ESPN.com: Houston Rockets trying to trade for Dwight Howard?

[inquisitive]

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA

Howard's camp has consistently warned Houston not to trade for him, that he'd march right into Dallas' cap space next summer.

Nah...w/o Deron there...Morey isn't deterred. Let's see if he is really gonna give up that $25mil and the possibilities of endorsements from China while he is a Houston Rocket. Only way he would bolt for sure is if the Rockets finish with 30-35wins which i don't see happening.

Why risk it? I would rather not trade assets for someone that does not want to be here and rebuild now rather than trade young players and picks and have him leave then start rebuilding a year after

He doesn't want to be here

For the past year, Morey has said he would trade for Howard since he believes that Howard can be convinced to re-sign. Howard never had Houston on his preferred list, so why would anyone be surprised that Houston isn't on his list now...same ****. Morey believes this is a star's league too...unless Hennigan tells Morey that the Rockets offer is crap and shuts him down, Morey will be in the D12 sweepstakes. I'm not gonna start doubting Morey now...

[inquisitive]

I think Morey will call Dwight's bluff:

From Zach Lowe:

Dirk, Marion, Vince, Cunningham due nearly $35M combined in ‘14. Toss in roster charges + Mayo, DAL will have to trim to offer D12’s max

That $35M does not include Mayo, various options or cap holds. DAL is smart and can whittle, but not fait accompli.

For those asking re: Vince Carter: Per the always reliable @MarkDeeksNBA, $2M of his $3.18M deal in ’14 is guaranteed.

[MaxRider]

call this crap with dwightmare
how in a world can he play for orlando next season?
fans will boo him

[b_mind]

He won't play in Orlando next season, he'll have to sit out b/c of a "back injury" (same excuse he'll use if he's traded to Houston).

[TheXFactor]

I think Morey will call Dwight's bluff:

From Zach Lowe:

Dirk, Marion, Vince, Cunningham due nearly $35M combined in ‘14. Toss in roster charges + Mayo, DAL will have to trim to offer D12’s max

That $35M does not include Mayo, various options or cap holds. DAL is smart and can whittle, but not fait accompli.

For those asking re: Vince Carter: Per the always reliable @MarkDeeksNBA, $2M of his $3.18M deal in ’14 is guaranteed.

LOL , you really think Dwight is bluffing, he seem pretty straight forward to me

[zapatasblood]

Dwight will leave and he can make any money back with Mark Cuban. Morey can not get him to have a change of heart.

[Sasaki]

Dwight will leave and he can make any money back with Mark Cuban. Morey can not get him to have a change of heart.

Unless you think Cuban's going to pay Dwight under the table, that makes no sense. There's a max. Howard will get it, and Houston's max would be better than Dallas's.

[zapatasblood]

Talking about endorsements Cuban and Dallas can give him.

[inquisitive]

I think Morey will call Dwight's bluff:

From Zach Lowe:

Dirk, Marion, Vince, Cunningham due nearly $35M combined in ‘14. Toss in roster charges + Mayo, DAL will have to trim to offer D12’s max

That $35M does not include Mayo, various options or cap holds. DAL is smart and can whittle, but not fait accompli.

For those asking re: Vince Carter: Per the always reliable @MarkDeeksNBA, $2M of his $3.18M deal in ’14 is guaranteed.

LOL , you really think Dwight is bluffing, he seem pretty straight forward to me

From the way things are going, nothing is straight forward from him...he is like a child off the court, he can change his mind, so i wouldn't take anything as credible plus the Mavs can barely have enough $ to get him and much more difficult to surround him with exceptional talent. Like i said, i would call his bluff.

[inquisitive]

Mavs position on Howard not as easy:

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/07 ... si_writers

As things stand now — and things are always subject to change — the Mavs should be able to barely squeeze in a max deal to Howard, who will be eligible for a starting salary on his next contract of $20.5 million. But the math is tight, and the idea that the Mavs could chase a second potential star in free agency is currently fanciful.

To wit: The Mavs, as of this moment, have $34.2 million in guaranteed money for the 2013-14 season committed to four players: Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Vince Carter and first-round pick Jared Cunningham. There has been mass confusion about the status of Carter’s deal, but according to Deeks and other sources, $2 million of the veteran shooting guard’s $3.18 million deal for 2013-14 became guaranteed when the Mavs did not waive him on June 30; that amount has been factored into the $34.2 million figure above, as has the customary 120 percent rookie scale figure for Cunningham.

But the rules — those rules again! — say the Mavs must account for eight empty roster spots, up to 12, by adding eight rookie minimum salary charges at $490,180 a pop. Toss those in, and you’re up to $38.1 million. Even assuming a very nice 5 percent bump up in the cap level from $58 million to $60 million, the Mavs would have about $21.9 million in cap space — just enough to fit Howard’s $20.5 million max salary, but not enough to upgrade the roster in any other meaningful way.

The Mavs could trim about $1 million off that figure by using the stretch provision on Carter’s deal, but this $38.1 million amount doesn’t account for a number of other potential charges: cap holds linked to a pile of outgoing free agents, including point guard Darren Collison, a useful young player, and just about everyone Dallas acquired this summer; a cap hold linked to guard Roddy Beaubois, once thought to be a core piece of the Mavs’ future but now sort of on the outs there; shooting guard O.J. Mayo’s player option, which he may well decline; a team option on shooting guard Dominique Jones; any money for second-round picks Jae Crowder and Bernard James; and the possibility that Dallas might keep and use its own first-round pick in next year’s draft.

[inquisitive]

Did any of you rocket fans listen to the podcast on rockets.com with Jason Friedman and Craig Ackerman? Their opinion is that the Rockets could end up with Pau and Bynum and the Lakers getting Howard along with bad contracts from Orlando. I don't see this happening at all, but just wanted to relay this to you guys. Just fast forward to last 5 minutes of audio to hear that part.

http://www.nba.com/rockets/rocketscast-07262012

[TheXFactor]

I think Morey will call Dwight's bluff:

From Zach Lowe:

Dirk, Marion, Vince, Cunningham due nearly $35M combined in ‘14. Toss in roster charges + Mayo, DAL will have to trim to offer D12’s max

That $35M does not include Mayo, various options or cap holds. DAL is smart and can whittle, but not fait accompli.

For those asking re: Vince Carter: Per the always reliable @MarkDeeksNBA, $2M of his $3.18M deal in ’14 is guaranteed.

LOL , you really think Dwight is bluffing, he seem pretty straight forward to me

From the way things are going, nothing is straight forward from him...he is like a child off the court, he can change his mind, so i wouldn't take anything as credible plus the Mavs can barely have enough $ to get him and much more difficult to surround him with exceptional talent. Like i said, i would call his bluff.

[Stebo_SSK]

Did any of you rocket fans listen to the podcast on rockets.com with Jason Friedman and Craig Ackerman? Their opinion is that the Rockets could end up with Pau and Bynum and the Lakers getting Howard along with bad contracts from Orlando. I don't see this happening at all, but just wanted to relay this to you guys.

Thats pretty stupid. LA didnt pick up Nash to only rid of Pau. Highly doubt Pau is going anywhere at this point. With Nash he is going to be the 1st option on PnR plays.

[inquisitive]

Did any of you rocket fans listen to the podcast on rockets.com with Jason Friedman and Craig Ackerman? Their opinion is that the Rockets could end up with Pau and Bynum and the Lakers getting Howard along with bad contracts from Orlando. I don't see this happening at all, but just wanted to relay this to you guys.

Thats pretty stupid. LA didnt pick up Nash to only rid of Pau. Highly doubt Pau is going anywhere at this point. With Nash he is going to be the 1st option on PnR plays.

I think so too. Also, the Rockets don't have an interest in Pau or his contract anymore. Plus, a deal like that would involve too many of the young guys(jones, white, lamb, parsons, motie, etc.) certain to be gone. No way Rockets would do that.

[inquisitive]

Rockets flexibility obviously is still in play and i see them making a pitch before it is all said and done:

Eric Pincus (July 26th):

http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-rocket ... for-howard

[MaxRider]

Rockets flexibility obviously is still in play and i see them making a pitch before it is all said and done:

Eric Pincus (July 26th):

http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-rocket ... for-howard

hoopsworld

[Stebo_SSK]

Did any of you rocket fans listen to the podcast on rockets.com with Jason Friedman and Craig Ackerman? Their opinion is that the Rockets could end up with Pau and Bynum and the Lakers getting Howard along with bad contracts from Orlando. I don't see this happening at all, but just wanted to relay this to you guys.

Thats pretty stupid. LA didnt pick up Nash to only rid of Pau. Highly doubt Pau is going anywhere at this point. With Nash he is going to be the 1st option on PnR plays.

I think so too. Also, the Rockets don't have an interest in Pau or his contract anymore. Plus, a deal like that would involve too many of the young guys(jones, white, lamb, parsons, motie, etc.) certain to be gone. No way Rockets would do that.

I see LA and HOU coming together for a 3way deal when its all said and done. The only leverage Orlando has at this point is to take their ball and go home. If Houston manages to keep Lamb and get Bynum in this deal they could be a dangerous team in about 2 seasons.

[A BETTER DJ]

I think that Houston fans and Orlando fans need to work our GMs to keep the Lakers out of the trade. You guys will have a great team with Dwight... probably keep him once he sees what Houston weather is like and the Asian marketing $$$. The Magic will do well at developing the rooks and pix you give us and will be ready to take over the east when the Miami run is over. Most importantly... working together we can keep the Lakers from getting all the rings the next 2-3 years. I'd love to see you guys take out the Heat in 2013!

[AntwanBoldin]

probably keep him once he sees what Houston weather is like and the Asian marketing $$$
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Lol

[inquisitive]

i dont see the rockets doing any 3 team deal if the howard thing doesn't work out, they're most likely going to just go with their young players and continue their rebuilding process.

dont think i have seen bynum much with pnr while Lin thrives on it. Howard would fit perfectly with Lin. Bynum is weak on pnr defense too.