4:22 p.m.: Maybe we shouldn’t be so cynical. The day featured one relatively blockbuster trade after all.
The Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers pulled off a deal that effectively swaps Danny Granger for Even Turner, Yahoo Sports reports. Lavoy Allen will also go to Indiana in the exchange.
Granger, 30, makes roughly $14 million in the final season of a five-year, $60 million pact he inked in 2008. He is due to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and there was no way the Pacers were keeping him at that price point.
Turner, 25, will make a bit less than $6.7 million when this season is said and done. The No. 2 pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Turner becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Allen is also scheduled for restricted free agency and is essentially a throw-in. But he went to Temple University, just like yours truly, so therefore he’s the most important player in this deal. Go Owls!
3:07 p.m.: Hooooooold everything. We have one last deal to announce, and it involves a championship contender barely squeaking through a trade before the horn.
It is …
It is …
It is … the San Antonio Spurs sending Nando De Colo to the Toronto Raptors for Austin Daye!
Well, then. OK, now we’re done.
3:02 p.m.: Sound the horn. The deadline has passed.
An interesting, last-ditch deal that would have sent Iman Shumpert and Raymond Felton to the Los Angeles Clippers for Willie Green and Matt Barnes reportedly fell apart or never had much traction to begin with. Thus a rather uneventful deadline day passes without a major deal.
The biggest name to change hands might be Jason Terry, if you count deals that happened last night. Andre Miller going to the Washington Wizards or Antawn Jamison going to the Atlanta Hawks might have been a big deal in 2006, but now they’re just nice deals to bolster teams that probably have unreasonably high playoff hopes.
Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics stood pat, which means Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green, Brandon Bass and Gerald Wallace are all sticking in green through the end of the season — for better or worse.
2:58 p.m.: With two minutes to go before the deadline, GMs are suddenly getting desperate. Maybe they got sidetracked by the USA-Canada hockey game, like the rest of us, and lost track of time.
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Get going, guys! Time is a-wasting.
2:55 p.m.: If you didn’t realize Antawn Jamison was on the Los Angeles Clippers, don’t worry. He’s not anymore.
The Clips have agreed to send Jamison to the Atlanta Hawks, although there is no word as to who comes back to L.A.
The Clips and Cavs have been in discussions about a Reggie Bullock-Tyler Zeller swap, but nothing seems to have come of it. Still, the Clippers want every edge they can muster in their quest for a title.
2:52 p.m.: With the final minutes ticking away, we bring you one more non-deal that’s not in the works. Pau Gasol, whose spot on the trade block is so consistent they should just name it after him, is not headed anywhere — except to Staples Center, for the Lakers’ next game.
2:27 p.m.: Don’t expect much from the Celtics, Pistons or Mavericks. The Lakers also seem unlikely to be able to rid themselves of Jordan Hill, although they did trim their tax bill slightly.
2:22 p.m.: Steve Blake is already in Oakland, but the Golden State Warriors might not be down shuffling their roster. The Dubs reportedly are trying to unload Jordan Crawford in the next 30 minutes or so.
Crawford came over from the Celtics to possibly address Golden State’s need for a backup point guard, but he hasn’t lived up to their expectations. Stephen Curry is obviously a stud, but the Warriors needed Blake to bolster their depth for what could be a long playoff run.
With Blake in hand, the Warriors are now trying to undo their mistake. They already shipped MarShon Brooks, who came over with Crawford in the Boston deal, to the Lakers.
2 p.m.: It’s T-minus 60 minutes until the deadline actually arrives. So, what sorts of big deals are in the works?
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Oh.
1:42 p.m.: This wasn’t the type of big deal we were talking about.
Jordan Hamilton has been close to being dealt all day. It was just a matter of who would get him. The Nuggets have shipped Hamilton back to the state where he played his college ball, trading him to the Houston Rockets for backup point guard Aaron Brooks, Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Brooks replaces Eric Maynor, who was sent to Philadelphia, and the banished Andre Miller, who was sent to Washington, earlier in the day.
1:34 p.m.: Marc Stein, Ken Berger and David Aldridge have been quiet on Twitter for a half-hour. Adrian Wojnarowski has only tweeted that nothing is happening in Boston.
Could this mean there’s a big deal going down and that all four are on their phones at the same time getting the lowdown?
Could it mean they just took a break for lunch?
Stay tuned.
1:31 p.m.: Here’s your obligatory update on the status of Celtics trade talks:
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So, there you go.
1:25 p.m.: Much of the trade talk surrounding Iman Shumpert — and therefore much of the trade talk surrounding the New York Knicks — went on hold when Shump suffered a sprained left knee. Multiple reports indicate the Oklahoma City Thunder would be interested in adding Shumpert using a traded player exception, however.
Even if Shumpert’s MCL is not torn, though, it is “unlikely” the Knicks and Thunder reach a deal, ESPN’s Chris Broussard reports.
Nobody loves to stoke the flames like Broussard, who almost never meets an outlandish rumor he won’t repeat. So the fact that he’s nixing this potential deal is a huge indication there’s really nothing there.
1:19 p.m.: Dion Waiters has been connected with a number of rumors, including one that would bring him to Boston, but it sounds like there’s more smoke than fire there.
Waiters is not getting traded, the Cavs have adamantly declared, according to FOX Sports’ Sam Amico. That means not to the Celtics or the Dallas Cowboys or Liverpool FC. Unlucky.
1:13 p.m.: The Bobcats aren’t the only fringe playoff team hoping to improve its odds. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who have popped up in reports mainly in speculation over if they will trade Kevin Love, have opened talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Jarrett Jack, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports.
The Wolves initially wanted Andre Miller, but with Miller going to Washington, they turned their attention to Jack. The reserve guard is in the first season of a four-year, $25 million contract that looks less desirable by the day as the Cavs continue to sit outside the playoff picture.
12:42 p.m.: On a rather quiet trade deadline day, this qualifies as a big deal.
Disgruntled guard Andre Miller is headed to the Washington Wizards, who will send third-year forward Jan Vesely to the Denver Nuggets in the transaction. Philadelphia is also involved, getting backup point guard Eric Maynor from Denver and two second-round picks.
If you’re keeping score at home, that’s four second-round picks added by the Sixers in a matter of hours.
12:38 p.m.: It’s kind of refreshing to see the Bobcats go for it and try to secure their place in the playoffs in a season when everyone else is racing to the bottom.
The deal for Gary Neal is happening, according to Marc Stein, with Luke Ridnour accompanying Neal to Charlotte. The Cats get a streaky volume shooter and a reliable backup guard to bolster their backcourt. Charlotte holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the East and appears to be going for the gold.
Forward Jeff Adrien will accompany Ramon Sessions to Milwaukee. Sorry, guys.
12:35 p.m.: With each passing minute, the asking price for players teams desperately want to move will get lower and lower. Evan Turner and Luol Deng are bargains in the making.
The Sixers and Cavs, respectively, opened the bidding at a first-round pick for their respective stars. But now the Sixers have lowered their price to a second-round pick, and the Cavs are willing to accept “a veteran” in exchange for Deng, according to Ken Berger.
By 2:59 p.m., some team might be able to secure a near-All-Star or an actual former All-Star for a ball rack and a coupon for a free round of mini golf.
12:27 p.m.: The Orlando Magic are stuck in the mud, and they’re perfectly fine with that, thank you very much.
The Magic appear to be happy to stand pat today as their tankerrific plan comes to fruition. Basically, the Magic are upset that Philadelphia and Milwaukee are even more hopeless than they are, and they are hoping they can actually see this rough season through to the end.
12:21 p.m.: Two of the league’s richest franchises are battling over budgetary matters.
The Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers are basically in agreement to send Jordan Hill across the country to New York. But they’re hung up on which team gets a draft pick out of the deal.
The Lakers want a pick in exchange for Hill, an unremarkable forward but one who works hard. The Nets want a pick, too, since they’re sort of doing L.A. a solid by saving the Lakers roughly $7 million in salary and luxury tax.
Mitch Kupchak versus Billy King. Who blinks first? Let’s get it on!
12:17 p.m.: A bunch of informed individuals are saying the Charlotte Bobcats are close to getting Gary Neal from the Milwaukee Bucks. Neal would give the Cats a needed long-range shooter, so they should be willing to accept the cost of a decent backup point guard in Ramon Sessions.
12:06 p.m.: Sacramento has already agreed to send Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn, but the Kings aren’t done. They have also agreed to acquire Roger Mason from the Miami Heat in a cost-cutting move for a “highly protected” second-round pick, Ken Berger reports.
There’s really nothing to see here other than us doing our due diligence and bringing you updates. The Kings will reportedly get some cash and will immediately waive Mason.
11:53 a.m.: A team in need of a veteran point guard with near-elite playmaking abilities could have one with a simple call and the right offer made to the Denver Nuggets.
Andre Miller has been banished since cursing out coach Brian Shaw on the bench, and Denver is expected to buy him out. Still, the Nuggets appear to be keeping their options open. A trade is still possible, although it’s unclear what any team would be willing to give up for a 37-year-old point guard that the Nuggets would actually want.
11:22 a.m.: If you’re a Philadelphia 76ers fan looking at the trade that sends Spencer Hawes to the Cleveland Cavaliers and scratching your head, don’t. This is a pretty good deal for the Sixers.
Sam Hinkie has flipped the veteran center for Earl Clark, Henry Sims and two second-round draft picks, according to multiple reports. That gives Philly two expiring contracts and a pair of picks that are increasingly becoming more valuable, due to the low price point (and non-guaranteed nature) of second-round picks.
Hawes is a nice passer and a tremendous shooter for a big man, but he’s not part of the Sixers’ long-term plan. He was merely keeping a spot in the post warm for Nerlens Noel, who has missed the entire season with a knee injury.
11:14 a.m.: Listen, folks. The Boston Celtics are almost certainly not trading Rajon Rondo. That won’t change unless some other teams come along with an offer that knocks Danny Ainge’s socks off.
Any big move appears unlikely for the Celtics. Ainge has basically told fellow executives to call him back if they come up with anything more enticing, but otherwise it could be a slow deadline day for the green.
Not only are the Celtics reluctant to trade Rondo, but there’s also a major impediment on one of the teams most interested in snatching him. Dwight Howard, who hates playing with intense, competitive people who like to win (see his awful relationship with Kobe Bryant last season), is “not crazy” about playing with Rondo — even though the trio of Howard, Rondo and James Harden would immediately make the Rockets a serious Western Conference championship contender. As it is, Houston is merely on the fringe.
8 a.m. ET: Let’s make a deal!
Well, OK, we’re not the ones making the deals here. Instead, it’s the front office executives for all 30 teams who will pore over scouting reports and statistics to determine what moves, if any, to make before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
Several big names are believed to be on the trade block, with Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, Pau Gasol and Kyle Lowry among the All-Star-caliber players who could be on the market. Rudy Gay and Luol Deng have already been moved, with the latter already popping up in new rumors. As so many teams jockey for position at the bottom to try to improve their draft position, it’s unlikely this will be a star-studded deadline day. But anything is possible.
The Brooklyn Nets started a day early by acquiring Marcus Thornton from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans. Then the Los Angeles Lakers shipped Steve Blake to the Golden State Warriors for Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks. In other words, Wednesday was a busy day for disappointing former Boston Celtics.
Join us for the latest trade rumors and quick analysis of each potential deal that takes place before the 3 p.m. deadline.
