There was no shortage of Steve Nash updates this weekend, with one report suggesting the Suns view the Knicks, Raptors, and Nets as the top competitors for the free agent point guard, while another report indicated that the Bulls could be in the mix as well. According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, however, Nash is "still days away" from seriously considering his future. Stein and HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler each have a few notes on Nash, so let's round them up….
Given Derrick Rose's uncertain short term future as one of the league's premier point guards, the Bulls are reportedly planning on making a strong push for two quick fix replacements: Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, according to CSNChicago.com's Aggrey Sam.
Last year, Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor picked up the phone to console former Sixers front-office colleague and current Nets GM Billy King on his inability to work out a deal to bring Carmelo Anthony to New Jersey. While they were on the line, King suggested a deal involving Deron Williams, and soon thereafter the blockbuster was a reality. That's just one of the tidbits that Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reveals in a must-read piece about King.
The draft lottery is dominating NBA headlines today, but the team with the best shot at landing the first overall pick isn't losing any sleep over tonight's drama. Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he's not stressed about the lottery since the results are out of his hands, and adds that he still expects Charlotte to add a solid player even without the top pick.
As we count down the hours until the winner of the Anthony Davis sweepstakes is announced, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA….
It still doesn't feel entirely natural to group the Nets with the Knicks as the NBA's New York teams, but Brooklyn's new residents are a part of the Big Apple going forward, so let's round up the latest rumors on both clubs:
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York tweets that he's hearing Steve Nash won't want to sign with the Knicks this summer. Whether or not that's true, this always seemed like a long-shot to me, since Nash will get offers that greatly exceed what New York could give him.
- In a piece for ESPNNewYork.com, Zwerling compares Jeremy Lin to Goran Dragic, noting that the Rockets free agent could be an alternative to Lin for the Knicks.
- Mike Woodson's new contract will be for three years and could be worth more than $10MM, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- There is mutual interest between Mirza Teletovic and the Nets, according to NetsDaily.com (via Twitter). Teletovic, a 26-year-old Bosnian power forward, led the Euroleague in scoring this season.
On Friday, I examined the Knicks' salary cap situation heading into the offseason and explained the obstacles facing the team as it looks to retain its own free agents and bring in more talent. With the help of CBA expert Larry Coon, ESPN.com's Jared Zwerling explores the same topic more extensively. While our conclusions were similar, Zwerling was able to add some details on the thinking of the club and its free agents. Here are the highlights:
- A source tells Zwerling that J.R. Smith's father Earl is going to try to convince his son to stay in New York but that "it's very clear that the money is the biggest factor with him." In fact, Smith chose the Knicks over the Clippers in free agency this past season because he was financially broke and the Knicks had more money to offer, according to Zwerling.
- One source on Jeremy Lin: "He's going to be in New York next year regardless, unless they decide they're not going to match him because [Steve] Nash is going to come in at $5 million or something like that. But Nash is a pipe dream. I think that they keep Lin, just because of his popularity."
- If Lin re-signs in New York, the Knicks will be hard-pressed to retain Landry Fields. Zwerling hears from a source that Fields may get a $5MM-per-year offer, not because he's necessarily worth that, but because teams often have to overpay to pry restricted free agents away.
One of the most high-profile players to hit free agency this summer will be Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash. The 38-year-old continues to express interest in returning to the Suns, although there is heavy speculation that he will instead sign with a contender such as the Heat. He’s also been linked to the Blazers, Knicks, and Raptors in various scenarios. Where do you think Nash will play in 2012/13?
Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News has a new column exploring the options the Utah Jazz will have at point guard this offseason. Here are the key points regarding how Utah might address this roster spot:
- Out the four point guards from their 2011/12 roster, Blake Ahearn is more likely than Devin Harris, Earl Watson, or Jamaal Tinsley to not return to the team next year.
- Though the Jazz may look to get younger at point guard through the draft or free agency, management has been pleased with the performance of Harris, who has one season left on his contract.
- Tinsley expressed interest in returning to Utah. The Jazz hold a $1.3MM team option on his contract for the 2012/13 season.
- Sorensen mentions Steve Nash and Andre Miller as options for the Jazz to pursue in free agency, but cautions that their age prevents them from being long-term solutions.
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News suggests in a column that the Raptors may make free-agent offers to point guards Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin, though they're a long shot to land either player.
Lawrence suggests that, despite Nash's Canadian roots being a potential draw for Toronto, he wants to play for a contender, which rules out the Raptors.
Lin's situation is more complicated, Lawrence writes. Since the Knicks phenom is a restricted free agent with less than two years of NBA experience, offers from other teams are limited by the Gilbert Arenas rule, which forbids teams from going above the $5MM midlevel exception on offer sheets. Because of this, the Raptors will have to back-load any offer they make to Lin, and even though the Knicks are limited financially, Lawrence believes he is too valuable from a marketing standpoint to let go.
The Bulls announced that Derrick Rose underwent successful surgery to repair the torn ACL he suffered a few weeks ago and faces an eight-to-ten month recovery period, writes K.C. Johnson and Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune. In separate pieces, Johnson evaluates the performance of each player on Chicago's roster and talks about how the team's salary cap-restrtictions creates the need to be innovative in trying to improve the roster this summer. Here are more of tonight's miscellaneous links:
- The Knicks will be looking for another point guard to partner with Jeremy Lin, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Among Berman's list of targets are Kirk Hinrich, Gary Neal, Derek Fisher, A.J. Price, Jannero Pargo, and Jonny Flynn. He also mentions Ramon Sessions, Raymond Felton, Goran Dragic, Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson, and Steve Nash, but I think that the names on this latter list would only be sought after if contract talks with Lin were to somehow fall apart.
- After recently having his interim tag removed, Knicks GM Glen Grunwald has a lot of work cut out for him in the upcoming months, says Al Iannazzone of Newsday. He also adds that with the mid-level likely committed to Lin and no first-round pick, Grunwald will have to be creative with trades and free agency in order to address their back court needs. In another article, Iannazzone goes over the five biggest questions facing the team moving forward.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News speculates that Jason Terry could be on his way out if Deron Williams lands with the Mavericks (subscribers only).
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld engaged in his weekly NBA chat with fans. Here are some of his notable thoughts: the Magic may try to package their #19 pick along with Jason Richardson or Chris Duhon to create cap relief, Austin Rivers' game is comparable to Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford, and predicts that Dwight Howard will wind up signing with the Nets eventually.
- Bob Young of the Arizona Republic offers his input on the chances of reportedly interested teams in their pursuit of Steve Nash. Phoenix, Toronto, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Portland are given consideration.
- John Rohde of NewsOK explores how the support of his Thunder teammates has played a pivotal role in Eric Maynor's road to recovery from a torn ACL.