Amick On Dwight, Celtics, Crawford
SI.com's Sam Amick has a roundup of the latest crop of NBA trade rumors, touching on a variety of topics. Here are the highlights:
- There is a distinct possibility that the Magic will opt not to trade Dwight Howard, either because they don't like the offers out there or because they believe they can convince the superstar center to stay.
- Nets GM Billy King believes it will be easier to land Howard through trade than via free agency, because of the difference in money the team will be able to offer.
- The Warriors are still said to be interested in trading for Howard, even as a rental, and convincing him to stick around.
- Ray Allen is more likely to be moved by March 15 than Rajon Rondo, but a deal with the Clippers is unlikely. The Celtics are asking for young talent and picks, which is more than most teams are likely to want to give up for the 36-year-old Allen.
- Amick suggests Jamal Crawford as a trade possibility for the Clippers or any other team looking for help at the shooting guard position. He believes Crawford may be available because of the Blazers' struggles and his dissatisfaction with Nate McMillan playing him at point guard.
- The Lakers continue to monitor Michael Beasley and Ramon Sessions, and the future of Pau Gasol is still uncertain.
- It is possible that Wilson Chandler will spend the rest of the season overseas rather than re-sign with the Nuggets, and instead test free agency this summer.
- The market is still slow for Gilbert Arenas, who is working out in Orlando in hopes that a team will sign him.
Odds & Ends: Blatche, Lakers, Nene, Odom
Saturday afternoon linkage..
- The Wizards are said to be aggressively shopping Andray Blatche but the forward isn't going to concern himself with the speculation, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. The 25-year-old is the longest tenured player on Washington.
- Over the next two weeks, the Lakers may seek out quality point guards who could be had for a reasonable price including Jose Calderon, Jarrett Jack, Goran Dragic, and Jonny Flynn, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- Nuggets center Nene Hilario stopped short of saying that he would have signed with the Rockets as a free agent had the Rockets’ proposed trade for Pau Gasol been completed, but the big man did speak fondly of Houston, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- This week's Sloan Sports Analytics Conference has covered a number of interesting issues in the game of basketball, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com. A wide range of topics were explored from the idea of a mutually beneficial trade to how a team's best players complement each other.
- In hindsight, the basketball community was too quick to criticize the Lakers for trading Lamar Odom to the Mavericks, writes J.A. Adande of ESPN.com. It's possible that Odom could have found his way out of his funk sooner in Los Angeles, but the Lakers couldn't take that chance at Odom's price.
Stein On Lakers, Raptors, Marion, Hickson, Kaman
It's Friday afternoon, which means another installment of Marc Stein's Weekend Dime at ESPN.com. In addition to writing about the 50th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, Stein shares a few trade rumors. Let's check them out….
- If the Lakers were to acquire Kirk Hinrich or Leandro Barbosa, they would want the Hawks or Raptors, respectively, to take on salary. However, neither Atlanta or Toronto is interested in doing so. The Lakers would have to use their $8.9MM trade exception and accept the luxury-tax consequences if they were to deal for either player.
- The Raptors are also unwilling to take on salary in a deal for Jose Calderon.
- The Mavericks aren't currently shopping Shawn Marion, and don't intend to start clearing out the necessary cap space to make a run at top free agents until after the season. One source told Stein there's "no chance" the Mavs trade Marion this month, even though there may be potential suitors.
- J.J. Hickson is being aggressively shopped by the Kings.
- The Hornets have been telling teams that Chris Kaman won't be bought out after March 15th if the club can't find a trade partner. Since New Orleans is still owned by the league, that may not be an idle threat. A number of teams, including the Heat, are hoping Kaman is bought out, since they don't have the trade assets necessary to acquire the big center.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday
The Magic appear to be more interested in acquiring players to surround Dwight Howard than trading Howard himself, as we learned in yesterday's round-up of Howard rumors. With less than two weeks remaining until the trade deadline, we'll see if the team maintains that stance or starts exploring D12 deals in earnest. For now, here are Friday's updates on Howard, with the latest on top:
- Magic CEO Alex Martins tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), "We’ve had good conversations with [Howard], and with his people. That gives me hope." Martins reiterated that the team is still trying to convince Howard to re-sign (Twitter link).
- Josh Ireland of ESPN Radio (audio link) hears that Howard's agent, Dan Fegan, has told the Lakers his client wouldn't sign an extension if he's traded to Los Angeles. I don't think this is particularly revelatory, since I don't expect Howard to sign an extension anywhere before he hits free agency, due to restrictions on in-season extensions. Whichever team has Howard at season's end would certainly have a leg up in the summer though, being able to offer D12 an extra year and larger raises on a long-term deal.
- Martins doesn't intend to try to trade Howard until he's exhausted every last effort to convince the star center to stay in Orlando, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. "We’ve continued to to have a daily dialogue with Dwight since December," Martins said. "He feels that he is being heard as far as what his goals are. And, by the way, the goals are the same: We both want to win."
- More Martins on Howard: "We'll continue those dialogues over the next couple of weeks and hopefully we’ll get to a point where we both believe that the best place to win a championship is Orlando and we’ll work out the details to make sure Dwight is a part of that for years to come."
- Howard said he spoke to Martins yesterday about where things stand, but "we didn't talk like we need to talk." Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has the details.
Latest On Chandler, Sessions, Odom
Wilson Chandler, Ramon Sessions, and Lamar Odom have been in the news for a handful of reasons lately — one's a restricted free agent, one's a trade candidate, and one… well, it's hard to succinctly summarize Odom's current situation. Regardless, we have Friday updates on all three players, so let's round them up right here:
- Wilson Chandler: With the deadline to obtain an offer sheet from another team having passed, Chandler can only sign with the Nuggets if he wants to play in the NBA this season. Agent Chris Luchey tells Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post that he's still negotiating with the Nuggets, who are only interested in a multiyear deal. If the two sides don't reach an agreement, Chandler could sit out the rest of this NBA season and become a restricted free agent again in July.
- Ramon Sessions: Sessions' agent, Jared Karnes, tells Bob Finnan of the News-Herald that he and his client haven't asked the Cavaliers for a trade, though they're aware it's a possibility. According to Finnan, the Lakers and Hawks are the teams most interested in Sessions.
- Lamar Odom: As we heard yesterday, Odom will indeed join the Mavericks' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, before he returns to the Mavs. The team confirmed the assignment in a press release. According to Dallas president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, the assignment was Odom's idea, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. The 32-year-old will work out today with Mavs consultant Tim Grgurich, then join the Legends tomorrow.
Kyler’s Latest: Gasol, Mayo, Delfino, Williams
Earlier this week, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld began exploring trade options for all 30 NBA teams, sharing the latest rumors and rumblings along the way. Kyler discussed ten teams on Tuesday, and looks at ten more today. Here are some highlights from the piece:
- The Pacers aren't looking to trade anyone, but would take advantage of their cap space to absorb salary if it meant acquiring a draft pick as well.
- Lakers sources insist the team still views Pau Gasol as an All-Star and would only trade him if it meant getting another All-Star back. L.A. isn't currently pursuing Dwight Howard, and any move the team makes will probably involve its $8.9MM trade exception.
- If the Grizzlies do anything before the trade deadline, it will likely involve O.J. Mayo, who has drawn interest.
- Carlos Delfino is an attractive target for a few teams, but Beno Udrih is the more likely trade candidate to be dealt by the Bucks.
- Trade talk surrounding Deron Williams could pick up before March 15th, if the Nets become concerned about their chances of acquiring Dwight Howard and signing Williams long-term.
- Trevor Ariza and Jarrett Jack could be had, but the price for most Hornets is an unprotected first-round pick, which seems like a long shot.
- The Knicks may consider moving Toney Douglas for a draft pick, in part to clear a roster spot for a player waived after the trade deadline.
Odds & Ends: Nash, Beasley, Dawson
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:
- The Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley writes that the Suns are taking a risk by not attempting to trade Steve Nash, pointing out that he's a longshot to re-sign in Phoenix after the season.
- HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus explores the possibility of the Lakers making a trade for Michael Beasley after reportedly turning down an offer from the Timberwolves this week.
- The San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald reports that the Spurs are unlikely to re-sign Eric Dawson, who just finished up his first 10-day contract with the team.
Amico On Rondo, Sessions, Watson, Warriors
In his latest piece for FOX Sports Ohio, Sam Amico talks Rajon Rondo, Ramon Sessions, and other trade candidates. Here's what Amico has for us:
- Amico hears from an NBA executive that the Celtics "hardly feel desperate" to trade Rondo, despite reports suggesting Boston is aggressively shopping its point guard. The same exec wonders if the Celtics could package Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal in the same deal.
- A source says it would be "a miracle" if Sessions is a Cavalier past the trade deadline, even though the team "wouldn’t be against keeping him." At one point, it seemed as if the Lakers may ramp up their pursuit of Sessions, but Amico's source isn't sure if that's happened yet.
- C.J. Watson is drawing interest, and while the Bulls are happy with his play, they'll listen to offers.
- Amico is the latest reporter to hear that a Monta Ellis-to-Orlando deal is highly unlikely, due to the Magic's lack of non-Dwight Howard assets.
Pacific Notes: Nash, Hinrich, Arenas
The tightest divisional race in the NBA is in the Pacific, where the Clippers lead the Lakers by a single game. As packed together as the Western Conference is, that single game would represent the difference between the third seed and the sixth seed if the playoffs began today. Here's what's happening in the far west:
- Steve Nash and Lamar Odom could be trading places, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The move would get the slumping Odom closer to his beloved L.A. beaches and reunite Nash with his old friend Dirk Nowitzki. The rumor comes as the Suns and Nash continue to dance around the issue of a trade, as both player and team are not interested in a deal unless the other asks first. The Mavs would have to throw a little extra into the deal to make the salaries match up under cap rules.
- The Lakers have inquired about Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich, according to a tweet from Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Hinrich is averaging career lows across the board, including his 19.9 MPG, after missing the first month of the season with a left shoulder injury. At 31, though, he's still probably closer to his prime than either Steve Blake, 32, or Derek Fisher, 37, the Lakers' pair of veteran point guards.
- Rumors of Gilbert Arenas joining the Lakers have slowed down of late, and that's because he wants to make sure he's in top condition first, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Arenas doesn't want to ruin what could be his last chance in the NBA, Kyler says.
- The city of Sacramento will contribute $255.53MM to the new arena, the total cost of which has been bumped up to $391MM, according to details of the deal reached Monday, write Tony Bizjak, Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee. The city council will vote to approve the terms of the plan agreed to by city officials, the Kings, the NBA and several private companies.
- Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles says the report that the Lakers turned down an offer of Michael Beasley because of tax concerns demonstrates how the team will be limited like never before under the new collective bargaining agreement.
Celtics Interested In Michael Beasley
Michael Beasley's 27 points off the bench in a win over the Clippers last night apparently aren't swaying the Timberwolves, who are pushing hard to trade him, perhaps to the Celtics, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reports that while the Nets, Rockets and Lakers have all had talks with the Wolves about Beasley, Boston is in the lead for his services. The deal would center around the expiring contract of Jermaine O'Neal, who's making close to $6.23MM this year.
Our Luke Adams profiled Beasley's trade candidacy yesterday. The fourth-year forward is averaging career lows in almost every major statistical category, despite his strong performance last night. Nonetheless, he was the second pick in the draft in 2008, and at only 23, his still-bright potential will make him a sought-after restricted free agent this summer.
O'Neal, averaging 5.0 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 22.8 minutes a night, is probably not in the Wolves' long-term plans. It's also hard to see where he fits in Minnesota's crowded frontcourt now, especially with the recent emergence of Nikola Pekovic. That the Wolves would ship out Beasley, whom they could simply just let go this summer, for little in return suggests that Minnesota simply doesn't want Beasley around.