Hawks have taken place.
- The rumored three-team trade involving the Lakers, Wolves and Blazers is just one of the options the Wolves have.
- The Bulls are eyeing Courtney Lee, and would look to Raja Bell as a fallback.
- Kyler is much more confident about the Mavs' chances of landing Deron Williams now that Dwight Howard is close to committing to the Magic for next season.
T-Wolves, Blazers, Lakers Close To Deal
5:06pm: It appears the Lakers will send a first-round pick to the Blazers in the deal, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. The Lakers would like to target a point guard in another, but giving up the pick makes that difficult.
4:46pm: Everything has been agreed upon except for what the Blazers would receive from the Lakers, tweets Chris Haynes. According to Haynes (on Twitter), the Blazers wants a draft pick, with Blake being the fallback option. I don't see how the deal gets done if Blake is the only asset heading to Portland.
4:36pm: The Blazers would receive a first-round pick in addition to Blake, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Freeman isn't sure where the pick would be coming from, though I have to assume it'd be one of the Lakers' first-rounders. Meanwhile, Crawford's agent tells Jason Quick of The Oregonian that the deal is close to being done (Twitter link).
4:28pm: This deal is getting closer to becoming a reality, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes says (via Twitter) there will be other pieces involved if the teams reach an agreement, but that Crawford, Beasley, and Blake are the primary parts. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune agrees that this trade is the most likely move for the Timberwolves (Twitter link).
2:54pm: Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link) confirms that the three teams are talking about a deal, adding that Steve Blake would be going to the Blazers in the proposed trade. I don't think that changes the fact that Portland would want a draft pick.
1:55pm: Talks between the Timberwolves and Trail Blazers for Jamal Crawford are gathering momentum, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The discussions also involve the Lakers, who would receive Michael Beasley from the Timberwolves in the proposed deal, tweets Wojnarowski. I'm guessing the Blazers are seeking a first-round pick from L.A.
Though the Timberwolves and Blazers looked like a promising match last week, Ricky Rubio's ACL injury seemed to put a damper on discussions, since the T-Wolves needed Luke Ridnour at the point. However, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com said on Monday that Minnesota's pursuit of Crawford hadn't faltered, and that perhaps the Wolves could bring in a third team.
Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported yesterday that the Blazers seemed to be cooling on the idea of trading Crawford, since they couldn't find a first-round pick for him. Portland hopes to gain cap space this summer and Crawford figures to opt out of the final year of his deal, so the Blazers have some motivation to keep him. But if they can gain a pick and avoid bringing on any future salary, the Blazers would obviously be inclined to make a move.
Josh Howard, C.J. Miles Drawing Interest
4:34pm: Howard is likely to remain with the Jazz through the deadline, tweets Brian T. Smith.
11:38am: As of this morning, the chances of Miles being dealt to the Timberwolves appeared very slim, according to Brian T. Smith (via Twitter). Miles heading to New Jersey for Petro and a first-rounder is a possibility, tweets Stefan Bondy.
7:53am: Josh Howard and C.J. Miles, whose contracts expire at season's end, have both expressed interest in re-signing with the Jazz this summer. However, it looks as if there's a chance neither player will even finish the season in Utah.
On the heels of last night's report that the Jazz are discussing a three-team trade with the Spurs and Timberwolves that would ship both Howard and Miles out of town, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that the Jazz are shopping Miles. The T-Wolves and Nets are among the teams that have shown interest, according to Kennedy. New Jersey has interest in Miles' expiring contract as a way of clearing summer cap space to make a run at top free agents, and Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld says the Nets have discussed Anthony Morrow and Johan Petro with the Jazz. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News hears such a deal could involve a Nets first-round pick (Twitter link).
Pincus says the Clippers may have some interest in Miles, who could fit into one of the team's traded player exceptions, but L.A. probably won't part with Eric Bledsoe or a first-round pick. Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune, who reported last month that Miles could be had, says the former second-rounder, who turns 25 this weekend, may be easier to move in a package deal (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, besides the Spurs, the Lakers, Knicks, and Celtics have also expressed interest in acquiring Howard, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Of those four interested clubs, only the Knicks are below the luxury tax line, so Howard and his $2.15MM salary would be an affordable addition. The Jazz don't necessarily want to make a deal though, according to Spears.
Trade Rumors: Kaman, Celtics, Blatche, Bynum
Here's the latest on a few trade candidates:
- The Celtics are seeking a big man, and while taking on a player with Chris Kaman's salary ($14MM+) probably isn't likely, Kaman would be interested in going to Boston, says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- "You look at what they need and what he brings to the game," a league source said of Kaman-to-the-Celtics. "It would be a great fit, it really would. But a lot of things have to happen, and not happen, before that can come about."
- The Wizards are still seeking deadline deals, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- Lee hears conflicting reports on the likelihood of an Andray Blatche trade. One source said Blatche "won’t be moved due to a lack of interest," even if JaVale McGee is included. However, another source told Lee that the Wizards aren't ready to give up on finding a taker for Blatche just yet.
- Andrew Bynum isn't expecting the Lakers to trade him, as he tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Grizzlies Interested In Gilbert Arenas
With everyone else focused on trades, the Grizzlies are keeping an eye on the free agent market. According to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis is exploring the possibility of signing Gilbert Arenas.
Tillery says the two sides have mutual interest, though no deal will be made until the Grizzlies see Arenas work out. A source tells Tillery that Arenas and the Grizz are working to schedule a meeting.
I'm a little surprised that Memphis would be willing to bring on a free agent, considering the team currently sits barely above the luxury tax line. I expected the club to try to make a move prior to tomorrow's trade deadline to get below that threshold, but perhaps it's not a major concern.
Arenas, who was amnestied by the Magic before the season, has also drawn interest from the Lakers.