Dwight Howard Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Howard, Motiejunas, Joseph

February 27th, 2016 at 2:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rockets center Dwight Howard offered little explanation about his motive for firing agent Dan Fegan in comments to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Howard, who seems virtually certain to opt out of the final year of his contract this summer, announced Friday that he was severing ties with Fegan and Relativity Sports. “It was nothing against my agent,” Howard said. “It wasn’t anything bad that he did to me. Sometimes, change is good. I just made a decision based on what I feel I needed to change. I always respect him and love him. We still talk now. But as far as him being my representation, I decided to go other ways.” Howard said he hasn’t thought about choosing a new agent or his possible free agency, but said he has been considering how to improve his “situation” since the All-Star break.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets‘ Donatas Motiejunas, whose trade to the Pistons was voided Monday due to health reasons, has received medical clearance to start playing again, Feigen writes in a separate story. The Lithuanian big man was able to participate in the Rockets’ shootaround this morning. Back troubles have limited Motiejunas to 14 games this season, and he hasn’t played for Houston since December. “All the doctors that I consult are one of the best in the United States for back injuries and none of them saw any change or anything,” he said. “I’m ready to go. I played four games in the D-League. I practiced already with the team. I practiced by myself. I feel great lately.”
Cory Joseph, who signed with the Raptors in free agency last summer, credits the four years he spent with the Spurs with making his a better player, according to Chris O’Leary of The Toronto Star. “I went to two finals, I went to the Western Conference finals, and was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last year,” Joseph said. “You play a lot of big games and you get the full experience.” Joseph, who received about $30MM over four years, is averaging 9.1 points per game as a reserve in his first season in Toronto.
The loss of Bryce Dejean-Jones less than a week after signing a three-year contract continues a three-year string of injuries for the Pelicans, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Dejean-Jones is expected to miss six to eight weeks after breaking his right wrist.

Dwight Howard Fires Agent Dan Fegan

February 26th, 2016 at 3:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dwight Howard has left agent Dan Fegan, reports USA Today’s Sam Amick (Twitter link). The Rockets center is widely expected to turn down his player option and hit free agency this summer. The center is earning $22,359,364 for this season and the value of his option for 2016/17 is $23,282,457. Howard has been interviewing replacements for Fegan lately, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.

The Mavericks, who have close ties with Fegan, were one of the teams the Rockets spoke with about Howard before the trade deadline. Today’s news would appear to lessen the chances of Howard signing with Dallas as a free agent this summer, but that’s just my speculation. Fegan, who developed a reputation as an aggressive agent in part through his representation of Howard over the years, also counts DeMarcus Cousins, Ricky Rubio, soon-to-be free agent Courtney Lee and other notables among his clients. Kevin Martin is one of them, and the Rockets reportedly have interest in him if he works a buyout from the Timberwolves. Fegan’s profile has nonetheless taken some significant hits lately. He used to represent DeAndre Jordan, who notoriously spurned the Mavs this summer before splitting with the agent, and John Wall, who dropped him earlier this month.

Fegan and Houston were reportedly working in concert to try to find a trade partner for Howard before the deadline, but Fegan appeared to deny that, while Howard affirmed Fegan’s statement and said he didn’t ask the Rockets to trade him. Numerous teams were interested in Howard, though any deal would have been contingent on the big man agreeing to opt in for next season, something Howard wasn’t keen on, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Aside from the Mavs, Houston was in touch with the Bulls, Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Heat, Bucks and Raptors about Howard, according to multiple reports, but the market for him was apparently soft.

The 30-year-old has appeared in 47 games this season for the Rockets and is averaging 14.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 32.5 minutes per night. The big man’s numbers have suffered this season as his shots and touches are down, which is reportedly the source of some conflict between he and teammate James Harden. Both players have downplayed any reported tension.

Southwest Notes: Dwight, Harden, Conley, Gasol

February 26th, 2016 at 11:09am CST by Chuck Myron

Dwight Howard said he’s OK with his role as a secondary offensive option behind James Harden, and while Howard described his relationship with his fellow Rockets star as a work in progress, the center said he has no issues with the shooting guard, relays Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Howard made his comments before the latest rumors of discord between him and Harden surfaced.

“People will say what they want to say. There’s no need for me and him to worry about that,” Howard said. “Our job is to grow and get better as a team and get better as individuals. I think me and James had a really good talk before the [All-Star] break. We’re more on the same page than we’ve ever been. I’m always going to have his back; pretty sure he’s always going to have my back. The biggest thing, which is always true in any situation, you always have to put your ego to the side and focus on what’s best for the team. When things don’t go well, it’s easy to point to the two guys that are leaders of the team. That’s understandable. We have to take the good with the bad. We have to come together to lead this team.”

See more from the Southwest Division:

Grizzlies executive VP of player personnel Ed Stefanski expressed confidence about the team’s ability to re-sign Mike Conley, said the team thinks Marc Gasol will have recovered from his broken foot in time for training camp and explained that the team’s belief that Courtney Lee would leave via free agency led the Grizzlies to trade him. Stefanski made his comments in an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio’s “The Starting Lineup” show (transcription in three Twitter links).
The question of whether the Grizzlies should pick up their $9.405MM team option on Lance Stephenson for next season doesn’t have an obvious answer, since he offers promise but doesn’t have a lengthy track record suggesting he’s worth that money, as Geoff Calkins, Ronald Tillery, Chris Herrington and David Williams of The Commercial Appeal debate.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps erred when he invested in ball-dominant guards and traditional centers instead of players equipped for the modern ball-movement game while shifting focus too far away from the draft and using the back end of the roster on journeymen instead of prospects, argues Christopher Reina of RealGM.

Harden Wanted McHale Fired, Dwight Traded?

February 26th, 2016 at 7:41am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 7:41am: Harden never demanded a coaching change or that Howard be traded, Rockets CEO Tad Brown insisted Thursday to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

THURSDAY, 2:37pm: James Harden “angled” for the Rockets to trade Dwight Howard before the deadline and pressured the team to fire Kevin McHale earlier this season, multiple league sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. However, multiple sources told Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com that neither Harden nor Howard asked Rockets brass to change coaches, and Watkins portrays the idea of tension between Harden and Howard as overblown. Houston fired McHale after a 4-7 start but didn’t trade Howard, who’s poised to opt out and is widely expected to leave in free agency this summer, according to Berger.

“I don’t know what the perception is; the reality is we get along and we want to win,” Harden said to Watkins, speaking about Howard.

Harden has reportedly irked some of his teammates with his play and aloof nature at times, though he and Howard appeared upbeat following a players-only meeting that preceded McHale’s ouster. However, rumors have long followed the relationship between the Rockets stars. The respective camps for Harden and Howard went into the 2014 offseason “whispering” about their desire that the other be traded, according to Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. Howard has repeatedly denied a December 2015 report that he’s “extremely unhappy” playing a supporting role behind Harden, who takes nearly twice as many shots.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey said he never came close to trading Howard, but Morey and agent Dan Fegan were reportedly making a strong effort to find a new team for him in the hours leading up to last week’s deadline. Houston was in touch with the Mavericks, Bulls, Hawks, Celtics,Hornets, Heat, Bucks and Raptors about Howard as it sought to engage in trade talks about the former All-Star center, according to multiple reports, but the market for him was apparently soft.

And-Ones: Wolves, Joe Johnson, Rockets, Mavs

February 25th, 2016 at 2:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Timberwolves are at a “standstill” in talks with Grizzlies minority-share owner Steve Kaplan about a potential deal that would see Kaplan and his partners take 30% of the Minnesota franchise, Wolves owner Glen Taylor told Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. The sides can’t proceed until Kaplan sells his stake in the Grizzlies, Taylor said to Zgoda, and Memphis principal owner Robert Pera isn’t making it easy, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (on Twitter). The deal had reportedly been on track to be complete by the end of this month, but Taylor, who remains optimistic it will ultimately get done, said it will probably take months, not weeks, Zgoda relays. That arrangement would reportedly involve Taylor eventually ceding control of the Wolves to Kaplan, but Taylor plans to remain the primary owner for another few years, Krawczynski tweets. See more from around the NBA:

New Nets GM Sean Marks essentially confirmed the reported buyout talks with Joe Johnson today in an appearance on the “Joe & Evan” show on CBS New York radio (Twitter transcription via Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game). Marks said the team would talk to Johnson to see “what he really wants to do,” adding that he thinks the 15th-year veteran has “deserved the right” to go to a playoff team if he wants.
The relationship between James Harden and soon-to-be free agent Dwight Howard is nuanced, but the idea of tension between the Rockets stars is overblown, as Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com examines.
The Mavericks didn’t really receive trade offers of picks likely to fall in the middle of the first-round for Dwight Powell and Justin Anderson, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). That conflicts with an earlier report.

Texas Notes: Howard, Foye, Powell, Anderson

February 19th, 2016 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavericks and Bulls were among the teams the Rockets spoke to about Dwight Howard in the days leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, reiterating earlier reports that Houston talked with the Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Heat and Bucks. The Rockets held out for one “frontline player” and a first-round pick in return, sources told Stein, though it’s not entirely clear whether he means “frontline” as in “frontcourt” or as in “of importance.” GM Daryl Morey provided a hint, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays.

“It was going to have to take something significant to make us look at anything and even then we probably wouldn’t have,” Morey said in part.

Morey also said that he believes in the combo of Howard and James Harden and was never close to trading Howard, Feigen notes, but according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, the Rockets understand that Howard and Harden are simply a poor fit on the court. The Rockets and other teams had considerable differences about what a Howard trade would look like, even though executives around the league believe Howard is a better scorer than his numbers in Houston show, Mannix writes. See more from the Texas Triangle:

The Mavericks had some level of interest in Randy Foye before the Nuggets traded him to the Thunder instead Thursday, but the Mavs weren’t going to offer either Devin Harris or Raymond Felton for him, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
The Mavs are always looking for another shooter, president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said, according to Sefko, who indicates in the same piece that the team wouldn’t mind signing a big man, either, as the post-deadline buyout market develops.
Teams offered picks likely to fall in the middle of the first-round to the Mavs for Dwight Powell and Justin Anderson, a source tells Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Presumably that means each of them would have netted that sort of pick individually, and not the two of them as a package.
Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News wouldn’t be surprised to see the Spurs replace former assistant GM Sean Marks with Spurs D-League GM Brian Pauga, also noting that ex-Spurs executive Danny Ferry has been hanging around the team of late (Twitter links). Young made his remarks on the evening before the Nets hired Marks as their GM.

Western Notes: Martin, Howard, Green

February 18th, 2016 at 10:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Trail Blazers didn’t want to part with any of their young core of players at this year’s trade deadline, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian writes. “We went into the trade deadline trying to be opportunistic,” Portland president of basketball operations Neil Olshey told Freeman. “We wanted to gather assets. Clearly this group is really overachieving. There’s a lot of young guys that have a future and we wanted to make sure we were giving them the chance to win. We didn’t want to touch the core group of guys that have exceeded expectations. [Coach] Terry [Stotts] is comfortable with those guys, they’re doing what we need them to do on the court. But we need things in the future to continue to build the roster and that’s what we did today.”

There is a chance that the team will re-sign Tim Frazier, who was waived earlier today, Freeman adds. “Tim was a casualty. He’s been great for us,” Olshey said. “He’s great in the locker room, he’s close with our guys. We told him, ‘Look, if we don’t have an opportunity to add another player at your position, we would look at bringing you back if you clear waivers.’ I can’t speak to that right now. But at the time he was the most viable candidate to be waived to create the roster spot for Anderson Varejao.” Varejao was subsequently waived by Portland.

Here’s more from out West:

Timberwolves GM Milt Newton said the team hasn’t discussed a potential buyout arrangement with shooting guard Kevin Martin but added that it’s a conversation that will probably come up in the near future, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune relays (on Twitter). Martin, who possesses a player option worth nearly $7.378MM for next season, was reportedly a trade deadline target of the Knicks, but the teams didn’t strike a deal. The 33-year-old has appeared in 35 games for Minnesota this season and is averaging 11.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.6 minutes per night.
The Grizzlies‘ players have let team management know that they don’t want newly acquired swingman Lance Stephenson waived, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey noted that the team never came close to trading center Dwight Howard, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays (Twitter links). “It was going to have to take something significant to make us look at anything and even then we probably wouldn’t have,” Morey said. “Part of my job is I have to explore everything. We believe in James [Harden] and Dwight together.“
Numerous teams were interested in Howard, but any deal was contingent on the big man agreeing to opt in next season, something Howard wasn’t keen on, relays Marc Stein of ESPN.com. “Not surprisingly, as the deadline approached, several teams called stating they had worked out the trade parameters with Houston for a Dwight deal but were not prepared to give up their assets unless Dwight agreed to opt into the last year of his contract and forgo free agency. Dwight declined,” Dan Fegan, Howard’s agent, said.
Point guard Erick Green has officially rejoined the Reno Bighorns following the expiration of his second 10-day pact with the Jazz, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor relays (via Twitter). Reno is the D-League affiliate of the Kings.
The Jazz have assigned big man Tibor Pleiss to the Idaho Stampede, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Pleiss’ fourth stint in the D-League on the season.

Eastern Notes: Gasol, Knicks, Heat

February 18th, 2016 at 4:03pm CST by Will Joseph

The Bulls plan to make a run at re-signing Pau Gasol this summer, Chicago GM Gar Forman told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Gasol intends to use his player option to become a free agent this summer, but added the Bulls are the front-runners to re-sign him, Johnson notes in a full story. The Bulls turned down at least two offers for Gasol, according to Johnson.

“This is where I wanted to be and where I want to be right now. I don’t want to give up on this team just because we’re going through some difficulties and challenges right now,” Gasol said. “Things really haven’t turned out the way I wanted them to. But at the same time, there are things that I couldn’t anticipate. All I can do is continue to give my best. And I do still believe we can still turn this thing around a little bit or a lot and put ourselves in a good position.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Bucks made a run at Dwight Howard within the last 24 hours before the deadline, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports said on The Vertical online trade deadline show, as RealGM transcribes. The talks broke down because Howard wouldn’t pick up his player option for next season, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The Knicks rejected an offer from the Rockets involving point guard Patrick Beverley because the asking price of a first-round pick and two rotation players was too high, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
The Heat made attempts to add a rotation player, but changed course and looked for ways to cut costs after realizing a deal was not going to be made, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports (on Twitter). Miami got beneath the tax threshold and the specter of repeat-offender penalties with its moves today.

Latest On Dwight Howard

February 18th, 2016 at 1:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:57pm: Howard will stay with the Rockets, ending weeks of speculation of him getting traded, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

11:07am: There is a strong belief from Howard’s camp that he will not be traded before today’s deadline, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports.

7:44am: The Rockets and agent Dan Fegan are hard at work to find a new team for Dwight Howard, reports Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Houston is prioritizing its pursuit of a Howard trade over serious talks with the Jazz on a Ty Lawson/Trey Burke swap, though no favorite to acquire Howard has emerged, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Most executives from teams aside from the Rockets were saying as of Wednesday that a deal involving Howard was unlikely, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Houston turned down an offer of Al Jefferson and Spencer Hawes from the Hornets, league sources tell Isola, and little chance exists of those teams doing a Howard deal unless Houston’s demands come down markedly, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer hears (Twitter links). The Rockets called the Cavs to offer Howard, but Cleveland didn’t bite, according to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops (on Twitter).

The Celtics, Heat, Hawks and Raptors have also reportedly spoken with the Rockets about Howard, at least on a cursory level, though Houston has apparently been underwhelmed with the proposals it’s hearing. One GM told TNT’s David Aldridge he doesn’t think the Rockets want to end up with Howard still on the roster after the 2pm Central time deadline (Twitter link), which suggests Houston will bring its asking price in line with the market.

Salary concerns complicate any Howard trade. He’s making more than $22.359MM this season, but a 15% trade kicker in Howard’s contract means teams would have to match salaries based on a $22,970,500 figure for him. The Rockets are also less than $1MM shy of a hard cap of $88.74MM, so they have sharply limited flexibility. The Rockets and others expect Howard to turn down his more than $23.282MM player option and hit free agency this summer.

Atlantic Notes: Teague, Schröder, Embiid, Knicks

February 17th, 2016 at 11:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers may plan a last-second attempt to acquire Jeff Teague or Dennis Schröder from the Hawks, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. A source told Pompey that Philadelphia front office could make an “11th-hour” call to the Hawks on Thursday to remind them of the Sixers’ interest. Pompey cautions that it will probably take Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel to get either of the point guards, and Philly’s front office would rather keep both until it knows the status of 2014 draftee Joel Embiid, who has yet to play an NBA game. However, a report emerged tonight that the Sixers are “gauging interest” in Okafor. “I think you always have to be aware of what the market is for acquiring something or considering a trade,” said chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo. “But we are not actively looking to do deals.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Embiid has traveled to Qatar for “a kick-start to the next phase” of his rehab process, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media. He is working on his surgically repaired foot with doctors at Aspetar, which calls itself “the world’s leading specialized orthopedic and sports medicine hospital.” Embiid’s visit will include evaluation, consultation and meetings with specialists.
Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis was happy to be called “untouchable” in trade talks by team president Phil Jackson, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork. Porzingis said he would like to remain in New York for his entire career.
Interim coach Kurt Rambis said the Knicks front office hasn’t asked his opinion on any possible deals Begley also relays (Twitter link).
The Nets won’t rush to make a deal before the deadline, owner Mikhail Prokhorov said, as NetsDaily notes. “If we have some small, good pieces, maybe we can do something,” Prokhorov said. “But we are [being] very passive because we’re not in a hurry. We have a long-term vision.”
The Rockets asked for Jonas Valanciunas when they unsuccessfully approached the Raptors about a Dwight Howard trade, according to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. Such a deal would have required Toronto to relinquish much more to make the salaries match.
The Celtics would give up more for Kevin Love than they would for Al Horford, but the Cavs and Hawks are expected to continue to demand more than Boston is willing to relinquish for either, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.