The Clippers have interest in Marco Belinelli, but having already committed their full mid-level exception to Jamal Crawford, don't have a ton of cap flexibility to sign him. As such, the Clips have discussed the possibility of a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets, as we heard from ESPNLosAngeles.com's Ramona Shelburne earlier this week. However, according to John Reid of the Times Picayune, the Hornets aren't interested in L.A.'s offer of Ryan Gomes and a second-round pick.
The July moratorium came to an end late last night, and a number of teams didn't waste any time in finalizing moves. The Lakers' acquisition of Steve Nash was the first transaction to become official, followed closely by the Knicks' signing of J.R. Smith, Deron Williams' contract with the Nets, and Blake Griffin's five-year extension with the Clippers. We're expecting more deals to be formally announced today, but there are plenty of free agents still on the market too. We'll be tracking the latest news on those guys right here, with the newest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- The Nets are considering Kenyon Martin and Craig Smith and discussing a sign-and-trade for Antawn Jamison, clouding Kris Humphries' future with the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- The Pacers are targeting unrestricted free agent Gerald Green as their wing player off the bench, and are expected to offer him a three-year, $10MM contract, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. O.J. Mayo and Courtney Lee are out the team's price range at the moment (All Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
While the chatter about Raymond Felton has been "very light" in recent days, according to Ben Tolliver of Blazer's Edge, Felton's teammate Jamal Crawford still seems to be drawing significant interest. Yesterday we heard the Trail Blazers had discussed D.J. Augustin with the Bobcats, and had talks with the Clippers involving Eric Bledsoe and Ryan Gomes. Today's Crawford rumblings can be found below, with the newest items added up top throughout the day:
- The Blazers haven't been able to secure a first-round pick in any offers for Crawford, and are thought to be "cooling" on the idea of moving him, tweets Ken Berger of CBS Sports.
- The Clippers' interest in Crawford hinges on the Blazers taking Gomes' contract, which Portland is unlikely to do, tweets Golliver.
- Crawford talked to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian about the trade rumors, saying that if it were up to him, he'd remain in Portland: "At the end of the day, I chose to come here. I want to be here. I don't know how to approach the situation, honestly. I haven't talked to anybody in the organization. I'm just trying to stay ready for whatever. Hopefully we can finish what we started. If not, well, it's a business."
No Jamal Crawford trade is imminent, but Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports (via Twitter) that one league source believes a deal is coming. With less than 72 hours remaining until the trade deadline, Crawford could be the "first domino" to fall, says Kennedy. Here are the latest rumors on Crawford trade talks:
- The Blazers and Clippers are discussing a trade that would send Crawford to Los Angeles for Eric Bledsoe and Ryan Gomes, tweets Ken Berger of CBS Sports.
- David Aldridge of NBA.com mentioned earlier today that the Bobcats and Blazers could be talking about a deal involving Crawford and D.J. Augustin. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com also hears that the two teams have engaged in discussions. Said one league exec: "At this point, they are just talking right now and it's just part of what happens around this time of season."
- Haynes adds that the Timberwolves are purusing Crawford more aggressively than ever, which is somewhat surprising — Luke Ridnour had been mentioned in previous rumors as a Blazers' target, but the Wolves presumably need to keep Ridnour following Ricky Rubio's season-ending injury. Haynes thinks perhaps the two teams are trying to involve a third club to get Crawford to Minnesota.