Los Angeles Lakers Trade Rumors

Kenyon Martin cleared to return to NBA
February 2
Yahoo! Sports
 
"In a surprising turn of events, the governing body of international basketball – FIBA – has granted free agent Kenyon Martin his letter of clearance to immediately return to the NBA, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Martin has visited with several teams interested in signing him, including Atlanta on Thursday, and will huddle with agent Andy Miller in New York over the weekend to reach a decision. The Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat are leaders for Martin, but the Hawks, Lakers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs remain in pursuit of him. New York has faded from contention in recent weeks, sources said, because of more pressing guard needs."
Lakers scrounge around in search of backcourt help
February 1
L.A. Daily News
 
"The search continues. The Lakers have spoken to the Cleveland Cavaliers about trading for point guard Ramon Sessions in an attempt to bolster their backcourt, according to Yahoo Sports. The website, citing unnamed sources, also reported Tuesday no deal was imminent. Yahoo also wrote the Lakers recently held a workout for Morris Peterson. Free agent Gilbert Arenas also has been contacted (Grant)about signing. Sessions, 25, would be a younger alternative to either Peterson or Arenas. Coach Mike Brown acknowledged the Lakers have been looking for help."
Kenyon Martin deciding which contender to join
February 1
Yahoo! Sports
 
"Kenyon Martin is expected to decide by this weekend which NBA team he'll join, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks have expressed interest in signing the veteran forward. Martin signed with Xinjiang Gyang Hui of the Chinese Basketball Association, but has since returned to the United States. He's not eligible to sign with an NBA team until Xinjiang's season ends, which could be as soon as Feb. 16. "He's a veteran guy who knows how to win at a high level and in a playoff environment," one NBA general manager said. "He also plays multiple positions. If you get him to a situation"
Lakers show interest in Cavs' Sessions
January 30
Yahoo! Sports
 
"The Los Angeles Lakers have talked with the Cleveland Cavaliers about possibly acquiring guard Ramon Sessions, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. No deal is imminent, but the Lakers view Sessions as a candidate who could help their depleted backcourt. The Lakers are without injured guard Steve Blake, and have relied heavily on rookies Andrew Goudelock and Darius Morris to play behind 37-year-old Derek Fisher. The Lakers have an $8.9 million trade exception, acquired from the Dallas Mavericks for Lamar Odom, to absorb salary. Sessions makes $4.3 million this season and has a player option for $4.6 million for the 2012-13 season."
Source says Lakers showing interest in Gilbert Arenas
January 29
L.A. Daily News
 
"On a night the Lakers turned in another clunker far from home, losing Saturday to the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks 100-89, the Daily News learned they have reached out for help from someone from their own backyard. The Lakers have contacted free agent guard Gilbert Arenas in the hope they can sign him in order to provide the sort of offensive spark that, with the exception of Kobe Bryant, has been glaringly absent from their backcourt this season. A source close to the situation confirmed the Lakers' interest in Arenas, who averaged 17 points last season with the Orlando Magic. The source also said Arenas, a former Grant High of Van Nuys standout, was interested in signing with the Lakers."
Williams could be Lakers' safety Net
January 21
L.A. Daily News
 
"If the Lakers do not trade for Dwight Howard before the March 15 deadline, and all signs point to them taking a pass if it means sending Andrew Bynum and/or Pau Gasol to get him, there could be another possible deal to be made. Deron Williams could be available in a trade if his team, the New Jersey Nets, can't complete a deal with the Orlando Magic for Howard. Williams would like to stay with the Nets if they acquire Howard, according to ESPN The Magazine. The Lakers tried and failed to address their need to upgrade at point guard when they sought to acquire Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets last month. Williams could be the next best option, if the Nets decide to trade him."
Nets' Deron Williams has wish list
January 21
ESPN.com
 
"Deron Williams' first choice is to stay with the Nets and to build something special in Brooklyn, but if it doesn't work out with his current team, his short list of desirable destinations includes the Mavericks, the Knicks and the Lakers, according to sources close to the situation. While the league's post-lockout trade buzz has been centered on Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, little attention has been paid to Williams, who like Howard can opt out of his contract and become a free agent after this season. Williams has publicly stated his desire to re-sign with the Nets, and New Jersey, which views him as a building block for next season's move to Brooklyn, has refused to entertain potential"
Will Lakers try for Deron Williams?
January 19
ESPN.com
 
"Deron Williams emerged from the training room looking tired and drawn. While reporters huddled around teammates Kris Humphries and Jordan Farmar, Williams sat quietly at his locker, holding his cell phone and stroking the bottom of his goatee. He was too upset to get dressed or soak his feet in the ice bucket in front of him, or to read through any of his texts. This season isn't even a month old, but it's obviously wearing already on Williams. His New Jersey Nets have lost 11 of their first 14 games after Monday's listless 101-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Center Brook Lopez is out another couple of months with a broken foot. Dwight Howard isn't arriving anytime soon, if at all."
Lamar Odom considered sabbatical
January 15
ESPN.com
 
"As his Martin Luther King Day reunion with the Los Angeles Lakers approaches, Lamar Odom has revealed that he was "real close" to walking away from the game for a season -- or perhaps longer -- well before his December trade to the Dallas Mavericks. Left reeling by the July murder of his 24-year-old cousin and a fatal car accident days later that killed a teen pedestrian after the car he was riding in as a passenger collided with a motorcycle, Odom told ESPN.com that he had to be convinced by wife Khloe Kardashian to scrap his plans for a hiatus. "Real close," Odom said when asked Saturday how close he came to asking the Lakers for a season-long sabbatical. "My wife talked me out of it."
Howard doesn't expect trade in near future, if at all
January 9
Yahoo! Sports
 
"Dwight Howard thinks he'll represent the Orlando Magic at this year's All-Star Game in Orlando – and he doubts he'll be switching uniforms at all this season in spite of his desire to be traded. Howard has not rescinded his trade request, but he told Yahoo! Sports he thinks there's a "100 percent" chance the Magic won't trade him before the Feb. 26 All-Star Game at the team's Amway Center. Team officials still hope to convince Howard to commit to staying with the franchise for the long term. "I don't think they are going to do anything right now because we're winning," Howard said after a 104-97 victory over the Sacramento Kings improved the Magic's record to 6-3. "Even if this is the"
Dwight Howard's trade plan: It's complicated
January 8
Orlando Sentinel
 
"The truest mission statement for the Magic is not about winning a title this season. It's about keeping Dwight Howard in town. Can't accomplish one without the other, anyway. To update, as of Thursday, nothing has changed on the Howard trade front, according to Magic brass. He still wants to be dealt (and after watching his team get hammered by the Bulls, he might have taken a parachute with him aboard the team charter for the West Coast trip). And something else hasn't changed: Dwight still holds all the cards. His ultimate leverage: telling whatever team the Magic have on the phone that he will or will not sign a contract extension with it. As we know, Howard's choice of teams are the"
Magic want veterans, not to rebuild after Howard
December 28
ESPN.com
 
"Precisely when the Orlando Magic might be willing to trade Dwight Howard is not yet clear. It's obviously not going to happen fast enough for New Jersey Nets fans, who serenaded their team with chants of "We Want Howard" during a humbling home defeat to the Atlanta Hawks at the Prudential Center on Tuesday night. In the Nets' home opener. However ... There is at least a fairly clear sense out there about what the Magic would eventually want in exchange for Howard if they decide, as widely expected between now and the March 15 deadline, to make sure they get something for their face of the franchise as opposed to risking the possibility that the Team USA center bolts Orlando in July with"
Lakers' Radio Host Predicts Dwight Howard to Nets Tuesday
December 20
Lakers Nation
 
"According to Lakers play by play announcer John Ireland it appears the New Jersey Nets are going to land Dwight Howard as soon as tomorrow. On 710 ESPN Radio Ireland stated that he heard a rumor from a source that Howard to the Nets would go down as early as Tuesday. This is the same source that correctly predicted LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining Dwyane Wade in Miami last summer."
Source: Baron Davis weighing options
December 18
ESPN.com
 
"It could be several weeks before veteran point guard Baron Davis' back allows him back on a basketball court, but a source says Davis hopes to decide by Monday what uniform he'll be wearing when that happens. The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat have all expressed interest in signing Davis, who was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday via the league's amnesty clause after his back flared up the first day of training camp. With both the Cavaliers and Davis' agent, Todd Ramasar, reporting that Davis could miss eight to 10 weeks with his back problems, no team with salary cap space placed a bid on him during the 48-hour waiver period."
Gilbert Arenas' free-agent wish list
December 18
ESPN.com
 
"Since Gilbert Arenas cleared waivers last Sunday, you haven't heard his name much. Eventually, though, someone will take a chance on an unrestricted free agent who once averaged better than 25 points per game for three straight seasons. And I'm told that Arenas, in the wake of his Orlando release, has established a four-team wish list for resuming his comeback from the gunplay debacle in Washington that derailed his career and an unsuccessful stint with the Magic. The 29-year-old is holding out hope that the call comes from either the: • Lakers ... • Heat ... • Knicks ... • Or whichever team trades for Dwight Howard. The New Jersey Nets have quietly indicated that they plan to take Arenas"
Source: Baron Davis clears waivers
December 17
ESPN.com
 
"Baron Davis has cleared amnesty waivers and is free to sign with any team, according to a league source. Davis was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. He had two years and $28 million left on his contract. The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers are believed to be Davis' top choices, according to league sources. Davis is currently recovering from two bulging discs in his back. His agent has told media outlets he will be out 8-10 weeks and he could wait to make his decision."
Lakers upset with Chris Paul's trade to Clippers
December 15
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Lakers were hit with a two-by-four of bad news Wednesday, Chris Paul heading to the Clippers and Dwight Howard heading nowhere. The Lakers were privately fuming Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of their front office, when Paul, the New Orleans point guard, ended up in Los Angeles six days after the NBA vetoed the Lakers' trade for him. Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak declined to comment through a spokesman but earlier this week said the NBA's blockade was "completely unexpected." "We did the best we can to express our displeasure," Kupchak said Monday."
Magic end trade talks for Dwight Howard
December 14
Yahoo! Sports
 
"The Orlando Magic have informed teams that they're ending trade talks for Dwight Howard and plan to start the season with the All-Star center on their roster, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Magic's decision came Wednesday after the Nets assembled a multiteam trade proposal for Howard that would have sent the Magic center Brook Lopez, Portland Trail Blazers forward Gerald Wallace, point guard Jordan Farmar and a first-round draft pick. The Nets also would have taken on Chris Duhon and Hedo Turkoglu. The Blazers would have received four draft picks for Wallace. With the framework of a deal in place, talks had reached the ownership level in Orlando, league sources said. Nevertheless,"
Magic stand pat -- for now -- as Dwight Howard trade rumors heat up
December 14
Orlando Sentinel
 
"It appears that the Orlando Magic have decided against trading Dwight Howard for now, because General Manager Otis Smith believes the same offers — and perhaps better ones — still will be available up until the March 15 NBA trade deadline. And perhaps Howard will decide to remain with the Magic. On Wednesday, the Magic passed up an offer from the New Jersey Nets that also involved the Portland Trail Blazers. Orlando would have received at least center Brook Lopez from the Nets and swingman Gerald Wallace from the Blazers. In addition to trading Howard, the Magic would have sent away small forward Hedo Turkoglu and point guard Chris Duhon and their large contracts. "I don't think there's"
Source: CP3-To-Clips Hung Up In Standoff
December 14
NBA.com
 
"The New Orleans Hornets continue to ask for guard Eric Gordon and the unprotected first-round Draft pick originally from the Timberwolves as the central assets in a potential deal with the Clippers for Chris Paul, a league source told TNT's David Aldridge Wednesday morning. But the Clippers remain adamant that the Hornets cannot have both Gordon and the pick and must choose between the two. The standoff is the major impediment in a possible trade between the two teams. While the Hornets are having discussions with other teams about their four-time All-Star guard, including the Lakers, the Clippers' group of assets remains the most desirable and the one that New Orleans wants. The"
Clippers, not Lakers, have a clear plan
December 14
ESPN.com
 
"The call from New Orleans came late in the afternoon Sunday, just after Clippers general manager Neil Olshey had finished attending his wife's Christmas party. In the previous two weeks, he'd slept more than four hours in a night only a handful of times. Most days since the NBA reopened for business, calls from West Coast executives and agents were coming in until midnight. By 5 a.m., his phone was ringing again as the East Coast woke up and started its business. The four or five hours in between were reserved for sleeping, eating, showering and shaving. Oh yes, and thinking about everything that had gone on the past 20 hours. He was tired and sleep-deprived, but also exhilarated in a way."
Sources: Chris Paul talks continue
December 14
ESPN.com
 
"League officials representing the New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Clippers continued discussions into Tuesday night on a trade that would put Chris Paul on the same team with Blake Griffin, according to sources briefed on the talks. But the sides have yet to find a framework that satisfies both, sources said, with the NBA not relenting on its desire to acquire the Clippers' top five available trade assets in return for Paul, who would invoke the 2012-13 option in his contract as part of any trade between the teams to ensure the Clippers would have him for at least two seasons. "They're still asking for everyone," said one source with knowledge of the Clippers' thinking."
Dwight Howard's wish list said short
December 13
ESPN.com
 
"While the Orlando Magic are keeping all of their options open, Dwight Howard is not. There are only four teams that Howard would sign a long-term contract with, according to a source close to the situation -- the Magic, New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks or Los Angeles Lakers. That severely limits the trade possibilities for Orlando, which has said it will not rule out trading Howard to any of the league's 29 other teams. Without a long-term commitment from Howard, no club is likely to put an enticing offer on the table. Howard's stance essentially relegates the Magic, whose ideal scenario is to re-sign Howard, to trade talks only with the Nets, Mavericks and Lakers. There has been"
Source: Lamar Odom asked for trade
December 12
ESPN.com
 
"After all he had done in his seven years for the Los Angeles Lakers, forward Lamar Odom was so hurt by being included in a three-team trade for Chris Paul that was vetoed by the league, that he requested a trade Friday, according to a Lakers team source. His request was granted when the Lakers sent Odom, along with a 2012 second-round draft pick, to the Dallas Mavericks for an $8.9 million trade exception, as well as a protected first-round pick. Los Angeles, Houston and New Orleans agreed on a deal Thursday that would have sent Odom and Lakers forward Pau Gasol to New Orleans for Hornets guard Paul. Gasol would then have been sent to Houston for Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic and"
Lakers drop out of Paul trade talks, move Odom to Dallas; precursor to deal for Howard?
December 11
L.A. Daily News
 
"At first glance, it looked like any other practice on the second day of any other training camp. The Lakers' workout Saturday was anything but ordinary, however, no matter how familiar the scrimmage and the shooting drills might have seemed. Behind the scenes, the Lakers, New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets tried in vain to rework a multi-player deal that would have brought point guard Chris Paul to Los Angeles. The deal collapsed late Saturday night, according to multiple reports. "The Lakers are shifting toward trying to make a Dwight Howard deal," an unidentified Western Conference executive told Yahoo Sports, referring to the Orlando Magic center, who has asked to be traded to the"
Sources: Lakers out of Chris Paul talks
December 11
ESPN.com
 
"The Los Angeles Lakers abruptly withdrew from the Chris Paul sweepstakes Saturday night after more than 24 hours of unsuccessful attempts to restructure a three-team deal with the New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets that would meet with the approval of NBA commissioner David Stern, according to sources close to the process. The Lakers informed the league-owned Hornets and the Rockets they were pulling out of the stonewalled deal, sources said, and instead trading Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas is able to accommodate Odom's $8.9 million salary without surrendering any prized assets thanks to a new trade exception created through the Mavericks' three-team deal with New York"
Dwight Howard has requested a trade from the Orlando Magic
December 11
Orlando Sentinel
 
"The Orlando Magic are confronting their worst nightmare. Dwight Howard has asked for a trade. "You only get one time around," Howard said Saturday night at Amway Center. "You can't press the reset button. It's not 'Call of Duty,' where when you die, you get back up. Once this is done — once I'm done playing — I can't turn back the hands of time and play again." Howard, a 6-foot-11 center who was drafted by the team in 2004, did not give many specific reasons for his choice, but he indicated that he is not happy with the franchise's on-court direction. He also said he wanted more of a "voice" in team decisions. "They know how I feel," Howard said, referring to the team's management."
Lakers trade Lamar Odom to the Mavericks
December 11
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Lakers made a trade Saturday, but it wasn't for Chris Paul or Dwight Howard. Two days after getting rebuffed by the NBA in an apparent deal for Paul, the Lakers sent forward Lamar Odom to Dallas for the Mavericks' first-round pick in the 2012 amateur draft. "It's a done deal," said a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly. The Mavericks might also send the Lakers another unspecified draft pick. It was not immediately clear if the move was a straight salary dump or a circuitous effort to try to get Howard down the road or, less likely, Paul."
Revised deal reached to send Paul to L.A.
December 10
CBSSports.com
 
"The Lakers, Hornets and Rockets reached agreement on the framework of a revised trade sending Chris Paul to the Lakers Saturday, pending the resolution of some moving parts and approval by the commissioner's office, multiple sources told CBSSports.com. Houston would still get Pau Gasol from the Lakers in the three-team swap, while the Rockets would send Luis Scola and Kevin Martin to the Hornets, as in the original version that was killed by commissioner David Stern in his role as final decision-maker on major personnel moves for the league-owned Hornets. It wasn't immediately clear how the Hornets were satisfying the league directive to acquire young players and valuable draft picks in"
Revised three-team trade involving Chris Paul reportedly has been submitted to the league office
December 10
New Orleans Times-Picayune
 
"New Orleans Hornets are part of a revised of three-team trade deal that involves Chris Paul still going to the Lakers has reportedly been re-submitted sent to the NBA office for approval. The deal is expected to include more draft picks and younger players than Thursday's trade that was blocked by NBA Commissioner David Stern that had Paul going to the Lakers and the Hornets acquiring guards Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic, forward Luis Scola and a first-round draft choice from the Houston Rockets as well as Lakers forward Lamar Odom. In addition, Houston would had acquired Pau Gasol. Hornets officials could not confirm Saturday if a new revised deal has been re-submitted to the league."
Dwight Howard is added to Lakers' conversations
December 10
Los Angeles Times
 
"As the Lakers progressed on reworking their trade proposal for Chris Paul, another possibility blew in their direction, wearing a Superman cape. The Lakers were told they were one of three teams allowed to try to negotiate a deal with the agent for Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, according to a person familiar with Orlando's thinking who was not authorized to speak publicly about the situation. The other teams granted permission to talk to Howard's agent were New Jersey and Dallas. The development represented another twist in an already frenetic week, the Lakers agreeing to a trade with New Orleans for Paul, only to get rebuffed Thursday by the NBA. The Hornets were told by the NBA"
Chris Paul trade talks remain in full swing
December 10
New Orleans Times-Picayune
 
"Well, that was awkward. A day after packing for Los Angeles, only to have his trade to the Lakers nixed by the NBA, New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul unexpectedly showed up for the first day of training camp Friday at the Alario Center. Still, it might have been just a cameo. Hornets General Manager Dell Demps said he is resuming trade discussions for his four-time All-Star and didn't rule out revisiting the Lakers and Houston in trying to consummate a deal that would get league approval. "Yes, people are still calling, and we're calling people,'' Demps said Friday. "So we're confident we can get a deal.'' Demps, though, didn't have a timetable on when a deal will be completed."
Magic give Dwight's representatives permission to speak to the Lakers, Mavericks and Nets
December 10
Orlando Sentinel
 
"Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith has given permission for Dwight Howard's representatives to discuss Howard's long-term future with three other teams, Howard's agent said. Joel Glass, the Magic's chief spokesman, told the Orlando Sentinel that Smith first granted that permission on Friday night to the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Jersey Nets. That permission, Glass, said, came after a meeting that an ESPN report said took place between Howard and Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov and Nets General Manager Billy King on Thursday night in Miami without the Magic's knowledge or permission. Howard told reporters he did not meet with the Nets. And Nets General Manager"
Hornets, Lakers, Rockets resume Paul talks
December 9
Yahoo! Sports
 
"The New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers have resumed negotiations in an attempt to find a way to complete a blockbuster trade that would send Chris Paul to L.A., league sources told Yahoo! Sports. "All three teams are engaged," one source told Y! Sports. "Not sure if it will work." The resumption of talks comes less than 24 hours after the three teams agreed on a trade only to have NBA commissioner David Stern veto it. Stern released a statement on Friday saying he blocked the trade because the league-owned Hornets were "better served with Chris in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of that trade.""
Sources: Teams appeal Chris Paul ruling
December 9
ESPN.com
 
"The three teams involved in the Chris Paul trade blocked Thursday by NBA commissioner David Stern are appealing to the league for Stern to reverse the decision, according to sources close to the process. There is no indication yet that Stern is prepared to reverse course after taking the dramatic step of blocking the league-owned New Orleans Hornets' decision to deal Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers."
Chris Paul trade to Los Angeles Lakers nixed by NBA
December 9
New Orleans Times-Picayune
 
"The Chris Paul era in New Orleans isn't over — yet. A proposed blockbuster three-team trade of the New Orleans Hornets' point guard involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets was nixed Thursday, according to league sources. Apparently, several owners in the league thought the deal was too beneficial for the Lakers, who would have paired Paul with Kobe Bryant. There was concern the Lakers, who have won two of the past three NBA championships, would get an unfair competitive advantage. NBA Commissioner David Stern apparently stepped in after hearing complaints from several owners attending the league's board of governors meeting Thursday in New York to ratify the new labor"
Stern kills Lakers' deal for Paul
December 8
Yahoo! Sports
 
"NBA commissioner David Stern has killed the New Orleans Hornets' trade of Chris Paul after several owners complained about the league-owned team dealing the All-Star point guard to the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Some owners pushed Stern to demand that trade be nullified, and the Hornets be made to keep Paul on the roster for the foreseeable future, sources said. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was one of the most vocal in a chorus of owners irate with the belief that the five-month lockout had happened largely to stop big-market teams from leveraging small-market teams for star players pending free agency. Before Stern intervened, the Lakers had reached an"
Lakers set to land Paul
December 8
Yahoo! Sports
 
"The Los Angeles Lakers are nearing an agreement to acquire All-Star point guard Chris Paul in a three-team trade that will cost them Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Lakers are finalizing the trade with the New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets. Under the terms of the deal, the Lakers would send Gasol to the Rockets. The Hornets would receive Odom, Rockets guards Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic and forward Luis Scola, league sources said."
Three-team trade discussed that would send Paul to Lakers
December 8
SI.com
 
"The Lakers, Hornets and Rockets are discussing a three-way trade that would send Chris Paul to L.A. and Pau Gasol to Houston, league sources told SI.com. New Orleans would receive Rockets swingman Kevin Martin and center Luis Scola. The Lakers have been in the hunt for Paul since the beginning, but L.A.'s refusal to include Andrew Bynum in any deal for Paul has prevented talks from advancing. The Lakers prefer to hold on to Bynum as the possible centerpiece of trade talks with Orlando for Dwight Howard. The Hornets are not interested in Gasol (who has three years and $57 million left on his deal), but in the last 48 hours they have put out feelers to try and gauge league-wide interest in"
Sources: Hornets cool on trade offers
December 8
ESPN.com
 
"The chances of a Chris Paul trade before NBA training camps finally open Friday appear to be dwindling after the pace of Paul trade talks slowed Wednesday, according to sources close to the situation. The Golden State Warriors have effectively withdrawn from the Paul sweepstakes by stressing to the Hornets that they simply won't include star guard Stephen Curry in any deal with New Orleans. And sources told ESPN.com that none of the other teams known to be Paul's most ardent suitors sufficiently sweetened their trade offers Wednesday, despite the fact that it's now an open secret around the league that the Hornets want to move Paul before the season starts Christmas Day, hoping to avoid a"
Report: Kapono agrees to deal with Lakers
December 8
CSN Philly
 
"The Sixers appear to have lost their first player from last year's team to free agency. According to ProBasketballTalk via Yahoo! Sports, Jason Kapono has agreed to a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The deal, which is reportedly for the veteran's minimum, can not be officially signed until 2 p.m. on Friday. Kapono was expected to stretch the floor when he was acquired from Toronto for Reggie Evans, but the sharpshooter saw limited action with the Sixers. He appeared in 57 games during the 2009-10 season, averaging 5.7 points a night, but he saw those numbers drop to 24 and 0.7 last year."
Heat is early favorite to win NBA title, with the Lakers right behind
December 8
Los Angeles Times
 
"Odds are, things could change in a hurry. Miami's Big Three might not look quite as formidable to Las Vegas bookmakers who have tabbed the Heat the early 2012 NBA title favorite if Chris Paul and Dwight Howard leave their respective teams. Paul, the New Orleans point guard purported to be on the trading block along with Orlando's Howard, appears to be in play for a handful of teams, including the Lakers and New York Knicks. "There's so many variables," TNT analyst Kenny Smith said when asked for his championship picks in a lockout-shortened season. "Chris Paul is a guy who could make the Knicks a contender.""
Lakers owner Jerry Buss in hospital with blood clots
December 8
L.A. Daily News
 
"Jerry Buss, the Lakers' longtime owner, has been hospitalized because of blood clots in his legs likely caused by extensive traveling, a team spokesman said Wednesday. "He is doing well and is expected to be released in the next day or two," said John Black, the Lakers' vice president of public relations. Black declined to say where the 77-year-old Buss was hospitalized or his course of treatment, but Black didn't believe Buss had suffered from blood clots in the past. Buss has owned the team since 1979, but in recent seasons has turned much of the business side of the operation to his daughter Jeanie and the basketball side to son Jim."
Talks slow, but California teams leading race for All-Star Paul
December 8
SI.com
 
"No decision has been made by New Orleans about where to send point guard Chris Paul, but a source with a good read on the talks puts the list of leaders for his services as such: the Lakers, Clippers and Warriors. There are other teams making a push, among them Dallas and Houston, but there are no indications that they're being seriously considered by Hornets general manager Dell Demps. But the situation doesn't begin and end with the Hornets' intentions, since Paul's perspective on where he might agree to stay long-term is a major factor. The Celtics, for example, have the assets (Rajon Rondo) and the incentive, but sources close to Paul says he has no interest in a long-term future in"
Lakers still in hunt to work deal for Hornets' Paul
December 7
NBA.com
 
"The Los Angeles Lakers are not out of the Chris Paul Sweepstakes. A league source involved in the discussions said late Tuesday night that the Lakers are still among the teams the New Orleans Hornets are having advanced discussions with on a potential trade of Paul, the four-time All-Star guard who is seeking a trade after spending his first six seasons in the Big Easy. The Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Celtics currently have a leg up on other teams that are trying to acquire Paul. Yahoo! Sports had reported earlier Tuesday that the Clippers, Warriors and Celtics had the three best offers on the table for Paul. The Lakers' potential offer would send either center Andrew Bynum or forward"
Sources: Hornets line up trade targets
December 7
ESPN.com
 
"Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Gordon are the two players New Orleans has pursued the hardest in the Hornets' fast-moving search for a workable Chris Paul trade, according to sources close to the talks. But the Hornets continue to meet with resistance from the Warriors and the Clippers on Curry and Gordon, sources told ESPN.com, because both teams are reluctant to part with their young backcourt cornerstones with no assurance from Paul that he will stay beyond this season. Sources said that the Hornets have actually been trying to convince the Warriors to part with Curry since before last season's trade deadline in February. But the Warriors"
Sources: Lakers eye blockbuster trades
December 6
ESPN.com
 
"It is no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers would like to trade for Dwight Howard or Chris Paul, but sources with knowledge of the situation say the Lakers actually have something greater in mind: acquiring both players. Hoping to pull off a pair of blockbuster moves that would rock the NBA, the Lakers are willing to trade anyone on their roster outside of Kobe Bryant to bring Howard and Paul to Los Angeles, two sources said. Whether the Lakers are able to make it happen remains to be seen, but with stars Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom on the roster, they have the talent and the financial capacity to make the trades work."
Paul-to-Lakers chatter growing as offseason discussions heat up
December 6
SI.com
 
"When Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak fielded the inevitable question about trading for Dwight Howard last week, his intentionally vague response said everything about why the topic was being discussed in the first place. "You're trying to get me to talk about one player that might be young?" Kupchak told reporters at the team's practice facility in El Segundo, Calif. "I understand a lot of our players' names have been out there [in the media] and maybe that's the one name you're referring to." He knew the identity of the player, of course, because only one player of any relevance on his roster qualifies as young: 24-year-old center Andrew Bynum. That fact alone is why it's worth"
Lakers talking Gasol or Bynum for Chris Paul?
December 5
CBSSports.com
 
"As NBA teams race to spend their Mid-Level Exceptions on the likes of Kwame Brown, Jeff Foster and Samuel Dalembert in free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers lay back in the cut, holding two of the league's premier big men -- Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum -- on their roster. Both players have questions about their long-term fit in L.A. and both ended their 2010-2011 seasons in disappointing fashion. Add up the ever-present demand for quality big men and the Lakers' surplus of potentially ill-fitting low-post parts and it's a recipe for trade rumors galore. Indeed, Yahoo Sports reports that New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, who is eligible to sign an extension this season but reportedly"