The Rockets’ Offer For Dwight Howard
When the Magic and three other teams finalized the deal that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, many writers and fans questioned Orlando's haul, wondering aloud if the Magic couldn't have landed more from another club. In his latest piece for SI.com Sam Amick takes an in-depth look at Rob Hennigan and his first big move as Orlando's general manager, exploring offers for Howard from the Nets and Rockets.
While the Nets' proposal has previously surfaced (Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and either three or four first-round picks), there have been conflicting reports on what Houston offered for the star center. Amick's piece doesn't entirely clear up the confusion, but it does provide some clarity. Here are the details of the Rockets' offer as reported to the SI.com scribe:
- The Rockets were only offering two first-round picks. However, from Houston's perspective, those selections were more valuable than any that other Howard suitors were offering the Magic. One of the picks was from Toronto, with protection that all but guarantees it will be a lottery pick, while another was from Dallas, and has a chance to be entirely unprotected by 2018.
- Houston was also open to adding a third pick "if it got the deal done," Amick hears.
- According to Magic sources, Jeremy Lamb was the only one of the Rockets' three 2012 first-rounders available, and even he was taken off the table after a strong Summer League showing. However, Rockets sources tell Amick that the Magic were told they could have one, or possibly two, prospects from a group that included Lamb, Terrence Jones, Royce White, Patrick Patterson, Marcus Morris, and Donatas Motiejunas.
- Kevin Martin and his $12MM+ expiring contract were necessary in the deal for salary-matching purposes. The Rockets also offered players that the Magic had little interest in, such as Gary Forbes and Jon Brockman.
- Houston offered "significant cap relief… but never in the form that the Magic wanted," says Amick. I won't try to guess exactly what that means, but given their cap situation, the Rockets would only have been able to take on some of Orlando's undesirable contracts, rather than all of them.
Magic Re-Sign Ish Smith
3:38pm: Smith's deal is for three years, but only the first year is guaranteed, tweets Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
12:07pm: The Magic have re-signed point guard Ish Smith, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the deal aren't known, so it's not clear whether Smith received a full guarantee, or whether he'll just be invited to training camp with a chance to earn a roster spot.
Earlier this month, the Magic were reportedly seeking a third point guard to provide depth behind Jameer Nelson and Chris Duhon, with Smith mentioned as a candidate. Of course, Duhon was since traded to the Lakers in the Dwight Howard blockbuster, and none of the six players Orlando received in the deal are point guards. While that should bode well for Smith's chances of landing a spot on the team, it also means the Magic are probably still in the market for another backup behind Nelson.
Smith, 24, has already played for the Rockets, Grizzlies, Warriors, and Magic in just two NBA seasons, but finished the 2011/12 season in Orlando, playing 8.6 minutes per game in 20 contests for the Magic.
Rockets Waive Josh Harrellson
3:09pm: The Rockets confirmed via press release that they've officially waived Harrellson.
2:52pm: The Rockets have waived Josh Harrellson, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (via Twitter). Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle confirms the move, noting that the Rockets had to clear room to sign Carlos Delfino (Twitter link).
Harrellson was acquired by the Rockets in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Marcus Camby to New York shortly after the July moratorium ended. Harrellson was on a non-guaranteed contract, so it won't cost the Rockets anything to drop him.
In his rookie season for the Knicks, Harrellson averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes over 37 games, including four starts. The 23-year-old big man will be eligible to sign with any team except the Knicks if and when he clears waivers.
Bucks’ Interest In Mickael Pietrus Has Waned
Earlier in August, we heard that the Bucks were hoping to add an athletic wing to their roster, and were eyeing a couple free agent options in Mickael Pietrus and C.J. Miles. The Bucks have yet to make a move, and Miles has been snapped up by the Cavaliers, leaving Pietrus as an obvious fit. But while Milwaukee is still in the market for a big wing, the club's interest in Pietrus has "waned," according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter).
Pietrus' agent, Bill McCandless made some strong statements last month about his client's salary expectations, saying there was "no chance" Pietrus would sign for the veteran's minimum. The Bucks have $4.35MM of their mid-level exception remaining, so they could easily offer the 30-year-old more than a minimum salary, if they so choose. But based on Woelfel's tweet, it appears they're exploring other options.
As our list of unrestricted free agents shows, Josh Howard, Matt Barnes, Michael Redd, Josh Childress, Terrence Williams, and Tracy McGrady are among the wings still looking for an NBA contract. If none of those names interest the Bucks, the team could also explore the trade market or sign a lesser free agent to a non-guaranteed deal.
Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Nelson, Van Gundy
Let's round up a few items of note from around the league on a Wednesday afternoon:
- Denver GM Masai Ujiri told KKFN in Denver (link via Sports Radio Interviews) that the Nuggets always had interest in Andre Iguodala and "kept poking" at the Magic's three-way Dwight Howard talks until they figured out a way to get involved and acquire him.
- Former NBA coach Don Nelson isn't interested in returning to a team's bench, even if someone calls, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Stan Van Gundy, meanwhile, recently said he still has the itch to coach, but has to weigh that desire against family considerations (link via Sports Radio Interviews).
- In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Chad Ford and John Hollinger share their Future Power Rankings, from the Heat at No. 1 to the Bobcats at No. 30.
- Having added two centers this summer, the Pistons may ask Greg Monroe to play at power forward, and the big man tells Keith Langlois of Pistons.com he's ready for it.
- Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com examines what all the offseason additions mean for the Mavericks' rotation.
Bynum Leaning Toward Long-Term Deal With 76ers
Introductory press conferences typically aren't a setting for breaking news, but at Andrew Bynum's public debut in Philadelphia today, the young center provided a hint about his next long-term contract. Asked about whether he has thought about signing with the Sixers long-term, Bynum expressed serious interest in remaining in Philadelphia past this season, as SI.com's Sam Amick documents:
"To be honest man, my first experience here has been so great [that] I'm really leaning towards making this my home," Bynum said to huge cheers from the Philadelphia crowd. "I'm not a guy who tries to be all around and have a lot of teams on my belt, so I don't know, man. It's crazy. That's really the answer, man. I'm really leaning towards being able to stay here and making it my home."
At the presser, Bynum also said he was looking forward to being the number one option on offense for the Sixers. He added that he was "super excited" to find out he'd been traded, since the move sends him closer to his New Jersey home and he thought it was "time for a change" (Sulia link).
As for Bynum's next contract, as I outlined a week ago, signing a max deal with the Sixers next summer could land the 24-year-old up to nearly $102MM in guaranteed money, while an in-season extension could only be worth up to about $57MM. As such, it's unlikely that Bynum will be locked up anytime soon, but for now at least, the former Laker seems intrigued by the idea of a long-term future in Philadelphia.
Suns Waive Brad Miller, Jerome Dyson
The Suns announced today that they have waived Brad Miller and Jerome Dyson, according to a team release. Miller and Dyson were both acquired from the Hornets in a three-team July deal that landed the Suns Wesley Johnson and a 2013 first-round pick.
Dyson was on a non-guaranteed contract, so the Suns won't take a cap hit by releasing the 25-year-old. Miller, however, had a buyout worth a reported $848K, which the Suns will have to pay. With the veteran big man planning to retire this summer, his contract was used as a trade chip twice this summer, with the Timberwolves sending him to the Hornets, who flipped him to the Suns.
Having waived Miller and Dyson and officially signed Jermaine O'Neal, the Suns now have 13 players on their roster.
Suns Sign Jermaine O’Neal
WEDNESDAY, 11:13am: The Suns have officially signed O'Neal, the team announced in a press release. According to Coro, the deal is for one year at the veteran's minimum ($1,352,181).
FRIDAY, 3:54pm: The Suns have agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent big man Jermaine O'Neal, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Salary details aren't yet known, but I'd be surprised if O'Neal was able to land more than the veteran's minimum.
A report earlier this week suggested that "winning a championship is the only goal" for O'Neal, so perhaps he's more bullish on the Suns' short-term prospects than most. Coro suggested as recently as this morning that O'Neal seemed like a long shot for Phoenix, given his desire to play for a contender, so perhaps the Suns were the only team showing serious interest in acquiring the 33-year-old.
The Lakers and Bucks were among the other teams that had watched O'Neal work out this summer. In 25 contests in 2011/12 for the Celtics, the 16-year veteran averaged 5.0 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 22.8 MPG before wrist surgery cut his season short. Given the reputation of the training staff in Phoenix, the Suns may believe they'll be able to keep O'Neal healthier in 2012/13.
Latest On Robert Pera’s Bid For Grizzlies
Robert Pera's bid to become the new majority of the owner of the Grizzlies hasn't exactly been smooth sailing, with the prospective owner seeing stock in his tech company continue to slip in recent weeks. In late July, we heard that Pera was seeking local business owners in Memphis to add to his bid as partners, and Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that as much up to one-third of Grizzlies' ownership could end up being in the hands of local partners.
Veazey reiterates, as we heard last month, that Pera isn't pushing for local ownership because he needs to, but rather because he wants to collaborate with local business and community leaders for the good of the franchise. Whether that's true or not, Pera's representatives have been in Memphis over the last few weeks, meeting with "dozens" of prospective minority owners. Veazey also hears that out-of-town partners could be included in Pera's bid.
If local partners ended up with a 33% stake in the franchise, it would exceed the amount they owned under Michael Heisley. Heisley's initial agreement called for locals to own 30% of the team, but that portion was diluted significantly over the years. According to Veazey, local business owners have concerns that the same thing could happen under Pera, and also want to be sure of the Ubiquiti CEO's commitment to the city.
Pera's bid for the Grizzlies continues to be vetted by the NBA, and eventually must be approved by the league's board of governors.
Pistons Sign Khris Middleton
The Pistons have officially signed second-round pick Khris Middleton, the team announced today (Twitter link). Terms of the deal aren't known, but it's likely not worth much more than the rookie minimum this season, perhaps with additional non-guaranteed years. As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com notes (via Twitter), the signing brings the Pistons' roster to 15 players.
Middleton, a 6'8" forward, averaged 13.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in his junior year at Texas A&M before declaring for the draft a year early. Considered the 48th-best available prospect by ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the 21-year-old was selected 39th overall by the Pistons, and showed flashes of promise in Orlando Summer League action.