Southwest Notes: Oden, Bynum, Pelicans, Dirk
Here's a look at the latest out of the Southwest Division..
- We can add the Pelicans to the list of teams that are in the mix for free agent center Greg Oden, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. The former No. 1 overall pick is also attracting interest from the Spurs, Mavericks, and Kings.
- Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News explains why the Mavericks would gamble on Oden but not on Andrew Bynum. Oden, of course, will come much cheaper than the new Cavs center and while he's a gamble, he's an affordable gamble.
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The latest Morning Tip column from David Aldridge at NBA.com includes an examination of the Mavericks' retooling plan. Aldridge asked one league exec if Dallas could get a decent return for Dirk Nowitzki if they decided to start shopping him. "It is possible," one general manager texted Sunday. "It is a tough set of circumstances to get value…1 year deal, 35/36 year old, big dollar contract, trade rules. The team receiving Dirk would have to be close to the title; does Dirk stay in a year. Mark Cuban and [Mavs GM] Donnie [Nelson] are good at what they do, but they have always been loyal to keeping Dirk."
Grizzlies Re-Sign Jon Leuer
JULT 15TH: The Grizzlies' re-signing of Leuer is now official, tweets Tillery.
JULY 2ND: Right on the heels of their extension agreement with Tony Allen, the Grizzlies have agreed to re-sign Jon Leuer, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). It'll be a three-year, $3MM deal, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The 6'10" forward is a client of Mark Bartelstein, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Leuer came to the Grizzlies in a trade with the Cavs back in January that sent Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby, Marreese Speights, and a future first-round pick to Cleveland. The 6'10" forward has moved around quite a bit over the course of his young career.
After being drafted by the Bucks heading into the lockout year, he signed up to play in Germany, but came back in time for the start of the 2011/12 season. The 2012 Samuel Dalembert draft night deal brought him to the Rockets, who waived him shortly thereafter, paving the way for him to hook up with Cleveland.
Leuer has averaged 3.7 PPG in ten minutes per contest over the last two years.
Grizzlies Re-Sign Tony Allen
JULY 15TH: The Grizzlies have officially announced Allen's new deal in a press release.
JULY 2ND: The Grizzlies have reached agreement on a contract extension with Tony Allen, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). The deal will pay Allen $20MM over four years, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
There were a number of teams gunning for Allen this summer, including the Nuggets, Mavericks, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Pacers, and Bucks. Allen's last contract paid him $9.45MM over three years, so this new deal gives the 31-year-old a solid raise coupled with security to take him through the 2016/17 season.
Allen has never been a tremendous scorer but he has blossomed into one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. The veteran made 79 starts for the Grizzlies last season and averaged 8.9 PPG with 4.6 RPG in 26.7 minutes per game, a career high.
Allen is represented by Raymond Brothers of I AM Sports, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Pistons Re-Sign Will Bynum
JULY 15TH: The Pistons have made the Bynum signing official, the club announced today on Twitter.
JULY 8TH: The Pistons are set to re-sign Will Bynum, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal is worth $5.75MM in total over two seasons, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (via Twitter).
Earlier today, we learned that Detroit put an offer out to the point guard and it would appear that both sides decided to move quickly towards an agreement. The 30-year-old has spent the last five years of his career with the Pistons and is coming off of a season in which he averaged 9.8 PPG and 3.6 APG in 18.8 minutes per contest.
Detroit has been targeting a number of free agent point guards, including Bynum, Jose Calderon (who has signed with the Mavs), and Chauncey Billups. The Knicks were also eyeing Bynum, but they'll have to look elsewhere for a one guard.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Bogut, Jennings, Jazz
Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- With a difficult free agent process behind him, Dwight Howard is ready to begin his new chapter with the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- Andrew Bogut was on the trading block this summer, and while reports indicated he was upset with his inclusion in rumors, the big man expressed no hard feelings when he spoke with Warriors GM Bob Myers, as Myers tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
- Steve Aschburner of NBA.com argues that both the Bucks and Brandon Jennings would be better off if he accepted his qualifying offer. Doing so would give Jennings unrestricted free agency in 2014, and the motivation of a walk year could spur improvement that benefits the Bucks.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNew York.com (on Twitter) hears from league insiders that play in the Las Vegas summer league is more intense than usual as roster spots and financial flexibility are tighter in this free agent market. Teams seem to be waiting longer to fill out their rosters.
- Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush are heading to the Jazz because they made a transaction work, not because Utah believes they have the potential to get the team further than Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Mo Williams, and Randy Foye could, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News.
Metta World Peace To Play In China?
8:39pm: Agent Marc Cornstein told Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Twitter) that he will meet with his client tonight to go over all of his options. Cornstein said that a meeting with the Knicks is possible, indicating that nothing is a done deal yet with the enigmatic forward.
7:16pm: Metta World Peace said that he is going to play in China next season in a text to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (via Twitter). Peace's desire to play in China was reported shortly after he was amnestied by the Lakers,
A source close to the forward told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com earlier today that World Peace's top preference was to join up with the Knicks with the Clippers as a distant second and China third on his wishlist. It now appears that Peace got a tremendous offer to play overseas or was throwing some misdirection to the media in advance of his decision.
World Peace was set to make $7.73MM in 2013/14 and carrying his salary on the books for 2013/14 would have carried major luxury tax implications. The veteran is, of course, known for his tenacious defense, but his play has declined considerably in Los Angeles in recent years. Last season, World Peace averaged 12.4 PPG with 5.0 RPG in 33.7 minutes per contest.
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Brewer, Nuggets, Gasol
Here's the latest out of the Northwest Division..
- Pau Gasol or Rajon Rondo could be possibilities for the Nuggets if the Lakers or Celtics decide to really blow things up, writes Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post. The Nuggets are armed with a trade exception of nearly $10MM from the Andre Iguodala trade and have added flexibility to pull of a deal.
- Corey Brewer is back with the Timberwolves, but this time around he sees a much different team, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. “There are a lot of good players there, and there’s a chance to win. The first time, we didn’t have a chance to win. What better than to come back and have a chance to win where I started? If we stay healthy, we’ll be in the playoffs," said the Florida product.
- More from Zgoda's conversation with Brewer (via Twitter), who tells him that the Bucks, Hawks and Kings also pursued him but of the four clubs, he liked the Wolves' roster the most and the direction the team was going.
Metta World Peace Clears Waivers
6:46pm: World Peace is set to meet with Knicks officials in Vegas, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
6:15pm: World Peace texted Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) and expressed that he is interested the Clippers, but has to "meet them first".
5:31pm: At least four teams have contacted MWP already, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Twitter).
4:03pm: Metta World Peace has gone unclaimed on the amnesty waiver process and is now a free agent, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Teams had until 4pm central to claim the forward.
While World Peace was rumored to be eyeing a move to China, it now appears that he wasn't entirely serious about that notion. A source told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com earlier today that his top preference is to sign with the Knicks with the Clippers as a fairly distant second and China in third. The interest between MWP and the Knicks is believed to be mutual.
Hoops Links: Millsap, Peace, Splitter, Howard
Roughly 45 years ago today, The 76ers traded Wilt Chamberlain to the Lakers for Darrell Imhoff, Archie Clark, and Jerry Chambers plus an undisclosed amount of cash. Chamberlain would go on to average 17.7 PPG in his five final NBA seasons and help the Lakers win their first title in L.A. in 1972.
Got a fantastic basketball blog piece that you want featured on Hoops Rumors? Send your submissions to HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the web..
- Soaring Down South looks at what Paul Millsap can bring to the Hawks.
- Silver Screen And Roll reflected on Metta World Peace's time in L.A.
- Pounding The Rock examines the enigma that is Tiago Splitter.
- Hoops Addict says Dwight Howard comes with too much baggage.
- Blog A Bull breaks down Chicago's Luol Deng dilemma.
- Bright Side Of The Sun has some questions about Phoenix's plan at the one-guard spot.
- Rufus On Fire gives us the state of the salary cap in Charlotte.
- Red94 sees major changes taking place after this summer's free agency period.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here's our look back at the original analysis produced by the Hoops Rumors team this week..
- Chuck Myron brought us a roundup of international draft and stash players.
- The Wolves have found a creative way to retain their existing talent while adding new talent, writes Luke Adams.
- Luke ran down the NBA's new max salaries.
- Want a refresher on the amnesty provision? Luke has you covered.
- Here's a look at this year's tax paying teams.
- Did you miss out on Luke's weekly chat on Monday at 4pm central? Shame on you. Fortunately, however, you can get caught up here.
- Here's how you can follow your favorite team via Twitter, Facebook, and RSS.
- Play nice everyone. Here's our commenting policy.