Raja Bell, Jazz Agree To Contract Buyout
After reporting last night that the Jazz were close to reaching a buyout agreement with Raja Bell, Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune confirms that the two sides have reached a verbal agreement on a contract buyout. Once the deal is made official and Bell becomes an unrestricted free agent, he'll be free to sign with any team in the league, and the veteran says he intends to explore all his options.
Wojnarowski On Howard, Bynum, Nets
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports took to Twitter earlier today to write about Andrew Bynum's interest in the Mavericks, Cavaliers and Rockets as the Lakers center looks forward to free agency next summer. Wojnarowski has also been on top of the latest developments in the Dwight Howard saga today, and his latest story reveals plenty about arguably the two best centers in the NBA. We've got the highlights here:
- The Magic have "a strong distaste" for prolonged trade discussions about Howard, Wojnarowski reports, and the front office is united in its desire to find the best deal for Howard and send him on his way.
- Bynum's reluctance to commit to the Magic long-term if he were to be traded to Orlando has made the Nets the frontrunner for Howard, since the Magic don't want to acquire Bynum just to lose him next summer. The Lakers also compromised their ability to make a deal for Howard by sending their 2013 and 2015 first-round picks to the Suns in the Steve Nash deal.
- If Bynum is still with the Lakers after Howard is traded, he'll have "strong incentive" to sign an extension to remain in L.A. for the long term, sources told Wojnarowski.
Mavericks, Cavaliers, Rockets May Interest Bynum
Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that the Mavericks and Cavaliers are teams with cap space that could interest Andrew Bynum during his pending free agency in 2013. He also mentions the Rockets as another potential suitor. The Lakers recently exercised Bynum's $16.1MM team option for the 2012-13 season, and the 24-year-old center is currently slated to become a free agent next summer.
Odds & Ends: Kobe, Stiemsma, Batum, Allen
After Team USA's first practice Friday afternoon, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant told reporters, including Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter), that he's not so sure that the team is done making trades. "I don't think that they're done. The moves they make just seem to come out of nowhere," Bryant said. Here's some more Saturday afternoon linkage..
Free Agent Rumors: Meeks, Sessions, Gee, Cavs
The Rockets are now in play for free agent guard Ramon Sessions, a source tells Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. The 26-year-old is said to be seeking a starting job and the security of a multiyear deal, something that the Mavericks seem prepared to offer. We ran down the day’s free agent rumors earlier today, here’s the latest batch..
Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday
In yesterday's round-up of Dwight Howard rumors, we heard that the Nets and Magic were "still plugging away" in negotiations, and that the Magic are seeking cap relief in any deal. The Lakers also remain in the hunt, as Kobe Bryant would welcome the opportunity to play with Howard, even if he won't actively recruit him. As the Howard trade talks continue, we'll round up Friday's updates right here, with the latest items up top:
- There hasn't been any movement on the Howard talks today, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). In addition to the Nets and Lakers, the Hawks, Mavericks, and Rockets remain in play, Berger adds.
Earlier updates:
Free Agent Rumors: Jamison, Sessions, Lewis
Five days into free agency, a number of big names, such as Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, are off the market. But there are still plenty of players out there looking for contracts. We'll wrap up many of today's free agent updates right here, with the latest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- Antawn Jamison had dinner in Charlotte with Bobcats executives Rod Higgins and Rich Cho, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The former UNC star has also been talking to Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Jamison's former agent, and will chat with head coach Mark Jackson in the near future.
- The Mavericks have reached out to Ramon Sessions for a second time and pitched a starting job to the veteran point guard, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
- Rashard Lewis will visit the Heat this weekend after having his contract bought out by the Hornets, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter links). The Hawks and the Knicks are among other teams interested in the veteran forward.
Earlier updates:
Dwight Howard Rumors: Thursday
3:13pm: One league executive tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that, with Nash on board, the Lakers may not need assurances that Howard will sign long-term to acquire him. Wojnarowski adds that, while Kobe Bryant won't actively try to recruit Howard, sources says Kobe would welcome Dwight as a teammate.
Wojnarowski also says the Nets are "working relentlessly" on a trade for Howard, but that the Magic's preferred target remains Andrew Bynum.
Lakers Rumors: Bynum, Gasol, Beasley, Sessions
The Lakers made their first big splash of the 2012/13 season last night, agreeing to a sign-and trade deal to acquire Suns point guard Steve Nash. After news of the agreement broke, there was speculation that it might be just the first shoe to drop for the Lakers. However, Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears from a source that L.A. expects to keep its core intact, suggesting you shouldn't hold your breath for a trade involving Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol (Twitter link). Here are a few more Thursday morning Lakers notes:
Free Agent Rumors: Hill, Dragic, McGee, Shved
Happy Fourth of July to all of our American readers! Even though it's a holiday, we're expecting more free agent developments, so we'll be providing our usual updates all day long. Here are a few of Wednesday's more minor free agent rumors, with the latest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News tweets that Grant Hill will either join Steve Nash in signing with the Lakers or retire.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic tweets that the Suns are unwilling to offer Goran Dragic the $10MM per year he is reportedly seeking.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears that negotiations between JaVale McGee and the Nuggets are "going well."
Earlier updates: