To my disappointment, nobody was camped outside my door and my phone remained silent when the clock struck 11:01 CST last night and the NBA free agency period officially got underway. I even bought a nice little cheese and cracker plate to serve… For the next couple of weeks, I will give daily updates on what has happened on the free agent landscape. Some of it will be serious information, but most of it will be incredibly sarcastic and satirical. In the first edition, I explain why I have to stop wearing flip-flops… (GASP!)
By: David Kay
-Richard Jefferson opted out of the final year of his contract that would have paid him $15 million this season. I was so confident that he would play out his contract that this is what I wrote in my free agent rankings, “If Jefferson turns down the $15 million owed to him in the final year of his contract and elects to become a free agent, I will stop wearing flip-flops. I LOVE wearing flip-flops.” I was just kidding. I mean, I am not really going to stop wearing flip-flops. I was speaking hyperbolically. You all understood that, right? Right?
I don’t know what R.C. Buford did to make R.J. opt out of his deal, but it must have been dirty. Maybe it was like the movie Eight Men Out when the supposed autograph seeker approaches Lefty Williams and asks him if that’s his wife standing next to him. Lefty says yes, then the tough guy responds, “If you don’t lose tomorrow, she dies.” A situation like that must have happened. It is the only explanation.
-Prior to the trade deadline, the Grizzlies dealt a protected first round pick to the Jazz in exchange for shooting guard Ronnie Brewer. Brewer ended up only playing in five games for Memphis due to injury and scored a whopping ten points. Wednesday, Griz GM Chris Wallace (who I nicknamed the “Notorious B.A.D.G.M.” last summer) decided to NOT extend the qualifying offer to Brewer that would have paid him $3.7 million next season. So ultimately, the Grizzlies got ten points for a future first round pick. To quote Will Hunting, “F#$%ing people baffle me.” This moves makes zero sense. None whatsoever. And Wallace was just signed to a contract extension a couple of weeks ago.
-The Timberwolves struck first in free agency, reportedly signing 2008 second round pick Nikola Pekovic to a 3-year, $13 million deal. Next up is re-signing Darko Milcic who according to an AP report, is GM David Kahn’s “first priority.” Ricky Rubio has got to be psyched!
-Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Portland has targeted Utah restricted free agent Wesley Matthews. I’m not sure how this makes any sense since the Blazers have Brandon Roy, Rudy Fernandez, and just drafted Elliot Williams who all play the two guard spot just like Matthews. My money is on Wesley getting an extension, nice raise, and returning to the Jazz next season.
Check out David’s NBA off-season team pages.