- The Lakers may have interest in Lamar Odom, from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN:
Lakers have reached out to Lamar Odom, but it been hard to determine how high interest level is on either side thus far.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 6, 2013
Kevin Durant will marry WNBA player Monica Wright (yes, she has the same name as the main character from the movie “Love and Basketball”), from Tim Leighton of Pioneer Press: “NBA superstar Kevin Durant attended a Minnesota Lynx preseason game in May and then showed up again, sitting courtside for the WNBA team’s home opener in June. The Oklahoma City Thunder standout claimed he was there to watch and support a friend, Lynx reserve guard Monica Wright. It appears to be much more than friendship. According to a report from Hollywood Life, Durant proposed marriage to Wright on Saturday, and she accepted. Durant and Wright, both 24, became friends after they met at the McDonald’s High School All-American Game in 2006. Durant was a college standout at the University of Texas, Wright at the University of Virginia.”
- Will Bynum will remain with the Pistons, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN:
Will Bynum to get $5.75 over 2 yrs from Pistons
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 9, 2013
Carlos Delfino will return to the Milwaukee Bucks, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: “Delfino and the Bucks agreed Sunday night on a two-year, $6.5 million contract with a third non-guaranteed year that could bring the total to $9.75 million, according to a league source. The Houston Rockets released the 6-foot-6 Delfino last week as part of their salary-shedding moves to clear the way for an agreement with center Dwight Howard, who chose to sign with the Rockets on Friday. Delfino played for Milwaukee for three seasons from 2009 to 2012 and appeared in 178 games, starting 159. He was a reliable performer under former Bucks coach Scott Skiles, who used him at both the small forward and shooting guard positions.”
Jason Kidd picked up his first unofficial technical foul as the head coach of a basketball team, from Stefan Bondy of Daily News: “The rule wasn’t lost on Jason Kidd. He just took it overboard by walking onto the court to argue with the referee, and the Nets’ coach was punished with a technical in his sideline debut.It was a rookie mistake committed in Summer League, a good place to learn the boundries of the coaching box. “I’ve seen some of these coaches be all the way down on the other end so I can’t follow their lead in that aspect,” said Kidd, a day after declaring an emphasis on respecting the referee. “I learned real quickly where the box is. I deserved the ‘T.’” Kidd, 40, leaned heavily on assistant Lawrence Frank in Brooklyn’s 76-67 loss Sunday to the Pistons. While Kidd was animated and vocal — often getting up to encourage a young team that committed 23 turnovers — Frank held the clipboard, both literally and figuratively.”
Here are all the updates you need about the Minnesota Timberwolves, from Jerry Zgoda of Star Tribune: “The Timberwolves have made a formal contract offer to restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic and waived two players in preparation for Wednesday’s end to the NBA moratorium period. According to league sources, the Wolves made an offer to Pekovic on Friday and expect to receive a response early this week. On Sunday, they waived center Greg Stiemsma and swingman Mickael Gelabale in two salary-cap moves designed to clear space to allow them to sign free agents Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger as well as bring back Pekovic on a four-year deal that likely will be worth $12 million a year or more. They also continue to try to trade guards J.J. Barea and/or Luke Ridnour in an attempt to create more cap space to add another two players through signing or trades.”
The Hawks and Bucks may be discussing a deal involving Brandon Jennings and Jeff Teague, according to Marc Stein of ESPN: “An alternate scenario began to make the rounds as Sunday bled into Monday suggesting that a far wilder set of moves could soon follow and involve Atlanta as well as Milwaukee, Sacramento and possibly Cleveland. Sources briefed on the situation told ESPN.com that the Hawks and Bucks have in recent days discussed a sign-and-trade deal to land Brandon Jennings in Atlanta and send fellow restricted free agent Jeff Teague to Milwaukee to reunite with former Hawks coach Larry Drew. ESPN.com reported early in free agency that the Bucks, at Drew’s behest, had interest. If those sign-and-trade talks progress to the serious stage, sources said, Atlanta would inevitably have to rescind its long-standing interest in Ellis, knowing he and Jennings realistically couldn’t play together again given how poorly they functioned as a backcourt duo in Milwaukee last season. “
- Ice Cube is not happy with Dwight Howard: