Dwight Howard Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Howard, Mavericks, Lakers

August 18th, 2012 at 7:43pm CST by Sean Highkin

Dwight Howard has been a Laker for just over a week, and all signs point to him staying in Los Angeles long-term. However, that has not put an end to the speculation that he may consider signing elsewhere next summer. Here's an update on Howard's situation as well as other notes concerning the Lakers and Mavs:

Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW takes a look at the Mavs' case to lure Howard away from Los Angeles, noting that acquiring Howard in a trade will be difficult now that he is a Laker but pointing out that Dallas will have the cap room to offer him a max deal next summer.
Sefko has a separate look at some of the other options the Mavs will have next summer during free agency.
Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times praises the Lakers' acquisitions of Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison.

The Rockets’ Offer For Dwight Howard

August 15th, 2012 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Magic and three other teams finalized the deal that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, many writers and fans questioned Orlando's haul, wondering aloud if the Magic couldn't have landed more from another club. In his latest piece for SI.com Sam Amick takes an in-depth look at Rob Hennigan and his first big move as Orlando's general manager, exploring offers for Howard from the Nets and Rockets.

While the Nets' proposal has previously surfaced (Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and either three or four first-round picks), there have been conflicting reports on what Houston offered for the star center. Amick's piece doesn't entirely clear up the confusion, but it does provide some clarity. Here are the details of the Rockets' offer as reported to the SI.com scribe:

The Rockets were only offering two first-round picks. However, from Houston's perspective, those selections were more valuable than any that other Howard suitors were offering the Magic. One of the picks was from Toronto, with protection that all but guarantees it will be a lottery pick, while another was from Dallas, and has a chance to be entirely unprotected by 2018.
Houston was also open to adding a third pick "if it got the deal done," Amick hears.
According to Magic sources, Jeremy Lamb was the only one of the Rockets' three 2012 first-rounders available, and even he was taken off the table after a strong Summer League showing. However, Rockets sources tell Amick that the Magic were told they could have one, or possibly two, prospects from a group that included Lamb, Terrence Jones, Royce White, Patrick Patterson, Marcus Morris, and Donatas Motiejunas.
Kevin Martin and his $12MM+ expiring contract were necessary in the deal for salary-matching purposes. The Rockets also offered players that the Magic had little interest in, such as Gary Forbes and Jon Brockman.
Houston offered "significant cap relief… but never in the form that the Magic wanted," says Amick. I won't try to guess exactly what that means, but given their cap situation, the Rockets would only have been able to take on some of Orlando's undesirable contracts, rather than all of them.

Odds & Ends: Iguodala, Smith, Gunning, Moser

August 14th, 2012 at 10:28pm CST by Alex Lee

To get an idea of the size and signficance of last week's blockbuster, consider the notion that Andre Iguodala heading to the Nuggets was probably the least publicized leg of the deal. Iguodala was not only an All-Star last season, but he was one of 12 members of a Team USA that has been fawned over by sports fans around the globe for the past month. According to Aaron Lopez of Nuggets.com, some of Iguodala's post-trade quotes were misconstrued and the veteran wing is, in fact, very excited to join what should be an ultra-athletic team in Denver. Let's round up some of the other links and happenings from around the Association on this Tuesday night:

New Celtics sixth man Jason Terry spoke with Molly McGrath from Celtics.com and stated Boston's case for legitimate title contention in the 2012-13 season. Greg Payne from ESPN Boston transcribed the interview.
Mark Medina from the L.A. Times spoke with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who sees a lot of similarities between his situation with the Lakers in 1975 and the one Dwight Howard is about to enter.
Power forward Craig Smith, who saw less than 10 minutes per game with the Blazers last year, explained to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com why he passed up NBA offers to play in Israel in the upcoming season. Smith was tired of being an NBA "roster filler" and was willing to take less money for an opportunity to show what he can do with consistent playing time.
The Magic have hired Brett Gunning as an assistant coach, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Gunning, who spent the last four seasons in various roles in the Rockets organization, will join first-time head coach Jacque Vaughn on the Orlando bench.
According to UNLV head coach Dave Rice, Rebels swingman Mike Moser is preparing for what will likely be his last season in Las Vegas, reports Mike Youmans at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Moser is a rising junior, but Rice says he essentially considers him a senior. Moser averaged 14 points and more than 10 rebounds as a sophomore last season for the Rebels and briefly flirted with the 2012 draft. He projects as a late first-round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Tom Moore of Phillyburbs.com writes that the Sixers, a franchise that has historically gotten burned in trades involving superstars, finally got the best player in a mega-deal in Andrew Bynum. Moore is only referring to what the team directly gave up and received, which eliminates Dwight Howard from consideration.

Daryl Morey Talks Dwight Howard, Roster Moves

August 14th, 2012 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

For much of the offseason, it seemed that the Rockets were in the driver's seat to land Dwight Howard, armed with a handful of recent first-round picks, a few future first-rounders, and the cap space to absorb plenty of bad contracts from the Magic. But even after the Nets fell out of the running for Howard, it was the Lakers, not the Rockets that landed the All-Star center. Rockets GM Daryl Morey recently appeared on KBME in Houston and spoke to Matt Jackson about the Howard deal and the Rockets' own roster as the 2012/13 season approaches. Here are a few highlights, courtesy of Sports Radio Interviews:

On whether he felt the Rockets were close to acquiring Howard:

"I do, yeah. I do feel like it was close but they did their diligence and they were searching for something they thought they liked even more and they liked this trade better than anything we could offer. I promise you [Magic GM] Rob [Hennigan] knows what he’s doing and he thought this was best for Orlando and I think people will see over time that he’s a very good executive."

On Hennigan's suggestion that Houston's offer sheets for Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik made a Howard deal trickier:

"I haven’t seen Rob’s comments. I think those deals were done for a while now, so that would surprise me, but really the only opinion that matters is Rob’s. If he felt like that made it difficult, then it was difficult, right? At the end of the day, he has the player that he was trading that everyone wanted and there are a whole host of things that either made it positive or more difficult for them and how they value things."

On whether there are more moves coming before the offseason is over*:

“I think there’s a couple of free agents that we’re talking to and I don’t know if anything will work out but we’re very comfortable with what we have and rolling into training camp with that. We think it will be a team that can fight for a playoff spot but we’re always aggressive to try to do more and I think people know that. If something comes along we will do it, but really the reason why we’re comfortable with where we are at is if you look from one to 15, up and down the roster, it’s either a player who has got upside, who gives us flexibility to have cap room or we have the ability to, with the draft picks we picked up from Toronto and Dallas and those teams, the ability to trade for something. But we’re going to be patient and it takes two to tango. It’s gotta be where what we have is a fit with other teams."

* Morey's comments were made before news of the team's agreement with Carlos Delfino broke.

Ferry On Hawks, Howard, Johnson, Free Agents

August 13th, 2012 at 6:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

New Hawks GM Danny Ferry recently spoke to Charles Bethea of Grantland and held forth on several topics, including the Dwight Howard trade. Ferry says he never got close to a deal for the superstar big man because Magic were unwilling to trade him within the Southeast Division, though Zach Lowe of SI.com tweets that it isn't necessarily true. The entire Q-and-A is worth a read, but we'll run down a few highlights here:

On joining the Hawks and his relationship with co-owner Bruce Levenson:

I looked at it as a challenge. But once I spent time with ownership, with Bruce, specifically — a lot of time, a lot of deep questioning and thoughts back and forth — I got the sense that: One, he was committed to do this right. And he understands that things needed to change, on his behalf, and on ownership’s behalf, to help make that happen. There was a sense of humility from him: that we can do better than what we’ve done. And I felt like he was gonna empower someone to come in and do that. On top of that, I like the man: He seemed like a pretty good guy. Him being from the D.C. area, me being from the D.C. area. From a background standpoint everything was really positive.

On trading Joe Johnson to the Nets:

"We started talking about it June 26th, and we agreed on things July 3rd. I think it was a win-win for both teams. They got a good player who’d help keep around Deron Williams. It was a hard deal for us. But, at the end, we had a good making-the-playoff run, but we hadn’t had a good playoff run, if that makes sense. And the goal is to have a good playoff run. That was going to be hard to sustain, with how we were set up."

On the ability to attract Howard and other stars scheduled to hit free agency soon:

"I can’t talk specifically about Dwight Howard, with him being a free agent next year, for one. And two, who’s to say he won’t (come here)? But it’s a hard thing to get players to leave where they are, more than anything else. This is a place guys like to play. You see them settle in the offseason here. If we start doing things in an even better way, build a better program and a better model here, then it will be more attractive. We have to make an investment in the team infrastructure."

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Thunder, Wayns

August 12th, 2012 at 10:21pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:

Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida says the newly-retooled Lakers could pose a significant threat to the defending champion Heat.
The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry writes that the Lakers' acquisition of Dwight Howard is only the latest reminder that big-market teams have significant advantages over small-market teams, even contenders such as the Thunder.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio is impressed with Sixers guard Maalik Wayns, who went undrafted in June's draft.

Kennedy On Brown, Lakers, 2014 Free Agent Class

August 12th, 2012 at 7:47pm CST by Sean Highkin

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld has weighed in today on several relevant NBA topics, including the expectations placed on the Lakers and their options in free agency in coming years:

Kennedy tweets that Mike Brown will likely receive the majority of blame if the Lakers fall short of their championship aspirations following the additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard this offseason.
Kennedy also tweets that he would be surprised if Howard did not re-sign with the Lakers when he hits free agency in July 2013.
In a Sulia post, Kennedy takes a look at the 2014 free agent class, some of which could be options for the Lakers. Top players available include Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Danny Granger, and, should they choose to opt out of their contracts in Miami, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
In the same post, Kennedy quotes an anonymous NBA executive as believing the 2014 class has the potential to be more impressive than that of 2010.

Winderman On Camby, Rebounding, Cuban

August 12th, 2012 at 10:16am CST by Daniel Seco

The Heat made a series of moves this offseason that will make their title defense more of a palatable endeavor when the 2012/13 season begins this fall. While the Heat should have minimal trouble returning to the NBA Finals, barring injury, the true test will be the presumed showdown with the Lakers in June, who appear to be favorites in the West thanks to their acquisition of Dwight Howard. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel examines a potential Finals matchup between Los Angeles and Miami…

Winderman says the Heat wouldn't have pursued a big like Marcus Camby even if the trade for Howard took place earlier in the summer. The difference between Andrew Bynum and Howard on the offensive end of things isn't as much as people give Superman credit for as he heads West. The biggest issue in a Finals matchup would be the Lakers' ability to stop LeBron James.
The notion that the Lakers have more size than the Heat and therefore will win the battle of the boards doesn't ring true for Winderman. He says the Heat have the ability to put a big lineup on the court with Chris Bosh playing center and James at power forward. The issue for the Heat, however, may be their lack of brawn as compared to the Lakers.
Look for Mavs owner Mark Cuban to make some sort of public comment about the rich getting richer with regard to the Lakers acquiring Howard, says Winderman.

Trade Notes: Howard, Sixers, Picks, Iguodala

August 11th, 2012 at 5:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The four-team Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum trade continues to have reverberations around the league, as teams and players begin to figure out what happens next. Though it's no surprise, Howard remains unwilling to commit to an extension with the Lakers, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein says Howard wants to see how it goes with L.A. first, and says the Mavericks and Hawks would be fallbacks if Howard doesn't warm to the purple and gold. Here's more on the players and teams involved in the wake of the mega-deal:

Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops analyzes the Sixers' offseason as the team made a series of moves and signings this summer beyond acquiring Bynum from the Lakers.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has more on the conditions of the draft picks going from the Lakers and Sixers to the Magic, and our post rounding up the deal has been updated to reflect the latest details.
Robbins adds, via Twitter, that the Nets were offering three first-round picks in their offer to the Magic last month, instead of four as we heard previously. The picks would likely have been in the high to mid-20s, Robbins says.

Earlier updates:

Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post asked Andre Iguodala if he was pleased about joining the Nuggets, and Kiszla didn't sense much enthusiasm from Iguodala's remarks. "I'm happy to play basketball," the Team USA swingman said. "I don't care if I was playing in Alaska." Iguodala has an early termination option for 2013/14.
Bynum's agent David Lee says his client is excited to be close to his native New Jersey, though no talks about an extension with the Sixers have begun, as Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld writes. Koutroupis identifies the Hawks, Mavericks and Rockets as teams that could have the cap space and interest to sign Bynum if he tests free agency next summer.
Magic officials never filed charges with the league stemming from their suspicion that the Nets had illegal contact with Howard this past December, but the hard feelings proved an obstacle in trade negotiations between the teams, a source told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

Odds & Ends: Kobe, Thibodeau, Suns, Sixers

August 10th, 2012 at 10:59pm CST by Alex Lee

With every NBA reporter alive seemingly grabbing each player, coach or executive they can get their hands on and asking them about the Dwight Howard trade, Kobe Bryant actually offered some helpful and interesting insight. Bryant, soon to be 34, said that he will probably play "two, three more years" with the Lakers and once he is done "the team is his," undoubtedly referring to Howard (via Sean Deveney on Twitter). While hardly definitive, it's notable that Bryant has a retirement time in mind. As the reactions, analysis and quotes regarding the big trade pour in, lets look at them as well as some of the other stuff going on in the NBA:

Per ESPN Chicago, Doc Rivers said today that he is pulling for his former assistant and now successful Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau to receive a lucrative contract extension from the team. Although "Thibs" has been relatively quiet regarding the contract situation, Rivers said he knows from experience that coaching on a one-year deal can be tough.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic takes a look at what options the Suns have for their final roster spot, which will likely go to a center. While Coro puts together a sizeable list, the pickings are pretty slim.
Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com takes an inside look at how the Andrew Bynum deal came to fruition for the 76ers, who got involved in the talks with a phone call to Orlando about the availability of Howard. Moore also clarifies, via Twitter, that Philadelphia owes the Heat a first round pick from a draft day trade before they can send one to Orlando. Both future picks are lottery protected.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel says that Magic fans shouldn't be piling on new general manager Rob Hennigan for the final outcome of the Howard situation. Schmitz says the ire of the Magic faithful should be rightfully pointed towards Howard for creating the situation in the first place.
Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets gives his take on where the Rockets went wrong in their D12 pursuit, and where the franchise should go from here.