SH Blog: Popovich Explodes on Dwight; Mitch Kupchak on Lakers Future; Where Will Josh Smith Land?

February 20, 2013 by Ben Baroff

Whether Ainge decides to deal Rondo or not will largely depend on what happens with Garnett and Pierce, if anything at all. More from Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “Some rival front offices view the Clippers as a “house divided” when it comes to trading or not trading backup point guard Eric Bledsoe, one official said. But the Clippers are simply weighing whether a deal for Boston’s Kevin Garnett — assuming he’d agree to waive his no-trade clause — would be worth breaking up the best bench unit in the league.”
More from Berger: “For now, the talks are dormant with the Celtics, who also are weighing whether moving Garnett and Paul Pierce for youth would be worth the massive cultural shakeup that would come with dissolving what’s left of Boston’s Big Three era.”

Boston's balancing line of fortifying core for playoffs -- while still pursuing the major deals (Josh Smith) that would overhaul franchise.

Adrian Wojnarowski

Oklahoma City Thunder

While the boss, Chris Sheridan, believes that the Thunder will pursue Detroit guard Will Bynum before Thursday’s deadline, reports have surfaced this morning that there have been talks between the Suns and Thunder on a deal that would send Kendrick Perkins to Phoenix in exchange for Marcin Gortat. More from Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “ESPN.com reported New York’s interest in Jermaine O’Neal and Toronto’s interest in Sebastian Telfair while another source said there was All-Star break talk of Oklahoma City exploring Marcin Gortat and P.J. Tucker for Kendrick Perkins, Jeremy Lamb and a first-round pick. Perkins is the type of center to fit the new defensively geared culture, although he is limited offensively for a team wanting to post up its big men. Lamb probably would have been the Suns’ draft pick in June had Houston not made a trade to move up two spots and take him in front of Phoenix.”

Toronto Raptors:

Many thought that the Toronto Raptors would be done after their big haul of Rudy Gay a few weeks ago. Lang Greene of Hoopsworld.com begs the differ: “The Toronto Raptors are actively seeking to bolster their roster in an effort to make a playoff run this season. Sources close to Raptors forward Linas Kleiza have indicated they wouldn’t be surprised in the least if the veteran is dealt by the team before Thursday’s trade deadline and believe he is no longer part of the Raptors’ future plans. Raptors management has hinted they’re not done making deals as we approach the trade deadline. The common belief around the league is the team is actively shopping former No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani and Kleiza could be included as part of a larger package.”

Spurs/Cavs and DeJaun Blair:

The Spurs are looking to move DeJaun Blair and may have found a taker in the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have well-documented problems with backup forward Omri Casspi. From Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld.com: “Sources close to the process peg the San Antonio Spurs has a good fit and a team that has expressed some interest in Casspi, the problem is they won’t offer much for him. If the Cavs would do a DeJuan Blair based deal, the Cavs could find a taker on Casspi fairly quick.”