NBA Rumors: DeShawn Stevenson and New Jersey Nets a Perfect Fit

It doesn't look like the New Jersey Nets are going to get Dwight Howard any time soon, but they are making an effort to put together a quality basketball team nonetheless.

The next step could very well be signing free-agent guard DeShawn Stevenson, who was last seen winning the NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks. On Wednesday night, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported Stevenson and the Nets were close:

However, this report was contradicted by Alex Raskin of HOOPSWORLD shortly thereafter:

Given the conflicting reports, it's apparent that the Nets and Stevenson are still talking.

In all likelihood, though, this is a signing that will probably happen at some point in the very near future. Talks may go down to the wire, but the fact of the matter is that Stevenson and the Nets are almost too perfect for each other.

Stevenson brings a couple of things to the Nets. He's a veteran player they can start or bring off the bench, and Deron Williams could make good use of Stevenson's ability to knock down threes.

Stevenson is also a very good defender, and the Nets have to like that he was last seen making life tough for the Miami Heat.

They also have to like the Stevenson is (or may be) willing to sign a one-year contract. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports pointed out last week that the Nets are hoping to limit their offseason transactions to one-year contracts. That will allow them to preserve cap space for next season, which they could then use to pursue Dwight Howard if he ends up testing the free-agent waters.

Stevenson would no doubt prefer a multi-year deal, but such offers have not been forthcoming since the lifting of the lockout. The Nets offer him a chance to log significant minutes, and he could then go looking for more minutes next offseason. He's getting up there in age, but it became apparent last postseason that he still has plenty left in his tank.

So, given the circumstances, it's probably just a matter of time before this deal is finalized. The pieces fit too well for it not to happen.