Checking in on Pitta and Ravens

Time will tell whether the Baltimore Ravens will keep free-agent TE Dennis Pitta with the team next season, but if he were to hit the open market, Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com suggests the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots as logical landing spots for him.

Those teams make sense, since the Falcons lost future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez to retirement, the Packers could lose Jermichael Finley to free agency, and the Pats still are looking for a replacement for Aaron Hernandez and are waiting to see if Rob Gronkowski will ever get healthy again.

However, talk about Pitta leaving the Ravens as a free agent likely is a moot point due to the franchise tag.

"I don't think there is any doubt that the Baltimore Ravens will use the franchise tag on Dennis Pitta if they can't reach a deal in six days. The only question is how much Pitta should get paid under the tag," wrote ESPN Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley.

Using the tag on Pitta could get complicated, because he lined up more often as a WR than a TE this past season, meaning he may want to get paid the higher price that comes via the WR tag ($11.6 million) rather than the TE tag ($6.8 million). However, Hensley suggests that a comprise could be in the offing:

Jimmer Fredette no longer a King

Many around the NBA were surprised that Jimmer Fredette remained with the Sacramento Kings last Thursday after the trade deadline as he has no future with the NBA team. Well, Fredette is about to join the free agent market, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

According to Wojnarowski, both sides are close to completing a buyout. It could be worth what he gets if signed by another team.

Fredette has his limitations, but can shoot from the outside. Fredette is making 49.3 percent of his shots this season from behind the three-point line.

Teams who should have interest in Fredette include Chicago, Oklahoma City, Memphis, New York, Cleveland and Miami.

Golden State looking to move Crawford?

Jordan Crawford has been a member of the Golden State Warriors for little more than a month, but the latest buzz on this busy Thursday has the Warriors shopping the backup guard in the hour leading up to 3 p.m. EST trade deadline.

A day after acquiring Steve Blake from the Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors are looking to see if there are any takers for Crawford, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

It may be too late in the game for the Warriors to work something out, but if they do manage to trade Crawford expect them to seek a frontcourt player or draft pick in return.

NBA Minnesota Turiaf To Miss few Games

Minnesota has been without Nikola Pekovic (bursitis in the ankle) since late January, and now it looks like the Timberwolves are going to have to make due without fill-in starter Ronny Turiaf for a while.

Turiaf was diagnosed with a bone bruise on his knee, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports today, and Wolves coach Rick Adelman indicated that the timetable for Turiaf's return is unknown.

The good news is that Pekovic is back practicing with the team and could return to game action shortly, but until that happens it'll likely be up to Dante Cunningham and little-used rookie Gorgui Dieng to carry the load.

We'll let you know when there's a more detailed update about when Turiaf might return.

LA Lakers Jordan Hill staying put?

Barring a late surprise, it appears that the Los Angeles Lakers won't be able to work out a deal to trade Jordan Hill.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweeted at 2:47 p.m. EST (13 minutes before the deadline): "Sounds like Jordan Hill discussions are dying or dead, per sources on both sides."

Brooklyn, Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix and Cleveland were all rumored to be interested in Hill at one time or another. But the Lakers' insistence on getting a draft pick in return reportedly ruined the negotiations with the Nets, and conversations with the other teams didn't escalate to the point where a deal could be reached.

76ers looking to make a trade what will they get for Turner

It's no secret that Evan Turner is one of the biggest names bouncing around the rumor mill these days, with less than three weeks remaining before the NBA's Feb. 20 trade deadline. So what's the latest out of Philadelphia, and what do the 76ers want in return? Have a look.

Sean Deveney of the Sporting News reports Monday that the 76ers are eager to net a draft pick for Turner.

Deveney writes that Oklahoma City and Phoenix are among the known teams to have shown interest in the former No. 2 overall pick, but nothing resulted from that, and perhaps that shouldn't be surprising when you consider Turner's contract situation.

"The problem, one league executive said, is that Turner can become a restricted free agent this summer—or unrestricted, if the Sixers decide not to extend the $8.7 million qualifying offer he is slated for this offseason," Deveney writes. "If Turner is to become an unrestricted free agent, trading for him now makes little sense."

Given the play of Gerald Green in Phoenix over the last month, the Suns interest in Turner could very well be less than what it was earlier in the season. And the same could be true in OKC, where Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb have both stepped up and played well in extended roles, with Perry Jones III also starting to emerge as a defensive-stopper with great length.

We'll continue to keep an eye on other potential suitors for Turner, and let you know when we see something.

More Problems for the Nets and Deron Williams

This time, it's not the ankle that is bothering Deron Williams. It's the side-effects of the ankle injury.

Williams, who is getting paid $18.46 million this season and is due at least $19.75 million for each of the following three seasons, returned to Brooklyn's starting lineup Saturday after six games in a bench role and talked about his struggles afterwards.

The 29-year-old point guard expressed his frustration with the ankle injuries, and his inability to stay healthy this season. And he also admitted to the New York Post that he's often too hard on himself. “That’s what I’ve got to stop doing,” he said. “I don’t know. That’s just me. That’s how I am. Somehow, I’ve got to do it.”

Even with the Nets (20-25) playing much better this month, one must believe that they're going to need much more out of their star point guard over the new few years to have any chance at getting past teams like Miami, Indiana and Chicago out East. That will require him to find a way to stay out on the floor, and regain the confidence he had in his Utah days when he's out there.