Yannis' Sports Journal

Coming into the off season Al Harrington and Bonzi Wells were two of the top free agents on the market. Al's coming off of two strong seasons with Atlanta where he averaged around 17 points and 7 boards a game while Bonzi Wells absolutely tore the Spurs apart in the first round of the playoffs. Yet it's August and neither of these guys know where they are going to be playing next season.

Al's situation is pretty complicated. It's been just about a given all off season long that he'd end up back with the Indiana Pacers, but it still hasn't happened. He fired his agent to speed up the process, but Atlanta and Indiana have still yet to come to an agreement. There's a handful of other teams trying to get Al including Boston, Golden State, Minnesota, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Golden State has the best talent available, but with Atlanta's cheap ownership a deal with Indiana requiring them to not receive any contracts is too ideal for them to pass up on. With all the ties Al has in Indiana it's hard to see him not ending up there, but it just simply hasn't happen yet. There's no telling how long it will take to get the deal done. Atlanta's got plenty of other offers on the table from other teams that hasn't gauged their interest enough, so expect him to end up in Indiana, hopefully before training camp.

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Bonzi Well's situation has been significantly more quiet than Al Harrington's. There's been very little talk about what is going to happen to him. After dominating the Spurs in the fashion he did, he expected big contract offers that just have not come. Most teams have used their Mid Level Exception, which was less than Bonzi was looking for coming into the free agency period. The Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks, the only team with the financial ability to pay Bonzi what he wants, have zero interest in the power guard.

Bonzi's options are severely limited now with Sacramento spending their entire MLE on John Salmons. Teams in the west such as Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers have interest in Bonzi, but a sign and trade would be the only option. Being conference rivals, the Kings have no desire in trading with these teams, especially for what they have to offer.

So while Al seems to be days away from finding a team, the same cannot be said for Bonzi Wells. He's a power guard who could really help a team, and by the looks of things he'll come at a price. Character issues will become a major concern if he ends up somewhere playing for less money than he wants, but he may not have a choice at this point.

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