Nene wants out of Denver ; 6 teams in the mix

[Dash]

One of the surest bets of the soon-to-begin 2011 NBA free-agent period is that Nene wants out of Denver. Where he winds up, and how, will be among the most intriguing storylines when the floodgates open around Dec. 9.

 

The Nuggets are operating under the firm belief that Nene will test the market as an unrestricted free agent, according to a person familiar with the team's thinking. Six teams have registered interest, the source said: Golden State, New Jersey, Indiana, Miami, Dallas and Houston.

 

Nene, the top unrestricted free agent on the market in the view of many team executives, will have a say over where he winds up -- though not as much as free agents did under the previous system since free agents can no longer get max deals when leaving their teams via sign-and-trades.

 

Nene, 29, has long coveted Miami and Dallas as landing spots, but would have to force his way to one of those teams via a sign-and-trade since both are well over the cap. And whereas LeBron James was able to get a max deal through a sign-and-trade when he went from Cleveland to Miami, Nene would have to settle for a four-year deal with 4.5 percent raises under the new system in such an arrangement.

 

If the Golden State used the amnesty provision on Andris Biedrins, the Warriors would have enough room to sign Nene outright for close to the max -- but again, that would be a four-year deal with non-Bird raises as opposed to the five-year deal with 7.5 percent raises he'd get by re-signing with Denver. There's no incentive under the new rules for Nene to push for a sign-and-trade as opposed to an outright signing with another team, unless there was a clear preference for a team that didn't have room to sign him.

 

There is incentive, however, for the Nuggets to accommodate his wishes in the hopes of getting significant assets back through a sign-and-trade. For the Nuggets, the most advantageous scenario would be if Nene wanted to be in Miami, Dallas or Houston enough to be willing to accept less money to get there.

 

The Nets would have room sign Nene to a max deal starting at 30 percent of the cap -- $17.4 million -- if they used amnesty on Travis Outlaw. The Pacers have enough room regardless, while the Rockets would need to work with the Nuggets on a sign-and-trade.

 

http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/33584531

 

Houston doesn't HAVE to work out a sign and trade since they could potentially have $8.5 million in cap space but it would depend on just how much Nene wants. I can't see the Nuggets working out a sign and trade with either one of Dallas or Miami, the Heat don't have many attractive pieces left for a rebuilding team (the only incentive would be to ship him out East but if they're convinced Nene will sign with a team with cap space like the Nets etc they might as well try to get something small in return) and I'm not even sure why Dallas is interested when they can just resign Tyson Chandler (backup plan in case Chandler wants too much?).

Edited November 29, 2011 by Dash

[Dash]

According to Nene the lack of respect he got from management is a big reason he's set on leaving.

 

The Nuggets should have the inside track to re-sign Nene.

 

The team can pay him more money than any other team and his wife is a native of the state, leading him to plan on making Colorado his permanent home when he retries.

 

But it may not be enough to entice him to stay with the team.

 

“I learned last season that this was a business,” Nene told Yahoo! Sports. “No matter how nice you are to people, no matter how nice people are to you, this is a business. I did my best for the team and they waited and waited to extend me. I was like, ‘Oh, OK, all these years playing good, doing your best and they still test you.’ That’s not about family, love and somebody liking you. It’s a business.

 

“So how do I think about [free agency]? I want to be happy. I want to improve my game. I want to enjoy it. It was very stressful for me and I don’t want to go through this in my career anymore.”

 

Nene made $11.3 million in the final season of his contract.

 

Nene expected an extension offer from the Nuggets, but waited until just before the lockout to propose a four-year, $50 million deal, say sources.

 

Nene says he likely would have accepted the offer had it come during the season.

 

“When the season was over they didn’t offer me nothing good,” said Nene. “It’s hard. When my option came, it was good for my side and I to seize the opportunity of free agency. I tried to make a deal before that. Yes, I would have signed before the end of the season. But after the season was done, after going into the summer and waiting a little more in the summer, they ask me to sign?

 

“There was so much pressure on my shoulders. It was hard for me and I still did my job.”

 

Asked about his relationship with the franchise now, he said: “I like the organization. I do need to be professional just like they were with me. They did what was best for them, and now I need to do what is best for me.”

 

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/216844/Nene_Could_Leave_Nuggets_Due_To_Lack_Of_Respect#ixzz1f8r8RIVe

[Dash]

As NBA teams start to make a push for Denver Nuggets free-agent center Nene, front office officials are angling to be the first to meet with him at midnight Dec. 9 in his native Brazil.

 

“That will go down to the wire,” a source close to Nene said.

 

The Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers were among the teams that reached out to Nene’s representatives Wednesday, the first day teams were allowed to contact agents to discuss potential deals.

 

Once the offers arrive, it could take more than $13 million annually to sign Nene. While the market is still developing for him and the rest of a thin free-agent class, he’s clearly the focus for every team with cap space and the need for an inside presence. The Nuggets are pressed to keep him, and would likely have to pay significantly more than would’ve been necessary if they had worked a deal with him prior to his opting out this summer.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ah_bEOI2s_kuMIOdDLNUPyK8vLYF?slug=aw-wojnarowski_nba_free_agency_113011

 

Yikes.

[Paul]

Man, I would love to get Nene on the Hawks. I think that with him we would be a top contender in the East.

[Real Deal]

So the Rockets don't have much confidence in Thabeet after all?

 

Denver has to sign and trade him away. They have to get something, and they most certainly can. They won't find much from a team like the Heat or Celtics, even though both teams would love to have Nene...but there are teams in the league (like Houston) that would dish out some decent players.

 

Paul, that would be interesting. There's no way you'd trade Horford, though, correct? I'd have trouble doing that. Denver would have to take back Joe Johnson (no-show Joe), and give me someone else with Nene (Afflalo), for me to consider that.