Latest On Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum
9:43pm: SI.com's Chris Mannix suggests the Magic, who league executives believe are determined not to cave into Howard's demands, may prefer to wait to make a move until after January 15th, when trading for Brook Lopez once again becomes a possibility. That would give the Magic a chance to see how Lopez has healed from his broken foot, Mannix says.
8:59pm: The Magic didn't really try to convince Howard to stay in today's meeting, as Hennigan simply saw it as an opportunity to build trust, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Hennigan and the other Magic officials didn't talk to Howard about their head coaching search, Robbins adds. (Twitter links). The Magic expected Howard to reiterate his trade demands, however, and the team isn't deterred from its plan, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard reports via Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link).
8:41pm: Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com has details on the meeting between Howard and Hennigan, reporting that Hennigan, just hired this summer to replace Otis Smith, expressed a desire to get to know D12, while Howard wanted to see his plan for improving the team and was disappointed not to find out about it during the hour-long meeting. Hennigan told Howard he didn't have any trade in the works and wasn't sure how to respond to what Howard was telling him. Other teams are getting frustrated with the Magic's half-hearted attempts to trade Howard, and Wojnarowski reports the Magic are looking for strong package in return, similar to what the Nuggets got for Carmelo Anthony (Twitter link).
8:29pm: The Mavs are the "overwhelming favorite" to sign Howard if he winds up in free agency next summer, Wojnarowski hears, adding that Howard's camp has consistently warned the Rockets not to trade for him, with the threat of moving to their in-state rivals (Twitter links).
8:26pm: Chris Mannix of SI.com hears Howard would be open to re-signing with the Lakers after the season (Twitter link). Howard expressed his curiousity to Hennigan about why the Magic didn't make a trade while other stars, like Joe Johnson and Steve Nash, were on the move, Wojnarowski tweets.
8:19pm: Dwight Howard, in his meeting with Magic GM Rob Hennigan and Magic officials, gave the team three options: an immediate trade to the Lakers, a midseason trade to the Nets, or a clean break next summer, Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM tweets.
Meanwhile, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has left the door open to trading for Dwight Howard, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Shelburne hears the Lakers' stance hasn't changed, as they still believe a year with the Lakers would convince Howard to re-sign with the team next summer even if he's unwilling to make a long-term commitment to the team now. Still, the Lakers are unwilling to take on other lucrative deals the Magic want to include in a Howard trade. Shelburne also reports that Andrew Bynum's agent, David Lee, says he has not spoken with Kupchak about an extension for his client, refuting Kupchak's comments to the contrary.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports hears that the fact the Magic have waited so long to pull the trigger on a deal has hurt their offers (Twitter link).
7:55pm: Howard reiterated to Hennigan tonight that he doesn't want to stay in Orlando, and said he'll leave as a free agent next summer if the Magic refuse to trade him, Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com reports. Still, Hennigan is in no rush to move Howard without "acceptable compensation" in return (All four Twitter links).
Magic Sign Jameer Nelson
JULY 25TH, 7:56am: Nelson's deal will pay him $8.6MM in each of the first two seasons, and $8MM in year three, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. The third season is partially guaranteed, but Nelson could make over $25MM if he receives the full guarantee.
JULY 16TH, 9:20pm: Jameer Nelson has signed a three-year deal with the Magic, tweets the Orlando Sentinel's Joshua Robbins.
JULY 5TH, 2:34pm: Nelson's agent confirmed to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that Nelson's new contract will be for three years (Twitter link).
9:52am: Jameer Nelson and the Magic have reached an agreement on a new contract, according to Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). The point guard turned down his player option for 2012/13 in hopes of signing a multiyear deal to remain in Orlando.
Reports on the amount of Nelson's 2012/13 option varied from source to source, perhaps due to incentives included in the deal, but it would have paid him at least $7MM, and perhaps in excess of $8MM. However, Nelson wasn't interested in playing on an expiring contract and becoming a year-long trade chip. While his new contract may not match the annual salary he would've earned in 2012/13, it's a near certainty that it will be for at least two or three years.
Nelson struggled at times this past season, setting a career-low in FG% (.427), and averaging just 11.9 PPG and 14.6 PER. But the 30-year-old is still a capable point guard and has expressed a desire to stay in Orlando long-term, something that can't be said about all the players on the Magic roster.
Nelson is the latest domino to fall on the point guard market, as Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Goran Dragic, George Hill, and Andre Miller have already agreed to deals.
Kennedy’s Latest: Howard, Magic, Warriors
In addition to listing the best remaining free agents, Alex Kennedy provides some updates on the Dwight Howard situation, the Magic's coaching search, and the Warriors' offseason in his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld. Let's check out the highlights….
- In recent days, the Magic have shifted their focus away from Howard trade talks and toward convincing the star center to remain in Orlando. According to Kennedy, GM Rob Hennigan and members of the Magic front office will travel to Los Angeles later this week to meet with Howard face-to-face and deliver a presentation that they hope will convince him to stay.
- Sources within the organization are confident they can make Howard reconsider his standing trade request, says Kennedy. With the Nets out of the picture until January, the Magic believe Orlando ranks favorably alongside other potential destinations for D12. While I think it's possible the Magic decide not to trade Howard, I think convincing him that he wants to stay in Orlando may be a long shot.
- The Magic are expected to hire a coach within "the next several days." The new hire will likely accompany Hennigan to Los Angeles for the pitch to Howard. According to Kennedy, Jacque Vaughn remains the frontrunner, but Michael Curry and Lindsey Hunter are still in the mix.
- Kennedy spoke to Warriors coach Mark Jackson, who said he likes where his team is right now and thinks Golden State got a "steal" in Andrew Bogut.
- Jackson on the Warriors potentially making more moves: "We just want to continue to add depth. Obviously, I think we need another big body. We’re going to pay attention to what’s out there and continue to try to get better by any means necessary."
Magic May Not Trade Dwight Howard
The Magic have told rival executives that they might not trade Dwight Howard after all, sources told ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. An executive who has talked with the Magic said that the club only will trade Howard in a deal that is great for the franchise, a stance they have taken for the "last week or so."
Meanwhile, another exec who has had discussions with the Magic believes that they will start the season with the star center and wait until the trade deadline to move him. However, neither executive would rule out posturing by the Magic. Sources say that the Lakers and Rockets are also under the impression that the Magic won't trade Howard anytime soon.
In Saturday night's poll, nearly 57% of Hoops Rumors readers said that they believe Howard would wind up as a member of the Lakers. Meanwhile, just under 14% of those polled predicted that D12 would finish out 2012/13 with Orlando.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Celtics, Turiaf, Warriors
While it's always a little dangerous to read too much into Summer League results, it's still worth looking back at the month's top performers in Orlando and Las Vegas. A pair of SBNation.com scribes have done just that, with Mike Prada ranking the drafted rookies, from Damian Lillard to Fab Melo, while Scott Schroeder lists a few of the top "veterans," including Josh Selby, Tobias Harris, and Markieff Morris.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:
- We haven't heard many updates about the Dwight Howard talks involving the Magic, Lakers, and Cavaliers in the last couple days, but Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio hears they're not entirely dead — they're just in a holding pattern for now, with teams (particularly the Magic) weighing other options.
- An opposing executive tells Amico that it's too early to evaluate Chris Grant's job performance as Cavs GM.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com takes an in-depth look at the Celtics' roster and payroll situation
- Spain's Real Madrid is eyeing big men, and Ronny Turiaf is on their radar, according to Javier Maestro of Encestando.es (English link via HoopsWorld).
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com names a few forwards the Warriors could still potentially target in free agency.
Poll: Which Team Will Win Howard Sweepstakes?
The conversation surrounding Dwight Howard's future as a member of the Magic has consumed the thoughts and minds of front office executives, members of the media and fans across the globe. Month after month, rumors have surfaced with information that Howard's headed to one particular team in exchange for some group of players, picks and prospects, only to seemingly lose credibility and fall apart just as quickly as it came to fruition.
With no deal in sight, the Magic announced on Saturday that they hope to move Howard by the beginning of August to gain some sense of closure heading into the new season. The question becomes which team will win the sweepstakes and add arguably the best big man in the league to its roster.
Which Team Will Win The Dwight Howard Sweepstakes?
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Lakers 57% (1,759)
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None, he'll remain with the Magic for the entire 2012/13 season 14% (423)
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Rockets 11% (342)
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Nets 8% (262)
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Other 6% (187)
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Hawks 4% (115)
Total votes: 3,088
Magic Not In Hurry To Trade Dwight Howard
3:44pm: The Magic hope to have a deal by early August, reports Sam Amick of SI.com (Sulia link).
3:04pm: Magic officials continue to hold out for the best Dwight Howard deal, and are unlikely to trade him in the next few days, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes. The Rockets, a major player in trade talks, will be tied up while waiting for the Bulls to decide whether to match their offer sheet to Omer Asik, and it won't be clear what kind of cap space and assets Houston will have available until that situation is resolved, Kennedy says.
The Rockets and Lakers have been forced to bid against each other for Howard, and the Magic will weigh their final offers once the Bulls make their decision on Asik, according to Kennedy. Asik has signed the offer sheet but the Bulls have yet to see it, meaning the three-day period Chicago has to match is not yet under way. Last night, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio also noted the Magic's patient approach, but heard from an opposing team's GM who said there's no way the Magic can bring Howard to training camp in late September. I'm not sure if that deadline holds much weight, however, since Howard and the Magic already co-existed last season amid plenty of trade speculation, and there's no guarantee Howard's back will be healthy enough to allow him to make the start of camp anyway, though the big man insists he'll be ready for the season.
If Howard is still with the Magic come January 15th, when the Nets can trade Brook Lopez, Newsday's Rod Boone believes Orlando and Brooklyn would reinitiate talks, but obviously much can happen between now and then (Twitter link).
The Magic remain focused on their coaching search in the meantime, which is down to assistants Jacque Vaughn of the Spurs, Michael Curry of the Sixers and Lindsey Hunter of the Suns, Kennedy says. With the second round of interviews complete, Vaughn still appears to be the frontrunner, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, with Hunter the next choice. The next step involves meeting with the DeVos family, the owners of the team (Twitter links).
Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday
Last night, we heard from agent Dan Fegan that Dwight Howard would not be signing an in-season extension with any team that acquires him this year. This news comes as no surprise — even if Howard had been dealt to his preferred destination in Brooklyn, it would have been shocking if he'd immediately finalized a three-year extension, rather than waiting until next summer to ink a more lucrative five-year contract. And as many writers have pointed out, even a promise that he'd re-sign when he becomes a free agent is technically against NBA rules.
Regardless, if sounds like Howard is becoming more amenable to signing long-term with the Lakers, so it's hard not to consider L.A. the current frontrunner in the D12 sweepstakes. Here are today's Howard updates, with the latest news up top:
- Amico elaborates on the difficulty the Magic have been presenting possible trade partners, saying they keep changing the terms of potential deals at the last minute. A source tells Amico that Nets GM Billy King thought he had finalized a trade with the Magic at one point earlier this summer before the Magic pulled back.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reiterates that it's the Magic, rather than Bynum's or Howard's representatives, that are complicating a potential deal (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- The three-team talks involving the Magic, Lakers, and Cavaliers are running into the same problems that plagued Orlando's talks with the Nets, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The Magic aren't convinced that this is the best they can do for Howard, while the Cavs are reluctant to get too serious until they find out if Andrew Bynum would be open to committing long-term to Cleveland.
- Berger hears from one source that Howard was convinced to waive his early termination option in March by Magic officials that said if things didn't work out for Dwight in Orlando, the team would trade him to Brooklyn. However, another source tells Berger that no such promise was made to the star center.
- The Magic, Lakers, and Cavs are still "far" from finalizing any deal, but aren't deterred by comments made by Fegan or Bynum's agent David Lee, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link).
- Kris Humphries said today that he was never approached about accepting a sign-and-trade to the Cavs, so the Magic/Nets talks didn't advance that far, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Latest On Andrew Bynum
As many Dwight Howard rumors as we've been subjected to over the last few months, it's been easy to overlook that many of those trade rumors also include another All-Star center, who will hit free agency himself at just age 25 next summer. Andrew Bynum's agent David Lee was asked yesterday by Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal specifically about whether his client was interested in the Cavs, but Lee spoke to a number of reporters in more general terms as well, including Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com and Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. Here are the highlights from the two pieces:
- The Lakers have yet to grant any team linked to Bynum, such as the Cavs, Magic or Rockets, permission to speak to Lee.
- "I can't imagine any team foolish enough to do the deal without asking permission to speak to Andrew," Lee said. "That's beyond belief, but strange things happen." Based on Adrian Wojnarowski's report for Yahoo! Sports yesterday though, it sounds more like the Lakers are unwilling to let teams speak to Bynum without having agreed to a trade in principle.
- Lee denied that Bynum has a preferred list of destinations.
- ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (within Shelburne's piece) reports that Bynum is unlikely to sign an extension anywhere except maybe with the Lakers. Again, like the story on Howard last night, that's referring to an in-season extension, which would max out at three years and is unlikely for any star player.
- Extension discussions between the Lakers and Lee have yet to begin, but the agent expects them to get underway soon of the Howard trade talks drag out much longer.
- Also within Shelburne's piece, ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst adds that while the Cavs are interested in Bynum, the club has no choice but to view him as a one-year rental for now.
- The constant trade rumors haven't soured Bynum on the Lakers at all, according to Lee: "He's never had a problem with the organization despite all the things he has gone through. I don't think I've ever heard him offer a negative comment about the (Lakers) organization."
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.