Pacific Notes: Smith, Brown, Arenas, Howard
Chris Paul is confident about the Clippers' chances of landing J.R. Smith when the former Nugget returns from China, but Smith's Twitter profile suggests a number of teams are in play, including one he hasn't been linked to yet. Smith's Twitter bio simple reads: "NYK? LAL? LAC? CHI? ORL? iNDI?" While there's no guarantee the 26-year-old is deciding between just those six teams, the Magic are an interesting inclusion, given the uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard. Hoops Rumors readers voted the Clippers as the frontrunner for Smith yesterday.
Here are a few more items out of the Pacific Division:
- Lakers coach Mike Brown confirmed that he spoke with free agent guard J.R. Smith today over the phone, tweets J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today.
- Shannon Brown signed a one-year deal with the Suns prior to the season because he thought he'd get a chance to play and increase his value, but it hasn't been working out that way, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
- In a series of tweets, Ramona Sherburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com explains why she thinks the Lakers should sign Gilbert Arenas, assuming he's healthy.
- Looking at a few realistic trade destinations for Dwight Howard, ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) evaluated how Howard's potential teammates would complement the star center. Hollinger determined that the Clippers' Chris Paul would be the best partner for Howard, while the Lakers' Andrew Bynum would be the worst.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Monday
Dwight Howard felt excluded from the offense in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game against the Bucks. That's prompted coach Stan Van Gundy to reiterate his confidence in the big man, saying, "I don't know if there's anything stopping him," as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Van Gundy also said there are plenty of players on the Magic who want the ball late in games, and that it's up to the coach to decide who gets it.
Here's the rest of what's happening around D12 and the Magic City:
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld spotted a Pacers scout in Orlando tonight, which is striking considering the Magic has already played the Pacers three times, and the teams don't meet again until March 11. The Pacers haven't been a part of Howard rumors so far, so they may be looking at other players in case the Magic want to make a separate move.
- If the Magic decide to trade Howard, the Nuggets and Jazz provide a blueprint of what to do when dealing away a superstar, while the Hornets demonstrate the opposite, writes Austin Link of ESPN Chicago.
Odds & Ends: Hornets, Clippers, Knicks, Magic
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles reports the Los Angeles Clippers are pursuing J.R. Smith. Their sales pitch includes Chauncey Billups vacated starting slot, a chance to showcase his game on a contending team, and his familiarity with Chris Paul–and their shared agent, Leon Rose.
- Also pursuing Smith, according to the same report, is Carmelo Anthony. The New York Knicks have slightly more money to offer with the prorated $2.5MM mini-mid-level exception, and Leon Rose likewise represents Anthony.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel wonders if Jason Richardson can be a reliable go-to guy after a breakout game against the Milwaukee Bucks. If so, it would relieve a lot of the pressure for an immediate roster overhaul for general manager Otis Smith and the Orlando Magic.
- Naturally after watching Richardson's performance over the Bucks comes reports from Schmitz that a disgruntled Dwight Howard would like to see the ball more in the fourth quarter.
Trade Candidate: Ryan Anderson
Should the Magic choose to keep Dwight Howard for the rest of this season and allow him to test the waters of free agency this summer, a massive domino effect involving several organizations and players will take place. Teams like the Rockets, Nets, Celtics, and Mavericks have all cleared cap space and will scramble for the perennial All-Star's services, but only one will be able to walk away with the number one prize.
If Howard does leave, which is likely, Orlando will be forced to come to terms with a roster that was built to accommodate its superstar's strengths. The stock for the team's three-point shooters and defensively liable swingmen who are enabled by Howard's presence may plummet. The most notable example would be the team's second best player, Ryan Anderson.
As we covered on Friday, the Magic chose not to offer Anderson a contract extension earlier this season—a decision that acknowledges the team's willingness to accept its unknown future—and right now he's playing to show the league his worth once he becomes a restricted free agent in the offseason. With the chances of Anderson accepting the team's qualifying offer of $3.23MM in the offseason nonexistent, the Magic could be wise to sell high and trade their best asset. Anderson is a young, improving sharpshooter having a borderline All-Star season, but his success may be predicated on the play of Howard. If he's going to walk anyway, why not get something for him while you can?
With the type of game to either come off a bench or start for a playoff team, someone like the Nuggets or Pacers would be wise to seek his services in a trade involving multiple draft picks.
Poll: When Will Dwight Howard Leave Orlando?
This week's Jeremy Lin mania aside, Dwight Howard's impending free agency has been the dominant storyline of the NBA season so far. The Nets, Lakers and Mavs are the leading contenders for his services, along with his current team, the Magic. The Magic are considering fulfilling his request to be traded this season so they can get assets back in return, but may be hesistant to do so before the All-Star game, which is on Feb. 26 in Orlando this year. That leaves about a two-week window before the March 15 trade deadline to get a deal done. If that doesn't happen, and the saga continues into the summer, Howard could invoke a player option of more than $19.5MM to stay with the Magic for one more season before committing anywhere for multiple seasons.
So, with so much attention surrounding where Howard will go, the question of when is just as relevant.
When Will Dwight Howard Leave Orlando?
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After the All-Star game, but before the March 15 trade deadline 54% (499)
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In the summer of 2012 30% (279)
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None of the above; Howard will re-sign and stay with the Magic for years to come 10% (90)
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Before the All-Star game 3% (27)
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In the summer of 2013 3% (24)
Total votes: 919
Anderson Shows Off For Potential Suitors
There's plenty going on in Orlando this winter, with the All-Star game coming to town and the daily Dwight Howard rumors. Much less attention has been paid to power forward Ryan Anderson, whose 16.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 43% three-point shooting are all career highs. His 74 three-pointers made coming into Friday led the league. He'll be a restricted free agent at season's end.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at the development of the 6-foot-10 power forward in his fourth season.
He'll be showing off his long-distance shooting in the three-point contest at All-Star weekend, but Schmitz notes how he, at the behest of coach Stan Van Gundy, has become more of an all-around player.
Van Gundy laments not playing him more last season, when Anderson split time with Brandon Bass.
"We didn't have any doubts that he could do what he's doing offensively. He's exceptional," the coach said. "The only other guy in the league that can stretch a defense and grab offensive rebounds like that is Kevin Love. Ryan has some unique abilities."
Anderson, making $2.24MM this season, would be unlikely to accept a qualifying offer of $3.23 million from the Magic this summer. It's more likely the Magic, who opted against signing Anderson to an extension before last month's deadline, will have to shell out significantly more to keep him. According to Basketball Reference, his career numbers coming into the season (which exclude his hot start this year) were similar to those of Al Jefferson, who's making $14MM this year, and Anderson Varejao, who's earning $7.7MM. Love, to whom Van Gundy compared Anderson, recently signed a four-year extension worth a total of more than $60MM.
Regardless of his precise market value, it's clear Anderson will be at or near the top of the list of free-agent power forwards come July.
Trade Candidate: Stephen Jackson
It's been a rough few weeks for the Bucks, who've lost Andrew Bogut for most of the season with a broken ankle and now must deal with doubt surrounding Brandon Jennings' future plans. Plus, there's been debate about whether Stephen Jackson has or hasn't demanded a trade. For the record, Bucks GM John Hammond is declining comment on the issue. Suffice it to say, with Jackson's playing time in flux, there's plenty to suggest Captain Jack will soon be shipping out of Wisconsin.
Jackson, for the moment, seems to have found his way back into the Bucks rotation after Scott Skiles elected not to play him in four out of five games. That doesn't include the one-game suspension he received after missing the team bus. He admitted frustration with his lack of playing time, which isn't uncharacteristic. His tenure in Milwaukee seemed destined for trouble from the start, when the Bucks acquired Jackson from the Bobcats at the draft last year. Jackson said the trade took him by surprise, and insisted the Bucks extend his contract before tamping down his rhetoric.
Jackson is not the most attractive asset for the Bucks to dangle at this point in his career. He turns 34 in April, and his 12.4 PPG is his lowest since 2002/03, when he was a part-time starter for a title-winning Spurs team. That's due in part to his decreased playing time, but his rate of points per 36 minutes (14.5) is way down, too. His contract, which pays him $9,256,500 this year and $10,059,750 next season, makes him that much more difficult for the Bucks to unload. It's that long-ago experience with the Spurs, in addition to leadership roles on surprising playoff teams in Golden State and Charlotte, that may convince GMs he's worth still worth taking on.
Dwight Howard has apparently indicated he'd like to have Jackson as a teammate, so that could point to interest from the Magic, who sought Jackson on draft night before the Bucks got him. That means the Nets, Mavericks, Lakers and any other team that's in on the D12 sweepstakes could be after Jackson as well. The Nets, who say they don't want to sign anyone else this year, haven't closed the door on trading for another player, and with recent signee Keith Bogans done for the year, there's an opening for a swingman that Jackson could fill.
The Bulls, who haven't been mentioned in Jackson rumors but are one of the teams linked to Howard, present an intriguing scenario. Jackson could provide insurance if Luol Deng's wrist doesn't hold up and/or Richard Hamilton fails to round into shape. Jackson's contract would mean the Bulls would have to part with some of their depth and young assets, but if they're concerned about having a second scoring option after Derrick Rose and want to woo Howard, they may bite.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday
With less than five weeks until the trade deadline, the Magic still hope to avoid dealing their star center, preferring to build around him long-term. We heard as much yesterday from team owner Rich DeVos, who put the odds of Dwight Howard remaining with the Magic at about "50/50." Here are today's updates on Howard:
- The Lakers are still on Howard's list, but he has some serious reservations about following Shaquille O'Neal's path to L.A., says Ken Berger of CBS Sports. "Dwight is very sensitive to people thinking that he is duplicating Shaq," a source tells Berger.
- In ESPN.com's Weekend Dime, Marc Stein explains why most Howard suitors, with the exception of the Lakers, wouldn't mind if the Magic didn't trade D12 this season.
- While they were surprised not to be on Howard's list of preferred destinations, the Bulls remain intrigued by the possibility of acquiring him, says Stein. Chicago prefers to play out this season with their current roster, but could be interested in making a play for Howard in the offseason, should he become more interested in Chicago. Since the Bulls won't have cap space to sign him as a free agent, they'd have to make a trade offer before July 1st.
- In a piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler and Larry Coon set the record straight on some common misconceptions about Howard's future contract options.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Thursday
Discussing the upcoming All-Star Game in Orlando, commissioner David Stern said yesterday that he doesn't expect the Dwight Howard drama to overshadow the game itself. Stern added that he was fine with players deciding where they want to play, since the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement provides plenty of incentives for a player to remain with his current team. Here are the rest of today's Howard updates:
- 85-year-old Magic owner Rich DeVos, who spoke about the Howard trade rumors before last night's game, also addressed them after Orlando's win, as Tim Povtak of FOX Sports Florida writes. DeVos hopes he can convince Howard to stay in Orlando, putting the odds at 50-50: "Dwight is in a good place now. When you’re young, sometimes you don’t always realize it."
- DeVos has indicated he'll spend whatever it takes to build around Howard if D12 decides to stay: "Everyone wants to win a championship. I want a ring for our players. But you can’t change anything until he says he’s going to stay. Then you can do a lot of things."
Magic Owner Addresses Howard Rumors
Earlier tonight, Magic owner Rich DeVos sat down for a rare interview with Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Naturally, Dwight Howard and his pending free agency were among the few topics discussed, with DeVos asserting his dedication to keeping the All-Star center in a Magic uniform for the foreseeable future. The 85-year-old owner has told Howard that leaving Orlando would be leaving behind a fan base that truly cares about him.
"You have to move in life, but the loyalty you develop in a community is always remembered. But if you leave, you don't pick it up in the next town," he said. "It's not an add-on, you know, because you lose what you had. Maybe you gain some new [loyalty], but maybe you don't. Maybe the net gain isn't as good you think."
When asked if he would veto any deal to the Los Angeles Lakers due to the bitter parallels Howard shares with Shaquille O'Neal, DeVos said he had no emotion on the decision and that he doesn't talk about where his best player will go because he doesn't want him to leave.
The 26-year-old Howard is averaging 20.9 PPG and a league-leading 15.1 RPG in 25 games so far this season.