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Josh Smith Rumors: Thursday

February 21st, 2013 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

We're counting down the hours until today's 2:00pm CST trade deadline, and Josh Smith still appears likely to be on the move sometime before then. In yesterday's round-up of Smith rumors, we passed along word from HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy that "source after source" indicates Smith will be dealt today. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports the same thing, writing that the Hawks are expected to trade their veteran forward for the best deal that won't hurt their long-term financial flexibility. We'll track today's Smith rumors right here, with the latest added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The Nets are still "hanging by a thread" in the Smith talks, tweets TNT's David Aldridge. Milwaukee still appears to be the leader, Aldridge confirms.
The Suns are essentially out of the running for Smith, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who adds that the Bucks are viewed as the favorites (Twitter link).
The Bucks and Hawks are still "seriously engaged" in talks for Smith, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Rockets appear to be out of the mix for Smith, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

Earlier updates:

Josh Smith Rumors: Wednesday

February 20th, 2013 at 10:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Josh Smith appears to be the big-name player most likely to be moved before tomorrow's trade deadline, and Tuesday brought plenty of updates and rumors on his potential destination. We rounded up those updates right here, and we'll track today's news here, with any new items added to the top of the page throughout the day:

"Source after source" informs HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy that Smith will be dealt by the deadline (Twitter link).
With the Suns apparently standing pat despite a report classifying them as the frontrunner for Smith, it looks like the Bucks are in the lead for Atlanta's athletic power forward, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. The Bucks are willing to risk losing Smith in free agency, but chances are strong that he'll re-up in Milwaukee for the right price, according to Deveney. Still, Milwaukee won't include John Henson or Larry Sanders in any deal for Smith.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio believes the Nets are the frontrunners, with Milwaukee a darkhorse (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

Smith is open to playing with the Bucks even if Monta Ellis is not around, reports Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link).
Despite a report previously stating that the Nets are “solely focused” on Smith, a league source says that is definitely not the case, according to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld.
The Suns, Bucks, and Nets are currently viewed as the three most likely destinations for Smith, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
A source tells Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that it's not inconceivable the Hawks hang on to Smith through the deadline. With a huge amount of cap space available this summer, Atlanta could still re-sign the forward to a reasonable contract if another club doesn't make him the max offer he's seeking.

Celtics Assure Rajon Rondo He Won’t Be Moved

February 20th, 2013 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

11:30am: League executives continue to call the Celtics about Rondo's availability, according to Sam Amick of Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. However, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweets that the C's are unlikely to move Rondo for anything short of Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, or a big package of assets like the one Denver received for Carmelo Anthony. With Rondo out for the year, that's not happening.

11:07am: Agent Bill Duffy tells Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link) that Ainge assured Rondo today that he won't be traded.

10:40am: After undergoing ACL surgery earlier this month, Rajon Rondo won't return to the court until the 2013/14 season. However, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard tweeted this morning that rival general managers insist Rondo is available via trade. Within the same tweet, Broussard mentions Josh Smith as a potential Celtics' target, though it's not clear if the ESPN.com scribe is suggesting the C's would consider moving Rondo for Smith.

For his part, Celtics president Danny Ainge insists that the team is unlikely to make any big moves, and certainly won't be giving up Rondo at a discounted rate, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.

"I’m not looking to give up any of our players," Ainge said. "We have a limited roster, and it’s a matter of is it a better fit? Is there a better position need? I don’t really think that there are. So it’s just if we can improve our team. At the same time, I’m not giving Jared Sullinger away just because he’s hurt. It’s a challenge. I’m not trading Rajon Rondo away for discounted dollars because he’s hurt. As an organization we’ve decided not to do that."

While Ainge has downplayed the likelihood of a Celtics trade, rival teams would be surprised if Boston doesn't make a move, according to Bulpett.

"They’re too active," one rival exec told Bulpett. "They’ve been putting a lot of different things out there, and you’d have to think at least one of them is going to come through."

Broussard On Gordon, Ellis, Rondo, Crawford

February 19th, 2013 at 9:55pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Bucks are ready to trade Monta Ellis after he turned down a two-year extension, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN, also mentioning that Ellis wanted to play out this season first. Earlier, we heard from HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy about the expectation by some around the league for Monta to opt out of his contract this summer and sign with a contender, so it will be interesting to see how Milwaukee handles this situation over the next two days. Broussard had a wave of Twitter updates to share in the past hour, all of which you can find below:

The Hornets have made Eric Gordon available for a trade, but Broussard anticipates a lack of interest considering doubts about his health moving forward. The notion that New Orleans is willing to listen to offers for Gordon shouldn't come as a surprise, as we heard a similar report earlier this month.
The Celtics are willing to move Rajon Rondo in the right deal. The Wizards have been actively shopping Jordan Crawford.
A list of players who are currently on the trade market: Nets forward Kris Humphries, 76ers guard Evan Turner, Bobcats guards Ben Gordon and Gerald Henderson, Spurs' DeJuan Blair, Raptors big man Andrea Bargnani, Jazz big men Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, Magic guard J.J. Redick, and Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams (All Twitter links).

Lakers, Celtics In Talks To Swap Dwight, Rondo

February 15th, 2013 at 10:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:08pm: Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, speaking with Chris Broussard of ESPN.com tonight, strongly denied that any Howard-Rondo talks have taken place at any time this season.

"I haven't talked to Danny Ainge in weeks. I made the statement a week or two ago that we're not going to trade Dwight Howard and that hasn't changed," Kupchak said (All Twitter links).

Kupchak hasn't spoken with anyone else in the Celtics organization either, Broussard also tweets.

9:54pm: A source tells TNT's David Aldridge that there's nothing to the rumored Howard-for-Rondo proposal (Twitter link).

8:43pm: The Lakers and Celtics have engaged in preliminary talks about a trade involving Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The proposal has yet to gain traction, Berger writes, and Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge would be reluctant to do a deal without assurances from Howard that he would re-sign with the Celtics this summer. The Lakers are also continuing to insist they won't trade Howard, and that's the impression the Celtics have at present, according to Berger.

The trade could be tabled until after the offseason, but a sign-and-trade would only allow Howard to sign with the Celtics for four years instead of five, Berger points out, which would cost him as much as $30MM. It would also preclude the Celtics from exceeding the luxury-tax apron next season and keep them from using their full midlevel exception under new sign-and-trade rules going into effect this summer.

Sources tell Berger that the Nets, Mavericks and Rockets are teams that intrigue Howard as he looks ahead to free agency this summer. Absent from that list are the Celtics, which would seem to make the deal a long shot. By taking back Rondo, who's out for the year with a torn ACL, the Lakers would be throwing up a white flag of sorts with regard to this season, though the Celtics would have to throw in others who make at least another $5.8MM for the deal to work under the league's salary-matching rules. Rondo would also be an odd fit in L.A., considering fellow point guard Steve Nash is the only Laker signed past 2014.

Howard said happiness and the ability to have fun on the court is what he'll look for in a free agent destination, and he said he's not having as much fun as he used to, as Berger notes. While a trade to Boston or elsewhere might not be in the cards before Thursday's deadline, it seems there's a strong chance Howard won't be wearing the purple and gold come next season. The Celtics, meanwhile, could be in for radical changes as Ainge, as he has done in the past, appears open to exploring blockbuster moves to return the team to title contention.

Odds & Ends: Noel, Celtics, Barbosa, NBPA

February 13th, 2013 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2013 draft class took a bit of a hit today, when the University of Kentucky announced today that freshman Nerlens Noel has torn his ACL, and will undergo surgery in the coming weeks — he's expected to be out at least six to eight months (Twitter links). Nonetheless, while there's a possibility Noel will return to the Wildcats for his sophomore year, Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com hears that NBA people still expect the big man to be a top-five pick if he declares for the draft this summer (Twitter link).

Here are a few more Wednesday odds and ends from around the league:

Danny Ainge shares a couple of Celtics injury updates with Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, noting that Dr. James Andrew performed ACL surgery on Rajon Rondo yesterday. Additionally, Leandro Barbosa suffered MCL damage, and will have to wait until March to undergo surgery on his knee (Twitter links).
According to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter), the Celtics would like to bring back Barbosa next season if they can.
Iman Shumpert has been the subject of a few trades rumors recently, but George Willis of the New York Post believes it would be a mistake for the Knicks to move him.
The Jazz should be in no rush to trade Al Jefferson, writes Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune.
As All-Star weekend approaches, so too do the NBPA's annual meetings, which will include plenty of discussion about executive director Billy Hunter. Tom Ziller of SBNation.com writes that the union owes it to itself to replace Hunter with a director that's more aggressive about challenging issues like the NBA's age minimum.
The latest piece of bad news for Hunter comes from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who reports that the U.S. Attorney's office is investigating a contract that authorized future payment of more than $3MM to a firm that employed Hunter's son. The NBPA's executive committee is required to authorize any expenditures more than $25K, but were reportedly never shown a deal that would have paid Prim Capital $600K+ annually for five years.
An ESPN.com 5-on-5 panel that includes Marc Stein, Chris Broussard, and Chad Ford predict the odds that some of the big-name trade candidates will be dealt within the next eight days.

Celtics Rumors: Garnett, Pierce, Rondo

February 8th, 2013 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

In the immediate wake of Rajon Rondo's ACL injury, plenty of fans and pundits questioned whether the Celtics were still a playoff team, speculating that clubs like the Sixers, Pistons, and Raptors could end up challenging for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Since then, the Celtics have won six straight games, not only quieting that talk, but sneaking past the Bucks and into the seventh seed in the East. As the C's enjoy their best stretch of the season on the court, here's the latest off-the-court news out of Boston:

Kevin Garnett reiterated something he's said before, telling reporters, including Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, that he wants to retire as a Celtic. "I don't know what all your sources are, or whoever's making up this [expletive] articles about me getting traded to Denver and all these other places," Garnett said. "But I bleed green, and I will continue to do that. And if it's up to me I'm going to retire a Celtic."
In his weekly appearance on WEEI's Big Show, president Danny Ainge said that keeping Garnett and Paul Pierce was "by far the most likely thing" for the Celtics. "There are so many teams that are trying to get younger," Ainge said. "There are so many teams that are trying to rebuild. There are so many teams that are trying to get higher draft picks already. I just think that where we value them as players is just greater than the rest of the league, which I think is common for players that age."
In a series of tweets, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports provides an update on Rondo's injury status. According to Spears, Rondo spoke to three doctors and will decide as early today which one will perform his surgery. The procedure is expected to happen next Tuesday or Wednesday, and will likely sideline him for six months.

Spears On Mozgov, Josh Smith, Rondo, Gay

February 5th, 2013 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports has been busy today, publishing a piece on Lindsey Hunter's adjustment to the head coaching job in Phoenix as well as posting Yahoo!'s weekly power rankings, which features the Spurs in the No. 1 spot once again. Spears' power rankings also feature a few tidbits of note, which we'll round up right here:

The Nuggets are getting plenty of calls about Timofey Mozgov, but aren't under any financial pressure to make a deal. They'll probably only move Mozgov for a "too-good-to-be-true offer," says Spears.
While there's still plenty of speculation that the Hawks could trade Josh Smith, interested teams have been keeping any talks very quiet.
A surgery date for Rajon Rondo's ACL still hasn't been set, as Rondo could seek opinions from as many as three doctors.
A source close to Rudy Gay tells Spears that the newest Raptor was happy about leaving the Grizzlies and should be a very good fit in Toronto — not only in the team's up-tempo offense, but in the city as well.

Celtics Notes: Dooling, Rondo, Pierce

January 30th, 2013 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Even before news of Rajon Rondo's ACL tear, we figured the Celtics would be a team frequently mentioned in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. With Rondo on the shelf and the possibility of major changes looming, we'll likely hear even more updates out of Boston as February 21st approaches. Here's the latest:

Despite rumblings that Keyon Dooling may come out of retirement to play for the Celtics this season, Dooling announced on his Twitter account that he won't be returning to the NBA in 2012/13 (hat tip to Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com).
Rondo will seek a second opinion on his injury, possibly from renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. According to agent Bill Duffy, he and Rondo are also hoping to speak to other athletes who have suffered ACL injuries, including Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.
While trading Paul Pierce might make some sense on paper, Danny Ainge owes it to Pierce and to fans to let the longtime Celtic finish his career in Boston, opines Gary Dzen of Boston.com. Pierce told reporters yesterday he hopes to retire as a Celtic.

Atlantic Links: Bynum, Carlesimo, Rondo, Raptors

January 29th, 2013 at 8:35pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Led by Jrue Holiday, the 76ers remain three games out of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Significant help in the form of another all-star caliber player could be on the way within the next several weeks, as Andrew Bynum has continued to make progress toward his goal of possibly returning to practice next week, notes Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com. The 7'0 center has been plagued by bone bruises in both knees since the start of the season. With that aside, here are more news and notes from the Atlantic Division:

Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York reports that Nets GM Billy King will meet with owner Mikhail Prokhorov on Wednesday to discuss P.J. Carlesimo and the job he's done so far as the interim head coach. While Carlesimo has done an exceptional job after replacing Avery Johnson, Prokhorov is said to still be enamored with going after big names such as Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy in the offseason.
According to A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSNNE.com, Celtics guard Rajon Rondo will get a second opinion on his ACL injury from Dr. James Andrews, who is considered be arguably "the best orthopedic surgeon in the business."
Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun lays out the Raptors' top five pressing issues as they inch closer to the deadline, calling their interest in Rudy Gay the "most likely to come to fruition" rumor, examining the return of both Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas from injury, Terrence Ross' progression into coach Dwane Casey's crunch-time lineup, and the continued acclimation of Landry Fields. With regard to Bargnani, Ganter thinks that Casey may have to provide a significant role at the expense of Ed Davis' minutes in order to showcase the 7-footer's health.
Eric Koreen of the National Post doesn't think that Gay is the cure-all answer for the Raptors, who still have many other important questions to answer regardless of whether they land him or not. Among those question marks involve the franchise's commitment to GM Bryan Colangelo, the need for more significant roster moves, and the struggles of point guard Kyle Lowry.
Doc Rivers doesn't appear too concerned about his players making an adjustment without Rondo, saying that a "no-point guard system" is something that the second unit has already found success with, writes Greg Payne of ESPN Boston.
Mike Woodson will place a higher priority on getting Knicks three point sharpshooter Steve Novak more involved in the offense, says Ian Begley of ESPN New York.