Another week gone, and with it a host of free agency news. Here are free agency news of note from the past week.
- The Hawks matched Milwaukee’s four year, $32 million deal for Jeff Teague and will retain the point guard. This comes after reports of a sign-and-trade deal to swap Teague for Brandon Jennings. This news comes as a bit of surprise, as Teague expressed a desire to play for coach Larry Drew (now in Milwaukee), and Atlanta had been seemingly willing to part ways with the young guard. All that matters not however with Teague locked up in Atlanta. $32 million over four years is a good price for a player who’s potential is still on the rise….
- Monta Ellis signed a 3 year deal with the Dallas Mavericks for between $25 and $30 million. Ellis will provide scoring for the Mavericks, and playing next to Jose Calderon is intriguing. While he is an upgrade over O.J. Mayo, it is unclear with he will make Dallas a playoff team in the strong Western Conference.
- Wesley Johnson, who played for Phoenix last season, has reportedly signed a 1 year deal for the veteran minimum with the Lakers. Johnson was the 4th overall pick in 2010, and has failed to live up to expectations thus far. Johnson joins a list of one year deals the Lakers are making, including signing guard Nick Young and veteran center Chris Kaman. Johnson averaged 8 points a game last season in 19 minutes of play. With Metta World Peace and Earl Clark both gone, there should be minutes available for Johnson.
- Per Adrian Wojnarowski, the Wizards are interested in signing Spurs forward DeJaun Blair. Blair’s minutes were cut last season, but he still played in 61 games for San Antonio, starting in 16. Because of Washington’s lack of cap space, acquiring Blair will have to be done via sign-and-trade.
- With the Bobcats solidifying their front court with the signing of Al Jefferson and the resigning of Josh McRoberts, the team has now turned to resigning shooting guard Gerald Henderson. Talks are ongoing, and while the team has made resigning Henderson their priority, they are exploring sign-and-trade scenarios should talks ultimately stall. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reported Friday that the team and Henderson’s representatives had positive talks, but how close the two sides are remains unclear. The good news for Bobcats fans is that Henderson wants to return to Charlotte, expressing a desire to be part of the solution. Additionally, with O.J. Mayo and Monta Ellis both signing with other teams, two of Charlotte’s potential replacements are likely off the board.
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