Jameer Nelson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Pistons, Kobe, Nelson, Nene, Nets

May 2nd, 2012 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Some Wednesday afternoon items from around the NBA:

Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News identifies John Henson as a potential fit for the Pistons in the draft and explores the team's upcoming amnesty-related decision.
Prior to last season's blood-platelet therapy, Kobe Bryant was seriously questioning his basketball future, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
In addition to conducting a Cavaliers-centric chat this afternoon, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio examined a few potential NBA coaching openings.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com also answered questions in a chat that featured a number of interesting draft tidbits.
The Magic and their fans shouldn't let the Dwight Howard saga overshadow Jameer Nelson's future in Orlando, argues Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes about the positive influence Nene had on the Wizards' young players following the deal that sent him to Washington in March. When I previewed the Wizards' offseason yesterday, I noted that finding another strong veteran presence like Nene could have a strong impact on the team's young nucleus.
Fred Kerber of the New York Post wonders which of the Nets' free agents will be re-signed this summer.

Jameer Nelson Likely To Opt Out

April 26th, 2012 at 8:38pm CST by Sean Highkin

ESPNFlorida.com's Andrew Melnick reports (via Twitter) that point guard Jameer Nelson is likely to opt out of his contract with the Magic and become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Earlier today, Nelson said he wants to spend the rest of his career in Orlando. Because of this, it is likely that Nelson will opt out only to negotiate a deal with the Magic that goes beyond next season. His contract was due to expire after the 2012/13 season if he picked up his option.

Nelson, 29, is averaging 12.4 PPG and 5.7 APG this season. His option for next season is expected to be worth $8.6MM.

Nelson Wants To Spend Career With Magic

April 26th, 2012 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Dwight Howard may have spent a good chunk of the year going back and forth on whether he wanted to remain in Orlando, but teammate Jameer Nelson is more certain about his preference.

"My thing is, I definitely want to be here next year and for the rest of my career," Nelson told Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. "I’m just focusing on winning games and helping my team win and lead the team. But definitely it’s something in the back of my mind. But, like I said, I can’t focus on it as much as I would like to. I’ll sit down with my team and my family at the end of the season and discuss what’s going on and what are the possibilities."

Nelson holds a player option for 2012/13 and hasn't decided whether or not to exercise it. Contract databases like Storytellers Contracts and ShamSports put the value of the option year at $8.6MM, though Robbins says it's worth about $7.8MM. Either way, it's likely a larger salary than Nelson would earn next season if he opted out, but given all the uncertainty surrounding the Magic, it's not an automatic decision for the point guard. If he opts in, he could be viewed as a trade chip by a new GM or see his role change under a new coach.

After struggling early in the season, Nelson has performed well in the second half, averaging 14.3 points and 6.1 assists per game since the All-Star Break, on .448/.419/.786 shooting.

Kyler’s Latest: Williams, Nash, Nelson, Hibbert

April 5th, 2012 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

Within his preview of a few of the summer's top free agents, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld shares some rumors on the potential landing spots for those players. Let's check out the highlights….

The Deron Williams sweepstakes are the Nets' to lose. If the team can't surround Williams with satisfactory talent, expect the point guard to sign elsewhere.
Kyler hears the Suns have "put the idea of a two-year, $20MM offer on the table" for Steve Nash. Nash is said to be seeking a three-year deal, and if Phoenix were to add an extra year, it would almost certainly be the best offer the veteran would receive. Still, Kyler points out that Nash has earned well over $100MM in his NBA career, so he won't necessarily just take the highest salary.
Jameer Nelson has yet to decide on his player option for next season. While he's very unlikely to find a higher salary for 2012/13 on the open market, Nelson could potentially land a larger guarantee over multiple years. Declining the option would also give him more agency in determining where he plays, since he'd be a trade candidate with the Magic.
The Nets' Gerald Wallace is also undecided on his 2012/13 player option, though opting in seems more likely at this point.
It's very unlikely that another team poaches restricted free agent Roy Hibbert from the Pacers.
The Nuggets will probably match any offer for JaVale McGee of $7MM or less annually, but it's unclear whether they'd go much higher than that.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Sunday

February 26th, 2012 at 11:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Today could be the last hurrah for Dwight Howard in Orlando, where the rumored departure of yet another "Superman" has cast a pall over the mood surrounding All-Star weekend, observes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. We'll track the D12 rumors through tonight's All-Star Game here in this post, with the latest stuff up top, as usual:

John Denton, who writes for the Magic website and recently published a book with Howard, tweets that he heard from a "very reliable source" that the Nets doubt that the Magic will move Howard before the March 15th deadline.
If you watched the All-Star Game, you saw Craig Sager report that Dwight Howard's mom wants him to stay in Orlando. Howard spoke to it after the game, saying, "I don’t know what she said, but that’s my mom’s opinion. That’s it." (via Twitter here and here)
Magic CEO Alex Martins has denied that they are close to a three way deal that would send Howard to the Lakers, according to Josh Robbins at the Orlando Sentinel. Orlando intends to talk to its All-Star center before March 1st about his offseason intentions.
While it's unknown whether it would be a factor, Adidas would not object to Howard joining fellow Adidas headliner Derrick Rose in Chicago, despite reports to the contrary, says ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell.
Brian Schmitz from the Orlando Sentinel says he has heard rumblings of a three way deal that could happen as soon as March 1st. The deal has Howard going to the Lakers with Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu. Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Jose Calderon would end up in Orlando. Schmitz isn't sure what the Raptors would receive for Calderon. That would be an impressive haul for Orlando.
Salary cap guru Larry Coon says the Nets and Magic are working on a long-rumored trade involving Dwight Howard and Brook Lopez, though nothing is imminent. A third team could be in on the deal. Coon doubts Dwight Howard will wind up with the Knicks, though the odds of D12 staying are lower than the Magic think they are. (Twitter links)
The Knicks could be a darkhorse in the Howard sweepstakes, writes Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. He quotes an unnamed Eastern Conference GM who says, "I’m positive the Knicks have called just in case Dwight changes up. I’m sure they’ve offered a combination of everybody, excluding Jeremy Lin, of course. [Magic GM] Otis [Smith] deserves a lot of credit for not putting it out on the street which teams have offered what."
Vecsey also says a Western Conference executive has told him the Lakers have offered Andrew Bynum for Howard, but the Magic have no interest.
Carmelo Anthony is glad to be watching Dwight Howard field countless questions about his future this year, instead of being the focus of last year's Melo-drama, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Anthony called last year's proceedings "a zoo."