Jason Kidd To Decide Between Mavs, Knicks
On the heels of Deron Williams' decision to re-sign with the Nets, Jason Kidd will not follow him there, tweets ESPN.com's Ric Bucher.
Bucher reported earlier this week that Kidd's desire was to become Williams' backup in either Dallas or Brooklyn, depending on where it was the star point guard chose to play.
Jeremy Lin To Meet With Rockets
5:43PM: In a tweet from Hoopsworld.com's Alex Kennedy, Houston may make a three-year "poison pill" offer to Jeremy Lin that pays Lin $5MM, $5.2MM and $13.8MM. The move would be similar to what the Rockets did earlier this week with restricted free agent Omer Asik.
1:51PM: Restricted free agent Jeremy Lin will visit the Rockets tomorrow, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. The meeting is yet another indication that Houston is increasingly pessimistic about bringing back Goran Dragic. The Rockets are expected to offer a contract similar to the one Dragic turned down, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Marcus Camby Considering Six Teams
TUESDAY, 1:06pm: Camby has updated his wish list, replacing the Celtics with the Nets, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The timing is a little odd, as Brooklyn committed its mid-level exception to Mirza Teletovic today, so Camby would have to sign for the bi-annual exception or veteran's minimum to end up in Brooklyn.
The Rockets, Knicks, Heat, Spurs, and Mavericks are Camby's other options.
Free Agent Rumors: Lin, Hinrich, Kaman, Nash
While a report surfaced last night suggesting that the Knicks may be reluctant to match a backloaded offer to Jeremy Lin, it doesn't appear that such an offer will come from Brooklyn. According to TNT's David Aldridge, the Nets haven't reached out to Lin, and appear to be viewing Steve Nash as Plan B if they can't lock up Deron Williams. Let's round up a few more free agent tidbits from around the league….
- While an earlier report (linked below) from K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune suggests the Bulls will only offer the minimum to Kirk Hinrich, Johnson says he's now emerging as the team's top target (Twitter link).
- Chris Kaman had a "positive" meeting with the Pacers today, but no offer was made, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes Lin and Nash may be an either/or proposition for the Knicks.
Earlier updates:
Lakers, Others Eyeing Grant Hill
Back in March, Grant Hill told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he hopes to keep playing in the NBA until he "can't go or it's not fun anymore." Hill doesn't seem to be contemplating retirement this summer, so he must still be having fun. He also recently underwent the platelet-enrichment procedure that Kobe Bryant popularized among NBA players, according to Ric Bucher of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Bucher adds that the Lakers, Suns, Raptors, and Knicks are among the teams with interest in signing the veteran forward.
Knicks May Not Match Backloaded Lin Offer
If any clubs offer Jeremy Lin a backloaded contract that pays him an eight-figure salary in the third and fourth years, the Knicks may think twice about matching the offer, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. With a more punitive luxury tax in the years ahead, paying Lin upwards of $10MM in 2014/15 and 2015/16 could prove to be extremely costly for the Knicks.
Latest On Steve Nash
8:42pm: Nash met with the Raptors and Knicks today while the Nets will make their pitch tomorrow morning, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Nets like Nash both as a potential Deron Williams replacement and teammate.
4:22pm: Nash is meeting with the Nets today, a league source tells Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
1:39pm: Nash tells ESPN.com's Marc Stein (Twitter link) that he's eager to talk to the Mavericks if their pursuit of Deron Williams falls through. However, Stein hears that the Knicks and Raptors are Nash's top two choices at the moment, in no particular order.
Atlantic Notes: Young, Teletovic, Allen, Gordon
Earlier this afternoon we learned that the Raptors have offered Steve Nash a three-year, $36MM deal. The aging point guard is also being courted by the division rival Nets, Knicks, as well as the Mavericks. Here's the latest out of the Atlantic..
Free Agent Rumors: Terry, Lewis, Bass, Young
As the first day of free agency continues, reports continue to pour in on teams reaching out to certain players, perhaps to schedule meetings or make contract offers. We've rounded up plenty of those items already today, but we'll use this space to follow a few more updates, as they come in….
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: