The defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs came up short in their bid to land Minnesota Timberwolves free agent Andrei Kirilenko in a sign-and-trade acquisition, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
NBA free agency rumors roundup: Spurs pushed for Andrei Kirilenko, no timetable for Andrew Bynum decision
The Spurs pushed to acquire Andrei Kirilenko, but they struck out in their pursuit of a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves. Elsewhere, Andrew Bynum is still mulling a decision, while Chris Andersen, Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough all agreed to new contracts.
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The Spurs were prepared to give Kirilenko a multi-year offer worth $8 million to $9 million annually, but the Wolves were unable to take on any contracts because of the agreement to sign Kevin Martin. San Antonio didn't have the space to sign Kirilenko outright, so it they needed Minnesota to take back some salary to make the deal work.
Kirilenko opted out of a $10 million contract for next season in order to secure a long-term deal, but there has not been much of a market for the Russian forward.
While there's still an outside shot Kirilenko returns to Minnesota, he's most likely gone. To help replace him, the Wolves are chasing Denver Nuggets swingman Corey Brewer. Minnesota talked sign-and-trade with Denver for Brewer, but the Nuggets don't want to bring back either Luke Ridnour or J.J. Barea.
Bynum not ready to make decision
The Cleveland Cavaliers recently offered Andrew Bynum a two-year, $24 million contract, and they were hoping the oft-injured big man would make a decision by the conclusion of the July moratorium on Tuesday night. However, Bynum still plans to meet with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, with no official decision appearing imminent, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Bynum was initially expected to make his decision on Tuesday, but he has decided to take his time. Besides the Cavs and Mavs, the Atlanta Hawks are also making a push for Bynum's services. Cleveland and Atlanta have more cap space than Dallas, so the Mavs would have to shed some salary to match offers.
This extra wait may bring angst to some fans, but SB Nation’s Cavs blog Fear The Sword says that nobody should stress out about the Bynum situation. The rationale is that if Bynum comes, it’s great because of the potential. But if the big man goes elsewhere, it’s not that big of a deal due to the injury history.
Birdman flies back to Miami
The Miami Heat will bring back big man Chris Andersen on a one-year deal. Andersen proved to be a huge mid-season pickup for the back-to-back champions, as he provided some much-needed frontcourt depth off the bench.
The terms of Andersen’s deal were not disclosed, but Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the big man turned down at least one more lucrative offer in order to return to Miami. The Heat were hoping to sign Andersen to a minimum contract worth about $1.7 million.
Dallas adds Ellington
The Mavs and Wayne Ellington agreed to a two-year deal worth more than $5 million. Ellington was traded to Cleveland in the middle of last season, where he made 17 starts and averaged 10.4 points.
Dallas needed some bench help, and SB Nation’s Mavs blog Mavs Moneyball is happy with this move:
This is the kind of gamble I’ve been looking forward to as Dallas tries to fill out the roster. Given the success that fellow Tarheel Brandan Wright has had with Dallas, one can expect Ellington to be excited about his opportunity with the 2013-2014 Mavericks.
Ellington is a career 38.2 percent three-point shooter, so at the very least, he should be able to provide some solid outside shooting.
Psycho T goes to Toronto
Tyler Hansbrough agreed to a two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors, and although terms were not initially disclosed, Sportsnet's Holly MacKenzie reports that the deal is worth $3 million per season with a team option on the second year. The Raptors used a portion of the mid-level exception to secure Hansbrough.
Hansbrough initially received a qualifying offer from the Indiana Pacers, but it was then rescinded, making him an unrestricted free agent. The big man will bring some more toughness to the Raptors, and SB Nation's Raptors blog Raptors HQ believes that Toronto could have one of the toughest frontcourts in the league next year.
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