All Seems Quiet on the Free Agent Front
While not much has happened in recent days amongst those free agents who still remain available, there are a couple of players who have found new homes.
As always, here are today’s Uncontested Shots. Or should I say “Things I was thinking about while tripping off the fact that Drake is Jewish and was Bar Mitzvah’d”?
The Toronto Raptors have landed restricted free agent point guard Jarret Jack for a reported four years and a little more than $20 million to back-up the talented yet oft-injured Jose Calderon.
This is a great move for the Raptors because he not only provides them with depth at point guard but in reuniting Jack with his college teammate Chris Bosh they’ve proven to Bosh that they will do what it takes to turn the franchise around and make him feel better about sticking around when he can test the free agent market next summer.
So far this off-season the Raptors have acquired Hedo Turkoglu, Reggie Evans, and Jarrett Jack and drafted DeMar Derozan at the expense of losing Jason Kapono, Shawn Marion, Anthony Parker, and Pops Mensah-Bonsu.
The Raptors still have the chance to re-sign free agent Joey Graham or perhaps bring Carlos Delfino back from Europe as well. All in all it hasn’t been a horrible off-season for a team that if healthy should be right back in contention for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Welcome Matt
The Orlando Magic have continued retooling for a possible return trip to the NBA Finals by reaching an agreement with Phoenix Suns free agent Matt Barnes on a two-year deal. While details of the deal have not been announced yet I’m going to predict that the second year of Barnes’ deal has a player option.
While many expected Barnes to cash in after his impressive performance in the 2007 Playoffs while a member of the Warriors, Barnes has yet to get that long-term deal that he’s been searching for.
As he enters his seventh season the Magic will be Barnes seventh stop on his NBA journey. This is a great signing for the Magic because Barnes is extremely versatile. He’s an above-average three-point shooter coming off his best season as a pro.
While I wasn’t completely blown over by what the Magic did early on free agency I think the recent signings of Bass, Gortat, and Barnes make them easily the deepest team in the Eastern Conference, and quite possibly the NBA.
The Magic’s next target appears to be Golden St. Warriors restricted free agent guard, C.J. Watson.
Over the Moon
Between Michael Jackson’s death (the moonwalk), the fortieth anniversary of the moon landing, and now the Cavs recent signing of Jamario Moon to an offer sheet, the moon has had a pretty good month of publicity.
The Cavs offer is either for the remaining $3.2 million of their mid-level exemption or for their $2 million biannual exemption. Either way, it’s unlikely the Heat will match the offer.
Moon is nothing more than a high-flyer who can dunk off an alley-oop. He won’t hurt you because he takes smart shots but he isn’t going to be a difference-maker for anybody. He doesn’t make the Cavs any better than they were five days ago.
The number one sign that the free agent your team just signed isn’t really a game-changer is when nobody knew that he was even a free agent until he signed his offer sheet.
The news of the Moon landing was followed by the news that Shaquille O’Neal will be participating in a new television show called Shaq Vs. which will pit O’Neal against the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Michael Phelps, and Albert Pujols in their respective sports.
I’m not so sure that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is all that excited about his 37-year-old, $20 million center overextending himself before the start of next season. I’m guessing Gilbert is much more interested in Shaq vs. Orlando, Shaq vs. Boston, and Shaq vs. the Lakers.
Latest On Lamar Odom
Roger Lodge (yes, the one who hosted Blind Date) reported on his radio show on KLAA this morning that he’s heard from a source that Lamar Odom and the Lakers have reached an agreement on a four-year, $40 million deal.
While it’s hard to take Lodge serious as a source there is reason to believe that Jerry Buss might have been willing to guarantee the fourth year of the deal.
As was previously reported, the hold-up for Odom was that he wanted a guaranteed fourth year considering what Hedo Turkoglu and Anderson Varejao received this summer but Buss was only offering a team option for the fourth year. I wouldn’t be surprised if the deal contains some type of incentive in the third year that would guarantee the fourth year based either on games or minutes played.
Quentin Richardson On The Move…Again
Quentin Richardson was traded for the third time this off-season when the Clippers sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Sebasitan Telfair, Craig Smith, and Mark Madsen.
Richardson was first traded from the Knicks to the Grizzlies for Darko Milicic. Then the Grizzlies traded him to the Clippers for Zach Randolph. And now comes the deal to Minnesota.
This probably won’t be the last time Richardson is traded before the February deadline. I’m guessing Wolves GM David Kahn realizes that he has a much better chance of moving one player with a $9.35 million expiring contract to a team looking to shed payroll than trying to move the three guys he gave up to get him.
The Wolves will in all probability end up with another lottery pick in next year’s draft. They also have a conditional first-round pick from the Jazz that would become theirs if Utah finishes with one of the league’s top-13 records.
In addition to Richardson’s deal, the Wolves also have the expiring contracts of Etan Thomas ($7.35m) and Brian Cardinal ($6.75m) to help them make a big trade.
If the reports are true that the Milwaukee Bucks will soon be up for sale, it isn’t unthinkable to see the Wolves offer Richardson, Thomas, and a first-round pick to the Bucks for Michael Redd.
Maybe I’m giving Kahn too much credit. Perhaps he helps his old buss Donnie Walsh out by taking back Jared Jeffries or Eddy Curry for Thomas and Cardinal. The Knicks don’t have a first-round pick in next year’s draft. It belongs to the Utah Jazz.
Tweet of the Week
This week’s TotW comes courtesy of Lakers blog ForumBlueAndGold:
“LeBron wins ESPY for best NBA player. I’m sure Kobe slumped over his Finals MVP trophy and cried about that.“