HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Talk Deadline From All-Star:  In an attempt to add a little flavor to the Trade Deadline discussion HOOPSWORLD’s Yannis Koutroupis and I shot a little video for you from Houston this week with the latest news and commentary on the 2013 NBA Trade Deadline. Yannis dropped one of his last night, and here is the first of two from me.

Some Deadline Updates:  With the 2013 NBA Trade Deadline on Thursday at 3pm, HOOPSWORLD will begin our round the clock coverage of any things deadline starting later today, with a new updated and refreshed Trade Deadline Diary format. Look for that to drop later today.

Here are some smaller updates as we count down to the Thursday 3pm EST deadline.

Memphis Is A Buyer:  Cross Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph off of your deadline wish list. The Memphis Grizzlies won’t be sending anyone currently on their 12 man roster out on Thursday. However, with several Traded Player Exceptions to dangle to teams looking to shed dollars, you can expect Memphis to be a buyer on Thursday.

The Grizzlies have been carrying 12 players since trading away Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington and Josh Selby almost a month ago, and must get to 13 players in a few days.

In the NBA, especially at the trade deadline, you never say never, but as things stand with just a few more days to exchange deal concepts, look for the Grizz to be a team that scoops up an unwanted roster player and the deal will likely involve one of their exceptions and maybe a future 2nd round draft pick, not one of their core players.

Warriors Ducking The Tax:  The general consensus around the NBA is that the Golden State Warriors are going to shed dollars on Thursday and try and dip below the $70.307 million luxury tax line. The Warriors currently have $71.55 million in commitments, meaning they need to shed at least $850,000 to avoid the tax.

Moving some combination of Jeremy Tyler ($762,000), Charles Jenkins ($762,195) or Kent Bazemore ($473,604) could get the Warriors there without moving a core piece, but would likely cost them draft picks to grease a cap dump kind of deal. Stellar rookie Draymond Green ($850,000) could get the Warriors there and possible net them a reasonable return like a first round draft pick.

The more likely scenario is the Warriors look to cash out their bench guys who are playing a limited role, however, those kinds of deals usually come at a premium as teams with ability to absorb cap cash usually demand draft picks for their trouble. With Golden State looking to be cap strapped going forward, surrendering picks could be a huge negative as the draft may be the only way they can truly add to the roster given what they owe or may need to owe to would-be free agents going forward.

Phoenix In The Mix:  As HOOPSWORLD’s Alex Kennedy first reported earlier this month, the Phoenix Suns are one of several teams angling to get their hands on Atlanta’s Josh Smith.

The Suns have tons of disposable assets including disgruntled center Marcin Gortat. The Suns are not settling on just Smith, word is they have been at the Jazz regarding Paul Millsap and have kicked the tires on most of the notable names said to be available, with Smith being the player they feel they can make the most compelling offer for.

The Hawks are expected to move Smith before the 3pm deadline on Thursday and are evaluating all their options.

Sources close to the Hawks thinking say that moving Smith will be 100 percent about what they get in return and that his pending free agency or even his willingness to re-sign with a specific team during the summer will not play a factor in how Atlanta deals with him.

There is a belief that if Atlanta cannot find a deal to their liking this week, they could very well hold on to him, based on the idea that the teams with real cap money to offer won’t be appealing to Smith and that in order for Smith to land where he wants with a hefty max-level contract it would require a sign and trade. There is risk to that scenario, but Hawks sources say they won’t deal Smith for undesirable contracts and that the cap space Josh could create is more valuable than bad contract or bad fitting talent.

There is a real belief that Smith will be traded on Thursday and Phoenix is one of the teams seriously in the mix.

Boston Somewhat Stuck:  Celtics forward Kevin Garnett says he will not under any circumstances waive his no-trade clause, which means if Boston wants to make a real trade on Thursday it will need to involve Paul Pierce or a combination of second and third tier contracts.

The Celtics have kicked around a number of trade scenarios, but as the deadline gets ever closer, the reality that Boston may not be able to make a major change could take Boston out of the mix.

League sources say the Celtics have tried several combinations including Courtney Lee, Brandon Bass and any of their rookie contracts – Fab Melo and third-year guard Avery Bradley – but have found lukewarm interest.

Boston Celtics label the trading of Pierce a very emotional decision, mainly because of Pierce’s status as a Celtic Hall of Famer.

It’s not out of the question that Celtics look at deals involving Paul, however its viewed as unlikely that Boston triggers anything with Paul and with Garnett all but killing any possibility of a deal involving himself, the Celtics may not have a major deal to make unless the value of their pieces increases at the deadline.

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NBA Loses An Icon:  Yesterday the NBA lost a titan in Laker owner Jerry Buss. The 80-year old Buss died early in the day from complications related to cancer treatment he was undergoing.

The Lakers kept Buss’ failing health from the public eye and Laker personnel say they all had a chance to say good bye to their long-time owner before his passing.

The NBA was forever changed because of Buss, and his team has become the cornerstone on which the modern NBA is built.

Buss had reorganized the Lakers some time ago to prepare for his passing, setting up a trust so the family could remain in control of Lakers after his death.

The Buss’ family re-commitment themselves to maintaining the Lakers yesterday per their father’s request, however there are some concerns about how the family can control things without Buss to oversee and more importantly fund the team.

The Lakers’ inked a multi-year deal with Time Warner for their local TV rights that is said to be worth more than $2 billion dollars and could be worth as much as $200 million per year. When this deal was signed it was done looking forward to how things would be handled if Buss were to pass, so it’s believed the revenue channel created by the Warner deal could offset some of the estate tax issues that are going to arise after Buss’ passing.

With such an amazing visionary no longer at the helm of the team, the Lakers may never be the same. Buss spent money to insure the Lakers were among the elite virtually every year he owned the team; it is not clear how his children will manage it.

With Buss gone, a tremendous leadership void now exists for the Lakers and with so many details of the financial picture unclear going forward, the days of the Lakers being the top spender in the NBA may be coming to an end, especially with a massively punitive luxury tax kicking in next year and a revenue sharing model that could cost the Lakers as much as a $60 million a year.

The NBA lost a titan yesterday, and his loss may have a ripple effect within the Lakers that may change the NBA’s most iconic franchise forever.

It’s truly a sad time for the NBA and for the Laker Nation that has so passionately supported him and his team.

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