With so much talk surrounding Dwight Howard and whether or not he'll be dealt this off season, now comes new surrounding information on "that other guy", Andrew Bynum.
Arguably the No. 2 best center in the league, Los Angeles Lakers star center, Andrew Bynum, sent the NBA rumor mill into full over-drive last night with the following tweet. "Does blue suit me?"
With rumors circulating for months of a possible Howard-Bynum deal, tweets like these only add more fuel to the fire.
The Magic are pushing for Bynum to agree to the three-year extension if they're to go through with a deal, but according to reports Bynum is hesitant with that and prefers to test the free agent market.
Bynum, 24, is coming off his best season. He made his first All-Star Game, averaging career highs in points and rebounds and seemed to have settled into the role of being the dominant big man. His attitude and health have always been his primary issue, but he played in 60 of L.A.'s 66 games last season becoming one of the leaders on the Laker roster.
If the Lakers decide to keep their hands on Bynum, they would only be able to offer a maximum three-year, $60 million deal, which is an extension that nobody ever really signs. If he doesn't sign an extension with the Lakers, he'll be an unrestricted free agent next summer and will draw a ton of interest from around the league. Of course with the Lakers as the heavy favorite, Bynum would also favor the Mavericks, Rockets, and Cavaliers, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Besides having his own bidding war for his services next summer, what could possibly be Bynum's extra motivation to not want to sign an extension this year? Well that would be a five-year, $108 million contract, with his existing team if he decides to wait just one extra year.
Though the Lakers seem like they would do just about anything to keep Bynum, exploring the market is always something that intrigues a player's interest. He'll be able to sign the longest deal and make the most money with the Lakers, but like most players, you never know the mindset he might have about the organization and his situation.