Free Agency Rumors: Bynum, Clippers, Warriors
Andrew Bynum is one of the biggest wildcards of this year's crop of free agents after failing to play a single minute while in a Sixers uniform this past season. Bynum's belabored knees kept him from showcasing the All-Star talent he displayed during the 2011/12 season with the Lakers, which is what prompted the Sixers to deal for him in the first place.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News notes that the Mavs have positioned themselves to be in the mix for Bynum this summer, but signing the injury-plagued seven-footer would have to be contingent on a couple of different stipulations:
One would be whether Bynum could fly to Dallas for a thorough physical with the Mavs to see how his knees are doing after another surgery this year. There's also no chance they'd sign Bynum to a long term contract unless the deal was written in such a way as to protect the team should he miss extended time because of injury.
Sefko notes that Bynum was a force for the 2011/12 Lakers averaging 18.7 PPG and 11.8 RPG while making the All-Star team, but he missed 28 games in 2010/11, 32 games in 2008/09 and 47 games in 2007/08.
Here are a few more rumors surrounding Bynum, the Clippers and Warriors during another whirlwind night of the NBA's free agency:
- Tom Moore of Phillyburbs.com tweets that he doesn't think a proposed hypothetical with the Mavs sending Shawn Marion's $9.3MM contract plus a second round draft pick to the Sixers would be enough to acquire Bynum.
- According to sources for the Los Angeles Times' Brad Turner, the Clippers are looking to bring back big men Ryan Hollins and Ronny Turiaf (Twitter).
- The Oakland Tribune's Marcus Thompson says the Warriors are interested in J.J. Hickson (Twitter), but the price might be too high to make a deal right now.
- Thompson also writes (via Twitter) that the Warriors are not looking for a number 2 point guard, but a number 3 point prospect that's more Charles Jenkins than Jarrett Jack. Coach Mark Jackson and GM Bob Myers have Andre Iguodala to fill their back-up point guard duties.
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld guesses that Lamar Odom may spurn his current Los Angeles team, the Clippers, for his former LA team, the Lakers (Twitter).
- Chris Haynes of Comcast Sportsnet Northwest says Jermaine O'Neal will make his free agency decision in the next 2-3 days, and that he wasn't pursued by the Blazers (Twitter).
Free Agency Rumors: Odom, Brand, Tinsley
The Mavs will bring back point guard Devin Harris, but they're also considering another former guard, this one from their title-winning 2011 team: Jose Barea.
Earlier this month, there were rumors of a sign-and-trade involving O.J. Mayo and either the Wolves' J.J. Barea or Luke Ridnour. This came before the Mavs locked up their point guard slot by signing Jose Calderon.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com says (via Twitter) the Mavs have $8MM in cap space after Jose Calderon signed with them and O.J. Mayo signed with the Bucks, but there are ways to increase that figure, he notes. We already reported that the signing of Calderon likely knocks Barea out of the running for a return to the Mavs in a sign-and-trade since the Mavs have their point guard now and Mayo is gone.
Here's what else is happening around this busy Saturday night, including more Mavs' rumors as they go with plan B after failing to sign Dwight:
- Besides bringing Harris back, the Mavs are also looking at re-signing Elton Brand, reports McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. McMahon also mentions their interest in Jermaine O'Neal, as previously iterated.
- The Lakers, fresh off the disappointing exit of free agent Dwight Howard, are looking at Elton Brand and Lamar Odom, reports ESPNLosAngeles' Ramona Shelburne (Twitter links). But interest levels for Odom are hard to determine on both sides, and they may not be able to afford Brand, Shelburne continues.
- Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune says (via Twitter), that besides the Nets, the Jazz were among Jamaal Tinsley's primary suitors. Oram says Tinsley remains interested in returning to the Jazz.
- In the first three years of Chris Grant's position as the Cavs' general manager, he spent less than $7MM in free agency. This summer he's spent $34MM counting option years, tweets the Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Loyd.
Devin Harris To Sign With Mavs
10:27pm: Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reiterates our contention that Harris will likely spend a lot of time at shooting guard next to Calderon in the Mavs' backcourt. MacMahon notes that Harris spent half his time next to Jeff Teague at shooting guard last season with the Hawks, so the transition won't be difficult. Acquiring Harris also allows the Mavs to bring their rookie guards, Shane Larkin and Gal Mekel, along more slowly.
8:04pm: Although the deal can't be made official until Wednesday when the NBA's July moratorium is lifted, ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon says the Mavs struck a deal today to bring Devin Harris back to Dallas for a three-year deal in excess of $9MM. With Harris' and Jose Calderon's deal, the Mavs have solved their backcourt problems from last year.
The 30-year-old Harris averaged 9.9 PPG and 3.4 APG in 24.5 MPG during part-time starting duties with the Hawks last year. But Harris primarily played as the off-guard when Jeff Teague was in the game at the same time. This might be how the Mavs choose to use him in conjunction with Calderon.
6:40pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com is hearing that Hawks unrestricted free agent Devin Harris is "closing in" on a deal to go back to the Mavs for a three-year deal worth $9MM plus (Twitter).
Harris is repped by Excel Sports Management, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Rockets Rumors: Gibson, Brewer, Asik
The Rockets have been the toast of the NBA's free agency period after agreeing on a deal for free agent Dwight Howard last night, but since the move they haven't rested on their laurels. General manager Daryl Morey has signed Omri Casspi from the Cavs, and re-signed Francisco Garcia.
But Morey and the Rockets aren't done as they're testing the waters to shore up their backcourt and figure out what to do with Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, who have been offered in trade packages as the Rockets look to team James Harden and Howard with a third superstar.
The offering of Lin and Asik comes despite reports from Ken Berger at CBSSports.com earlier today that the Rockets may keep Asik and Lin next year. Asik has already voiced his displeasure at staying in Houston to back-up Dwight at center.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that a rumored Pelicans sign-and-trade for Asik, which sources originally revealed to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnawrowski, hasn't even been discussed, and if it had the Pelicans would not be interested in the former Bulls center who took on a larger role with the Rockets this year. Let's look at a couple more rumored moves involving the Rockets this afternoon:
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says the Rockets are interested in the Nuggets' unrestricted free agent Corey Brewer (Twitter).
- The Rockets are also looking at Houston native and Cavs free agent, Daniel Gibson, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, but cautions they're holding off on signing him for now.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that with the Mavs and Warriors both currently looking to sign Suns unrestricted free agent Jermaine O'Neal, the Rockets might also be in the running.
- Because the Rockets signed Casspi and Garcia to two-year deals, they're not reimbursed for parts of contract over $884,293 tweets Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld.
Free Agent Rumors: Bynum, Teague, Kirilenko
Free agents continue to reach deals with teams across the NBA in advance of Wednesday, when agreements can become official. Here's the latest on the moves that could be next:
- The Mavs were in contact with Andrew Bynum even before Dwight Howard turned them down, and Stein tweets that Dallas is indeed pursuing the oft-injured Bynum now that Howard is out of the picture. Still, the Mavs will make a detailed and careful evaluation of the big man's health before reaching an agreement, according to Stein.
- Jeff Teague's camp is becoming increasingly frustrated with the Hawks, who have yet to engage in meaningful negotiations on a new deal, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The point guard is a restricted free agent, so Atlanta controls his destiny.
- The Kings aren't considering Andrei Kirilenko, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
- The Knicks remain in play for Elton Brand, as do other teams, but a decision could come this weekend, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
- The Jazz and Grizzlies also made offers to Dorell Wright, who wound up agreeing to join the Blazers instead, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The Thunder also made an offer, as previously reported, Haynes notes.
- Decision makers within the Blazers front office have led The Oregonian's Joe Freeman to expect that the team won't re-sign Elliot Williams (Twitter link).
- Joe Dumars, fresh off his agreement to sign Josh Smith, has his sights on a perimeter sharpshooter for the Pistons, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (on Twitter). Keith Langlois of Pistons.com agrees, and hints that the team could hit the trade market as well (Twitter link).
Howard Notes: Mavs, Magic, Lakers
Our long, national Dwightmare is over, but the ripple effects from his move to Houston will be felt for some time. Here's the latest news and fallout concerning the summer's biggest free agent move..
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders aloud if Mark Cuban's grand plan is officially a failure. When MacMahon posed that question directly to Cuban in an email, the owner responded, “We haven't played a game yet. Look back at the big deal that won last summer and ask how it’s working for everyone now.” Still, it's hard to overlook the fact that Cuban struck out on Deron Williams last summer and was unable to land Dwight Howard or Chris Paul this summer.
- The Magic have officially won the Howard trade, opines Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. While the Lakers lost Howard, the Nuggets lost Andre Iguodala, and free agent Andrew Bynum didn't play a minute for the 76ers last season, the Magic ended up with a couple of nice, young building blocks in big man Nikola Vucevic and Maurice Harkless, a consummate pro in Arron Afflalo, and five future draft picks.
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter links) hears that Howard already made up his mind before boarding a plane for Aspen, Colorado, but wanted a little bit more time to think about things before shutting the door on the Lakers.
Odds & Ends: Barea, Kenyon, Sampson, Copeland
Here's more from the NBA on an landmark night in free agency:
- A Dallas source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that the Mavs' agreement with Jose Calderon likely knocks them out of discussions for J.J. Barea. Still, the Wolves remain upbeat about their chances of a Barea deal with the Mavs, in what would be a salary dump enabling Minnesota to clear money for a defensive-minded wing player (All Twitter links).
- The Spurs have been one of many teams reportedly interested in Kenyon Martin, and now they're "in hot pursuit" of the veteran big man, though the Knicks and others remain in play, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game heard that Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson wouldn't return to the team, but Sampson tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston that he'll be back in Houston. (Twitter links). "That's just a bad rumor," Sampson said. "I'm looking forward to a great year with the Rockets."
- The Pacers and Chris Copeland discussed a third year that would have been a team option, but settled instead on their two-year, $6.12MM agreement, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group briefly looks at what the Warriors could do with the trade exceptions they'll acquire as part of their deal with the Jazz. He also hears that the W's see Andre Iguodala as capable of handling backup point guard duties, so the team will prioritize finding a backup center over a backup point guard (Sulia link).
- In a separate piece, Thompson recounts the steps Iguodala took on the way to his agreement with the Warriors, noting that Iggy has long considered Golden State a desirable destination.
- Lately, agent Dan Fegan has been preoccupied with other free agent clients, such as Dwight Howard, so he and the Wizards have yet to begin discussing an extension for John Wall, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Wall is extension-eligible this season, and will hit restricted free agency next summer if he and the Wizards don't strike a deal by Halloween.
- In an interview with DraftExpress.com, Dario Saric suggests that the Mavericks were interested in making him a promise at No. 13 had he not withdrawn from last week's draft.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Omer Asik Wants Out Of Houston; Pelicans In Mix?
8:01pm: There's no question Anderson would intrigue the Rockets, but the Pelicans are wary of giving him up without getting more than Asik in return, Wojnarowski tweets.
7:29pm: The Pelicans have shown strong interest in Asik, and are likely centering their offer on Ryan Anderson, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
5:53pm: A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that Omer Asik wants out of Houston, and other teams are already making pitches (Twitter link). Once a deal between the Rockets and Dwight Howard is finalized, Asik could be sent to the Hawks for Josh Smith, though the Mavs are also making a push, Berger adds via Twitter. I presume he means the Mavs are making a push for Asik and not Smith, but that's just my speculation. Chris Mannix of SI.com and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported earlier details on the story, with Windhorst noting that the Hawks would sign to a sign-and-trade offer for Smith.
A destination that would appeal to Asik is the Bulls, where he began his career, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. That would reunite him with coach Tom Thibodeau, who'd also be interested in such a deal. That might be more difficult for the over-the-cap Bulls to pull off than it is for the Hawks or Mavs, however. Asik has $16,749,292 left on his deal over the next two seasons. The Hawks won't rush in to any deal, according to TNT's David Aldridge, who says the team won't be making moves just to be "active," and any move would have to fit with the team's culture (Twitter link).
Even if the Hawks aren't interested in Asik, several other teams, including the Warriors, are, tweets Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game. Late last month a report surfaced indicating the Rockets were looking to unload Asik and Jeremy Lin, though Houston GM Daryl Morey backtracked from that story. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors wondered if Morey's comments were simply to try to make sure Asik and Lin would still be on board if Howard passed on signing with the team, but it appears at least that Asik has been turned off. Lin would be tougher to move than Asik, Bucher points out, noting that many front offices view the point guard as a backup.
Windhorst raises the possibility of Asik heading to the Lakers in a Howard sign-and-trade, and notes that Asik doesn't want to play in any twin-tower Rockets lineups alongside Howard, either. While Asik's cap hit for the next two seasons will be around $8MM, he's actually owed more than $20MM total because of the way his deal with Houston was structured, per the Gilbert Arenas Provision.
Mavs Move On To Plan B, Pursuing Jarrett Jack
Having been stuck in a holding pattern for several days while Dwight Howard made a decision, the Mavericks have moved on to Plan B after being notified that they're out of the mix for Howard. Owner Mark Cuban announced this afternoon (via Twitter) that the Mavs are "back open for business," while Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter) that the club is pursuing other free agents, including Jarrett Jack.
In order to sign Andre Iguodala, the Warriors will need to renounce their Bird rights on Jack, so the market for the veteran point guard is wide open. We heard earlier in the week that the Mavs, who are seeking point guard help this offseason, had been in touch with Jack.
The Mavs currently hold about $36MM in guaranteed salaries for 2013/14, plus Shane Larkin's cap hold, so the team could have close to $20MM in cap room to spend in free agency, or to use in trades.
Rockets, Warriors In Lead For Dwight Howard
4:40pm: Following the Warriors' agreement with Iguodala, Golden State and Houston are now Howard's top two preferred destinations, according to TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter). Aldridge cautions that the Lakers aren't out of the running yet, but says they seem to be trailing behind the other two teams.
4:27pm: Prior to the Warriors' trade agreement with the Jazz and contract agreement with Andre Iguodala, Howard had narrowed his options down to the Lakers and Rockets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, with Iguodala now on board in Golden State, it's unclear if that changes Howard's outlook. The Warriors have not been informed that they're out of the running (Twitter links).
4:10pm: One suitor for Dwight Howard is officially off the board, and the All-Star center won't be pairing with Dirk Nowitzki in the Big D. The Mavericks have been notified they're no longer in the running for Howard, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
As we noted in our earlier round-up of the day's D12 rumors, Sam Amick of USA Today reported that the Mavericks and Hawks had both been receiving "strong signals" that Howard wouldn't sign with them. At that point, however, no teams had been formally informed that they were out of the mix.
With Dallas no longer in play for Howard and Atlanta looking like an extremely unlikely destination, the Rockets, Warriors, and Lakers remain in the hunt. Golden State has been receiving plenty of buzz today, having agreed to a deal with Andre Iguodala while managing to hang on to chips to dangle in sign-and-trade negotiations. However, Houston has been frequently cited as the frontrunner.