The Lakers and Magic have had preliminary contact about a possible deal for Dwight Howard, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The Nets and Rockets have also talked to Magic officials, sources said.
SUNDAY, 12:53pm: Clark changed his mind on his option and informed the Magic on Friday that he has decided to opt in, according to Alex Kennedy (Twitter links). The move will put him on Orlando's books for $1.24MM next season.
THURSDAY, 2:08pm: Magic backup big man Earl Clark is declining his $1.24MM option for next season and will become an unrestricted free agent, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports, via Twitter. Clark signed a two-year, $2.4MM deal before the season that included the option. The Magic acquired Clark, a former 14th overall pick by the Suns, at midseason in 2010/11, but he's seen little playing time.
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).
SUNDAY, 1:07am: The new management team in Orlando won't trade Howard until it has completed its due diligence, tweets TNT's David Aldridge. According to Aldridge, Hennigan and the front office won't let outside talk force them into making a decision before they're ready.
SATURDAY, 10:23pm: Howard has sought to nullify his decision to opt in to the final year of his contract, Broussard reports, but the players union will not pursue the complaint. There's no chance such a nullification will happen, league sources tell Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link). Howard told Hennigan he thought the Magic had blackmailed him into opting in, according to Broussard.
With free agency underway, Jordan Hill appears to be something of a hot commodity. We've already heard today that the Warriors are expected to kick the tires on the big man, who will also meet with the Timberwolves on Monday. The Lakers have interest in bringing Hill back, and have had a "very good discussion" with his agent tonight, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). McMenamin says the Magic have expressed interest as well (Twitter link), while Sean Deveney of the Sporting News tweets that the Heat and Suns are also in pursuit.
Jameer Nelson decided yesterday to opt out of his contract, which will make him an unrestricted free agent this summer. However, turning down his player option with the Magic doesn't mean Nelson doesn't want to return to Orlando. According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, signing a long-term deal with the Magic is still Nelson's number one goal, and the point guard confirmed as much on Twitter today
"Like I have said over and over," Nelson tweeted. "I'd love to stay a Magic and I would love to play for the best fans in the NBA. And I still have faith that it can happen. So again thanks you guys for all the support."
Here are a few more updates on some soon-to-be free agents….
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:
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:
10:38pm: Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel spoke with Nelson, who explained his decision.
"I would love to re-sign with Orlando," Nelson said. "I would love to. I have to make the best decision — what's best for myself and my family. But I want to continue to be a Magic player and be affiliated with the organization and the DeVos family and everything they're about."
6:51pm: Jameer Nelson has informed the Magic he's turning down his option for next season and will become an unrestricted free agent, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. Nelson was in line to make $7.6MM in the final season of a five-year deal. Nelson joins a crowded class of veteran unrestricted free agent points that includes Deron Williams, Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups, among others.
Eight years ago today, the Rockets made one of the biggest trades in team history, sending Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to the Magic in exchange for Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines. GM Daryl Morey and the Rockets may have been looking to make a similarly big splash this June, but draft day came and went without a major trade from Houston. Still, if nothing else, the Rockets accumulated a ton of talent Thursday night, drafting Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, and Terrence Jones with their three first-round picks.
Here are a few more Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA: