Greg Oden is the top big man free agent name out there and with the center getting interest from a number of teams like the Spurs and Miami Heat, some other options have also popped up, with the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings working on bringing in the former number one pick.
Marc Stein from ESPN reports that Oden is keeping his options open and that the Heat and Spurs are not the only targets, as the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans are planning to meet with the star. Oden is working on what type of contract he can get after dealing with knee injuries and based on what Andrew Bynum got with the Cavs, it could be tough to get a longer term deal since he has had so many problems and surgeries.
The Kings, Pelicans and Mavericks can try to sway Oden with money rather than winning, which is likely what the Heat will do and there is a good chance that New Orleans feels it can contend now that they pulled off deals for Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans. The former number one overall pick is just 25 and he could give some solid size and depth to any of the teams chasing him. He was picked ahead of Kevin Durant and has only played in 82 games due to knee injuries, averaging 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks for his career.
Oden says that he is finally healthy and that he should be able to play without any issues this season and any team that signs him is hoping for that as well. The Pelicans are looking for a fast turnaround after taking Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers last season and they also traded away Robin Lopez in one of the deals to bring in Holiday and Evans. The Mavericks were chasing Oden hard as well while also going after Andrew Bynum and now he remains the top center after Bynum signed with the Cavs.
