Odds & Ends: Heat, T-Wolves, 76ers, Jackson
On this day in 2008, the Heat parted ways with Shaquille O'Neal, shipping him to Phoenix in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Although Shaq saw a boost in his production for the next year and a half, he didn't win a playoff series in Phoenix — the Suns fell to the Spurs in the first round in 2008, then failed to make the postseason a year later. Here are a few items of note from around the league, starting with one of Shaq's former teams:
- In a perfect world, the Heat would add a bulkier center and a veteran point guard, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts today, as Chuck Myron outlined in our primer over the weekend. At SB Nation, Scott Schroeder looks at a few D-League players who are candidates for NBA contracts.
- The Timberwolves have assigned Malcolm Lee to their D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. A 2011 second-round pick, Lee had knee surgery in December and has yet to make his NBA debut.
- John Hollinger of ESPN.com (Insider link) wonders if the 76ers could clear cap space and pursue Eric Gordon this offseason.
- Magic GM Otis Smith shouldn't have acted on Dwight Howard's personnel suggestions and signed Glen Davis this offseason, argues Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Meanwhile, Chris Paul, who's all too familiar with trade rumors, has some words of advice for Howard, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes.
- Stephen Jackson told Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he couldn't say whether or not he's asked Bucks management for a trade.
Kenyon Martin Granted Unrestricted Free Agency
NBA teams were informed today that Kenyon Martin has become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Martin's former Chinese team, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, failed to reply to a request for a letter of clearance, so FIBA made the decision to clear him, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
The Heat have already extended an offer to Martin, while the Clippers intend to make him a formal offer as well. The Hawks also met with the the 34-year-old's representatives this week, reports Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Stein hears that West teams probably have an edge based on the minutes they could offer (Twitter link), and the Clips "like their chances," according to Broderick Turner of the L.A. Times. However, Martin is intrigued by the role he could play in Atlanta, Wojnarowski tweets.
Since the restrictions on Martin's availability were lifted earlier than expected, Monday's report suggesting he'll decide where to sign by this weekend seems more logical. The Lakers, Spurs, and Knicks are among the other teams who have some interest in the power forward.
Heat Make Offers To Przybilla, Martin
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports that the Miami Heat have offered contracts to both Joel Przybilla and Kenyon Martin.
We heard earlier about the mutual interest between Przybilla and the Heat, and it was reported that a decision is expected to be made by the end of this week. Ira Winderman of South Florida Sun Sentinel indicated (via Twitter) that Przybilla is leaning toward selecting the Heat over the Bulls, who have also shown interest. It was also noted that Kenyon Martin could make his decision by this weekend as well.
The current Heat roster stands at the maximum of 15 players, so Miami would need to find a way to clear a roster spot for Przybilla and/or Martin if they accept their respective offers. Terrell Harris and Mickell Gladness, two rookies who are currently playing on unguaranteed contracts, are candidates to be waived.
Odds & Ends: Nowitzki, Noah, Heat, Wizards
This year's later-than-usual trade deadline means we shouldn't expect the same amount of February player movement we'd normally see. Still, flipping the calendar page from to January to February means we're that much closer to seeing a few deals go down. While we wait to see where Dwight Howard, Chris Kaman, and the rest of this year's trade candidates land, let's round up today's odds and ends from around the league:
- Asked about his future in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Dirk Nowitzki said he plans to play "at least two more years" in the NBA (hat tip to BallinEurope.com). I wouldn't read too much into that statement — even when Dirk's current contract with the Mavericks expires in 2014, he'll be just 36. I'd be surprised to see him retire at that point, barring a major injury or drop-off in the next couple seasons.
- Joakim Noah admitted to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that the pressure he felt after signing a $60MM contract extension with the Bulls contributed to his struggles early this season.
- The Heat have kept their expectations for the Eddy Curry experiment in check, and still may look to add another center, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sentinel. Their first choice is presumably Joel Przybilla, who will reportedly decide between the Heat and Bulls this week.
- Despite the team's struggles this season, president Ernie Grunfeld doesn't intend to abandon the Wizards' long-term strategy, as he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- Chris Paul's departure has left something of a leadership void in New Orleans, writes Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- Marcus Banks has officially joined the D-League's Idaho Stampede, tweets Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. The eight-year NBA veteran signed with the D-League last week.
Joel Przybilla To Decide Between Bulls, Heat
Kenyon Martin isn't the only player expected to decide on a team by this weekend. Joel Przybilla's agent, Bill Duffy, tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link) that Przybilla will choose between the Bulls and the Heat by the end of the week. Duffy adds that the proximity of Chicago to Przybilla's family in Wisconsin won't be a factor in his decision (Twitter link).
Limited by knee injuries a year ago, Przybilla played in 36 games for the Trail Blazers and Bobcats. The 32-year-old's 2010/11 rates of 4.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per 36 minutes were down slightly from his career averages of 7.2 and 11.3. Przybilla reportedly considered retiring in the offseason, but ultimately decided against it. Last Thursday, Duffy said his client probably wouldn't sign for "a few more weeks," so it appears that timetable has been moved up a little.
The Heat have no exceptions or cap space available, so they'd only be able to offer Przybilla the veteran's minimum. The Bulls, on the other hand, could use their bi-annual exception on the former ninth overall pick, if they so choose. I'm guessing they're also offering the minimum and will save their BAE for next season.
The Celtics, Bucks, and Blazers also had interest in Przybilla, but are now out of the running, tweets Deveney.
Kenyon Martin Decision Expected This Week
Kenyon Martin is expected to make a decision on where he'll sign by this weekend, reports Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports. Spears mentions that the Lakers, Clippers, Heat, Spurs, Hawks, and Knicks have expressed interest in adding Martin, though it's not clear if Martin's choices are limited to those teams or if others could get involved. For his part, the former first overall pick would like to sign with a winning team that can offer him consistent minutes.
Martin signed with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China during the lockout, but reached an agreement on a buyout in December. Although the 34-year-old was bought out before the American season got underway, he can't officially sign with an NBA team until the Flying Tigers' season ends, which could happen as soon as February 16th. If the Tigers make the CBA postseason, however, Martin would be in for a longer wait. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com points out (via Twitter) that Xinjiang is currently a half-game out of the playoff race.
While the Clippers, Spurs, Hawks, and Knicks all retain some form of exception they could put toward Martin, none of those teams appear to have the full MLE, a pro-rated portion of $5MM, available. Still, they can offer more than the Lakers or Heat, who have already used their mini MLEs, as I outlined yesterday. The Lakers acquired an $8.9MM trade exception when they dealt Lamar Odom to Dallas, but it can't be used on a free agent signing. If Martin were to sign with the Lakers or Heat, it would have to be for the veteran's minimum.
If Martin decides to sign elsewhere, the Lakers may have some interest in Rasheed Wallace, according to Spears. Wallace, who officially retired in 2010, is said to be considering a comeback.
Odds & Ends: Sessions, Kings, Mavs, Hornets
On January 31st, 1979, the Cleveland Cavaliers sent Terry Furlow to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Butch Lee and a 1983 first-round pick. Both Furlow and Lee played their last NBA minutes in 1980, but that '83 draft pick ended up in the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, who used it to select Derek Harper. Harper went on to score over 16,000 points in his 16-year NBA career — nearly five times the combined career totals for Furlow and Lee.
As for January 31st, 2012, here are a few items from around the Association:
- Ramon Sessions isn't surprised to hear his name involved in trade rumors, writes Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer. The Lakers have inquired about the point guard's availability and the Cavaliers are receiving interest from other clubs as well.
- Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter links) spoke with Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof who spoke highly of the jobs that GM Petrie and coach Keith Smart are doing. Last night, it was reported that the club could be looking to replace Petrie, who has been with the Kings since 1994.
- After J.J. Barea departed in the offseason, the Mavericks managed to replace him admirably and cheaply, as Jeff Caplan writes at ESPNDallas.com.
- There shouldn't be any sense of security for Hornets players, with a major roster overhaul coming this offseason, or sooner, says John DeShazier of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) checks in on the stocks of a few college players. While Anthony Davis still has a stranglehold on the top spot on Ford's draft board, the rest of the top five is in flux.
- Heat fans may have a love affair with Michael Beasley, but there probably would never have been a Big Three in Miami if Beasley had put it together during his time with the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- A few members of ESPN.com's TrueHoop network discussed Dwight Howard and other potential trade candidates.
2011/12 Taxpayer Mid-Level Exceptions Update
The NBA's latest Collective Bargaining Agreement introduced a new kind of mid-level exception for teams who are paying the luxury tax. Rather than the four-year contract starting at $5MM (with 4.5% raises) available to non-taxpayers, teams over the tax line can offer a "mini" MLE of up to three years, starting at $3MM (4.5% raises).
Let's check in the status of those exceptions, and see which teams can still offer a pro-rated portion of that $3MM maximum to free agents:
Available
- Spurs: Though waiving the retired Antonio McDyess reduced the Spurs' cap figure somewhat, the team still only has access to the mini mid-level exception rather than the full MLE. They could use it to attempt to sign a front-court player like Kenyon Martin, though it doesn't sound like they're overly interested in him. As close to the tax line as they are, it's possible San Antonio tries to get under it by season's end, rather than adding more salary. Here's the uninspiring list of current free agents the Spurs could be eyeing.
Used
- Celtics: They used their mini MLE on December 9th, signing Chris Wilcox to a one-year deal worth $3MM.
- Heat: They used their full mini MLE on December 9th, signing Shane Battier to a three-year deal.
- Lakers: They used their mini MLE on December 14th, signing Josh McRoberts to a two-year deal. He'll receive $3MM this season and a 4.5% raise for 2012/13.
- Mavericks: They used their mini MLE on December 12th, signing Vince Carter to a three-year deal. While Carter will receive the max ($3MM) this season, his subsequent raises are just 3%, and years two and three are only partially guaranteed.