Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Close To Deal For Gerald Wallace

March 15th, 2012 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

12:11pm: The pick that would be going to the Blazers in this proposed swap would only be top-three protected, says Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

11:48am: The discussed trade would send Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a protected first-round pick to the Blazers, tweets Wojnarowski. Such a deal would save the Nets money this year and potentially clear out more cap space for next year, which explains the first-round pick that would be going to Portland.

11:28am: The Trail Blazers and Nets are engaged in "advanced talks" on a deal that would send Gerald Wallace to New Jersey, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). A deal is close, adds Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Newsday's Al Iannazzone tweeted earlier today that the Nets were eyeing Wallace.

Wallace, 29, has a player option worth $9.5MM for next season, so perhaps the Nets would want him to make a decision on that option in the event of a trade. Turning it down would mean increased summer cap space for the Nets.

Crawford Hoping For Trade; Lakers Interested

March 15th, 2012 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers and the Nets are the latest teams to enter the Jamal Crawford sweepstakes, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com hears that Crawford is hoping for a trade, and that his preferred destination is Orlando (Twitter link).

The Lakers had already been engaged in talks involving Crawford, but the proposed three-team deal would have sent Crawford to Minnesota rather than Los Angeles. The Nets, meanwhile, are reportedly close to a deal for Gerald Wallace, so it's unknown whether they would maintain their interest in Crawford if they acquire Wallace.

Nets Interested In Jamal Crawford, Gerald Wallace

March 15th, 2012 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

11:11am: Al Iannazzone of Newsday names Crawford and Gerald Wallace as two targets to watch for the Nets (Twitter link). Both guys have player options for next season, so it's unclear if New Jersey views them as longer-term additions or potential expiring contracts.

10:46am: The Nets are "calling everyone" about potential trades, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). However, Wojnarowski hears that one player emerging as a prime trade target for the team is Jamal Crawford.

Crawford is rumored to be part of three-team talks between the Blazers, Timberwolves, and Lakers, though nothing is imminent on that front. The T-Wolves, Clippers, and Bobcats are among the teams that have expressed interest in Crawford.

Now that it appears Dwight Howard will opt in for 2012/13 with the Magic, the Nets are looking for deals that will improve the team around Deron Williams, and continue to try to clear future cap space. The Nets are turning away trade offers for Williams at the moment.

Wojnarowski On Augustin, Kaman, Blazers

March 15th, 2012 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

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."

Kyler On Rockets, Gasol, Pacers, Blazers, Smith

March 15th, 2012 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler reported that Dwight Howard is highly unlikely to change his mind again, but that the Magic seem to have a deal they'd do with the Nets if Howard waffles once more. You can follow all of today's Howard updates here, and check out the rest of Kyler's morning notes below:

The Rockets are discussing more than half their roster in trades, having offered around Terrence Williams, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson, Luis Scola, Hasheem Thabeet and Courtney Lee. According to Kyler, Houston would trade any combination of those players to acquire Chris Kaman.
The Bulls want Lee, but aren't likely to meet the Rockets' asking price, which would mean parting with Taj Gibson or Omer Asik. The Pacers and Timberwolves are also eyeing Lee.
Houston has a standing offer out to the Lakers for Pau Gasol, but it doesn't include Kyle Lowry, so nothing is expected to happen there.
If the Blazers' three-team deal with the Timberwolves and Lakers involving Jamal Crawford falls through, Portland may have a backup trade in place with the Pacers.
The Magic won't be able to make a move for Josh Smith, which isn't a surprise. One league source tells Kyler the Hawks want an All-Star frontcourt player in exchange for Smith, so a deal is very unlikely.

Los Angeles Rumors: Beasley, Gasol, Bledsoe

March 15th, 2012 at 7:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers appear to be closing in on a three-way deal that would land them Michael Beasley, but different variations of the deal are being discussed. Most reports have Steve Blake and a first-rounder heading from L.A. to Portland, but Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported last night that it may be Luke Ridnour, rather than Blake, who goes to the Blazers. In that hypothetical trade, the Lakers would still give up a first-round pick, but wouldn't necessarily need to make a follow-up to replace Blake at the point.

While we wait to see how those negotiations shake out, here are a few Lakers- and Clippers-related rumors out of Los Angeles:

A Pau Gasol trade is "highly unlikely," tweets ESPN.com's Chris Palmer. Palmer says interest dropped way off after the Lakers reportedly backed out of talks involving Gasol and Rajon Rondo.
The Clippers continue to explore trades that would see them move Eric Bledsoe for a "big guard," says Palmer in a separate tweet.
Pedro Viola of ESPNLosAngeles.com thinks the Clippers will ultimately decide they can maximize Bledsoe's value by keeping him rather than trading him.

Latest On Rumored Lakers, Wolves, Blazers Deal

March 15th, 2012 at 1:20am CST by Chuck Myron

1:20am: Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports another variation on the proposed three-team swap, saying that the Timberwolves may send Luke Ridnour to the Blazers. According to McMenamin, the Blazers would still receive a first-round pick from the Lakers in the deal, which doesn't make sense to me — I'd think giving up Beasley and Ridnour would earn the T-Wolves that pick.

THURSDAY, 1:06am: A source tells John Canzano of The Oregonian that the deal should be completed Thursday morning (Twitter link).

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Jazz, Thunder

March 14th, 2012 at 11:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

The most pressing news out of the Northwest Division tonight surrounds the three-team deal apparently in the works between the Lakers and two Northwest teams: the Blazers and Timberwolves. It continues to be held up by the Blazers, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), who are seeking a draft pick. Here's more from around the division:

The Blazers took an embarrassing 42-point loss to the Knicks tonight, and John Canzano of The Oregonian thinks the problems can be traced to the front-office turmoil of the past few years.
The Thunder like the view from the top, and unlike last year, when they acquired Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed, they aren't likely to make any deals before the deadline, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. As a result, the team has largely avoided the distractions that other teams encounter this time of year, coach Scott Brooks told fellow Oklahoman writer John Rohde.
The Jazz are in contention for a playoff spot, but it will be better for them in the long run to make a deal before the deadline, even if it's a short-term negative, opines Patrick Kinahan on NBA.com.

Kyler On Smith, Magic, Bulls

March 14th, 2012 at 6:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld passed along a few goodies on Twitter, so let's take a look (all Twitter links, of course):

The Magic are one of multiple teams trying to get the Hawks to change their minds about keeping Josh Smith, even though it's a long shot. One potential scenario would have the Magic sending Jason Richardson to the Wolves and Ryan Anderson to the Hawks while Michael Beasley would go to Atlanta. Ownership would be reluctant to do that deal because they believe Smith is worth twice that price. David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets that no such talks between the Magic and Hawks have taken place.
The rumored three-team trade involving the Lakers, Wolves and Blazers is just one of the options the Wolves have.
The Bulls are eyeing Courtney Lee, and would look to Raja Bell as a fallback.
Kyler is much more confident about the Mavs' chances of landing Deron Williams now that Dwight Howard is close to committing to the Magic for next season.

T-Wolves, Blazers, Lakers Close To Deal

March 14th, 2012 at 5:06pm CST by Luke Adams

5:06pm: It appears the Lakers will send a first-round pick to the Blazers in the deal, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. The Lakers would like to target a point guard in another, but giving up the pick makes that difficult.

4:46pm: Everything has been agreed upon except for what the Blazers would receive from the Lakers, tweets Chris Haynes. According to Haynes (on Twitter), the Blazers wants a draft pick, with Blake being the fallback option. I don't see how the deal gets done if Blake is the only asset heading to Portland.

4:36pm: The Blazers would receive a first-round pick in addition to Blake, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Freeman isn't sure where the pick would be coming from, though I have to assume it'd be one of the Lakers' first-rounders. Meanwhile, Crawford's agent tells Jason Quick of The Oregonian that the deal is close to being done (Twitter link).

4:28pm: This deal is getting closer to becoming a reality, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes says (via Twitter) there will be other pieces involved if the teams reach an agreement, but that Crawford, Beasley, and Blake are the primary parts. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune agrees that this trade is the most likely move for the Timberwolves (Twitter link).

2:54pm: Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link) confirms that the three teams are talking about a deal, adding that Steve Blake would be going to the Blazers in the proposed trade. I don't think that changes the fact that Portland would want a draft pick.

1:55pm: Talks between the Timberwolves and Trail Blazers for Jamal Crawford are gathering momentum, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The discussions also involve the Lakers, who would receive Michael Beasley from the Timberwolves in the proposed deal, tweets Wojnarowski. I'm guessing the Blazers are seeking a first-round pick from L.A.

Though the Timberwolves and Blazers looked like a promising match last week, Ricky Rubio's ACL injury seemed to put a damper on discussions, since the T-Wolves needed Luke Ridnour at the point. However, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com said on Monday that Minnesota's pursuit of Crawford hadn't faltered, and that perhaps the Wolves could bring in a third team.

Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported yesterday that the Blazers seemed to be cooling on the idea of trading Crawford, since they couldn't find a first-round pick for him. Portland hopes to gain cap space this summer and Crawford figures to opt out of the final year of his deal, so the Blazers have some motivation to keep him. But if they can gain a pick and avoid bringing on any future salary, the Blazers would obviously be inclined to make a move.