Eastern Conference Teams
• Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald: As Danny Ainge downplayed the possibility the Celtics will be involved in a transaction before tomorrow’s NBA trade deadline, general managers and personnel people around the league are saying quite the opposite. They’ll be stunned if the Celts don’t make a deal of some sort. … If the Celtics do pull off a trade, it’s likely something beyond what’s already in the public domain, and many of those talks were dead on arrival. … While teams are generally either looking to add key players for a postseason push or play more for the future, the C’s haven’t limited themselves.
• Chris Broussard, ESPN.com: Sources say Boston willing to trade injured PG Rajon Rondo in right deal.
• Ken Berger, CBSSports.com: Engaged with multiple teams in trade talks for Josh Smith, the Hawks are struggling to get the assets they are seeking for the prospective free agent, league sources told CBSSports.com Tuesday. Hawks GM Danny Ferry has told prospective trade partners he is not interested in taking back future salary and he won’t do a deal “just to do it,” one person familiar with the discussions said. The Hawks have been in conversations with many teams about the 27-year-old forward, with the most persistent conversations happening with the Suns, Bucks, Celtics and Nets.
• Chris Vivlamore, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Hawks are fielding calls on [Josh] Smith and there have been trade discussions involving the forward — and other members of the current roster. The lack of a trade to this point leads to the conclusion that no offer has been acceptable to part with the versatile Smith. As of Tuesday, no trade was imminent. It is possible a pursuing team could up its offer for Smith as the deadline nears. … Certainly, Smith’s declaration that he wants a maximum contract had an effect on offers made to the Hawks for a player that could be available come the free-agent signing period.
• Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel: Rumors have swirled around [Magic guard J.J.] Redick for weeks. The Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs have been mentioned as being interested in acquiring the 28-year-old shooting guard…. But he’s not the only Magic veteran who could draw interest on the trade market. Point guard Jameer Nelson, wing Arron Afflalo and power forward Josh McRoberts, who also is in the final year of his contract, have value.
• Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports: Indiana, Milwaukee, Chicago and Minnesota have expressed interest in trading for [J.J.] Redick, but teams have been reluctant to give up a first-round pick and a good young player for a player who could turn into a rental for the rest of the season.
• Sam Amick, USA Today Sports: While [Raptors GM Bryan] Colangelo could make more moves before the Thursday trade deadline to help his team and improve his case even more, he downplayed the once-widely-held notion that center Andrea Bargnani would be traded before then. He called that situation “fluid” and said “there just may not have been enough runway prior to the deadline to get something” because Bargnani recently came back from injury.
• Shandel Richardson, South Florida Sun Sentinel: While the rest of league is paying close attention to Thursday’s trade deadline, the Heat are among those to likely have no midseason moves. The decision to sign forward Chris Andersen was probably the last transaction of the season.
• Bob Cooney, Philadelphia Daily News: A report by ESPN’s Chris Broussard said that swingman Evan Turner, who is averaging career highs in points (13.8), rebounds (6.6), assists (4.4) and minutes (36.2), is on the trading block, though an NBA source told theDaily News nothing is going on with Turner.
• Jodie Valade, Cleveland Plain Dealer: The Cavaliers acquired [Marreese] Speights this season to help fill the void created when they lost Anderson Varejao to a quad injury. Speights has been a solid addition from the moment he set foot in Cleveland, averaging 13 points and 6.4 rebounds in 10 games. … But he’s also one of the Cavaliers’ most tantalizing players in any trades, his contract having an appealing player option for next season worth $4.5 million. He has only been in Cleveland for a month, but Speights already has heard rumors that he’s available to move on, for the right price.
Western Conference Teams
• Mike Bresnahan, Los Angeles Times: Anybody want Chris Duhon? How about Devin Ebanks? Steve Blake? What about [Kobe] Bryant’s deal with $30.5 million due next season? Or [Pau] Gasol’s with $19.3 million? Or a dinged-up [Dwight] Howard for a few months until he becomes a free agent? Didn’t think so. The Lakers are the Lakers, until further notice.
• Sam Amico, Fox Sports: Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has strongly nixed the notion that [Dwight] Howard could be moved prior to Thursday’s trading deadline. But if Kupchak changes his mind, he’d have [Kobe] Bryant’s full support, according to sources.
• Paul Coro, Arizona Republic: ESPN.com reported New York’s interest in Jermaine O’Neal and Toronto’s interest in Sebastian Telfair while another source said there was All-Star break talk of Oklahoma City exploring Marcin Gortat and P.J. Tucker for Kendrick Perkins, Jeremy Lamb and a first-round pick. Perkins is the type of center to fit the new defensively geared culture, although he is limited offensively for a team wanting to post up its big men. Lamb probably would have been the Suns’ draft pick in June had Houston not made a trade to move up two spots and take him in front of Phoenix.
• Chris Broussard, ESPN.com: Sources: New Orleans has made Eric Gordon available for trade. Trade not likely though as clubs concerned about EG’s health going forward.
• Jerry Zgoda, Minneapolis Star Tribune: [The Timberwolves'] most likely options include trading veteran point guard Luke Ridnour or one or more future first-round picks — they almost certainly will own two in the June draft — for a legitimately sized shooting guard so coach Rick Adelman won’t have to rely on an undersized three-point-guard lineup as much as he does. Or the Wolves could trade Derrick Williams, the No. 2 overall pick in 2011, who hasn’t played up in his lofty draft status but is averaging 16 points and 8.8 rebounds in his past five games starting at Love’s power-forward position.
• Mike Sorensen, Deseret News: Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson have been the subjects of the most speculation, while rumors of the Jazz acquiring a younger point guard have also been making the rounds. … Millsap’s name has come up in trade rumors for years, and the Jazz forward says he’s used to it by now, saying he takes it as a compliment that he’s a wanted player. One of the latest rumors has him going to the L.A. Clippers for point guard Eric Bledsoe and others. … Jefferson has been traded twice in his career, but he knows if the Jazz are involved, it’s unlikely anyone will know about it in advance.
• Mike Tokito, The Oregonian: There have already been, and undoubtedly will be more, rumors about Blazers center J.J. Hickson. … Three things you need to consider with Hickson: 1) He has an expiring contract, worth $4 million this season; 2) Because he signed a one-year deal with a team that has his Bird rights, he is allowed to veto any trade; 3) If he is dealt, his new team does not inherit his full Bird rights, meaning Hickson would give them up.
• Tim Kawakami, San Jose Mercury News: The Warriors almost certainly won’t do anything to get smaller or slower and won’t add crazy money or crazier players. As Thursday’s trade deadline arrives, they won’t tear up their core group before they’ve seen a healthy Andrew Bogut in the middle of it. Let’s also add that the Warriors also don’t have upcoming first-round picks to offer or any salary cap-space to utilize. So… Unless something dramatic happens over the next few days, the great likelihood is that the Warriors will remain mostly status quo through the deadline.
• Mike Monroe, San Antonio Express-News: [Spurs forward DeJuan] Blair’s name has been linked to numerous trades in the last few weeks, and he understands comments he made last summer about expecting to be traded before training camp are partially to blame. Blair’s trade value likely is diminished by the fact he will be a free agent this summer, when teams interested in him could get him without giving up a player.
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