WebProNews

Tag: Free Agent

  • Lebron James to Meet with Pat Riley

    Superstar forward and unrestricted free agent LeBron James is scheduled to meet with Miami Heat president Pat Riley within the next few days, in a sitdown set up by James’ agent Rich Paul

    After James opted out of his contract with the Heat two weeks ago, Paul has been in talks with teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. The teams have been told that James himself maybe be willing to meet during the week, and will attend a Nike-sponsored basketball camp on Wednesday as well.

    James is reportedly seeking a maximum tier contract, at roughly $20.7 million, and there have been rumors that Paul has favored the Cavaliers as being at the forefront to reacquire King James. After all, Paul is from Ohio.

    Fans took to Twitter with their prognostications:

    James, who has been compared to the basketball greats of the past, has garnered four NBA MVP Awards, two NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, an NBA scoring title and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

    Here is James’ NBA career highlight reel:

    James, the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer, is said to be going to Brazil to catch a World Cup game soon, and speculation regarding his decision is plainly speculation.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Carmelo Anthony: Will He Leave New York?

    Carmelo Anthony: Will He Leave New York?

    Carmelo Anthony decided to use the opt-out clause in his contract with the New York Knicks. A league source said that Anthony will be a free agent starting on July 1. The source revealed the news in anonymity, as he is not authorized to talk about the situation.

    New York Knicks President Phil Jackson said that he asked Anthony to continue playing with the team, which will be under new management for the final year of his contract.

    Opting out of his contract does not mean that Anthony can no longer play for the New York Knicks. He can still re-sign with the team if he chooses.

    However, now that Anthony is a free agent, he is expected to have offers from the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, and New York Knicks. Sources say that NBA teams can start talking to their free agent prospects on July 1, but official contracts cannot be signed until July 10.

    Anthony, 30, now has to make the biggest decision of his NBA career. Reports say that other teams will offer him as much as $96 million and a four-year contract, while the New York Knicks will offer him a five-year contract along with $130 million. No doubt, the compensation he is offered will be a big factor in his decision. He will, however, also need to decide on which team will give him the best chance of winning an NBA championship.

    Anthony has not been a free agent since he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2003. He played with the Nuggets until 2011, until they traded him to the New York Knicks.

    The Knicks haven’t advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals in Anthony’s more than three seasons in New York. With Derek Fisher as the new Knicks coach, the team is hoping to improve their play. Anthony now needs to decide if he will stick with his former team under new management, or if he will transfer to another team to seek other opportunities.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Rajon Rondo Could Be Joining The Knicks

    After the Boston Celtics continue to struggle, and continue to work on rebuilding the team, it looks like Rajon Rondo may be switching teams after this season. Rondo has been injured for part of the season, preventing him from contributing to the team and having a presence as the star player that he is.

    Both the Celtics and the Knicks, along with most of the Eastern Conference have had trouble winning games this season. Recently, Carmelo Anthony has been in talks with Rajon Rondo in order to recruit him as a member of the New York Knicks starting in 2015.

    Rajon Rondo will be forced to undergo ACL surgery, and his return to the court as of right now is unknown. However, Rondo has been injured before, and is one of the tougher players in the NBA, especially for his size. Whether he will remain in Boston will is to be determined in the future, but his contract is set to expire after the 2014-2015 season, making him a free agent during that season.

    Steve Smith, who coached both Carmelo Anthony and Rajon Rondo at Oak Hill Academy, said of the situation, “Whether he stays in Boston or not who knows. I know, talking to Melo, he’s recruiting Rajon to come to New York. Melo thinks he’ll come too. You never know about that stuff though. I think either way, Rajon will be fine.”

    After 18 games, the Knicks are only 5-13, and could certainly use some improvement on their roster. The 2014-2015 season may be a rebuilding year, since only five players on the roster have been signed for the next season.

    In addition to the idea of recruiting Rajon Rondo to join the team, Carmelo Anthony’s contract will also be coming up soon, and after 10 years in the league without playing for a national championship, Anthony wants to make sure he is in the right place.

    He came into the league at the same time as Dwayne Wade and Lebron James, and everyone knows the success that they have had. Due to their success, Anthony has received a lot of criticism about not being able to win in the playoffs. After next season, there is no doubt that the rumors will resurface and with New York’s available salary cap space, Rondo could be the best option to turn to.

    Bringing Rajon Rondo into the Knicks roster may be a healthy addition for the team, and Anthony’s shot at a national championship. It certainly couldn’t hurt, considering the success that Rondo has had with Boston, and his experience winning a championship already.

    Image via Facebook

  • Tebow Fans’ Plea Hits White House Petition Site

    The White House’s online petition website has been used to promote both serious and silly ideas since its debut. Petitions to build a death star or make an R. Kelly song the national anthem don’t seriously deserve the president’s time, but others, such as the anti-CISPA petition, reflect the policy views of many Americans.

    Now, NFL fans have used the website to petition the President of the United States to get Tim Tebow a job.

    According to an Orlando Sentinel report, Jacksonville Jaguars fans want Tebow to be their quarterback badly enough to bother President Obama with their cause. A petition was filed on the website to encourage the president to “call Jacksonville Jaguars GM David Caldwell and tell him to stop ignoring Jaguars fans and sign Tim Tebow.” The petition, which claimed Tebow’s presence would increase Jaguar ticket sales, has since been taken down.

    Tebow was released from his job with the New York Jets in April. Since that time, Tebow, now a free agent, hasn’t garnered intrest from any other NFL teams, including the Miami Dolphins.

    Tebow gained notoriety with the Denver Broncos in 2011 before being traded to the Jets in 2012. He has also gained a fan following for his outspoken Christian religious beliefs.

  • If Bud Adams Gets His Way, Peyton Manning Will Be A Titan For Life

    In seasons past, the rivalry between the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts was a strong one. Until the Houston Texans finally broke the streak this past season, in fact, those teams dominated the AFC South, with one of the two wining the Division championship every year since 2002. (Colts fans are quick to note that their team holds seven division championships to the Titans’ two.) This rivalry may have cooled off in the past few seasons, as the Titans hovered perenially around .500 while the Colts first made a habit of winning the division, and then bit it hard last season with a 2-14 record under a series of backup QBs. The spirit of competition remains strong between fans of the teams, though, and now Colts fans may have to face an unthinkable paradigm shift:

    Their beloved Peyton Manning might be donning a lighter shade of blue next year.

    Word on the street is that Manning met with the Titans for a marathon seven-hour courtship sesh Wednesday, and that Titans owner Bud Adams offered Manning more than just the opportunity to play ball there for a few years. He wants to make Manning a Titan “for life.”

    “He is the man I want. Period,” Adams told The Tennessean Sunday. “I want him to be with me the rest of his working period of his life, even when he doesn’t want to play anymore.”

    This could mean a potential multi-year playing contract for Manning, who — as long as he stays healthy — would run that Titans offense for the next few years, while simultaneously grooming 2011 first-round pick Jake Locker to eventually take the helm. Upon hanging up his jersey, Manning could then take a job in the Titans front office. If Manning takes the job in Nashville, current Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will be traded or cut. Hasselbeck still has two years left on his contract.

    Even though he’d be playing for his former rivals, the move to Tennessee would be a sort of homecoming for Manning, who passed for 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns in four years as a the University of Tennessee. Manning’s former home of Knoxville is about three hours away from Nashville, but the former Volunteer still has a loyal fan base throughout the state.

    Despite Adams’s strong desire to nab Manning with a lifetime guarantee, three other teams are also heavily courting the NFL’s hottest free agent. Manning met with the Broncos, Cardinals and Dolphins earlier this week, and it’s still in the air which team he’ll be leading next year.

    In the meantime, Manning continues to work out with his former UT coach David Cutcliffe, now in charge of the Duke Blue Devils, in Raleigh.

    Photo Credit: Colts.com

  • What Team Will Peyton Manning Play For Next?

    Now that Peyton Manning’s future with the Indianapolis Colts has been decided–the official, official word comes at 12 pm ET, but the cat’s already out of the bag–the speculation turns to where which team will Manning be throwing the football for next season.

    A number of publications have already begun the speculation game, with The Sporting News giving us perhaps the most concise breakdown. Over at ESPN’s hall of football coverage, they went one further and listed every team in the NFL and their shot at landing Manning. So what we’ve done is taken a few screenshots and cobbled them together, presenting something like an infographic, again, courtesy of ESPN’s “we’ll look at every team” overindulgence.

    Be warned, it’s something of a scroll monster:

    (image)

    If that’s too much for you, here’s a snippet of the Sporting News’ much more abridged outlook:

    1. Miami Dolphins
    Why this fits: They have been searching for a franchise quarterback since Dan Marino retired. Owner Stephen Ross loves stars, and Manning is a big one. Imagine the buzz Manning would create in South Florida. You can almost picture Manning at a restaurant on South Beach, or courtside watching LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.

    2. Arizona Cardinals
    Why this fits: Name a quarterback that does not want to play with Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals are still searching for Kurt Warner’s successor.

    3. New York Jets
    Why this fits: Some believe Manning would never come to New York, where younger brother and two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning is king. The hype-a-minute nature of New York does not seem to fit Manning’s style, nor does bombastic coach Rex Ryan.

    TSN goes on to list four more teams, and there’s actually more information offered for each team they list. For the previous blockquote, I only took a portion from each team.

    With that in mind, where do you think Manning will wind up? Arizona? Miami? A team we haven’t mentioned yet? Let us know what you think.