Spurs Rumors

Anthony Carter Interested In Spurs, Wolves, Heat

The Raptors officially waived Anthony Carter yesterday, giving the team a chance to play more of its young players over the final few weeks of the season. For Carter, the move means he'll likely get a chance to catch on with a contender.

Carter will have to clear waivers before becoming a free agent and signing anywhere he likes, which is no guarantee. But Carter tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that agent Bill Duffy has already talked to the Spurs and Timberwolves about a potential signing (Twitter link). Carter would be interested in joining either team, and wouldn't mind going to Miami either, though the Heat haven't expressed interest yet (Twitter links). Tomasson finds Miami an unlikely destination, since the Heat are more focused on adding a big man (Twitter link).

Carter, 36, spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career playing with the Heat, Spurs, and Timberwolves, respectively. Since then, he's joined the Nuggets, Knicks, and Raptors. In 623 career games, the point guard has averaged 4.8 points and 3.8 assists in 19.6 minutes per contest.

Spurs Re-Sign Eric Dawson

To get their roster to 12 active players, the Spurs have signed Eric Dawson to a second 10-day contract, according to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News (via Twitter). The Spurs confirmed the move in a press release.

The Spurs initially signed Dawson to a 10-day deal in February, but didn't re-sign him when that contract expired. Monroe reported at the time that the decision was made for financial reasons. By including T.J. Ford in yesterday's Richard Jefferson/Stephen Jackson trade, the Spurs likely created the future financial flexibility to bring Dawson back.

Dawson played just two games in his first stint with the Spurs. In his NBA debut in Denver on February 21nd, he logged nearly 32 minutes, recording nine points and six rebounds.

Odds & Ends: Beasley, Bucks, Spurs, Nash

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:

Hollinger On Deadline Deals

ESPN.com's John Hollinger has posted grades for every trade that took place today. The post is only available to ESPN Insider subscribers, but here are the highlights:

  • The Nuggets were smart to shed Nene's contract, even if trading for JaVale McGee is a risk.
  • However, Hollinger views the Wizards' acquisition of Nene is an overreaction to McGee's contract demands.
  • For the Clippers, Hollinger doesn't believe Nick Young is a perfect solution, but that he's worth the risk since they didn't have to give up any significant assets.
  • Hollinger praises the Blazers' rebuilding effort in the Gerald Wallace trade, although he has reservations about the players they got back from Houston for Marcus Camby.
  • He doesn't think the Nets made a smart move giving up a lottery pick for short-term help when they risk losing Deron Williams at the end of the season.
  • Hollinger likes the Rockets' acquisition of Camby as a short-term pick-up to help them make a playoff run.
  • The Warriors' acquisition of Richard Jefferson is counterproductive to their efforts to tank for a draft pick, Hollinger writes. However, he praises the Spurs for shedding Jefferson's contract for Stephen Jackson's shorter one.
  • Hollinger questions the Cavaliers for taking on Luke Walton's expensive contract while giving up Ramon Sessions, but loves the deal for the Lakers, as Sessions is a massive upgrade at point guard over Derek Fisher and Steve Blake.
  • Hollinger likes the Sam Young acquisition for the 76ers, and while he doesn't believe losing him will shift the Grizzlies' playoff hopes one way or another, he questions whether it was necessary to shed him simply for cap reasons.
  • He sees the Leandro Barbosa trade as a low-risk deal for both the Raptors and Pacers, giving Indiana immediate help at shooting guard while freeing up room for other players to get more minutes in Toronto.

Recap Of Trade Deadline Deals

Here's the complete list of trades that took place this week leading up to the trade deadline earlier today:

Chris Kaman Likely Staying Put

Chris Kaman will likely remain a Hornet past the trade deadline, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

The Celtics, Heat, and Spurs will aggressively pursue Kaman if the Hornets end up buying out his contract, but that's not a given with the league running the team, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter links).

Spurs, Warriors Swap Jefferson, Jackson

The Spurs and Warriors have agreed to a trade that will send Richard Jefferson and T.J. Ford to Golden State and Stephen Jackson to San Antonio, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Warriors will also receive a conditional first-round pick in the deal, according to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.

Jackson, who was acquired by the Warriors earlier this week, is a favorite of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Unlike Jefferson, who still has two years and $21MM+ remaining on his deal after this season, Jackson will be entering the final year of his contract this summer. He's set to earn just over $10MM next season.

Ford recently announced his retirement, so he was only included in the trade for financial purposes.

Spurs, Warriors Discussing Jefferson, Jackson

1:20pm: A first-round pick figures to be shipped to Golden State in the proposed deal, tweets Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.

1:13pm: Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports classifies the discussions involving Jefferson and Jackson as "advanced" (Twitter link). TNT's David Aldridge also says an agreement is close, and points out that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has always liked Jackson (Twitter link).

12:58pm: The Spurs and Warriors are discussing a potential trade centered around swapping Richard Jefferson for Stephen Jackson, tweets Ric Bucher of ESPN.com.

Neither player has a particularly appealing contract — Jefferson has two years (second-year player option) and $21MM+ remaining on his deal after this season, while Jackson is under contract for $10MM+ next season. The Warriors acquired S-Jax just two days ago from the Bucks.

Josh Howard, C.J. Miles Drawing Interest

4:34pm: Howard is likely to remain with the Jazz through the deadline, tweets Brian T. Smith.

11:38am: As of this morning, the chances of Miles being dealt to the Timberwolves appeared very slim, according to Brian T. Smith (via Twitter). Miles heading to New Jersey for Petro and a first-rounder is a possibility, tweets Stefan Bondy.

7:53am: Josh Howard and C.J. Miles, whose contracts expire at season's end, have both expressed interest in re-signing with the Jazz this summer. However, it looks as if there's a chance neither player will even finish the season in Utah.

On the heels of last night's report that the Jazz are discussing a three-team trade with the Spurs and Timberwolves that would ship both Howard and Miles out of town, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that the Jazz are shopping Miles. The T-Wolves and Nets are among the teams that have shown interest, according to Kennedy. New Jersey has interest in Miles' expiring contract as a way of clearing summer cap space to make a run at top free agents, and Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld says the Nets have discussed Anthony Morrow and Johan Petro with the Jazz. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News hears such a deal could involve a Nets first-round pick (Twitter link).

Pincus says the Clippers may have some interest in Miles, who could fit into one of the team's traded player exceptions, but L.A. probably won't part with Eric Bledsoe or a first-round pick. Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune, who reported last month that Miles could be had, says the former second-rounder, who turns 25 this weekend, may be easier to move in a package deal (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, besides the Spurs, the Lakers, Knicks, and Celtics have also expressed interest in acquiring Howard, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Of those four interested clubs, only the Knicks are below the luxury tax line, so Howard and his $2.15MM salary would be an affordable addition. The Jazz don't necessarily want to make a deal though, according to Spears.

Bobcats Discussing Several Deals For Boris Diaw

Boris Diaw's expiring contract has become one of the more intriguing assets on the trade market this week, and the Bobcats are discussing "several deals" involving Diaw, tweets Ken Berger of CBS Sports.

The Nets, Spurs, and Timberwolves have been linked to Diaw, whose $9MM cap figure will come off the books at season's end. Given how valuable that number could be for teams looking to create cap space, it makes sense for the Bobcats to consider deals that could net the team draft picks.

If Dwight Howard officially waives his early termination option for 2012/13 and remains with the Magic, I'd imagine the Nets' pursuit of Diaw would become much less urgent.