Point Guards Dominate Deals on Days 4-5 of Free Agency – UPDATED

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Kobe Bryant hasn’t played with a Hall of Fame point guard since, since …

C’mon folks …

You remember …

Crunch that cranium …

It was since 2004, when Gary Payton was at the end of his illustrious career and teamed with Karl Malone to join the Los Angeles Lakers for a one-year run that lasted all the way to the NBA Finals, where they were bounced in five games by the Detroit Pistons. I can still remember seeing Jerry Buss and his posse of  post-pubescent pretties walking out of the Palace of Auburn Hills midway through the third quarter when it was clear the game was out of hand and the Pistons were going to win the title.

Bryant is a tricky guy for a point guard to play alongside, given Bryant’s propensity for dominating the ball and trying to beat his man one-on-one. Rarely is he on the receiving end of a pick-and-roll play, usually being the initiator instead.

Can he adjust his game to play alongside one of the greatest passers in the history of the game?

We shall find out after the Lakers agreed to terms with Steve Nash on a Fourth of July on which point guards dominated the NBA free agency landscape. In addition to the sign-and-trade deal in which the Lakers will send two No. 1 picks and to No. 2 picks to their longtime division rivals in Phoenix, the biggest names making news were a pair of other playmakers — Goran Dragic and Jeremy Lin.

Dragic will return to his original NBA team, getting a four-year, $30 million deal from the Suns that could rise with incentives, and Lin met with the Houston Rockets, Dragic’s old team, which is prepared to offer him a back-loaded four-year offer sheet worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $31 million. The New York Knicks, who lost out in the bidding on Nash, will have an opportunity to match if Lin actually signs the offer sheet.

Houston could end up with no point guards other than Scott Machado after trading Kyle Lowry to the Raptors for Gary Forbes and a future first-round draft pick.

Another point guard, Jason Kidd, was nearing agreement with the Dallas Mavericks to return for two years until he changed his mind today and decided to play for the Knicks.

With Deron Williams having come off the market a day earlier, and with Jameer Nelson coming to terms today on a three-year deal with the Magic, the field of available free agent point guards is down to Raymond Felton, Ramon Sessions, Delonte West and Lou Williams.

And of our top 25 unrestricted free agents, the only guys in the Top 10 still without deals are Ersan Ilyasova, Kris Humphries, Ray Allen and Chris Kaman.

Hasheem Thabeet did not make our Top 25 list, and he would not have made our Top 50 list is we had done one. But the Oklahoma City Thunder appear to believe that the former No. 2 pick of the 2009 draft still has the potential to be a contributor. They gave him a two-year deal at an affordable price $800,000 — or about one-tenth of what the Golden State Warriors bestowed on uberbust Kwame Brown during last year’s offseason signing frenzy following the conclusion of the lockout.

Of course, the player whose future remains the most up in the air is Dwight Howard, who was one of the primary subjects of yesterday’s free agency wrapup because of the uncertainty surrounding the Brooklyn Nets’ ability to trade for him and form a Big Three with Williams and Joe Johnson.

With Nash now heading to the Lakers, it raises the question: Would L.A. consider a swap of Andrew Bynum for Howard?

Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles says no, reporting that the Lakers want to move forward with a core of Nash, Bryant, Bynum and Pau Gasol.

If true, that erases one possible B-list destination from Howard’s wish list. But as I tweeted last night, I have reason to believe that the Chicago Bulls would be right in the mix if they had assurances that Howard would remain with them long-term.

New Magic general manager Rob Hennigan is trying to acquire multiple draft picks in any deal for Howard, and the Bulls are sitting on a nice one — a Charlotte No. 1 pick that is unprotected in 2016 and top-8 protected in 2015.

Now, let’s have a closer look at the deals that got done.

1. Nash. Just when it appeared the Knicks were in the driver’s seat, willing to give up a package of players including Iman Shumpert to facilitate a sign-and-trade that would get Nash his $25 million for three years, the rug got pulled out from under them. Unbeknownst to the Knicks, Nash had been speaking recently with Bryant about whether the two of them could co-exist successfully. And when the Suns decided to go ahead and make a deal with their long-time divisional rivals, the Knicks’ chances were dead. “I approached them and asked if they would be willing to do a sign and trade deal with L.A. because it is very important to me to stay near my children and family,” Nash said. “They were very apprehensive and didn’t want to do it. Fortunately for me, they reconsidered.” In return, the Suns get four draft picks — first-rounders in 2013 and 2015 and second-rounders in 2013 and 2014, along with an $8 million trade exception.

2. Dragic. Replacing Nash at the point in Phoenix will be Dragic, who began his NBA career in Phoenix, then was shipped to Houston along with a first-round draft pick for Aaron Brooks in February of 2011. The Suns have already reached agreement on a max offer sheet for Eric Gordon, and they did another deal Wednesday to lock up Michael Beasley for three years. Dragic had a breakout second half of the season when he replaced Kyle Lowry as the Rockets’ starting point guard, and the Suns were willing to outbid Houston, Charlotte, Dallas to get him back.

Best of luck to @ -- great player & great person. He will be missed.
July 5, 2012 1:38 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@dmorey
Daryl Morey

3. Lin. The Knicks have been insistent that they will match any offer that Lin receives, and now we shall see if they have the stomach for it. Much like the offer sheet Omer Asik received from the Rockets, Houston backloaded its deal with Lin in order to create luxury tax ramifications for the Knicks should they choose to match. But when you consider that Jim Dolan has never shied away from paying luxury tax before, and helps run a company, Cablevision, that mints money, it’s a good bet that New York will match. (I also believe the Bulls will match the offer sheet to Asik, leaving the Rockets will a big pile of unspent cash on July 14 — the end of the three-day period for teams to match offers to restricted free agents.)

4. Kidd. This is a guy who said he wanted to play in the Association for 20 years. Right now, he is at 18 and counting. And though it looked like he had his heart set on finishing his career with the Mavericks playing alongside Dirk Nowitzki, he opted instead for the brighter lights of a bigger city where he will play alongside Lin if the Knicks (as expected) match the Rockets offer sheet.

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Tweet of the Night: Ed Davis

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Tweet of the Night goes to Ed Davis, who wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of Steve Nash going to the Los Angeles Lakers, given the belief that Nash could have ended up with the Toronto Raptors. It had been widely assumed that Nash’s choices had narrowed down to the New York Knicks and the Raptors, before the Lakers shockingly swooped in and grabbed the coveted point guard by a sign-and-trade deal on Wednesday. Frankly, it is heartbreaking news if you are invested in the Raptors.

Toronto had the chance to acquire Kyle Lowry for its draft pick, but took the gamble to sign Nash. Now, it will have to aggressively go after Lowry and Goran Dragic, something the team appears to be doing at this point.

Al Horford’s Tweet of the Day

Chris Paul’s Tweet of the Night


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Day 3 of Free Agency; Complications in Nets’ pursuit of Howard

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The Orlando Magic are looking for a bundle of first-round draft picks in any package they receive exchange for Dwight Howard, and the Brooklyn Nets are willing to surrender three.

They also want a couple good young players, and the Nets are willing to give them three — Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks and Kris Humphries. Problem is, the Magic already have Glen Davis and Ryan Anderson at the power forward position, which makes Humphries a bad fit.

And therein lies one of the holdups to the Nets completing the transformation from swamp dwellers to urban superteam, a league source told SheridanHoops.com.

If Brooklyn cannot find a third team to take Humphries — and that team will likely have to come from the Western Conference, because nobody in the East wants to provide the Nets with an assist — their pursuit of Dwight Howard could be in vain.

Day 3 of free agency brought a decision from Deron Williams, who announced via his Twitter feed that he would stay with the Nets. He gets a five-year contract worth nearly $100 million, and he’ll be playing alongside guard Joe Johnson.

The Nets and Magic have discussed several variations of a trade that would bring Howard to Brooklyn — the only place he wants to be dealt, and now all eyes are on the Magic to see what their timetable and their options for proceeding forward might be.

One part of the equation that is making things tricky is the amount of dollars that are being earmarked for restricted free agents, whose original teams can match.

Which is where we shall begin in wrapping up a wild Tuesday on the eve of the Fourth of July holiday.

1. Eric Gordon agrees to four-year, $58 max offer sheet from the Phoenix Suns.

You knew this much money was going to be thrown at the New Orleans’ Hornets shooting guard, given the list of suitors that were lining up to talk to him.

The Suns struck first with max money — just as the Portland Trail Blazers had done a couple days earlier in agreeing to a max offer sheet with Roy Hibbert.

Problem is, there is little reason to believe Hibbert will ever wear the Blazers’ red and black or Gordon will don a Suns home uniform out in the desert. Both guys are max players given their resumes, and Indiana and New Orleans will be able to keep both players at a discount — instead of giving them five-year deals with 7.5 percent raises, they both can be kept at a reduced rate, one fewer year in a contract with 4 percent raises.

Which means there will be a lot of Portland money and a lot of Phoenix money still to be spent sometime after the NBA’s signing moratorium ends on July 11. And the Trail Blazers will likely have a matching decision of their own after Nicolas Batum, one of the most sought-after free agents still on the markets, inevitably finds a team willing to give him a max deal.

2. Landry Fields gets offer sheet from Raptors, Jeremy Lin to visit Rockets

These two New York Knicks restricted free agents were key starters last season, and both could end up impacting the Knicks pursuit of Steve Nash. With Toronto already having offered Nash a three-year deal worth in excess of $30 million, and with the Mavericks sitting on a pile of cash with Williams having re-upped with the Nets, there is little the Knicks can do outside of a sign-and-trade to make Nash a financial offer in the ballpark of what he is being offered elsewhere.

Fields and Iman Shumpert (and perhaps Lin) would likely be a part of that sign-and-trade, but if Fields and/or Lin sign offer sheets they will effectively come off the market. Fields has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Toronto on a three-year, $20 million deal. New York could choose to match, but in doing to they would create trade vetoes for both players that would last for a full year. Also, neither player could be traded to the team that signed them to the offer sheet.

Also, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports the Lakers are trying to get in the mix for Nash, who would have to be acquired in a sign-and-trade likely involving Ramon Sessions, Jordan Hill, Matt Barnes and/or Metta World Peace. The Knicks’ best offer would include Shumpert, Jerome Jordan, Dan Gadzuric and Josh Harrellson.

3. Which means July 14, not July 11, may be the key day in free agency

With so much money being extended in offers to restricted free agents (let us not forget the backloaded $25 , three-year deal Omer Asik of Chicago has agreed to with the Houston Rockets), the two-day matching window for those players’ original teams could lead to a serious reshuffling of the deck just 72 hours after the moratorium ends.

That’s where things could get interesting for the Nets in their pursuit of Howard, because money from Western Conference teams needing a power forward could become available. That, in theory, could facilitate a three-team trade in which Humphries would find a home where he is wanted, and the Nets could end up with Howard.

But that scenario, it must be stated, assumes that the Magic are willing to accommodate Howard’s request to be dealt to the only team he insists he will sign an extension with — Brooklyn.

And there is no rule that says Orlando has to make Howard happy.

“They could go to Dwight and say ‘Here are the three teams we can make deals with: And Brooklyn is not one of them. What do you want to do’?” a source briefed on the Howard discussions told SheridanHoops.com.

There were various reports out there Tuesday saying the Lakers (Andrew Bynum and Metta World Peace) and the Hawks (Al Horford and Jeff Teague) were among the teams getting into the mix for Howard. Los Angeles has long been a distant second on Howard’s wish list, and Atlanta is his hometown. And if the Magic refuse to play ball with Brooklyn, Howard could be forced to choose between the two.

One player often mentioned as a fallback option for the Nets is Turkish forward Ersan Ilyasova, but he has received a four-year offer from a European team in addition to offers from the Nets, Bucks and Raptors, according to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype, who quoted agent Tolga Tugsavul. Ilyasova played in Turkey for Anadolu Efes during last year’s NBA lockout.

Also, Brooklyn has reached agreements in principle with free agents Reggie Evans and Mirza Teletovic, impeding their ability to take on one of the Magic’s big contracts in any potential deal with Orlando. A new collective bargaining rule effectively imposes a hard cap of $74 million on Brooklyn for next season.

4. Meanwhile, the unrestricted guys are being pursued, too

The rockets withdrew their qualifying offer to Courtney Lee, making him a free agent, and the Mavericks kissed Jason Terry goodbye after learning they had lost out on Williams. ”What Jet did for this city and franchise will never be forgotten,” Nelson said. “He’s one of the greatest clutch performers in the history of our game and even a better person. We wish him nothing but the very best.”

Terry is headed to Boston for a three-year deal worth almost $16 million, which likely takes Ray Allen out of the mix for the Celtics.

If Allen is interested in signing at a discount, the Miami Heat would love to have him — which LeBron James made clear in this tweet:

 

Dallas, meanwhile, could make a big-money offer to unrestricted free agent point guard Goran Dragic. But in doing so, they would be taking themselves out of the mix for going after Chris Paul and Dwight Howard a year from now when both could become unrestricted free agents.

Dragic reportedly has a five-year, $40 million offer from the Rockets to remain in Houston, but that offer could disappear if the Rockets make a backloaded offer to Lin to steal him away from the Knicks. But the Slovenian point guard also has drawn interest from his original team, the Phoenix Suns.

5. All of which means … 

There are a lot of moving pieces and interchangeable parts, and with 170 free agents on the market and still a week left before anyone can put pen to paper, there are a lot more developments set to unfold before we see exactly how everything shakes out.

 

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SH Blog: Deron Williams will stay with the Brooklyn Nets, Dwight Howard saga continues

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We always get breaking news of players’ decisions from reliable and reputable reporters. Today, someone broke huge news to the basketball world, but it wasn’t a reporter. Find out who it was, and what happened with the Dwight Howard saga in today’s news:

Made a very tough decision today.... http://t.co/gkFBBzWn
July 3, 2012 7:03 pm via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite
@DeronWilliams
Deron Williams
Deron Williams has reached agreement on a 5 year, $100 million extension with Brooklyn, a league source tells Y! Sports.
July 3, 2012 7:07 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@WojYahooNBA
Adrian Wojnarowski
  • UPDATE: Paul Coro has the story on Eric Gordon’s new max deal with the Suns: “Restricted free agent Eric Gordon, a stellar shooting guard, committed to signing a maximum-level offer sheet with the Suns Tuesday night. The Suns can sign Gordon to the offer sheet on July 11. New Orleans would then have three days to match the offer and retain him and are expected to do so. ”After visiting the Suns, the impression the organization made on me was incredible,” Gordon said in a prepared statement. “Mr. Sarver, Lon Babby, Lance Blanks, the front office staff and Coach Gentry run a first-class organization, and I strongly feel they are the right franchise for me. Phoenix is just where my heart is now.” A maximum contract was expected to be worth $58 million over four years for Gordon, who is 23.”
The New Orleans Hornets will match the 4-year, $58 million offer sheet Eric Gordon agreed to sign with Phoenix, league source tells Y!
July 3, 2012 10:41 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@WojYahooNBA
Adrian Wojnarowski
  • Chris Broussard reported early in the morning through twitter about a trade discussion between the Nets and Magic: “Sources: The Nets & Magic are discussing a trade that would send Dwight Howard to Brooklyn for Briik Lopez, Kris Humphies, Marshon Brooks… (con’t) and the Nets’ first-round picks in 2012, 2014, 2016 & 2018….move would give Nets Big 3 of D-Will, Dwight & Joe Johnson… Scratch Nets 2012 pick from potential trade… Correction: Nets’ picks that would be traded to Orlando would be 2013, 2015 and 2017, source says….”
  • The fact that the Nets were still in the running for Dwight Howard, of course, was reported much earlier last night, from Chris Sheridan: “The Nets remain very much in the hunt for Dwight Howard — even after agreeing to the outline of a trade that will bring Joe Johnson to Brooklyn. The goal is to have a Big Three of Deron Williams, Dwight Howard and Johnson, and it remains doable if the Magic are willing to play ball, a league source tells SheridanHoops.com. Orlando would have to accept a package of Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks and multiple future first-round draft picks, and the Howard deal would take the form of a massive sign-and-trade.”
  • However, Adrian Wojnarowski reported the following about the Magic’s state of mind: “So far, this is true: Orlando hasn’t seen an offer from any team that it believes is enough to seriously consider trading Howard now. There isn’t great enthusiasm within Magic that the Nets have the ability to make the most appealing offer for Dwight Howard, sources tell Y!”
  • Here is more about the complication of a trade between Nets and Magic, from Joel Brigham: “The big question is what the Joe Johnson trade does in terms of Brooklyn acquiring Dwight Howard, who has said in pretty certain terms that the Nets are the only team he really wants to play for. The short answer is that trading for Howard is still technically possible, but it’s not going to be easy. The long answer is significantly more complicated, and it starts with the fact that sources say Brooklyn threw out the idea of trading Lopez, Brooks, and picks for Howard, just like they did at the trade deadline last spring, but Orlando declined. So far starters, the assets Brooklyn has to offer, Orlando doesn’t particularly want right now.”
  • Meanwhile, the Nets made a move to acquire a Bosnian player, from Chad Ford: “The Brooklyn Nets reached a verbal commitment with Bosnian forward Mirza Teletovic, 26, on a three-year deal worth $15.675 million, according to sources close to the process. The Nets will use their full mid-level exception to sign Teletovic. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Teletovic averaged 22 points and six rebounds per game for Caja Laboral in the Euroleague this season. He reached a 2 million euro buyout with his club in June so that he could play in the NBA this upcoming season.”
  • Zach Lowe explains why the Nets made it much harder to acquire Howard through a trade after acquiring Mirza Teletovic: “The Nets’ agreement today to sign Bosnian power forward Mirza Teletovic with the full mid-level exception makes the task of acquiring Howard exponentially more difficult. The new collective bargaining agreement includes an effective hard cap, set $4 million above the tax line, for any team that uses the full mid-level exception, which is worth about $5 million per season. The Nets have now reportedly put that cap in play with the Teletovic agreement. Even assuming Wallace accepted a back-loaded deal that will pay him only $9 million next season, the sum of 2012-13 deals for Wallace, Teletovic, Howard, Johnson and a max-level $17.2 million deal for Williams would give the Nets about $70.5 million in payroll with only five roster spots filled. The Nets, in other words, would have only $3.5 million left to fill up to seven roster spots, for a per-spot price of just over the $473,000 rookie minimum salary.”

  • NBA Photos; Retouch by @stevesolis

    Orlando’s attention now belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Woj: “As the Orlando Magic work to unload superstar Dwight Howard, management is becoming increasingly focused on a potential trade package centered on Los Angeles Lakers All-Star center Andrew Bynum, league sources told Yahoo! Sports… Before the Magic would agree to consummate a trade for Bynum, they would need to know they could sign him to a contract extension, sources said. Bynum is entering the final year of his contract in the 2012-13 season. What’s more, Bynum wouldn’t nearly be enough to satisfy Hennigan’s desires for a return on Howard. The Lakers would need to send draft picks and absorb long-term money off the Magic’s payroll, sources said.”

  • Lakers have an offer ready, from Jarrod N. Rudolph: Source: “Lakers are prepared to offer the Andrew Bynum and Metta World Peace to the Magic for Dwight Howard provided Howard signs extension.”
  • Anthony Davis’ sprained ankle isn’t nearly as bad as previously thought, and he will report to USA training camp, from Woj: “Despite ankle injury, No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis will report to Team USA training camp in Vegas this week, source tells Y! Sports. Said a source: “The injury isn’t as bad as originally thought. (Davis) really wants to play.” Davis will report to Team USA on Wednesday.”
  • Reggie Evans has agreed to terms with the Nets, from Woj: “The Brooklyn Nets have reached agreement on a three-year, $5 million contract with free-agent forward Reggie Evans, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Evans will join the Nets in a sign-and-trade deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers will receive a future second-round draft pick while the Nets use a $3 million trade exception to acquire Evans.”
  • The Raptors have reached an agreement with Landry Fields, reports Marc Stein: “The Toronto Raptors have reached a verbal agreement with New York Knicks restricted free agent Landry Fields on an offer sheet, according to sources with knowledge of the deal. Sources say that Fields will sign a three-year offer approaching $20 million. He cannot sign until July 11, the first day NBA players can sign new contracts. The deal is expected to include a spike in Year 3 similar to the deal the Houston Rocketsverbally agreed to this week with Chicago Bulls restricted free agent Omer Asik. The Knicks would have three days to decide whether to match the offer once Fields signed.”
  • Jason Terry has agreed to terms with the Boston Celtics, according to Gary Washburn: “The Celtics continue to shore up their roster for another title run in 2012-13 by agreeing to a three-year contract with former Dallas sharpshooter and Sixth Man of the Year Jason Terry for the full mid-level exception of $5 million. Terry, 34, was offered a two-year deal for more money to return to the Mavericks but decided on the extra year. Terry is the off-the-bench scorer the Celtics have been seeking, averaging 15.1 points in just 31.7 minutes per game as a reserve last season. After starting most of his first eight seasons, Terry became one of the league’s top bench players, burning teams with his long-range shooting.”
  • Terry will, however, allow the Mavericks to counter, from Marc Stein: “But source stresses that Terry will go back to Mavs to give them chance to counter before finalizing three-year deal, believed to be at MLE”
  • Neil Olshey brought Chauncey Billups to Los Angeles, and now wants him with the Blazers, from Chris Haynes: CSNNW.com has learned from a source close to the situation that the Trail Blazers are one of several teams who have reached out to the representatives of unrestricted free agent point guard Chauncey Billups. The Trail Blazers need a veteran point guard to help mentor their new franchise point guard in Damian Lillard, and Billups would be an ideal candidate. I’m told that, “Billups is exploring all of his options.”
  • The Clippers are actively looking for a shooting guard from Ray Allen, Jason Terry, J.R. Smith and Jamal Crawford, from Broderick Turner: “Free-agent shooting guard Ray Allen will visit the Clippers on Friday, The Times has confirmed after speaking with twoNBA executives who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The Clippers also continue to have interest in shooting guards Jason Terry and J.R. Smith, the executives said, but no visit have been planned as of yet. The Clippers continue to talk with both players’ representatives. The Clippers will have free-agent guard Jamal Crawford in Tuesday for a sit down at the team’s facility to gauge his interesting in joining the team.”
  • On Tuesday, two players withdrew from the USA Select Team: “New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin and Boston Celtics center Greg Stiemsma have withdrawn from the 2012 USA Men’s Select Team that will train July 6-11 against the 2012 USA Basketball Men’s National Team during training camp in Las Vegas, Nev. Lin informed USA Basketball this afternoon that because of his current contract status (a restricted free agent) he was withdrawing. Stiemsma was forced to withdraw after undergoing a non-surgical process for Plantar Fasciitis.”
  • Rudy Fernandez has signed a deal with Real Madrid. Details in our Tweet of the Day.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on OWN

Joe Johnson traded to Nets, Marvin Williams traded for Devin Harris


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SH Blog: Joe Johnson to Nets, Marvin Williams traded for Devin Harris (in principle)

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The time is near for a decision to come out of the biggest free agent prize this off-season in Deron Williams. The Brooklyn Nets have done all they can to keep the gifted point guard, and there have been reports that Williams and his family have truly enjoyed their stay in New York. Find out what big trade the team has all but secured today – with or without Williams – along with plenty of other free agency news.

With so much news coming from twitter, we’ll try a different format today. Feel free to chime in on your thoughts:

  • The Nets are on the verge of completing a deal with the Hawks. Adrian Wojnarowski (who else?) has the details: “The Brooklyn Nets are finalizing a trade to acquire Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The trade will send guards Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar and DeShawn Stevenson and forwards Jordan Williams and Johan Petro to the Hawks, along with a 2013 first-round pick the Nets acquired from the Houston Rockets. Stevenson is a free agent, so he will go to the Hawks in a sign-and-trade deal.”
  • The deal was first reported to be contingent on the decision of Deron Williams, but that notion has changed:
League source tells Y! that Joe Johnson deal now likely "happens with or without Deron." Nets officials are meeting with Williams right now.
July 2, 2012 5:28 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@WojYahooNBA
Adrian Wojnarowski
If Hawks-Nets deal goes through, Nets are no longer in race for Dwight Howard. Cap room for D12 will be gone.
July 2, 2012 5:13 pm via Twitter for iPadReplyRetweetFavorite
@Chris_Broussard
Chris Broussard
  • Some may wonder why the Nets gave up on Howard. Here is why:
Nets, of course, would've preferred to get Dwight, but Magic refused to engage in trade talks. Source: 'They didn't want to dance with us.'
July 2, 2012 5:30 pm via Twitter for iPadReplyRetweetFavorite
@Chris_Broussard
Chris Broussard
Source on ORL's thoughts on a DH12 trade: "If something makes sense Magic will do it sooner or later. Right now, it's not close to sooner."
July 2, 2012 6:10 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@SpearsNBAYahoo
Marc J. Spears
Oh, forgot to tweet this earlier. I'm told the Warriors are NOT interested in trading for Dwight Howard unless he signs extension
July 2, 2012 5:18 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@gswscribe
Marcus Thompson
  • Check out why Chris Sheridan believes a trio of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Dwight Howard is not out of the question: “The goal is to have a Big Three of Deron Williams, Dwight Howard and Johnson, and it remains doable if the Magic are willing to play ball. Orlando would have to accept a package of Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks and multiple future first-round draft picks, and the Howard deal would take the form of a massive sign-and-trade.”
Lacob says GSWs probably won't jump back into Dwight derby. "I doubt it.... I never say never. But we have somebody called Andrew Bogut."
July 2, 2012 2:46 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@SHowardCooper
Scott Howard-Cooper
If deal completed, #Hawks in position to clear roughly $20M in cap space summer 2013. D. Howard and C. Paul could be FAs then.
July 2, 2012 6:34 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@ajchawks
Michael Cunningham
  • Howard vehemently denied reports that he used the word “blackmail” to describe the Magic, from Woj: “Howard also denied an ESPN report that he had told people Orlando Magic officials had “blackmailed” him into forgoing the early termination option on his contract that ultimately cost him his free agency this summer. ”I never used the word blackmail in reference to any of my dealings with the Magic,” Howard said. “I never said that. It’s defamatory and it’s inaccurate. I know what blackmail means and any report that I used the term incorrectly is inaccurate.”
Just going online and on SportsCenter: Hawks have agreed in principle to deal Marvin Williams to Utah for Devin Harris to shed even more $
July 2, 2012 6:57 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@ESPNSteinLine
Marc Stein
  • Jeremy Lin is no longer a lock to stay a Knick, according to Chris Broussard: “It has been a foregone conclusion for months that Jeremy Lin will re-sign with the New York Knicks, but sources close to the situation say the return of the free agent point guard is not as certain as it once seemed. While both Lin and the Knicks are hoping for a reunion, sources say that if any clubs offer Lin, a restricted free agent, a backloaded contract that pays him an eight-figure salary in the third and fourth years, the Knicks could be given pause about matching the offer.” With the new collective bargaining agreement employing a more punitive luxury tax, beginning in the 2013-14 season, the Knicks are extremely concerned about the financial ramifications of such a deal.
  • Goran Dragic has garnered strong interest from a multiple number of teams, from Sam Amick: “A source close to free-agent point guard Goran Dragic said the Raptors, Suns, Nets, Hornets, Lakers and Rockets have all expressed interest. The Rockets, for whom Dragic shined in the second half of last season, are said to be coming on the strongest. But Dragic, according to the source, has a serious interest in being part of a winning team and will consider that factor as much as the money. The source made it clear, however, that Dragic expects to be a starter for whichever team he joins.”
  • The Celtics are considering Ray Allen as a number one priorityat this point, from Mark Murphy: “Danny Ainge says he’s serious about bringing Ray Allen back for a sixth season with the Celtics, and put his cell phone where his heart was at midnight yesterday, at the moment the guard’s contract expired. “We want Ray back, and we’re approaching this as the first thing we have to get done,” Ainge said yesterday morning. “It’s our No. 1 priority.”
  • Jeff Green will look to get paid by plenty, despite missing all of last season due to a heart condition. More from Murphy: “One league source said agent David Falk’s starting point for next season is $9 million — the figure Green agreed to for the first year of a four-year deal with the Celtics last December, before the contract was voided by his physical. But Falk has been getting a lot of face time with Celtics management. He represents Jared Sullinger, and will be on hand for the rookie’s press conference today. He also represents Austin Rivers, and was at the family table Thursday night at draft headquarters.
  • With the possibility of losing Roy Hibbert to free agency, the Pacers have started to search for alternatives at center. Here is one:
Sources: Chris Kaman visits with Pacers tomorrow. Solid, affordable alternative to suddenly über-pricy Roy Hibbert.
July 2, 2012 12:16 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@RicBucher
Ric Bucher
The Pacers have agreed to a 5 year deal with George HIll, according to a source.
July 2, 2012 12:34 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@MikeWellsNBA
Mike Wells
  • The 38-year-old Marcus Camby has garnered plenty of attention, and has narrowed down his choices, from Chris Haynes: “The unrestricted free-agent center, Marcus Camby, has narrowed his choices to the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets, a league source told CSNNW.com.”
  • Though we have yet to fully understand the Rockets end game, we know they like Omer Asik. A lot: “The Houston Rockets have reached agreement on a three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet with Chicago Bulls free-agent center Omer Asik, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Asik will sign the offer sheet on July 11 and the Bulls will have three days to match or lose him to the Rockets. This is a steep price for Chicago to pay for its backup center, and the Rockets knew it. All three years on the contract are fully guaranteed, a source said.”
Sixers guard Jrue Holiday added to USA select team roster. Holiday also is seeking a max contract extension from Sixers, source tells Yahoo!
July 2, 2012 12:12 pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite
@SpearsNBAYahoo
Marc J. Spears
  • Lavoy Allen will get a two-year contract from the Sixers, from Woj: “The Philadelphia 76ers have reached an agreement in principle with center Lavoy Allen on a two-year, $6 million contract, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Allen, the 50th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, was one of the surprise performers in the rookie class, contributing toughness and defense to the Sixers’ impressive postseason run. Allen started 15 games and played solidly at times in the absence of starter Spencer Hawes.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has talked to free agent guard Brandon Roy on phone about joining team.
July 2, 2012 1:33 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
@KCJHoop
K.C Johnson
  • Widely thought to dislike coming off the bench, Andre Miller surprisingly decided to stay with the Denver, from Benjamin Hochman: “Nuggets sharpshooters (and fans) can rejoice. Assist machine Andre Miller has agreed to re-sign with the Nuggets, two sources said Sunday night. The 36-year-old point guard is arguably coach George Karl’s favorite player because of Miller’s ability to make the proper pass and fuel the offense. The sources confirmed that Miller will sign for three years. Financial terms were undisclosed.”
  • Jason Terry is generating plenty of interest:
Mavs free agent guard Jason Terry getting interest from Boston, Grizzlies, Clippers, Suns and Mavs, source tells Yahoo!
July 1, 2012 2:28 pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite
@SpearsNBAYahoo
Marc J. Spears
  • Anthony Davis suffered a severe ankle sprain and will likely miss the Olympics, according to Woj: “Davis, 19, had been invited with several players to work out for Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski prior to a July training camp in Las Vegas, but the injury has likely left the Hornets – and Davis – not wanting to risk the young star’s participation, sources said.”
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