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Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday

July 18th, 2012 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

A morning report yesterday suggested that the Lakers were "pushing hard" for Dwight Howard, but nothing seemed to come of it, as follow-up reports indicated that the two teams had been talking for weeks without making a ton of progress. With a few months before the season begins, the Magic don't seem to be in any hurry to move Howard, but the rumors keep trickling in. Here's Wednesday's latest:

The Cavaliers have inched back ahead of the Rockets as the potential facilitator for a Magic/Lakers deal, according to ESPN.com's Ric Bucher. Bucher says the Cavs are discussing a three-way trade that would see them land Andrew Bynum for a package that includes draft picks and Anderson Varejao. However, nothing is close.

Earlier updates:

The Lakers have no interest in taking on Hedo Turkoglu in a deal for Howard, but could be open to taking on Jason Richardson's contract, says Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
There was no face-to-face meeting between Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and Magic GM Rob Hennigan yesterday to discuss Howard, according to Ramona Shelburne and Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
While the Cavaliers and Rockets have been involved in trade talks as a potential third-team facilitator, the most substantial talks have been directly between the Lakers and Magic.
Although Howard will still not commit to signing an extension in Los Angeles, the team is willing to continue its pursuit of him without any assurances. It's not clear if the Magic feel the same way about Andrew Bynum, however.
The Lakers have been "resistant" to the idea of taking on any bad contracts from Orlando, especially since signing Steve Nash to an expensive three-year deal.
The latest round of Howard discussions "is starting to hamstring business around the league," and there's a belief that the Lakers or one of the other Howard suitors could pull out of talks at some point this week to focus on other moves, like the Nets did.
If the Lakers back off of Howard, they'd turn their attention to re-signing Jordan Hill and extending Bynum.

Rockets Reconstruct Trade Offer For Howard

July 13th, 2012 at 11:35am CST by Luke Adams

11:35am: Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets that he doesn't believe last year's rookies (Morris, Parsons) and this year's three draftees (Lamb, White, Jones) are all a part of the Rockets' offer, but that many of them could be involved.

7:43am: In an effort to convince the Magic to deal Dwight Howard directly to Houston, the Rockets are in the process of reconstructing their trade proposal for the star center, according to an ESPN.com report by Marc Stein and Chad Ford. Stein and Ford write that the Rockets are looking to clear the necessary cap space to absorb at least three additional contracts in addition to Howard's, from a group that includes Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Duhon, Glen Davis, and Jason Richardson.

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

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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Dwight Howard Rumors: Thursday

July 5th, 2012 at 3:13pm CST by Luke Adams

3:13pm: One league executive tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that, with Nash on board, the Lakers may not need assurances that Howard will sign long-term to acquire him. Wojnarowski adds that, while Kobe Bryant won't actively try to recruit Howard, sources says Kobe would welcome Dwight as a teammate.

Wojnarowski also says the Nets are "working relentlessly" on a trade for Howard, but that the Magic's preferred target remains Andrew Bynum.

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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Michael Beasley Drawing Significant Interest

March 14th, 2012 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have been linked to Michael Beasley multiple times in recent weeks, reportedly having turned down an offer that would've had them giving up a first-round pick. Los Angeles isn't the only team going after Beasley though. According to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, the Magic, Rockets, and a few other teams are still in the mix.

The Timberwolves had been looking to move Beasley, who isn't in the team's long-term plans, for just a draft pick. Ingram says, however, that the increased interest in the former second overall pick means Minnesota could acquire a piece that would help the team remain in playoff contention this season. The T-Wolves are currently a game behind Houston for eighth place in the West, though Ricky Rubio's season-ending ACL injury has put a damper on this season's optimism.

The Magic offered Jason Richardson for Beasley, according to Ingram. As glaring a need as a two guard is for the Wolves, I'd imagine they'd be a little apprehensive about taking on Richardson — the 31-year-old is averaging a career-low 12.2 PPG and has three years and $18MM+ remaining on his deal after this season.

The Nets and Celtics also are thought to have some interest in Beasley.

Timberwolves Targeting Richardson

March 13th, 2012 at 8:46pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jarred Rudolph of RealGM says that according to league sources, the Magic are having discussions with the Timberwolves regarding shooting guard Jason Richardson. (Twitter link)

After being drafted by the Warriors and playing in Oakland for six years, Richardson had stints in Charlotte and Phoenix before being included in the blockbuster deal that sent reunited him with Gilbert Arenas in Orlando.

Richardson had signed a four-year deal worth approximately $25MM with the Magic during the offseason.

Odds & Ends: Richardson, Favors, Novak, Nocioni

February 21st, 2012 at 9:10pm CST by Michael Pina

After missing Monday night's game against the Bucks with chest pains, Magic guard Jason Richardson says he could be seeking a second opinion on what hopefully isn't too serious of an injury, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.

Here are a few other notes from around the league:

Jeremy Lin's been the at the center of the world these last couple of weeks, but the Knicks have seen other unlikely contributions throughout their roster. Most notably from fellow journeyman Steve Novak. The two played alongside one another in the D-league last February and the results were fantastic, writes Mark Viera of The New York Times.
The league has announced that due to Spurs center Tiago Splitter's right calf strain, Jazz forward Derrick Favors will replace him in this weekend's Rising Stars Challenge.
With Elton Brand held out of tonight's game against Memphis with a sprained right thumb, Sixers coach Doug Collins chose to name the seldom used Andres Nocioni his starting power forward. With Philadelphia's bench and depth serving as their main advantage throughout this shortened season, the decision to start Nocioni over Thaddeus Young shows Philadelphia's need to keep their rotation as normal as possible. Brand will be out through the All-Star break.

Odds & Ends: Hornets, Clippers, Knicks, Magic

February 12th, 2012 at 7:14pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

The New Orleans Hornets are dropping like flies, reports John Reid of the Times Picayune. Chris Kaman is the latest casualty with a mysterious ankle injury. These injuries could hurt trade value for a Hornets team that needs as many assets as possible. Some other news around the NBA:

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles reports the Los Angeles Clippers are pursuing J.R. Smith. Their sales pitch includes Chauncey Billups vacated starting slot, a chance to showcase his game on a contending team, and his familiarity with Chris Paul–and their shared agent, Leon Rose.
Also pursuing Smith, according to the same report, is Carmelo Anthony. The New York Knicks have slightly more money to offer with the prorated $2.5MM mini-mid-level exception, and Leon Rose likewise represents Anthony.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel wonders if Jason Richardson can be a reliable go-to guy after a breakout game against the Milwaukee Bucks. If so, it would relieve a lot of the pressure for an immediate roster overhaul for general manager Otis Smith and the Orlando Magic.
Naturally after watching Richardson's performance over the Bucks comes reports from Schmitz that a disgruntled Dwight Howard would like to see the ball more in the fourth quarter.