Bibby Off The Market
His agent called the 76ers, but point guard Mike Bibby has agreed to remain with the Atlanta Hawks.
When agent David Falk recently called the 76ers about Atlanta Hawks point guard Mike Bibby, it apparently was mostly about checking out the marketplace in a difficult economy.
As it turned out, staying home became the best option. In a development reported by Sekou Smith of the Atlanta Journal Constitution and confirmed by the Daily News, Bibby has agreed to remain with the Hawks via a three-year contract. The Journal Constitution estimated the value of the deal at $18 million.
The Sixers discussed the possibility of a one-year contract, but--according to a source familiar with the situation--never made a formal offer. The Sixers' thinking was that Bibby might consider a one-year deal, allowing him to again become an unrestricted free agent next summer when a number of teams will have stockpiled salary cap space.
The Sixers remain interested in acquiring a veteran point guard, possibly to start and to help mentor first-round draft choice Jrue Holiday. They have been negotiating with Andy Miller, the agent for Andre Miller, their unrestricted free agent, but seem far apart on money and length of term.
Andy Miller told Jason Quick of the Oregonian in a blog post on OregonLive.com that Andre Miller would be ''a good fit'' for the Portland Trail Blazers and that he ''puts them over the top'' because the Blazers ''desperately need a starting point guard to take the pressure off Brandon Roy.''
The Bibby agreement comes on the heels of Jason Kidd agreeing to a three-year contract worth a reported $25 million to remain with the Dallas Mavericks, and former Simon Gratz High star Rasheed Wallace taking a two-year deal to join the Boston Celtics.
Bibby averaged 14.9 points, 5 assists and 3.5 rebounds with the Hawks last season.