NBA Roundup: James offers no hints on free agency plans
LeBron James can become a free agent at the end of the 2013-14 season, but the Miami Heat star isn't offering insight into The Decision, Part II.
"I have absolutely no idea. I would love to spend the rest of my career in Miami with this great team and great organization as we continue to compete for championships. That's ideal," James told ESPN.com. "But we don't know what may happen from now to the end of the season. That's the nature of the business. It's the nature of not knowing what tomorrow brings."
The Heat won their second straight NBA title with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh -- who signed together when they were last free agents in 2010. James, who announced his free agency destination that summer in a made-for-TV special dubbed "The Decision," said last season that he wants to remain with the Heat.
James took a lesser contract from the Heat in 2010 than he could've received to remain in Cleveland near his hometown of Akron.
---With contract talks stalled between forward Luol Deng and the Chicago Bulls, the two-time All-Star forward plans to test the free-agent waters after the 2013-14 season, his agent said Tuesday.
The Bulls told Deng that they will wait until after this season to discuss a contract extension. Deng's six-year, $71 million contract expires next summer.
"Luol has taken the position that he will definitely go through the free-agent process," Deng's Chicago-based agent, Herb Rudoy, told the Chicago Tribune.
---The Indiana Pacers announced the signing of free agents Ron Howard and Darnell Jackson on Tuesday.
Howard spent the 2012-13 season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League, where he made the 2013 NBA D-League All-Star Game. The swingman averaged 19.1 points, 4.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds a year ago, but has never played in the NBA. Jackson, a former second-round pick of the Miami Heat, played for the Reno Bighorns of the D-League last year. The forward has played with Cleveland, Milwaukee and Sacramento in the NBA, averaging 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds in 138 career games.
---The Miami Heat signed forward Eric Griffin and center Justin Hamilton, the team announced Tuesday.
Griffin played for Fileni BPA Jesi of the Italian League last season and averaged 17.5 points and 7.1 rebounds on 28 games. Hamilton, a second-round draft pick in 2012, played for teams in Latvia and Croatia last season, averaging a combined 10.5 points and 5.9 rebounds.
