UPDATE: Citing two sources, CSNNE's Sherrod Blakely says it's unlikely the Celtics will land Matt Barnes. The Mavericks, Lakers and Heat are the alleged favorites.
Matt Barnes and his agent are close to finalizing a free-agent deal
that could send Barnes to one of the Orlando Magic’s toughest rivals.Barnes posted the following message to his Twitter account minutes
ago: “2maro is the day. I will let my fans know where I’m going to sign.
Its gonna SURPRISE you!!!! Keep it locked..”I exchanged text messages with Barnes a few moments ago. He confirmed
that he wrote the Twitter message, but he politely declined to comment
on his specific plans.My colleague Brian Schmitz wrote earlier today that Barnes has drawn interest
from the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, among other teams.
Why Boston over Miami?
The defensive-minded Celtics might make more sense. Boston is looking
for back-up help behind small forward Paul Pierce and at power forward
behind Kevin Garnett after the retirement of Rasheed Wallace.The Heat are crowded at the small-foward and power-forward spots.
LeBron James will start at small forward, with Mike Miller coming off
the bench. Chris Bosh will be the power forward, backed by Udonis
Haslem.
Barnes would be a solid addition to the bench. The guy clearly wants to win. Both Miami and Boston can offer only the veteran minimum.
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