July 2012 – Page 30 – NBA Blog

Jason Kidd may stay with Mavericks

Jason Kidd appears prepared to end his career where he started it — with the Dallas Mavericks.

The 39-year-old is closing in on a multiyear deal, a source close to the situation said. The source said the deal is not completed, but barring any snags, Kidd will close out his career alongside Dirk Nowitzki.

The value of the contract was not known.

After a rough few days that saw prized free agent Deron Williams opt to re-sign with the Brooklyn Nets, Jason Terry agree to terms with the Boston Celtics and then another Mavs target Steve Nash stunningly get traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavs are finally nearing their first positive move of a so-far frustrating free-agent period by bringing back Kidd.

— Reported by Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas

Lakers might keep Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum

Lakers might keep Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum

A source familiar with the Lakers’ thinking told ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Dave McMenamin the team intends to keep its core of Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum together next season now that Nash will be in the fold.

“It will be a huge honor to play alongside Steve,” Gasol said in a video chat Wednesday night. “Obviously I know him for many years now, and he’s been one of the elite point guards in the league for as long as I can remember, as long as I’ve played in the NBA. It will be a true pleasure to play with Steve. He’s one of the best point guards that has ever played the game, and still has a lot of juice in him. So I look forward to that.

In addition, the Lakers are no longer trying to retain point guard Ramon Sessions, who opted out of the final year and $4.55 million of his contract to become a free agent, a source told ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Ramona Shelburne.

Sessions was hoping for the security of a longer term contract, but while discussions with the Lakers were positive, they never progressed toward a multiyear deal, the source told Shelburne.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Goran Dragic to join Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns, moving quickly after trading face of the franchise Steve Nash, have reached terms on a contract with point guard Goran Dragic, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Suns have reached a verbal agreement on a four-year contract worth an estimated $34 million that Dragic has pledged to sign July 11, which is the first day contracts can be signed.

Dragic will have a player option entering the fourth year, sources said.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

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Thunder, Hasheem Thabeet agree on deal

Thunder, Hasheem Thabeet agree on two-year deal

The Oklahoma City Thunder has agreed with former No. 2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet on a two-year contract.

The deal cannot officially be signed until the league’s free agent moratorium period is lifted on July 11. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately known, but the contract, which will be fully guaranteed for both seasons, is believed to be a minimal salary, or roughly $880,000 in the first year of the contract.

Thabeet will join his fourth team in four seasons after being drafted by Memphis in 2009. He was taken one spot ahead of Thunder guard James Harden, but the 7-foot-3 center has had a disappointing start to his professional career after earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in his final two seasons at Connecticut.

— Reported by Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman

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Phoenix Suns to sign Michael Beasley

The Phoenix Suns have reached a verbal commitment with free-agent forward Michael Beasley on a three-year deal worth $18 million, according to sources familiar with the deal.

Beasley can’t actually sign until July 11, which is the first day new contracts can be signed in the NBA.

Beasley chose the Suns from a group of five suitors after visiting with Suns officials on Wednesday, while Phoenix was also agreeing to trade Steve Nash to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade deal.

Beasley flew to Phoenix to meet with the Suns on Wednesday, the second time the two parties met. The Suns flew to Los Angeles to meet Beasley earlier this week.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

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Suns sign-and-trading Steve Nash to Lakers

Veteran star point guard Steve Nash is taking his talents from the Phoenix Suns and heading to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade agreement.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, “Sources told ESPN.com that the Nash, with the New York Knicks also pressing hard to complete a simiilar sign-and-trade deal, was swayed to join the Lakers after a determined push from Bryant and because the move not only keeps him in the title hunt but will allow Nash to stay in close proximity to his three children in Phoenix. Nash will receive a three-year deal in excess of $25 million, sources said, because the Suns ultimately agreed to sign-and-trade him to the Lakers, who can absorb Nash via the trade exception they created by dealing Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks in December.”

Per Elliot Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News: “Nash joins a team that was in flux last season in Mike Brown’s first year as coach. The Lakers believed they had secured their point guard of the future when they acquired Ramon Sessions from the Cleveland Cavaliers and dealt Derek Fisher to the Houston Rockets. But Sessions opted out of his Lakers contract for next season to become a free agent. it’s unlikely the Lakers would continue their attempts to re-sign Sessions. It was believed Nash was bound for either the Toronto Raptors or the New York Knicks or perhaps with the Dallas Mavericks to re-unite with Dirk Nowitzki. The two-time NBA most-valuable player reportedly received a three-season, $36-million offer from the Raptors. Word leaked early Wednesday that he would not take it, however.”

Per Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, “In the Nash sign-and-trade, the #Suns will get 2013 & 2015 first-round picks and 2013 & 2014 second-round picks.”

The 38-year-old Nash averaged 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 10.7 assists on 53.2% shooting last season for the Suns.

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Injured Joakim Noah off French Olympic team

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah will not play for France at the London Olympics because of the left ankle injury he sustained during the NBA playoffs. Noah told L’Equipe he was “absolutely not ready. Not ready to run, not ready to jump.”

The 12 players who will represent France are to be announced Thursday.

Noah severely sprained his left ankle in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Philadelphia 76ers in early May. He has been rehabbing outside of Los Angeles with his personal trainer Alex Perris, but the pair did not feel comfortable with the idea of playing on an ankle that is still not 100 percent.

“Now that the Olympics are out of the picture, it gives his ankle more time to heal naturally,” Perris said in a text message to ESPNChicago.com. “We will be training in New York City and Los Angeles, focusing on speed, explosion and power.”

— Reported by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago

Phoenix Suns meeting with Michael Beasley, Raymond Felton

Suns to meet with Michael Beasley, Raymond Felton

The Phoenix Suns apparently are envisioning a lineup for next season that looks something like this: Raymond Felton, Eric Gordon, Michael Beasley, Channing Frye/Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat.

That is what you would have to take from the Suns’ hope to find agreeable contract terms today with Beasley during his Valley visit. Beasley’s visit comes two days after the Suns met Beasley in Los Angeles, a day after Gordon’s commitment to sign a four-year, $58 million offer sheet and the day before Felton visits in search of his fifth team in four seasons.

Beasley, 23, is also getting interest from Detroit but wants to come to Phoenix. A source said his agent, Jeff Schwartz, feels like Suns coach Alvin Gentry would be as good of a fit for Beasley as he was for Lamar Odom, when he was an immature, inconsistent young player for Gentry’s Clippers.

— Reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic

No Heat qualifying offer for Terrel Harris

A week ago, on the eve of free agency, Miami Heat President Pat Riley spoke of the hopes his team had for Heat free-agent guard Terrel Harris.

“We like him,” he said. “We like him a lot.”

And then something rather curious happened: nothing.

The Sun Sentinel has learned that the Heat bypassed extending a qualifying offer to the seldom-used rookie guard, leaving him an unrestricted free agent instead of a restricted free agent. As a result, the Heat do not maintain the right to match outside offers.

While Harris is expected to work with the team this summer, several factors in the new collective-bargaining agreement worked against Harris when it came to a qualifying offer.

— Reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Celtics close to adding Jason Terry

If Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge left any question about his desire to compete for a title next season, he eliminated such uncertainty Tuesday when the team agreed to terms on a three-year contract with veteran sharpshooter Jason Terry, according to an NBA source.

Terry, 34, played the past eight seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, establishing himself as one of the game’s top sixth men. He averaged 15.1 points this season in 31.7 minutes per game, shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range.

When asked if he will sign with the Celtics, Terry responded “strong possibility” via text message.

Terry, who officially can sign a contract July 11, will sign for the full mid-level exception that begins at $5 million per season. The Mavericks, according to the source, offered Terry more money per season to return but only a two-year deal.

— Reported by Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe