NBA Rumors Round-Up
NBA Rumors: Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets Talking Trade Again
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 HawkinsUpdated16 Oct 2023
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The Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets have restarted trade discussions, this time focused on guard Joe Johnson, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Hornets and Nets are discussing a larger package that would likely include guards Lance Stephenson and Gerald Henderson and forward Marvin Williams, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Nets have dropped eight of 10 games, and fallen a half-game behind the Hornets for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte owner Michael Jordan has been intrigued with the possibility of Johnson, who has struggled recently with tendinitis. Johnson, 33, has one of the three major contracts that the Nets would ideally like to unload, what with the $23.1 million on his 2014-15 deal, and $24.9 million in the final season of his 2015-16 contract.
There are a couple of motivating factors behind this deal that increase the likelihood that it gets completed. First, the Nets are for sale. While they’re an attractive purchase as assembled just because of brand power and location, the first order of business for any new owner would be to shed some of the bad long-term deals on their books and put their fingerprints on the team. By taking care of that now and creating more flexibility, a sale of the team becomes somewhat easier.
Secondly, the signing of Stephenson has not gone right for the Hornets from day one. They are still in a position where they can make the playoffs, and the veteran Johnson, although significantly more expensive, would be a much better fit alongside Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson than Stephenson has been.
If Johnson is dealt, expect Brook Lopez to be traded next. As far as Deron Williams is concerned, though, the Nets may be stuck with him – for now at least.
The Dallas Mavericks are confident they are inching closer to the eventual signing of veteran center Jermaine O’Neal, according to team sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Mavericks — who continue to closely monitor the 36-year-old center’s progress as O’Neal works out in preparation for a comeback — hope to sign him by the All-Star break.
The backup center position has been an area of need for the Mavericks since the Rajon Rondo trade that cost them Brandan Wright. O’Neal has been non-committal about whether he is going to play this season, but has kept himself in shape and the Mavericks make the most sense for him if he does decide that he wants to play.
O’Neal, whose career was rejuvenated by the PRP procedure that Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant made famous and recommended to him, lives in Dallas and has a history with Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle dating back to their time together in Indiana.
The recent injury scare for Tyson Chandler, who returned from a knee injury in-game Saturday after being carried off by teammates when it originally occurred, could increase the Mavericks’ urgency in signing O’Neal to ensure his work load isn’t too much.
Kobe has an appointment with Dr. ElAttrache tomorrow. After that we may or may not have an update on whether he's decided to undergo surgery
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 26, 2015
Kobe is the type to exhaust all options before a decision and I'm told that's what he's doing now. So far, everyone has recommended surgery
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 26, 2015
Rotator cuff surgery is about a 6 month recovery period. So I'm hearing Kobe wants to research everything before going under the knife.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 26, 2015
via Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles on Twitter
It just doesn’t seem like there’s any way around surgery for Bryant. He’s notorious for being a quick healer and playing through pain that others couldn’t, but the last couple of years he’s met his match between the torn Achilles, broken bone in his knee and now a torn rotator cuff. The first two kept him out for an expansive period, and it looks like his season will end prematurely once again. The Lakers are floundering without him (not that they were great with him); Byron Scott recently sat Jeremy Lin against the San Antonio Spurs and benched Nick Young for the second half of their game against the Houston Rockets. Bryant’s leadership, more than his production, will be missed on the floor, especially if he spends time away from the team while recovering and rehabilitating.
