Source: Dwight Howard trade rumor "total BS" ... "fabricated"

A Nets insider, responding to the latest rumor of Nets interest in Dwight Howard, called the report "total BS."

In an email, received minutes after NetsDaily reported on the rumor, the source wrote, "Total BS, Jarrod What ever His Name Is just fabricated a story." The response was extraordinary and unprecedented in its speed and aggressiveness.

Later, a second Nets source said simply of the report, "Not true."

According to Jarrod Rudolph, of Real GM, the Nets, Timberwolves and Lakers were engaged in discussion on a three-team trade that would have sent Kevin Love to Los Angeles, Brook Lopez to Minnesota and Dwight Howard to Brooklyn.

The hold up was, Love broke his hand and will miss the next 8-10 weeks. Yes, that was the "hold up."

The report flies in the face of what Ian O'Connor reported only last week, when he noted that the Nets are happy with Lopez and unlikely to jump over hurdles to satisfy Howard or his agent.

O'Connor quoted "one NBA official familiar with the thinking of Nets management" as saying that even in the (unlikely) event that Mitch Kupchak calls, the conversation might not be a long as it would have been with Rob Hennigan back in July.

O'Connor was told, "It's not as cut and dried as it was last year, when the feeling was go ahead and pretty much gut the team for Dwight, give up a bunch of draft picks and players and take back bad contracts. That feeling isn't there anymore."

Rudolph has hit on a few of the Howard details in the past (before anyone else had them), including that Howard was staying in Orlando. However, Rudolph has also missed, in that he guaranteed that Howard would re-sign with the Lakers after the 2012-13 season. Now, that seems like it's far from a guarantee, as is evident from Rudolph's own reporting about the dissension in Los Angeles and the team's desire to move Howard.

Rudolph later tweeted, "Let’s be clear about something, I love being an NBA reporter, love it, but not enough to ever 'fabricate' anything. And it’s Jarrod Rudolph."

By midnight, New York reporters were roundly dismissing the Rudolph story. Peter Vecsey tweeted, "According to those w need 2 know such things, Nets & Wolves never discussed any such deal. Love going nowhere. BK lost interest in DH."

• Source Nets Preparing To Pursue Trade For Dwight - Jarrod Rudolph - RealGM
• Jarrod Rudolph Interview (Audio) - ESPN LA
• Source: Latest D12 report is untrue - Matt Ehalt - ESPN New York
• Choosing to back Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets not interested in Dwight Howard - Stefan Bondy - NY Daily News
• Nets won't be pursuing Dwight Howard: Sources - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Nets down on Dwight - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Sources: Lakers fret over Dwight - Ramona Shelburne & Marc Stein - ESPN