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More Reactions To The 4-Way Howard Blockbuster

August 10th, 2012 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

On a day when Team USA's semifinal game against Argentina was expected to dominate the headlines, the Olympics have taken a back seat to an epic four-way trade that will see three 2012 All-Stars changing hands. In a deal that's expected to be officially agreed upon later today, the Lakers will acquire Dwight Howard, the Sixers will land Andrew Bynum, and the Nuggets will get Andre Iguodala, while the Magic acquire a package of players and picks. We already examined some of the reactions to the agreement last night, but the links continue to pour in, so let's round up a few more….

According to Wojnarowski, the Rockets' offer for Howard included recent first-rounders, future lottery and unprotected first-round picks, and the opportunity to move bad contracts and gain cap space (Twitter links). I've maintained for a while that Houston's looked like Orlando's most logical trade partner, and none of the details about the Rockets' offer make me think otherwise.
In response to John Hollinger's tweet linked below, Brian Schmitz stresses, via Twitter, that the Howard deal ran through Hennigan first, before progressing to Martins and the DeVos family.

Earlier updates:

ESPN.com's John Hollinger tweets that it was likely Magic CEO Alex Martins, rather than GM Rob Hennigan, that ran the Howard deal.
In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Hollinger says he likes the four-way trade for three teams, but really can't understand it from the Magic's perspective.
Sam Amick of SI.com argues that it's unfair to criticize the Magic for the deal yet, since there's a major "wait-and-see" aspect to their haul.
With everyone wondering whether the Magic could have acquired more from the Nets a month ago, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets Brooklyn's final offer for Howard: Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries (on a one-year, $9.6MM guarantee), MarShon Brooks, and four unprotected first-round picks for Howard, Jason Richardson, Chris Duhon, and Earl Clark.
Bynum had been open to re-signing with the Lakers, but was also very receptive to signing with a team where he could earn more touches, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Acquiring Bynum and his Bird Rights makes the Sixers the overwhelming favorites to retain him long-term, as I suggested earlier this week.
The Howard trade is the latest bitter pill for the Mavericks' front office to swallow, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
National NBA fans may consider the Dwightmare to be over, but Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel says Howard's departure could haunt Magic fans for years.

Magic Not In Hurry To Trade Dwight Howard

July 21st, 2012 at 3:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:44pm: The Magic hope to have a deal by early August, reports Sam Amick of SI.com (Sulia link).

3:04pm: Magic officials continue to hold out for the best Dwight Howard deal, and are unlikely to trade him in the next few days, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes. The Rockets, a major player in trade talks, will be tied up while waiting for the Bulls to decide whether to match their offer sheet to Omer Asik, and it won't be clear what kind of cap space and assets Houston will have available until that situation is resolved, Kennedy says.

The Rockets and Lakers have been forced to bid against each other for Howard, and the Magic will weigh their final offers once the Bulls make their decision on Asik, according to Kennedy. Asik has signed the offer sheet but the Bulls have yet to see it, meaning the three-day period Chicago has to match is not yet under way. Last night, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio also noted the Magic's patient approach, but heard from an opposing team's GM who said there's no way the Magic can bring Howard to training camp in late September. I'm not sure if that deadline holds much weight, however, since Howard and the Magic already co-existed last season amid plenty of trade speculation, and there's no guarantee Howard's back will be healthy enough to allow him to make the start of camp anyway, though the big man insists he'll be ready for the season.

If Howard is still with the Magic come January 15th, when the Nets can trade Brook Lopez, Newsday's Rod Boone believes Orlando and Brooklyn would reinitiate talks, but obviously much can happen between now and then (Twitter link).

The Magic remain focused on their coaching search in the meantime, which is down to assistants Jacque Vaughn of the Spurs, Michael Curry of the Sixers and Lindsey Hunter of the Suns, Kennedy says. With the second round of interviews complete, Vaughn still appears to be the frontrunner, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, with Hunter the next choice. The next step involves meeting with the DeVos family, the owners of the team (Twitter links).

Brook Lopez Wants To Finish Career With Nets

July 18th, 2012 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Brook Lopez's new $60MM+ contract with the Nets will keep him under contract in Brooklyn until the summer of 2016, but if it were up to him, he'd remain with the team longer than that.

"The Nets are the only place I want to be," Lopez told reporters, including Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. "I want to be a Net for my entire career."

It appeared at times that Lopez wouldn't even remain with the Nets until the end of the month, as rumors swirled that he'd be the centerpiece of a package to acquire Dwight Howard from the Magic. Lopez said today that he wasn't sure whether he would've accepted a sign-and-trade to go to Orlando in such a deal, but now he won't have to worry about being moved until at least January 15th. That's the day Lopez can be included in trades again, though Nets coach Avery Johnson downplayed the possibility.

"Whenever a free agent signs a contract, I don't think the possibility of you being traded in January ever comes up," Johnson said. "We're glad where it worked out where he's here. He's obviously drawn some attention from other teams in the free agency process, but he's home, he's with the Brooklyn Nets, and he'll be in the starting lineup at Barclays Center on opening night."

Nets Sign Brook Lopez To Four-Year Extension

July 11th, 2012 at 8:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:33pm: Howard Beck of the New York Times has the details on Lopez's contract, which includes a player option in the fourth year. Lopez will get $13.668MM for the coming season, $14.694MM in 2013/14, $15.719MM in 2014/15 and, the option is for $16.774MM in 2015/16. (Twitter links)

7:47pm: The Nets have announced the contract is official, via Twitter.

Nets Nearing Max Contract With Brook Lopez

July 11th, 2012 at 4:34pm CST by Luke Adams

4:34pm: Lopez is still considering signing Charlotte's four-year offer sheet, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski says the Nets will match any offer sheet Lopez signs, but matching an offer sheet would prevent Brooklyn from trading Lopez for a full year (Twitter links). It looks to me as if Lopez is seeking a little leverage with the Nets, perhaps hoping to increase his fifth-year guarantee.

2:59pm: With trade talks for Dwight Howard dead, the Nets are now expected to finalize a contract with Lopez, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick.

2:22pm: The Nets are warding off the Bobcats' advances toward Lopez and are close to finalizing a five-year, $78MM deal for the center, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski's report seems to suggest that the fifth year of the contract would not be fully guaranteed, but would still ensure that Lopez would make more than he could with another team.

12:56pm: Lopez is weighing a maximum offer sheet from another team, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times. Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that the Trail Blazers and Bobcats have both indicated to Lopez that they're willing to sign him to a four-year max offer sheet as soon as today.

12:43pm: The Nets have agreed to give Lopez four fully-guaranteed, max-salary years, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The two sides are still talking about a possible fifth year — since the Nets are the only team that can offer that fifth year, they can be more flexibile with the guarantee. The Nets' willingness to offer a four-year, max-salary deal means another team can't top Brooklyn's proposal in an offer sheet (all Twitter links).

WEDNESDAY, 12:13am: It's not out of the realm of possibility that Lopez could sign an offer sheet with another team, according to Wojnarowski. His report cites the Bobcats as a team with interest in Lopez on a max deal. An offer sheet would mean Lopez could avoid any partial guarantees based on games played the Nets might want in the contract, and would mean he couldn't be included in a sign-and-trade deal.

TUESDAY, 10:59pm: Lopez is close to reaching an agreement on a maximum contract with the Nets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The two sides are negotiating the length of the contract, as Lopez can sign for four years and $58MM or five years and $78MM.

1:44pm: While the Nets continue to try to find a way to obtain Dwight Howard, the team's primary trade chip is just a few hours away from being able to sign offer sheets with rival clubs. In case they aren't able to acquire Howard, the Nets have been negotiating a contract extension with Brook Lopez and could complete a deal within the next 48 hours or so, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

Signing Lopez to a new contract would mean that the Nets couldn't trade him for Howard or anyone else until January 15th. While Brooklyn would probably prefer to maintain the flexibility to complete a sign-and-trade involving their 24-year-old center, the end of the moratorium means the team could have to turn to Plan B. If Lopez were to sign an offer sheet with another team, the Nets could only match the offer or let him walk, and wouldn't be able to include him in a sign-and-trade deal.

With Howard-centric rumors dominating most of the Lopez news we've heard so far this July, there hasn't been much reported interest in Lopez from other clubs. But you'd have to think that a team in search of size, whether that's the Rockets, Trail Blazers, or another club, could make life difficult for Brooklyn by pursuing Lopez, a scenario the Nets would rather avoid.

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Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday

July 11th, 2012 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

In yesterday's round of Dwight Howard rumors, we learned that the Cavaliers had pulled out of the complicated four-team talks that included the Nets and Magic. The Nets are still in the mix for Howard, but are focusing more on one-on-one talks with Orlando now. Meanwhile, the Magic continue to talk with other teams, including the Rockets, Lakers, and Hawks, about a variety of trade scenarios involving the star center. What will today bring? We'll track the latest right here….

According to SI.com's Sam Amick, the Magic could simply let the Nets fall out of the race for Howard and seek another trade partner. Amick adds that the Rockets have been calling around looking for a taker for Luis Scola, in an effort to allow the Magic to clear more cap space in a Howard deal.
Among the Nets' reasons for accelerating the Howard talks: They're concerned that the Trail Blazers will step in and sign Brook Lopez to an offer sheet after missing out on Roy Hibbert, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. The Rockets represent another threat to the Nets if their offer sheet for Omer Asik is matched, adds ESPN.com's Chad Ford (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

The NBA’s New Maximum Salary

July 11th, 2012 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

While the NBA's salary cap and luxury tax figures remained the same for the coming season, the maximum salary that a player can earn was bumped up slightly for 2012/13. According to Larry Coon's CBA FAQ, the changes are as follows:

Dwight Howard Rumors: Tuesday

July 11th, 2012 at 12:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Dwight Howard rumor mill was in full swing on Monday, as we needed multiple posts to round up all of the day's rumblings. I recapped the Monday highlights right here, including the framework of a possible four-team deal, but things continue to evolve quickly. So let's follow along with Tuesday's updates, which we'll add to the top of this page throughout the day….

As Marc Stein suggested (below), the Rockets have remained "strongly engaged" with the Magic on direct talks for Howard and haven't spent much time on three-team scenarios, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Earlier updates:

The Lakers have improved their chances of acquiring Howard by being more open to taking back Jason Richardson's three-year, $18.6MM contract, reports Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
The Rockets and Magic are discussing a simpler two-team trade that would send Howard to Houston, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein says the Rockets' position has strengthened due to the fact that no team has offered the Magic a better first-rounder than the one Houston will receive this evening from the Raptors in the verbally-agreed Kyle Lowry trade.
The Lakers, Magic, and Rockets have engaged in "preliminary talks" about a three-team deal that would send Howard to the Lakers and Andrew Bynum to Houston, according to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. Pincus cautions that nothing is imminent at all, but says Orlando isn't in love with the idea of tying up their cap with a long-term deal for Bynum or Brook Lopez, and may prefer a collection of young players and draft picks.
The Magic are "projecting confidence" that Howard will be dealt by the end of the week, says Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
The Magic have continued to talk to the Rockets and Lakers about deals for Howard, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski adds that some Orlando officials have concerns about committing maximum-salary money to Brook Lopez, given his injury history.
With the Cavs out of the picture, the Magic could receive as many as five total first-round picks if they agree to take on Kris Humphries, says Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
The Cavs are no longer involved in the Nets/Magic talks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports confirms. If Howard is to be traded to the Nets in the near-term, it will probably have to be a two-team deal, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter links).
The Nets aren't as optimistic about getting a deal done as they were a day or two ago, writes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
The Bobcats are willing to give Kris Humphries a multiyear guarantee in a potential three-way deal with the Nets and Magic if they can also land MarShon Brooks, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link). It's not clear what Charlotte would be giving up in that scenario. On the other hand, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com hears that the Bobcats are "not in the mix" at all (Twitter link), while ESPN.com's Ric Bucher says Charlotte wants a first-round pick rather than Brooks (Twitter link). It's safe to say that the Bobcats' involvement is a little hazy at this point.
In talking to several agents and GMs, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link) no longer hears the Cavs mentioned as the third team in any Magic/Nets talks. Said one agent: "I'm not 100%, but from everything I've heard today, [the Cavs] are out."
The Magic have re-opened trade talks with teams besides the Nets, says Ric Bucher of ESPN.com. Bucher hears that the Hawks are one team talking to Orlando, but they "aren't the best option."
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld has the latest developments in the Nets/Magic talks, noting that the Bobcats are open to taking Kris Humphries (but only on a one-year contract) and that the Timberwolves have "real interest" in Jason Richardson and MarShon Brooks. Kyler adds that if the deal doesn't at least get within striking distance by the end of the day, the Nets may have to move on.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link) hears the Bobcats could take the place of both the Cavaliers and Clippers in the talks, which presumably means they'd acquire both Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks, among other pieces. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link) confirms that the Bobcats are in the mix.
Kennedy adds that the Cavs are having "second thoughts" about the deal and that the Timberwolves are another candidate to enter the fray (Twitter links).
As new teams become involved in the discussions, most are high on Brooks, but wary of Humphries, tweets Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com. Rudolph adds (via Twitter) that the involved teams are likely to push for completion of the deal today, and Fred Kerber of the New York Post agrees that there should be resolution today. On the other hand, Amico is hearing that it's highly unlikely a deal is agreed upon before Wednesday.

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Dwight Howard Rumors: Monday Night

July 9th, 2012 at 8:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Magic and Nets are reportedly working to put together a multi-team deal that will send Dwight Howard to Brooklyn. The Cavaliers and Clippers could be a part of the mega-trade but nothing has been cemented yet and other clubs could be roped in to make the swap a reality. Here's the latest on D12 and the Magic..

Dwight Howard Rumors: Monday

July 9th, 2012 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

It may not be many more days until our long national Dwightmare is over. Yesterday's reports on Howard suggested talks involving the Magic, Nets, and Cavaliers were getting serious, and that Orlando plans to make "one last sweep" around the league before deciding whether to accept the Nets' offer. While we wait to see if anything is agreed upon today, here are the latest rumblings on the Howard front:

Chad Ford's ESPN.com report includes some more slight tweaks to the framework described below. Ford adds Chris Duhon to the list of players headed to the Nets, suggests the Magic would receive one fewer first-rounder (a total of three instead of four), and says the Cavs would receive $3MM in cash.
Ford's report, along with tweets from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, suggest that the Cavs and Clippers still aren't entirely on board. The Plain Dealer tweets that talk of a deal getting close is premature, while Berger says the Clips haven't agreed to anything yet and are one of several potential fourth-team facilitators in the mix (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

It "sounds like" the Magic, Nets, and Cavs have found a fourth team to facilitate the Howard blockbuster, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. According to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter link), that team is the Clippers — Los Angeles would acquire MarShon Brooks in exchange for a lottery-protected first-round pick, which would go to the Magic.
In addition to the framework described by Wojnarowski below, the Magic would also receive Armon Johnson from the Nets in the proposed deal, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who cautions in a second tweet that pieces could still move in or out.
Before either team agreed to any deal, Magic doctors would need to examine Brook Lopez and Nets doctors would need to examine Dwight Howard, says Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports had the details of the proposed three-team blockbuster: The Nets would receive Dwight Howard, Jason Richardson, and Earl Clark, the Magic would receive Brook Lopez, Damion James, Shelden Williams, and Luke Walton, and the Cavs would receive Kris Humphries, Sundiata Gaines, and Quentin Richardson. The Nets would also send three first-round picks to the Magic, one to the Cavs, and would send MarShon Brooks to a fourth team to acquire another first-rounder for the Magic.
A source tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer that a deal involving the Cavs looks doubtful at this point (Twitter link).
Don't expect a Howard deal to go down today, tweets Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Getting Andrew Bynum from the Lakers would be Orlando's best deal, but the club is concerned about his knees holding up, Schmitz tweets.
Kris Humphries would be seeking a four-year deal with the Cavs and wouldn't be willing to sign a one-year deal, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Sign-and-trades require a three-year minimum, but only one year needs to be guaranteed. Frankly, with a rumored 11 to 14 players involved in the proposed deal, and many of them needing to be involved via sign-and-trade, I'd be surprised if Humphries was the only player that could hold things up.
We should expect resolution on the Nets/Magic talks pretty soon, according to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld, who says Brooklyn intends to move on if a deal can't be consummated in the near future.
The Nets are willing and able to take on Jason Richardson's salary in the proposed three-team deal, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
Bob Finnan of the News-Herald hears that the Nets want one of the Cavaliers' first-round picks in the trade, which could be a dealbreaker for Cleveland.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal and J.A. Adande of ESPN throw some cold water on the Howard talk. A source tells Adande that "to act like it's almost done is overblown" Twitter link), while Lloyd continues to hear that there's "isn't much to it" on the Cavs' end (Twitter links).
Numerous reporters, including Fred Kerber of the New York Post (Twitter link), are noting that the talks between the Nets, Magic, and other teams have "a lot of moving parts," but that progress is being made. According to Kerber, the odds are better than 50/50 that Howard is sent to the Nets.
Magic brass are meeting this morning to discuss whether to pull the trigger on the proposed Nets/Cavs deal, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
A fourth team may be entering the mix to take MarShon Brooks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that up to 14 players could be involved (Twitter link).
Although the Cavs look like the Nets' best bet to find a taker for Kris Humphries, Brooklyn has found traction on two other possible scenarios, says Wojnarowski.

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