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The Atlanta Hawks inched closer to Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline more determined than ever to trade Josh Smith, according to sources with knowledge of the Hawks' thinking.

They still have to find a suitable trade partner, though.

The consistent word circulating in front-office circles late Wednesday was that Atlanta has yet to find a deal it likes for Smith in a down market despite the determined pursuit of the Brooklyn Nets and consistent (but conditional) interest from Milwaukee and Boston.

The Nets, sources say, will continue Thursday to search for a third team to help facilitate a deal for Smith, since Atlanta has made it clear that it wants no part of Kris Humphries.

Milwaukee would appear to be the most likely destination for Smith entering deadline day, but it remains to seen whether the Bucks will ultimately be willing to part with guard Monta Ellis, whom Atlanta has targeted as the primary player it wants from them.

As for Boston: Including Paul Pierce or Rajon Rondo in any deal with the Hawks is presumed to be the only way for the Celtics to land Smith, which is problematic for the Celts for a number of reasons. Focusing on just two of them: (1) Trading Pierce somewhere he doesn't want to go isn't nearly as easy as it sounds given what PP's stature is in his city and with that franchise; (2) Boston's chances of getting Atlanta's unrestricted free agent-to-be to sign for the long term there would almost certainly be damaged if Rondo, one of Smith's best friends, weren't still there to team up with him.

As of late Wednesday, sources close to the situation said Atlanta hadn't yet found a deal it particularly liked and was still holding out hope that offers would improve or that previously uninterested teams, such as Houston, would change their minds in the final hours of trade season.

Yet sources stressed that the Hawks do remain eager to part with Smith and went into Thursday expecting to move him by day's end to the team offering the best deal that won't hurt their long-term financial flexibility. Atlanta, of course, is determined not to let any trade it makes Thursday affect its planned pursuit of Dwight Howard in free agency in July.

The Hawks, as a result, figure to attract more attention than anyone else on deadline day. Especially with most rival teams increasingly expecting the Clippers and Jazz to stand pat no matter how much we've talked about Eric Bledsoe, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson possibly moving.

Similar pessimism about Phoenix -- long considered one of the teams expected to be busy leading up to the 2012 deadline -- moving center Marcin Gortat was also in abundance Wednesday.

The Milwaukee Bucks continue to discuss Josh Smith trade scenarios with the Atlanta Hawks in advance of Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.

But those discussions, sources say, also serve as a strong indication of the rising likelihood that Brandon Jennings will not be moved this week.

ESPN.com reported Tuesday that Monta Ellis is the primary player Atlanta is targeting in its discussion with Milwaukee. Sources say that the Hawks, furthermore, want Milwaukee to add at least one expiring contract to the equation with Ellis and possibly take on some salary.

ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard, meanwhile, reported Wednesday morning on “SportsCenter” that Smith would be interested in playing with both Jennings and Ellis if he wound up in Milwaukee, leading the Bucks to try Wednesday to make the deal without surrendering Ellis.

Yet amid all of those talks, sources say, Jennings has moved alongside Larry Sanders and John Henson on the Bucks’ list of near-untouchables. This is despite Jennings’ widely presumed desire to leave Milwaukee in free agency this summer after failing to seal a contract extension in October like fellow point guards Jrue Holiday, Steph Curry and Ty Lawson and then changing agents earlier this month.

The Dallas Mavericks were at the forefront of the list of teams hoping that the Bucks would make Jennings available this week, but Milwaukee appears intent on taking its chances in the offseason, knowing that Jennings will be a restricted free agent and thus unable to leave town unless the Bucks decline to match an offer sheet he receives.

The Mavericks, sources say, have been pessimistic from the start about their ability to trade for Jennings before the deadline anyway. They know he’s the closest thing to a face of the franchise for the Bucks in the wake of Andrew Bogut’s departure at the 2012 trade deadline, meaning Milwaukee would likely set a high bar for teams inquiring about the fourth-year point guard.

The latest word on veteran center Samuel Dalembert, meanwhile, is that the Bucks are actually more inclined to keep him than move him now in the wake of Dalembert's fine fill-in work since Sanders was sidelined by a back injury. For much of the season -- largely when he was barely playing under Scott Skiles -- Dalembert was regarded as one of the players most likely to be traded this season.

It didn't take long, coming out of All-Star Weekend, from the trade chatter to crank back up again.

Some fresh dribbles of that chatter follow in the lead-up to the NBA’s 3 p.m ET Thursday trade deadline:

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The Atlanta Hawks have convinced numerous teams that they're definitely trading Josh Smith this week, largely because they see the unpredictable lefty as a virtual lock to leave them in free agency this summer.

So ...

Destinations?

One team close to the situation consulted Monday night predicted that the Nets would ultimately land Smith via a three-way trade after ESPN's Chris Broussard reported Feb. 11 that Smith is a prime Brooklyn Nets trade target.

Another team pinpointed the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks as the strongest contenders to win the Smith sweepstakes. The big worry for both of those teams, though, is whether they could really risk trading for Smith when convincing him to re-sign for the long term is likely to be a serious challenge in either city. Especially with Smith said to be angling for a max deal … and with nobody confusing the Suns or the Bucks with Mikhail Prokhorov's Nets.

Broussard, furthermore, tweeted early Tuesday that the Washington Wizards have made anyone on the roster available for Smith, apart from John Wall, Bradley Beal and Nene.

Which brings us to the Boston Celtics.

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Monday that the Boston Celtics have, indeed, registered their interest on the Smith front, with the caveat that they also remain highly interested in the Clippers' Eric Bledsoe.

Yet a Boston deal for Smith, sources said, would almost certainly have to be built around Paul Pierce, because Kevin Garnett isn't waiving his no-trade clause to go to the Atlanta Hawks if he's not willing to waive it to go to Clipperland. And the prospect of Celtics front-office chief Danny Ainge exiling Pierce to the Hawks for Smith, after everything Pierce has done to restore the Celtics to glory over the past half-decade, is still hard to imagine.

At least for me.

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According to one theory in circulation on the personnel grapevine, Celtics officials could be moved this week to try to make the case to Garnett that waiving his no-trade provision to accept that long-rumored trade to the Los Angeles Clippers would be the best thing not only for himself but for the long-term health of the franchise. Combine that approach with the expected lobbying from the L.A. side by good buddy Chauncey Billups, as the theory goes, and maybe Garnett will ultimately relent and consent to a swap.

Have to add three follow-up caveats here, though:

1. After spending a solid 15 minutes in the same room with Garnett in Houston as part of ESPN Radio's All-Star Weekend team, I became convinced that KG isn't waiving that no-trade clause. For anyone or any team. My impression is that it's going to take more lobbying than anyone out there can muster.

2. Broussard reported late Monday night on "SportsCenter" that Billups has already warned the Clippers that Garnett's position appears to be firm … and that Garnett spelled out the exact same thing to Chris Paul last summer when Paul informed KG that the Clippers wanted to pursue him via trade.

3. Even if Garnett did wind up with the Clippers this week, after all the bluster against the idea, I still struggle to picture the Celtics telling Pierce that they're going to send him to the Hawks for the good of Boston's long-term health. The deal might make sense for Atlanta -- since Pierce's $5 million buyout for next season would extend the Hawks' window of flexibility and create a new set of options -- but it still looks like as an impossible sell in Boston.

I've always thought Rajon Rondo, not Pierce or Garnett, would be the first member of Boston's star trio to be dealt. There simply might not be a shake-up move available to the Celtics at this deadline now that Rondo has been lost to a season-ending knee injury.

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There's more on that subject.

The Clippers, according one source close to the situation, would not be willing to surrender both Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan to Boston even if Garnett was willing to waive his no-trade clause.

Is that posturing? An absolute stance?

We'll find out for sure between now and the deadline, but the source insisted that the Clippers feel that a Bledsoe-and-Jordan combo is too much to surrender for a 36-year-old who isn't sure how much longer he'll be playing.

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The consistent word out of Houston, incidentally, is that the Rockets -- long known to be Smith fans -- are far more likely to pursue J-Smoove in free agency than to try to trade for him this week.

The Rockets are expected to use their leftover salary-cap space from last summer to extract an extra draft pick from teams looking to shed salary for luxury-tax reasons right before the trade buzzer.

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Veterans who remain available in trade talks this week include San Antonio's DeJuan Blair, Cleveland's Omri Casspi, Charlotte's Ben Gordon, Brooklyn's Kris Humphries, Oklahoma City's Eric Maynor, Minnesota's Luke Ridnour, Phoenix's Sebastian Telfair and Washington's Jordan Crawford.

Orlando, meanwhile, continues to seek no less than a first-round pick for sharpshooter J.J. Redick, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Brandon Jennings said Wednesday he's not looking to leave the Milwaukee Bucks, despite an ESPN.com story that said he has "irreconcilable differences" with the club.

ESPN.com, in an analysis story on 10 NBA players who could be traded, cited sources as saying Jennings is frustrated. One source called it "irreconcilable differences" and said Jennings wants to be moved before the Feb. 21 trade deadline.

"That is not true," Jennings said in a text message to ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard when asked if his relationship with the Bucks is beyond repair. "Just because I got a new agent doesn't mean anything. That stuff never came out of my mouth. They're just reaching for a story since I changed my agent [to Jeff Schwartz]."

ESPN.com said it stands by its reporting.

A year ago, Jennings told ESPN.com that he was "doing [his] homework on big-market teams." Since then, Jennings' long-term status in Milwaukee has been the subject of speculation among league insiders, and when Jennings left agent Bill Duffy, the rumors swirled again about whether the guard is unhappy with the Bucks. The Bucks offered Jennings a four-year, $40 million extension, according to sources, but he turned it down. He will become a restricted free agent this summer.


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NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks are listening to trade offers for Iman Shumpert, but a team source said a deal that would send the second-year guard to the Phoenix Suns for Jared Dudley as part of a multiplayer package is "unlikely at this point."

The Suns have shown interest in acquiring Shumpert, a league source confirmed.

The Suns' interest in Shumpert and their willingness to include Dudley in a deal was first reported by Yahoo! Sports on Saturday night.

The Knicks have been monitoring the trade market for a shooter in recent weeks, but there is a faction in the organization opposed to giving up Shumpert, who is widely viewed as one of the top young perimeter defenders in the league.

One team source characterized the Knicks' listening to the Suns' offer as the team performing its due diligence as the trade deadline nears.


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RENO, Nev. -- The Memphis Grizzlies have not made an iron-clad decision about trading swingman Rudy Gay before the league's Feb. 21 buzzer for deals, according to NBA front-office sources.

The Grizzlies might trade him. But they might not.

The Toronto Raptors, by contrast, have definitively decided to make a real run at Gay.

The Raptors might not be able to swing a deal for him. But they'd love to.

Sources told ESPN.com this week that the Raptors -- who tried to make a play for Gay before the 2012 NBA draft -- remain seriously "interested" in the Grizzlies' leading scorer and are trying to assemble trade packages to bring the 26-year-old to Toronto after preliminary talks with Memphis.

Among the trade chips that the Raptors are believed to be dangling, in addition to draft considerations, are veteran point guard Jose Calderon (who has an expiring contract worth $10.6 million) and young big man Ed Davis.

Grantland's Zach Lowe reported last week that the Grizzlies had begun the process of letting various teams know that Gay would be available in the right deal before the annual February trade deadline. Sources consulted in Reno during the NBA's annual D-League Showcase have described the bulk of those discussions to date to be exploratory in nature, but Toronto, as part of that process, has let it be known to the Grizzlies that its desire to acquire Gay has not waned.

It was widely assumed around the league coming into the season that the Grizzlies' new ownership group, headed by majority owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien, would look into moving Gay to lessen Memphis' luxury-tax obligations after this season and coming seasons.

But the Grizzlies, with their three top players finally all healthy and playing in unison after two player runs impacted by health matters, got off to a rousing 14-3 start and, despite fading slightly to 22-10, are generally regarded as a team capable of winning the ever-competitive Western Conference.

That has led some rival teams to project that the Grizzlies, as one GM in Reno put in Tuesday, could "wait until the summer" before deciding whether they're indeed prepared to break up the Zach Randolph-Marc Gasol-Gay trio.

Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday that the Phoenix Suns, like the Raptors, have let the Grizzlies know that they are prepared to trade for Gay by packaging swingman Jared Dudley with future first-round picks. The Memphis Commercial Appeal subsequently reported that the Sacramento Kings are also among the teams to engage the Grizzlies in preliminary Gay talks, with CBSSports.com and the Contra Costa Times reporting that similar discussions between Memphis and Golden State quickly ended when it became apparent that the Warriors would have to include the contract of Richard Jefferson to make the salary-cap math work.

The Raptors, meanwhile, tried to trade for Gay six months ago, offering up various packages headlined by the No. 8 pick in the draft (eventually used on Terrence Ross) and Calderon. The Grizzlies, still owned by Michael Heisley at the time, passed.

Word is that the Grizzlies' new regime is adamant that it won't merely try to dump salary by dealing Gay in-season if it severely weakens their team in the process. Gay, averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game but shooting a career-low 40.8 percent from the floor, is earning $16.4 million in 2012-13 and is scheduled to earn $17.8 million and $19.3 million in the following two seasons.

Said another GM: "I think keeping Gay is still on the table for them, too."

Discussions continued Wednesday between the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns on a sign-and-trade deal to bring Steve Nash to the Knicks, according to sources briefed on the discussions.

But as of 1 p.m. ET, no deal had been consummated, despite what sources describe as the Suns' clear interest in young Knicks guard Iman Shumpert as the headliner in a deal for Nash.

One source close to the talks told ESPN.com: "The Knicks don't want to trade (Shumpert), but they will if they have to. They want Nash."

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By Chad Ford and Marc Stein
ESPN.com

For the past several years, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has been trying to package assets together to make a big deal on draft night. The 2012 draft is no different.

Sources say that Houston has discussed deals with several teams in the top 10 about moving up in the draft. And the Rockets might have found two willing partners.

Although sources stressed that no deal is imminent, Sacramento (No. 5) and Toronto (No. 8 ) have let Houston know that their top-10 selections are available. Sources say that the Rockets, in turn, have made both of their first-round picks available (No. 14 and No. 16), but the key to any trade going through could be point guard Kyle Lowry.

The Raptors have been especially fond of Lowry, who has been regarded for months as a borderline untouchable in Houston but more recently has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Rockets coach Kevin McHale. Whether the Rockets are indeed prepared to part with Lowry, as talks with the Kings, Raptors and other teams continue, figures to be one of the bigger stories of draft week.

What’s clear from the Rockets’ end, sources say, is the player they’re fondest of in the upper reaches of the draft: UConn big man Andre Drummond. Many scouts believe Drummond has the second highest upside of any player in the draft behind consensus No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, but the 7-foot, 279-pounder would almost certainly still be available at No. 5.

Drummond, as the second youngest player in the draft at 18, registered an impressive 7-foot-6 wingspan at the NBA draft combine earlier this month. Personnel experts regard him as an elite athlete and shot-blocker who moves laterally especially well. But Drummond’s inconsistent play as a freshman, combined with questions about his passion for the game, have caused his draft stock to take a slight hit in recent weeks.

The tipoff that the Kings are likely to deal the No. 5 pick between now and Thursday night, sources say, is the handful of players they’ve brought in who are expected to be drafted in the middle of the first round. Sources say two of those players in particular -- North Carolina’s John Henson and St. John’s Moe Harkless -- are high on the Kings’ draft board.

Henson has already worked out for the Kings and Harkless is scheduled to work out on Monday. Sacramento has also tried to get several other candidates for the middle of the first round, including UConn’s Jeremy Lamb and Washington’s Terrence Ross, into town for 11th-hour workouts.

UPDATE (12:48 a.m. ET): Upon hearing of Sunday night's developments, one rival general manager told ESPN.com that he believes Houston's real aim is acquiring two top-10 picks this week to turn around quickly and offer both to the Orlando Magic as part of a considerable trade offer for Dwight Howard.

The Rockets' willingness to trade for Howard -- even without the All-Star center's signature on a contract extension -- is an open secret around the league. But it's believed that two top-eight picks, assuming Houston managed to complete trades with both Sacramento and Toronto, would seriously pique the interest of new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, who could then quickly start following the same sort of roster-building blueprint relied on by his previous employers in Oklahoma City.

Acquiring those early lottery picks, though, only represents half of Houston's challenge if Howard is indeed the Rockets' target. The other hurdle is convincing Hennigan, who hasn't even been on the job for a week in Central Florida, to part with Howard so quickly. As much as he's been schooled in building through the draft while working alongside Thunder GM Sam Presti, Hennigan could opt to take a more measured approach, make one more run at trying to convince Howard to sign an extension before entering the final year of his contract and then trade him later in the summer if those efforts go nowhere.

After acquiring guard Stephen Jackson two days ago, the Golden State Warriors agreed to a deal to send him to the San Antonio Spurs for Richard Jefferson, league sources told ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.

The Spurs will also sent their first-round draft pick this year as part of the package. Sources say that pick is lottery protected.


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The Houston Rockets have agreed to terms on a deal to acquire veteran center Marcus Camby from the Portland Trail Blazers, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.

The deal that has been submitted to the league office for approval, sources said, calls for Houston to send guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a future second-round pick to the Blazers for Camby, who has maintained an offseason residence in Houston for some time and has always liked the idea of playing for the Rockets.

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ESPN.com news services:

After acquiring guard Stephen Jackson two days ago, the Golden State Warriors are discussing a deal to send him to the San Antonio Spurs for Richard Jefferson, a league source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher on Thursday.

The Warriors sent Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Jackson.

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The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired point guard Ramon Sessions from the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a multi-player deal that will bring the Cavs the Lakers' 2012 first-round pick, according to league sources.

The Cavs also will send young wing player Christian Eyenga to the Lakers and veteran forward Luke Walton will be going to the Cavs. The Lakers' will keep their draft pick this year if they miss the playoffs. As part of the deal, the Lakers also will have the right to swap first-round draft position in 2013 with the Miami Heat's first round pick, which the Cavs own.

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New Jersey is engaged in serious discussions with the Portland Trail Blazers on a deal to bring Gerald Wallace to the Nets, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.

The deal as currently constituted, sources say, would send the expiring contract of Nets forward Mehmet Okur and either Shawne Williams or Johan Petro -- along with a protected future first-round pick -- to the Blazers for Wallace.

Wallace is a player long admired by Orlando and was part of the three-team trade construction lined up by the Nets in December that nearly brought Dwight Howard to the Nets before the season even started. In that three-team scenario, Orlando would have received Wallace, Nets center Brook Lopez and at least one future first-round pick, while also shedding the contracts of Hedo Turkoglu and Chris Duhon.

To push this latest deal through involving Wallace, New Jersey and Portland must submit a trade agreement to the league office before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.

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Dwight Howard signed a waiver Thursday that keeps him with the Orlando Magic through next season.

The waiver denies him the right to terminate his contract after this season. After going back and forth regarding his intentions, Howard said Wednesday that he would sign.

A source had told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher that the New Jersey Nets had been told earlier Thursday that Howard would not be available in trade.

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The New Jersey Nets are telling teams that they absolutely, positively will not move Deron Williams before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline even if Dwight Howard goes through with his stated intention to lock himself into the 2012-13 season of his current contract with the Orlando Magic.

Sources with knowledge of New Jersey’s thinking told ESPN.com on Thursday morning that the Nets’ position won’t change even if the Los Angeles Lakers offer them Pau Gasol in a package for Williams before the deadline.

The Lakers are known to want an elite point guard if they’re going to part with Gasol … and the fact that Orlando will apparently not be trading Howard theoretically gives L.A. an opening to make an 11th-hour run at Williams.

But sources said that the Lakers actually offered Gasol to the Nets in December for Williams and were rejected.

The Lakers will get the same answer if a Gasol-centric offer for D-Will comes in before the trade buzzer, according to the sources.

The Nets remain active leading up to the deadline, but their apparent plan is to continue to stockpile salary-cap space and draft picks to try to have as many trade assets as possible in June to make another trade run at Howard or another star in conjunction with the draft … before D-Will can opt out and become a free agent July 1.