Indiana lost out on Shawn Marion this weekend, and the Pacers also let a degree of flexibility lapse when Donald Sloan‘s non-guaranteed minimum salary became fully guaranteed. President of basketball operations Larry Bird said last week that the team had no intention of waiving the point guard before his deal became guaranteed, so it was no shock. It wasn’t surprising to see the Knicks keep Quincy Acy and his minimum salary past his guarantee date on Friday, either, since that was reportedly part of the team’s deal to acquire the power forward via trade from Sacramento. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Pacers indeed offered Marion more than the minimum salary that the Cavs are limited to doling out, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Marion reportedly decided this weekend to sign with the Cleveland.
- Kyrie Irving is the primary focus of Charania’s piece, and while there were plenty of rumors that suggested his extension talks wouldn’t be easy, he acknowledged to the RealGM scribe that the choice to sign a max deal with the Cavs last month was a simple one. Irving also insists that he had no influence on the team’s coaching search this year.
- Michael Carter-Williams is ready to step up and be a leader for the Sixers if Thaddeus Young is traded this coming weekend, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media.
- Sixers draft-and-stash prospect Furkan Aldemir has officially signed a new three-year deal with Galatasaray of Turkey, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando’s Enea Trapani). The sides came to agreement back in May on the $5.3MM deal that includes an option for the final season. Whether it’s a team or player option and what sort of NBA buyout clauses exist are unclear.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.