Source : Yahoo Sports (compiled)
Teams resume talks for Chis Paul deal
The New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers have resumed negotiations in an attempt to find a way to complete a blockbuster trade that would send Chris Paul to L.A., league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
“All three teams are engaged,” one source told Y! Sports. “Not sure if it will work.”
The resumption of talks comes less than 24 hours after the three teams agreed on a trade only to have NBA commissioner David Stern veto it. Stern released a statement on Friday saying he blocked the trade because the league-owned Hornets were “better served with Chris in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of that trade.”
After Stern refused Friday morning to reconsider his stunning decision to nullify the trade, the Hornets were allowed to return to talks with the Rockets and Lakers. Talks were ongoing Friday afternoon, sources said.
Stern killed the Hornets’ trade of Paul after several owners complained about the league-owned team dealing the All-Star point guard to the Lakers, league sources said. A chorus of owners were irate with the belief that the five-month lockout had happened largely to stop big-market teams from leveraging small-market teams for star players pending free agency.
Before Stern intervened, the Lakers had reached an agreement to acquire Paul in a deal that would have cost them Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Under terms of the deal, the Lakers would have sent Gasol to the Rockets. The Hornets would have received Odom, Rockets guards Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic and forward Luis Scola, league sources said.
Houston had also agreed to send a 2012 first-round pick – previously obtained from the Knicks – to New Orleans as part of the package, a source said.
The NBA took control of the Hornets ownership last December, and have been working to sell the franchise to a new group that will presumably keep it in New Orleans.
Howard - Nets illegal meeting
The New Jersey Nets made a four-year, $60 million-$65 million contract offer to free-agent center Nene, aggressively pushing to steal him away from the Denver Nuggets, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Nets general manager Billy King was presented the offer to Nene’s agent Dan Fegan on Friday. Nene could make a decision as soon as Friday night.
The Nuggets can offer Nene a fifth year on his contract and had moved into the lead over recent days to retain him. The Indiana Pacers had bid aggressively, and Houston planned to make a stronger charge with increased salary-cap space before the NBA killed its three-team deal with the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.
Nene has been engaged in negotiations with Denver and Indiana for several days, but the Nets had been waiting to assess the market. Once free-agent center Tyson Chandler found a deal with the New York Knicks, the Nets decided to become more aggressive in their pursuit of Nene.
The Nets are under siege with SI.com and ESPN.com reports they held an illegal meeting in Miami this week with owner Mikhail Prokhorov, King and Magic center Dwight Howard. NBA.com reported the Magic are considering filing tampering charges.
Howard had a meeting scheduled with Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins mid-week, but canceled it at the last minute, a league source told Yahoo! Sports. Orlando was trying to smooth over a bizarre phone incident involving retired CEO Bob Vander Weide, who was reportedly trying to gauge where Howard stood on his future intentions with the Magic.
Howard had privately told people for several weeks that his two preferred destinations were the Los Angeles Lakers and Nets, sources said. “He’s been waffling back and forth, even this week,” one source said.
If found to have had the meeting with Howard, the Nets could face stiff fines, a loss of draft picks and perhaps even lose the right to sign him as a free agent next summer or trade for him.
Kings sign Hayes to four-year deal
The Sacramento Kings will sign free-agent forward Chuck Hayes to a four-year, $21.3 million contract mirroring the full midlevel exception, Hayes’ agent Calvin Andrews told Yahoo! Sports.
A Modesto, Calif., native, Hayes is in Sacramento and is expected to sign the deal Friday. Hayes averaged 7.9 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Houston Rockets last season. The Minnesota Timberwolves also tried to make a strong push to land Hayes, who has a good relationship with coach Rick Adelman.
Magic acquire Davis from Celtics
The Orlando Magic have reached an agreement to acquire forward Glen Davis from the Boston Celtics in exchange for forward Brandon Bass in a sign-and-trade deal, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.
Davis will receive a four-year worth about $26 million, a source said.
While Davis was hoping to return to Boston where he won a title in 2008, he had been excited about the possibility of playing with All-Star center and long-time friend Dwight Howard with the Magic. Davis averaged career-highs of 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds last season with the Celtics. New Orleans, Portland, Atlanta and Philadelphia also expressed interest in the four-year NBA veteran.
Bass averaged career-highs of 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds with Orlando last season. The sixth-year NBA veteran will make $4 million in each of the next two seasons.
Thaddeus Young agreed to a five-year, $42 million contract to stay with the 76ers, league sources told Y! Sports. …Daequan Cook agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million deal to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a league source told Yahoo! Sports. …Gary Forbes is close to signing a two-year offer sheet with a team option for a third year with the Toronto Raptors, league sources told Y! Sports. …Free-agent forward Derrick Brown signed a one-year minimum deal with the Charlotte Bobcats, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.
Warriors to make offer Jordan
The Golden State Warriors plan to present Los Angeles Clippers restricted free-agent center DeAndre Jordan with an offer on Friday, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The Warriors had hoped to sign Dallas Mavericks free-agent center Tyson Chandler, but he is nearing a four-year, $58 million agreement with the New York Knicks. While the Warriors’ offer sheet wasn’t finalized, one source said the team is prepared to begin Jordan’s contract at $10 million next season.
Jordan has been offered a five-year, $40 million deal by the Clippers. The Clippers would have three days to match any offer sheet Jordan signs. Denver Nuggets free-agent center Nene hasn’t drawn much interest from the Warriors.
Brandon Roy to retire
Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Brandon Roy has told the team that he is retiring because of ongoing difficulty with his knees.
Portland players were informed of Roy’s decision to seek medical retirement on Friday before the first practice of training camp.
Roy, a five-year veteran who helped the team shed its “Jail Blazers” reputation, has been dogged by knee injuries and surgeries. He has said he lacks cartilage between the bones in both knees.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Roy had not yet filed the retirement paperwork with the league.
Roy did not report to the Blazers’ practice facility on Friday and his agent did not respond to a request for comment on any retirement plans, first reported by ESPN.com early Friday.
Odom leaves Lakers training
Lakers forward Lamar Odom showed up more than 90 minutes late for Los Angeles’ first workout of training camp on Friday, and then left early after a meeting with general manager Mitch Kupchak.
Odom apparently is still upset about the Lakers’ aborted attempt to trade him in a megadeal for Chris Paul. He arrived and left without practicing or speaking to reporters on what’s sure to be an awkward opening day of camp.
Pau Gasol, the four-time All-Star forward also included in the deal, showed up and participated in the Lakers’ first workout under new coach Mike Brown at their training complex, even amid reports the three teams involved in the squashed trade had opened discussions again.
Odom was thought to be headed to New Orleans in the deal for Paul, the Hornets’ superstar point guard, until Commissioner David Stern blocked the deal for what a league spokesman called “basketball reasons.” Gasol was expected to be moved to Houston in a deal that would have reconfigured the Lakers’ roster less than three weeks before their Christmas season opener against Chicago.
After the NBA flattened the deal Thursday night, the Lakers are trying to get on with preparations for the season even while two of their key players have uncertain futures. The 16-time NBA champions’ threepeat bid ended last spring with a second-round sweep by Dallas.
Los Angeles also signed veteran shooter Jason Kapono and draft picks Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock on Friday.
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