Atlantic Links: Gay, Bargnani, Curry
Today has already been a pretty busy day in the Atlantic division. With the Knicks and Raptors underway, let's continue to monitor all news coming out of the division here:
- Toronto head coach Dwane Casey says that Rudy Gay is the exactly the weapon that the Raptors were lacking in crunch time of tight games, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports. Through 11 games in Toronto, Gay is averaging 20.1 points per game, many of which, Casey says, are coming when it matters most. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that Gay has been a "great fit" since coming over in the deal from Memphis.
- In a separate report, Amico adds that the Raptors will trade Andrea Bargnani in the offseason unless they absolutely cannot find a taker for the two years and $23MM remaining on his deal. Amico hears that the Sixers are very interested, and lists the Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, Bucks, Jazz, Hawks, Suns and Blazers as other potential destinations.
- Following Doug Collins' rant last night, sources tell Ric Bucher that should Collins resign or be let go, Sixers assistant Michael Curry will not only take over, but be considered a legitimate candidate to coach the team for the long term. Curry was last a head coach in Detroit, where he was fired in June of 2009 after a one-year 39-43 stint with the Pistons.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Telfair, Kings, Johnson
After downing the Mavericks on Sunday, the Lakers are in Denver tonight to try and get back to the .500 mark against the Nuggets. It'll be a tall order for Los Angeles as the Nuggets are an eye-popping 23-3 at the Pepsi Center this season, but things seem to be clicking for Kobe Bryant & Co. as of late. Here's more out of the Pacific..
- Guard Sebastian Telfair sounds happy be leaving the Suns behind, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post. “You’ve got a goal to win and if you’re not winning you at least want to be out there competing at the highest level. We weren’t doing that over there in Phoenix this year," said the newest member of the Raptors. "I’m happy to be a part of a team that got a goal for themselves and night in and night out they’ve got something to achieve.”
- A source close to the situation says that Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson will have a major announcement relating to the city's bid to keep the Kings by this Friday or sooner, tweets Aaron Bruski of NBC Universal. Johnson is reportedly readying his group of prospective buyers and presenting a final bid to the NBA's board of governors.
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee argues that if a small market like San Antonio can successfully support an NBA franchise that the city of Sacramento can do the same. The Spurs are actually saddled with a smaller television market than the Kings – San Antonio ranks 36th in the country while Sacramento is 30th.
Pacific Notes: Kobe, Cuban, O’Neal, Suns, Lakers
Mark Cuban has been known to start a tiff or two in his time as Mavs owner and players haven't been shy to respond to the outspoken owner with words of their own. Cuban recently suggested that the Lakers should use their amnesty clause on Kobe Bryant as he is owed roughly $30MM next season. Rather than shoot back with comments of his own, Bryant took out his frustrations on Dallas this afternoon, putting up 38 points, 12 boards, and seven dimes as he led the Lakers to victory. Here's more on the Lakers and the rest of the Pacific..
- Cuban walked back his comments to a degree today, claiming that he was just using Bryant as an example for a larger point, according to the Associated Press. "Whenever the commissioner or any other team talks about the CBA, they talk about Dallas and Tyson Chandler, or Dallas and Dirk [Nowitzki] and what's going to happen," Cuban said. "You've got to use examples. I was clear in saying it was hypothetical and I expected him to be in LA, but he was a good example because they have the highest payroll in the league."
- Suns big man Jermaine O'Neal finds himself at a career crossroads in 2013, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. For now, he is preparing as though he will return for next season but recurring injuries combined with personal matters may lead him to call it a career before 2013/14.
- Lakers forward Jordan Hill's season may not be over if the club can find a way to make a deep playoff run, tweets Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register.
Pacific Links: Kings, Patterson, Suns, Lakers
While the Los Angeles clubs stood pat and the Suns and Warriors only made small moves at the deadline, it was the Kings that were the Pacific Division's most active team, completing a six-player trade with the Rockets on Wednesday night. We have a couple links related to Sacramento's deal, as well as the rest of the latest items out of the Pacific:
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee questions why the Kings didn't wait until the offseason to consider dealing Thomas Robinson, since the trade with Houston ultimately won't save the team that much money.
- Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee spoke to Patrick Patterson about being traded from the Rockets to the Kings.
- The Suns have been looking for an opportunity to pair Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris since the 2011 draft, and nearly gave up a first-round pick to do it at the time, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes.
- Jerry Buss had plenty of time to consider the best course for the Lakers after his death, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, who says that Buss' decision to pass on the team to his children suggests the former Lakers owner is still asking fans to trust his vision for the franchise.
Recap Of Deadline Trades
A complete recap of trades that were completed before Thursday's trade deadline:
- The Houston Rockets traded Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns and Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, and Toney Douglas to the Sacramento Kings for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt, and a future second-round pick.
- The Miami Heat traded Dexter Pittman and a future second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Ricky Sanchez and cash considerations.
- The Washington Wizards traded Jordan Crawford to the Boston Celtics for Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Eric Maynor to the Portland Trail Blazers for a trade exception and the rights to Georgios Printezis. The Blazers waived Ronnie Price to clear a roster spot for Maynor.
- The Thunder also acquired Ronnie Brewer from the New York Knicks for a future second-round pick.
- The Atlanta Hawks traded Anthony Morrow to the Dallas Mavericks for Dahntay Jones.
- The Suns traded Sebastian Telfair to the Toronto Raptors for Hamed Haddadi and a future second-round pick.
- The Orlando Magic traded J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon, and Ishmael Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Beno Udrih, Tobias Harris, and Doron Lamb.
- In a separate deal, the Magic traded Josh McRoberts to the Charlotte Bobcats for Hakim Warrick.
- The Golden State Warriors traded Jeremy Tyler to the Hawks for a second-round pick. They also traded Charles Jenkins to the Philadelphia 76ers for an additional second-round pick.
Jermaine O’Neal Will Not Seek Buyout From Suns
THURSDAY, 5:52pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that O'Neal will not seek a buyout from the Suns and plans to remain in Phoenix for the rest of the season.
WEDNESDAY, 10:37pm: The Suns have agreed to acquire Marcus Morris from the Rockets for a second-round pick, and while Phoenix won't have to send out a player in the deal, the team will have to make a corresponding move to clear a spot for Morris. The Suns had been carrying 15 players, the maximum allowed by NBA rules.
The top candidate to be involved in that second roster move for the Suns is Jermaine O'Neal, whose name has come up in trade rumors. According to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst (via Twitter), rival teams have been expecting the Suns to buy out or release O'Neal if they can't find a taker for him on the trade market.
Since O'Neal is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, he'd be a fairly attractive trade target for a team in search of inexpensive frontcourt help. With the Suns forced to make a move, a second-round pick would likely be enough to land O'Neal, which Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times notes (via Sulia) that the Lakers could offer.
If the Suns do end up buying out or releasing O'Neal, the Knicks figure to be at the front of the line trying to sign him as a free agent, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Raptors, Suns To Swap Haddadi, Telfair
1:33pm: The second-round pick headed to Phoenix will either be the Raptors' or Kings' 2014 pick, whichever is lower, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
1:03pm: The Raptors and Suns have agreed to a deal that will send Sebastian Telfair to Toronto and Hamed Haddadi to Phoenix, reports ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter). According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the Suns will also acquire a second-round pick in the trade, as ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported earlier today.
Since trading Jose Calderon to the Pistons in the deal that landed them Rudy Gay, the Raptors had been exploring avenues for adding another point guard, having reportedly targeted Eric Maynor and Luke Ridnour along with Telfair. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported this morning that the Raptors had emerged as the frontrunners for Telfair, who had a cheaper salary and trade cost than Toronto's other options.
In addition to landing a protected second-rounder from the Raptors, the Suns will also cut costs a little, as Haddadi is earning just $1.3MM compared to Telfair's $1.57MM. The move also lets the team create playing time for rookie point guard Kendall Marshall, which was Phoenix's initial motivation for exploring a Telfair trade.
Josh Smith Rumors: Thursday
We're counting down the hours until today's 2:00pm CST trade deadline, and Josh Smith still appears likely to be on the move sometime before then. In yesterday's round-up of Smith rumors, we passed along word from HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy that "source after source" indicates Smith will be dealt today. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports the same thing, writing that the Hawks are expected to trade their veteran forward for the best deal that won't hurt their long-term financial flexibility. We'll track today's Smith rumors right here, with the latest added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Nets are still "hanging by a thread" in the Smith talks, tweets TNT's David Aldridge. Milwaukee still appears to be the leader, Aldridge confirms.
- The Suns are essentially out of the running for Smith, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who adds that the Bucks are viewed as the favorites (Twitter link).
- The Bucks and Hawks are still "seriously engaged" in talks for Smith, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- The Rockets appear to be out of the mix for Smith, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
Earlier updates:
Trade Rumors: Knicks, Lakers, Pierce, Pistons
With so many trade rumors swirling around in the hours leading up to the deadline, we're scrambling to keep tabs on them all. Here's the latest:
- The Knicks won't make a major move, but they're exploring make a trade to clear a roster spot for an eventual free agent pickup, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times is fairly confident the Lakers won't make a move today (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- Although the Celtics continue to discuss Paul Pierce, they're seeking a big package of expiring contracts and draft picks, which is unlikely, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. The Nets are "on the outside looking in" when it comes to Pierce, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
- TNT's David Aldridge was told unequivocally that the Rockets won't flip Thomas Robinson in a second trade. Houston "loves" Robinson, according to Aldridge (Twitter link).
- "Nothing at all" is happening on the trade front for the Pistons, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, though he notes there's still some time for that to change (Twitter links).
- The Warriors and Suns are on Eric Gordon's list of desired destinations, tweets Amick. While there's a chance Gordon is moved today, a deal down the road, perhaps this summer, is more likely — Gordon isn't even eligible to be traded to Phoenix until July.
- Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News is hearing that the consensus is the Spurs' asking price for DeJuan Blair remains too high.
Rockets Send Morris To Suns, Get Kings’ Robinson
The Rockets have finalized a pair of deals they agreed upon Wednesday night, sending Marcus Morris to the Suns for a second-round pick and trading Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, Toney Douglas and $1MM to the Kings for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt. The second-rounder heading to Houston is Phoenix's own 2013 selection. The Suns, who were at the roster limit of 15 players going into the trade, waived Luke Zeller to make room for Morris.
Houston was reportedly deciding between a pair of deals for Morris, whom the Rockets held out of their win against Oklahoma City on Wednesday. With Houston's top two power forwards gone, it looks like a pair of rookies, in Robinson and Terrence Jones, will man the position as the team fights to hold on to the final playoff spot in the West. One of the motivations to trade Morris was to free up time for Jones, according to HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler.
As Grantland's Zach Lowe points out via Twitter, the pair of moves will save Houston approximately $1.6MM for next season if they decline their option on Garcia. Lowe surmised earlier that Houston would look to cut between $1.5MM and $2MM to clear room for a max deal to land Dwight Howard, who'll be a free agent this summer. The Rockets also get the No. 5 overall pick from this past June's draft in Robinson, who's seen just 15.9 minutes per game as a reserve for the Kings this year. Nonetheless, Robinson is grabbing 4.7 rebounds in his limited action, which would extrapolate to 10.6 rebounds per 36 minutes.
Sacramento had appeared unlikely to make a deal as their ownership situation remains in limbo, but they flipped Robinson for two expiring deals and Patterson, who will enter the final season of his rookie contract next year. The move was all about cost-cutting and not something the Kings current management wished to do, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Chris Hansen/Howard Ballmer group from Seattle that has a deal in place to buy the Kings was briefed on the trade before it went down, according to fellow Yahoo! Sports scribe Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). It's unclear exactly where the directive to make the trade came from, though SB Nation's Tom Ziller indicated Wednesday night that co-owner Gavin Maloof and Geoff Petrie are the driving forces in the Kings front office at the moment.
The Suns considered trading a first-round pick for Morris when the Rockets drafted him 14th overall in 2011, but wound up nabbing him for a second-rounder, currently projected to be the 35th overall selection. Now the power forward will reunite with his twin brother, Markieff Morris, whom the Suns took 13th overall in 2011. With the next pick that year, the Rockets drafted Marcus.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (All Twitter links) initially broke the news of both trades. Sam Amick of USA Today (All Twitter links) and TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link) contributed additional details.