Free Agent Rumors: Lucas, Camby, Lewis
Jeff Green reached an agreement to remain with the Celtics on Saturday, while Aaron Brooks became an unrestricted free agent after the Suns withdrew their qualifying offer to the guard. What will Sunday bring? Here are the latest rumors on a number of free agents still on the market:
- The Heat have interest in unrestricted free agent point guard John Lucas III, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
- Marcus Camby's meeting with the Knicks today was "very positive," a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, and Zwerling hears that Camby is drawn to the Knicks because of his "great relationship" with GM Glen Grunwald.
- "Everything went well" during the Heat's meeting with Rashard Lewis today, as Lewis' agent tells David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link). Lewis has yet to make a decision, with the Knicks and Hawks still in the running, Aldridge says.
Earlier updates:
Shannon Brown Interested In Returning To Suns
Fresh off of a career season with the Suns, Shannon Brown has expressed interest in returning to Phoenix next year, according to Paul Coro of AZCentral.com.
"I would like to come back, (and) I understand it's a business at the same time. Whatever happens, happens, but I've expressed my interest."
Coro writes that Brown's thought process in free agency will be based on the plans of Steve Nash, with whom he enjoyed sharing the back court with. The 6'4 guard also mentioned that he does not want to play on another one-year contract again, for fear that falling out of the rotation could signal the end of his playing career. In February, Coro documented Shannon's frustration as he struggled to crack Alvin Gentry's rotation. However, Brown was able to find his niche after the All-Star break, earning 23.3 MPG in March and 29.9 MPG in April (compared to 18.8 in February).
The former Michigan State Spartan played on a one-year, $3.5 MM contract with the Suns this season and averaged a career high in minutes (23.7), points (11.0), and shot attempts (10.1), while shooting 42% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range. To his credit, Brown averaged 14.9 PPG and 39.2% from three in the final month of the season, when Phoenix was still playing meaningful games to secure a playoff spot.
Pacific Notes: Smith, Brown, Arenas, Howard
Chris Paul is confident about the Clippers' chances of landing J.R. Smith when the former Nugget returns from China, but Smith's Twitter profile suggests a number of teams are in play, including one he hasn't been linked to yet. Smith's Twitter bio simple reads: "NYK? LAL? LAC? CHI? ORL? iNDI?" While there's no guarantee the 26-year-old is deciding between just those six teams, the Magic are an interesting inclusion, given the uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard. Hoops Rumors readers voted the Clippers as the frontrunner for Smith yesterday.
Here are a few more items out of the Pacific Division:
- Lakers coach Mike Brown confirmed that he spoke with free agent guard J.R. Smith today over the phone, tweets J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today.
- Shannon Brown signed a one-year deal with the Suns prior to the season because he thought he'd get a chance to play and increase his value, but it hasn't been working out that way, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
- In a series of tweets, Ramona Sherburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com explains why she thinks the Lakers should sign Gilbert Arenas, assuming he's healthy.
- Looking at a few realistic trade destinations for Dwight Howard, ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) evaluated how Howard's potential teammates would complement the star center. Hollinger determined that the Clippers' Chris Paul would be the best partner for Howard, while the Lakers' Andrew Bynum would be the worst.