Odds & Ends: Miller, Mavs, Martin, Cavs, Olympics
Brad Miller decided earlier this year to retire at season's end, and went on an emotional note in April, receiving a standing ovation in his final game with the Timberwolves. But according to agent Mark Bartelstein, it's "not a certainty" that his client will retire, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
I have to wonder what Miller's contract situation is, for the T-Wolves' sake — his $5.1MM 2012/13 was only partially guaranteed, so if he'd been waived by June 30th, he would've received $848K of it. If he'd officially filed for retirement, he would have forfeited the salary. But if neither of those things happened, will Miller still be on Minnesota's books for $5MM+? We'll have to wait for some clarification on that front, but in the meantime, here are some odds and ends from around the league, as free agency begins:
Goran Dragic Seeks Deal Starting At $10MM
It was only a few months ago that Goran Dragic was Kyle Lowry's backup in Houston, putting up solid but unspectacular averages of 7.5 PPG and 3.4 APG prior to the All-Star break. When Lowry was sidelined with a bacterial infection, however, Dragic emerged with a monster second half that included post-ASG averages of 16.3 PPG and 7.3 APG, making him a coveted free agent this summer. And now, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Dragic is seeking a contract that "starts in the $10MM range."
Howard Upset With Magic; Orlando Exploring Trade
The situation between Dwight Howard and the Magic is getting ugly, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, who says Howard feels the team made promises they didn't keep to get him to waive his early termination option. Ric Bucher of ESPN hears that the players' union is considering legal action on Howard's behalf in hopes of eliminating D12's opt-in and making him a free agent this summer (Twitter links).
Eric Gordon Seeking Four Years, $58MM
SUNDAY, 1:21am: The Hornets are prepared to match a maximum offer for Gordon, according to Sam Amick of SI.com (via Twitter). Four years and $58MM represents the max salary the 23-year-old could earn from rival teams.
SATURDAY, 11:12pm: Eric Gordon is seeking a four-year, $58MM deal in meetings with the Pacers, Rockets, Suns and Blazers, reports ESPN's Chris Broussard. The Hornets' restricted free agent is also considering sit-downs with the Bobcats and Mavericks (Twitter links).
Nets Might Pursue Mayo, Almost Traded For Scola
The Nets, who are reportedly in discussions with the Hawks about trading for Joe Johnson, are considering making a significant offer to unrestricted free agent O.J. Mayo, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The Nets were also "deep in discussions" today about a trade for power forward Luis Scola before talks with the Rockets broke down, Wojnarowski also reports via Twitter.
Rockets GM Morey To Meet With Omer Asik
Rockets GM Daryl Morey will kick off the NBA free agent period in Los Angeles, where he plans to meet with restricted free agent Omer Asik tonight, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (via Twitter). The Bulls have officially tendered Asik a qualifying offer worth about $2.32MM, so Chicago will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet the big man signs with another club.
Rockets Actively Shopping Luis Scola
After drafting a pair of power forwards, Royce White and Terrence Jones, on Thursday night, the Rockets are looking to trade last year's starter. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Houston is actively shopping Luis Scola in trade discussions. A specific trade partner has yet to emerge, says Stein.
Kennedy On Lin, Gordon, Mayo, Hibbert, Hill
We keep hearing teams like the Mavericks, Nets, and Raptors named as potential suitors for Steve Nash, but if one of those teams misses out on both Nash and Deron Williams, its next target could be Jeremy Lin. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld hears from sources that one of those three clubs could sign Lin to an offer sheet, forcing the Knicks to match. Here are a few more free agent updates from Kennedy, with just over 12 hours left until the fun begins….
Odds & Ends: Rockets, Magic, Wolves, Green
With less than 24 hours to go until teams can officially begin negotiating with free agents, the focus has shifted from the draft and incoming rookies to where NBA veterans will end up. No free agent is more coveted than Deron Williams, but he's narrowed his choices to the Mavs and Nets. There are plenty of quality players left for other teams, however, including Roy Hibbert and Eric Gordon, whom the Rockets will target, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, adding that the team is also going after Omer Asik. Here's more on the free agent plans of teams around the league and other late-night news:
Draft Notes: Friday
Now that the 2012 draft is officially a thing of the past, we shouldn't require multiple posts to round up all the day's draft-related content, like we did on Thursday. But even with the draft over, a few updates continue to trickle in. We'll round up today's leftover draft notes here, adding any new items to the top throughout the day….
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News offers grades for each team's draft, and The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat shares his list of winners and losers.
Earlier updates: