Update: Net Income of NetsDaily reports on Twitter that the offer for Nene is for four years and $64 million. Still doesn’t make much sense, but it makes more sense. A deal for Nene at this price would hinder the Nets’ ability to trade for Dwight Howard, as the Magic are also trying to dump Hedo Turkoglu’s contract. If the deal is just for Howard, the Nets only need to include around $11.9 million in salary, which would be covered by Brook Lopez and a sign-and-trade for Kris Humphries, provided that Humphries’s contract starts at around $9 million.
A straight-up deal for Turkolgu and Howard would require the Nets to send at least $19 million (or $22 million, depending how you interpret the rule) in salary, which would be nearly impossible. But if anyone can put together a multi-team trade, it’s Billy King. Then again, if anyone can wildly overspend on a guy they had the highest offer for already, it’s also Billy King.
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Nene, the top center left in free agency, is reportedly pushing for a max contract and could get the most money by re-signing with the Nuggets. But after the Nets missed out on free agent Tyson Chandler, who agreed to a deal with the Knicks, they upped the offer for Nene to four years, $70 million, according to a source.
via Stefan Bondy — Dwight Howard rumors continue to swirl around New Jersey Nets training camp, as Nene talks heat up
Let me start by saying: this is only a rumor, from an unnamed source, buried in page 2 of a Nets story.
But if true, let’s get this straight: The Nets, having already out-priced their competition for Nene at $60 million, decided that Nene deserved an extra $10 million once another center came off the market? This seems too ridiculous to be true, but bidding against no one in an attempt to destroy his cap room for a pretty-good-not-great player is classic 2001 Billy King.
I don’t understand this at all. This doesn’t make sense as a smokescreen for Dwight Howard. This doesn’t make sense organically. The only thing I can imagine is that Dan Fegan — the agent for both Nene and Howard — told the Nets to bid high on Nene and that’d help in the pursuit for Dwight. But even that makes little sense to me, and Billy shouldn’t let an agent toss him around like that.
More bulletins as events warrant. Hold on tight.
