Bucher: Deal Is "Shaky," Third Team Won't Commit To Hump Contract

In an appearance on ESPN Radio Tuesday morning, Ric Bucher said that the status of the proposed four-team trade for Dwight Howard is "shaky."

"They're having a hard time getting that third team to commit," Bucher said, adding that Cleveland and Charlotte know "how badly Orlando and Brooklyn want to get this done" and are looking to get more out of the deal.

The basic problem remains that Kris Humphries wants a multi-year deal before he will agree to a sign-and-trade deal, crucial to the deal's mechanics. Because no one has yet agreed Bucher puts the likelihood of a deal at 60/40, down from 80/20 in the last couple of days. "We're going the wrong direction right now," he said.

In a later interview, Chris Mannix struck basically the same tone on the Dan Patrick Show, calling the proposal "still in developmental stage, regardless of what reports you hear." He added that both teams are moving in the "right direction" but still need agreements from players. In short, said Mannix, it’s far too soon to call this close to being done due to the moving parts. Problem is that there is a deadline (12:01 a.m. midnight) and it's approaching.