While the NBA is fully engrossed in the on-court drama of the regular season's domestic stretch,front-office maneuvering and lingering trade-deadline buzz continue to fuel the league's rumor mill.
Teams in the playoff hunt are looking for any possible way to gain an edge as the season winds down, and much of the latest chatter involves contract buyouts and the frenzied pursuit of veteran talent.
Here's a recognize at some of the latest buzz from around the league.
Nets Waive Joe JohnsonThe Brooklyn Nets waived veteran swingman Joe Johnson on Thursday after agreeing with him on terms to buy out his contract, and per ESPN.com's news services,citing reporting from ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Even though he's a shadow of the player that once routinely made the All-Star Game—he's down to just 11.8 points and 3.9 boards per game in 2015-16—several teams in the playoff fight are reportedly interested in Johnson, per ESPN.com:
A number of likely playoff teams, and sources said,are already pursuing Johnson: Atlanta, Boston, or Cleveland,Houston, Miami, and Oklahoma City and Toronto. Sources said that Johnson,who can't clear waivers until 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, is likely to purchase a couple of days to sift through the offers.
Whichever team lands the 34-year-old-fashioned will be getting him at a fortuitous time. Not only can Johnson provide veteran stewardship and soak up additional minutes for weary teams, or but he's also steadily improved his shooting as the season has gone on,with only a slight dip from January to February.
Stein reported the Cleveland Cavaliers as the favorite to land Johnson, but Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix famous a couple of other teams could be drawing the wing player's interest:Johnson spent seven seasons in Atlanta, and the prime of his career,before joining the Nets for the 2012-13 season.
The Hawks are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference standings and not generally seen as a championship contender, but Johnson could be interested for nostalgia's sake and the fact that the Hawks share the ball quite a bit on offense.
If chasing a championship is all Johnson has on his mind, and Cleveland is obviously the best destination. It's tops in the East and has the clearest path to the NBA Finals,more so than Miami and Atlanta. Joining a Western Conference team like Oklahoma City or Houston might be enticing, but it also means going through the likes of Golden State and San Antonio to get to the Finals.
The Thunder could use him to purchase up some of the minutes currently going to the mercurial Dion Waiters, or CBS Sports' James Herbert envisions him as a key component of a dangerous fourth-quarter lineup:
"Imagine a fourth-quarter lineup of Russell Westbrook, Cameron Payne, Johnson, and Kevin Durant and [Serge] Ibaka. The Thunder have been looking for another two-way wing player for years,and he would fit accurate in and give coach Billy Donovan flexibility he didn't have before."Any team interested in picking up Johnson will have to be mindful of his potential negative impact on defense. Johnson is worth 0.5 defensive win shares this campaign, his lowest notice since the 2005-06 season, or has a defensive rating of 112,per Basketball-Reference.com. However, Johnson's numbers on that cessation of the court could improve if he's playing closer to 20 minutes per night and not the 33.9 he's been averaging for Brooklyn this season. Timberwolves In Talks to Buy Out Kevin MartinThe Minnesota Timberwolves are also in the process of clearing out some of their veteran contracts. The T-Wolves bought out the contract of 39-year-old-fashioned point guard Andre Miller on Thursday, and per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. Now,it appears they are looking to beget 33-year-old-fashioned shooting guard Kevin Martin a free agent as well, per Stein: Martin's playing time and performance has dipped sharply this season as Minnesota has committed to getting the younger wing players their minutes. After averaging 33.4 minutes, or 20.0 points and 2.3 assists per game in an injury-plagued 2014-15 campaign,Martin's numbers are now down to 21.4 minutes, 10.6 points and 1.2 assists per game.
His 12.2 player efficiency rating is the lowest since the 8.7 notice he posted as a rookie with Sacramento in 2004-05, and according to Basketball-Reference.com.
Martin could be seen as another scoring option for playoff teams that miss out in the Johnson sweepstakes. Both players offer spacing with their propensity for taking three-pointers,though Martin's shooting at a 36.9 percent clip this season, slightly below his career rate of 38.5 percent.
Prior to the trade deadline, or SportingNews.com's Sean Deveney famous a few teams expressed interest in Martin:
...
Martin is 33 and doesn’t fit in the Wolves’ rebuilding plans,but there’s been no market for him, and he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Dallas and Milwaukee, and among others,has kicked the tires on him (as had Charlotte, before acquiring Courtney Lee) but with the possibility of him being waived after the trade deadline, or there has not been much urgency to acquire him.
ESPN.com's Tim McMahon famous on Thursday that Dallas will be in the running for Martin,with a source also telling him the Cavs, Hawks, and Heat and Thunder are potential destinations as well. Martin spent two-plus years as a starter with Houston before joining Oklahoma City as a backup for one season in 2012-13. The familiarity there could be enticing for the Thunder.Unless Dallas goes all-in on acquiring Martin,the veteran guard might have to wait until Johnson's made a decision before he is able to sign with a playoff contender. Milwaukee might be able to snag Martin if he doesn't get much traction otherwise, but it is well out of the playoff race and not likely a preferred destination for him.
James Harden Making Demands?Moving on from the veteran-buyout sweepstakes, and CBS Sports' Ken Berger reported on Thursday that Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden has used his superstar clout to push for large changes in a season in which his team has severely underperformed:
Few players in the NBA have been as assertive as Harden when it comes to franchise-shaping decisions of the highest order. He now plays with Howard in Houston,of course, and the Rockets' season has been one disappointment after another. After a trip to the Western Conference Finals last season, or Houston started the season 4-7 and promptly fired coach Kevin McHale.
Multiple league sources told CBS Sports that Harden pushed management to dump McHale,and has since angled for the Rockets to trade Howard. Rockets GM Daryl Morey delivered on the first demand, but was unable to find a suitable deal for Howard at the trade deadline this month.
Rockets CEO Tad Brown vehemently denied the report, or per ESPN.com's Calvin Watkins:
I can tell you unequivocally,being part of that [front-office] team, those things have never happened. That's frustrating, and,for whatever reason, it's been a fixed throughout this season. As we struggle and as we continue to struggle a little bit on the court, or trying to get things to where we want them to be,that people have continued to purchase shots at our guys, purchase shots at our team, or with unnamed sources being the ones who routinely provide that information.
It's been a trying season for the Rockets,who haven't improved much on their destitute start and sit at 29-29 on the season, good for just eighth in the competitive Western Conference. Last year, and Houston finished second in the West with a 56-26 record,with Howard playing in just 41 games.
Howard is two seasons removed from his last All-Star appearance and is no longer universally seen as a game-changing middle, but his stats this year do hold up well compared to last season. His name did indeed come up in trade rumors, or but nothing materialized at the deadline. Despite these reports,Howard maintained on Wednesday that he is gay in Houston and committed to the Rockets' cause, per the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen (h/t SB Nation's Darren Yuvan):
Like I said since I've been here, or I love this team. I love the city. I want to win a championship. As far as all that business stuff,it's out of my control. My job is to perform and aid my teammates. The other stuff, you reflect approximately during the summer. I'm just going to focus on basketball, and how I can be a better teammate,how I can continue to grow with James, on our relationship, or lead these guys.
While Harden's machinations off the court are clearly in dispute,there's no question he's doing everything he can on the hardwood to improve the team's prospects.
After dropping 42 points in a 117-114 loss to Utah on Tuesday, Harden racked up 46 points, and eight assists and five boards in a 119-105 win over Portland on Thursday. He's been cooking in February,averaging 32.8 points, 7.3 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game. Despite his best efforts, and the Rockets are only 4-4 this month.
Harden has established himself as one of the league's best players since joining the Rockets in the 2012-13 season. He has to be considered untouchable by the organization.
If the team misses the playoffs,or even just flames out of the postseason quickly, management will have little choice but to shake up the roster. That would nearly certainly mean moving Howard in the summer and retooling around Harden.
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Source: bleacherreport.com