2012 February | Hoops Rumors

Broussard On Gasol, Rondo, Ellis, Beasley, Kaman

February 29th, 2012 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to providing an update on the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, Chris Broussard shares rumors about a handful of big-name trade candidates in his latest Insider-only ESPN.com column. Let's dive in….

The Rockets still have interest in Pau Gasol but want to build around Kyle Lowry rather than include him in any Gasol deal. The Timberwolves haven't talked to the Lakers in months about Gasol, while the Bulls have shown some interest in the Spaniard.
Sources tell Broussard that the Celtics have determined they're not title contenders this year and would prefer to move Rajon Rondo rather than deal with the "headaches" he brings.
Broussard hears that if Monta Ellis were traded, the Warriors guard would like to join the Lakers, Bulls, or Magic (alongside Dwight Howard), but none of those scenarios appear realistic.
The Timberwolves offered Michael Beasley to the Lakers in exchange for the higher of L.A.'s two first-round picks, but were turned down. The Lakers are torn on Beasley — because L.A. is over the tax line, the team would be adding more than just Beasley's $6.26MM cap figure. I imagine they'd also prefer to use their trade exception to acquire a point guard.
The Hornets' asking price for Chris Kaman has dropped since earlier in the season. They're seeking a draft pick, even just a second-rounder, for the center.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum are "virtually untouchable" but the Blazers would talk about anyone else on their roster, particularly Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace.

Northwest Notes: Przybilla, Roy, Nuggets, Wolves

February 29th, 2012 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The newest Trail Blazer, Joel Przybilla, won't suit up for the team's game against the Nuggets tonight, but he expects to be on the court soon. Przybilla told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that he hopes to make his 2011/12 debut Saturday night against the Timberwolves. As Przybilla gets in a little more practice time, let's check in on what else is going on with the Blazers, Nuggets, and T-Wolves in our latest Northwest Division update…

Trail Blazers players and coaches were surprised to hear that Brandon Roy is considering attempting a comeback, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian. Having amnestied Roy prior to this season, Portland wouldn't be able to bring the 27-year-old back right away if he were to come out of retirement.
In a mailbag for the Denver Post, Benjamin Hochman provides the latest on Wilson Chandler and addresses the likelihood of the Nuggets adding a star player this summer.
Tom Ziller of SBNation wonders if it would be worth it in the long run for the Timberwolves to give up Derrick Williams and other assets to acquire Pau Gasol.

Suns Don’t Intend To Trade Steve Nash

February 29th, 2012 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 1:15pm: The Blazers are trying hard to pry Nash away from the Suns, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. However, Stein says the Suns still hope to re-sign their All-Star point guard to a multiyear deal this summer. The team would prefer to go that route and risk losing Nash to another team at that point, rather than losing him now in a "so-so trade."

TUESDAY, 3:23pm: A weekend report suggested the Magic were interested in pursuing a deal for Steve Nash, but any inquiries Orlando makes may prove futile. According to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter), the Suns still intend to hang on to Nash unless he asks for a trade, which Broussard says won't happen.

This has been the Suns' stance for weeks, so it's no surprise that the team hasn't changed its mind. Nash's recent comments about being open to a trade may have fueled speculation that the situation could be in flux, but being "open" to a deal isn't quite the same as asking for a deal. Nash is also "open" to remaining in Phoenix and re-signing with the club.

Given his continued All-Star caliber play and his expiring contract, Nash should draw plenty of interest as March 15th approaches. But if the Suns and Nash continue to resemble a passive-aggressive couple, deferring to one another on the subject of a trade, the two-time MVP looks likely to stay in Phoenix for at least the rest of the season.

Jamario Moon Signs With D-League

February 29th, 2012 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Jamario Moon has signed with the D-League and will join a team when he clears waivers later this week, reports Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside.

The 31-year-old Moon made his NBA debut in 2007 for the Raptors, and quickly became a regular fixture in Toronto's starting lineup. Moon also played for the Heat, Cavs, and Clippers over the course of his four years in the NBA. He was part of the deadline deal last season that sent him and Mo Williams to Los Angeles in exchange for Baron Davis and the first-round pick that eventually became Kyrie Irving.

A solid defender, Moon averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game for his career. His PER slipped in each of his four seasons, from 15.0 as a rookie to 10.1 last season.

Dan Gadzuric To Sign With D-League

February 29th, 2012 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Dan Gadzuric will sign in the D-League within the next few days, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside (via Twitter).

Gadzuric, 34, last saw NBA action in 2010/11 with the Nets, who acquired him from Golden State along with Brandan Wright in a deal for Troy Murphy. For the 6'11" Gadzuric, it was the second consecutive year he'd been traded — he and Charlie Bell were sent from the Bucks to the Warriors in exchange for Corey Maggette in June 2010.

In nine NBA seasons and 525 games, Gadzuric posted 4.7 points and 4.4 boards in 14.8 minutes per contest. A career year in 2004/05, when he averaged 7.3 PPG and 8.2 RPG in 81 starts for the Bucks, earned him a six-year, $36MM contract that he never lived up to.

What March 1st Means For The NBA

February 29th, 2012 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

Ah, Leap Day. Most years, we'd already have flipped the calendar to March by now, but 2012 gives us that extra day in February, which may be either a blessing and a curse for various NBA teams and players. March 1st represents an important date for the Association for a number of reasons, so let's run through them:

Offseason signees can be traded

One of this season's rules, under the league's new Collective Bargaining Agreement, permits teams to trade recently-signed free agents after two months or on March 1st, whichever date is later. So players who signed as unrestricted free agents before the season got underway will all become eligible to be traded starting on March 1st. If the Magic want to include Glen Davis or Jason Richardson in a Dwight Howard trade, they could do it tomorrow, but not today.

For some players, less than two months have passed since they signed their current contracts. In those cases, they won't be eligible to be traded quite yet. For instance, someone like Nate Robinson, who signed with the Warriors on January 4th, could be included in a trade as of March 4th. Players like Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith, who signed as free agents in February, won't be eligible to be traded this season, since the March 15th deadline will have passed before they reach that two-month mark. Some restricted free agents also won't be eligible to be dealt until later in March because of certain CBA rules, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com outlined earlier this month.

With restrictions on dozens of players set to be lifted tomorrow, league executives are anticipating an increase in trade discussions over the next two weeks.

Restricted free agents can't sign offer sheets

We've discussed this point extensively when it comes to Wilson Chandler, the only big-name restricted free agent to return from overseas early enough to sign an offer sheet. Starting tomorrow, Chandler won't be eligible to sign an offer sheet with a team besides the Nuggets. If he isn't able to secure a rival offer, Chandler will only be able to play for the Nuggets this season. Since Denver has shown no interest in a rest-of-season deal, Chandler's options would be limited to either signing a multiyear deal (with little leverage), or sitting out the season and exploring restricted free agency again this summer.

Other players still playing overseas, such as Aaron Brooks, will also be affected by this rule. When Brooks returns, he'll only be eligible to rejoin the Suns. If Brooks' Chinese team makes a deep run in the CBA playoffs and Brooks isn't cleared to return to the NBA until late March, he may simply to decide to sit out the rest of the season and become a restricted free agent again this offseason.

The Sacramento deadline

The NBA had set a March 1st deadline for negotiations on Sacramento's arena proposal. Fortunately, it appears an agreement is in place to keep the Kings in Sacramento long-term.

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Warriors Notes: Lopez, Ellis, Howard, Granger

February 29th, 2012 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors' second half got off to a rough start in Indiana last night, as Golden State fell behind by 31 points through three quarters en route to a 102-78 loss. As the Warriors look to regroup tonight in Atlanta, here are a few morning updates on the club:

According to both Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle and Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link), Warriors sources don't put much stock in the Monta Ellis/Brook Lopez rumor that surfaced this week. Thompson says the Warriors would want more than Lopez for Ellis.
That Lopez/Ellis rumor originally came up as part of a three-way deal that also involved Orlando and Dwight Howard. However, the Warriors are still more interested in pursuing Howard themselves than accomodating a trade that sends him to the Nets. Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News runs through all the stars that would need to align for the Warriors to realistically make a play for Howard.
The Warriors must have a lot of confidence that they can convince Howard to re-sign with the team if they acquire him, tweets SI.com's Chris Mannix.
While the Warriors are still interested in Danny Granger, the Pacers won't deal him, says Thompson (via Twitter).

Atlantic Rumors: Williams, Chandler, Celtics

February 29th, 2012 at 8:27am CST by Luke Adams

Seeking to clarify comments he made on Monday, Nets coach Avery Johnson reiterated last night that, while he views the Mavericks and Mark Cuban as a threat to sign Deron Williams this summer, he still expects his point guard to return to the Nets.

"I think somebody kind of got it twisted where the focus was more on the threat and saying that I said that I think he’s going to Dallas, which I never said, never said that," Johnson told reporters, including Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record. "I said that [Cuban was a threat] because anybody that’s under the cap would be a threat to get a guy that’s a unbelievable point guard. But I said I believe he has every intention to re-sign."

Here are a few more morning rumors on Williams and the rest of the Atlantic Division:

Talking to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld, Williams admitted he isn't sure whether he'll be a Net next year.
Within the same HoopsWorld piece, Pincus says that the Nuggets have offered a multiyear deal to Wilson Chandler, but that it's not as lucrative as Chandler hoped. Still, the Raptors likely won't sign the 24-year-old to an offer sheet, says Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Although Toronto hasn't moved on entirely, the club is currently put off by Chandler's asking price.
Wolstat adds that it appears the Raptors are listening to trade inquiries made by other teams rather than actively seeking deals themselves.
Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, appearing on NBC's SportsTalk, says the Celtics have been actively pursuing trades, and won't hesitate to break up their core in the right deal. Wojnarowski speculates that, of Boston's "big three," Paul Pierce may be the most likely trade candidate, since Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have contracts that Boston could simply let expire.

Poll: Who Benefits From Lopez For Ellis Swap?

February 28th, 2012 at 10:00pm CST by Michael Pina

It’s a popular rumor floating around right now, and one that makes sense for each side; we covered it a little earlier. Golden State and New Jersey are two teams who would like to make something happen before the trade deadline passes, and making a deal involving such big names could get the attention of some attractive free agents this offseason.

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Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Trail Blazers, Stoudemire

February 28th, 2012 at 8:55pm CST by Michael Pina

Dallas is in an extremely enviable position. Today they're a championship contender, and tomorrow they might form the league's next super team, with Deron Williams and Dwight Howard. In a chat today with readers, Eddie Sefko from the Dallas Morning News looks at a few options the team might have should they not get the two superstars.

Also covered in his chat, why Dallas can't afford to cut ties with Lamar Odom, despite his poor production and present absense from the team.
The Oregonion's Joe Freeman, writing about whether or not the Trail Blazers will be players before the trade deadline, says other teams will be in aggressive pursuit of Nicolas Batum, but the team won't part with him. Freeman notes that team President Larry Miller will explore every option with regards to improving the team, and that includes making a deal before the deadline.
Amare Stoudemire's struggles this season could be attributed to myriad of issues, including the 15 pounds of muscle he put on during the lockout in an attempt to make his back stronger, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times.

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