Multiple Teams Preparing Offers For Greg Oden
3:30pm: Oden's agent tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that it will likely still be a few weeks before his client picks a team, and stopped short of calling Miami the frontrunner, though Oden is "very interested" in the Heat (Twitter links).
9:50am: ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported yesterday that Greg Oden was expected to meet with the Mavericks, Kings, and Pelicans this week in Las Vegas, as the list of potential suitors for the former first overall pick grew. Stein and Yahoo! Sports scribe Marc J. Spears have updates on the Oden situation today, so let's dive in and check out the highlights from their respective pieces….
- Oden has now had meetings with the Heat, Spurs, Celtics, Mavs, and Kings, according to Spears. The Pelicans had been hoping to meet with Oden on Wednesday, but he's heading back to Indianapolis today, which figures to postpone that meeting until later this week.
- New Orleans' pitch to Oden figures to focus on the fact that the big man could start his comeback attempt away from the media spotlight and with no immediate pressure to contribute if he signed with the Pelicans, according to Stein.
- The Pelicans are expected to make Oden an offer with a starting salary of about $3MM, reports Spears, noting that three other clubs will likely extend offers in the same ballpark.
- Stein reports that the Kings are viewed as "long-shot contenders" for Oden, and may end up shifting their attention to Nuggets restricted free agent Timofey Mozgov. Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld mentioned that possibility yesterday (on Twitter), and Stein says Sacramento is "planning a hard push" for Mozgov.
- The Mavericks are still hoping they'll be able to sign both Oden and Samuel Dalembert to solidify their frontcourt, writes Stein.
Devin Harris, Mavs In Talks On New Deal
After the Mavericks reached an agreement with Devin Harris on a three-year, $9MM contract, a toe injury forced the two sides to nix the deal. However, we heard over the weekend that there was still mutual interest in working something out.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein confirms that's the case, reporting (via Twitter) that the Mavs and Harris have re-engaged in talks on a new deal for the combo guard. The details of the new agreement are still being worked out, according to Stein (via Twitter), but the two sides remain on track to reunite for the coming season.
With Harris not necessarily on track to be ready for opening night, I'd imagine the Mavs will be interested in either a shorter-term deal, or a smaller financial commitment. The team has since agreed to sign Monta Ellis to a lucrative contract, and continues to pursue Greg Oden and Samuel Dalembert, which may not leave much room for Harris.
I wouldn't be surprised if the two sides eventually agreed upon a two-year, minimum-salary contract for Harris, with a second-year player option. That would give Harris some security in case the toe problem persists, while also allowing him to explore the market again next summer if he comes back strong.
If the Mavs reach a new agreement with Harris, it would likely take the club out of the mix for Jamaal Tinsley, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Kennedy had reported earlier this morning that Dallas had some interest in Tinsley.
Point Guard Rumors: Tinsley, Jazz, Mo Williams
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld has passed along a few tidbits of free agent information related to the point guard market this morning, so let's round up the highlights….
- The Mavericks, Rockets, Bobcats, and Suns have all expressed interest in signing Jamaal Tinsley, tweets Kennedy.
- Tinsley spent last season in Utah, but after reaching an agreement with John Lucas III, the Jazz are no longer interested in bringing back Tinsley, according to Kennedy (Twitter link).
- Mo Williams is considering taking a discount to join a contending team like the Heat or Spurs, says Kennedy (via Twitter). No deal is imminent, but it's one potential option Williams is weighing.
- Earlier today, we heard that the Suns may have put Kendall Marshall on the trade block.
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."
Greg Oden To Meet With Mavs, Kings, Pelicans
Greg Oden will be in Las Vegas to week, and will meet with at least three teams while he's there, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. The Mavericks, Kings, and Pelicans will all meet with the former first overall pick this week, according to Stein, who adds that the Mavs' sitdown is scheduled for today.
While the Spurs and Heat still appear to be the frontrunners for Oden's services, a handful of other teams remain in the mix. In addition to the three teams he'll meet with this week, the big man also still has the Celtics and Bobcats on his radar, his agent indicated on Friday. As I noted at the time, the comments made by Mike Conley Sr. suggested to me that Miami remained atop Oden's wish list.
Given the number of teams interested in Oden, it seems possible he'll receive more than the minimum salary if and when he signs. But I imagine clubs are still wary of his medical history, so he'll likely have to show strong indications he'll be ready to play in the fall before a club is willing to roll the dice on him.
Odds & Ends: Mavs, Harris, Kirilenko, Thibodeau
The past two summers haven't gone as planned for the Mavericks, but there's still no need to panic and trade Dirk Nowitzki, as Gil LeBreton of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram argues. LeBreton is confident the additions of Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon will help the team. Here's more on the Mavs, along with other news from the Association:
- A toe injury scuttled the deal between the Mavs and Devin Harris, but both team and player still have interest in coming to another agreement at some point in the offseason, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham looks at several affordable role players left on the free agent market, including Samuel Dalembert, who appears close to a deal with the Mavs.
- The Wolves' decision to replace David Kahn with Flip Saunders atop their front office played a role in Andrei Kirilenko's decision to opt out of his $10.2MM contract with Minnesota, the Nets signee tells Pavel Osipov of Sport-Express (translation via Alexander Chernykh of Rush'n Hoops; hat tip to NetsDaily).
- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau might not be pleased with the team's decision to let go of close friend and assistant coach Ron Adams, but Thibs' says his relationship with GM Gar Forman is fine, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel answers reader questions and wonders whether Heat president Pat Riley's statement that he won't use the amnesty clause is brinksmanship designed to up the trade value of Mike Miller and Joel Anthony.
- A respected longtime NBA executive tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that Jahlil Okafor is the most skilled high school center he's ever scouted (Twitter link). Okafor is 17 years old, so he won't be draft-eligible until 2015.
- Lester Connor and Chris Farr are joining the Nuggets coaching staff, the Denver Post’s Chris Dempsey tweets.
Spencer Lund contributed to this post.
Southwest Notes: Rockets, Mavs, Asik, Lin
The Rockets made a big splash signing Dwight Howard this summer, but now they're left to figure out what to do with Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin, who they offered as part of a sign-and-trade for Josh Smith before he signed with the Pistons.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle that Asik and Lin are "going to be here.” Morey has repeatedly said he doesn't want to move Lin and Asik, but he gave a more detailed reason why to Feigen today:
"The reality is James (Harden) and Dwight (Howard) want to play with Jeremy and Omer,” Morey stated. “I’ve been kicked down to assistant GM. They’re going to be here."
Here's more on the Rockets including an update on Asik's summer plans and updates from the Mavericks…
- Feigen also tweets that Asik is in Turkey for national team workouts and will not be with the Rockets for at least a month. He also answers a cap question, via Twitter, that the Rockets have the smaller "room" exception, instead of the full MLE.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that the Knicks don’t think they’re getting Brandan Wright because he’s close to re-signing with the Mavericks.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Mavericks are nearing a deal for free agent big man Samuel Dalembert.
Nuggets Among Teams Eyeing Nate Robinson
4:21pm: The Wizards, Bucks, Mavericks and Lakers have also shown interest in Robinson, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets. The Lakers and Mavs have signed a few other guards in recent days, prompting Kennedy to wonder if they're still in on Robinson (Twitter link).
2:33pm: The Nuggets are letting it be known that they have "certifiable interest" in Nate Robinson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Robinson, who spent last season on a minimum-salary contract with the Bulls, has been linked to the Knicks, Wolves, Pacers at various points this month. The Bulls, under financial constraints, offered him another minimum-salary deal to return, but it seems clear that won't be happening. Coach Tom Thibodeau would have reservations about bringing him back anyway, as Stein notes in a second tweet.
The explosive 5'9" guard had moments of brilliance in the postseason, scoring 34 points in a game against the Nets, but showed his inconsistency as well, delivering a scoreless, 0-for-12 performance in Game Four of Chicago's series with the Heat. Still, when I examined his free agent stock, I thought the Aaron Goodwin client would merit an annual salary in the range of the the $3.183MM taxpayer's mid-level exception.
Denver let go of Andre Iguodala this summer, but with J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye coming aboard, the team still figures to be capped out. That means the team could offer Robinson a part of the larger non-taxpayer's mid-level, though with the Bulls, Knicks and Pacers probably out of the running and limited chatter about the Wolves or other suitors, it could be that the Nuggets wind up with Robinson for little more than the minimum salary. They'd still need to use either the mid-level or the biannual exception to give him that, but they'd preserve flexibility for another addition.
Robinson, a 40.5% three-point shooter last season, would add long-distance shooting to a Denver team that missed that element in 2012/13. He can play either guard position, but his lack of height could be a problem against taller shooting guards, so the team's interest in him lends further credence to the idea that backup point guard Andre Miller is on the trading block.
Brandan Wright Likely To Return To Mavs
It's a virtual certainty that Brandan Wright returns to the Mavericks, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. The sides are discussing a deal in $4MM per year range and it may wind up being a two-year pact.
A deal may not be imminent, however, as the Mavericks can go over the salary cap to keep him, MacMahon notes (Twitter link). Dallas will instead focus on taking care of other business first this offseason, then move on to retaining the forward.
Wright is coming off of his best season to date, averaging 8.5 PPG with 4.1 RPG in 18 minutes per contest for Dallas. The former eighth overall pick has great athleticism for his size, but has been limited by injuries in years past.
Mavs Scrap Deal With Devin Harris
7:46pm: The injury to Harris prompted the Mavs to sign Ellis, Stein writes. That makes sense, since GM Donnie Nelson said two days ago that the team likely wouldn't be in the mix for Ellis, comments that seemed misleading when word broke of the Mavs' agreement with Ellis earlier today. The money that was to go to Harris is now set to go to a big man, according to Stein, so perhaps the club won't be signing another point guard. The Mavs envisioned Harris starting at shooting guard, as he often did with the Hawks, Stein says, so that lends further credence to the Ellis-for-Harris substitution.
6:51pm: A toe injury has prompted the Mavericks to nix their agreement to sign Devin Harris to a three-year, $9MM deal, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The decision was mutual, Stein notes. Dallas remains interested in signing him, but the surgery required is expected to keep Harris out until the start of the regular season, according to Stein (Twitter link). First-round pick and fellow point guard Shane Larkin suffered a broken ankle in summer league practice, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports notes via Twitter, so it's possible the pair of injuries prompted the Mavs to call off their plans with Harris.
"All indications" are the Mavs will sign Monta Ellis using cap room instead of a sign-and-trade with the Bucks, Stein tweets. So, the decision not to sign Harris gives the club the flexibility to sign a big man as well, with Samuel Dalembert still the primary target, according to Stein (Twitter link).
The Mavs have signed point guards Jose Calderon and Gal Mekel to deals this summer, as our Free Agent Tracker shows, and they have Josh Akognon on a non-guaranteed contract, so they're not entirely devoid of help at the position. Still, Calderon is the only point guard with more than eight games of NBA experience on the roster now, so perhaps the team will look elsewhere. Aaron Brooks, D.J. Augustin and Beno Udrih are among veteran point guards still available on the free agent market, though none have been linked to Dallas this summer.
Harris, an Excel Sports Management client, remains an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks had been in touch with his representatives prior to his decision to head to Dallas, and the former No. 5 overall pick out of Wisconsin said this spring that he'd be open to listening to offers from the Bucks. Milwaukee has hired former Hawks coach Larry Drew, inked Zaza Pachulia and has a signed offer sheet from Jeff Teague, all of whom played with Harris in Atlanta this past season.