HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Pin the rosters of every team in the Eastern Conference to a wall and arrange them in order, based strictly on the star-power names you see, and the Brooklyn Nets rank among the elite.
That’s the way the Nets’ master plan was designed, for the team to make the transition from New Jersey to Brooklyn with a group that could compete with the likes of the Heat, Celtics, Pacers and other East top-tier members.
As we get closer to the start of training camp, no one is more anxious to see these new-look Nets in action together than the man whose job it is to bring it all together. That’s why coach Avery Johnson‘s impressions of his crew are worth noting right now. During a trip to his old stomping grounds in Dallas, an appearance connected with “Just Say Yes,’’ an organization dedicated to empowering students, parents and educators, Johnson explained to reporters exactly what the Nets had going on the past couple of years.
“We’ve been planning this for two years,’’ he said. “We’ve always had our eyes on Brooklyn. We pretty much played the last two years all road games because we didn’t have any type of home court advantage because we were in a temporary building. Now to be at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn with sellouts every night, and our roster has been significantly upgraded, it’s exciting.’’
In addition to keeping Williams, Kris Humphries, Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace, the Nets also traded for Atlanta’s Joe Johnson in July.
“Deron was a big key to the whole puzzle,’’ Johnson said. “To be able to acquire some other talent through free agency or trades or re-signing some of our own guys, it’s pretty exciting for us. We’re not there yet. We’re not a championship team. We got a lot of work to do. But at the same time, we have a much better talent pool than we’ve had the last two years.
“We’re much more versatile than we’ve ever been. Right now, we look good on paper. Now we got to take it from looking good on paper and apply the work to go (forward).’’
Avery Johnson’s perspective on his team is sobering in this day and age of overnight contenders and super teams. There doesn’t seem to be a hint of overconfidence in his words, an uncommon-but-wise thing with such a risky, high-dollar play.
The Nets should be a contender in the East on the basis of that All-Star backcourt of Williams and Joe Johnson alone. Having a solid first five should put them in the picture with the Celtics and Pacers just behind the Heat in the pecking order.
But again, that’s all on paper. Seeing the Nets operate in the flesh, though, is the only way we’ll get concrete answers to any of the lingering questions about this team.
The Brooklyn Nets’ unprecedented offseason spending spree continued Tuesday by agreeing to terms with starting power forward Kris Humphries on a two-year, $24 million contract, according to sources.
The 24-year-old Humphries averaged a double-double (13.8 points, 11 rebounds) last season for the Nets, finishing fifth in the league in rebounds per game and displaying his talents for scoring without plays being called and keeping possessions alive with his ability to hit the offensive boards. He looked like he’d be a cap casualty earlier in free agency as Brooklyn spent lavishly on keeping Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez, and took on the remaining $89 million of Joe Johnson‘s contract in a trade with the Hawks. But sources indicated last weekend that Humphries was likely to return to the Nets rather than accept a contract offer from the Charlotte Bobcats.
Brooklyn owner Mikhail Prokhorov is a billionaire and one of the world’s richest men, but his outlay this month has been stunning, even in the max contract world of the NBA. Prokhorov has okayed a $98 million contract for Williams, assuring the Nets would retain their franchise player; a $60 million extension for Lopez, a $40 million extension for Wallace, $24 million for Humphries, the aforementioned $89 million for Johnson, $9.5 million for European forward Mirza Teletovic, $5 million for free-agent forward Reggie Evans (acquired in a sign-and-trade with the Clippers), and $2.5 million for free agent guard C.J. Watson. Including a veteran minimum deal for guard Jerry Stackhouse, the Nets have committed somewhere in the neighborhood of $330 million in new deals since the start of the free agent period July 1.
HANG TIME NEW JERSEY – At the end of the day, the Brooklyn Nets were going to have a top-10 center. Either they were trading for Dwight Howard or re-signing Brook Lopez.
It will be the latter, because the Nets are done talking with the Orlando Magic about a possible trade for Howard, according to multiple reports. And according to our David Aldridge, the Nets reached a deal with Lopez on a new four-year, $60.8 million contract.
“In talks to this point, there’s probably not a whole lot there,” Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said of talks with the Nets at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
The Nets needed some sort of resolution on the Howard talks by Wednesday, because other teams had interest in Lopez. And if the Nets weren’t getting Howard, they had to hold onto their own seven-footer.
The Nets have been pursuing Howard since the lockout ended last December, hoping to team him with Deron Williams. They’ve seemingly been close to acquiring the three-time DPOY on a couple of occasions, and they could have signed him as a free agent today if Howard hadn’t waived his early termination option back in March, a decision he clearly regrets at this point.
Lopez was the centerpiece of any potential deal Brooklyn wanted to make with the Magic for Howard, the All-Star, three-time Defensive Player of the Year who wants out of Orlando. The Magic have committed to dealing Howard rather than replaying the soap opera that they were subject to last season, which ended with Howard opting into the final year of his contract, the team firing Coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith and hiring Oklahoma City executive Rob Hennigan as the new GM. But in a news conference Wednesday, Hennigan said that none of the current offers on the table for Howard were good enough for the Magic to accept–though he stopped short of saying trade talks were officially dead.
The Nets had offered several packages for Howard, including Lopez and several future first-round Draft picks. Brooklyn has consistently tried to include other teams in potential deals, including Portland and Cleveland, the latter part of a four-team proposal this week also reportedly involving the Clippers. But that proposal never came close to fruition. Brooklyn tried to include new teams in the deal, and the Magic looked into potential deals with the Rockets and Lakers. In one potential deal, according to the basketball website HoopsWorld, the Lakers would receive Howard, and the Rockets would get Lakers center Andrew Bynum, with the Magic getting several Draft picks from the Rockets. (more…)
Other moves that have been unofficially reported over the last 10 days will officially announced in the coming hours and days. We might also find out where Dwight Howard is going to play next season!
Almost all of the top talent is off the board, but there are still some good players available. Here’s a list of the top 10 free agents who have yet to reach an agreement on a new contract…
1. Brook Lopez, C (Signed extension with Nets)
Lopez is at the center of the Howard trade talks. And if the Orlando Magic aren’t buying what the Nets are selling, Lopez is almost certainly heading to Brooklyn with Williams, Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace. But according to a Yahoo! report late Tuesday, the details on Lopez’s contract haven’t been finalized, and another team (Charlotte, perhaps?) could step in and give him an offer sheet. So technically, he’s still on the board.
2. Elton Brand, PF (Signed with Mavericks)
Brand is still on the Sixers roster, but reports say that Philly will waive him via the amnesty clause in order to sign Nick Young and trade for Dorell Wright. Even then, he probably won’t be a free agent, because teams with cap space will bid on the final year of his contract. But he’s a better get than everyone below, and he will have a new team in the next week or so.
3. JaVale McGee, C (Re-signed with Nuggets)
McGee still hasn’t harnessed his freakish athleticism to become the elite defender that he really should be. If it ever clicks for McGee, it will probably happen in Denver. SI.com’s Sam Amickreported late Tuesday that the Nuggets and McGee were progressing on a new contract. (more…)
The Orlando Magic are talking to the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets in various trade scenarios involving Dwight Howard, according to league sources. However, a source directly involved in the discussions said Tuesday night that no deal involving Howard going to either team was likely at the moment — though the situation remains fluid and could re-heat at any moment.
Discussions with the Brooklyn Nets, the one team Howard has said he’d be willing to sign a contract extension with after this season, were “quiet,” the source said Tuesday. A proposed four-team deal involving the Nets, Magic, Cavaliers and Clippers never came near fruition, and the Nets started looking for different trade partners Monday. In that complicated deal, Howard would have gone to Brooklyn, with the Nets sending center Brook Lopez (in a sign and trade deal) along with three future first-round picks to Orlando, and Cleveland taking Nets free agent Kris Humphries in a sign-and-trade deal. A fourth team, reportedly at various points the Clippers, Bobcats or Timberwolves, would have taken another Nets player, guard MarShon Brooks. But another source said Tuesday reports that that deal was anywhere near close were “way premature” because of all the moving parts involved.
The basketball website HoopsWorld reported Tuesday that the Magic, Rockets and Lakers had initiated discussions with one another about potential trade scenarios involving Howard and Lakers center Andrew Bynum. The website said the Magic were talking about potential deals that would send Howard to the Lakers and Bynum to the Rockets, with the Magic getting what they want most of all: numerous future Draft picks. The Los Angeles Times reported later Tuesday that the Lakers would be willing to take the contract of guard Jason Richardson (three years and $18.6 million remaining) from Orlando to facilitate the trade. The Magic has also been looking for someone to take the contract of forward Hedo Turkoglu (two years, $23 million remaining) in a potential Howard deal.
The Lakers are uncertain that they’ll be able to re-sign Bynum, who made his first All-Star team last season and is entering the final year of his contract. Bynum has loads of talent, but has rubbed feelings raw within the organization with occasional bouts of immaturity and bad on-court decisions. But Howard has not yet said that he would be willing to sign an extension with the Lakers, leaving them leery to pull the trigger on any potential deal.
“Dwight does control this, still,” another source directly involved in the talks said Tuesday.
Amid several reports that a deal to send Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets is close, a source directly involved in the discussions said Monday that the Nets are exploring offers from other teams that want to get involved in the Howard talks besides the Cleveland Cavaliers — the third team that is reportedly the conduit to take on players and Draft picks to enable Brooklyn to get Howard while sending players and picks to the Magic.
While the structure of a deal involving the Nets, Magic, Cavaliers and at least one other team is in place, involving numerous players, the moving parts involved in that scenario are a long way from being resolved. For example, Brooklyn created the structure of the deal, which would include sending forward Kris Humphries to the Cavaliers as part of the trade. However, Humphries, being a free agent, would have to agree to the terms of a sign-and-trade deal first.
And since Humphries played on a one-year deal for the Nets last season, he’s reluctant to do it again, looking for a multi-year deal. Under the terms of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Humphries could only sign up to a four-year deal if he was part of a sign-and-trade. But the Cavaliers are reluctant to sign Humphries to a long-term deal, preferring to use him as a trade chip to amass additional assets or to only take up cap space for a year. (Being well under the salary cap, Cleveland could just sign Humphries using its room if it was interested in him, and wouldn’t have to give up anything.)
HANG TIME NEW JERSEY – Any trade involving Dwight Howard is a big trade. But if the Brooklyn Nets acquire the three-time DPOY in the next couple of days, it will be a big trade in more ways than one.
As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! writes, this may end up being a four-team trade involving 10 players, four first-round draft picks and $3 million in cash…
In the proposed deal, Howard, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark would be sent to Brooklyn, and the Magic would receive the Nets’ Brook Lopez, Damion James, Shelden Williams, Cleveland’s Luke Walton and three future first-round picks, sources said. Cleveland would receive Orlando’s Quentin Richardson, Brooklyn’s Sundiata Gaines, Kris Humphries (on a one-year guaranteed deal), a first-round pick and $3 million from the Nets. Brooklyn also would send [MarShon] Brooks to a fourth team to get them an additional first-round pick to send to the Magic.
Trades that big aren’t easy to put together. And to further complicate things, five of the six guys that that Nets would be sending out have to agree to new contracts and new locations.
James, Williams and Gaines might be happy to just have another year in the league, but Humphries and Lopez will surely have some say in whether or not this trade goes down. Humphries’ willingness to sign a deal with just one guaranteed season is reportedly a potential hang-up, so stay tuned…
The Brooklyn Nets are going to have a news conference later this week. Sitting next to general manager Billy King at the podium will be Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and the Nets’ center.
Right now, we don’t know if that center will be Brook Lopez (re-signed like Williams and Gerald Wallace) or Dwight Howard (acquired via trade like Johnson). But things may be leaning toward the latter, according to a pair of reports that hit the interwebs on Sunday night.
Both ESPN and Yahoo! say that the Nets and Orlando Magic are making progress on a deal that would send Howard to Brooklyn to form a new Big Four with Williams, Johnson and Wallace.
The Magic are portraying patience in making a deal for Howard, but have a strong distaste for engaging in a prolonged process that drags into the summer. From new general manager Rob Hennigan through Orlando ownership, the Magic want to find the best possible deal for Howard soon and cut ties with him, sources said.
As Orlando sorts through the offers, Howard’s potential destination is increasingly looking like the Nets, sources said.
…
As much as Hennigan prefers to send Howard to a Western Conference team, the Magic keep coming back to the Nets as the best, safest package. Howard’s preferred trade partner – Brooklyn – has pushed into overdrive in offering up trade scenarios and options for the Magic, sources said. For now, Orlando prefers Nets restricted free-agent center Brook Lopez as a centerpiece player over having its pick of the Houston Rockets’ roster, sources said. (more…)
HANG TIME CAPITAL BUREAU — The Orlando Magic are in discussions with several teams about potential trades for Dwight Howard, including the Brooklyn Nets, according to a league source. However, despite reports of a possible deal between Brooklyn and Orlando, the source indicated nothing was imminent, and that the Magic will take its time before deciding what to do with the six-time All-Star.
ESPN.com reported Tuesday morning that the Nets and Magic were discussing a deal that would send Howard and forward Hedo Turkoglu to Brooklyn for center Brook Lopez, forward Kris Humphries, guard MarShon Brooks and three future first-round Draft picks. However, a source directly involved with Howard’s trade talks said the teams had not been engaged in talks since Sunday, before Brooklyn agreed to a deal with the Atlanta Hawks that sent guard Joe Johnson to the Nets for several players and a protected 2013 first-round pick. Another source said the two teams were talking, but that the Magic were talking to other teams as well about Howard, who has asked to be traded to Brooklyn.
The Nets would have to re-sign Humphries, a free agent, before trading him to the Magic in any potential deal. Humphries, who was fifth in the league in rebounds per game (11) last season, is one of the more coveted free agents on the market.
The Nets got Johnson Monday from Atlanta for guards Anthony Morrow and Jordan Farmar, forward Jordan Williams, center Johan Petro and the 2013 pick, which initially belonged to Houston. In absorbing the remaining four years and $89.2 million of Johnson’s contract, the Nets committed the bulk of the cap room they had this summer.
The Nets are waiting to hear from free agent point guard Deron Williams, who is being courted by the Mavericks, and who is the key to Brooklyn’s hopes of building a title contending team as it moves into the new Barclays Center next season. Williams is likely to decide where he will play in the next day or two. The Nets’ acquisition of Johnson is not contingent upon whether Williams returns. Howard and Williams are close and had hoped to play together next season, either in Brooklyn or Dallas. But Howard complicated those plans when he decided to opt in to the final year of his contract in Orlando instead of becoming a free agent this summer.
The Magic have tired of Howard’s on-again, off-again desires to play in Orlando, and are determined to trade him this summer rather than go through all the drama that Howard’s shifting desires produced last season. The team fired former general manager Otis Smith and former coach Stan Van Gundy after the Magic’s first-round loss to the Pacers in the playoffs, and hired Oklahoma City executive Rob Hennigan as its new GM late last month. Hennigan acknowledged Monday that Howard reiterated his trade request to him in a meeting the two had in California last week.
HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – It’s still alive, the Brooklyn Nets’ dream of a Big 3 of their very own.
As long as they can continue the conversation with the Orlando Magic about a potential Dwight Howard trade, the Nets have hope that their master plan of Howard, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson joining forces is a possibility.
Never mind that only Johnson is all-but guaranteed to be in a Nets uniform as of this moment. Williams has not publicly made a decision about his future after Monday meetings with both the Nets and Mavericks.
The Nets and the Orlando Magic are discussing a trade that would send Howard to the Nets for Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks and the Nets’ first-round picks in 2013, 2015 and 2017, sources said. Lopez and Humphries, who are both free agents, would go to Orlando in sign-and-trade deals.
The move would be the Nets’ second blockbuster trade this week and give them a big three of Howard, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson that could rival the NBA champion Miami Heat’s heralded trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
