The Warriors are also meeting with Howard and may be willing to give up Harrison Barnes or Klay Thompson to have a chance of acquiring him, from Marcus Thompson of Bay Area News Group: “Golden State officials – Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob, general manager Bob Myers along with head coach Mark Jackson – are meeting with Howard in Los Angeles today in efforts to convince him the Warriors present his best chance of winning. Point guard Stephen Curry won’t be at the meeting, but he has reached out to Howard, using his star power to try to lure the game’s best center. According to sources, the Warriors are willing to offer Andrew Bogut along with Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes. But the sell is to lure Dwight Howard with the prospect of a loaded lineup that features Curry, Thompson AND Barnes.”
The Mavericks may have interest in acquiring Andrew Bynum, from Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas: “A call to the agent for center Andrew Bynum was among the flurry of phone calls the Mavericks made in the opening hours of free agency as they began doing their due diligence on potential backup plans in case Dwight Howard decides to sign with another team. Agent David Lee said the Mavs and “several other teams” expressed interest in the wee hours of Monday morning. Lee declined to elaborate or specify which other teams contacted him about the 2012 All-Star who missed all of last season with the 76ers because of bad knees.”
- C.J. Watson is on the verge of signing with the Indiana Pacers, from Kennedy:
It sounds like C.J. Watson’s contract with the Indiana Pacers will be a two-year deal. It’ll likely be worth more than the minimum.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 1, 2013
Despite not having played in the league for some years, Greg Oden is still drawing plenty of interest, from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports: “Greg Oden hasn’t played in an NBA game in more than 3½ years, but hasn’t kept teams from inquiring about the possibility of signing him. Oden, 25,has received interest from the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs,Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings,Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies, league sources said. The No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft hasn’t played since Dec. 5, 2009, because of multiple knee injuries.”
Al Jefferson will meet with the Bobcats, according to Woj: “Free-agent center Al Jefferson will travel to Charlotte on Tuesday night and spend the day meeting with Bobcats executives and coaches, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Bobcats are working to find a contract agreement with Jefferson to make him the franchise’s starting center. Jefferson, 28, appears to no longer be in the Utah Jazz’s plans. He averaged 17.8 points and 9.2 rebounds for the Jazz a season ago. For his career, Jefferson – who has played nine seasons with the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves – has averaged 16.4 points, nine rebounds and 1.4 blocks.”
Andray Blatche has decided to stay with the Nets, from The AP: “Andray Blatche will return as a backup in the Brooklyn Nets’ soon-to-be upgraded frontcourt. The 6-foot-11 forward-center has agreed to a multiyear deal with the Nets, his agent says Monday. Blatche appeared in all 82 games last season, his first with the team, averaging 10.3 points. Blatche will provide minutes behind All-Star center Brook Lopez and Kevin Garnett, who will come from Boston along with Paul Pierce in a deal that was agreed to on draft night, but can’t be completed until after next season’s salary cap is set.”
Chase Budinger and Kevin Martin are drawing interest from the Timberwolves, from Sam Amick of USA Today: “The Minnesota Timberwolves honed in on perimeter scorers at the outset of free agency, visiting with small forward Chase Budinger in San Diego while also calling shooting guard Kevin Martin. Budinger tore the meniscus in his left knee six games into the season and had surgery that kept him out three months, but has averaged 9.4 points per game as a valuable reserve in his three seasons in Houston and one in Minnesota. He is also known to be receiving interest from the New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks.
