Jermaine O'Neal Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Free Agent
The Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers have all had reported interest in Jermaine O'Neal. On Tuesday, the Portland Trail Blazers reportedly entered the mix as well.
Continue for updates.
O'Neal Posts Instagram Message, NBA Future Uncertain
Monday, Feb. 16
O'Neal posted an ominous Instagram message on Monday alluding to his basketball future:
Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News added a comment from O'Neal about returning to the NBA, and ESPN's Marc Stein noted a move to the Mavericks isn't happening at this time:
On Jan. 17, O'Neal also had a message for his fans on Instagram:
Trail Blazers Added to Mix For O'Neal
Tuesday, Jan. 6
ESPN's Marc Stein has the latest on the race for O'Neal's services:
"The Portland Trail Blazers have joined the race to try to convince former All-Star center Jermaine O'Neal to play one more NBA season at age 36, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Blazers, who drafted O'Neal out of high school in 1996 and employed him for his first four NBA seasons before a career-changing trade to Indiana, have made overtures to O'Neal about returning to the Pacific Northwest to bolster their hobbled front line in the wake of recent injuries suffered by Robin Lopez (hand) and Joel Freeland (shoulder).
"
Mavericks Targeting Jermaine O'Neal After Rajon Rondo Trade
Thursday, Dec. 18
MavsMoneyBall.com's Tim Cato has the report:
According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, Wright, Jae Crowder and Jameer Nelson are all on their way to Boston in exchange for Rajon Rondo and rookie Dwight Powell.
On Friday, ESPN's Marc Stein reported that this deal gives Dallas an advantage with O'Neal:
Wright is quite clearly the most important departure of the bunch. The 27-year-old has served as the main backup to Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler, averaging 8.8 points on a league-best 74.8 percent shooting, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in just 18.7 minutes per game.
Not only has he been incredibly valuable on both sides of the court, owning a spectacular player efficiency rating (PER) of 26.1 (via Basketball-Reference.com), but his absence also means Dallas' primary frontcourt backups are now Greg Smith and Charlie Villanueva. That's not going to cut it for a contender in the West, especially when Nowitzki in his 17th NBA season and Chandler has missed 43 games over the last two years.
Enter O'Neal, who makes a lot of sense as an addition, as D210TV's Tamara Jolee and KPRC-TV's Adam Wexler explained:
Last season with the Golden State Warriors, O'Neal averaged 7.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 20.1 minutes per contest. Per NBA.com, opponents shot 59.2 percent from inside six feet against him, more than nine percentage points worse than the league average.
O'Neal, 36, isn't a flashy option, but he's exactly what Dallas needs. He's a veteran who can come off the bench, defend the rim, rebound and provide 18-20 minutes of reliable play.
Of course, as Warriors general manager Bob Myers recently confirmed, via the Bay Area News Group's Diamond Leung, the Mavs may have some competition:
Either way, Dallas' sudden need for depth down low should expedite talks across the board, and it doesn't sound like it will be long before O'Neal is back on an NBA roster.
