2013 NBA Trade Deadline Thread: February 21

[rook]

Bynum for Howard.

Do it mitch!

 

[pmatic]

Hawks seem determined to deal Josh Smith

It didn't take long, coming out of All-Star Weekend, from the trade chatter to crank back up again.

Some fresh dribbles of that chatter follow in the lead-up to the NBA’s 3 p.m ET Thursday trade deadline:


The Atlanta Hawks have convinced numerous teams that they're definitely trading Josh Smith this week, largely because they see the unpredictable lefty as a virtual lock to leave them in free agency this summer.

So ...

Destinations?

One team close to the situation consulted Monday night predicted that the Nets would ultimately land Smith via a three-way trade after ESPN's Chris Broussard reported Feb. 11 that Smith is a prime Brooklyn Nets trade target.

Another team pinpointed the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks as the strongest contenders to win the Smith sweepstakes. The big worry for both of those teams, though, is whether they could really risk trading for Smith when convincing him to re-sign for the long term is likely to be a serious challenge in either city. Especially with Smith said to be angling for a max deal … and with nobody confusing the Suns or the Bucks with Mikhail Prokohorov's Nets.

Broussard, furthermore, tweeted early Tuesday that the Washington Wizards have made anyone on the roster available for Smith, apart from John Wall, Bradley Beal or Nene Hilario.

Which brings us to the Boston Celtics.

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Monday that the Boston Celtics have, indeed, registered their interest on the Smith front, with the caveat that they also remain highly interested in the Clippers' Eric Bledsoe.

Yet a Boston deal for Smith, sources said, would almost certainly have to be built around Paul Pierce, because Kevin Garnett isn't waiving his no-trade clause to go to the Atlanta Hawks if he's not willing to waive it to go to the Clipperland. And the prospect of Celtics front-office chief Danny Ainge exiling Pierce to the Hawks for Smith, after everything Pierce has done to restore the Celtics to glory over the past half-decade, is still hard to imagine.

At least for me.

According to one theory in circulation on the personnel grapevine, Celtics officials could be moved this week to try to make the case to Garnett that waiving his no-trade provision to accept that long-rumored trade to the Los Angeles Clippers would be the best thing not only for himself but for the long-term health of the franchise. Combine that approach with the expected lobbying from the L.A. side by good buddy Chauncey Billups, as the theory goes, and maybe Garnett will ultimately relent and consent to a swap.

Have to add three follow-up caveats here, though:

1. After spending a solid 15 minutes in the same room with Garnett in Houston as part of ESPN Radio's All-Star Weekend team, I became convinced that KG isn't waiving that no-trade clause. For anyone or any team. My impression is that it's going to take more lobbying than anyone out there can muster.

2. Broussard reported late Monday night on "SportsCenter" that Billups has already warned the Clippers that Garnett's position appears to be firm … and that Garnett spelled out the exact same thing to Chris Paul last summer when Paul informed KG that the Clippers wanted to pursue him via trade.

3. Even if Garnett did wind up with the Clippers this week, after all the bluster against the idea, I still struggle to picture the Celtics telling Pierce that they're going to send him to the Hawks for the good of Boston's long-term health. The deal might make sense for Atlanta -- since Pierce's $5 million buyout for next season would extend the Hawks' window of flexibility and create a new set of options -- but it still looks like as an impossible sell in Boston.

I've always thought Rajon Rondo, not Pierce or Garnett, would be the first member of Boston's star trio to be dealt. There simply might not be a shake-up move available to the Celtics at this deadline now that Rondo has been lost to a season-ending knee injury.

There's more on that subject.

The Clippers, according one source close to the situation, would not be willing to surrender both Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan to Boston even if Garnett was willing to waive his no-trade clause.

Is that posturing? An absolute stance?

We'll find out for sure between now and the deadline, but the source insisted that the Clippers feel that a Bledsoe-and-Jordan combo is too much to surrender for a 36-year-old who isn't sure how much longer he'll be playing.

The consistent word out of Houston, incidentally, is that the Rockets -- long known to be Smith fans -- are far more likely to pursue J-Smoove in free agency than to try to trade for him this week.

The Rockets are expected to use their leftover salary-cap space from last summer to extract an extra draft pick from teams looking to shed salary for luxury-tax reasons right before the trade buzzer.

Veterans who remain available in trade talks this week include San Antonio's DeJuan Blair, Cleveland's Omri Casspi, Charlotte's Ben Gordon, Brooklyn's Kris Humphries, Oklahoma City's Eric Maynor, Minnesota's Luke Ridnour, Phoenix's Sebastian Telfair and Washington's Jordan Crawford.

Orlando, meanwhile, continues to seek no less than a first-round pick for sharpshooter J.J. Redick, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Link

 

[dipsetgeneral]

Atlanta really gonna trade away their franchise player? They weren't even expected to make Playoffs this season and their already a lock. I think they should wait till' the summer.

 

[licensed to ball]

Atlanta really gonna trade away their franchise player? They weren't even expected to make Playoffs this season and their already a lock. I think they should wait till' the summer.

Some play-off teams don't want to wait until the summer. They want his help making that championship push right now.

 

[antidope]

Atlanta really gonna trade away their franchise player? They weren't even expected to make Playoffs this season and their already a lock. I think they should wait till' the summer.

The longer they wait, the more leverage they lose, because the other teams know that he will walk anyways and can offer Atlanta peanuts, which is what should happen anyway that team deserves to burn.

 

[finallyfamous]

Agreed they need to move Smith

 

[dacomeup]

Atlanta really gonna trade away their franchise player? They weren't even expected to make Playoffs this season and their already a lock. I think they should wait till' the summer.

He's not a franchise player. 

 

[airjordan jb23]

Its pretty much a guarantee Josh Smith will be moved by Thursday... I definitely don't see him finishing out the season with Atlanta knowing that he's not coming back & they won't get anything for him in return. That max deal he's requesting will scare a lot of teams away though.

Shawn Marion deserves to be traded to a contender, I wanna see him get a second ring.

I'm pretty sure you are the only human being alive besides his family that wants to see him win a second ring.

 

[essential1]

They gotta trade him.. He's not coming back...

 

[pmatic]

Trade Buzz: Teams trudge cautiously toward deadline

The usual trade deadline frenzy might yet be upon us before 3 p.m. ET Thursday. But for now, team executives believe the new trade and financial rules have had a chilling effect on the discussions.

Teams have become hypersensitive to the enhanced luxury-tax penalties and looming repeater tax, so the days of easily dumping long-term salary in exchange for a draft pick are effectively over. Plenty of teams are seeking draft picks and young talent, but those teams possessing such prized commodities aren't willing to easily give them up.

Teams that have used their full mid-level exception this season (Boston) or bi-annual exception (Chicago) are hard-capped at $74 million. Without a third team to absorb salary, it's going to be challenging for such teams to pull off a blockbuster trade. A team like Brooklyn is allowed to exceed the $74 million hard cap because it has not used one of those exceptions, so the Nets have more room to maneuver.

The only area of increased urgency to complete trades by Thursday's deadline as opposed to this summer would be deals involving prospective free agents. With players like Al Jefferson and Josh Smith, Utah and Atlanta, respectively, might want to consider moving them now because there will be far fewer potential trade partners in July. Why? Starting this summer, teams whose post-trade payrolls exceed the luxury-tax line by more than $4 million will not be permitted to acquire a player in a sign-and-trade. So if the Nets want Dwight Howard, for example, it would be much easier to acquire him now. Getting him in July would require them to shed approximately $28 million in salary -- and getting Howard to agree to a four-year deal as opposed to the five he could get from the Lakers.

So with that backdrop, here's the latest trade buzz culled from conversations with front-office executives, agents and others in the know:

• The Hawks are believed to be seeking a combination of expiring contracts, young players and draft picks in exchange for Smith, whose expressed desire for a five-year, approximately $90 million max contract has cooled the market for him. Rival executives continue to believe that the Suns have been aggressive in their pursuit of Smith and other trades. But even with a potential lottery pick from the Lakers in the Steve Nash deal, execs are skeptical that Phoenix has enough attractive young players to complete the deal. The Nets and Celtics have inquired about Smith, but it's too early to say where those talks are going.

• The Clippers are willing to listen to offers for Eric Bledsoe but are by no means determined or even necessarily willing to deal him. Though it's all but a foregone conclusion that Chris Paul will re-sign with the Clippers this summer, rival execs are skeptical that the Clips would risk trading Bledsoe if there's even the slightest doubt about CP3's future -- not to mention the slightest possibility of an injury to the All-Star MVP that would derail their push to contend for a title this season. Conversations with the Celtics about Kevin Garnett are dormant for now as both teams evaluate their options.

• Garnett's strong comments during All-Star weekend about not waiving his no-trade clause -- "I bleed green; I die green," he said -- have resonated with the Celtics' front office and around the league. Rival execs believe Celtics president Danny Ainge understands that if he trades Garnett, he must also trade Paul Pierce, and vice versa. It's not clear yet in league circles whether the Celtics are ready for such a sudden and irreversible cultural change. Short of a full-blown purge of the Big Three era, rival execs believe the Celtics would consider moving a contract (such as Jason Terry's $5 million) to get under the luxury tax in what essentially is a lost season due to injuries.

• The Bulls are in the same boat with the tax line. Although they planned to be over the tax for the first time this season, Derrick Rose's stated reluctance to return from ACL surgery before he's "110 percent" presents a dilemma. Why pay the tax and burn a year on the clock that begins ticking this season toward massive repeater-tax penalties for a less-than-championship season? For that reason, sources say the Bulls are open to moving Rip Hamilton in a deal that makes sense and saves them a year on the repeater-tax rolls.

• Similarly, rival execs would be surprised if the Warriors remained above the tax line, which they exceed by less than $1 million. Golden State has three minimum-salary players -- Jeremy Tyler, Charles Jenkins and Kent Bazemore -- and moving two of them would forestall the repeater-tax clock.

• The Thunder are listening to offers for backup point guard Eric Maynor, who is eager for more playing time. Maynor will be a restricted free agent this summer. Utah needs a backup point guard and would be a good fit, but sources say the Jazz front office is consumed with the dilemma of whether to trade Jefferson or Paul Millsap.

• Minnesota is aggressively offering draft picks for established wing help, but the Wolves have yet to find anyone ready to deal.

Link

 

[solarius49]

Trade Buzz: Teams trudge cautiously toward deadline



• Minnesota is aggressively offering draft picks for established wing help, but the Wolves have yet to find anyone ready to deal.

Link

I'd give up Granger, but I want Kirilenko back, plus a first rounder

 

[sooperhooper]

I want to see some blockbusters.

 

[essential1]

Unless a third team jumps in Josh Smith will probably be a Buck. I'm sure that is what he wanted

 

[finallyfamous]

I want to see some blockbusters.

We all do

 

[essential1]

Gallo + Andre Miller + Draft Picks for Josh Smith + Pargo

Nuggets are not making any moves... At least no blockbusters.

 

[pmatic]

@Gambo620 I'll say it one more time. The Suns have no interest in Josh Smith. This is Atlanta trying to create a market for a player they want to move

 

[pmatic]

@ESPNSteinLine On Bucks/Josh Smith talk: Hawks' interest believed to start w/Monta Ellis, since Monta could play next to Jeff Teague, whom Hawks still like

"Let's trade the good all around player with a bad shot selection for the one dimensional player with a terrible shot selection!"

Edit:

@NYDNInterNets Billy King puts chances of making a deal at 10 percent

No Ben Gordon? Disappointing.

 

[mmg]

I wanted Ben :\

No trade value in Derrick Williams out in minny ?

Jazz and Hawks have to make moves.

All risk losing players with trade value for nothing

 

[essential1]

I wanted Ben :\

No trade value in Derrick Williams out in minny ?

Jazz and Hawks have to make moves.

All risk losing players with trade value for nothing

Derrick Williams value isn't super low.. Isn't high either... If you wanted him straight up... Probably a pick plus borderline starter/role player.

Only reason his value is that high is because he was a lottery pick.

 

[pmatic]

@KBergCBS One deal on the table for the Bucks is Luc Mbah a Moute and a first-round pick to Orlando for J.J. Redick, sources say.

@KBergCBS The belief among rival execs is that the Bucks would only acquire Redick if they first decided to move Monta Ellis as part of a bigger deal.

 

[trynafeelmink]

When did it become a MUST for teams to make a trade at the deadline if a player is leaving. Surely when your talking Dwight, Shaq, Lebron, Melo etc etc the you have to make a move.

But players like smith & jefferson may be good but their not going to get you great pieces in a trade....

sidenote may be a hell of a long shot but i think the bulls should really explore a trade for Tyreke Evans after this season. Deng & Hinrich for Reke & Salmons/ Garcia would be a great move for the bulls IMO.

With Butlers improvement I think he could very well start the 3 & i believe Thibbs can get the most out of tyreke. Offensively you have a guy who can carry the squad on O when D-rose chills.... & im Committed (Thibbs holds EVERYONE accountable for defense) he has all the attributes to be a very good defender

 

[Coupé It]

Smith is dealt, no doubt.

Bucks tho? Why would Atlanta want Ellis in return? I'd rather get young assets and draft picks.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

Reke on the Bulls? Don't see it at all unless you're using him as a sixth man. He is not the type of person you can rely on to "adjust" his game... he'd sooner check out mentally. imo the perfect fit for the bulls is a 2 guard who can shoot and play D...

 

[bishopstrongbow]

Man I would love Reke wit us... I feel like Thibs could really get him going, it's a stretch. But a risk I'd be willing to take, the upside with Rose + Reke on the offensive end would be tremendous, plus the team is committed to great team defense, Thibs could get Reke to be Atleast serviceable and play his role on the Defensiveside

 

[jjs07]

When did it become a MUST for teams to make a trade at the deadline if a player is leaving. Surely when your talking Dwight, Shaq, Lebron, Melo etc etc the you have to make a move.

But players like smith & jefferson may be good but their not going to get you great pieces in a trade....

sidenote may be a hell of a long shot but i think the bulls should really explore a trade for Tyreke Evans after this season. Deng & Hinrich for Reke & Salmons/ Garcia would be a great move for the bulls IMO.

With Butlers improvement I think he could very well start the 3 & i believe Thibbs can get the most out of tyreke. Offensively you have a guy who can carry the squad on O when D-rose chills.... & im Committed (Thibbs holds EVERYONE accountable for defense) he has all the attributes to be a very good defender

Unless Tyreke is coming off the bench, that would be an AWFUL move. Dude doesn't play off the ball and he needs the ball in his hands to be effective 98% of the time. Why would the bulls do this? If anything, explore a trade to bring in JJ Redick.

*Rose and Tyreke Evans in the same backcourt is awful.