Northwest Notes: Blazers, Jazz, Thunder
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.
Nets Latest: Williams, Howard, Miles
9:43pm: Deron Williams sounds pleased with the Nets, telling reporters, including Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record, that he has a much better relationship with team executives than he did in Utah. He also praised the greater endorsement opportunities he's received, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News notes, which could be a subtle hint directed at Dwight Howard.
6:16pm: The Nets are unwilling to trade Deron Williams, writes Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld. They're not sure of the assets they could get in return, and feel like they can make some offseason moves to strengthen the club and entice the point guard to stay.
5:24pm: The future of Deron Williams in New Jersey is not necessarily tied to Dwight Howard, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. With D12 apparently staying in Orlando for at least one more season, it throws a wrench into plans the Nets had of putting Williams and Howard together when they move to Brooklyn next year. The Mavs, too, have had eyes on combining Williams and Howard.
Williams will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. As we surmised earlier, the chances of Williams remaining with New Jersey have taken a hit with today's Howard news. The Nets now may look to deal Williams to get some kind of return in case he leaves the team after the season.
The Nets are also continuing to pursue C.J. Miles of the Jazz, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. (Twitter link). The Jazz have been rumored to be looking to move Miles, a free agent at seasons end.
Kyler On Smith, Magic, Bulls
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.
Josh Howard, C.J. Miles Drawing Interest
4:34pm: Howard is likely to remain with the Jazz through the deadline, tweets Brian T. Smith.
11:38am: As of this morning, the chances of Miles being dealt to the Timberwolves appeared very slim, according to Brian T. Smith (via Twitter). Miles heading to New Jersey for Petro and a first-rounder is a possibility, tweets Stefan Bondy.
7:53am: Josh Howard and C.J. Miles, whose contracts expire at season's end, have both expressed interest in re-signing with the Jazz this summer. However, it looks as if there's a chance neither player will even finish the season in Utah.
On the heels of last night's report that the Jazz are discussing a three-team trade with the Spurs and Timberwolves that would ship both Howard and Miles out of town, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that the Jazz are shopping Miles. The T-Wolves and Nets are among the teams that have shown interest, according to Kennedy. New Jersey has interest in Miles' expiring contract as a way of clearing summer cap space to make a run at top free agents, and Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld says the Nets have discussed Anthony Morrow and Johan Petro with the Jazz. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News hears such a deal could involve a Nets first-round pick (Twitter link).
Pincus says the Clippers may have some interest in Miles, who could fit into one of the team's traded player exceptions, but L.A. probably won't part with Eric Bledsoe or a first-round pick. Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune, who reported last month that Miles could be had, says the former second-rounder, who turns 25 this weekend, may be easier to move in a package deal (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, besides the Spurs, the Lakers, Knicks, and Celtics have also expressed interest in acquiring Howard, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Of those four interested clubs, only the Knicks are below the luxury tax line, so Howard and his $2.15MM salary would be an affordable addition. The Jazz don't necessarily want to make a deal though, according to Spears.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday
Even after an impressive overtime win by the Magic against the Heat last night, the post-game focus was on the off-court story: Dwight Howard's future. As we covered in yesterday's round-up of Howard rumors, D12 told reporters he'd like the Magic to keep him for the rest of the season and "roll the dice" this summer. Considering earlier Tuesday reports indicated that Howard's long-term plan involves signing with the Nets as a free agent so New Jersey doesn't have to trade core assets, Dwight's suggestion that Orlando roll the dice seemed particularly brash.
Zach Lowe of SI.com called Howard's post-game speech the low point of the ongoing saga, while Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported that some Magic executives were privately disgusted with the star center's comments. We expect plenty more updates to pour in as the day goes on, so we'll track them all here, with the latest items up top:
- The Knicks are intrigued by the possibility of acquiring Howard, but won't offer Carmelo Anthony, since James Dolan "loves him," tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. I'd say that takes New York out of the running, since the Magic wouldn't be nearly as interested in an Amare Stoudemire/Tyson Chandler package.
- There are no legs to the rumor that the Magic are working on a three-team deal to bring in Josh Smith (linked below), tweets Jarrod Randolph of RealGM.com.
- According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the Nets would be open to offering the Magic anything they want for Howard, with the exception of Deron Williams.
- Orlando still seems to be entertaining deals that could bring in help around Howard, as Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld reports that they're eyeing the Hawks' Josh Smith. The Magic would need to get a third team involved, perhaps the Timberwolves and Michael Beasley. Given Orlando's lack of tradeable assets, acquiring Smith seems like an extreme long shot to me.
- The Magic are telling teams they intend to move Howard if they don't receive a commitment beyond this season from Dwight, according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. We have the details here.
- Nets sources insist the team would give up assets in the next 24 hours if it meant landing Howard, but Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld explains why New Jersey may not be motivated to make a substantial offer. If Howard and Williams sign in Brooklyn this summer, the pair would want a third significant player to join them, and the Nets may be considering saving its trade chips to acquire that player.
Reactions To The Bogut/Ellis Trade
The Warriors and Bucks finalized the first major trade of 2012 last night, with Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown heading to Milwaukee in exchange for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. The deal is an interesting one, particularly since Bogut's fractured ankle could sideline him for the rest of this season.
My thoughts: the move is a risky one for both sides. Bogut has suffered multiple major injuries in his career, and hasn't played more than 69 games in any of the last four seasons — his health has to be considered a question mark going forward. For the Bucks, pairing Ellis with Brandon Jennings may not be ideal, since both players are at their best when they're controlling the ball. Considering the Bucks were also able to acquire a youngster with upside in Udoh and swap Jackson's hefty 2012/13 salary for Brown's expiring deal, I prefer Milwaukee's side. But if the Warriors slide down this year's standings (keeping their top-seven-protected draft pick), then get a healthy, productive Bogut back next season, the deal will end up looking pretty good for Golden State.
Here are a few more reactions and opinions on the trade:
- The upside is higher for the Warriors than the Bucks in the deal, though Milwaukee obviously benefits more in the short term, writes Zach Lowe of SI.com.
- Christopher Reina of RealGM doesn't love the trade for either side, giving the Warriors a C grade and the Bucks a C+.
- In a piece for The Basketball Jones, Mark Deeks says the trade doesn't make sense, concluding that two teams that were going nowhere before are still going nowhere.
- The Jazz and Knicks are the big losers of the deal, according to John Hollinger of ESPN.com (Insider link). The Jazz will own the Warriors 2012 first-rounder if it's not a top-seven pick, while the Knicks are currently tied with the Bucks for eighth in the East. Hollinger likes the deal a lot for the Bucks, particularly because of the cap ramifications.
- In a statement, Warriors GM Larry Riley said the team was "extremely excited" to acquire Bogut, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News explains the Warriors' motivations for the deal, and why it should work (in theory).
Clippers, Jazz Discussing Raja Bell Trade?
WEDNESDAY, 7:47am: While some sources insist the Clippers and Jazz are discussing Bell, sources close to the Clippers deny that the team has interest, reports Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld.
TUESDAY, 11:33pm: Alex Kennedy reports that the Clippers and Jazz have discussed a deal involving shooting guard Raja Bell. (Twitter link)
In 31 starts, the 11-year veteran has averaged 6.7 PPG in 23.9 MPG and is on par with his career three-point shooting average at 40.7%. After recently clearing the air with Jazz brass following a clash with coach Tyrone Corbin, Bell looked ready to move forward and continue contributing to the team. Meanwhile, the Clippers have a record of 8 and 10 since losing Chauncey Billups to injury and are looking to replace his veteran experience at the 2-guard spot.
Bell is scheduled to make $3.4MM on the final year of his contract next season.
Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Hornets, Smith, Harris
- Mark Cuban doesn't see a reason why the Mavericks would be involved in the trade market right now, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
- Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reports that the Hornets are not looking to add any payroll in a deal involving Chris Kaman, which makes a deal tough. (Twitter link)
- Despite numerous reports that Josh Smith wants out of Atlanta, Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson believes that the chances of the team receiving equal value for their star forward is very unlikely, according to an Associated Press article by the Star Tribune.
- Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune tweeted that the Jazz are not trying to move Devin Harris.
- Clippers GM Neil Olshey tells Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that the team is not looking to trade any of their remaining assets unless it makes an "impact acquisition."
- A panel of experts from ESPNChicago.com discussed the current state of the Bulls, and all agreed that the Bulls should remain intact past the deadline.
- Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation gives a rundown of the team's thought process as the trade deadline looms. While they may not have the trade assets to get anything major done, they could look to the waiver wire after the deadline.
- Stephen Litel of HoopsWorld offered his opinion on trade scenarios in a chat with fans.
Spurs, Jazz, Timberwolves Discussing Trade
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports that the Spurs, Jazz, and Timberwolves are in talks that would see Josh Howard go to San Antonio, C.J. Miles and Jamaal Tinsley to Minnesota, and Wayne Ellington along with Danny Green to Utah.
He also writes that while no deal is imminent, talks are ongoing and it is likely that draft picks and more players are added to the deal.
Jazz Actively Exploring Trade Options
They may not be linked to any big-name trade candidates as Thursday's trade deadline approaches, but that doesn't mean the Jazz won't be active this week. GM Kevin O'Connor tells Jody Genessy of the Deseret News that he is "actively looking" at the team's trade options, with a focus on long-term gain.
"In the job that I have, one of the responsibilities is to improve the team," O'Connor said. "Now you can't improve the team without looking to make trades, and that's what we do. There's 29 other guys that have the same responsibilities to their teams, and they do the same thing. There's a lot of conversations."
While the Utah GM acknowledges that he's being aggressive in pursuing deals that could improve the team's long-term future, he said he doesn't want specific details on those talks becoming public.
"I hope the one thing that we do do is we don't get names out or possible scenarios out or anything else out," O'Connor said. "Because I think it hurts players."
Reports to date have suggested Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and C.J. Miles could be available, and there has been some speculation that Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap could be had at the right price as well. And while the Lakers' trade exception for Lamar Odom has received exponentially more attention, the Jazz have a large traded player exception of their own — the $10.89MM exception they received when they dealt Mehmet Okur to the Nets won't expire until December.