NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Mo Williams, Andre Iguodala and Brandon Jennings
Now that the 2013 NBA draft is out of the way, the attention is turning to the league's available free agents.
Because of the new collective bargaining agreement, fans aren't going to see a ton of great free-agent markets in the future. There will be one or two guys at the top of the list, and then a bunch of rotation guys who are bound to get overpaid.
Here are some updates on three players who are hitting the open market this offseason.
Mo Williams Won't Ride the Pine
The writing was on the wall when the Utah Jazz came out of the draft with Trey Burke. You don't take a point guard that early in the draft if you're sure of the situation you already have.
Mo Williams' time in Utah looks likely to draw to a close as he's reportedly told the Jazz that he won't be back if he's not the starting PG, according to Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears.
Williams is an unrestricted free agent, so he's free to go to any team he wants, without the threat of Utah matching any offer. The 30-year-old is coming off a season in which he averaged 12.9 points and 6.2 assists.
You can understand why Williams would want to leave Utah, following the addition of Burke, but it's going to be hard for him to get a starting job with almost any other team. There are better options at the point available this summer, and Williams has always seemed like a better 2-guard than he is a point.
If he wants to stay in the league, he's going to have to settle for a backup job.
Andre Iguodala to the Detroit Pistons?
It was probably a good move for Andre Iguodala to opt out of his current deal. He's coming off a very good season and is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, if not the best. He'll have no shortage of suitors, and his value wouldn't have been any higher next year.
FOX Sports' Sam Amico reported the Detroit Pistons might try to put themselves at the front of the line.
Iguodala would undoubtedly be an upgrade for the Pistons. The question is whether or not he's the right kind of upgrade.
The 29-year-old would do nothing to add any outside game to the offense. He's a career 46.0 percent shooter, and his free-throw percentage plummeted to 57.4 percent. Iguodala is not a shooter, and he won't do anything to bring out the best from either Greg Monroe or Andre Drummond.
Plus, Iguodala's much better when he's the secondary option offensively on a team. By going to the Pistons, Iguodala would become the go-to guy when they have the ball. That should be a scary thought for Detroit.
Brandon Jennings Wants 'Big Market'
As a restricted free agent, the Milwaukee Bucks have a good chance of retaining the services of Brandon Jennings. However, NBA insider Brett Poirier reported Jennings wants to play in a "big market" and listed his optimal destinations.
However, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Charles Gardner reported general manager John Hammond has no plans of losing the player.
Jennings averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 assists last season. He played well, but you couldn't help thinking he could have done better. Jennings has all the talent in the world, and it just hasn't come together for him. He's been very good, but he hasn't taken that next step to becoming a star.
Moving to a bigger market might lead to that jump happening.
And there's where this becomes a tricky situation for the Bucks. If they re-sign Jennings, they risk bringing back what could turn into a malcontent who doesn't want to be there. By letting him leave, Milwaukee would look foolish for allowing a young, talented point guard to walk out the door.
