 |
Former Minnesota Timberwolves' big man Nikola Pekovic is in for a big pay day this offseason, and is near the top of the remaining free agents pool. Jesse Johnon - US PRESSWIRE
|
Andrew Bynum
The former Los Angeles Lakers star sat out the entire 2012-13 season with nagging injuries. Even with his proven talent level, his injury risks are a huge detractor from Bynum's overall package. At this point, his risks are pushing teams to offer the big man a two or three year contract. Four years at $12 million or more is just simply too risky to offer Bynum. Regardless, he will get to start anew with some NBA team out there, based off of his talent level alone.
Main suitors for Bynum's services include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks. Cleveland has gone as far as offering Bynum a two-year, $24 million "incentive-laden" (whatever that means) contract. Additionally, their offer includes a team option after the second year. As for the Mavericks and Hawks, the two have probably been the two teams in hottest pursuit of Bynum. With Atlanta looking to add pieces and Dallas in horrible shape for the upcoming season, both teams want to secure a franchise big man to lure in free agents in the upcoming years. According to multiple reports, Bynum met with Atlanta on Tuesday and intends to meet with Dallas officials by the end of the week.
With a young core in Cleveland, the Cavaliers will be an enticing organization to Andrew Bynum. The opportunity to team up with Kyrie Irving would work wonders in northern Ohio, that is if Bynum can ever return to his pre-injury form. The Cavaliers have the money to spend and I think they will take a chance on securing a top three center in the league. Teaming up a young prolific center with Kyrie Irving & Co. would surely secure the Cavaliers spot in next year's playoffs.
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers
Nikola Pekovic
After a great season last year in Minnesota, Nikola Pekovic hit the market as a restricted free agent. Now that Dwight Howard (Rockets) and Al Jefferson (Bobcats) are off the board, Pekovic is arguably the best center left on the market. Pekovic is very strong and shows great offensive ability around the rim. He was the Timberwolves' premier big man last season because of Kevin Love's absence due to injuries. At only 27 years old, he is a promising young center and will provide double-double numbers to whatever team picks him up.
The market for Pekovic has been very slow so far because of the presence of more talented big men. But with Howard and Jefferson gone, Pekovic should begin receiving more interest from around the league. However, multiple reports have circulated over the past few days that their is mutual interest in Pekovic returning to Minnesota. After resigning Chase Budinger and signing Kevin Martin, the Timberwolves offered Pekovic a 4-year, $48 million contract. This is a very rare scenario, as restricted free agents do not usually receive offers from their old teams prior to signing offer sheets with other teams. This shows me that Minnesota is set on Pekovic being back in a Timberwolves uniform next season, whether or not they have to match another team's offer.
Prediction: Minnesota Timberwolves
Brandon Jennings
Aside from Dwight Howard's saga, Brandon Jennings' free agency decision has been one of the most confusing and rumor-filled NBA storylines. At first, it seemed as if Jennings had no intentions of returning to Milwaukee. However, rumors then started that the former international star was intent on returning to the Bucks via either a large contract or through accepting Milwaukee's qualifying offer. Now, it seems as if Jennings is on his way out again. Just recently, multiple NBA insiders have reported discussions between the Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks for a possible Jennings for Jeff Teague double sign-and-trade. After being the hottest rumor on the market, it appears that things have quieted down on that front.
Jennings is commanding, at the very least, $12 million a year in his new contract. The Bucks were at first reluctant to offer Jennings such a contract, but their price has slowly but surely been increasing. Unless Milwaukee can receive a valuable asset in a sign-and-trade, such as Jeff Teague, I expect the Milwaukee front office to match any offer sheet Brandon Jennings signs. He's simply too valuable of an asset to the organization to let him walk for nothing, especially if Monta Ellis departs as well. However, there is still a chance that Jennings could accept the Buck's qualifying offer for $4.3 million next year. If he were to accept this offer, Jennings would be an unrestricted free agent come next offseason.
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks
Jeff Teague
The former Wake Forest star is currently one of the hottest commodities on the market. With Atlanta unsure of how it wants to move forward, Teague's free agency has been in question. One of the most rumored storylines is Teague signing with the Milwaukee Bucks. At 25 years old, Teague would be a great addition to a young and rebuilding Bucks team, regardless of Brandon Jennings final landing spot. Atlanta will have a tough decision to make, because Teague is a surefire NBA point guard, but the team may not be willing to pay the Indianapolis native as much as he hopes. For now, Milwaukee looks like the front runners. I fully expect this to be a two team race, as I would be very surprised if Teague signs with anyone other than Milwaukee and Atlanta.
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks
No comments:
Post a Comment