Matt Barnes Down to 3, Magic to Sign CJ Watson to Offer Sheet

After all of the talk of Ric Bucher and Jared Dudley’s twitter conversation about Matt Barnes’ next destination (Dudley said he’d be going to Atlanta or Cleveland), it seems like Barnes has three teams from which to choose from. According to Joe Davidson of The Sacramento Bee, Barnes has received interested from Cleveland, Dallas and Orlando. There was no mention of the Atlanta Hawks.

"Barnes, a 29-year-old swingman, is long and lanky at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds. His next team would be his seventh NBA stop. He is coming off a career year in which he averaged 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists for Phoenix, where he started 40 games. Barnes said Dallas, Orlando and Cleveland have expressed interest.“It’s a tough time to sign a contract,” he said. “But I am sure something will happen.”"

My assumption is that Barnes will choose the team that will offer him the most money because all three teams are seen as title contenders. Orlando and Cleveland met in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals with Orlando winning the series 4-2, while Dallas advanced to the 2nd round after upsetting the San Antonio Spurs. Dallas has since added PF Shawn Marion from the Toronto Raptors. Barnes would provide defense, toughness, and 3-point shooting for whichever team picks him up. He would be a good fit and excellent player for whichever team decides to sign him.

The signing of Barnes would make perfect sense for the Magic after a recent report from the Third Quarter Collapse. They are reporting that Rashard Lewis is almost definitely going to remain the starting PF. They have an excellent article up discussing potential Magic lineups that involve either Mickael Pietrus or possibly even Vince Carter starting at SF for the Magic. Ben Q. Rock is reporting this story and his news is usually very accurate.

"There’s a better chance of J.J. Redick starting at the 2 with Carter at the 3 and Pietrus off the bench… than there is of Lewis starting at the 3, at all. This is according to a well-informed source familiar with the team’s plans."

Matt Barnes makes perfect sense under this scenario. He could come in and be starting SF, along with Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Rashard and Dwight Howard. This would great depth with 6 players; Marcin Gortat, Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, Pietrus, Anthony Johnson and JJ Redick.

The 12th man could be Warriors PG CJ Watson. Tim Povtak is reporting that the Magic are close to signing Watson to an offer sheet.

"The Orlando Magic are close to signing free agent point guard C.J. Watson, giving them an alternative to veteran Anthony Johnson as a backup to often-injured Jameer Nelson.Watson, 6-2, 180 pounds, played the last two years at Golden State after spending one year in Greece and another year in the NBA Development League.Watson is a restricted free agent so once he is signed; the Warriors would have 7 days to decide if they want to match his contract."

CJ Watson spent 2 years in Golden State after a stint in Europe and a stint in the D-League. He had pretty good numbers last season, averaging 9.5 PPG, 2.7 APG and 2.5 RPG in 24.5 MPG. He played in 77 games, starting 18. Watson has pretty good size for a PG at 6’2 and he is just 25 years old. The official Examiner ranked Watson as the 9th best backup PG in the NBA last season. Anthony Johnson was ranked 7th.

Earlier in the week, former Orlando Edgewater swing man Marquis Daniels said that he would love to come home and player for the Magic, but that is not going to happen. According of Marc Spears yahoo.com, he has reached an agreement to play for the Boston Celtics. This is a solid pickup for Boston. He should provide instant scoring off the bench behind Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. He averaged a career-high 13.6 PPG last season.

(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger.Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily. Check out his ACC Coastal Division Football preview here.)