Greg Oden is currently the top free agent left on the market at center after Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum signed deals and now the Pelicans are prepared to offer him a contract as the Heat and San Antonio Spurs try to woo him.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Oden is being offered a two-year deal worth more than $3 million per season as rumors say that he will join the Miami Heat. Oden has played in 82 career games after being the number one overall pick and now he appears to be fully healthy after dealing with knee issues his entire career. The Pelicans want to add more depth and after the Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday deals, they feel they can be a contender with Anthony Davis out west.
The Kings met with Oden and while they are in the mix, it appears much more likely that they will grab Timofey Mozgov, as the Heat are reportedly ready to give him an offer, while the Pelicans are planning on a $3 million deal for one year. The Kings can wait to let things play out and since they have Salmons as trade bait, they may end up with a center while either the Heat or the Spurs will miss out on at least one of the players. The Nuggets may try to keep Mozgov, as that would be yet another departure after Andre Iguodala, GM Masai Ujiri as well as coach George Karl from the 57 win team last year.
The Heat are still looking at adding Greg Oden as their final player and that could come in the next week or two if he wants to sign there. The Mavericks have also shown interest in the 25-year-old former number one overall pick and after playing just 82 games in his career due to knee injuries, he appears finally healthy. He has career averages of 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and is now the top center after Dwight Howard and Andersen signed.
While Oden's injuries were more serious than Bynum's, the fact that he got a contract bodes well for the former number one overall pick and he could fit on the bench in both Dallas and Miami. Oden looked like a sure thing coming out of college, but looking back now, the Blazers clearly made a mistake in taking him over Durant, the reasoning being that they had Brandon Roy at the time, who ironically now is done with knee injuries.
