Stephen A. Smith: LeBron, Bosh to Miami.
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BehindEnemyLinez
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CHI- LBJ & Bosh
MIA- Wade, Amare & JJ
NJ/NY- **** outta luck!!!
MIA- Wade, Amare & JJ
NJ/NY- **** outta luck!!!
dmoore
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jterrell;3446319 said:
NY doesn't have the cap space for 3 max (or near max) guys. They can't keep Lee if they're bringing in Bosh and Johnson.
They can get more money and longer deals staying with their current team, but the way things have been now is players taking shorter deals with the opportunity to opt out. LeBron will sign a deal he can opt-out of after 3, which gives him control of his future and sets him up for one more big pay day while still in his prime. The money difference isn't substantial. If LeBron stays in Cleveland (doubtful), it won't be because of a couple million bucks.
Chief
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espn.com
All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki has sent in official notification to the Dallas Mavericks that he is opting out of the final year of his current contract, according to sources close to the situation.
In addition to faxing the official opt-out letter, Nowitzki had to mail a signed copy Monday from Germany to ensure its arrival at the Mavericks' offices before Wednesday's opt-out deadline in his current deal.
The move has been expected since an ESPN.com report in mid-May that Nowitzki planned to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. But Mavericks officials have remained confident that they will secure a verbal commitment from Nowitzki on a new four-year deal early in free agency.
Teams and free agents can begin negotiating on Thursday at 12:01 a.m. ET, but signed contracts can't be executed before July 8, when the league's moratorium on roster moves is lifted.
Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he has already booked a flight that will have him overseas at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday -- 6:01 a.m. in Germany -- when free agency begins to show Nowitzki how sincere the club is about keeping its all-time leading scorer and rebounder. But sources told ESPN.com that Nowitzki's schedule is still in flux and that it has not yet been determined whether he will be in his native country or in the U.S. when free agency starts.
"He is our No. 1 priority -- period," Nelson said.
Nowitzki will forfeit next season's scheduled $21.5 million salary by opting out and is eligible to receive a four-year deal from the Mavericks worth a maximum of $96 million. Dallas is precluded from offering him a longer deal because of the league's over-36 rule, which prohibits giving players the league maximum if they will turn 36 before the contract expires. Nowitzki turned 32 earlier this month. The Mavericks have spent the past several weeks trying to convince Nowitzki to sign an extension that would keep him off the open market. But opting out provides him with multiple contractual benefits. One of them is the ability to incorporate a no-trade clause into a new deal, which can only be secured by players -- in a new contract, not an extension -- with at least eight years of service time and four with the same team.
"It's a very odd, weird, strange time," Nelson said. "If there's anything good about this process, it's as someone goes through it, the thing that comes out is what is really important to them -- whether it's location, money, winning, those types of things. Those things really, really come out."
The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is the only player in the league with an active no-trade clause in his contract, but sources say a new Nowitzki deal with Dallas is expected to include a no-trade provision. The Mavericks' dream scenario, according to sources with knowledge of the team's thinking, remains securing Nowitzki's verbal commitment as quickly as possible and then making him a central voice in their efforts to recruit the league's top free agents via sign-and-trade offers.
Sources have maintained since November that the Mavericks will make every attempt to convince LeBron James to push for a sign-and-trade to Dallas, despite Cleveland's insistence that it will not take part in a sign-and-trade and James' widely reported interest in possible moves to Miami or Chicago.
The Mavericks will enter free agency still believing they have an outside shot at landing James, although one source concedes that Dallas is no more than a "dark, dark house" in the LeBron sweepstakes.
Sources say Dallas also intends to meet face-to-face with most of the elite free agents -- including Dallas native Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson and longtime Mavs nemesis Dwyane Wade -- in hopes of convincing another star to push for a sign-and-trade to play alongside Nowitzki and Mavs guard Jason Kidd, who at 37 remains one of the NBA's most popular figures among fellow players.
One source with knowledge of the team's thinking said Monday that the Mavericks "have an interest in any and all top free agents" for the "right sign-and-trade deal."
Sources said Sunday that the Mavericks are confident that they will be granted a turn to make their pitch directly to James in Ohio, thanks largely to the high regard members of James' inner circle have for Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and James' close relationship with Kidd.
As for Nowitzki, Kidd expressed confidence last week that the Mavericks can retain the leading scoring in franchise history, despite any interest he might generate on the open market.
"Sometimes as a player you want to feel wanted," Kidd said last week. "He's always felt wanted here, but maybe this could be some weird way of being appreciated by other teams. There's nothing wrong with that because he's probably one of the top five free agents or top four, top three. He's good.
"He'll get a lot of attention, but we all feel he's not going anywhere."
Cuban has made similar statements several times in recent weeks, despite the fact that the opt-out scenario does theoretically expose the Mavericks to the possibility of another team swooping in to sign Nowitzki away, as seen in the summer of 2004 when the Phoenix Suns stunningly pilfered Steve Nash.
Nowitzki has never been on the market and was never wooed by colleges because he went straight from a German club team to the NBA as a teenager.
"In some respects, it would confuse the marketplace, push things back for us," Nelson said. "But if there's a bug inside Dirk that wants to see what that's all about, then do it."
From the start, though, numerous executives around the league have expressed doubt that they can pry Nowitzki from Cuban's grasp, given Nowitzki's ties to Dallas after arriving with Nash on draft day in 1998 and the close bond Nowitzki and Cuban have forged through the owner's 10½-year reign.
Said Nelson last month, when the reality of Nowitzki's looming opt-out began to sink in: "That wouldn't change our approach one bit. We're going to do everything we possibly can to make sure Dirk is a Maverick for a long, long time. ... It's impossible for us to imagine Dirk in any other uniform.
"I think his heart is in Dallas. You learn to never say never in this business, but from our perspective we will be doing everything possible to keep him right here."
Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki has sent in official notification to the Dallas Mavericks that he is opting out of the final year of his current contract, according to sources close to the situation.
In addition to faxing the official opt-out letter, Nowitzki had to mail a signed copy Monday from Germany to ensure its arrival at the Mavericks' offices before Wednesday's opt-out deadline in his current deal.
The move has been expected since an ESPN.com report in mid-May that Nowitzki planned to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. But Mavericks officials have remained confident that they will secure a verbal commitment from Nowitzki on a new four-year deal early in free agency.
Teams and free agents can begin negotiating on Thursday at 12:01 a.m. ET, but signed contracts can't be executed before July 8, when the league's moratorium on roster moves is lifted.
Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he has already booked a flight that will have him overseas at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday -- 6:01 a.m. in Germany -- when free agency begins to show Nowitzki how sincere the club is about keeping its all-time leading scorer and rebounder. But sources told ESPN.com that Nowitzki's schedule is still in flux and that it has not yet been determined whether he will be in his native country or in the U.S. when free agency starts.
"He is our No. 1 priority -- period," Nelson said.
Nowitzki will forfeit next season's scheduled $21.5 million salary by opting out and is eligible to receive a four-year deal from the Mavericks worth a maximum of $96 million. Dallas is precluded from offering him a longer deal because of the league's over-36 rule, which prohibits giving players the league maximum if they will turn 36 before the contract expires. Nowitzki turned 32 earlier this month. The Mavericks have spent the past several weeks trying to convince Nowitzki to sign an extension that would keep him off the open market. But opting out provides him with multiple contractual benefits. One of them is the ability to incorporate a no-trade clause into a new deal, which can only be secured by players -- in a new contract, not an extension -- with at least eight years of service time and four with the same team.
"It's a very odd, weird, strange time," Nelson said. "If there's anything good about this process, it's as someone goes through it, the thing that comes out is what is really important to them -- whether it's location, money, winning, those types of things. Those things really, really come out."
The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is the only player in the league with an active no-trade clause in his contract, but sources say a new Nowitzki deal with Dallas is expected to include a no-trade provision. The Mavericks' dream scenario, according to sources with knowledge of the team's thinking, remains securing Nowitzki's verbal commitment as quickly as possible and then making him a central voice in their efforts to recruit the league's top free agents via sign-and-trade offers.
Sources have maintained since November that the Mavericks will make every attempt to convince LeBron James to push for a sign-and-trade to Dallas, despite Cleveland's insistence that it will not take part in a sign-and-trade and James' widely reported interest in possible moves to Miami or Chicago.
The Mavericks will enter free agency still believing they have an outside shot at landing James, although one source concedes that Dallas is no more than a "dark, dark house" in the LeBron sweepstakes.
Sources say Dallas also intends to meet face-to-face with most of the elite free agents -- including Dallas native Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson and longtime Mavs nemesis Dwyane Wade -- in hopes of convincing another star to push for a sign-and-trade to play alongside Nowitzki and Mavs guard Jason Kidd, who at 37 remains one of the NBA's most popular figures among fellow players.
One source with knowledge of the team's thinking said Monday that the Mavericks "have an interest in any and all top free agents" for the "right sign-and-trade deal."
Sources said Sunday that the Mavericks are confident that they will be granted a turn to make their pitch directly to James in Ohio, thanks largely to the high regard members of James' inner circle have for Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and James' close relationship with Kidd.
As for Nowitzki, Kidd expressed confidence last week that the Mavericks can retain the leading scoring in franchise history, despite any interest he might generate on the open market.
"Sometimes as a player you want to feel wanted," Kidd said last week. "He's always felt wanted here, but maybe this could be some weird way of being appreciated by other teams. There's nothing wrong with that because he's probably one of the top five free agents or top four, top three. He's good.
"He'll get a lot of attention, but we all feel he's not going anywhere."
Cuban has made similar statements several times in recent weeks, despite the fact that the opt-out scenario does theoretically expose the Mavericks to the possibility of another team swooping in to sign Nowitzki away, as seen in the summer of 2004 when the Phoenix Suns stunningly pilfered Steve Nash.
Nowitzki has never been on the market and was never wooed by colleges because he went straight from a German club team to the NBA as a teenager.
"In some respects, it would confuse the marketplace, push things back for us," Nelson said. "But if there's a bug inside Dirk that wants to see what that's all about, then do it."
From the start, though, numerous executives around the league have expressed doubt that they can pry Nowitzki from Cuban's grasp, given Nowitzki's ties to Dallas after arriving with Nash on draft day in 1998 and the close bond Nowitzki and Cuban have forged through the owner's 10½-year reign.
Said Nelson last month, when the reality of Nowitzki's looming opt-out began to sink in: "That wouldn't change our approach one bit. We're going to do everything we possibly can to make sure Dirk is a Maverick for a long, long time. ... It's impossible for us to imagine Dirk in any other uniform.
"I think his heart is in Dallas. You learn to never say never in this business, but from our perspective we will be doing everything possible to keep him right here."
Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Chocolate Lab
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Yeah, all the talk today on DFW sports radio is that there is zero chance of Dirk leaving, and that he only wants a no-trade clause and a bit more money than an extension would give him.
Frankly, if I were him, I'd look around and make sure before I signed anything.
Frankly, if I were him, I'd look around and make sure before I signed anything.
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BehindEnemyLinez;3446651 said:CHI- LBJ & Bosh
MIA- Wade, Amare & JJ
NJ/NY- **** outta luck!!!
And I love it.
**** new jersey and **** New York
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Chocolate Lab;3446713 said:
If he's smart, he'll partner up with Wade. That would be a disgusting duo..
MarionBarberThe4th
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BehindEnemyLinez
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Add Paul Pierce to the mix...
Pierce's agent, Jeff Schwartz, told ESPN.com in a text message Tuesday night the All-Starforward will forfeit next season's $21.5 million salary for a chance to sign a new four-year deal worth more than $90 million.
Schwartz did not immediately respond to a voicemail left by the AP.
Pierce would become an unrestricted free agent
BehindEnemyLinez
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Delonte' West will take care of her!!kev8822;3447277 said:
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Rampage;3447678 said:what's that all about?
Rumor has it that West and Mama LBJ had a thing going on...
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http://network.yardbarker.com/NBA/a...llen_May_Take_Less_To_Join_Heat_Big_3/2822049
Source: Allen May ‘Take Less’ To Join Heat Big 3?
Posted by Brooks on Jun. 30, 2010, 3:06pm
Jorge Sedano of the MIAMI HERALD reports today that, according to a source, LeBron James has spoken to Boston Celtics free agent Ray Allen in a bid to land the shooting guard for the Miami Heat in the event James, Raptors forward Chris Bosh and Miami Heat free agent Dwyane Wade agree to join the Heat together.
Though Sedano, who is also morning drive host for 790 The Ticket in Miami, added that Allen hasn’t ruled out a return to the Celtics - on one condition.
According to the source, Allen has spoken to James and would consider joining said, “Dream Team.” Along with possibly taking less money if it was the perfect opportunity.
The source tells me that Allen’s preference is to remain with the Celtics, but that’s predicated on Paul Pierce remaining with the team. The money is not a huge factor. Winning more championships is the most important factor.
One last factor the source close to Allen mentioned was that Ray’s mother lives in Orlando, and he would not mind being closer to his family.
Sedano isn’t the only one reporting that Allen is on Miami’s radar. Yahoo Sports NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski noted on June 5:
(Miami President Pat) Riley is also intrigued with signing Boston’s Ray Allen to get a shooter on the floor with Wade.
As for Bosh, Dan Le Batard, also of the Herald and 790 The Ticket is reporting today that a sign-and-trade between Toronto and Miami that would send Bosh to the Heat has been agreed upon “in principle” - with Heat forward Michael Beasley and others being shipped to Toronto as part of the deal.
Miami Heat beat writer Ira Winderman of the SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL also noted today, via an NBA agent source, that Bosh is “expected to land” in Miami after a Heat trade with Toronto.
The reporting is becoming more and more credible - and specific - as the LeBron sweepstakes play out. As I’ve said, too many moving parts to predict what might happen.
There’s also a chance James is floating the Miami thing out in the media to see gauge the outrage quotient as it pertains to the perception of him abandoning Cleveland. So far, outside of Cleveland, there’s been little to no negative reaction that I’ve detected.
Not a good sign for the Cavaliers.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Brog, NBA, Sports Business . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Source: Allen May ‘Take Less’ To Join Heat Big 3?
Posted by Brooks on Jun. 30, 2010, 3:06pm
Jorge Sedano of the MIAMI HERALD reports today that, according to a source, LeBron James has spoken to Boston Celtics free agent Ray Allen in a bid to land the shooting guard for the Miami Heat in the event James, Raptors forward Chris Bosh and Miami Heat free agent Dwyane Wade agree to join the Heat together.
Though Sedano, who is also morning drive host for 790 The Ticket in Miami, added that Allen hasn’t ruled out a return to the Celtics - on one condition.
According to the source, Allen has spoken to James and would consider joining said, “Dream Team.” Along with possibly taking less money if it was the perfect opportunity.
The source tells me that Allen’s preference is to remain with the Celtics, but that’s predicated on Paul Pierce remaining with the team. The money is not a huge factor. Winning more championships is the most important factor.
One last factor the source close to Allen mentioned was that Ray’s mother lives in Orlando, and he would not mind being closer to his family.
Sedano isn’t the only one reporting that Allen is on Miami’s radar. Yahoo Sports NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski noted on June 5:
(Miami President Pat) Riley is also intrigued with signing Boston’s Ray Allen to get a shooter on the floor with Wade.
As for Bosh, Dan Le Batard, also of the Herald and 790 The Ticket is reporting today that a sign-and-trade between Toronto and Miami that would send Bosh to the Heat has been agreed upon “in principle” - with Heat forward Michael Beasley and others being shipped to Toronto as part of the deal.
Miami Heat beat writer Ira Winderman of the SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL also noted today, via an NBA agent source, that Bosh is “expected to land” in Miami after a Heat trade with Toronto.
The reporting is becoming more and more credible - and specific - as the LeBron sweepstakes play out. As I’ve said, too many moving parts to predict what might happen.
There’s also a chance James is floating the Miami thing out in the media to see gauge the outrage quotient as it pertains to the perception of him abandoning Cleveland. So far, outside of Cleveland, there’s been little to no negative reaction that I’ve detected.
Not a good sign for the Cavaliers.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Brog, NBA, Sports Business . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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InmanRoshi
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The only enjoyment I would get out of seeing the trio all headed for Miami is seeing the reaction of the spoiled New Yorkers who just assumed it was God's plan that Lebron just has to be a Knick and then to strike out on each of the Big 6.