NBA Rumors Round-Up
NBA Rumors: Rockets Land Corey Brewer
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated30 Oct 2023
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Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has acquired forward Corey Brewer from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Alexey Shved from the Philadelphia 76ers as a part of a three-team trade.
via Houston Rockets press release
The Rockets end up with Corey Brewer and Alexey Shved after completing their three-way deal with the Timberwolves and 76ers. This is an excellent move for Houston, as Brewer strengthens their rotation and gives them an additional perimeter defender.
Brewer seemed excited about the trade in an interview with the Star Tribune.
“A great situation, it’s going to be great,” Brewer said. “Playing with guys like Dwight Howard and James Harden, they’re in a playoff race. They have a good team. I think I can come in and help that. That they wanted to trade for me and think I can help, that means a lot.
“To get traded to a team where the guy who’s coaching you is the guy who drafted you with the seventh pick, that’s my guy, I love [Kevin McHale].”
This season, Brewer has averaged 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals.
Throughout his NBA career, Brewer has appeared in 491 games (265 starts) with Minnesota, Dallas and Denver. He also adds 19 games of playoff experience to the Rockets roster, including winning an NBA championship in 2011.
Front-office sources told Stein that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors are among the teams interested in O’Neal.
The Mavs, who can only offer the minimum, have a homecourt advantage of sorts with O’Neal. He lives in the Dallas suburb of Southlake with his wife and two children.
The trade for Rondo, sources told Stein on Friday, has given the Mavs the edge in the competition for O’Neal’s services.
O’Neal also has personal history with two prominent figures in the Mavs organization. He was an All-Star during each of Carlisle’s four seasons as the Indiana Pacers head coach, and Carlisle was a Portland Trail Blazers assistant when O’Neal was an 18-year-old rookie first-round pick. O’Neal also played two recent seasons with Rondo in Boston.
It certainly seems like the Mavericks are the frontrunners to sign Jermaine O’Neal, for all of the reasons that MacMahon listed above. After moving Brandan Wright as part of the Rajon Rondo trade, Dallas could use another big man to add some depth to their frontcourt, and O’Neal would be perfect.
O’Neal spent last season with the Warriors and, when pressed into the starting lineup due to injuries last year, he came through by averaging 10.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 13 games.
The 36-year-old obviously has a lot of wear and tear on his body after playing 18 seasons in the NBA, but he has held up pretty well. O’Neal has played very well over his last two seasons, contributing as a solid rebounder and interior defender.
O’Neal recently told ESPN that he’ll make a decision about resuming his career after the holidays. If the Mavericks miss on O’Neal, Emeka Okafor is another free agent option for them as they look to bolster their bench.
Jamal Crawford hears the chatter.
While some athletes say they tune out trade rumors or speculation, particularly when it involves themselves, Crawford hears it but doesn’t stress about it.
“I’m done worrying,” said Crawford, who’s on his sixth different team in 14-plus NBA seasons. “I’ve proven myself, honestly, over the course of time…Me personally, I’m fine. I can play basketball anywhere, so I’m not worried about it.”
“I’ve been in trade rumors ever since I’ve been here, which is the weirdest thing,” Crawford said. “But that’s part of the business, honestly. I can play wherever. I can play here, I would love to play here. But if not, if something happens, you move on and do what you’ve got to do.”
There haven’t been a lot of trade rumors involving Jamal Crawford, but the 34-year-old veteran seems prepared in case his name starts showing up in the rumor mill.
By now, Crawford knows that most rumors don’t mean anything so there’s no sense in worrying about them.
Crawford won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season and remains a key contributor for the Clippers this season, averaging 15.8 points, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals off of the bench. He leads the NBA in 20-point games off of the bench, with nine.
This year’s trade deadline is Feb. 19.
