2012 NBA Draft and Offseason Blog

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, and David Kay of the The Sports Bank.
Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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2012 NBA Free Agent Recap - July 4


Nets re-sign PG Deron Williams to 5-year, $98.8 million deal

As the gravelly-voiced manager in Major League once stated, "It's starting to come together, Pepper." The Nets' gambles of acquiring Gerald Wallace, Joe Johnson, and Williams in the past 17 months have certainly paid off since Brooklyn now has it's own semi-Big Three.

It was pretty obvious that Williams was going to get the max deal from whichever team he signed with, and he ultimately chose to stay out East rather than head south to join the Mavericks. I don't think Williams is worth a max contract, but GM Billy King had to throw that type of money Williams' way to ensure he'd stay. Now, the Nets have two players earning max contracts in Williams and Johnson, which ultimately kills the cap flexibility for the next four years. It also puts Brooklyn in the mix of being one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, as long as everyone can coexist.

Celtics sign SG-Jason Terry to 3-year, $15.7 miilion deal

The Celtics' starting five played exceptionally well this season, but Boston lacked any real scoring pop off its bench. Enter Jason Terry. One of the top bench scorers in the NBA the past few seasons, he will provide that punch, especially if Ray Allen ends up signing elsewhere. The Celtics still want to bring Allen back, but if they are unable to, Terry serves as a solid replacement.



Pacers re-sign PG-George Hill to 5-year deal; terms undisclosed

Hill came off the bench most of last season for Indiana, but he ended up taking over the starting point guard spot and played really well. Hill was a restricted free agent, but the Pacers obviously thought enough of his inaugural season in Indiana to ink him to a long-term extension.

Finanical terms haven't been released, but you can bet Hill will be making around $7-8 million a year. He is also a valuable commodity for the Pacers because he can play off the ball while allowing Darren Collison to run the point. Another option for the Pacers would be trading Darren Collison for another asset.


The Nets acquire PF-Reggie Evans from the Clippers for a future second-round pick

In order for this deal to go down, Evans first had to agree to a three-year, $5 million contract before being shipped east in a sign and trade. Since Brooklyn is loading up on talented wing players (Williams, Johnson, and Wallace), the team needed to add some muscle and rebounding inside. Evans certainly provides toughness on the glass and will be a valuable role player off the bench unless Kris Humphries doesn't re-sign with the team; then Evans could see a spot in the starting lineup.



Nets sign PF-Mirza Teletovic to 3-year, $15.7 miilion deal

Brooklyn uses its midlevel exception to sign Teletovic, who adds even more depth inside. He is not the most skilled post player but should be able to contribute on the glass. Teletovic provides head coach Avery Johnson with another option in case Humphries is not back with the team.

Raptors sign G/F Landry Fields to 3-year, approximately $20 million offer sheet

One of the main reasons the Raptors reportedly extended this offer to Fields was to force the Knicks' hand. If New York matches the deal, then it lessens the chance of Steve Nash signing with the Knicks and increases the possibility of him coming north of the border.

I'm not sure Fields is worth this sort of money, especially since Toronto already has young, long, athletic wings in DeMar DeRozan and first-round pick Terrence Ross. Nevertheless, it is an interesting strategic move, and why I love the NBA offseason.

Hornets re-sign SG Eric Gordon to 4-year, $58 million deal

Damn... Max money for Eric Gorson is some serious coin. New Orleans is obviously in re-building mode, having just drafted Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers. However, Gordon does at least give the team a "veteran" presence and proven scorer who can help be the face of the franchise along with the Hornets' first-round picks.

"Basketball Judas," as my Illinois colleague calls Gordon, was the key piece in the Chris Paul trade, so keeping him in town rationalizes the Paul deal. Again, I'm not sure Gordon is worth max money, but New Orleans needed to keep Gordon around, and with other teams expressing interest in the young shooting guard, the Hornets were forced to pay him the big bucks.



Recent NBA Draft and Offseason Blog Entries:

James Harden Trade Analysis - 10/29
What Will the USA Basketball Team Look Like at 2016 Summer Olympics? - 8/15
Dwight Howard Trade Analysis - 8/10
Restricted 2013 NBA Free Agents - 7/29
Unrestricted 2013 NBA Free Agents - 7/28
2012 NBA Offseason Winners - 7/23
2012 NBA Offseason Losers - 7/21
2012 NBA Free Agent Recap - 7/13
Outstanding 2013 NBA Draft Trades - 7/12
2012 NBA Free Agent Recap - 7/10
2012 NBA Free Agent Recap - 7/6
2012 NBA Free Agent Recap - 7/4
Atlanta Hawks' Trades Recap - 7/3
2012 NBA Free Agent Recap - 7/2
2012 NBA Draft Winners - 6/30
2012 NBA Draft Losers - 6/30
NBA Trade Analysis - 6/28
NBA Trade Analysis - 6/27
2012 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Perry Jones - More Risk or Reward? - 6/26
2012 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: John Henson One of NBA Draft's Most Overrated Players - 6/25
2012 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Vanderbilt to See Three Commodores Taken in NBA Draft - 6/22
Wizards-Hornets Trade Analysis - 6/21
2012 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Doron Lamb: Stepping out of Kentucky Shadows into NBA Draft - 6/20
2012 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Can Memphis' Will Barton Sneak into 1st round of 2012 NBA Draft? - 6/19
2012 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Baylor's Quincy Miller Made a Mistake by Entering NBA Draft - 6/16
2012 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Can Duke's Austin Rivers live up to the hype in the NBA? - 6/15
2012 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Can Kansas' Tyshawn Taylor Be a True NBA Point Guard? - 6/14
2012 NBA Draft Lottery Odds Breakdown - 5/30
2012 NBA Trade Deadline: Winners - 3/19
2012 NBA Trade Deadline: Losers - 3/18
2012 NBA Trade Deadline: Five Players Likely to Be Traded - 3/8
2012 NBA Draft Outstanding Trades - 12/25
NBA Offseason and Draft Blog - Home

Leave a comment Name Comment Verification: click on image to refresh it   Captain Obvious 06-24-2011 10:41 pm xxx.xxx.xxx2.25 (total posts: 1) 23     22 You said: "After Thursday evening, it will mark three years in a row that a point guard went first overall..." WTF happened to Blake Griffin??? LOL. waltair 06-21-2011 09:41 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.199 (total posts: 3) 23     23 waltare you need a cheif editor this is bad Walter 06-21-2011 01:43 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10) 20     19 Thanks, Fitz. Fixed. Austin 06-19-2011 01:18 am xxx.xxx.xxx8.49 (total posts: 1) 19     21 If Leonard can prove he is capable of knocking down shots, the raptors might reach for him at five, he can provide the rebounding that their bigs, not pointing fingers but a seven foot i-tie, don't. It's a reach for sure, but it might be a good fit. He will also improve their abominable defense. Fitz 06-18-2011 01:51 am xxx.xxx.xxx3.52 (total posts: 3) 29     23 Well the Tristan Thompson article is good. The Hamilton Article has one mistake.In the 1st paragraph it says, "there are concerns about him about him being dialed in..." You put "about him" twice. Walter 06-17-2011 01:52 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10) 20     22 Haha thanks for that. I definitely won't hate you for it. It's hard to proofread at 2 am. Fitz 06-16-2011 03:46 am xxx.xxx.xxx3.52 (total posts: 3) 17     20 Yea i understand. Gotta make that paper ha. Btw, in the last paragraph of the Singleton article it needs to say, "never will BE a star". Right now its says, "never will a star". I decided I'm gonna keep gonna keep correcting your articles until you start hating me Walter 06-14-2011 01:28 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10) 20     29 Haha definitely not my morals. It's what the advertisers and Google want, and since this is my main source of income, I have to do as they say. Fitz 06-13-2011 02:17 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.52 (total posts: 3) 23     22 Yea I figured it was probably just bad grammar on Liggins' part but I figured I would correct it just in case. You cant say anything with a** in it or sh*t and a few others such as d*ck and so on and so forth. I understand if you have to do it because of advertisers and things like that, but I hope it's not because of your morals haha Walter 06-13-2011 01:42 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10) 17     20 Thanks, Fitz. I made some of the corrections. Two of them were wrong though because that's how the quote was said. You should never fix the grammar in the quote if that's how the player said it. What specific filter are you talking about? Fitz 06-11-2011 11:55 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.79 (total posts: 3) 22     19 *Hands instead of hand. Haha i f'ed up while correcting your f ups. And you need to get rid of the bad language filter on here imo. It's annoying Fitz 06-11-2011 11:52 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.79 (total posts: 3) 26     19 Walt- Well the first sentence did say Every year i scratch at instead of scratch my head at, but i guess u just fixed that recently. In the 3rd paragraph you say "the extremely talent bunch of recruits coming to Kentucky...". It should be TALENTED bunch 5th paragraph- "We had other guys who more highly recruited than me..." Should be "other guys who WERE more highly recruited than me" 7th paragraph- "but he never showed a consistency in attacking the basket." you need to take out the A. 8th paragraph- Hands instead of hands in " I didn't have the ball in my hand a lot" I'm not trying to be a grammar nazi btw. Just trying to help out. JimB 06-11-2011 09:13 am xxx.xxx.xxx1.14 (total posts: 1) 17     23 I believe he'll get drafted. His offense has improved year after year, he keeps improving his all around game and is reasonably athletic. I watched him play a lot at KY and his D is top notch. What team wouldn't want a wing player to come in off the bench and defend tirelessly and well, rebound, scrap for loose balls, and score if left open. He's the perfect player for that role, and a team first player as well. 2nd round to the Knicks or Celtics.... Walter 06-11-2011 01:15 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10) 18     18 Where are the errors? Fitz 06-10-2011 03:30 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.79 (total posts: 3) 20     23 Walt, did you really edit this? Because there are still a ton of errors. If you ever want someone to proofread your stuff I'll be more than happy to. It's part of my job so I know what I'm doing. And trust me, you need it ha. Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 67

2013 NBA Mock Draft - May 22

2014 NBA Mock Draft - April 25

2013 NBA Draft Prospect Rankings: C | PF | COMBO-F | SF | COMBO-G | SG | PG

2011 NBA Mock Draft - June 23

2011 NBA Mock Draft - Walt's (June 21)

2011 NBA Mock Re-Draft

2010 NBA Mock Re-Draft

2009 NBA Mock Re-Draft

2011 NBA Draft Scouting Reports

2010-11 NBA Season Previews

2009 NBA Draft Grades





2013 Fantasy Football Rankings - May 23


2013 NBA Mock Draft - May 22


2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 21


Charlie's 2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 20


NFL Picks - Feb. 3