Josh Smith Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Rumors: Josh Smith, Lowry, Lucas, Bulls

February 2nd, 2013 at 1:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

It doesn't look like anything will derail a trip to the postseason for the teams currently in the top seven of the Eastern Conference, but with Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger both lost for the year, the Celtics appear more vulnerable than their three-game lead for the eighth spot would suggest. The Sixers, who could get Andrew Bynum back soon, are ninth, and the Pistons and Raptors, a pair of teams that could get a boost from this week's trade, are next in line. Here's more from the East:

Though other reports have contradicted Alex Kennedy's recent dispatch that the Suns have interest in Josh Smith, the HoopsWorld scribe stands by his story, and says the Rockets and Bobcats have had exploratory talks with the Hawks as well (Twitter links).
While Marc Stein of ESPN.com has heard the suggestion that the Raptors might have intended to get rid of Kyle Lowry as well as Jose Calderon, he doesn't see that happening now, especially given the close friendship between Lowry and new acquisiton Rudy Gay.
The Raptors signed John Lucas III last summer with the idea that he would slide into the rotation if a Calderon trade went down, Stein points out. Lucas responded with 17 points in less than 19 minutes during last night's upset of the Clippers.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders about the possibility LeBron James could sign with the Bulls in 2014, when the team is set to have plenty of cap space to accomodate King James and others.
Cowley also notes that Bulls GM Gar Forman is likely to sign free agents primarily to one-year contracts this summer, just as he did in 2012, as last year's free agent tracker shows.
HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham provides an update on Bynum, Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, and other key injured players due back around the All-Star break, speculating that their returns might make it less likely that their teams participate in trade deadline deals.

Kyler On Gay, Magic, Smith

February 2nd, 2013 at 12:39pm CST by Sean Highkin

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com took questions from his followers on his Twitter account on Saturday morning, covering the Raptors' acquisition of Rudy Gay along with other topics.

Until they see how Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan play together, the Raptors plan to keep both on the roster.
Bryan Colangelo's next move should be to get out of Andrea Bargnani's contract, Kyler writes.
The Grizzlies offered Gay to the Magic for J.J. Redick, and were rejected.
The Magic would be willing to trade any player on their roster for the right price, Kyler writes, although they value players like Maurice Harkless very highly.
The Hawks would prefer to keep Josh Smith, but they are exploring their options before the trade deadline.
Kyler thinks everybody on the Mavericks is available at the trade deadline, with the exception of Dirk Nowitzki.
The Celtics are very active in trade talks, but don't have many assets to offer.
Given the Kings' ownership situation, Kyler doubts they move Tyreke Evans or any other player before the deadline.
Kyler doesn't think the Jazz will trade Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson unless they can preserve flexibility.

Amick And Zillgitt On Smith, Gasol, Gay Trade

February 2nd, 2013 at 11:41am CST by Sean Highkin

Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today have posted a new column in which they take turns speculating on which marquee player will be the next to be traded, and also react to the Rudy Gay trade:

Amick writes that it's well-known around the league that Josh Smith is unhappy in Atlanta and that the team is open to trading him. He wants a max deal, and new Hawks GM Danny Ferry wants to take a more financially responsible approach to building his roster.
Zillgitt thinks that, despite reports to the contrary, the Lakers could move Pau Gasol before the deadline. He points to the Celtics as a possible destination, writing that they need size following Jared Sullinger's injury.
Both Amick and Zillgitt think positively of the Raptors' acquisition of Gay. Zillgitt adds that the move was a financially smart move for the Grizzlies, and likes the fit of Tayshaun Prince on their roster. He also praises the acquisition of Jose Calderon for the Pistons.

Stein’s Latest: Gasol, Celtics, Smith, Jazz

February 2nd, 2013 at 8:53am CST by Sean Highkin

ESPN.com's Marc Stein has posted his latest Weekend Dime column, featuring updates on several prominent players whose names have been featured in trade rumors ahead of the February 21 deadline. Here are the highlights of Stein's report:

Stein doesn't believe the Lakers will trade Pau Gasol before the deadline, although the Raptors are making a push to acquire him with a package built around Andrea Bargnani.
Although the Clippers have shown no indication of wanting to trade Eric Bledsoe, a swap of the third-year guard to the Celtics for Paul Pierce could make the most sense for both sides, Stein writes.
Celtics GM Danny Ainge recognizes that Pierce and Kevin Garnett don't have the value that would likely make it worth trading then, so he may instead look to move Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, or Jeff Green to get the team under the luxury tax threshold.
The Hawks have been gauging trade interest in Josh Smith, Stein reports. Although they are very open to moving the forward, there is hesitance because other teams don't want to risk him walking in free agency and Atlanta doesn't want to take on long-term salary.
Executives around the league don't expect the Jazz to trade Al Jefferson, saying they will either move Paul Millsap instead or stand pat.
Given their ownership situation, the Kings will likely not make any moves before the deadline. There has been interest in Tyreke Evans, although DeMarcus Cousins remains untouchable.
The Trail Blazers are not looking to make any moves that will help them in the short term, preferring to preserve their flexibility.
Teams expect the Magic to trade J.J. Redick, but executives tell Stein that GM Rob Hennigan is asking for young talent or draft picks for the veteran sharpshooter.

Eastern Notes: Trade Rumors, Calderon, Bobcats

February 1st, 2013 at 6:24pm CST by Daniel Seco

LeBron James began the month of February by learning he had won Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January. James has earned the honor each month this season. Here's the latest news and stories making headlines around the conference.

With the first major trade in the books, it's time to consider who else will be changing teams before the trade deadline, write Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports. Both writers point to Josh Smith as the top candidate to be moved in the coming weeks.
Pistons GM Joe Dumars says his team would be interested in retaining newly-acquired Jose Calderon's services beyond this season, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. Calderon, 31, will become a free agent this summer.
The Bobcats may enter the summer $20MM under the salary cap and in search of max-level free agents, says Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Look for Charlotte to address depth at the power forward and center positions with its financial flexibility after the season.

Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Love, Pekovic, Amundson

February 1st, 2013 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

On Wednesday, when the Raptors and Grizzlies were on their way to finalizing the Rudy Gay deal, the Pistons, Celtics, and Mavericks were all mentioned as the potential third team involved, with Detroit eventually helping to facilitate the trade. According to Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com, the Timberwolves were never in the mix as the potential third team in the trade, but the Hawks were in play. Here's more from Wolfson on the T-Wolves:

While club president David Kahn recently called Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love "untouchable" in trade talks, he didn't say the same about Nikola Pekovic, though he said he hopes the big man is "part of us for many years to come."
According to Wolfson, there's still a difference of opinion in the front office about whether Pekovic is worth a big, long-term deal. Still, he's likely not going anywhere this month — Wolfson says that if a trade comes, it's more likely to be a sign-and-trade deal over the summer.
Minnesota doesn't have interest in trying to trade for Josh Smith, and also hasn't inquired on Greg Oden yet.
Wolfson hears from multiple sources that Andrea Bargnani is an unlikely fit for the T-Wolves. While one source "scoffed" at the idea, another didn't rule it out entirely, says Wolfson.
The Knicks and Sixers are believed to have some interest in Louis Amundson, who is expected to be the odd man out once the Wolves lose their ability to carry 16 players. This is my speculation, but I'd imagine both teams would be more inclined to wait for the Wolves to waive him, rather than giving up any real assets in a trade.

Suns Not Pursuing Josh Smith

February 1st, 2013 at 7:49am CST by Sean Highkin

FRIDAY, 7:49am: According to John Gambadoro of 620 KTAR in Phoenix (Twitter link), the Suns have "zero" interest in trading for Smith. Gambadoro adds in a second tweet that the Suns have not even had a conversation with the Hawks about Smith.

THURSDAY, 5:02pm: Having missed out on Rudy Gay and Eric Gordon, the Phoenix Suns are making an effort to trade for Josh Smith, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports. Kennedy writes that the Suns are intent on acquiring a max-level star to make into a cornerstone of their franchise, and have had preliminary discussions with the Hawks regarding possible trade packages.

Kennedy reports that a Suns package would likely be based around center Marcin Gortat, as well some combination of the expiring contracts of Jermaine O'Neal, Wesley Johnson, Shannon Brown, and Sebastian Telfair. Luis Scola could be involved as well, although since he was claimed off amnesty waivers, any deal including him would have to be a sign-and-trade made after July 1. The Suns also own multiple first-round picks, including their own, one from Minnesota, and two they received from the Lakers in last summer's Steve Nash trade.

In the past week, speculation is growing around the league that Smith's tenure with the Hawks may be coming to a close. Executives believe that he does not intend to re-sign with Atlanta this summer, when he will be an unrestricted free agent.

Kyler’s Latest: Pierce, Josh Smith, Redick, Lakers

January 30th, 2013 at 9:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler chimed in with roundup of trade rumors in advance of the Rudy Gay deal, and though his info about that swap quickly became outdated, he delivered much more from around the league. Let's hit the highlights here:

The Celtics were entertaining offers for Paul Pierce before Rajon Rondo went down with a torn ACL, but for the moment they want to evaluate their team in the wake of the injury before making a move. Pierce wants to retire with Boston, and Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge and company will consider his special place in the team's history in deciding whether to move him. The C's will seek deals for their other players first.
Though rumblings seem to indicate Josh Smith may be on his way out of Atlanta, the Hawks haven't considered any deal for him to this point. Still, Kyler believes that if they decide to deal Smith, they already know where they can send him. According to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, the Raptors probably aren't one of the teams that would make a deal for the power forward (Twitter link).
More than half the league has tried to trade for J.J. Redick, but the Magic have rebuffed all offers for the soon-to-be free agent. The Magic front office has kept Redick informed about all the possible deals, and it seems more than likely he'll opt to re-sign this summer.
The Lakers continue to discuss Pau Gasol deals, but as it stands now, they're more likely to hold off until the summer, when they'll know whether Dwight Howard, a free agent, will be back.
Kyler also shares Lang Greene's pre-trade video interview with Raptors coach Dwane Casey, and catches up with Greivis Vasquez and new Grizzlies big man Jon Leuer, who revealed that it was former teammate Kyrie Irving who broke the news to him about last week's trade.

Hawks Leaning Toward Trading Josh Smith?

January 30th, 2013 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Within his power rankings for Yahoo! Sports yesterday, Marc J. Spears included an interesting nugget in reference to the Hawks, noting that "expectations are growing" that the team will trade Josh Smith before the deadline. While Spears didn't specify whether he was alluding to expectations around the league or within the Hawks' organization, it certainly doesn't seem like a sure thing that Smith will be back in Atlanta next season.

Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News follows up on Spears' report with one of his own, tweeting that he's hearing Smith doesn't intend to re-sign with the Hawks, and will be moved "very soon" by the club. The timing of the reports is interesting, as Smith and the Hawks were expected to meet this week to discuss the forward's future in Atlanta. It's not clear whether that discussion has taken place yet, but if Spears' and Goodwill's reports are accurate, it sounds as if perhaps Smith has expressed, or will express, a preference to be moved.

One report earlier this month suggested that the Hawks remain committed to Smith, following an incident that earned him a one-game suspension from the team. On the heels of that suspension, agent Wallace Prather met with GM Danny Ferry to discuss what Prather called "a lot of frustration" on Smith's part. Neither Smith nor his agent requested a trade at the time, but Ken Berger of CBSSports.com wrote that the Hawks had at least taken calls from teams interested in acquiring the 27-year-old.

When I asked last week whether the Hawks will trade Smith before the February 21st deadline, the votes were split nearly right down the middle. Over at SI.com, Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney debated Smith's future today, with both scribes suggesting that a trade probably makes more sense for Atlanta than risking losing the longtime Hawk over the summer, when he'll be seeking a max contract.

Odds & Ends: Josh Smith, Suns, Iverson, Stuckey

January 29th, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

A few Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the Association….

There's a growing expectation that the Hawks will end up moving Josh Smith before the trade deadline, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Smith and the team are expected to meet this week to discuss the forward's future in Atlanta.
After researching 25 years of NBA franchise methods, the Suns concluded that a full-fledged rebuild was an impractical approach. So while the Suns' current place in the standings may indicate that a rebuild is underway, Phoenix is hoping for a quicker turnaround, as owner Robert Sarver tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
In announcing that he wouldn't be taking the Mavericks up on their offer to join their D-League affiliate, Allen Iverson hinted that he still wants to return to the NBA. Manager Gary Moore confirms that, telling Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that his client is working out and may explore NBA opportunities later this season. "He's going to continue to work very hard to get his mind and his body back to a place where he can help a team in the future," Moore said. "Sooner more so than later."
Rodney Stuckey's name often comes up when teams call the Pistons about trades, but despite the latest incident in Detroit, the team says no deal involving Stuckey is in the works, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.