Dwight Howard Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic, Warriors, Hornets Discussing Ellis Deal

March 12th, 2012 at 6:13pm CST by Luke Adams

6:13pm: According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Golden State has moved away from talks of a three-team deal that would send Monta Ellis to Orlando. In a tweet, Stein says the Warriors are far more interested in assembling a package to offer Milwaukee for Andrew Bogut. Stein went on to say that the Warriors would be unwilling to part with Ellis, even if it meant getting rid of Andris Biedrins' contract, one of the worst in the league. According to an ESPN report by both Stein and Chris Broussard, the Magic will continue to spend the next 48 hours seeking various options on how they can add an enticing player to keep Dwight Howard happy. If they can't make a splash, they'll then spend the last 24 hours before the deadline looking at all their trade options.

1:57pm: The Magic, Hornets, and Warriors are discussing a three-way trade that would send Monta Ellis to Orlando, multiple league sources tell Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com. According to Rudolph, Warriors players being discussed include Ellis, Andris Biedrins, and Dorell Wright, while Magic players mentioned include Ryan Anderson, J.J. Redick, Hedo Turkoglu, Quentin Richardson, and Daniel Orton. Taking into account the Warriors' reported interest in Chris Kaman, the Hornets' involvement likely means Kaman would be going to Golden State if a deal was reached.

Although nothing is imminent, talks are ongoing, says Rudolph. I'd be surprised to see the three clubs work out an agreement, given all the moving parts involved, not to mention the presence of the league-owned Hornets — with David Stern still acting as the team's de facto owner, he'll have the opportunity to turn down any trade he doesn't feel benefits the team.

Reports in recent weeks have also indicated that the Warriors aren't looking to move Ellis unless they can acquire Dwight Howard. So it would be unexpected to see them move the Western Conference player of the week to Orlando for non-Howard assets. As Sam Amick of SI.com tweets, Joe Lacob seems unlikely to help the Magic keep Howard, since the Warriors owner covets the star center himself.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Monday

March 12th, 2012 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

It may seem like we're only a few days away from getting closure on the Dwight Howard saga, but as Magic coach Stan Van Gundy points out, only one scenario results in real closure for the Magic.

"There's closure, I guess, if he goes," Van Gundy said (via Tim Bontemps of the New York Post). "If he stays [past Thursday], it just starts all over again. You just start the clock again. Then we're right back to where we were when the playoffs ended last year. Everybody will be talking about, 'OK, what's going to happen in the summer? And what's going to happen next year?'"

Still, Thursday should provide at least some hint of what Howard's future holds, and Van Gundy doesn't expect resolution before deadline day. Here are today's updates on Howard, with the latest up top:

The Nets aren't content to sit back and wait for Howard to come to them via free agency — New Jersey would give up assets at the deadline to ensure they land the big man, tweets Kyler. Kyler hears from Nets sources that the team's offer is better than Magic sources are claiming (Twitter link).
If he's going to change teams, Howard prefers free agency because he doesn't want a club to gut its roster to acquire him. And if he's a free agent, Howard's three-team list "goes out the window," according to SI.com's Chris Mannix (Twitter links). Mannix identifies the Clippers and Heat as two teams that would interest Howard in free agency, though there'd be cap obstacles in each case (Twitter link).
Mannix has been told "unequivocally" that Howard isn't interested in signing with the Bulls (Twitter link).
Magic fans may prefer a trade now rather than losing Howard for nothing this summer, but Orlando is receiving mostly lowball offers, reports Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Teams on Howard's list know he'll test free agency this summer anyway, while teams not on his list aren't inclined to give up a lot for a potential rental.
As Ken Berger of CBS Sports wrote last night, the Bulls are a preferred trade partner for the Magic. However, Chicago won't pursue Howard without assurances he'd re-sign, and Howard seems reluctant to add the Bulls to his list of desired destinations. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says Howard would be Derrick Rose's sidekick, rather than the face of the franchise, in Chicago, an idea that doesn't appeal to D12 (Twitter links).
Magic sources still say they're not expecting a Howard trade, Kennedy adds in a separate tweet.
In their frequent meetings with Howard, the Magic aren't necessarily trying to convince him to sign in Orlando long-term, says ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (video link). The Magic would be happy if Dwight agreed not to opt out of the final year of his contract — that would give Orlando more time and assets to try to bring in help around Howard next season.
Broussard adds that he still believes the Nets are the most likely destination if Howard is traded this week.

Bulls, Dwight Howard An Unlikely Match

March 11th, 2012 at 8:03pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

Part of the problem trading Dwight Howard is that the Orlando Magic remain largely underwhelmed with the trade offers presented by the teams on the list of Howard's preferred destinations. The Magic should be seeking a deal not unlike the ones made for Carmelo Anthony or Derron Williams a season ago. Howard is a far more impactful player than both Anthony and Williams so its understandable the Magic have a pretty high ceiling for where the market is set.

It's also understandable that, after watching the Knicks and Nets gut their respective teams, the team receiving Howard would want a long-term commitment. The problem is the teams Howard has said he would be willing to commit to do not have the assets to make the deal.

Ken Berger of CBS Sports reports that the Magic's preferred trade partner remains the Chicago Bulls. The deal listed by Berger would send a combinatino of Omer Asik, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, and the Charlotte Bobcats lottery-protected-through-2016 first round draft pick for Howard and Hedo Turkoglu.

A Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard pairing could make the Bulls and even more formidable duo than the Miami Heat's LeBron James and Dwyane Wade but there are several reasons preventing the Bulls and Dwight Howard from happening.

The first, as Berger points out, is that the Bulls are doing just fine without Howard and would never risk that without a long-term commitment.

The second: why would the Magic make that deal? Deng, Boozer, and Asik are all above average players. Boozer is a very good post option against certain matchups, Deng can provide a little bit of everything at a better than average level for 35-plus minutes a night, and Asik is one of the most underrated defensive players in the NBA.

But such a deal still leaves the Magic with many of the same problems, most notably lacking a perimeter player that can create shots for himself and others. Furthermore, Boozer and Deng have reached the extent of their talents and Asik is likely not too far from the ceiling of his.

Odds & Ends: Dwight Howard, Clippers, Jeremy Lin

March 11th, 2012 at 6:48pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

With so much of the trade deadline activity hinging on what happens with the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard, Magic CEO Alex Martins says the team has yet to make a decision on him, reports the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins.

The Magic are taking a huge gamble on a player worth taking such a gamble on. Robbins writes that a strong possibility is Howard opting out of his contract and exploring free agency while keeping the Orlando Magic at the negotiating table with an opportunity to re-sign their franchise player.

One reason why this is dragging on so long is the notion that Howard himself seems unsure of what he wants. And on that note, a quick thought: With lessons learned from the LeBron James fallout, if Howard had made up his mind definitively about where he would like to play next year, chances are he would not string the Magic along, or else he risks alienating himself to fans as James did.

Some other notes around the league:

The Los Angeles Clippers are still exploring trade options to replace the injured Chauncey Billups at shooting guard reports ESPN LA's Ramona Shelburne. So far the Clippers have been reluctant to part with backup point guard Eric Bledsoe, whose trade value might rise in the offseason with a draft lacking quality point guard talent.
The New York Knicks are reeling, but head coach Mike D'Antoni still supports point guard Jeremy Lin, writes ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling. D'Antoni is correct in stating Lin needs to play a very specific way, with plenty of spacing and energy from his teammates.
The Knicks have some offseason decisions to make, one of which may be on the future of D'Antoni himself. But the crux of the matter is whether they want to build their offense around the pick and roll heavy talents of Lin, or the stagnant isolation ball Carmelo Anthony has played his entire career.
Jason Fleming of Hoops World provides five steps for fixing the Portland Trail Blazers.

Ganter On Howard, Smith, Rondo

March 9th, 2012 at 8:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun conducted an in-house interview of fellow writer Mike Ganter, who held forth on a number of trade-related topics. (Video link) Here's what Ganter is hearing as the deadline draws near:

Ganter believes there's no way the Magic can get fair value for Dwight Howard, and predicts they'll hold on to the big man at the deadline.
Josh Smith tops the list of stars likely to be dealt. Smith has wanted out of Atlanta for a while, and is irked the Hawks didn't do more to promote his case to make the All-Star team this year.
What the Nuggets got in the Carmelo Anthony was a "once in a lifetime" haul, and teams shouldn't expect to approach that as they look to unload superstars.
The Celtics may break up their team, but don't expect Rajon Rondo to be going anywhere.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday

March 9th, 2012 at 6:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com wrote last night that the Magic would seek a Carmelo Anthony-esque haul if they decided to trade Dwight Howard. The teams on Howard's list of preferred destinations may have difficulty putting together such a package, but plenty of other clubs, such as the Hawks, Warriors, and Rockets, are still in the hunt. We'll follow today's Howard rumblings right here, with the latest updates at the top of the page:

The Magic leaked the Thunder's interest in Howard just to let other teams know that a price similar to the package of James Harden and Serge Ibaka is what Orlando is looking for, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets that the Magic executives are not at odds over Brook Lopez, who is in the discussion because the Nets are Howard's favored destination. Question remains, however, about whether team CEO Alex Martins or GM Otis Smith has final say on a deal.
Robbins also tweets that the only way Howard would agree to a sign-and-trade is if the team he wants to go to does not have enough cap space for him.
Sam Amick of SI.com shares some Howard updates in his latest column, noting that the Bulls have been "quietly deliberating" a play for D12 all season, but won't pursue him without assurances he'd remain in Chicago. Amick also hears that Magic GM Otis Smith isn't seriously interested in anyone the Warriors could offer for Howard.
Howard's list of teams is becoming somewhat irrelevant at this point, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. If the Magic get a serious offer from a team besides the Mavericks, Lakers, or Nets, they're just as likely to pull the trigger as they would be with one of those clubs.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel can't see any sort of trade with the Hawks working. He doesn't think Howard would re-sign in Atlanta if dealt there, and he doesn't think the Magic could acquire Josh Smith without giving up Howard — even if they could, he's not sure the presence of Smith convinces D12 to stay in Orlando (Twitter links).
Brian Schmitz of the Sentinel (Twitter link) also doesn't see the Hawks as a fit for Howard, saying the hometown team "offers no allure" for the Atlanta native. He adds that the Magic want Kyle Lowry from the Rockets in any Howard deal.
The Magic talked to the Thunder about Howard, but Oklahoma City balked at giving up James Harden and Serge Ibaka, reports Schmitz (via Twitter). While that's entirely understandable, the idea of Howard playing with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, even if it's just for two months, is pretty fun, isn't it?
It was reported yesterday that Otis Smith has talked to "all 29 teams" about Howard, but Schmitz tweets that only six to eight are serious — the other GMs just want to tell their owners they've called.

Stein’s Latest: Howard, Turkoglu, Pacers, Kaman

March 9th, 2012 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

This week's installment of Marc Stein's Weekend Dime is up at ESPN.com, so let's dive in and check out Stein's latest rumors….

Amidst talk of a quiet trade deadline, Stein says similar pessimism has preceded flurries of deals in the past. However, there's a league-wide expectation that Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Rajon Rondo will stay put.
The Magic continue to pursue non-Howard deals, bringing up Hedo Turkoglu's name frequently. One front office source tells Stein that a team would have to received at least two future first-round picks to take on Turkoglu's contract.
Meanwhile, a Western Conference exec says he doesn't expect Orlando to even consider shopping Howard until deadline day. While that may seem a little too last-minute, the Magic are already aware of most of their trade options, meaning a deal could be worked out quickly, a source tells Stein.
Teams around the league seem to be valuing first-round picks more than ever, particularly 2012 selections, since this year's draft class is expected to be a deep one. A club with cap space like the Pacers could acquire players without sending out any salaries, but Indiana is extremely reluctant to part with its future first-rounders in any such deal.
It still appears that David Stern and the NBA-owned Hornets have no interest in buying out Chris Kaman's contract if the big man isn't traded. If Kaman was bought out and signed with a team like the Heat, he could impact the NBA Finals and further deplete the Chris Paul haul for the Hornets, neither of which would look great for the league.
There has been speculation that the Mavericks could be interested in Kaman in a deal involving Lamar Odom, but Stein says not to expect such a move, noting that Mark Cuban is committed to riding out the season with Odom.
As I speculated earlier, the Wizards are considering moving JaVale McGee on the condition that Andray Blatche is included in the deal as well. While both players have a ton of upside, the pair wouldn't exactly improve any team's chemistry.

Spears On Howard, Bynum, Lowry, Gasol

March 9th, 2012 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

A number of NBA executives are predicting a relatively uneventful trade deadline, and the ones who have spoken to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports echo that sentiment, calling this the quietest deadline in years.

"I'd be surprised if we see a lot of deals," one Western Conference exec told Spears. "In a short season, you can survive another 30 games and start talking trade to teams during the draft lottery."

While we may not see a blockbuster deal by next Thursday, there are still plenty of major trade possibilities out there, and Spears has updates on a few of the bigger names:

The Dwight Howard sweepstakes continue to hold up other trades around the league, as one GM tells Spears: "Everyone has crazy ideas here and there. But teams are reluctant to make a trade until something happens [with Howard]."
The Lakers aren't interested in trading Andrew Bynum unless it nets them Howard.
With the Rockets still unwilling to include Kyle Lowry in a deal for Pau Gasol, Houston would probably need to recruit a third team to send Los Angeles a point guard if they hope to acquire the Spaniard.
No changes on these fronts: The Celtics won't move Rajon Rondo unless they get a star in return, the Suns will only trade Steve Nash if he asks for it, and the Warriors prefer to deal Monta Ellis only if they can acquire Howard.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Thursday

March 8th, 2012 at 11:33pm CST by Luke Adams

In their respective trade-rumor columns for ESPN.com and CBSSports.com, Chad Ford and Ken Berger both talked Dwight Howard today. Ford noted that the Magic still aren't looking to field offers for Howard (though he thinks they should), while Berger reports that the Rockets and Warriors maintain interest in acquiring the star center. Here are the rest of today's Howard links:

In a new column posted Thursday night, Berger notes that the Magic are still not hot on the idea of trading Howard, but if they do, they will ask for a substantial return similar to the one Denver received last year for Carmelo Anthony, including multiple young players and draft picks.
Derrick Rose told ESPNChicago.com's Melissa Isaacson that he's grown weary of the Howard-to-the-Bulls speculation, and that he's happy with the team as presently constructed.
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy hears (via Twitter) that the Magic may consider trading Howard to a team willing to take him on as a rental, rather than one of his preferred teams. Kennedy lists the Rockets and Warriors as teams willing to gamble on him, while also mentioning the possibility that one of these teams could trade for him with the promise that he'd exercise his player option for next year, a la Chris Paul with the Clippers.
In a separate Howard-centric column, Berger says rival executives believe the Magic need to seriously consider moving Howard by next Thursday if they don't get a definitive answer on whether he'll remain in Orlando. "I think they've got to trade him," one rival GM said. "It's a hell of a risk if they don't."
Like everyone else, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News hears the Magic continue to tell teams that Howard isn't on the trade block. However, one source suggests to Deveney that perhaps the stance is a bluff to create some leverage.
Asked today about the possibility of playing for the Bulls, Howard wasn't quite as talkative as the last time he answered the question: "Nah, it's pretty cold here," Howard jokingly told reporters in Chicago, including Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
SI.com's Ian Thomsen thinks choosing to re-sign in Orlando could be a great career move for Howard. Former Magic star Tracy McGrady also thinks Howard should stay, as he told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.

Feigen On Rockets’ Deadline Possibilities

March 8th, 2012 at 11:23pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen assesses the state of the Rockets as the deadline approaches:

Head coach Kevin McHale admits that the trade rumors are getting in the heads of players, but notes that it's like that for every team in the league.
In Feigen's estimation, the Rockets are among the teams aiming to bring in an impact player—if not Dwight Howard, then possibly Gerald Wallace or Omer Asik.
Unlike last year, when they had Shane Battier as a trade piece, the Rockets don't have any notable expiring contracts outside of Courtney Lee and Goran Dragic.