NBA Bric-a-Brac

First things first: Pero Antic to Fenerbache. Antic is the classic case of one of those dudes you root for because you want him to be good but really he's not that good. I suspect at Fenerbache he'll get more minutes, more reps and be a more integral part of the offense that he ever was with the Hawks. Antic is early 30s but I'd say still good enough to maybe be a difference maker for Fenerbache. Good luck, Pero.

Ridnour and cash considerations to Raptors; a trade exception to Thunder. Ridnour is into that portion of his career where his contract can be still useful but his game cannot. Doubt we'll see him Toronto's pre-season camps, might see his contract get moved once or twice before next summer. I suppose there's a team or two that would be willing to bring him in, but I'm telling ya, he is bad at basketball, I guarantee there are undrafted guys vastly better, cheaper, younger, more motivated than Ridnour. I doubt we'll ever see him on the court again.

Wade (Heat) opts out. I assume this opt-out is just the mechanism to get a raise from the Heat. He'll get some photo ops, try to blow up your Yahoo news for a week or so, but I don't see him playing anyway ever besides the Heat. Who wants to pay a gajillion dollars for an every once in a while Dwyane Wade? Heat will....but why would anyone else? Wade will spend his entire career with the Heat, a rarity in sports these days, he's not going anywhere, but I assume he'll get a very nice raise for 3 more years.

Lebron (Cavs) opts out. Lebron will opt out every year if need be to get exactly what he wants. Good for him, badasses like him are rare and I never failed to be impressed by the guy, I think everything he does is measured, well-considered and usually absolutely correct. Lebron wants to make sure management does exactly what he wants and management will do what he wants. And they should, he's right. Give him the roster he wants, the coach he wants, the money he wants, the influence he wants, just give it to him. Lebron is the Cavs, how could he ever leave?

Cavs pick up option on Mozgov; Miller opts in; Cavs tender offers to Shumpert, Dellevadova; rumored to be offering max deal to Love. Looks like the whole gang'll be back next year for the Cavs. And supposedly Smith wants back too. Another rumor is getting Tiago Splitter for Brendan Haywood's kooky contract (he'd give them plenty of depth). Personally I'd make Miller go away and let Smith and Dellevadova walk because I think they can do better with the MLE or BAE but if Lebron likes those guys, then go ahead and keep those guys (if he doesn't, get rid of them). That team should dominate the East for 5-6 more years. They could be more flexible, maybe even a little better, but Lebron wants what Lebron wants and that's what the Cavs need to do.

Hinrich (Bulls) opts in. Still a nice player off the bench, been with the Bulls forever, still good enough to bring back.

Magic waive Gordon; reach a deal with Barcelona for Hezonja. Last summer the Magic signed Gordon and Ridnour and I could not for the life of me figure out why they picked up either of those guys. It took one expensive year but now they're both gone. Not good signings but could've been worse, call it a sunk cost and move on. Barcelona needed a transfer fee to release Hezonja (think it was around $1.4m, seems reasonable), Magic worked it out. I think the first day they can sign him is July 10, I assume we'll see Hezonja signed sometime around then.

Ellis (Mavs) opts out. He's a for-real scorer and he'll get paid. Some buzzed about teams: Lakers (Monta and Kobe together? That sounds excruciating) and Hawks (he's not a 'team concept' guy but I think it could be a good fit). I'd suggest Sixers (they won't pay him but they could use an unconscious veteran scorer) Raptors (sign and trades Derozan for Ellis? I guess that could happen), Nuggets (hey, man, that roster could be all kinds of different by the end of the summer). Not sure where he goes, his game is his game so which team does he fit best?

Warriors pick up option on Speights. The Warriors must get rid of Lee, I thought they might let Speights go too. I like Speights, think he's a good fit for the Warriors.

Thunder hire Monty Williams, Maurice Cheeks. Hmm, did Billy Donovan hire his own staff? Plenty of NBA veteran-ness on the bench beside Donovan there, a security blanket for some guys, a built-in firing squad for others. In this case, I'd say Donovan's good in OKC for at least 3 years and Williams and Cheeks are just padding their resumes til they can get head coaching gigs somewhere else.

Deng (Heat) opts in. Early rumors were that Deng would opt in and set sail with Dwyane Wade...but why would that happen? Deng has 1 yr/$10.5m left with the Heat, he's a nice piece coming off the bench there, I'd say keep it together for one more year.

Heat declines option on Beasley. Tsk, tsk. Once upon a time Beasley was the #2 pick (by the Heat) and to my eye the most likely to be a star in the NBA. But turns out Beasley was just such a douche, he could never keep it together in any environment to contribute. Miami was the last place that would give him a shot, and he wasn't bad coming off the bench last year. No one else will want this guy, I'd say he's off to China.

And some rumors....
Gasol (Grizzlies) thought to be re-upping for max. Yeah, he's a heart on his sleeve kinda guy, everyone knows he loves the Grizzlies, loves the town, loves his crew, no one thinks he's going anywhere else. Likewise, anything short of a max deal from the Grizzlies would be a bit disappointing. Marriage made in heaven, and put Gasol right behind Wade as the next big star to spend his entire career with one team (oh, were you thinking Kobe would never play anywhere but the Lakers? I'm not so sure, I reckon we'll see Kobe for at last 2-3 more years).

Pelicans to offer max to Davis. Yup, ya damn right they will. I assume the max was offered in a gold plated dump truck surrounded by dudes in suits bowing and averting their gazes. I reckon he'll sign, don't think there's any advantage for him to take a shorter deal.

Is John Calipari leaving Kentucky for Sacramento? No. Heh, heh, Sacramento? Bwah-ha-ha! Come on, man, Cal would leave Kentucky for the perfect gig but Sacramento is not anybody's idea of the 'perfect' anything. Perfect for Cal: still a whole summer left of figuring out whether Blatt is back in Cleveland, that's a gig Cal would (should) want. Other than that, we'll see what the Lakers have going next summer but otherwise I don't see any other NBA gigs that would interest Calipari in the next year. And I don't see him being interested in Sacramento ever under any circumstances.

Lakers may make offer to Butler (Bulls). Supposedly Butler wants to leave Chicago but as a restricted free agent he's probably not going to leave (don't think the Lakers have any assets for a sign and trade), so supposedly he wants the shortest possible contract with the Bulls (which I think would be 3 years). I don't see Butler going to the Lakers any time soon but if the interest is mutual maybe somewhere down the line it could happen. I think Butler would fit nicely with the Pacers, put him next to PG, that'd be some gnarly D.

Cavs want Dunleavy (Bulls); Bulls want to re-sign Dunleavy, I thought the Bulls would let him walk but if Lebron wants him then suddenly the Bulls don't want him to go. Dunleavy is the quintessential reliable veteran right now, not gonna carry a team but gives predictably decent minutes on the court. I can see Lebron liking that guy.

Two cents: I think Aldridge goes back to Portland.