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Unless he drastically alters his contract proposals, Heat point guard Damon Jones probably won’t be joining the Cavaliers.
He’s either priced himself out of Cleveland or asked for too many years. Either way, a source said the Cavaliers have reportedly moved past Jones and now have Dan Dickau, Jannero Pargo and Steve Blake on their radar.
The most the Cavaliers could have offered the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Jones was $21.5 million - the $3.7 million the team has remaining under the salary cap, extended out five years. Some in the organization didn’t think he was worth it. Jones could return to Miami and battle with recently acquired Jason Williams for the starting job.
There’s no question his 3-point shooting was enticing, especially with Eric Snow already on the roster. Now, Snow will likely be the starting point guard, with the team enlisting another player to be his backup.
Dickau, 26, averaged 13.2 points and 5.2 assists in 67 games in New Orleans last year. The 6-foot, 190-pounder has played for four teams in the league, including Atlanta, Dallas and Portland. The unrestricted free agent averaged 7.1 points and 2.9 assists in the first three years of his career. He was a first-round pick by Sacramento in 2002 out of Gonzaga and traded on draft night to the Hawks.
“He had a great year in a tough situation (with the Hornets),” said Mark Bartelstein, Dickau’s agent. “He had very little help around him. They were losing games by 20 points, but he still played well.
“There’s a lot of interest in him around the league. People see a little Steve Nash in him. They came from similar situations. He’ll make a terrific starting point guard in this league.”
Blake, 25, averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 assists in his two seasons in Washington. The 6-3, 172-pounder is a restricted free agent, so the Wizards can match any offer he gets. He was originally a second-round pick from Maryland in 2003.
Blake’s agent, Joel Bell, didn’t return a phone message.
Pargo, 25, averaged 5.1 points and 1.9 assists in his three-year career. The 6-1, 175-pounder, who is also restricted, has played for Chicago, Toronto and the Los Angeles Lakers. He wasn’t drafted upon leaving Arkansas in 2002.
Bartelstein said Pargo is tentatively scheduled to visit the Cavaliers on Friday.
“He’s a terrific young player,” he said. “I’ve been talking to (Cavaliers general manager) Danny (Ferry) all summer about Dan and Jannero.”
One of the middle-of-the-road free agent point guards will soon be off the market. Former Cavaliers point guard Brevin Knight is close to a deal with Charlotte. He was second in the league last year in assists with the expansion Bobcats. He will likely be a backup and mentor first-round pick Raymond Felton of University of North Carolina.
Clippers restricted free agent Marko Jaric, who visited the Cavaliers two week ago, is probably headed back to Los Angeles. Clippers GM Elgin Baylor said he’d match almost any offer he gets - within reason. The Cavaliers were reluctant to swing a sign-and-trade deal to land Jaric.
Unrestricted free agent Earl Watson, who was a backup in Memphis last year, supposedly wants the full mid-level. So far, he hasn’t gotten any offers.
Others looking for work are Gary Payton, Nick Van Exel, Derek Anderson and Tyronn Lue.
Point guard Blake Stepp, another Gonzaga product, played well for the Cavaliers in the summer league in Las Vegas. Bartelstein is trying to get Stepp invited to the Cavaliers training camp in October.
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Now it looks like Dickau, Jaric, and Fisher are our next 3 candidates
