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The Nets’ abysmally long Dwightmare is over.
The Nets finally said enough is enough yesterday and ended their pursuit of Dwight Howard, that legend says began during the first Ice Age. Having been rebuffed by Howard himself in March, when the superstar center elected to opt in for one more year in Orlando, the Nets chatted with the Magic through yesterday, the first day free agent signings and trades could become official. Talks went nowhere.
But that didn’t stop them from a spending spree. The Nets agreed to spend more than $300 million in salaries.
And that’s without Howard.
The Nets avoided losing their restricted free agent center, re-signing Brook Lopez, and thereby crushing any chance for a trade. Charlotte was prepared to give Lopez a four-year offer, as were the Trail Blazers, sources maintained. The Nets ended the Howard pursuit and finalized re-signing Lopez, something in the works for a while.
“The window to get it [Howard trade] done became so small,” one league source said, “it just couldn’t be done.”
So the Nets gave Lopez a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth $61 million, signing him to a slightly higher percentage than originally planned. The Nets could have signed him to five years, but gave him the four at a better rate. The four years equals what he would have gotten with an offer sheet. The sum still is far more than many figured Lopez would land, having missed all but five games last season with a broken foot and then subsequent ankle injuries.
Now, the Nets cannot trade Lopez until Jan. 15. And the Magic, who were intent on getting the best deal they could but likely blew the shot at the most attractive offer, will seek ways to dump salary and appease the ever-waffling Howard, who made it abundantly clear he wanted Brooklyn.
“What I’ve said from Day 1
is that we will do whatever it is that’s in the best interests of this organization,” new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said in an afternoon press conference in Orlando. “We’re going to stand firm to that. But that’s our goal. We’re going to do whatever we can to put this team, this organization, in the best position.”
Starting with a ticked-off superstar.
“He had his chance in March,” one source observed about Howard’s now-regretted decision to opt-in, amid boasts of “loyalty,” for one more season. “He blew it.”
Hennigan said the Magic still were talking with
the Nets, though he described the discussions as “stationary.”
“We’re still looking to do, again, whatever we can do that puts us in the best position,” said Hennigan, who claimed “talks we’ve had to this point, as currently constructed, there’s not much there.”
Hennigan described discussions with Howard as “respectful … businesslike.”
And so — temporarily, perhaps — ended the Nets’ latest pursuit of a superstar. But there was no deflated feeling this time like when the Carmelo Anthony 19-ring circus ended with the star forward landing in New York, or when “New Jersey” or “Brooklyn” didn’t factor into LeBron James’ decision.
There was no desperation for the Nets this time. They walked away willingly. They tried to facilitate a multi-team deal and were denied as some teams declined to get involved, others saw not enough gain and still others feared another superpower team. The Magic continued talking to Houston and the Lakers while the Nets waited.
What made it palpable for the Nets was re-upping Deron Williams, who said he chose to come back once the Nets added All-Star guard Joe Johnson and re-signed Gerald Wallace.
So owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s checkbook took a hit for almost $99 million for Williams over five years, $89 million for the remainder of Johnson’s deal, nearly $61 million to appease Lopez, $40 million for Gerald Wallace’s four-year re-signing, a three-year deal worth $5 million agreed to yesterday for verteran forward Reggie Evans and $1.3 million for a one-year veteran’s minimum pact for Jerry Stackhouse.
And the money increased last night when the Nets finalized deals with Euro star Mirza Teletovic ($10 million for three years) and veteran forward Reggie Evans
($5 million for three). Do the math. That is a lot of dollars or rubles.
Even if it doesn’t involve Howard.