FanHouse Aaron Goodwin

One of the reasons that Chris Webber might accept an offer to play in Greece is because he wants both a two-year deal and something more than the veteran's minimum. So far, no NBA teams have stepped up to the plate ... but that might change if the Orlando Magic get their way.

Orlando currently has their hands tied by the salary cap and can't offer more than the veteran's minimum of $1.2 million, but following the news that Tony Battie is likely lost for the season, the team might receive some salary cap relief. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel explains:

If the Magic are granted an injury exception for Battie -- who is expected now to likely miss the entire season with a rotator cuff injury -- it will be worth about $2.6 million (half of Battie's salary this season), more appealing to free agents.

Of course, this is hardly automatic -- the NBA is sometimes fickle in deciding who gets an injury exception and who doesn't. But if the Magic receive the exception, it'd be more than two times their previous offer to Webber. It still doesn't hold a candle to the two-year, $10 million to $12 million offer Webber received from Olympiacos, but if he wants to stay stateside, it might be the best he'll get from any NBA team, especially if the Magic cave and offer a second year. There's been no official contact between Webber and the team just yet, but Webber's agent Aaron Goodwin told Schmitz that he expects to hear from GM Otis Smith soon.

Previously on FanHouse:
Chris Webber's Big Fat Greek Offer
Battie's Injury Puts Magic in Big Man Crunch

The expectations of Warrior Matt Barnes are not being met, dammit! Dude just fired his agent for the second time in two months, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Janny Hu.

Barnes fired his longtime agent Bill Neff right after Golden State's improbable playoff run. Apparently, Dan Fegan wasn't the right match, because now he's gone. Matty now brings Aaron Goodwin into the fold to salvage his free agency, and most likely his one shot to get a long-term NBA deal.

The fact Barnes hasn't gotten the full mid-level from some franchise... is that an indication teams are smartening up? That after Isiah Thomas' infinite ridicule in the wake of Jerome James teams now underrated so-called flukes? Because Barnes could very well be worth the midlevel in the right system. He's an upgrade on Devean George in Dallas, for sure. New Jersey could certainly have used him.

If he doesn't stay in Golden State (and it's either/or between him and Mickael Pietrus), he might have to take a smaller deal and sign up somewhere like Boston. At this point, it's all about avoiding the Bonzi Wells scenario.

Dwight Howard will sign a five-year extension with the Magic this summer. To some people, if not most, this will come as no surprise -- these extensions are virtually automatic for lottery picks.

But unlike players like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who signed three-year deals last summer with a player option for a fourth, Howard had no interest in trying to coordinate his contract to end with the next collective bargaining contract, which would theoretically allow him to land a much larger contract sooner. From Florida today:

"I can say when Dwight chooses to sign an extension it will be for the maximum number of years," [Howard's agent Aaron] Goodwin said. "It certainly won't be the short-term variety. I see no benefit in that for Dwight."

And despite alleged disharmony between Howard and head coach Brian Hill (which might actually work since the front office is apparently already luke warm on Hill) Goodwin claims that his client would never make a "him or me" ultimatum regarding his coach or teammates.

"Dwight would never make demands on a team; he's just not that type of kid. His extension will come down to him and his family's comfort in Orlando. He's definitely not making any demands on the franchise. He feels the team is headed in the right direction and is only going to keep getting better."

For Magic fans, that's good to hear. Now if only this team could get another scorer (and a legitimate point guard ... and some more post help for Howard ...) this team will be on their way!

Previously on FanHouse:
NBA Coaching Guillotine: Brian Hill
Howard Healthy and Ready for Game 3
Is Brian Hill Facing His Second Mutiny in Orlando?
Brian Hill Tried to Leave Dwight Howard Behind

If the Magic are going to have any hope of winning one of their next two home games against the Pistons and sending the series back to Detroit, they'll need a healthy Dwight Howard. Fortunately, after a couple of days to recover from Monday's mysterious illness, he appears to be back in form. From the Orlando Sentinel:

"I feel a lot better than I did [Monday]. My body is a lot stronger than it was," he said. "I was fine during the [Monday] shoot-around [in Auburn Hills, Mich.]

"After the shoot-around, I went back to the hotel and my stomach started hurting real bad. I tried to work out before the game, but nothing was really [working]. After that, it just went downhill. I didn't really have a lot of energy. I just tried to play as hard as I could."

Howard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, said Howard vomited late Monday afternoon after eating salmon. He managed to play 35 minutes in Orlando's 98-90 Game 2 loss but scored just eight points and lacked his usual energy.

Even though Howard's first taste of the playoffs hasn't gone nearly as well as he'd hoped, he should be consoled this summer: he's expected to sign a $40 million deal with adidas, not to mention receive an extension worth another $80 million or so from the Magic.