Andrea Bargnani

Kyler On Thunder, Howard, Crawford, Young

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld wraps up his look at trade options for all 30 NBA clubs today, running alphabetically from Oklahoma City through Washington. You can find our recaps of the first two installments in the series here and here. Now, let's round up a few of the highlights from Kyler in part three….

  • The Thunder aren't actively engaged in any trade talks, but if they're concerned about Thabo Sefolosha's foot injury lingering, they could look into acquiring a defensive-minded replacement.
  • Sources close to the Dwight Howard process say the Magic are at least 50% sure they can keep D12 around for another season, if not longer. If that's the case, a blockbuster trade involving Howard is unlikely. Orlando is working hard to acquire pieces around its star center, though the team's lack of assets is making it a challenge.
  • Daniel Orton is "a safe bet" to be traded by the Magic.
  • While the 76ers have trade chips, they're unlikely to make a move before the deadline.
  • The Suns would gladly move Josh Childress, Hakim Warrick, or Robin Lopez.
  • Kyler hears from sources close to Jamal Crawford that the Blazers guard hasn't requested a trade, but that he wouldn't be opposed to being sent to a less chaotic situation.
  • The Spurs haven't had "meaningful discussions" with any potential trade partners, and will probably stand pat at the deadline.
  • The Raptors may be active in the next ten days, but Toronto continues to turn away proposals for Andrea Bargnani.
  • Although the Jazz have some strong trade assets, they probably would want to include Devin Harris in any deals, which could turn off potential suitors for other players.
  • Having accepted a qualifying offer from the Wizards this season, Nick Young can veto any deal that sends him out of town. However, Kyler hears that Young would welcome a move.

Broussard On Beaubois, Williams, Raps, Sessions

In addition to reporting on the Lakers' interest in Michael Beasley, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard has a number of other interesting tidbits to share in his latest column. Let's check out the highlights:

  • The Mavericks are "about ready to move on" from the Rodrigue Beaubois experiment. It was only a week ago that Mark Cuban insisted Beaubois remained in the team's long-term plans, but the young guard would be an intriguing trade chip. Including him in a deal for a player on an expiring contract could improve the Mavs' roster in the short-term and help clear a little extra cap space in the long-term.
  • Marvin Williams is frustrated with his role in Atlanta and would like to play somewhere where he could contribute more on offense.
  • The Raptors are receiving plenty of inquiries on Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani. Bargnani isn't likely to be moved, and the team would want a point guard in return for Calderon.
  • The Lakers want to see if they can trade for a point guard before giving Gilbert Arenas a shot. According to Broussard's sources, the Lakers should be able to acquire Ramon Sessions for one of their first-round picks before the deadline, if they want to pull the trigger. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (on Twitter), the Lakers are expected to "accelerate" their pursuit of Sessions this weekend.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Stevenson, Bargnani

Jeremy Lin's bandwagon is getting mighty crowded after the Harvard grad outscored Kobe Bryant 38-34 in a 92-85 win for the Knicks over the Lakers tonight. HoopsWorld writer Alex Kennedy tweets that the locker room chatter suggests Lin, a restricted free-agent at season's end, could get a contract on par with Wesley Matthews, who inked a five-year, $34MM contract with the Blazers after his impressive rookie season in Utah. But as Brian Cronin of KnickerBlogger.net points out, Lin will be limited to receiving the full mid-level exception. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the mid-level exception is four years, starting at $5MM a year with annual raises of 4.5%.

Notes from elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

 

Odds & Ends: Noel, D’Antoni, Smith, Lopez, Russell

The Knicks suffered another tough loss last night as they fell to the Celtics, 91-89.  Here's more on New York and other items from around the league..

  • Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak doesn't regret trading Lamar Odom to the Mavericks in December, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Kyle Singler isn't sure if he'll play for the Pistons next season, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com.  The Duke product, who was taken in the second round by Detroit in 2011, says he's enjoying his time with Real Madrid in Spain.
  • Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star asked Andrea Bargnani if he'll consider leaving the Raptors at the end of his deal in 2015.  The former No. 1 overall pick said that he has made it "pretty clear" that he wants to remain in Toronto.
  • Chauncey Billups recruited Kenyon Martin heavily to join the Clippers, tweets J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today.   Martin and Billups are both represented by agent Andy Miller.
  • Massachusetts high school center Nerlens Noel now appears to be in line for the 2013 NBA Draft rather than 2014 after reclassification, writes Adam Zagoria for Sheridan Hoops.  Earlier this week, Noel told Dave Telep of ESPN.com that he's now set to graduate with the class of '12 rather than '13.  The center now projects as the top pick in the 2013 draft according to DraftExpress.com.
  • Despite uncertainty surrounding his job, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni will not be fired today despite back-to-back, last-second losses to the Bulls and Celtics, NBA sources tell Marc Berman of the New York Post.  
  • Even though the Knicks were linked to Kenyon Martin, the guy that they've really had their eye on is J.R. Smith, writes Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops.  Smith said to be considering five teams, including New York.  The Clippers are also in that group but they can only make Smith a minimum offer after agreeing to sign Martin using their room exception.
  • Six weeks after undergoing surgery on his right foot, Nets center Brook Lopez still isn't sure when he'll be able to return, writes Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger.  The Nets will likely need a healthy Lopez in order to put together a package for Orlando's Dwight Howard.
  • Friday marks the league deadline for teams to either release players with non-guaranteed contracts or guarantee their deals for the rest of the season.  Pistons 29-year-old rookie Walker Russell is making a strong case to stay with Detroit, writes David Mayo of MLive.com.