2012 NBA Draft Diary
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Get the very latest news, notes and rumors surrounding 2012 NBA Draft.
06/28/12 5:50PM EST Alex Kennedy:
The New Orleans Hornets will likely hold onto the tenth overall pick, according to sources close to the situation. New Orleans shopped the selection in recent weeks, but sources say they’ve decided to “stick with it,” barring a last-minute offer that sweeps them off their feet. The Hornets are hoping that Andre Drummond is available at #10. They would love to put Drummond alongside Anthony Davis. Austin Rivers, Tyler Zeller and Meyers Leonard are possibilities if Drummond is gone.
06/28/12 5:35PM EST Alex Kennedy:
It sounds like the Golden State Warriors will hold onto the seventh overall pick. While the team did their due diligence and shopped the selection in recent days, sources say the team is now leaning toward keeping the pick. The Houston Rockets tried to acquire the seventh pick, but sources say the talks broke down because Golden State wasn’t interested in Houston’s assets.
06/28/12 4:56PM EST Alex Kennedy:
The Oklahoma City Thunder may end up moving the No. 28 pick, according to sources close to the situation. The Thunder have a short list of players that they’re interested in selecting with the pick. If those players are off the board when they go on the clock, there’s a good chance Oklahoma City will move the selection.
06/28/12 4:40PM EST Bill Ingram:
According to multiple reports, the Oklahoma City Thunder have added a year to their contract offer to head coach Scott Brooks, but the two sides reportedly are still some distance apart on the financial side. The Portland Trail Blazers are said to be interested in Brooks if talks between the Thunder and their coach fall apart.
ESPN’s Chad Ford reports that the trade that would send the Sacramento Kings’ #5 pick in tonight’s draft to Houston is only being held up by the slim chance that Thomas Robinson would still be on the board at 5. If he is, the Kings will keep the pick and draft Robinson. If he’s not, the trade with Houston could go down, with the Rockets taking Andre Drummond and likely offering him to Orlando as part of a Dwight Howard trade.
06/28/12 4:00PM EST – Bill Ingram:
The New York Knicks have extended a qualifying offer to point guard sensation Jeremy Lin, who will now become a restricted free agent once free agency begins next week. The Knicks will have the option to match any offer Lin might receive, and the smart money says they will do just that.
06/28/12 3:31PM EST – Alex Kennedy:
Here are some of the latest rumors:
The Golden State Warriors continue to shop the seventh overall pick, according to sources close to the situation. The Warriors are targeting a star small forward, and league sources say they would be willing to package their pick with Klay Thompson if it allowed them to acquire a notable wing such as Rudy Gay, Luol Deng or Andre Iguodala. Golden State continues to explore their options.
The Atlanta Hawks are gauging interest in Josh Smith, and sources close to the small forward say he’s open to a trade. In the past, Smith has expressed his frustration with the organization because he doesn’t feel they’re committed to building a contender. While the Hawks weren’t ready to move Smith at the trade deadline several months ago, that could change now that he’s entering the final year of his contract. If they believe he’s going to leave as a free agent after the season, they may try to trade him now rather than losing him for nothing next summer.
The Oklahoma City Thunder like Bradley Beal, but it’s unlikely they’ll acquire him. The Thunder would have to acquire the second overall pick from the Charlotte Bobcats in order to select Beal, and they’re not willing to give in to Charlotte’s asking price. The Bobcats want a face-of-the-franchise type player, such as James Harden, for the second overall pick. It doesn’t sound like Oklahoma City is willing to part ways with last season’s Sixth Man of the Year, which likely kills any chance of Beal in a Thunder jersey.
The San Antonio Spurs are shopping DeJuan Blair, sources close to the situation confirm. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported the news. Don’t be surprised if the Spurs move Blair for a draft pick in a move similar to the one they made last year when they sent George Hill to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for the 15th overall pick Kawhi Leonard.
The Houston Rockets are still trying to acquire additional first-round picks, according to league sources. Houston currently holds #12, #16 and #18, but they’re not done wheeling and dealing.
06/28/12 2:45PM EST – Bill Ingram:
There are a few more tidbits surfacing as we get closer to tonight’s big event. The Dallas Mavericks may have a deal in place that will send Lamar Odom to the Los Angeles Clippers, though the Utah Jazz are involved in the deal. One source has Devin Harris returning to Dallas, but another says it’s a straight salary dump for the Mavs. HOOPSWORLD’s Eric Pincus says Utah will use the traded player exception they got in the Memo Okur trade, perhaps sending a second round pick to Dallas.
Staying in Texas, the San Antonio Spurs are shopping DeJuan Blair, who played a huge role for them in 2010-11, but fell out of the rotation in 2011-12.
Finally, the Houston Rockets are unperturbed by the drama surrounding Dwight Howard. He’s their target, and if they can get the top ten pick they are chasing they think they can pry him away from the Magic.
06/28/12 1:00 PM EST – Eric Pincus:
At the risk of sounding cryptic, the Los Angeles Clippers could reunite with a former player well before the draft kicks off.
Also, sometimes a team who wants a player, tries to recruit a player – but is rebuffed – will spin a story that they never wanted that player to begin with.
Read between the lines…
06/28/12 11:39 AM EST – Alex Kennedy:
Dwight Howard’s departure from the Orlando Magic seems inevitable, with sources close to the situation characterizing the relationship between the superstar and the organization as irreparable. Sources say Howard no longer wants to be in Orlando and he won’t give the franchise the long-term commitment they’re seeking this summer. Howard hopes to be traded and he has been exploring all of his options in recent days.
Rob Hennigan, who was hired as Orlando’s new general manager last week, wants to salvage the relationship with Howard, but the damage may already be done. Howard seems ready to move on, with the Brooklyn Nets atop his list of preferred destinations. Howard has long coveted a trade to Brooklyn, where he would team up with Deron Williams, but sources close to the situation say that the Nets don’t have the trade assets to acquire Howard.
The Houston Rockets, fully aware of the strained relationship between Howard and the Magic, have been stockpiling draft picks in an attempt to trade for the superstar center. The Rockets are still trying to acquire first-round picks in the hours leading up to the draft, specifically the Sacramento Kings’ fifth overall pick and Toronto Raptors’ eighth overall pick. Houston knows that Hennigan would prefer to rebuild through the draft, following the same model as the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he was the assistant general manager under Sam Presti. If Orlando has given up hope of retaining Howard, Houston seems to be the frontrunner to acquire the All-Star center.
06/28/12 11:30 AM EST – Alex Kennedy:
Micheal Eric is drawing interest from a number of teams in the second round, according to league sources. Eric’s stock has been on the rise after a number of impressive workouts against prospects who were ranked higher than him. The Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets are among the teams expressing interest in Eric, who could be selected anywhere between #45 and #60 this evening. Last season at Temple, Eric averaged 9.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.
06/28/12 9:58 PM EST – Alex Raskin:
The Bobcats have a limited amount of time to evaluate several trade offers for the second-overall pick. According to a tweet by David Aldridge of NBA.com, Charlotte has five “legit offers” that they’re “currently exploring.”
It’s really anyone’s guess who those five teams are, but don’t be surprised to see the Cleveland Cavaliers in the mix. If they really like Florida’s Bradley Beal, that would be the spot to take him.
06/28/12 8:48 PM EST – Joel Brigham:
Eventually, at some point, there’s a shake-up in the lottery, and last year it was Cleveland using their #4 pick on Tristan Thompson somewhat unexpectedly. This year, also unexpectedly, Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Cleveland could mix it up at #4 again by selecting Syracuse guard Dion Waiters instead of someone from the group of forwards who are most likely to be there at that point.
Sources told Wojnarowski that Cleveland has ramped up their background check on Waiters, showing that they are, in fact, really interested in the kid.
After you get over the shock of seeing something totally different from what every single mock draft on the internet has put out there for the last several weeks, that would actually make quite a bit of sense. All week we’ve heard about the Cavs surrendering their 4th and 24th picks to move up to #2 so they could select a top shooting guard in Bradley Beal. However, Waiters actually has the potential to be an even more explosive NBA two, which is why teams like Golden State, Toronto, and Phoenix have also showed so much interest in him.
If Charlotte selects Kidd-Gilchrist and Washington selects Beal, Waiters could legitimately be the smartest pick for them at #4. If it goes Robinson then Beal, however, Cleveland would probably select Kidd-Gilchrist. Either way, if Cleveland nabs Waiters in the top four, that shakes up the lottery big-time. But like I said, it happens every year.
06/27/12 10:43PM EST – Alex Kennedy:
HOOPSWORLD spent the afternoon with the top prospects in the 2012 NBA Draft. Check out these videos:
Anthony Davis
Thomas Robinson
Bradley Beal
Harrison Barnes
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Austin Rivers
Andre Drummond
Dion Waiters
Meyers Leonard
Tyler Zeller
John Henson
Damian Lillard
06/27/12 9:20PM EST – Bill Ingram:
The Houston Rockets are in hot pursuit of a lottery pick to try and lure Dwight Howard away from Orlando, but one issue they’re having in ongoing discussions with Toronto, according to a source familiar with the situation, is that the Raptors believe they have a real chance of landing Steve Nash, and so are reluctant to trigger a deal for Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry. The obvious appeal of bringing Nash home to Canada has Toronto hesitant to make a deal for another starting PG.
06/27/12 8:20PM EST – Bill Ingram:
Houston Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry sees the writing on the wall and expects to be traded in the next 24 hours. The only question seems to be where he will be traded, with Sacramento and Toronto looking like the current frontrunners. The Rockets are looking for a lottery pick, either to use themselves, perhaps on Andre Drummond, or to sweeten their offer to Orlando for Dwight Howard.
Additionally, sources close to the situation tell HOOPSWORLD that the Rockets already have a deal in place to re-sign free agent point guard Goran Dragic, which would explain why they are so willing to deal Lowry.
06/27/12 7:55 PM EST – Alex Kennedy:
With the 2012 NBA Draft less than 24 hours away, the rumor mill continues to churn. Here’s the latest:
The Golden State Warriors hold the seventh overall pick, but they haven’t fallen in love with any of prospects in their range. The Warriors are weighing their options and are seriously considering moving up, with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Harrison Barnes their most likely targets. Golden State is also working the phones and considering trades that would yield a veteran small forward.
Moe Harkless didn’t receive an invitation to the green room, but he’ll be attending the draft tomorrow night. Harkless’ stock has been on the rise in recent weeks, with a number of teams expressing interest in him. He’s an option for the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 11, the Phoenix Suns at No. 13 and the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 15.
After moving down two slots and acquiring Samuel Dalembert earlier today, the Milwaukee Bucks are shifting their attention away from big men. Previously, they were expected to select a center such as Tyler Zeller or Meyers Leonard. However, things changed when they moved down and now Terrence Ross is on their radar.
The Dallas Mavericks are expressing a lot of interest in Arnett Moultrie. If Moultrie is still available at No. 17, sources believe Dallas will select him.
06/27/12 7:15 PM EST – Bill Ingram:
There are a number of newsworthy tidbits floating around out there. First, Anthony Parker has announced that he will retire from the NBA, something he has hinted at all season.
Next, former Kings forward Donte Greene tweeted out that he’s finished in Sacramento, indicating that the Kings won’t pick up the option on his contract.
And then there’s the ever-active Houston Rockets, who are actively engaged in talks with the Kings about the #5 pick, but so far the Kings aren’t budging.
06/27/12 5:30PM EST – Bill Ingram:
Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman reports that the Oklahoma City Thunder may not be satisfied with the 28th pick in tomorrow’s NBA Draft. Apparently Thunder GM Sam Presti told Bradley Beal, who is widely regarded as a top three pick, that they have a great deal of interest in him and may make a move to acquire a pick high enough to draft him. Is James Harden on the move? The draft gets more interesting the closer it gets.
06/27/12 4:53 PM EST – Joel Brigham:
Contrary to an internet rumor earlier in the day, sources close to the situation are indicating that a Wilson-Chandler-to-Golden-State offer isn’t even on the table.
While the Warriors are looking to upgrade at the small forward spot, they’re still hoping to do that in the draft. They absolutely are exploring a number of trades involving that #7 pick, but the Wilson Chandler deal isn’t one of them, at least not right now.
06/27/12 4:46 PM EST – Joel Brigham:
Chad Ford of ESPN.com is reporting that the Houston Rockets are not active in trade talks with the Los Angeles Lakers for Pau Gasol, despite rampant rumors that they’ve been doing exactly that.
The rumors stem from the summer’s near-trade for Gasol in the vetoed Chris Paul trade, but even then Houston insisted that trading for Gasol was part of a bigger picture for them. Remember, they wanted to sign Nene in the offseason, as well, and trading for Gasol then was part of a bigger picture that involved another major piece. Interest him as a stand-alone star, at least from Houston’s perspective, is minimal.
Now, if Houston can pull off a Dwight Howard trade—however unlikely that may be—a Gasol trade could look more desirable to them. Right now though, Ford is right that they aren’t targeting him for now. They haven’t been for a while.
06/27/12 4:28 PM EST – Alex Raskin:
The rumors that the Nets are trading up in the draft aren’t false—they’d love to acquire a first-round pick—but the trade assets aren’t there for Brooklyn right now.
Brook Lopez has been tendered, general manager Billy King told reporters today, which means he’ll be a restricted free agent. Lopez can only be moved in a sign-and-trade deal with his consent and that can’t even happen until July 11th . In other words, we should hesitate a little before lumping him in to this week’s batch of trade rumors.
The Nets have just four players under contract for next season depending on what Jordan Farmar does with his option (a Nets spokesman has said they are still waiting for a decision). Yes, they have the rights to Bojan Bogdanovic and the Houston Rockets’ (protected) first-round pick in 2013. And while those are decent trade chips, they’re not going to garner a high lottery pick, as is being suggested on blogs, etc.
06/27/12 3:56 PM EST – Joel Brigham:
The Milwaukee Bucks have traded the #12 pick, along with Shaun Livingston, Jon Leuer, and Jon Brockman, to the Houston Rockets for the #14 pick and center Samuel Dalembert.
Milwaukee needed a big and didn’t want to risk relying on the draft to produce one. This way, they’ve guaranteed themselves depth at center and still get to keep a pick in the lottery. If a big falls to them there, they can still draft one. If not, they’re in a better situation to take the best player available.
Houston, meanwhile, took another step towards positioning themselves for a bigger trade down the road. They want to consolidate their three top-18 picks into as high of picks as possible, and getting the #12 was a small step in that direction without having to give up anything essential to their long-term plans.
06/27/12 3:35 PM EST – Eric Pincus:
Multiple reports have the Los Angeles Lakers shopping Pau Gasol (which should be no surprise as HOOPSWORLD has written to that effect for many months).
Worth noting is a tweet from Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times who writes the “Atlanta Hawks have been pursuing Pau Gasol.”
Bres also notes that “nothing is imminent, but Josh Smith would be the key piece going to the Lakers.”
That’s a notion that’s been bandied about at HOOPSWORLD but with the note that the Hawks would be hesitant to have over $52 million invested in just three players (Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Gasol). Of course Atlanta may look to make other moves to restructure their roster, especially with Danny Ferry recently hired as the team’s new general manager.
06/27/12 3:15 PM EST – Bill Ingram:
It seems the Houston Rockets have added the #2 pick to their list of desired assets. According to Sports Illustrated‘s Sam Amick the Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers are both in discussions with the Charlotte Bobcats regarding the second overall pick in tomorrow’s NBA Draft.
06/27/12 12:10 PM EST – Yannis Koutroupis:
While first-round prospects will receive most of the attention heading into Thursday’s draft, teams are starting to zero in on second-round prospects as well. One player who has attracted interest from a number of teams in the second round is Kent Bazemore of Old Dominion. He’s receiving looks from teams in the mid-to-late second round and he could hear his name called by Adam Silver tomorrow night.
06/27/12 11:20 AM EST – Bill Ingram:
It’s been widely assumed that the Sacramento Kings will trade Tyreke Evans this summer, but it’s sounding more and more like the they will continue to try and develop him rather than cash him in. At the end of the season head coach Keith Smart told HOOPSWORLD he was “optimistic” that Evans could expand his game to include a reliable outside shot, and Evans has already been putting in the work. This morning Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets that the team is very pleased with his progress, and that he will take part in the team’s summer league schedule on top of additional workouts. It sounds like Evans may still be in Sacramento’s long-term plan after all.
06/27/12 10:00 AM EST – Alex Raskin:
As reported by the Washington Post’s Michael Lee, the Wizards are receiving calls for the third-overall pick and the team would be willing to part with it for the right package. Even though owner Ted Leonsis said Washington is keeping its pick, there’s a chance general manager Ernie Grunfeld could move down one spot, trading with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and picking up the 24th-overall pick in the process.
The Cavaliers want to make sure they land either Florida’s Bradley Beal or Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and there’s an outside chance that both could be off the board if the Charlotte Bobcats find a taker for the second-overall pick.
The Wizards want to add either Beal, Kidd-Gilchrist or Harrison Barnes, Lee wrote, and they could still land one of the three and get another first-round pick, they wouldn’t hesitate.
06/27/12 7:42AM EST – Steve Kyler:
Ironically Lamar Odom may help the LA Clippers land Lamar Odom.
ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that the LA Clippers are in talks with the Dallas Mavericks in efforts to obtain Lamar Odom in trade. Odom is owed $8.2 million but has a contract buyout worth $2.4 million if exercised by Friday.
The report suggests that Dallas and the Clippers are looking for a third team to take on the $8.5 million final contract year of Clipper guard Mo Williams and the LA Lakers who hold a $9 million Traded Player Exception from their trade of Odom to Dallas appears to be interested.
06/27/12 7:42AM EST – Steve Kyler:
If the Cleveland Cavaliers want the #2 overall pick they may have to either take back Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas or find a third team willing to do so.
The Cavaliers and Bobcats have been talking about a swap of the #4 and the #2 picks, with Cleveland potentially ponying up the 24th pick. After consummating their trade with Detroit yesterday it seems the Bobcats have changed their stance on the 24th pick and are now willing to consider a deal built around the #4 and one of Cleveland’s second round picks if Thomas and the $24 plus million he’s owed is offloaded in the deal.
The Cavaliers seem to covet Florida guard Brad Beal and are trying to move up to grab him. The Bobcats believe that Thomas Robinson, the player they are likely to draft with the #2 pick could still be on the board at #4. League sources say several teams with multiple picks in the first round have contacted the Washington Wizards, knowing full well that if Beal is gone when they draft at #3 that Washington’s interest in Michael-Kidd Gilchrist, Robinson or Harrison Barnes is limited and are making overtures on a deal to land Robinson with the #3 if Beal is indeed gone at #2.
Things are getting interesting with the #2 pick…
06/27/12 1:42AM EST – Eric Pincus:
The Los Angeles Lakers have been recently linked to the Washington Wizards by Sam Amico of Fox Sports. Sam wrote the Wizards might have interest in Pau Gasol for the third pick in the draft (along with the necessary, but unspecificed, matching contracts).
Late Tuesday Daniel Artest, brother of Metta World Peace, tweeted that he thought it was “bs but it’s picking up.”
The rumor per Artest is Trevor Ariza, Andray Blatche and the #3 pick for Gasol and Peace.
The problem is the math. The Wizards are over the cap and they just traded for Ariza. As such, they cannot package him with another player for two months.
The Lakers can easily break the deal into separate components and if you asked the Wizards to do Ariza for Peace straight up – and then Gasol for Blatche, yes the packaging issue is overcome.
Unfortunately for this rumor, Gasol for Blatche doesn’t come close to working for the Wizards given Pau makes $18.7 million and Blatche just $6.4 million. The Wizards would need to send out at least another $6 million and change to take on Gasol’s large contract.
Without Nene or Emeka Okafor in the discussion, which is not the rumor as suggested, it’s difficult to find a way around that salary limitation.
For now file this one under bad math . . .
06/27/12 12:30AM EST – Alex Kennedy:
Here are some news and notes from around the league:
The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are each trying to acquire a first-round pick, according to league sources. The Lakers have been in contact with a number of teams to determine what it would take to land a first-round pick. The Nets are also making it clear that they want to move into the first round.
The Milwaukee Bucks are trying to move into the top ten, according to sources close to the situation. While Milwaukee likes Tyler Zeller and Meyers Leonard, two bigs who may be available when they select at No. 12, sources say they have John Henson higher on their draft board and may try to move up to select him.
The Houston Rockets hold three first-round picks, but they’re not done searching for selections. They’re still trying to acquire a top ten pick, according to league sources.
The New Orleans will obviously draft Anthony Davis with the top overall pick, but they’ll have a much tougher decision to make when they’re on the clock with the tenth pick. The Hornets are weighing all of their options and could go in a number of directions with the pick. Several weeks ago, they were eyeing guards such as Austin Rivers and Terrence Ross. However, since trading away Emeka Okafor, it seems they will also consider big men such as Tyler Zeller and Meyers Leonard. New Orleans has a tough decision to make and they haven’t zeroed in on anyone just yet.
06/26/12 8:30PM EST – Bill Ingram:
Ken Berger of CBS Sportsline is reporting that sources from around the NBA say the Dallas Mavericks are starting to act as though they are preparing to miss out on Deron Williams in free agency and looking for a Plan B. It looks more and more likely that Williams will opt to stay in Brooklyn as the Nets look to rebuild around him and Brook Lopez. As Berger reports, under new CBA rules, the Nets can offer Williams a five-year deal worth approximately $100 million — one year and about $26 million more than the Mavs, the only other team the All-Star is believed to be considering.
06/26/12 8:09PM EST – Steve Kyler:
Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Detroit Pistons have triggered a deal with the Charlotte Bobcats sending Corey Maggette to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Ben Gordon and a future protected first round draft pick.
Gordon has $12.40 million left on his deal next season and a final Player Option year worth $13.20 million in 2013-2014.
Corey Maggette is entering the final year of his deal and is owed $10.92 million for the upcoming season.
06/26/12 8:02PM EST – Steve Kyler:
It’s entirely possible the Golden State Warriors are bluffing, but if Andre Drummond does not go #6 to Portland as many believe he will, an interesting tumble could take place.
Drummond took part in a workout for the Warriors in New York today and supposedly did not answer the questions about his prospects as a NBA big man that the organization has been trying to answer for the last couple of weeks.
The Warriors have room to take a chance on Drummond at #7, mainly because they have Andrew Bogut on the roster for two more years. The Warriors were hoping that Drummond would leap off the page and make their decision a little easier; however sources close to the process say that nothing much changed after seeing him two days before the draft.
UNC’s Harrison Barnes also worked out for the Warriors today and supposedly he is a far more interesting option for the Warriors, although it’s highly unlikely he’s going to be there at #7 unless someone does something to move up for Drummond.
The Warriors are looking for front court depth, but have considered point guard Damien Lillard and Syracuse combo guard Dion Waiters, although sources say they’d rather go big than guard.
There was hope that Drummond would “WOW” the Warriors and it does not seem like that happened.
06/26/12 6:51PM EST – Steve Kyler:
We have a 2012 NBA Draft Green Room list…
Harrison Barnes (North Carolina), Bradley Beal (Florida), Anthony Davis (Kentucky), Andre Drummond (Connecticut), John Henson (North Carolina), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky), Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut), Meyers Leonard (Illinois), Damian Lillard (Weber State), Austin Rivers (Duke), Terrence Ross (Washington), Thomas Robinson (Kansas), Dion Waiters (Syracuse), Tyler Zeller (North Carolina)
06/26/12 5:51PM EST – Steve Kyler:
Wanting something and actually getting something are often two entirely separate things.
The Houston Rockets are lining up their chips to make a run at a number of situations over the next week and one of them is Orlando’s Dwight Howard (he’s not the only fish, but clearly he is the biggest).
Sources close to the process in Orlando warn that while many teams have eyes on Orlando’s franchise player, the word around the Magic is that their first order of business is to keep Dwight right where he is and that’s on the Magic’s roster.
Those same sources point out that while teams are calling and trying to gauge the Magic’s temperament on a trade, the issue still boils down to an owner in Rich DeVos that seems stubbornly committed to keeping Howard in Orlando.
Trades are always a fluid thing, a bad deal today could instantly become a good deal tomorrow and with so many assets to offer, the Rockets feel like they have the pieces to get Orlando’s attention, the question is will DeVos allow his new GM to make the deal?
That still seems to be very much up in the air at this point, so don’t go packing Dwight’s bags just yet.
06/26/12 5:45PM EST – Bill Ingram:
The Golden State Warriors have extended a qualifying offer to shooting guard Brandon Rush, making him a restricted free agent once free agency begins in July. The Warriors will have the right to match any offers Rush receives from other teams.
Also, add Chicago to the growing list of teams who are interested in seeing whether or not Brandon Roy is capable of getting back onto the basketball court. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Bulls are exploring Roy, as well as offering Luol Deng around to lottery teams in an effort to try and grab Harrison Barnes in Thursday’s draft.
06/26/12 1:40PM EST – Bill Ingram:
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been ordered to surrender a future draft pick to the Boston Celtics as compensation for Jeff Green’s heart condition, according to Yahoo! Sports. The Thunder will reportedly send Boston the 2013 first round pick they own from the Charlotte Bobcats.
06/26/12 1:35 p.m. EST – Steve Kyler:
The Portland Trail Blazers seem to be working all angles of the 2012 NBA Draft. If they stay where they are holding the #6 and #11, there is a strong chance Andre Drummond is going to be a Blazer, but with so many teams intrigued by the 6’11 big man from UCONN, the Blazers could find themselves at the crossroads of a bidding war. The Sacramento Kings find themselves in a similar situation. The Houston Rockets would love to get a hold of Drummond in the draft either to keep for themselves or use as a bait to seal a major trade for a proven NBA veteran.
Both Sacramento and Portland have been extremely active and the odds that both are holding on to their picks when the draft ends on Thursday night is looking pretty slim.
The question is what do they get for their troubles…. Stay tuned.
06/26/12 1:15 p.m. EST – Bill Ingram:
The 2012 NBA Draft promises to be one of the most interesting yet, with so many draft picks in play. The Charlotte Bobcats are actively shopping the #2, and the Houston Rockets are stockpiling picks in an effort to land Dwight Howard. There are at least three teams tied to talks with Houston as the Rockets attempt to grab not only Dwight, but perhaps Deron Williams, as well. For more on that read the latest on Houston’s activity here!
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