The Dwight Howard saga finally came to an end on Wednesday, at least for the Brooklyn Nets. After much anticipation of a possible trade between the Orlando Magic and the Nets, talks completely broke down and the one team that Howard desired is the only team that now appears to have no shot at acquiring the prized center. See how it broke down, along with a lot of official free agent signings in today’s news: Chris Sheridan explains the only way
csprtContainer(); The Nets remain very much in the hunt for Dwight Howard — even after agreeing to the outline of a trade that will bring Joe Johnson to Brooklyn. The goal is to have a Big Three of Deron Williams, Dwight Howard and Johnson, and it remains doable if the Magic are willing to play ball, a league source tells SheridanHoops.com. Orlando would have to accept a package of Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks and multiple future first-round draft picks,
Free agency started Sunday midnight ET. On Monday, the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks are expected to make an unrelenting push for All-Star point guard Deron Williams, who is clearly the best available player. The team that lands Williams also has the best chance of acquiring superstar center Dwight Howard, who is not a free agent but has said that he would like to play alongside Williams. In terms of flexibility, the Nets have the inside track. They can offer Williams more money
Tonight is the NBA draft lottery, which is one way to build a team. The other way is free agency, which starts in just over a month. Many teams positioned themselves for this summer, expecting Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Deron Williams all to opt out and become free agents. But Howard and Paul opted in, and now there is money to spend on a significantly weaker but nevertheless strong class. A handful of teams could be very active this summer. Among playoff
NEWS The Atlanta Hawks’ Ivan Johnson and the Denver Nuggets’ Kenneth Faried were today named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in April. The Indiana Pacers’ Frank Vogel and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Lionel Hollins today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in April. Paul Pierce was back at practice for the Boston Celtics on Friday, a day after briefly leaving the regular-season finale with a
Mehmet Okur will soon be on the open market as he was released Wednesday by the Portland Trail Blazers, who signed J.J. Hickson. Okur was acquired last week in the deal that sent Gerald Wallace to the New Jersey Nets. He never took the court for Portland. Okur can be claimed on waivers, but the claiming team must honor his contract. If he clears waivers, he becomes a free agent. A 7-footer with 3-point range who can rebound a little, Okur would be
It was Chris Mullin’s jersey retirement night in Oracle Arena. A long time coming for the Warriors legend that wore No. 17, it should have been a joyous time for him, his family, the organization and the fans. And then owner Joe Lacob stepped in and all hell broke loose. After hearing rousing cheers from the fans for Mullin’s speech during halftime of the Warriors game, Lacob grabbed the mic to conclude the night when suddenly, the fans started to boo him. Loudly and
Pencils down and papers forward, please. Here are my grades on how teams did at the trading deadline. We aren’t going to evaluate whether Dallas was helped or hindered by Thursday’s wheeling and dealing. The Mavericks – and 13 other teams – didn’t make a deal, so consider their grade to be incomplete. Or a withdrawal, if you prefer. No one got an F, although the Nets came awfully close. At the other end of the scale, the Rockets are officially the teacher’s