Brook Lopez Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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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Free Agent Rumors: Lucas, Camby, Lewis

July 8th, 2012 at 10:20pm CST by Daniel Seco

Jeff Green reached an agreement to remain with the Celtics on Saturday, while Aaron Brooks became an unrestricted free agent after the Suns withdrew their qualifying offer to the guard. What will Sunday bring? Here are the latest rumors on a number of free agents still on the market:

The Heat have interest in unrestricted free agent point guard John Lucas III, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
Marcus Camby's meeting with the Knicks today was "very positive," a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, and Zwerling hears that Camby is drawn to the Knicks because of his "great relationship" with GM Glen Grunwald.
"Everything went well" during the Heat's meeting with Rashard Lewis today, as Lewis' agent tells David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link). Lewis has yet to make a decision, with the Knicks and Hawks still in the running, Aldridge says.

Earlier updates:

Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter) identifies the Nets and Knicks as the frontrunners in sign-and-trade talks to land Marcus Camby. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News says that in addition to meeting with the Knicks in Houston, Camby held a conference call with the Nets (Twitter link).
Ken Berger of CBS Sports tweets that Brandon Rush could be an option for the Timberwolves or Trail Blazers, whichever team loses out on Nicolas Batum. Also, Berger includes Shannon Brown in the mix of suitors for Courtney Lee, O.J. Mayo, and Lou Williams once the two-guard dust clears (Twitter link).
Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas says that the Mavericks will resume talks with Ramon Sessions on Monday. Along with Dallas, the Rockets appear to interest the free agent point guard because of the opportunity to start.
According to CBSSports.com's Ken Berger, the Knicks had a "very productive" meeting with Marcus Camby today.
The Magic still do not know if Spaniard Fran Vasquez will be joining the team next season,tweets CBSSports.com's Ken Berger. Vasquez was a lottery pick in 2005.
The Bulls will not pick up C.J. Watson's option, and are attempting to deal him before July 10th, tweets Hoopsworld.com's Alex Kennedy.
The Mavericks, Rockets, Knicks, Hawks, Suns, and Bucks are all interested in signing guard Randy Foye, tweets CBSSports.com's Ken Berger.
According to a tweet from the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, Greg Stiemsma's agent said his client did not receive a $3MM offer sheet from the Timberwolves.
The Celtics are interested in Courtney Lee after meeting with the free agent shooting guard on Saturday night, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Even with the addition of Hinrich, the Bulls have Michael Redd and Gerald Green on their radar, tweets Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald.
Brooklyn head coach Avery Johnson says the Nets' focus is to re-sign Brook Lopez as trading for Dwight Howard remains out of their control, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The team has begun negotiating with Lopez on an extension, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
With Camby postponing a meeting with the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel considers the likelihood of signing Greg Oden similar to how the team added Eddy Curry last season.
The Knicks brass will meet with Marcus Camby in Houston on Sunday with hopes that the big man will land in New York to serve as a backup for Tyson Chandler, says Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Look for the Celtics to explore internal options to replace Ray Allen rather than spend excess money on players who may not prove to be a good fit in Boston, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
The Bucks have emerged as a potential landing spot for Kirk Hinrich as they look to improve their backcourt depth, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, but Milwaukee will have to look elsewhere as Hinrich reached a verbal agreement with the Bulls earlier on Sunday.

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Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday

July 4th, 2012 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday's round of Dwight Howard rumors was fairly eventful, featuring reports that the Magic are discussing deals with a number of teams, including the Lakers and Nets. The Nets still appear determined to put together a complicated package for Howard, though their increasing cap figure will make it difficult. The Lakers, meanwhile, seem willing to offer Andrew Bynum, but only with Metta World Peace in the deal as well, and only if D12 agrees to sign a long-term deal. I don't think that package gets it done for a Magic team looking for cap relief.

We'll round up today's Howard updates right here, so check back throughout the day for the latest:

Dwight Howard Rumors: Tuesday

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

4:43pm: The Magic haven't ruled out trading Howard to the Nets, and continue to talk to the Lakers, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

12:54pm: The Lakers are prepared to offer Bynum and Metta World Peace in exchange for Howard, providing Dwight agrees to sign an extension, tweets Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com. Based on Wojnarowski's report, I'd be a little surprised if Orlando agreed to that deal. Plus, it would hinge on both big men agreeing to sign new contracts.

The Magic would include Jason Richardson in any Howard deal, Rudolph adds in a second tweet.

12:49pm: The Magic are focusing on Lakers center Andrew Bynum as their top target in Howard trade talks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. However, the Magic would likely want more than just Bynum for Howard, and they'd need assurances that Bynum, who is also entering the final year of his contract, would sign an extension.

Wojnarowski adds that there's another trade scenario that involves a "significant player" that intrigues the Magic, but the team and player are unknown.

8:42am: There's not "great enthusiasm" within the Magic front office that the Nets can put together the most appealing offer for Howard, tweets Wojnarowski. However, the Magic also haven't received an offer from any team that they feel is enough to seriously consider trading Howard now, Wojnarowski adds in a second tweet.

8:03am: For progress to be made on the Magic/Nets talks, a third team would need to agree to take Humphries in the deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

7:49am: The Magic and Nets have re-engaged in talks on a possible deal for Dwight Howard, reports ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (all Twitter links). According to Broussard, the two sides are discussing a trade that would send Howard to Brooklyn in exchange for Kris Humphries, Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, and three first-round picks (2013, 2015, 2017).

Such a trade would be tricky financially, particularly if the Nets also take on Hedo Turkoglu, as Chris Mannix of SI.com suggests they're willing to (Twitter link). Sign-and-trades for Lopez and Humphries would be subject to Base Year Compensation — if their new salaries are more than 20% larger than their old salaries, then the Nets would use either their previous salary or 50% of their new salary (whichever is greater) for trade purposes, while the Magic would use their full salary. For instance, if Lopez signed for $10MM in year one, it would act as $5MM for the Nets' salary-matching purposes.

Ken Berger of CBS Sports confirms the talks between the Magic and Nets, but says those aren't the only discussions Orlando is having (Twitter links). According to Berger, GM Rob Hennigan is also trying to engage the Hawks, Rockets, Lakers, and possibly Mavericks. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld hears that Dallas has been aggressive in pursuing Howard, but says the Lakers and Clippers are reluctant to deal without assurances D12 would sign an extension (Twitter links).

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Dwight Howard Rumors: Monday

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The first day of free agency was a busy one on the Dwight Howard front, as reports suggested D12 was upset with the Magic and that Orlando was discussing potential trades with the Lakers, Nets, and Rockets. Howard denied saying that the Magic "blackmailed" him and told Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com that he was tired of hearing reports cite unnamed sources when discussing his situation, but also said he'd only re-sign with one team if he were traded — presumably the Nets. We'll track the latest on Howard throughout the day, with the latest updates on top of the page:

The Mavs' offer for Howard could include some combination of Rodrigue Beaubois, Vince Carter, Dominique Jones and Brandan Wright, Jared Cunningham, Bernard James and Jae Crowder, plus draft picks and a sign-and-trade of Ian Mahinmi, a source tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Earlier updates:

Ric Bucher of ESPN.com hears the Nets are not out of the running for Howard, with the Mavs and Nets sharing space atop the big man's wish list (Twitter link).
With the Nets likely no longer an option for Howard, the Mavs have replaced Brooklyn as D12's single preferred destination, tweets Ric Bucher of ESPN.com.
The Nets would have preferred to deal for Howard instead of Joe Johnson, ESPN's Chris Broussard says, but the Magic were unwilling trade partners. Howard's decision to opt in with the Magic in March scuttled any chance of him going to the Nets, a source tells Broussard (Twitter links).
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld points out the Nets could still acquire Howard by doing a sign-and-trade that sends Brook Lopez to Orlando (Twitter link). However, as Al Iannazzone of Newsday tweets, the Magic hasn't wanted Lopez.
In spite of Howard's request to be traded to Brooklyn, there's no Nets deal that interests the Magic, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com tweets that the Warriors have "been there, done that" regarding Howard trade talks, and suggests there's nothing going on now.
A source tells SI.com's Sam Amick that there's no chance Howard is traded to the Clippers if the Magic ask for Chris Paul or Blake Griffin, which of course they would.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan confirmed today that Howard asked to be traded and prefers the Nets, tweets David Baumann of BHSN and News 13. According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), Hennigan said teams have shown "significant" interest in Howard, but talks are still preliminary.
David Pingalore of WKMG Orlando adds the Sixers to the list of teams that have discussed a possible Howard trade with the Magic.
The Warriors are still willing to trade for Howard even with no assurances that he'd re-sign, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard.
The Nets are determined not to "wait around" for a Howard deal to materialize, says Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. As Berger writes, both the Nets and Rockets appear to be moving forward with alternate plans.
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld adds the Clippers to the list of team that have expressed interest in Howard. According to Kyler, the Magic will likely look to deal Howard quickly, though there is no internal rush to make a bad deal.

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Nets Extend Qualifying Offer To Brook Lopez

June 27th, 2012 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have officially extended a one-year qualifying offer to Brook Lopez, making him a restricted free agent, GM Billy King confirmed today (Twitter link via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News). Because Lopez met the starter criteria, as defined by the CBA, his qualifying offer will be worth around $4.39MM.

The big man could choose to accept the one-year offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but he's far more likely to sign a multiyear deal this offseason. Having tendered the qualifying offer, the Nets will have a three-day window to match any offer sheet Lopez signs.

Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Lopez, Young, Sixers, Draft

May 20th, 2012 at 4:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers and Celtics are taking the weekend off, but resume their compelling series tied at two games apiece Monday in Boston. Here's what's going on around the Atlantic Division:

While noting that Pacers center Roy Hibbert is in line for much more, Chris Mannix of SI.com lets fly that the Nets are expecting to pay Brook Lopez somewhere between $8MM and $10MM a year in his next contract (Twitter link). Lopez, who played in just five games this season due to injuries, is a restricted free agent, so the Nets may not have a say in the terms of his deal if he chooses to sign an offer sheet with another team.
The Sixers locked up Thaddeus Young for five years and $43MM before the season started, and he's making his presence known against the Celtics, as John Finger of CSNPhilly.com examines.
Four second-round draft prospects — Scott Machado, Zack Rosen, Terrell Stoglin and Maalik Wayns — will work out tomorrow for the Sixers, the team announced. Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com has details.