NBA Rumors Round-Up
NBA Rumors: Stephenson Nearly Joined Mavericks
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated06 Nov 2023
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The Dallas Mavericks, though, were interested in Ebanks’ terms. By the weekend of July 11, both sides had verbally committed to a two-year contract worth slightly more than Stephenson’s eventual deal with the Hornets, according to Ebanks. But Dallas was in a holding pattern; the Houston Rockets first had to match Chandler Parsons’ Mavericks offer, or it wouldn’t happen.
“It was a domino effect,” Ebanks said. “Dallas did not think that Houston was going to let Parsons walk. Lance was very close to being a member of the Mavericks. When you’re a little further along into free agency, people are more in the position to pull the trigger when they see what they’re looking for.”
Not only did Lance Stephenson have to wait for superstars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony to get signed before he could ink his new contract, this report reveals that players like Chandler Parsons greatly affected his free agency process. In fact, Stephenson was reportedly Dallas’ Plan B behind Parsons, and the Mavs fully expected the Houston Rockets to match their offer sheet for Parsons.
Stephenson ended up signing a three-year, $27 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets (which seems like a good move, as I broke down recently). Had he went with Dallas, he would have reportedly inked a two-year agreement worth more annually.
The Mavericks ended up landing Parsons and then acquiring a number of new players throughout the offseason including Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Richard Jefferson, Jameer Nelson and Al-Farouq Aminu.
NBA.com: Did you have to make a Knicks-or-Warriors decision?
Kerr: Yes.
NBA.com: What did that come down to?
Kerr: Everything I just referenced. New York was very intriguing, especially my relationship with Phil and the opportunity he was presenting me, and the Knicks, the franchise itself and the history. But it would have been a really, really difficult situation in terms of the family and being all the way across the country. I just felt better suited to work with these guys here, this younger roster with a more established core. It just felt more comfortable.
For awhile, it seemed like Steve Kerr to the New York Knicks was inevitable, given his relationship with Phil Jackson.
However, when the Golden State Warriors entered the mix, it was hard for Kerr to turn them down since they’re in California and the team is closer to contending as currently assembled. This is what Kerr reiterated in his interview with NBA.com (which is definitely worth a read).
In the next part of the Q&A, Kerr did admit that New York was somewhat tempting since they’re in the weaker Eastern Conference and they will have significant camp room next summer to add another star player alongside Carmelo Anthony.
“The fact that they were in the East and were a year away from cap room was really intriguing,” Kerr told NBA.com. “I think the Knicks are a playoff team right now and I think they’re going to get better and I think a year from now they’ll have a chance to make a real splash in free agency. The basketball situation, particularly being aligned with Phil, was very intriguing actually. It much more came down to lifestyle and family and the established roster here. On the flip side, we’re in the West. (He laughs) That was a negative. But can’t do much about that.”
Kerr ultimately ended up signing a five-year, $25 million deal with Golden State.
If there is indeed a pool, the biggest winner of all will be Diaw himself, who stands to pocket half a million dollars ($) if he can keep himself at or below 254 at three different points during the upcoming season, according to ESPN Insider Amin Elhassan: Oct. 25, the first Tuesday after the All-Star break and again on April 1.
As Insider is a pay site, we’ll refrain from listing the exact payouts for each date. But it adds up to a cool $500,000, a not insignificant bonus to the $7.5 million that Diaw, officially listed at 250, is slated to make in the first season of the multi-year extension he signed this summer after serving as a key cog in the Spurs’ championship run.
This is a smart move by the Spurs, considering Diaw’s fluctuating weight has been an issue throughout the course of his career and this ensures that he won’t become overweight (especially since he just got paid and doesn’t have the extra motivation of a contract year).
Gregg Popovich joked that the Spurs have a pool to see how much Diaw will weigh throughout the season. While that isn’t true, Diaw will be weighed three times throughout the year and receive a total of $500K if he remains below 254 lbs.
Last season, Diaw was a significant contributor for San Antonio’s title team and he should be an important part of the team once again. Adding this clause to Diaw’s contract yet another genius move from general manager R.C. Buford.
