Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday

March 2nd, 2012 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Thursday

March 1st, 2012 at 8:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors and Hawks may be interested in making a play for Dwight Howard in the next two weeks, even without a guarantee that he'd sign long-term. For his part, Howard would like the Magic to try to acquire Steve Nash, and could perhaps be convinced to stay in Orlando a little longer if such a trade happens. Those were a few of the Howard rumors we heard yesterday. We'll track Thursday's updates here throughout the day, with the latest up top:

The Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins reports that Magic CEO Alex Martins has continued to engage Howard in discussions about the future, athough Martins was hesitant to divulge what exactly has been discussed in these meetings.
Robbins also wonders if Howard has expressed a willingness to stay in Orlando if the Magic acquire certain players, or if reports of Orlando's interest in Steve Nash and Monta Ellis simply suggest the Magic are making a Hail Mary play to convince Dwight to stay.
The Magic could do worse than Brook Lopez in a Howard trade, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
The Magic are making trade inquiries, but they're trying to acquire talent around Howard, rather than shopping their star center, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. If Orlando isn't able to bolster its roster around Howard, that stance could change, but for now, a D12 deal appears unlikely, Kennedy adds (via Twitter).
One player the Magic are pursuing is Monta Ellis, though Marcus Thompson II reported yesterday that the Warriors aren't interested in trading Ellis to Orlando without acquiring Howard. I'm also in agreement with Kennedy when he notes (on Twitter) that the Magic probably don't have the assets, besides Howard, to get an Ellis deal done. Still, the fact that Orlando is involving Howard in the decision-making process is a step in the right direction for the Magic, tweets Kennedy.

Amico On Rondo, Sessions, Watson, Warriors

March 1st, 2012 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Magic Eyeing Monta Ellis

February 29th, 2012 at 8:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:52 p.m.: The Warriors are not interested in giving up Ellis if they don't get Dwight Howard in return, reports Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Thompson believes there's little chance the Magic could find a player from another team to satisfy the Warriors' demands.

8:39 p.m.: The Magic are in talks with the Warriors about Monta Ellis, reports Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM. Chris Broussard of ESPN adds that the Magic, who don't possess the assets the Warriors are looking for, are trying to get other teams involved in what would be a multiteam swap.

Both the Magic and the Warriors have been linked to the Nets and Brook Lopez of late, and the Warriors have been pursuing Dwight Howard. There's no indication at this point that Howard would be a part of an Ellis deal, though Broussard notes the Warriors were willing to send Ellis to Orlando for Howard earlier this year.

The 26-year-old Ellis is the league's seventh leading scorer at 22.2 PPG, though that figure is off from last year's 24.1 PPG and a career-high 25.5 in 2009/10. He's due $11MM each year through 2013/14, though he could elect an early-termination option after next season.

Broussard says that Ellis is on Howard's list of players he'd like to team with someday.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday

February 29th, 2012 at 6:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Orlando's roster could have an entirely new look a month from now, and Magic players are all aware of that fact. Nonetheless, as they tell Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, their goal for the second half will be to avoid being weighed down by off-court distractions and focus on playing good basketball. Here's the latest on Dwight Howard, who figures to dominate Orlando's on- and off-court headlines in the coming weeks:

Add the Hawks to the list of potential Howard suitors. Marcus Thompson, while looking for Warriors rumors for the Bay Area News Group, tweets that Atlanta is offering Joe Johnson and Al Horford to the Magic for D12. Howard grew up in Atlanta and went to high school at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Thompson notes that Howard and Hawks forward Josh Smith are friends.
Howard wants the Magic to pursue Steve Nash, and would consider staying at least another year in Orlando if the team can acquire Nash and re-sign him, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Of course, given the Suns' current stance on their point guard, such an acquisition would be a challenge.
An Eastern Conference executive tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com that he thinks if Howard is dealt by March 15th, it will be to the Nets, but the longer the saga drags on, the better the Mavericks' odds become. While the Knicks and Clippers aren't on Howard's list of preferred destinations, Broussard says D12 would consider both teams, though neither has engaged the Magic in trade talks.
The Warriors say they're not interested in trading Monta Ellis unless he's part of a package for Howard, sources tells Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link).
We covered some Howard-related links in our notes on the Warriors earlier this morning, as Golden State remains in the hunt for the Magic superstar. SI.com's Zach Lowe confirms the Warriors would be willing to acquire Howard without assurances he'd sign long-term or even opt into the final year of his contract next season. This seems a little crazy to me, but as Lowe points out, Golden State will likely have to break up its core at some point to become a legit title contender anyway. I suppose if the Warriors were able to deal David Lee along with Ellis and others, even just renting Dwight would create a ton of cap flexibility for future seasons. Still, I don't think it's a likely scenario.

Broussard On Gasol, Rondo, Ellis, Beasley, Kaman

February 29th, 2012 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to providing an update on the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, Chris Broussard shares rumors about a handful of big-name trade candidates in his latest Insider-only ESPN.com column. Let's dive in….

The Rockets still have interest in Pau Gasol but want to build around Kyle Lowry rather than include him in any Gasol deal. The Timberwolves haven't talked to the Lakers in months about Gasol, while the Bulls have shown some interest in the Spaniard.
Sources tell Broussard that the Celtics have determined they're not title contenders this year and would prefer to move Rajon Rondo rather than deal with the "headaches" he brings.
Broussard hears that if Monta Ellis were traded, the Warriors guard would like to join the Lakers, Bulls, or Magic (alongside Dwight Howard), but none of those scenarios appear realistic.
The Timberwolves offered Michael Beasley to the Lakers in exchange for the higher of L.A.'s two first-round picks, but were turned down. The Lakers are torn on Beasley — because L.A. is over the tax line, the team would be adding more than just Beasley's $6.26MM cap figure. I imagine they'd also prefer to use their trade exception to acquire a point guard.
The Hornets' asking price for Chris Kaman has dropped since earlier in the season. They're seeking a draft pick, even just a second-rounder, for the center.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum are "virtually untouchable" but the Blazers would talk about anyone else on their roster, particularly Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace.

Suns Don’t Intend To Trade Steve Nash

February 29th, 2012 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 1:15pm: The Blazers are trying hard to pry Nash away from the Suns, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. However, Stein says the Suns still hope to re-sign their All-Star point guard to a multiyear deal this summer. The team would prefer to go that route and risk losing Nash to another team at that point, rather than losing him now in a "so-so trade."

TUESDAY, 3:23pm: A weekend report suggested the Magic were interested in pursuing a deal for Steve Nash, but any inquiries Orlando makes may prove futile. According to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter), the Suns still intend to hang on to Nash unless he asks for a trade, which Broussard says won't happen.

This has been the Suns' stance for weeks, so it's no surprise that the team hasn't changed its mind. Nash's recent comments about being open to a trade may have fueled speculation that the situation could be in flux, but being "open" to a deal isn't quite the same as asking for a deal. Nash is also "open" to remaining in Phoenix and re-signing with the club.

Given his continued All-Star caliber play and his expiring contract, Nash should draw plenty of interest as March 15th approaches. But if the Suns and Nash continue to resemble a passive-aggressive couple, deferring to one another on the subject of a trade, the two-time MVP looks likely to stay in Phoenix for at least the rest of the season.

Warriors Notes: Lopez, Ellis, Howard, Granger

February 29th, 2012 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors' second half got off to a rough start in Indiana last night, as Golden State fell behind by 31 points through three quarters en route to a 102-78 loss. As the Warriors look to regroup tonight in Atlanta, here are a few morning updates on the club:

According to both Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle and Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link), Warriors sources don't put much stock in the Monta Ellis/Brook Lopez rumor that surfaced this week. Thompson says the Warriors would want more than Lopez for Ellis.
That Lopez/Ellis rumor originally came up as part of a three-way deal that also involved Orlando and Dwight Howard. However, the Warriors are still more interested in pursuing Howard themselves than accomodating a trade that sends him to the Nets. Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News runs through all the stars that would need to align for the Warriors to realistically make a play for Howard.
The Warriors must have a lot of confidence that they can convince Howard to re-sign with the team if they acquire him, tweets SI.com's Chris Mannix.
While the Warriors are still interested in Danny Granger, the Pacers won't deal him, says Thompson (via Twitter).

Warriors Continue To Pursue Dwight Howard

February 28th, 2012 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are continuing their push for a Dwight Howard deal, despite not being on Howard's list of preferred destinations, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. While they'd have no assurances that Howard would remain in Golden State past this season, the Warriors aren't backing down from any potentially risky move, says Howard-Cooper.

Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle reported ten days ago that the Warriors felt they were still in the hunt for Howard. Golden State would presumably offer a package centered around Monta Ellis that also includes some combination of Klay Thompson, David Lee, and Ekpe Udoh. The idea would be to attempt to convince Howard to stay, and build the roster around D12 and Stephen Curry. Still, as Howard-Cooper points out in a second tweet, it would be a disaster for the Warriors to part with a handful of key assets to acquire Howard, only to see him leave via free agency this summer.

I still believe a Howard trade before the deadline is far from a sure thing, and I wouldn't consider the Warriors a frontrunner, but it appears they're staying the hunt for the Magic superstar for now.

Brook Lopez Rumors: Tuesday

February 28th, 2012 at 11:24am CST by Luke Adams

Playing against Dwight Howard and the Magic in the Nets' last game before the All-Star break, Brook Lopez scored 15 points, grabbed four boards, and blocked a pair of shots. While the performance wasn't exceptional, and wasn't enough to help New Jersey avoid a loss, it was a good step forward for Lopez in just his second game back from foot surgery. Here are today's Lopez-related items, as he prepares to return to action in Dallas tonight:

The Magic don't have a ton of interest in Lopez in a Howard trade, but he's inexpensive and even decent big men are hard to find, says Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links).
There are "renewed rumblings" about the Warriors landing Lopez in a multi-team Howard trade, according to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. This scenario, which Vecsey suggests would include Monta Ellis going to Orlando, sounds like a real long-shot to me.