With the biggest free agent now off the board, Andrew Bynum becomes quite an attractive option for plenty of teams, including the Dallas Mavericks, who are quite serious about adding a big-name center and are preparing to pursue the 25-year old who hasn’t played basketball in over a year.
Bynum’s trade to the Philadelphia 76ers resulted in a front office shakeup in Philly, as he didn’t play a single game due to his knee problems. Bynum, who was making close to maximum money before the injury, doesn’t want to workout for teams who are obviously worried about his condition, but in any case, will have to go extensive medical checkups before he actually plays for the Mavs or any others team.
The Dallas Mavericks went hard after Dwight Howard and failed, and now have around $8 million in cap-space waiting to be used after already making several signings (to fill the point guard position). The rumors around Bynum are plentiful, including the Miami Heat, but there are also plenty of speculations about the amount of money that’ll be offered to him.
At his best, which was the 2011-2012 season (Averaging 18.7 and 11.8 rebounds for the Lakers), Bynum is arguably the best center in the NBA, although few believe that he’ll be that good so soon off a year of sitting and watching basketball instead of playing it.
The Mavs’ medical staff is known for making Tyson Chandler into an all-star center after two serious injuries almost ended his NBA career, and instead he won a title, won the defensive player of the year award and was rewarded with a big, fat contract from the New York Knicks.
Whatever contract the Mavs offer Bynum, there’s a very good chance it can be voided if pre-existing knee problems turn up soon during his first season, not to mention putting team options on his second and third year deals if they offer him that kind of contract.
Most teams will be going in that direction with Bynum, who is a risk, no matter how good he can potentially be. For Bynum himself, it’ll probably be about which team offers him the most money, possibly even guaranteed, that will help him make up his mind heading into next season.