2012 March | Hoops Rumors

Lakers’ Talks For Michael Beasley Falling Apart

March 15th, 2012 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

1:46pm: Amico's GM source now says talks for Beasley are "collapsing" (Twitter link). Mike Breshanan of the Los Angeles Times also says discussions are falling apart rapidly (Twitter link).

1:16pm: The Lakers are "closing in" on a trade for Michael Beasley, a Western Conference GM tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).

Los Angeles managed to work out a deal for Ramon Sessions without using its $8.9MM trade exception, so the Lakers could absorb Beasley's salary without sending out any players. However, the Sessions deal saw the Lakers give up its 2012 first-round pick, so L.A. only has the Mavericks' 2012 first-rounder to work with now.

Lakers To Acquire Ramon Sessions

March 15th, 2012 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

1:39pm: The Lakers will also send Jason Kapono to the Cavaliers in the trade, tweets Wojnarowski.

12:32pm: The Lakers and Cavaliers have agreed to a trade that will send Ramon Sessions to Los Angeles for a first-round pick, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, the Lakers will also receive Christian Eyenga in the deal, and will send Luke Walton to the Cavs. The first-rounder is the Lakers' 2012 pick, and will be top-14 protected (Twitter link). The Cavs also gain the option of swapping the Heat's 2013 first-round pick for the Lakers' '13 first-rounder, depending on which is higher, says Lloyd (Twitter link).

The pairing of the Lakers, who badly needed point guard help, and Sessions, who was stuck behind Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, seemed inevitable for weeks. When I examined Sessions as a trade candidate on February 2nd, I said I could see the Lakers eventually acquiring the point guard for a protected first-round pick.

By trading Walton in the deal, the Lakers avoid having to use their Lamar Odom trade exception to acquire Sessions. That $8.9MM exception is still available for another deal, perhaps for Michael Beasley, who is still drawing interest from L.A., according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).

The price the Cavs pay for adding another first-round pick for this year's draft is taking on Walton, who will be due $6MM+ next season after his trade kicker takes effect. For the Lakers, Sessions holds a player option worth $4.55MM for next season, while Eyenga is still on his rookie contract.

Before making the move for Sessions, the Lakers were discussing D.J. Augustin with the Bobcats, reports Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Spurs, Warriors Swap Jefferson, Jackson

March 15th, 2012 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs and Warriors have agreed to a trade that will send Richard Jefferson and T.J. Ford to Golden State and Stephen Jackson to San Antonio, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Warriors will also receive a conditional first-round pick in the deal, according to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.

Jackson, who was acquired by the Warriors earlier this week, is a favorite of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Unlike Jefferson, who still has two years and $21MM+ remaining on his deal after this season, Jackson will be entering the final year of his contract this summer. He's set to earn just over $10MM next season.

Ford recently announced his retirement, so he was only included in the trade for financial purposes.

Rockets Acquire Marcus Camby

March 15th, 2012 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have acquired Marcus Camby from the Trail Blazers, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Blazers will receive Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, and a second-round pick (originally the Timberwolves') in exchange for Camby (Twitter links).

Camby is in the final year of his contract, with a cap figure that exceeds $11MM+. Flynn and Thabeet are also on expiring deals, totaling a little over $8.5MM. So Houston should receive about $2.5MM in summer savings, along with a player who should see more consistent minutes.

According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports (via Twitter), the Rockets had been pursuing Camby for a while. Berger says if Camby was to be traded, Houston was his preferred destination.

Spurs, Warriors Discussing Jefferson, Jackson

March 15th, 2012 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

1:20pm: A first-round pick figures to be shipped to Golden State in the proposed deal, tweets Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.

1:13pm: Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports classifies the discussions involving Jefferson and Jackson as "advanced" (Twitter link). TNT's David Aldridge also says an agreement is close, and points out that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has always liked Jackson (Twitter link).

12:58pm: The Spurs and Warriors are discussing a potential trade centered around swapping Richard Jefferson for Stephen Jackson, tweets Ric Bucher of ESPN.com.

Neither player has a particularly appealing contract — Jefferson has two years (second-year player option) and $21MM+ remaining on his deal after this season, while Jackson is under contract for $10MM+ next season. The Warriors acquired S-Jax just two days ago from the Bucks.

Wizards Still Shopping McGee, Blatche

March 15th, 2012 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards president is still pursuing trades and a source with knowledge of the situation tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that the Wizards may strike a pre-deadline deal.

A league source tells Lee that Washington's demands for McGee are "reasonable," as the Wizards are seeking an NBA starter. However, the Wizards are having problems matching McGee's modest $2.5MM salary in any deal without involving players like Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche who understandably aren't drawing much interest.

Teams have been reluctant to even listen to pitches involving Blatche, says Lee. The Wizards tried to engage the Pistons on Blatche in recent weeks, but were quickly rebuffed.

Rockets Aggressively Shopping For Draft Picks

March 15th, 2012 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

While they haven't completed any deals yet, it would be a surprise not to see the Rockets make a move in the next hour. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reports that GM Daryl Morey is aggressively pursuing trades, with one GM joking, "I can't imagine Daryl's phone bill."

As Kyler suggested earlier today, a good chunk of Houston's roster is available. According to Chris Mannix of SI.com, the Rockets are seeking first-round picks, and still hope to make a significant move by the deadline (Twitter link).

Categories:
Houston Rockets

Nets To Acquire Gerald Wallace

March 15th, 2012 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Blazers and Nets have reached an agreement on a trade that will send Gerald Wallace to New Jersey, reports TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter). The Blazers will receive Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a top-three protected 2012 pick. Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, who first reported the two sides were close, confirms the agreement (via Twitter).

After finding out Dwight Howard would not be available via free agency this summer, the Nets quickly turned to trades that would add help for Deron Williams. The price for Wallace seems awfully high though — while the Nets were able to move Okur's expiring $10.89MM contract and avoid Williams exercising his $3.1MM option for next season, the first-round pick seems to be the Nets' own selection. While New Jersey will retain the pick if it lands in the top three, it's very possible that the Blazers will receive a top-ten pick in what's expected to be a strong draft. The Nets currently have the sixth-worst record in the league (15-29).

Wallace has a $9.5MM player option for next season, which I assume the Nets will want him to exercise. Perhaps the two sides could even agree to void the player option in favor of working out a longer-team deal with a reduced 2012/13 cap figure. Even with Wallace on the books for next year, the team should have a decent amount of cap space to re-sign Brook Lopez and perhaps sign another free agent to entice Williams to stay.

Lakers Still Could Make Multiple Deals

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

The pace of the Lakers' trade talks has picked up to the point where Los Angeles could make multiple trades before the deadline, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.

Yesterday, I would've assumed that two trades for the Lakers would mean bringing in Michael Beasley from the Timberwolves and Ramon Sessions from the Cavs, but J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today reports (via Twitter) that the Lakers' three-way talks with Portland and Minnesota for Beasley seem to be losing momentum. Falgoust hears that Portland "dragged its feet," and that other deals are now in the works.

Earlier reports suggested that the Lakers were gaining interest in Jamal Crawford.

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.

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