Nene, Denver Nuggets Agree To Five-Year, $67 Million Deal, According To Reports

The Denver Nuggets and free agent center Nene have reached an agreement on a five-year, $67 million deal to keep center in the Mile High City, reports ESPN's Marc Stein. After waiting months for a resolution to this situation, it appears the Nuggets have received an early Christmas present with this deal.

Nene was acquired by the Nuggets during the 2002 NBA Draft when the New York Knicks drafted him with the seventh overall pick and then traded him with Marcus Camby to the Nuggets for Antonio McDyess and others. Over nine seasons, the now 29-year-old big man has averaged 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

The Nuggets need Nene's veteran leadership more than ever as the team will certainly have a younger feel to it than in years past.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Denver for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Denver Nuggets be sure to visit Denver Stiffs. Visit SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.

NBA Free Agency 2011: Nene 'On The Cusp' Of Signing With New Jersey Nets, According To Reports

Prized free agent PF/C Nene is very close to signing with the New Jersey Nets, according to a report by Fred Kerber of the New York Post. The deal currently being discussed is for four-years and worth approximately $60 million to $65 million. Some outlets have suggested that deal has been upped to four-years for $70 million, but editors of SB Nation's Nets blog, Nets Daily, have reported that the deal is worth more like $64 million and not $70 million. 

Much has been made in recent days about the Nets contacting Dwight Howard, who shares an agent with Nene, but if it comes down to a choice it appears Nene is the priority, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports.

The Denver Nuggets still might get involved in the process if the bidding increases, because Nene can earn the most money under a sign-and-trade scenario that would surely net the Nuggets some valuable pieces in return.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Denver for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Denver Nuggets be sure to visit Denver Stiffs. Visit SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.

NBA Free Agency 2011: New Jersey Nets Nearing Agreement With Nene

Free agent center Nene may be nearing a deal with the New Jersey Nets, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:

Nene is one of the top free agents of the top free agents in the abbreviated 2011 offseason. The 29-year-old 9-year veteran led the league in field goal percentage in the 2010-2011 season, shooting .615 while averaging 14.5 points per game and 17.1 points per 36 minutes.

Through the first nine years of his NBA career, Nene has played exclusively with the Denver Nuggets. The Brazil native is a free agent for the first time. In the 2010-2011 season, Nene earned $11.4 million will the Nuggets.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Denver for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Denver Nuggets be sure to visit Denver Stiffs. Visit SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.

NBA Free Agency 2011: Pacers' Larry Bird To Meet With Nene, According To Report

The Denver Nuggets are one of many suitors for Nene, but with the team reportedly talking with Thaddeus Young it appears that they are preparing for life without the forward. One team that is looking to sign Nene is the Indiana Pacers. Team president Larry Bird is flying out to Denver on Monday to meet with the big man, reports Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.

The Pacers are expected to have around $21 million available in cap space, which could certainly be used to reel in Nene. As Wells mentions, Nene would be able to play power forward and center for the team, especially when Roy Hibbert is not on the court.

Free agency is expected to begin on Dec. 9, one day after the new labor agreement is set to be voted on. Will Nene be one of the early signers?

Stay tuned to SB Nation Denver for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Denver Nuggets be sure to visit Denver Stiffs. Visit SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.

NBA Free Agency Rumors: Seven Teams Immediately Reach Out To Nene, According To Report

The moment NBA teams were first allowed to reach out to free agents on Wednesday, seven team reached out to representatives for free agent PF/C Nene to open the courtship process, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The seven teams were the: Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers.

Two teams not on that list of initial suitors? The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks, two teams Nene would supposedly prefer to land on, but lack cap space to make a huge offer happen without a sign-and-trade involving the Nuggets. Meanwhile, Nuggets' GM Masai Ujiri recently said that re-signing Nene is the team's top priority heading into free agency.

Head over to SBNation.com, where Tom Ziller has compiled a full list of restricted and unrestricted free agents. This is Ziller's take on Nene in his recent free agency column:

...Nene is legitimately on the market, with the Nuggets looking more like a retooling team than a true championship contender. Of course, the only teams who can give Nene the money he's looking for without Denver participation in a sign-and-trade aren't contenders either.

That's all to say that Nene's free agency is going to be a big ol' ball of mystery. The player is a well-known quantity: an efficient scorer with an average usage rate, an average rebounder but better-than-solid defender and one of the most devastating open-court threats at the position. He also has braids and is a cancer survivor. There's a lot to like.

At this point it's anyone's guess as to where Nene will end up once the 2011-12 season begins.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Denver for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Denver Nuggets be sure to visit Denver Stiffs. Visit SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league, and check the SB Nation storystream for the latest news on the NBA lockout.

Nene Is Denver Nuggets' Top Priority As NBA Free Agency Starts

While Nene opted out of his contract in late June before the lockout began, there was always the possibility that he would re-sign with the Denver Nuggets. He wanted to weigh all of his options and see where he could go. That still could happen. Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri recently said that re-signing Nene is the team's top priority (via Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post):

"We want Nene back," said Ujiri, who isn't targeting any other big-name big men in free agency.

If Nene leaves, Nuggets coach George Karl will need to see what he has in Timofey Mozgov and Kosta Koufos, received in the Carmelo Anthony trade from the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and rookie Kenneth Faried. Faried would play at power forward while Mozgov and Koufos would tackle center with Chris Andersen.

As Hochman points out, the Nuggets have the cap space to spend for Nene and can offer him a five-year deal. However, will Josh Kroenke let Ujiri spend the money to keep Nene in Denver? We shall see.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Denver for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Denver Nuggets be sure to visit Denver Stiffs. Visit SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league, and check the SB Nation StoryStream for the latest news on the NBA lockout.

NBA Free Agency Rumors: Nene Wants Out Of Denver, According To Report

If the rumors about Nene wanting out are true, there is a serious incentive for the Nuggets to accommodate his demands and work out a sign-and-trade to get back valuable assets instead of losing the emerging star for nothing.

Miami Heat Might Pursue Nuggets' Nene Once Lockout Ends

Might the Denver Nuggets' Nene join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami once the current NBA lockout ends? Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald speculates that the Miami Heat will make a phone call to Nene's agent once the lockout ends to see if they can entice the talented center to move to South Beach.

Jackson doesn't believes it's a good possibility since the Heat can only offer a $6 million mid-level exemption--if that's in the new collective bargaining agreement. Still, the allure of playing with three high-profile players and a chance at an NBA championship could prove strong.

As Nate Timmons writes over at Denver Stiffs:

Sure, Nene could probably sign a two or three year deal in Denver and give it one last shot before chasing a title in the twilight of his car[e]er, but why not go for it while you could still be a key cog for a team that will definitely be right in the thick of things out East.

Nene might not want to stick around in Denver while they rebuild over the next couple of years. Without Carmelo Anthony on the team any longer, we'll need to see if the Nuggets can make the playoffs during a full season without him.

For more on the Nuggets, please visit Denver Stiffs.

Nene's Free Agency On Hold, But Birth Of Child Is Not

With the NBA in a lockout, much like the NFL, fans are left in a void while the owners and the players argue over millions, even billions of dollars are split between both sides. And so no player movement can happen, among many other things, while the lockout is in place.

But the Denver Post's Woody Paige recently had a brief conversation with Nene, former Nugget and free-agent-to-be, but he only made some small talk, not wanting to disturb dinner between Nene and his wife, Lauren. There's going to be a little Nene running around soon enough.

Paige then goes on to explain that it makes too much sense for Nene to leave Denver: his wife is from Fort Collins, he's made a life in Denver, has a charitable organization in the state, he likes to play with this Carmelo Anthony-less team and because there is no better place to raise a kid than in Denver.

But ever the jokester, Woody Paige discusses five unidentified teams that could fit Nene's needs:

I've narrowed the field to five challenging cities that have wishes for a worthy player up front, cap room, direct flights to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Fogo de Chao restaurants.

He had me going until the last point.

For more on the Nuggets, please visit Denver Stiffs.

Nene Will Opt Out Of Contract, Become Free Agent, According To Report

The Denver Nuggets will need to look for a new center since Nene will opt out of the final year of his contract, according to a report by the Denver Post's Chris Dempsey. This has been expected for months now, though we won't officially know until June 30, the final day he can escape from his ~$12 million player option. When he does that, Nene will become an unrestricted free agent.

But as Dempsey reminds us, that won't happen until the NBA and the players overcome an expected lockout--and by all indications it could be a long, long time until that happens. 

The Nuggets will need to replace the 14.5 points (a career-high) and 7.6 rebounds he averaged over the 2010-11 season. Would the Nuggets start Chris Andersen there? How about Timofey Mozgov, acquired as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal with the New York Knicks? That's something the Denver Post's Mark Kiszla has projected, for what it's worth. But Kiszla also has Nene still on the team as the power forward.

For more on the Nuggets, please visit Denver Stiffs.

Nene Leaning Toward Opting Out Of Final Year With Nuggets, Becoming Free Agent

While speculated at during the NBA Trade Deadline, Denver Nuggets forward Nene told the Denver Post's Chris Dempsey that he is "strongly considering" leaving money on the table by declining the final year of his contract and testing free agency. He would leave $11.6 million behind, but free agency could reward him with, as Chris Dempsey speculates, as much as $14 million per season.

Nene appears to have some issues with the Nuggets, as he said:

"I did my best for the team, for the city. I tried to do my best for the fans. But the (Nuggets) need to understand you need to see the return on the other side, or you need to look for it. You need to look for it sometimes. They don't realize all of the sacrifices I made. When you don't feel appreciated, it's hard."

Is this veiled reference to not receiving an extension from the Nuggets before this past season? Tom Ziller of SB Nation believes this could be a negotiating ploy by Nene to get an extension before a new collective bargaining agreement is struck (player salaries could be reduced in a new one).

The Nuggets will also need to decide on whether they want to re-sign Kenyon Martin, an impending free agent. The Nuggets will certainly need to find some help in the front court in the draft and via free agency.

For more on the Nuggets, please visit Denver Stiffs.