Odds & Ends: Blazers, Fisher, Kaman, Rockets
If you've gotten a little too caught up in March Madness, don't worry. We'll get you caught up with a look at what's happening around the Association ..
- After dealing Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace at the deadline, Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld.com wonders what's next for the Blazers.
- The Wizards would be willing to accommodate Brian Cook if he wishes to play elsewhere, a league source told Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Cook’s agent Mark Bartelstein said on Saturday the two sides will likely engage in buyout discussions this week.
- Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is sad to see longtime teammate Derek Fisher leave, writes Dave Menamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Rockets will likely buy out Fisher's contract, but the new Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits the veteran from rejoining the Lakers.
- Hornets General Manager Dell Demps now says that the club is open to offering center Chris Kaman an extension at the end of the season, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Kaman's name was involved in trade talks but ultimately wound up staying put. It's still possible that the Hornets could buy out the big man, allowing him to latch on with a contender.
- General Manager Joe Dumars said that the Pistons stood pat at the trade deadline because there were no quality offers on the table, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Plenty of deals were put in front of Dumars but none of them were enticing enough for him to pull the trigger.
- The Rockets' moves at the trade deadline were solid but the club didn't make the kind of blockbuster that some were expecting, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- Commissioner David Stern & the NBA did a tremendous job facilitating the new lease agreement between the Hornets and the state of Louisiana, writes John DeShazier of the Times Picayune. The new deal will keep the Hornets in New Orleans through 2024.
Failed Deals: Nets, Bucks, Kaman, Pistons
Shortly after yesterday's trade deadline, we rounded up a few near-deals that didn't quite get done. Reports continue to trickle out about offers that were turned down and trades that were close, so let's cover a few more:
- Appearing on KNBR in San Francisco, Ric Bucher of ESPN.com reported that the Nets offered Brook Lopez to the Bucks for Monta Ellis shortly after Milwaukee acquired Ellis from Golden State (hat tip to RealGM.com). Unsuprisingly, the Bucks turned it down, according to Bucher.
- Bucher added that the Warriors could have acquired Chris Kaman from the Hornets in exchange for Brandon Rush, Kwame Brown's expiring contract, and a second-round pick, but chose to land Bogut instead (link via RealGM).
- The Pistons were also in on Kaman, offering the Hornets one of their big contracts along with a future first-round pick, says Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Ben Gordon is the only Piston whose contract would've worked in a one-for-one deal.
- After turning down that offer, the Hornets countered with Carl Landry for Jason Maxiell and an unprotected 2012 first-rounder, says Goodwill. The Pistons rejected that one.
Louisiana Announces Hornets’ Lease Agreement
1:14pm: The agreement has officially been announced. You can read the details of Governor Jindal's statement via the Times-Picayune.
10:57am: Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal will announce later today that the State of Louisiana and the Hornets have reached an agreement that will keep the team in the city through 2024, with no opt-out clause, reports Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The agreement will also include a guarantee from the NBA that an All-Star Game will take place in New Orleans before 2024.
According to Smith, the state legistature will be asked to approve a capital bond issue of about $50MM, which will be put toward arena improvements. The improvements will allow the Hornets to generate additional revenue and will relieve the state from providing annual subsidies to the team.
The terms of the lease agreement must be accepted by the the new owner of the Hornets when the team is purchased. Smith says that the announcement by the State of Louisiana will indicate to NBA commissioner David Stern that the ball is in his court for consummating a purchase of the franchise.
Hornets To Keep Kaman?
New Orleans Hornets GM Dell Demps told the Times-Picayune's Jimmy Smith that the Hornets do not plan to buy out center Chris Kaman after failing to trade him before Thursday's deadline.
"Everything is always a possibility," Demps said. "I mean there's no reason to say I'm certain, 100 percent sure. There's always a possibility. I never want to say never. But our intention is to keep Chris."
Kaman, who is in the final year of a contract paying him $14MM this season, was one of the most talked-about trade pieces leading up to the deadline, with speculation that a buyout was likely if the Hornets did not move him. He would have then become a very attractive free agent signee for a contending team, with the Heat and Celtics rumored to be showing interest. However, Demps' comments indicate that this isn't the plan and he will remain in New Orleans for the rest of the season.
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).
Chris Kaman Likely Staying Put
Chris Kaman will likely remain a Hornet past the trade deadline, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Celtics, Heat, and Spurs will aggressively pursue Kaman if the Hornets end up buying out his contract, but that's not a given with the league running the team, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter links).
Wojnarowski On Augustin, Kaman, Blazers
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is sending out plenty of tweets today on a variety of trade topics. Here are a few of his latest updates (all links go to Twitter):
- D.J. Augustin is drawing significant interest, with the Bobcats listening to inquiries.
- The Hornets are getting more realistic about their asking price for Chris Kaman, realizing that they won't get a first-round pick for him. According to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida, New Orleans is working hard to move Kaman, ideally to an East team (Twitter link).
- One GM on the Trail Blazers: "One thing is for sure today: Portland is open for business right now."
Hornets Rumors: Kaman, Ariza, Okafor, Jamison
Chris Kaman is still the most likely trade candidate for the Hornets, but John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune says any of New Orleans' veteran players are available for the right combination of draft picks and expiring contracts. Here are a few more of Reid's Hornets rumors:
- New Orleans is listening to offers on Trevor Ariza, though Ariza's agent David Lee said Wednesday he hasn't heard about any trade scenarios involving his client.
- The Hornets backed out of trade talks with the Cavaliers involving Emeka Okafor and Antawn Jamison, since Cleveland insisted on acquiring one of New Orleans' two 2012 first-round picks. The Hornets continue to try to trade Okafor though.
- There remains speculation that Mike Dunleavy, who is part of the group trying to buy the Hornets, may want to keep Chris Kaman around past this season. I can't see that having a major impact on the team's Kaman decision though, since the Hornets are still owned by the league for now.
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.
Odds & Ends: Batum, Kaman, Ewing, Elson, Heat
A few odds and ends from around the league, with less than 24 hours until the 2012 trade deadline:
- The Kings inquired on Nicolas Batum, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. However, multiple reports have suggested the Blazers have no intentions of trading Batum.
- If a second-round pick is all it takes to acquire Chris Kaman, expect the Pacers to make another run, says Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). I had the same thought when I saw Chris Broussard's update on Kaman today — Indiana is the only team in the league that could take Kaman's salary without sending players back, and parting with a second-rounder wouldn't affect the team's long-term plan.
- Patrick Ewing may have some interest in the Knicks' full-time coaching job, tweets Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Francisco Elson has been in touch with the Heat, but Miami isn't interested in working him out yet, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. The Heat could make a move for Elson after the trade and buyout deadlines.
- The Heat likely won't make a move at the deadline, but players will still be relieved when it passes, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Wizards players talked to both Michael Lee of the Washington Post and Derek Page of HoopsWorld about the distraction of the impending deadline.