Johnson, Pierce, Nowitzki staying with same teams
Published 5:05 am Monday, July 5, 2010
ATLANTA (AP) — All-Star guard Joe Johnson had agreed to a maximum contract to stay with the Atlanta Hawks, his agent said Sunday.
Arn Tellem confirmed an entry he wrote for the Huffington Post website, in which he said Johnson “announced his intention to re-sign with the Hawks for six more years.”
Tellem wrote that Johnson chose to remain in Atlanta over Chicago and New York, where he would have been reunited with Mike D’Antoni, his former coach in Phoenix.
The Hawks could pay him nearly $120 million, while other teams could only give Johnson five years and pay him about $25 million less.
Nowitzki stays with Mavs
DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki will stay with the Dallas Mavericks, ending speculation about his future amid the NBA’s free agency negotiations.
Nowitzki’s adviser, Holger Geschwindner, told The Associated Press late Saturday that Nowitzki and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban have agreed “to get it done.”
“Dirk agreed with Mark, one-on-one,” Geschwindner said. “We’re pumped.”
Teams and free agents can strike deals at any time, but can’t sign them until Thursday.
According to a person familiar with negotiations, the deal is for more than $80 million over four years, with a no-trade clause. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the NBA’s moratorium until Thursday. Team officials couldn’t comment because of the same rule.
Pierce to stay with Celtics
BOSTON (AP) — Paul Pierce has agreed to the framework of a deal to remain with the Boston Celtics.
The contract is reportedly a four-year deal at about $61 million, although the last year is only partially guaranteed, so the Celtics could buy Pierce out at that point.
The exact amount of the buyout is one of the details still being negotiated.
This contract would be about $6 million a year less than the $21 million he was set to make this year. With the Celtics over the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, this reductions saves Boston about $12 million next season.