Howard Willing To Commit Long-Term To Lakers
10:10pm: Howard's agent Dan Fegan refuted reports that his client would sign an extension with the Lakers if he is traded to them, writes Ric Bucher of ESPN.com. "Dwight's position has remained unchanged since the end of this past season," said Fegan. "He fully intends to explore free agency at the end of next season, regardless of what team trades for him, including Brooklyn."
Fegan's comment doesn't neccessarily contradict this morning's report as it stated that Howard would "commit long-term" rather than immediately ink an extension. An extension could only give Howard a three-year deal while waiting until free agency could give the big man a five-year pact.
7:56am: After indicating for months that the Brooklyn Nets were the only team he had long-term interest in, Dwight Howard has signaled that he'd be willing to re-up with the Lakers if he were traded to Los Angeles, according to Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com. ESPN.com's Chris Broussard and Ramona Shelburne confirm Rudolph's report, noting that, while the Lakers haven't yet been informed of any change in Howard's thinking, the team has "always figured" he'd come around on a long-term extension if he were dealt to the Lakers.
While the Lakers remain "dogged" in their pursuit of Howard, it appears to be the Magic that are holding up any deal, according to ESPN.com. Orlando is willing to trade D12, of course, but doesn't want to rush into making a trade it isn't 100% sure about. The Magic have discussed the possibility of acquiring Andrew Bynum themselves or re-routing Bynum to a third team such as Houston or Cleveland in exchange for draft picks and cap relief — if Bynum comes to Orlando, Broussard says the young center would want to test the free agent market next summer, which may give the Magic doubts about acquiring him.
In the past, reports have suggested that Howard was reluctant to join the Lakers in part because he didn't want to follow in Shaquille O'Neal's footsteps and in part because he was worried he might take a back seat on a team led by Kobe Bryant. However, according to Rudolph, Howard has moved past those concerns, and is confident he'd play an "integral role" with a team ready to compete for a title.
If Howard were to be dealt to the Lakers, he almost certainly wouldn't sign a new contract immediately. He could maximize his earnings by waiting until the end of the season and then signing a five-year, max-salary deal, like Deron Williams did with the Nets earlier this month. An in-season extension would only lock up him for a maximum of three more years.
Rockets Waive Jon Leuer, Jerome Jordan
The Rockets have waived Jon Leuer and Jerome Jordan, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). When the two players clear waivers, the Rockets will have the necessary roster space to finalize their offer sheet for restricted free agent Omer Asik.
Both Leuer and Jordan were acquired by Houston in recent trades for salary-matching purposes. Leuer came from the Bucks in the June deal that sent Samuel Dalembert to Milwaukee, while Jordan arrived from New York in the Marcus Camby sign-and-trade.
I believe both players were on non-guaranteed contracts for 2012/13, so the Rockets shouldn't have to take a cap hit for releasing either one. The pair will become unrestricted free agents in 48 hours, assuming both of them clear waivers.
Southwest Notes: Lin, Mavericks, Grizzlies
Earlier today, we rounded up a number of pieces reacting to the Knicks' decision to let Jeremy Lin sign with the Rockets, but the Lin updates continue to pour in. ESPN's J.A. Adande argues that Houston is the ideal spot for Lin to thrive, while the day's most interesting Lin piece came from Pablo S. Torre of SI.com, who chronicles the point guard's free agency process.
"Honestly, I preferred New York," Lin told Torre. "But my main goal in free agency was to go to a team that had plans for me and wanted me. I wanted to have fun playing basketball. … Now I'm definitely relieved."
As the newest Rocket arrives in Houston, here are a few more items out of the Southwest Division:
- The Mavericks are still scouring the free agent market for bench options, GM Donnie Nelson tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "We're always looking. It's one of those situations where free agents have to be looking out for their best interest, and it's our job to look out for the Mavericks' best interest. We're looking at trying to get the best possible talent that we can."
- While the Mavs could still choose to re-sign Delonte West, Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com wonders if the club should turn its focus to a rebounder instead, and lists a few potential targets.
- The Grizzlies' front office is happy with how the roster is shaping up, says Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillery adds that the team still expects to send Dante Cunningham to Minnesota for Wayne Ellington, and that the trade could be finalized any day. I imagine the Timberwolves are still waiting for resolution on Nicolas Batum's offer sheet.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday
A morning report yesterday suggested that the Lakers were "pushing hard" for Dwight Howard, but nothing seemed to come of it, as follow-up reports indicated that the two teams had been talking for weeks without making a ton of progress. With a few months before the season begins, the Magic don't seem to be in any hurry to move Howard, but the rumors keep trickling in. Here's Wednesday's latest:
- The Cavaliers have inched back ahead of the Rockets as the potential facilitator for a Magic/Lakers deal, according to ESPN.com's Ric Bucher. Bucher says the Cavs are discussing a three-way trade that would see them land Andrew Bynum for a package that includes draft picks and Anderson Varejao. However, nothing is close.
Earlier updates:
- The Lakers have no interest in taking on Hedo Turkoglu in a deal for Howard, but could be open to taking on Jason Richardson's contract, says Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- There was no face-to-face meeting between Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and Magic GM Rob Hennigan yesterday to discuss Howard, according to Ramona Shelburne and Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- While the Cavaliers and Rockets have been involved in trade talks as a potential third-team facilitator, the most substantial talks have been directly between the Lakers and Magic.
- Although Howard will still not commit to signing an extension in Los Angeles, the team is willing to continue its pursuit of him without any assurances. It's not clear if the Magic feel the same way about Andrew Bynum, however.
- The Lakers have been "resistant" to the idea of taking on any bad contracts from Orlando, especially since signing Steve Nash to an expensive three-year deal.
- The latest round of Howard discussions "is starting to hamstring business around the league," and there's a belief that the Lakers or one of the other Howard suitors could pull out of talks at some point this week to focus on other moves, like the Nets did.
- If the Lakers back off of Howard, they'd turn their attention to re-signing Jordan Hill and extending Bynum.
Jeremy Lin Links: Reactions, Fallout, Analysis
Count me among those confused about the Knicks' decision not to match the Rockets' offer sheet to Jeremy Lin. While the $14.9MM 2014/15 cap hit would have been a bitter pill to swallow, there were ways around it, whether it meant trying to trade Lin's expiring contract or waiving him using the stretch provision. Considering the Knicks were willing to commit money to Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby, and Steve Novak for 2014/15, it seems odd that the team would draw the line for Lin, the only player in that group that will still be in his prime by that point.
Of course, everyone else has an opinion on how Lin's free agency played out, so let's round up some of the reactions and the fallout to the point guard's $25.1MM deal with the Rockets….
Latest On Courtney Lee
With most of the big-name free agents off the board, Courtney Lee appears to be the top option remaining on the market among wing players. As such, he's drawing plenty of interest — Paul Flannery of WEEI.com writes that agent Dan Fegan advised Lee to be patient, and that patience is close to paying off.
If the Timberwolves' offer sheet to Nicolas Batum is matched by Portland, as expected, both Minnesota and Phoenix will have plenty of cap space to use on Lee. The 26-year-old is also drawing interest from the Bulls and Celtics, though those clubs would likely have to acquire Lee via sign-and-trade.
A deal with Chicago might pique the Rockets' interest, as the Bulls have a $5MM trade exception that could be used to avoid sending salary back to Houston. As the Rockets pursue Omer Asik and Dwight Howard, it's unlikely the team would want to absorb any contracts, which a trade with Boston would require. According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Lee has expressed a "strong interest" in playing for Doc Rivers and the Celtics, but with a sign-and-trade difficult to work out and the bi-annual exception unlikely to be enough for Lee, that appears to be a long shot.
Lee may have been a Plan B for some teams that missed out on players like Batum, Eric Gordon, and O.J. Mayo, but as one of the top available targets out there now, he appears to be in line for a lucrative deal.
Knicks Won’t Match Offer Sheet For Lin
9:31pm: Al Iannazzone of Newsday tweets that the Knicks have confirmed to him that they will not match Houston's offer sheet to Jeremy Lin. Yahoo's Marc J. Spears also reiterated (via Twitter) the same report from a Knicks spokesman and says that Lin is now a member of the Rockets.
Free Agent Rumors: Timberwolves, Rush, Mills
A couple more notable names came off the free agent market this morning, when Kris Humphries landed a two-year deal from the Nets and Grant Hill agreed to sign with the Clippers. While a number of solid rotation players are still available, the market is rapidly thinning for teams in search of starters. As clubs continue to jockey to sign the remaining available players, we'll track many of today's free agent rumors right here:
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune lists who the Timberwolves will target with nearly $14MM in cap space if they lose out on Nicolas Batum, specifically highlighting Courtney Lee, Jordan Hill, and Greg Stiemsma.
- Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times says that despite the delay on an official decision regarding Brandon Rush's future, the Warriors are still likely to retain him.
Earlier updates:
Lakers, Rockets Continue Pursuing Dwight Howard
5:45pm: Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal cites a team executive involved in the discussions between the Lakers and Magic who says that both teams have been talking about Dwight for weeks but haven't been making much progress. Lloyd also references an Eastern Conference executive who believes that the Magic are in no hurry to move Howard and are holding out for the Rockets to improve their offer.
Jeremy Lin Rumors: Tuesday
With the Knicks still not confirming exactly when they received the Rockets' offer sheet for Jeremy Lin, we can assume their deadline is tonight, even if we're not 100% sure. If a decision is indeed due later today, we can finally expect resolution on a topic that's sparked a ton of debate over the last couple days. A number of reports on the weekend suggested the Knicks were leaning toward not matching Houston's offer, but it appears no definitive decision has been made yet, as Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets. Here are the latest updates on Lin and his $25.1MM offer sheet….
- ESPN.com's Larry Coon points out (in an Insider-only piece) that if the Knicks matched Lin's offer sheet and wanted to get out from under the third year of his deal, they could waive him using the stretch provision. The provision would allow the Knicks to spread Lin's $14.9MM 2014/15 salary over the next three years, at less than $5MM annually.
Earlier updates: