Significant progress was made over the weekend on a proposed trade that would send Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets, but there was still work being done Monday to get a fourth team involved –a development that would increase the total number of players in the deal to 12 or more.
Three league sources told SheridanHoops.com that there were “several moving pieces and parts” that were keeping the deal from being agreed to by all parties, but that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be “extremely well-compensated with draft picks and money” for taking on Kris Humphries in the trade.
Humphries and Howard share the same agent, Dan Fegan.
No deals can be announced until July 11, meaning the trade could not take place until 12:01 a.m. EDT Wednesday at the earliest. And while other teams continue to engage new Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan with proposals, the package of players and picks that Brooklyn is offering could end up being the most enticing.
Brook Lopez, Humphries, MarShon Brooks and three of the Nets’ No. 1 draft picks over the next five years would be the main pieces leaving Brooklyn in the deal, but additional players including Damion James, Shelden Williams and Armon Johnson were being worked into the deal to make it work under salary-cap rules. Additionally, Brooklyn could surrender several second-round draft picks.
The end result would be a deal that lands Howard in his preferred destination, forming a superstar threesome of Howard, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson for the Nets’ move into their new arena in Brooklyn this fall, and a massive rebuilding project in Orlando in which Hennigan would attempt to rebuild the team in the same manner his old boss, Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti, did with the Sonics-Thunder franchise.
Adrian Wojnarowski of YahooSports said the framework of the deal includes Howard, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark to Brooklyn, and the Magic receiveingthe Nets’ Brook Lopez, Damion James, Sheldon Williams, Cleveland’s Luke Walton and three future first-round picks. Cleveland would receive Orlando’s Quentin Richardson, Brooklyn’s Sundiata Gaines, Humphries (on a one-year guaranteed deal), a first-round pick and $3 million from the Nets.
ESPN.com’s Chad Ford said the Los Angeles Clippers would be the fourth team, taking on Brooks in exchange for a first-round pick that would be sent to Orlando.
The Magic have reportedly already agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that would send Ryan Anderson to the New Orleans Hornets for center Gustavo Ayon and other compensation. New Orleans also is expected to match the four-year, $48 million offer sheet that Eric Gordon has agreed to with the Phoenix Suns.
Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com, who has been out front with this story, reported that Orlando will make one last weep around the league before accepting a Nets offer. Rudolph said the currently proposed deal would include 11 players, cash and multiple draft picks.
One obstacle that threatened to derail the Nets — Brooklyn’s signing of Mirza Teletovic — has been resolved by Teletovic agreeing to take a lesser salary that originally proposed, preventing the Nets from running up against a new collective bargaining rule that would impose a hard cap on their salaries at $74 million. The salaries of Howard, Johnson, Williams, Teletovic and Gerald Wallace would total about $70 million, and Brooklyn would still make an effort to re-sign Gerald Green — although he could receive double the compensation that the Nets could offer if a different team signed him using exception money.
Said this to Chris last week, tweeted it today and will put it here now:
Sixers should renounce Brackins, Meeks, Sam Young and possibly Battie, put that cap room with room from Brand amnesty and sign Humphries to 3 year, 25 mill deal outright.
They need a thug rebounder and would block Nets’ ability to get Howard while remaining a factor in Atlantic Division. Their rotation would be Hump-Iguodala-Hawes-Turner-Holiday with TYoung-NYoung-Allen-Vucevic-Harkless-Moultrie off bench.
Thorn could put the screws to his former team.
This move would really make an astounding amount of sense.
There seems to have been a distinct lack of stories about teams going in for Humphries, actually. Has he been pricing himself out of the market, has he been waiting to see if he can get an inflated deal out of the Howard saga, or do NBA GMs just not like the guy for some reason?
I’m not even convinced that this is a smart deal for the Nets. In order to have D-Will, Joe Johnson and Dwight Howard, they’ll have no-one else and very few draft picks in the next 5 years to help fill out the roster and only the taxpayer MLE to add anyone of any value. Miami ’10-’11 but with even less depth. I mean, if the trade goes off as reported, who even comes on the court when D-Will goes to the bench? Who comes on when Dwight Howard goes to the bench? But I suppose for the sake of marketing and establishing the frachise, the Dwight Howard name is key.
Boy they better hope that back will keep letting him play 82 games a year and 38+ MPG.
This would be fantastic if it happens. The only thing is what Chris mentioned in his article: Humphries and Howard share the same agent. If you’re Dan Fegan, do you let Humphries go sign a solid, longer term deal and jeopardize the trade that would put your biggest client Howard in a bad position? If I’m him, I’m telling Kris ‘nope, sorry, no one’s interested. This is the best situation for you.’
Humphries should fire Fegan though because this is the second year he’s put up good numbers but is going to get screwed into a one year deal with no long-term security. To me, that’s a bad risk for someone Humphries age.
(I don’t know who else Fegan represents, but I’m assuming Howard is his biggest client in the NBA. I could very well be wrong)
Howard is easily his biggest client (unless you count the money Gilbert Arenas got from his amnesty payout). Take a look at this list:
http://hoopshype.com/agents/dan_fegan.htm
I’m going to do Rob Hennigan’s job for him, make the TWolves a playoff team, and get Howard to the Lakers with this deal. Here we go:
Orlando gets Bynum from the Lakers and Derrick Williams from the TWolves.
The Lakers get Howard and Hedo from the Magic (huge plus for Orlando also getting rid of Hedo), and they also get Brad Miller and Wesley Johnson from the TWolves to make the $ work.
The TWolves get Pau Gasol making Kevin Love happy, and this makes Kobe happy as he is done with Gasol, and it makes Gasol happy to be out of LA and playing with Rubio when he comes back.
I also don’t think anyone in this deal has to give up draft picks, as I think this would make everyone happy.
I don’t think the Lakers are interested in giving up both Gasol and Bynum for Howard (let alone Howard and a bunch of bad contracts).
I get what you are saying, but Wesley Johnson is on a rookie deal so that isn’t really a bad contract. And Miller has only 1 year left, and he can still give productive minutes in short bursts. I will admit Hedo’s $ isn’t great, but he is an offensive upgrade over Artest, and LA needs someone who is capable of hitting 3’s.
I also think these players fit better with Nash than Bynum and Gasol. Neither are great at running the floor, and both like to post up whereas Nash likes to hit players running the floor and cutting. Howard being much more athletic I think is a better fit with Nash than both Bynum and Gasol.
It’s a sweetheart deal for the Nets but I really doubt its going down like this. Orlando would be better off rolling the dice on Bynum than on giving Lopez $75 million.
I really don’t like this deal for Orlando, and I’d personally rather them take a Houston package where they can grab a collection of young cheap players and draft picks.
The Cavs end isn’t exactly clear either. I understand them wanting a draft pick sweetener for taking on the contract. Humphries is a very similar player to Varejao and Thompson though. Just seems redundant unless they already are working on another deal to flip Humphries or Varejao for a young player or another draft pick.
Damnit, I meant to say I consider this a stupid deal for Orlando, not strong. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Feel free to fix it for me, Sheridan Hoops webmaster!
First off, the many people who said Sheridan was making up this story a few days back should comment on this thread and admit they were wrong. But then again if everyone had to apologize for the stupid comments they made on the internet it might crash from too many people being on at once.
And while I never thought your sources were wrong, I still don’t consider this a strong deal for Orlando. I understand Bynum will not sign an extension, but I’d still risk Bynum over paying Brook Lopez $75 million. And the picks Orlando gets back from the Nets will all be late round 1sts as the Nets are now at worse the 3 seed in the East. Plus, what the hell are the Cavs thinking taking on Kris Humphries to allow this deal to happen? This trade by the new Orlando GM is small thinking, destined to keep the Magic between mediocre and not making the playoffs. It is a nice idea to build through the draft, but unless you have 3-4 years in a row picking 1-4 building through the draft is a pipe dream. He should be trading for the best player he can get regardless of the contract status, and that player is Bynum. Nothing worse than thinking small in basketball, and this trade is small. As long as Howard, Williams, and Johnson are in Brooklyn together the Magic will never be better than they are. I understand Howard has put the Magic in a bad spot, but 5 years of Brook Lopez and never being better than a team in your conference is not better than 1 year of Bynum.