NBA Free Agents 2012: Breaking Down Likely Landing Spots for Jason Terry
Jason Terry's upcoming free agency has been on his mind for quite some time.
Earlier this season, the veteran sixth man told ESPN Dallas he felt as if he was "playing for 29 teams."
"I want to be here, but every night I'm on the floor I'm on a job interview," Terry said.
Jason Terry understands.
A lot of people like to preach loyalty in the game, but that's an overstated element of the business side that gets greatly exaggerated.
But it didn't stop there. Before the postseason began, Terry again openly discussed his free agency.
This time, he got very specific about his future plans.
Before a regular season game against the Miami Heat, Terry was asked if he could envision himself in South Beach next season by Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida.
"No question, they need a veteran shooter, a guy who can score besides LeBron (James) and (Dwyane Wade), and they know they can count on. I'm a guy that's been in this league 13 years, (averaging) 15 points a night, easy. Off the bench or the starting lineup, it doesn't matter. So I think I'd be an asset to them.
"
That's a pretty strange response coming from a guy who was playing with the Dallas Mavericks—the team that the Heat lost to in the finals the previous season.
Will all of that hamper his value on the open market?
It's unlikely.
Although his 15.1 points per game was the lowest mark of his career since the 2004-05 season, Terry shot a very respectable 37.8 percent from the three-point line as well as 88.3 percent from the foul line while playing just under 32 minutes per game.
Those statistics can help a number of teams.
However, there are certain clubs that stand out as preferred landing spots for Terry to consider.
Miami Heat
Jason Terry was right in his comments when talking about Miami.
The team could certainly use a backup shooting guard behind Dwyane Wade, and there's no doubt that his instant offense would help the second unit from stalling out at times without either LeBron James or Wade on the floor.
Terry would have to take a serious pay cut in order for this to become a realistic scenario, and at 34 years old and a desire to continue playing, I'm not sold that he's prepared to do so.
Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta's going to have to do some serious evaluation in the offseason.
Nobody is taking on Joe Johnson's horribly inflated contract, leaving Al Horford and Josh Smith as the most obvious trade candidates.
No matter what gets decided in the front office, shooting guard should be an area of emphasis moving forward.
If this team wants to be considered a realistic contender at any point in the foreseeable future, backing up Johnson with guys like Kirk Hinrich and Jannero Pargo just isn't going to cut it.
Should Terry seek a clear opportunity for extended playing time, the Hawks make a ton of sense.
Chicago Bulls
Injuries to Richard Hamilton earlier this season had several Bulls fans wondering if he was ever going to contribute, and it's not an issue Chicago can just ignore.
Terry would be a weapon off the bench for this championship-hopeful squad, and adding more firepower certainly isn't the worst idea for next season.
The Bulls could be without Derrick Rose (torn ACL) and Luol Deng (potential wrist surgery) to begin the 2012-13 campaign, and the offense will struggle without either player in the lineup.
Los Angeles Clippers
It will be very interesting to see how the Clippers plan to fill out the roster after the season concludes.
Nick Young and Randy Foye will both be free agents, Mo Williams will have one season left on his deal and Chauncey Billups—the forgotten man due to his Achilles tear—will also be searching for a new team.
What will Los Angeles do at shooting guard?
The team has to be very, very careful about creatively managing cap space to sign both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul to extensions when the time arrives, and Terry could be a creative short-term solution at the two-guard spot.
