Eight years ago today, the Rockets made one of the biggest trades in team history, sending Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to the Magic in exchange for Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines. GM Daryl Morey and the Rockets may have been looking to make a similarly big splash this June, but draft day came and went without a major trade from Houston. Still, if nothing else, the Rockets accumulated a ton of talent Thursday night, drafting Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, and Terrence Jones with their three first-round picks.
Here are a few more Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Appearing on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said he doesn't expect Luol Deng to require wrist surgery and thinks he'll be ready for the start of the season. ESPNChicago.com has the details.
- Jason Quick of the Oregonian expects the Raptors, Timberwolves, and Cavs to be among the Blazers' strongest competitors for Nicolas Batum (Twitter link).
- With rumors swirling that the Raptors will make a big push to sign Steve Nash, SI.com's Zach Lowe explains why the pairing makes some sense.
- Brandon Jennings continues to hint that he's amenable to a long-term extension with the Bucks, says Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News takes an extensive look at what to expect from the Warriors in the coming weeks.
- In spite of a report suggesting Deron Williams is leaning toward re-signing with the Nets, Dirk Nowitzki still think it's "50-50" between the Nets and Mavs, as Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com writes.
- CSKA Moscow president Andrei Vatutin confirmed to Sports.ru that he expects Alexey Shved to make the leap to the NBA this summer (translation via Sportando). The Rockets, Hawks, Grizzlies, and Thunder are among the teams said to have some interest in the Russian guard.
- Per a press release, GM Rob Hennigan has made two more additions to the Magic front office, hiring Scott Perry as the vice president and assistant GM, and Matt Lloyd as an assistant GM.
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