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NBA Free Agency: Andrew Bynum expected to make a decision Tuesday

The Cleveland Cavaliers are pushing hard for Andrew Bynum. When will he make a decision? Sources say he should make a decision on Tuesday.

By Conrad Kaczmarek
Harry How

The Cleveland Cavaliers are competing against the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks for the services of oft-injured center Andrew Bynum. The Cavs have already reportedly submitted a 2-year, $24 million offer featuring several team-friendly incentives and a team option on the second year. As Bynum meets with the Hawks today, Ken Berger of CBS Sports reports that Bynum will likely make a decision on where to play next season today.

While he considers a two-year offer from Cleveland, Andrew Bynum is meeting with Hawks officials in Atlanta on Tuesday and expects to make a decision later in the day, league sources told CBSSports.com.

"There should be a deal today," said a person familiar with the negotiations.

BYNUM WATCH.

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The Cavaliers have the most cap space available this season. If the Hawks or Mavs want to make a better offer to Bynum, it would require that they guarantee more money in years after 2013-14. I'm not sure how confident any team should be in doing that. Bynum has had chronic knee problems and missed the entirety of last season with the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite his health issues, Bynum can be a dominating force when he's healthy. He possesses tremendous size and impressive touch for a human being that large. It's unclear whether or not Bynum's knees will ever be completely healthy, but you can bet that the Cavs' doctors will have done plenty of examinations and research before guaranteeing any money at all.

Due to the Cavaliers' cap situation, guaranteeing money for this season is not much of a risk. Unless they are going after Andrei Kirilenko or Elton Brand, the Cavs likely aren't doing anything with their remaining cap space. Therefore, even if Bynum is never healthy or only plays half the season, all that the Cavs would be losing is Dan Gilbert's money. While Gilbert probably doesn't love the idea of throwing away $12 million, it's not my money and it doesn't hurt the Cavaliers' future flexibility.

Personally, I hope that the Cavs get Bynum. He'll add a ton of excitement and intrigue to this upcoming NBA season in Cleveland. He gives the Cavs a ton of upside and, if he's able to play a significant number of games, he makes a playoff appearance pretty likely. That said, if Bynum gets a better offer from Atlanta or Dallas, I won't be that upset. The Cavaliers' current reported offer is about as far as I would go in order to acquire Bynum. It'd be pretty sweet if the Cavaliers got Bynum in Wine and Gold, but if they miss out on him then that's probably okay too.

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