We always get breaking news of players’ decisions from reliable and reputable reporters. Today, someone broke huge news to the basketball world, but it wasn’t a reporter. Find out who it was, and what happened with the Dwight Howard saga in today’s news:
- Deron Williams will reportedly stay with the Brooklyn Nets, according to Deron Williams:
- Adrian Wojnarowski followed up the report with details:
Deron Williams has reached agreement on a 5 year, $100 million extension with Brooklyn, a league source tells Y! Sports.
@WojYahooNBA
Adrian Wojnarowski
- UPDATE: Paul Coro has the story on Eric Gordon’s new max deal with the Suns: “Restricted free agent Eric Gordon, a stellar shooting guard, committed to signing a maximum-level offer sheet with the Suns Tuesday night. The Suns can sign Gordon to the offer sheet on July 11. New Orleans would then have three days to match the offer and retain him and are expected to do so. “After visiting the Suns, the impression the organization made on me was incredible,” Gordon said in a prepared statement. “Mr. Sarver, Lon Babby, Lance Blanks, the front office staff and Coach Gentry run a first-class organization, and I strongly feel they are the right franchise for me. Phoenix is just where my heart is now.” A maximum contract was expected to be worth $58 million over four years for Gordon, who is 23.”
The New Orleans Hornets will match the 4-year, $58 million offer sheet Eric Gordon agreed to sign with Phoenix, league source tells Y!
@WojYahooNBA
Adrian Wojnarowski
Chris Broussard reported early in the morning through twitter about a trade discussion between the Nets and Magic: “Sources: The Nets & Magic are discussing a trade that would send Dwight Howard to Brooklyn for Briik Lopez, Kris Humphies, Marshon Brooks… (con’t) and the Nets’ first-round picks in 2012, 2014, 2016 & 2018….move would give Nets Big 3 of D-Will, Dwight & Joe Johnson… Scratch Nets 2012 pick from potential trade… Correction: Nets’ picks that would be traded to Orlando would be 2013, 2015 and 2017, source says….”
The fact that the Nets were still in the running for Dwight Howard, of course, was reported much earlier last night, from Chris Sheridan: “The Nets remain very much in the hunt for Dwight Howard — even after agreeing to the outline of a trade that will bring Joe Johnson to Brooklyn. The goal is to have a Big Three of Deron Williams, Dwight Howard and Johnson, and it remains doable if the Magic are willing to play ball, a league source tells SheridanHoops.com. Orlando would have to accept a package of Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks and multiple future first-round draft picks, and the Howard deal would take the form of a massive sign-and-trade.”
- However, Adrian Wojnarowski reported the following about the Magic’s state of mind: “So far, this is true: Orlando hasn’t seen an offer from any team that it believes is enough to seriously consider trading Howard now. There isn’t great enthusiasm within Magic that the Nets have the ability to make the most appealing offer for Dwight Howard, sources tell Y!”
Here is more about the complication of a trade between Nets and Magic, from Joel Brigham: “The big question is what the Joe Johnson trade does in terms of Brooklyn acquiring Dwight Howard, who has said in pretty certain terms that the Nets are the only team he really wants to play for. The short answer is that trading for Howard is still technically possible, but it’s not going to be easy. The long answer is significantly more complicated, and it starts with the fact that sources say Brooklyn threw out the idea of trading Lopez, Brooks, and picks for Howard, just like they did at the trade deadline last spring, but Orlando declined. So far starters, the assets Brooklyn has to offer, Orlando doesn’t particularly want right now.”
- Meanwhile, the Nets made a move to acquire a Bosnian player, from Chad Ford: “The Brooklyn Nets reached a verbal commitment with Bosnian forward Mirza Teletovic, 26, on a three-year deal worth $15.675 million, according to sources close to the process. The Nets will use their full mid-level exception to sign Teletovic. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Teletovic averaged 22 points and six rebounds per game for Caja Laboral in the Euroleague this season. He reached a 2 million euro buyout with his club in June so that he could play in the NBA this upcoming season.”
- Zach Lowe explains why the Nets made it much harder to acquire Howard through a trade after acquiring Mirza Teletovic: “The Nets’ agreement today to sign Bosnian power forward Mirza Teletovic with the full mid-level exception makes the task of acquiring Howard exponentially more difficult. The new collective bargaining agreement includes an effective hard cap, set $4 million above the tax line, for any team that uses the full mid-level exception, which is worth about $5 million per season. The Nets have now reportedly put that cap in play with the Teletovic agreement. Even assuming Wallace accepted a back-loaded deal that will pay him only $9 million next season, the sum of 2012-13 deals for Wallace, Teletovic, Howard, Johnson and a max-level $17.2 million deal for Williams would give the Nets about $70.5 million in payroll with only five roster spots filled. The Nets, in other words, would have only $3.5 million left to fill up to seven roster spots, for a per-spot price of just over the $473,000 rookie minimum salary.”
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NBA Photos; Retouch by @stevesolis
Orlando’s attention now belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Woj: “As the Orlando Magic work to unload superstar Dwight Howard, management is becoming increasingly focused on a potential trade package centered on Los Angeles Lakers All-Star center Andrew Bynum, league sources told Yahoo! Sports… Before the Magic would agree to consummate a trade for Bynum, they would need to know they could sign him to a contract extension, sources said. Bynum is entering the final year of his contract in the 2012-13 season. What’s more, Bynum wouldn’t nearly be enough to satisfy Hennigan’s desires for a return on Howard. The Lakers would need to send draft picks and absorb long-term money off the Magic’s payroll, sources said.”
- Lakers have an offer ready, from Jarrod N. Rudolph: Source: “Lakers are prepared to offer the Andrew Bynum and Metta World Peace to the Magic for Dwight Howard provided Howard signs extension.”
- Anthony Davis’ sprained ankle isn’t nearly as bad as previously thought, and he will report to USA training camp, from Woj: “Despite ankle injury, No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis will report to Team USA training camp in Vegas this week, source tells Y! Sports. Said a source: “The injury isn’t as bad as originally thought. (Davis) really wants to play.” Davis will report to Team USA on Wednesday.”
- Reggie Evans has agreed to terms with the Nets, from Woj: “The Brooklyn Nets have reached agreement on a three-year, $5 million contract with free-agent forward Reggie Evans, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Evans will join the Nets in a sign-and-trade deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers will receive a future second-round draft pick while the Nets use a $3 million trade exception to acquire Evans.”
The Raptors have reached an agreement with Landry Fields, reports Marc Stein: “The Toronto Raptors have reached a verbal agreement with New York Knicks restricted free agent Landry Fields on an offer sheet, according to sources with knowledge of the deal. Sources say that Fields will sign a three-year offer approaching $20 million. He cannot sign until July 11, the first day NBA players can sign new contracts. The deal is expected to include a spike in Year 3 similar to the deal the Houston Rocketsverbally agreed to this week with Chicago Bulls restricted free agent Omer Asik. The Knicks would have three days to decide whether to match the offer once Fields signed.”
Jason Terry has agreed to terms with the Boston Celtics, according to Gary Washburn: “The Celtics continue to shore up their roster for another title run in 2012-13 by agreeing to a three-year contract with former Dallas sharpshooter and Sixth Man of the Year Jason Terry for the full mid-level exception of $5 million. Terry, 34, was offered a two-year deal for more money to return to the Mavericks but decided on the extra year. Terry is the off-the-bench scorer the Celtics have been seeking, averaging 15.1 points in just 31.7 minutes per game as a reserve last season. After starting most of his first eight seasons, Terry became one of the league’s top bench players, burning teams with his long-range shooting.”
- Terry will, however, allow the Mavericks to counter, from Marc Stein: “But source stresses that Terry will go back to Mavs to give them chance to counter before finalizing three-year deal, believed to be at MLE”
- According to Marc. J Spears, the Bobcats are very interested in free agent Antawn Jamison, who will visit the team on Thursday and Friday.
Neil Olshey brought Chauncey Billups to Los Angeles, and now wants him with the Blazers, from Chris Haynes: CSNNW.com has learned from a source close to the situation that the Trail Blazers are one of several teams who have reached out to the representatives of unrestricted free agent point guard Chauncey Billups. The Trail Blazers need a veteran point guard to help mentor their new franchise point guard in Damian Lillard, and Billups would be an ideal candidate. I’m told that, “Billups is exploring all of his options.”
- Dirk Nowitzki showed his ability to make contact with a baseball during a batting practice session.
Woj expresses his thoughts on the irony of the Suns desire to acquire Goran Dragic: “So Phoenix trades Goran Dragic AND a 1st pick for Aaron Brooks in 2011, and now wants to pay Dragic between $8M-$9M per year to return? Wow.”
- Woj also explained how far part Dragic and the Rockets are from a deal: “Truly a wide gulf remains between Rockets and point guard Goran Dragic on an extension. Everyone in talks agrees: Sides far apart.”
The Clippers are actively looking for a shooting guard from Ray Allen, Jason Terry, J.R. Smith and Jamal Crawford, from Broderick Turner: “Free-agent shooting guard Ray Allen will visit the Clippers on Friday, The Times has confirmed after speaking with twoNBA executives who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The Clippers also continue to have interest in shooting guards Jason Terry and J.R. Smith, the executives said, but no visit have been planned as of yet. The Clippers continue to talk with both players’ representatives. The Clippers will have free-agent guard Jamal Crawford in Tuesday for a sit down at the team’s facility to gauge his interesting in joining the team.”
Jeremy Lin to meet with the Rockets tomorrow. Houston may make three-year “poison pill” offer that pays Lin $5 mil, $5.2 mil and $13.8 mil.
- On Tuesday, two players withdrew from the USA Select Team: “New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin and Boston Celtics center Greg Stiemsma have withdrawn from the 2012 USA Men’s Select Team that will train July 6-11 against the 2012 USA Basketball Men’s National Team during training camp in Las Vegas, Nev. Lin informed USA Basketball this afternoon that because of his current contract status (a restricted free agent) he was withdrawing. Stiemsma was forced to withdraw after undergoing a non-surgical process for Plantar Fasciitis.”
- Rudy Fernandez has signed a deal with Real Madrid. Details in our Tweet of the Day.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on OWN
Joe Johnson traded to Nets, Marvin Williams traded for Devin Harris