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Odds & Ends: Nowitzki, Noah, Heat, Wizards

February 1st, 2012 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

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

February 1st, 2012 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

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

February 1st, 2012 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

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

January 31st, 2012 at 10:06pm CST by Luke Adams

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

January 31st, 2012 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

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.