Associated Press
Dwight Howard agreed to stay in Orlando on a day plenty of other big men were on the move.
Nene, JaVale McGee and Marcus Camby were among the centers who found new homes Thursday before the NBA’s trade deadline.
Denver dealt Nene to Washington, just three months after re-signing him to a five-year, $67 million contract. The Wizards sent JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver and Nick Young to the Los Angeles Clippers, trading away two of their talented young but sometimes immature players. Washington also picked up forward Brian Cook in the deal.
The Lakers got younger at point guard, acquiring Ramon Sessions from Cleveland and sending veteran Derek Fisher to Houston. Swingmen Stephen Jackson and Richard Jefferson were swapped in a Spurs-Warriors deal, and the New Jersey Nets picked up Gerald Wallace from Portland.
The Nets had bigger hopes, though, before Howard’s late change of mind.
“We were involved in a lot of things, some things didn’t work out, but the thing we did, did,” Nets general manager Billy King said. “I am always one who has the glass half full. We’re moving on. We have a starting small forward who is a great fit for us, and that’s all I can focus on.”
They had long been a favorite to land Howard, who had told the Magic before the season he wanted to be traded and listed the Nets as one of his choices. He was eligible for free agency this summer, and Orlando risked losing him for nothing.
Instead, he agreed to waive the early termination option in his contract, committing to stay with the Magic through the 2012-13 season.
“Now we can get back to playing basketball and having some peace and trying to win a championship,” Howard said. “I feel like we have a chance to win and I didn’t feel like either one of us should give that up.”
It was a relatively quiet trade deadline, with teams wary of taking on long-term contracts with the more punishing luxury tax rules in the new collective bargaining agreement. And with the lockout pushing the deadline back from its usual February spot to mid-March, teams had a little more time to decide whether they were really contenders and a move was worth it.
“You could look at everybody’s records, and you could pretty much know what their objectives are going to be,” Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said.
Big names such as the Lakers’ Pau Gasol and the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo — along with the rest of Boston’s top players — stayed put after all been linked to rumors. Gasol got a new teammate to feed him the ball.
The surging Lakers, up to third in the Western Conference, needed an upgrade at the point before potentially facing All-Stars Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker or Chris Paul in the postseason.
Sessions had been backing up No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, but the Lakers had their eye on him for months. They got him and forward Christian Eyenga for reserves Luke Walton and Jason Kapono.
Fisher, the Lakers’ starting point guard the last five years, was sent to Houston along with a first-round pick for Jordan Hill. The Rockets also landed Camby from the busy Trail Blazers for point guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a second-round pick.
Jackson was on the move again, just days after Milwaukee had shipped him to the Warriors along with Andrew Bogut for a package highlighted by Monta Ellis. Jackson was sent to the Spurs, yet another of his former homes.
San Antonio also sent a conditional first-round pick to the Warriors.
Also:
—The Indiana Pacers acquired guard Leandro Barbosa from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
—The Philadelphia 76ers got Sam Young from the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Ricky Sanchez.
The Blazers made a number of changes after falling out of the playoff race and hardly competing in their last two games. They fired coach Nate McMillan, dealt Camby to the Rockets, and sent Wallace to the Nets for center Mehmet Okur, forward Shawne Williams and a 2012 protected first-round pick.
Wizards drop Hornets
NEW ORLEANS — John Wall had 26 points and 12 assists, and the Washington Wizards won hours after making a multiplayer deal at the NBA trade deadline, 99-89 over the New Orleans Hornets on Thursday night.
Roger Mason scored 17 of his season-high 19 points in the second half to help the Wizards snap a three-game skid and win for only the 10th time this season.
Chris Kaman scored 20 points for the Hornets, who erased a 16-point deficit and took a brief lead in the fourth quarter, only to watch Mason hit three 3-pointers during a 13-0 Washington run that put the game away.
Earlier in the day, Washington traded guard Nick Young and centers JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver as part of a three team deal.
MAVERICKS 101, BOBCATS 96
DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points and Dallas rallied from 14 points down in the second quarter.
The Mavericks won their second straight — improving to 15-0 all-time against the Bobcats — although the victories have come against lottery-bound Washington and Charlotte.
Jason Terry added 18 points for the Mavs, who had lost eight of their previous 11.
Corey Maggette scored 21 points to lead the league-worst Bobcats (6-36).
After trailing most of the first half, Dallas took control with a third-quarter surge fueled by consecutive 3-pointers from Nowitzki.
Charlotte was behind by 17 in the final quarter before pulling to 99-96 on D.J. Augustin’s layup with 19 seconds left. But Nowitzki converted two free throws on his team’s next possession to clinch the victory.
THUNDER 103, NUGGETS 90
DENVER — Kevin Durant scored 24 points, Russell Westbrook had 23 and Oklahoma City beat short-handed Denver.
James Harden scored 18 off the bench for the Thunder, who bounced back from a loss to Houston at home Monday night.
Andre Miller had 17 to lead the Nuggets, who played the game while a trade sending Nene to Washington for JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf was finalized.
Denver signed Nene to a new five-year, $67 million contract in December. He was averaging 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in an injury-plagued season. But the recent play of rookie forward Kenneth Faried made Nene expendable.
JAZZ 111, TIMBERWOLVES 105, OT
SALT LAKE CITY — Gordon Hayward scored 18 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Paul Millsap made a flurry of key plays in the final minute to lead Utah past Minnesota.
Millsap stole the ball twice in the final minute of overtime, made a key jumper and fed Hayward for a dunk as Utah scored the final six points.
Millsap, who blew an open layup to win the game in regulation, finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight steals.
Devin Harris scored 18 points and Alec Burks had a career-best 15 as he replaced CJ Miles in the bench rotation and played the entire fourth quarter and overtime.
Kevin Love had 25 points and 16 rebounds, Nikola Pekovic scored 20 and Luke Ridnour had 18 points and 13 assists for Minnesota.
SUNS 91, CLIPPERS 87
LOS ANGELES — Shannon Brown scored a season-high 21 points, including four free throws in the final 1:33, to help short-handed Phoenix end a four-game road losing streak.
With the Suns playing the middle game in a stretch of three in three nights, coach Alvin Gentry had Steve Nash and Grant Hill both sit out in street clothes.
Channing Frye had 12 points for Phoenix and Jared Dudley added 11 points and six rebounds. Sebastian Telfair, filling in for Nash at point guard, had seven points, eight assists and a critical steal of Chris Paul in the final seconds in his first start since Nov. 22, 2010, with Minnesota.
Blake Griffin had 25 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers.