One of the more intriguing things yet to be determined in free agency is how the market is going to value Andrew Bynum.
When healthy, Bynum is one of the game’s best at his position, an All-Star caliber player who can pay immediate dividends for his team at both ends of the floor.
But after not playing a single game for the Sixers last season due to knee issues, and considering that he’s an unrestricted free agent who could command a massive salary commitment over multiple years should a team be willing to take that chance, the risk to this point has been prohibitive in terms of clubs lining up to make Bynum any legitimate offers.
The Cavaliers, after meeting with Bynum in person, have become the first team to put an offer on the table. But Bynum hasn’t grabbed it just yet.
From Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:The Cleveland Cavaliers are pushing for free-agent center Andrew Bynum to accept a two-year, $24 million-plus, incentive-based contract offer, league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Monday night.
The Cavaliers met with Bynum in Cleveland on Monday, but could fast lose patience with waiting on the two-time NBA champion center to make a decision on accepting the offer, which includes a team option in the second year of the deal, sources said.
Cleveland wants a team option on a second contract year to protect it against losing Bynum to 2014 free agency should his damaged knees heal enough to allow him to make a resurgence this season. The incentives of a possible Bynum contract could include minimal hurdles of completing training camp and reaching minutes and games-played plateaus in the regular season, league sources said.
Also included in the report is the fact that Bynum appears to be searching for a one-year deal (at a considerable price) in order to prove his worth while healthy, and then pursue a max contract in free agency in 2014.
This is going to be a sticking point for a lot of teams.
Unless Bynum is willing to take much less on a one-year deal to play for a playoff team where he could successfully showcase his abilities, it’s going to be tough to find a suitor willing to pay a ton for one season, when the future is anything but guaranteed. The team that takes the chance will want some assurances, and unless Bynum will provide them by giving a team (at minimum) an option for a second season, those conversations are likely to come to an end pretty fast.
Bynum didn’t jump at the Cleveland offer, and instead headed to Atlanta to see what the Hawks might have in store. The Cavs have Elton Brand and Andrei Kirilenko in their sights should Bynum take too long to decide, and the Mavericks, who were reported to be interested previously, have shown a reluctance to part with Shawn Marion in order to have the space to pay Bynum what he may be asking.