Josh Smith Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Targeting Dwight Howard In Trade Talks

June 26th, 2012 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 10:01am: While Howard is the Rockets' top trade target, the team could pursue Josh Smith or other big-name players if a deal can't be consummated with the Magic, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

MONDAY, 8:05am: Chad Ford and Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last night that the Rockets have engaged in trade discussions with teams in the top 10 in the draft, including the Kings (No. 5) and the Raptors (No. 8). In their initial report, Ford and Stein suggested Andre Drummond had caught the Rockets' eye, and was the target in any deal. However, a rival GM told the ESPN scribes that he believes Houston's real goal is to land Dwight Howard.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Hawks, Rose

June 19th, 2012 at 7:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles looked at some specific names that could surface on the Lakers' radar if Ramon Sessions is not on the roster next season, mentioning Aaron Brooks, Raymond Felton, and Kirk Hinrich as guards who could be available for the team's mini mid-level exception. You can read more of tonight's miscellaneous links here, including rumblings about Atlanta's offseason activity, a minor update on Derrick Rose, and an in-depth look at Charlotte's new head coach…

Warriors Rumors: Draft, Iguodala, Gay, Batum

May 31st, 2012 at 9:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors were one of a few teams to benefit from Wednesday night's draft lottery results, hanging onto their lottery pick for another year. According to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, GM Bob Myers doesn't intend to use all four picks the Warriors hold, but views them as valuable trade assets. Myers also aims to land a starter with the seventh overall pick, pointing out that "I don't think anyone would accept the thought of drafting a backup" with a top-10 pick. Here are a few more of the morning's Warriors updates:

Josh Smith Talks Contract, Future

May 25th, 2012 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

As of this March, Josh Smith hoped the Hawks would move him, and it appears that trade request still stands. However, speaking to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Smith deflected questions about his trade request, and his comments suggest he doesn't expect to be involved in an offseason deal.

"All I know is I have one more year on my contract so I will definitely be here," Smith said. "I just have to go into the offseason to better myself and do whatever I have to do to help this ballclub. I was an Atlanta Hawk after the trade deadline and I’m one now, so I have to look at some of the things I can do to help my basketball team win ballgames, especially in the postseason."

In his March report, Cunningham suggested that Smith felt the Hawks didn't do enough to promote his All-Star candidacy, and wanted to join a team more committed to winning a championship. Asked about the possibility of signing a contract extension with the Hawks, Smith hinted at another source of dissatisfaction.

"I can’t get extended," Smith said. "They didn’t give me the money; I had to go get it. That’s something I have to play it out and see how it goes from there."

Smith seems to have been given some bad information on his extension eligibility, since there's nothing in the CBA suggesting he can't extend his contract now, as Cunningham points out. The second part of the quote, meanwhile, hints at what happened in the summer of 2008 — he had to "go get" a contract offer from the Grizzlies, which the Hawks ended up matching.

Smith figures to be one of the most desirable trade candidates in the league this summer, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him begin the 2012/13 season in Atlanta. The Hawks value him highly, as they should, and I don't expect them to receive an offer they like this offseason.

Odds & Ends: Van Gundy, Smith, Bynum

May 5th, 2012 at 10:28pm CST by Ryan Raroque

We have our first playoff elimination, as the Thunder defeated the Mavericks to advance to the second round. The victory wasn't without cost though, as Kendrick Perkins suffered a strained hip during the first quarter and didn't return to the game. As for Dallas, they become the first team since the 2007 Heat to be swept the following year after winning an NBA Championship. With that aside, here are tonight's noteworthy links:

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes that Stan Van Gundy, who he refers to as the "best coach the Orlando Magic have ever had," may have coached his last home game with the team. Bianchi adds that if the Magic are to remain a viable franchise, they must side with Dwight Howard in the standoff between him and Stan, which would all but seal Van Gundy's departure. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel echoed similar sentiments about Van Gundy's reputation, saying that the team's performance against the Pacers today was evidence that the team did not quit on him.
Hawks forward Josh Smith is eyeing a return for Game Four against the Celtics regardless of how his knee feels, according to Ben Golliver of CBS Sports.
Lakers center Andrew Bynum attributed his poor performance in the first half of Game Three from not being able to complete his regular pre-game routine, says Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles. While teammate Kobe Bryant lauded Bynum for holding himself accountable, coach Mike Brown wasn't as thrilled: "You hope at this time of the season everybody who steps onto the floor is ready."
Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston provides a closer look at Mickael Pietrus' value to the Celtics defensively.
Enes Kanter went from sitting out last year's March Madness at Kentucky to being a part of a playoff team with the Jazz in his rookie season. Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune spoke with Kanter to elaborate more on this experience.
Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld ranks the most disappointing performers of the NBA playoffs thus far.

HoopsWorld On Howard, Smith, Gasol

April 6th, 2012 at 6:31pm CST by Sean Highkin

HoopsWorld's Derek Page has compiled a column about the futures of several prominent NBA players featuring input from other writers:

Alex Kennedy thinks the Magic will once again attempt to acquire a player via trade or free agency to appease Dwight Howard, although the possibility is still open for him to be dealt.
Lang Greene says the Hawks should give serious consideration to moving Josh Smith this summer, as his trade value will be high and he is unhappy in Atlanta.
Eric Pincus finds it unlikely that Pau Gasol has a long-term future with the Lakers, due to the luxury-tax implications of keeping him.
Bill Ingram thinks the emergence of Courtney Lee will make it easier for the Rockets to move Kevin Martin for the right price.
Page believes Shawn Marion's contract makes him relatively easy for the Mavericks to trade, but with Howard off the market, it's not as necessary for the purpose of clearing cap space.

Kyler On Rockets, Gasol, Pacers, Blazers, Smith

March 15th, 2012 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler reported that Dwight Howard is highly unlikely to change his mind again, but that the Magic seem to have a deal they'd do with the Nets if Howard waffles once more. You can follow all of today's Howard updates here, and check out the rest of Kyler's morning notes below:

The Rockets are discussing more than half their roster in trades, having offered around Terrence Williams, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson, Luis Scola, Hasheem Thabeet and Courtney Lee. According to Kyler, Houston would trade any combination of those players to acquire Chris Kaman.
The Bulls want Lee, but aren't likely to meet the Rockets' asking price, which would mean parting with Taj Gibson or Omer Asik. The Pacers and Timberwolves are also eyeing Lee.
Houston has a standing offer out to the Lakers for Pau Gasol, but it doesn't include Kyle Lowry, so nothing is expected to happen there.
If the Blazers' three-team deal with the Timberwolves and Lakers involving Jamal Crawford falls through, Portland may have a backup trade in place with the Pacers.
The Magic won't be able to make a move for Josh Smith, which isn't a surprise. One league source tells Kyler the Hawks want an All-Star frontcourt player in exchange for Smith, so a deal is very unlikely.

Kyler On Smith, Magic, Bulls

March 14th, 2012 at 6:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld passed along a few goodies on Twitter, so let's take a look (all Twitter links, of course):

The Magic are one of multiple teams trying to get the Hawks to change their minds about keeping Josh Smith, even though it's a long shot. One potential scenario would have the Magic sending Jason Richardson to the Wolves and Ryan Anderson to the Hawks while Michael Beasley would go to Atlanta. Ownership would be reluctant to do that deal because they believe Smith is worth twice that price. David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets that no such talks between the Magic and Hawks have taken place.
The rumored three-team trade involving the Lakers, Wolves and Blazers is just one of the options the Wolves have.
The Bulls are eyeing Courtney Lee, and would look to Raja Bell as a fallback.
Kyler is much more confident about the Mavs' chances of landing Deron Williams now that Dwight Howard is close to committing to the Magic for next season.

Magic Exploring Three-Way Trade For Josh Smith?

March 14th, 2012 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Amidst rumors that Dwight Howard will remain with the Magic for another season, Orlando may turn its attention to trying to trade for help around Howard. Multiple reports have suggested Josh Smith may be a target for the Magic.

While Jarrod Randolph of RealGM.com reported earlier today there didn't seem to be anything to rumors involving Orlando and Smith, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld indicates (via Twitter) that a three-team deal is still being discussed. The Timberwolves would be the third team in the equation, according to Kyler (via Twitter).

As I said when this rumor first surfaced, I can't imagine the Magic finding the non-Howard assets to land a player like Smith. This one seems like an extreme long shot to me.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday

March 14th, 2012 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Even after an impressive overtime win by the Magic against the Heat last night, the post-game focus was on the off-court story: Dwight Howard's future. As we covered in yesterday's round-up of Howard rumors, D12 told reporters he'd like the Magic to keep him for the rest of the season and "roll the dice" this summer. Considering earlier Tuesday reports indicated that Howard's long-term plan involves signing with the Nets as a free agent so New Jersey doesn't have to trade core assets, Dwight's suggestion that Orlando roll the dice seemed particularly brash.

Zach Lowe of SI.com called Howard's post-game speech the low point of the ongoing saga, while Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported that some Magic executives were privately disgusted with the star center's comments. We expect plenty more updates to pour in as the day goes on, so we'll track them all here, with the latest items up top:

The Knicks are intrigued by the possibility of acquiring Howard, but won't offer Carmelo Anthony, since James Dolan "loves him," tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. I'd say that takes New York out of the running, since the Magic wouldn't be nearly as interested in an Amare Stoudemire/Tyson Chandler package.
There are no legs to the rumor that the Magic are working on a three-team deal to bring in Josh Smith (linked below), tweets Jarrod Randolph of RealGM.com.
According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the Nets would be open to offering the Magic anything they want for Howard, with the exception of Deron Williams.
Orlando still seems to be entertaining deals that could bring in help around Howard, as Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld reports that they're eyeing the Hawks' Josh Smith. The Magic would need to get a third team involved, perhaps the Timberwolves and Michael Beasley. Given Orlando's lack of tradeable assets, acquiring Smith seems like an extreme long shot to me.
The Magic are telling teams they intend to move Howard if they don't receive a commitment beyond this season from Dwight, according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. We have the details here.
Nets sources insist the team would give up assets in the next 24 hours if it meant landing Howard, but Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld explains why New Jersey may not be motivated to make a substantial offer. If Howard and Williams sign in Brooklyn this summer, the pair would want a third significant player to join them, and the Nets may be considering saving its trade chips to acquire that player.