Pau Gasol Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Close To Four-Team Howard Blockbuster

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

9:12pm: Stein says there are still unreported names in the deal, but the Magic are getting Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless and a future first-round pick from each of the other three teams in the deal. The Sixers will get Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson. The Nuggets will get Andre Iguodala, and the Lakers will land Dwight Howard. Pau Gasol is not in the deal, Stein hears (All Twitter links).

8:59pm: A conference call has been scheduled for Friday morning with the league office to process the deal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).

7:34pm: Berger says the most likely scenario involves the Magic getting neither Andrew Bynum nor Pau Gasol, adding credence to earlier reports that Gasol won't be a part of the deal (Twitter link).

7:29pm: Various Twitter reports indicate differing levels of confidence that the deal will get done. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com says the deal will happen "barring any last minute snag." ESPN.com colleague Ric Bucher believes the Magic and Lakers are pushing hard to complete the trade, but adds there are still many question marks. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel says the talks are serious, but cautions there are a lot of moving parts. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports "guarded optimism" about the deal.

7:11pm: The deal has "huge legs," a source tells Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com, and the teams have made progress toward its completion today, Lynam tweets.

6:55pm: A source close to Gasol says he's not in the trade, Ric Bucher of ESPN.com tweets.

6:39pm: Chris Broussard of ESPN.com hears the deal is "very close" and could take place as early as Friday morning. Broussard says that Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles also hears Gasol may not be a part of the trade. Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com tweets that there is greater confidence a Howard deal will get done than in the past. The Sixers are willing to take on Bynum even without assurances he'll re-sign next summer, according to the ESPN report.

6:23pm: Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld, in an updated version of an earlier story, says one of the variants of the deal doesn't include Gasol, and it's unclear whether it includes Al Harrington. Devin Ebanks, on a sign-and-trade, and Josh McRoberts may also be a part of the deal.

5:52pm: A source close to the talks tells HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy that reports so far have the teams right, but the deal would likely include different players if it gets done, as the Magic, Lakers, Nuggets and Sixers discuss multiple scenarios. No deal is imminent or near completion, the source says (Twitter links).

5:41pm: Sixers center Nikola Vucevic would also go to the Magic as part of the deal, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

4:37pm: Sam Amick of SI.com confirms discussion of the trade and hears from a source with knowledge of the Rockets' latest Dwight Howard trade proposal who says it would give the Magic more assets than today's rumored four-team deal would. Andrew Bynum's agent, David Lee, says he hasn't had conversations with the Sixers or any other team about an extension for his client, Amick adds. Several other agents whose clients are said to be part of the four-teamer tell Amick they're unaware of the latest trade talks.

3:35pm: Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld hears that, while these four-team talks are ongoing, the Magic continue to discuss other Howard trade scenarios as well (Twitter link).

2:06pm: Jason Richardson is also involved in the tentative framework of the proposed trade, says Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Richardson could head to L.A. in the deal, which makes sense. He would fill the Lakers' need for a shooter, and his salary combined with Harrington's is still not close to what Gasol earns.

12:05pm: The framework of a possible deal includes Howard and Al Harrington going to the Lakers, Andre Iguodala to the Nuggets, Bynum to the Sixers, and Pau Gasol and Arron Affalo to the Magic, according to Wojnarowski. Presumably there would be a few more moving parts involved, with the Magic gaining also picks and/or cap relief. The Lakers and Nuggets, with their $13MM trade exception from this year's Nene deal, would each have room to take on an Orlando contract or two in that scenario.

Wojnarowski adds that the destinations of Bynum and Gasol in the proposed deal are still up in the air, but one would go to Orlando and one to Philadelphia. According to Wojnarowski, the Magic may feel better about flipping Gasol for another asset rather than acquiring Bynum and risking having him leave in free agency next summer.

11:45am: The Dwight Howard rumor mill has quieted down in recent weeks, but the Magic certainly don't appear to be done discussing a potential trade. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), Orlando is engaged in four-way talks about a possible Howard blockbuster with the Lakers, Nuggets, and 76ers. Wojnarowski adds that discussions have been ongoing for a few days, and they have substance, although nothing is imminent (Twitter link).

While Howard appears open to a trade to the Lakers, it seems a straight-up deal between L.A. and Orlando will be extremely difficult, since both teams would like to shed salary, and the Lakers already traded multiple future first-round picks in order to acquire Steve Nash.

The last series of Howard rumors involved the Lakers and Magic talking to the Cavs about a deal that would send D12 to Los Angeles and Andrew Bynum to Cleveland. In this case, perhaps Bynum would go to Philadelphia, with the Nuggets involved somehow to take on salary or provide picks in order to land assets in return. That's just my speculation though — we'll have to wait for more details on exactly what's being discussed here.

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Pincus On Howard, Bynum, Gasol, Green, Clippers

August 9th, 2012 at 5:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sources tell Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld that the Lakers would be "far more comfortable" building around Dwight Howard rather than Andrew Bynum. If today's rumored four-team trade comes to fruition, the Lakers would get their wish. Pincus has a few more items of note in his latest piece, and we'll hit the highlights here:

If the Rockets can't land Howard or Bynum, they might have interest in acquiring Pau Gasol if he's dealt to the Magic, Pincus says. Gasol would net the Magic fewer assets than if they dealt Howard to the Rockets, but Pincus believes it would still be a solid haul.
The Lakers have their $3.09MM taxpayer's mini mid-level exception available, but are reluctant to tie it up with a trade for Howard still in play.
Pincus has the details on Willie Green's deal with the Clippers, who acquired the veteran shooting guard in a sign-and-trade last month. It's a three-year deal for $4.2MM, but only the first season, at $1.375MM, is fully guaranteed. He also looks at the multiple trade exceptions held by the Clippers, which gave the team a choice when they acquired Green. The team opted to use part of a $2.76MM exception left over from dealing Al-Farouq Aminu in the Chris Paul trade.

Lakers Notes: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash

July 21st, 2012 at 5:47pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Lakers have been busy this offseason ever since falling to the Thunder in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs in May. By shedding dead weight and adding a few key pieces, Los Angeles has put itself in a position to challenge for a championship heading into 2012/13. Let's head to the Staples Center to catch up on the latest news and headlines surrounding the men in purple and gold…

Pau Gasol was a trade candidate last year and the Lakers were reportedly shopping him aggressively before the draft. Yet Kobe Bryant, once a critic of Gasol, seems firmly in his corner, saying, "As long as I'm there, he's going to be there," tweets Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press. On the topic of Bryant staying in Los Angeles, the future Hall of Famer spoke about his future earlier this week and alluded to the fact that he may retire at the end of his current contract in 2014.
Lakers officials also have a renewed excitement about seeing how Steve Nash's playmaking ability can enhance Gasol's performance, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Prior to playing with Ramon Sessions for the second half of the season, Gasol was forced to rely upon the skills of Derek Fisher and Steve Blake to get him the ball from the point guard position.
Bryant understood that the Lakers needed to use Gasol as trade bait in order to obtain a point guard, but knows that Gasol isn't going anywhere given the team's acquisition of Nash, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Lakers Rumors: Bynum, Gasol, Beasley, Sessions

July 5th, 2012 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers made their first big splash of the 2012/13 season last night, agreeing to a sign-and trade deal to acquire Suns point guard Steve Nash. After news of the agreement broke, there was speculation that it might be just the first shoe to drop for the Lakers. However, Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears from a source that L.A. expects to keep its core intact, suggesting you shouldn't hold your breath for a trade involving Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol (Twitter link). Here are a few more Thursday morning Lakers notes:

T-Wolves Rumors: Batum, Crawford, Gasol, Hill

July 2nd, 2012 at 8:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves are off to an aggressive start in free agency, having reportedly made a "serious offer" to restricted free agent Nicolas Batum. According to Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld, sources believe the Trail Blazers' willingness to match a big offer for Batum will depend on whether they're able to land Roy Hibbert. Here are a few more updates on the T-Wolves' targets in free agency and trades:

Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com updates an earlier story to say that Batum has narrowed his options to the Blazers, with whom he's meeting later this week, and the Wolves, and has postponed visits to other teams.

Earlier updates:

Odds & Ends: Bulls, Gasol, Knicks, Pistons

June 30th, 2012 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

While the Bulls will be involved in free agency, expect the team to take a more casual approach, says Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times. According to Hayes, Bulls GM Gar Forman and vice president John Paxson figure to be mostly spectators during the "fast-and-furious" portion of free agency. The team will still explore possibilities, but those possibilities are more likely to come at the back end of free agency than the front end.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA, as we count down to free agency….

Hawks Looking To Trade Without Paying Tax

June 29th, 2012 at 4:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Newly-appointed Hawks GM Danny Ferry will have to put together a team for next season without much financial flexibility. Atlanta doesn't want to venture into luxury tax territory, but that won't deter Ferry from making upgrades to the roster via trade, writes Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Timberwolves To Continue Pursuit Of Pau Gasol

June 29th, 2012 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves reportedly made attempts to acquire Pau Gasol earlier in the 2011/12 season, and it appears the team's pursuit of the Lakers big man will continue into the offseason. Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press reports (link via Yahoo! Sports) that when the T-Wolves offered Derrick Williams to Charlotte for the No. 2 pick, it would have been part of a bigger move to land Gasol. While that deal didn't happen, Minnesota is expected to keep trying to acquire the Spaniard this summer, says Krawczynski.

Amico On Lakers, Mayo, Rockets, Varejao

June 28th, 2012 at 3:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

With the Lakers holding only the 60th pick in the draft, much of the talk surrounding the team has had to do with Pau Gasol. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears much more from L.A. and shares it along with a number of tidbits from around the Association. A source tells Amico the Lakers will look to dump salary this offseason and sign Spencer Hawes, Nick Young, Kirk Hinrich and Kris Humphries. The Lakers may also look into trading for Jordan Crawford if the Wizards draft Bradley Beal tonight. Here's more from Amico:

Lakers Shopping Pau Gasol; Hawks Interested

June 27th, 2012 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

3:32pm: Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears from a league source that the Rockets are no longer pursuing Gasol, while Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio hears that it's still "very possible" Houston goes after Pau (Sulia link). Ken Berger of CBSSports.com also hears from a source that the Rockets have "cooled significantly" on Gasol. I'm guessing the 31-year-old is, at best, a Plan B or C for the Rockets at this point.

2:54pm: Bresnahan adds in another tweet that the Lakers also have interest in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who could be the target if the team moves Gasol in a deal for a top-five pick.

2:27pm: The Hawks have been pursuing Gasol, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). There's still nothing imminent, but Bresnahan says Josh Smith would be heading to the Lakers in any deal involving the two teams.