Frank Isola of New York Daily News reports the Houston Rockets declined an offer for Dwight Howard.
The offer is said to have included Charlotte Hornets big Al Jefferson and reserve big Spencer Hawes in exchange for Dwight Howard.
Part of the appeal of going to Charlotte stems from the relationship Hornets head coach Steve Clifford had with Howard when he served as an assistant under Stan Van Gundy in Orlando.
Howard averaged 14.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game this season. And while those numbers are healthy they are well below his prime seasons production. The one area he’s replicating his best season’s production is his effective field goal percentage of 61.2%.
Houston Rockets turned down Charlotte's offer of Al Jefferson & Spencer Hawes for Dwight Howard, according to league sources.
— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) February 18, 2016
Isola is reporting that Howard is still expected to be the biggest name on the trade block today and further reports Howard’s agent (Dan Fegan) is working hard to ensure a trade occurs.
Dwight Howard still the most likely big name on the move today. The Rockets and Howard's agent, Dan Fegan, working hard to make a trade.
— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) February 18, 2016
In other news, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Woj) reports that so far Boston has been unwilling to pay for a summer rental of either Howard or Al Horford:
Sources: So far, Boston's showing unwillingness to pay premium prices on rentals for Al Horford and Dwight Howard.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 18, 2016
And on the Ty Lawson front the trade talk has apparently died down between Houston and Utah. Earlier the news was not only were the Rockets committed to trading Lawson, but there was indications Houston would release him if unsuccessful in their trade negotiations. That’s not to say that still won’t happen, but why put that out into the universe so a potential trade partner stops pursuing the goal of trading to acquire that asset.
Sources: Rockets, Jazz had casual talks on Ty Lawson, but those ended. Both teams moved on. Another thing: Rockets won't buy out Lawson.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 18, 2016
Space City Scoop is always looking to add new talent to our writing team. Currently we’re looking for individuals with a specialized focus. The first area of focus is perfect for someone who is constantly surfing the web for breaking news on injuries, trades, insider info etc. This individual would select the top news items and provide timely quick hits to keep SCS readers in the loop.
The other area of focus is someone who possesses a strong social media background who likes to interact with Clutch City Fans. You’ll promote SCS team content on facebook and twitter while also making sure to promote the best content coming from H-Town fans. If you have this capability and are interested check out this link and fill out an application.