NBA Capsules: G Jason Kidd staying with Mavericks

DALLAS - Jason Kidd isn't going anywhere.

The free agent point guard has agreed to sign a three-year contract for more than $25 million to remain with Dirk Nowitzki and the rest of the Mavericks. The New York Knicks were among Kidd's suitors.

"We are excited that JKidd and the Mavs have reached an agreement to have Jason return to the Mavs," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said via e-mail Monday. "We look forward to him continuing to take a major role with the team."

With the contract, the 37-year-old Kidd could end his career in Dallas, which is where he started in 1994. The Oakland, Calif., native was the No. 2 overall pick out of California, and he has also played for Phoenix and New Jersey.

Kidd's return helps the Mavericks as they pursue a supporting cast around Nowitzki, from not having to find a replacement to recruiting players. Kidd, who is third on the career assist list, also will continue to mentor J.J. Barea, who emerged as a solid backup last season, and raw rookie Rodrigue Beaubois, who is coming over from France.

The deal - which can't be signed until Wednesday - was first reported by ESPN.com.

The Mavericks also plan to send an offer sheet Wednesday to Marcin Gortat, a 25-year-old center who backed up Dwight Howard in Orlando last season, according to a person with knowledge of negotiations. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of NBA rules against commenting on deals before the signing period opens.

Gortat is expected to receive the full midlevel exception of about $5.6 million, which means any more big moves Dallas makes this offseason will come through trades.

The Mavs can dangle the expiring contract of Erick Dampier and the trade-friendly contract of Jerry Stackhouse in front of other teams. Pretty much everyone but Nowitzki could be dealt, too, as the Mavericks explore ways to keep up with the changes made by top rivals in the Western Conference, especially the defending champion Lakers and division foe San Antonio.

Gortat is ready to cash in Cuban's millions, and Magic's Smith does not mind 

ORLANDO, Fla. - Marcin Gortat walked into the Orlando Magic's gym at RDV Sportsplex on Monday wearing a piece of clothing that perfectly summed up his current situation. The front of his Sean John T-shirt featured the unfinished pyramid that's found on the back of a one-dollar bill.

Gortat insisted that he didn't wear the shirt to make a statement, but even he acknowledged the unintended irony. On Wednesday, the first day players can sign contracts with new teams, the Dallas Mavericks are expected to ink the 6-foot-11 post player to an offer sheet so lucrative - worth so many of those dollar bills - that the Magic won't dare match it.

"Either way, Dallas or Orlando, I'm going to be a happy man," Gortat said, a smile on his face.

He spent part of late Monday afternoon sitting in the Sportsplex bleachers, watching a handful of first-round draft picks and a larger group of NBA wannabes begin play in the weeklong 2009 Orlando Pro Summer League.

Just last year and the three years before that, Gortat was an NBA summer-league player himself, trying to prove he belonged.

This summer, however, the affable 25-year-old from Poland is one of the NBA's most coveted free-agent centers. After earning $770,000 last season, he likely will become a multi-millionaire within days. The Mavericks could offer him the full mid-level exception, beginning at $5.6 million per season.

Because Gortat is a restricted free agent, the Magic would have seven days to match any offer sheet that Gortat signs. But Orlando General Manager Otis Smith has said the Magic won't match a deal worth more than $5 million per season for a backup to Dwight Howard.

Smith apparently hasn't budged. He said Monday that he doesn't feel any more pressure to keep Gortat just because Eastern Conference rival Boston reportedly has reached an agreement with power forward Rasheed Wallace.

"I have to round out the roster; that goes without saying," Smith said. "But I'm not so sure that you feel any more pressure to (re-sign Gortat). I mean, he's still playing behind my best player. I'd like to have him back at a number that's reasonable."

Still, there's no denying Gortat's value to the Magic.

He provided a rebounding boost and defensive presence off the bench during the team's run to the NBA Finals. He came up big in Game 6 of Orlando's first-round series against Philadelphia; with Howard serving a one-game suspension, Gortat scored 11 points and collected 15 rebounds as the Magic beat the 76ers in Philly and clinched the series.

The Houston Rockets, in need of a post player to replace injured star Yao Ming, campaigned hard to lure Gortat. Houston General Manager Daryl Morey posted a message on Twitter saying he was about to meet with Gortat; he also asked Rockets fans to send e-mail messages to a special account and urge Gortat to sign with the team.

But in the end, the "Polish Hammer" chose Dallas, a place where he would be the top candidate to start at center.

"I just think that Dallas was a better fit for me," Gortat said. "They have Jason Kidd, and he's a great point guard. They've got Dirk Nowitzki, who is the best power forward in the league. They just pushed more. They just pushed more. It's up to the people. Who wants me more? I'm going to go over to who wants me."

And, right now, it looks like the Mavericks want him more.

-- Josh Robbins writes for The Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by McClatchy Newspapers.

Villanueva tweets he'll sign with Pistons

DETROIT - Charlie Villanueva posted a message on his Twitter account, informing his followers he will sign with the Detroit Pistons.

"It's a clear summer day in LA. I got my workout this morning," Villanueva tweeted Monday. "Now I'm off to Motor City: the process continues... physicals, signing on Wed."

He and Ben Gordon agreed to five-year contracts with the Pistons, a person with the knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press last week, for at least $35 million and $50-plus million, respectively.

"Well I'm a Piston," Villanueva posted under his "CV31" screen name on July 2. "Long day yesterday, but got it done, God is good.

"Deeeeeeetrooooooiiiiittttttt basketballllllllllllll."

The Pistons were allowed to begin negotiations with free agents on July 1, but the league prohibits its teams from announcing deals until the moratorium period ends Wednesday.

Villanueva played for the Milwaukee Bucks last season and Gordon was with the Chicago Bulls.

Both helped Connecticut with the national title in 2004.

"Last time I teamed up with BG we won a championship in 2004," Villanueva tweeted last week.

Villanueva created a stir last season when he posted a message during halftime of a game with the Bucks on Twitter and got a stern lecture from Bucks coach Scott Skiles, who thought it gave the impression that Villanueva wasn't focused.

Thanks to the publicity, the list of followers who subscribed to Villanueva's Twitter feed quadrupled in just over 24 hours, going from about 1,600 subscribers to nearly 7,000. On Monday night, he had nearly 40,000 followers.

-- Larry Lage

Elsewhere

Jennings says he'll learn from YouTube incident

MILWAUKEE - First-round draft pick Brandon Jennings has yet to break a sweat in practice for the Milwaukee Bucks, and he's already doing a little backpedaling on defense.

Speaking after the Bucks' pre-summer league practice Monday, Jennings expressed regret for drawing unwanted attention when his profanity-laced and provocative telephone conversation with a rapper was videotaped and posted on YouTube last week.

"I'm pretty glad that it happened now, something that I can learn from," said Jennings, the No. 10 overall pick. "Now I know you can't trust everybody, everybody's not your friend. It was a joke. We were joking and everything. But for my part, I shouldn't be talking about team business that I have no idea about."

In the video, which has since been removed from the site, rapper Joe Budden is shown talking to Jennings on a speakerphone. According to a partial transcript posted on sportingnews.com, Jennings insisted that guard Ramon Sessions would not return to the team, boasted that he will beat out Luke Ridnour to become the starting point guard and made a profane comment about the New York Knicks for not drafting him.

Jennings, who did not practice Monday while he awaits final clearance from international basketball governing body FIBA, said he did not know the conversation was being recorded. But he acknowledged that he was wrong and pledged to learn a lesson from the incident.

"I was wrong for the things I said," said Jennings, who expects to be able to practice Wednesday. "It was jokingly, we were playing around, laughing. But at the same time, I have to be careful and I'm going to learn from that."

And he apparently was misinformed about Sessions, a restricted free agent who received a qualifying offer from the team - giving the Bucks the right to match any offer from another team.

"I shouldn't be talking about team business," Jennings said. "But if he comes back, that's good. We need all the help we can get to be a good team."

So, is Jennings still buddies with Budden?

"We're OK," Jennings said. "We did talk about it, my agent, we all talked about it. Everybody's pretty upset about the situation. Because the last thing I was thinking about was I'm getting recorded on YouTube having a conversation with a friend. But like I said, I'll learn from it, and now I know I can't really trust everybody."

The incident raised questions about the maturity of Jennings, who decided to play professionally in Italy instead of going to college and made waves in the run-up to the draft by criticizing another guard prospect, Spain's Ricky Rubio.

Bucks assistant coach Kelvin Sampson said Jennings doesn't lack confidence, and that's not a bad thing.

"I say this with all due respect: That kid has a very high opinion of himself," said Sampson, who ran Monday's practice for head coach Scott Skiles. "He think he's pretty good, and we're not going to tell him any different. He's got a lot of confidence, and I like that."

Sampson already is emphasizing leadership to Jennings, and considers the YouTube incident a lesson about not calling undue attention to yourself.

"It's just an opportunity for him to learn a life lesson," Sampson said. "I don't think you overreact to it, but you make him understand that the name on the front of his jersey is a little more important than the name on the back of it. The society that these guys have come up in, that's kind of been what they do. But now, I think it goes back to being a point guard. A point guard, he doesn't do those type of things."

His brief YouTube stardom fading, Jennings now is looking forward to summer league play in Las Vegas.

"I just can't wait until Vegas, man," Jennings said. "I feel I have a lot to prove to a lot of people. A lot of people are doubting me, saying I didn't have a good year in Europe so a lot of people think I'm really not that good. This summer, I'm really going to take serious."

-- Chris Jenkins

Wade says he'll stay if Heat a title contender

MIAMI - Dwyane Wade will remain in Miami on one condition. He wants the Heat to become a championship contender again, the quicker the better.

Otherwise, he might need moving trucks next summer.

The reigning NBA scoring champion, who can opt out of his Heat contract after the 2009-10 season, said Monday that simply getting to the playoffs "is not enough" to satisfy him anymore, and that his long-term commitment to Miami hinges entirely on the franchise getting back into the mix for the title trophy he hoisted just three years ago.

"I'm going to listen. I owe the Miami Heat that much. I'm going to listen to what they have to say and I'm going to think about it," Wade told The Associated Press. "But right now, the way I feel, I want to make sure that we're on track to where I want us to be on track to before I sign back."

Wade made clear that he would like to stay with the Heat, reiterating something he's said countless times in recent months. There's no acrimony between the 2006 NBA finals MVP and Heat president Pat Riley either, and Wade said that the jump Miami made this past season - from 15 wins and the league's worst record in 2007-08, to 43 wins and the No. 5 seed in the East in 2008-09 - was thrilling.

"I'm good with that," Wade said, "for one year."

Another season around .500, though, won't be as enticing.

"That's not enough for me," said Wade, who set career-bests last season in scoring average (30.2 per game), 3-point goals (88, three more than his total from his first five NBA seasons combined), steals (2.2 per game), blocks (1.3 per game) and games played (79).

At 27, he feels like he's just entering his prime - and doesn't want to miss any opportunity for more titles.

"I've told coach Riley this: All my life, all I've ever wanted to do is win and be put in a position where I can win and succeed," Wade said. "Build me a team. Put the pressure on me to win a championship. Give me a team and say 'All right, you've got to go do it,' and I'll take that pressure. Give me guys that we feel can compete every year to win a championship. I don't want to go anywhere else."

Wade's contract status is the biggest issue facing the Heat this summer. He could sign an extension as early as next week.

His destination after next season has been an oft-discussed topic, especially since he and good friend LeBron James structured their last contracts the same way to have the flexibility to become free agents in 2010.

"I want to make sure that we stay competitive and we have an opportunity to win championships, like I've done before," Wade said. "I don't want to be content with winning games. I don't want to win games. I want to win championships. That's what I'm all about."

Already this summer, the Heat have seen plenty of teams in the East make big moves. Shaquille O'Neal - Wade's former superstar teammate - was traded to Cleveland to play alongside James. Orlando landed Vince Carter, Boston reportedly agreed with Rasheed Wallace, Detroit picked up Ben Gordon and Toronto seems poised to sign Hedo Turkoglu.

The Heat have yet to make a splashy move, hoping young players like Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, Daequan Cook and Dorell Wright can help Miami made more strides this season.

"D-Wade wants what's best for the Miami Heat, period," former Heat center Alonzo Mourning said last week. "Obviously, he wants more help for the Heat to get to that next level again. He feels like we've got good pieces around us. We just need a little bit more."

Wade sees it the same way.

"My talents can help a team compete for a championship," Wade said. "I've proven that."

-- Tim Reynolds

Bobcats' Derrick Brown ready for tough NBA road

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Derrick Brown doubted himself when he was a gangly, too-thin freshman at Xavier.

After being ignored until late in the NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats' second-round pick began a similar, non-guaranteed road to professional basketball Monday in the Orlando summer league.

Brown is still skinny, but this time full of confidence.

"I want to prove to a lot of people, two or three years down the line when they look at this draft, that they got a real good player that a lot of teams missed out on," Brown said. "I'm not mad or anything like that. I'm just ready to get this thing going."

Brown has begun the process. With the Bobcats not fielding a summer league team to save money, Brown is a member of Utah's entry in Orlando this week. The Jazz were to play their first game Monday night.

While many mock drafts had the 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward a late first-round pick, Brown had to wait late into the night on June 25 at his home in Dayton, Ohio, before finally hearing his name called - 40th overall - by the Bobcats.

That means no automatic millions, no guarantee of a roster spot come the fall and questions if Brown should have returned to school for his senior season.

"I've never been given anything. I've never been a highly touted recruit," Brown said. "Everything I got I earned. I don't expect it to change now."

The athletic Brown entered Xavier known for his entertaining dunks in high school - and for being only 185 pounds. As he redshirted his first year, Brown knew he faced long hours in the weight room and cafeteria if he wanted to compete in the Atlantic 10.

"When I came to college, I didn't think, to be honest with you, it was going to happen," Brown said. "But eventually I realized I had potential. I wanted to work hard."

Brown became a fan favorite as a redshirt freshman for his rim-rattling dunks, but had holes in much of his game and averaged only 6.3 points.

He made strides his sophomore year, becoming a full-time starter and more well-rounded player.

The improvement continued last season as Brown was second on the team in scoring at 13.7 points. While he was the team's top rebounder at 6.1 per game, he was quick enough to play on the perimeter and shot 43 percent from 3-point range.

A good student, Brown graduated this spring after four years and decided to enter the draft a year early. He eagerly agreed to almost every workout request, totaling 19, including two with the Bobcats.

Brown said Charlotte coach Larry Brown told him they brought him in for a second workout in case they traded down in the first round from the No. 12 pick.

"We had him No. 20 on the (draft) board," Larry Brown said. "He's long and he can handle it. He can shoot it a little bit."

The Bobcats didn't pull off a draft-night trade, but were surprised to see Brown still on the board when the prepared to use their second-round pick. So even though they needed a power forward, they took Brown, who has the height but not bulk to play there.

"He can be versatile enough with our system, as he gets stronger, to maybe play some of that position," general manager Rod Higgins said. "Probably not early."

So that leaves the 21-year-old Brown in an odd position. He knows he has to bulk up and learn two positions. He knows there are whispers he should have stayed in school. He knows he'll have to fight for a roster spot and minutes in the NBA.

"Three years from now you can come back to this chair and we'll talk about what happened," Brown said. "I'm convinced. I'm convinced."

-- Mike Cranston

Nets sign 1st-round draft pick Williams

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The New Jersey Nets have signed first-round draft pick Terrence Williams.

Nets President Rod Thorn announced the signing Monday.

The deal is for four years, with the Nets holding an option on the final two years. Williams will earn a little over $2 million in his first season and just over $2.2 million in the second. He will earn $2.4 million in the third and $3.1 million in the final year if the team exercises the option.

Thunder to open Summer League play in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Oklahoma City Thunder will open play in the Orlando Pro Summer League with a game against the local team, the Orlando Magic.

The Thunder and Magic will play starting about 4 p.m. on Monday. Oklahoma City will play one game a day this week, facing the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, a combined New Jersey Nets-Philadelphia 76ers squad on Thursday and the Utah Jazz on Friday.

Oklahoma City's team will include starting point guard Russell Westbrook, Kyle Weaver, D.J. White and Shaun Livingston, along with the Thunder's three recent draft choices, James Harden, B.J. Mullens and Robert Vaden.

The Orlando event is the first of two summer leagues in which the Thunder will participate. Oklahoma City also will field a team next week in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Williams, a 6-foot-6 guard-forward from Louisville, was the 11th overall pick in the draft. He was a first-team All-Big East selection who became the first player in school history to finish his career with at least 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 500 assists and 200 steals.