2012 June | Hoops Rumors

Heat To Aggressively Pursue Ray Allen

June 30th, 2012 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat consider Ray Allen their top priority in free agency and will start pursuing him when the free agent period begins late tonight, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Heat intend to offer the veteran sharpshooter their $3MM taxpayer mid-level exception, an opportunity for significant playing time, and the chance to win another title with the defending champions.

Kennedy On Lin, Gordon, Mayo, Hibbert, Hill

June 30th, 2012 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

We keep hearing teams like the Mavericks, Nets, and Raptors named as potential suitors for Steve Nash, but if one of those teams misses out on both Nash and Deron Williams, its next target could be Jeremy Lin. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld hears from sources that one of those three clubs could sign Lin to an offer sheet, forcing the Knicks to match. Here are a few more free agent updates from Kennedy, with just over 12 hours left until the fun begins….

2012 NBA Free Agency Primer

June 30th, 2012 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

NBA free agency officially begins at midnight eastern time tonight, at which point teams are permitted to talk to and negotiate with other clubs' free agents. However, no free agent contracts can be signed until July 11th, due to the July moratorium. Our explanation of the July moratorium is one link you'll want to check out as you prepare for the 2012 free agent period. Here are a few more:

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Ronny Turiaf To Opt Out Of Contract

June 30th, 2012 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

Ronny Turiaf will not exercise his option to remain with the Heat, choosing instead to become an unrestricted free agent, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Had Turiaf picked up his option, he would have been under contract for another year at $1.2MM.

Turiaf was traded from the Wizards to the Nuggets at the deadline for salary-matching purposes in the JaVale McGee/Nene deal. After Denver released him, the 29-year-old signed with Miami for the team's playoff run, inking a contract that included a player option as an "insurance policy." While Turiaf wasn't overly productive in the regular season or playoffs with Miami, he at least showed he was healthy, which should earn him more than a $1.2MM guarantee on the open market.

Steve Nash Expects Quick Free Agent Decision

June 30th, 2012 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

We're currently less than 15 hours away from the start of the NBA's 2012 free agent period, and Steve Nash doesn't expect to take much time to decide on his destination. Nash tells ESPN.com's Marc Stein that he might make his decision within the "first day or so" of free agency.

"It's crazy to decide on the next three years of your life in an afternoon or a day," Nash said. "Just because things happen fast. People want to get it out of the way and move on. Not only myself but the teams as well. If something funny happens and I want to take my time, I'll definitely take my time. But the way these things go, I feel, usually (they) happen quick."

As we heard yesterday, the Raptors are expected to make an aggressive pitch to the Canadian point guard, and ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) thinks Toronto could be the frontrunner. According to Stein, the Raptors' offer could approach $12MM annually. Nash acknowledged that the Raps probably won't become a title contender anytime in the near future, even if the signs there, but said he'll still consider them.

"The Raptors would be one of those teams where you're probably not going there to win a championship in the next three years," Nash said. "For me it'd be going home to Canada, to a great city, and trying to help an organization move forward…. I'm going to look at every opportunity and Toronto will be one that I'll study as well and look at the opportunity for them to grow in the next three years and what kind of impact I can have on that team. And obviously from a community standpoint, it's a special place for me."

The Knicks also appear ready to make a pitch to Nash, and will have a contingent in New York to recruit Nash tomorrow, says Stein, but they can't compete with Nash's other suitors from a financial standpoint. The Mavericks and Nets also could be in the mix, particularly whichever team finds itself on the short end of the Deron Williams sweepstakes. The Mavs are prepared to offer the 38-year-old a two-year deal, according to Stein.

What's becoming more clear is that Nash seems unlikely to re-sign in Phoenix. While at one point the Suns appeared to be the favorites, Nash says he no longer views them as a "home run" and thinks the team may be moving in a different direction.

"For the first time I realize that it might not be Phoenix," Nash said. "I would have said even in the middle of (last) season or last year that I would have thought I probably would have stayed in Phoenix forever. But it's come to a point now where I'm facing the reality that's not (the case)."

As we prepare for free agency, you can check out Hoops Rumors' full list of unrestricted free agents right here.

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Odds & Ends: Rockets, Magic, Wolves, Green

June 30th, 2012 at 12:32am CST by Chuck Myron

With less than 24 hours to go until teams can officially begin negotiating with free agents, the focus has shifted from the draft and incoming rookies to where NBA veterans will end up. No free agent is more coveted than Deron Williams, but he's narrowed his choices to the Mavs and Nets. There are plenty of quality players left for other teams, however, including Roy Hibbert and Eric Gordon, whom the Rockets will target, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, adding that the team is also going after Omer Asik. Here's more on the free agent plans of teams around the league and other late-night news:

Draft Notes: Friday

June 29th, 2012 at 11:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the 2012 draft is officially a thing of the past, we shouldn't require multiple posts to round up all the day's draft-related content, like we did on Thursday. But even with the draft over, a few updates continue to trickle in. We'll round up today's leftover draft notes here, adding any new items to the top throughout the day….

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News offers grades for each team's draft, and The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat shares his list of winners and losers.

Earlier updates:

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo said he may try to get teams that were interested in trading for the No. 8 pick to take something else in return. Colangelo also said a team offered $1.75MM to get pick No. 37, but the Raptors had three guys they liked too much to give up the pick, which they used on Quincy Acy, Wolstat also tweets.
Cavs coach Byron Scott compares No. 4 pick Dion Waiters to Dwyane Wade and isn't concerned that he never started a game in his two years at Syracuse, according to the Associated Press (via NBA.com). Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer believes the Cavs got better through the draft, but isn't sure exactly how that will show up in the won-lost column.
Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld looks at the draft's biggest losers.
According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, undrafted rookie Maalik Wayns will play for the Magic's summer league team (Twitter link).
Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo "tried hard" to move down in the draft, but most offers involved trading out of the draft entirely, which he didn't want to do, says Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter).
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com provides an interesting behind-the-scenes perspective of the Cavaliers' draft night.
The Thunder took steps in the days leading up to the draft to assure James Harden he wouldn't be dealt for a top-three pick, and then proved it, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
The Rockets were interested in trading up to No. 8 to take Andre Drummond, but the Raptors' asking price was way too high, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
It was a little surprising not to see Iona guard Scott Machado drafted last night, but he's already drawing interest as an undrafted free agent. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), Machado has the Raptors, Rockets, Bobcats, Cavaliers, Hawks, and Hornets calling him about playing in the Summer League.
Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside examines a few more of this year's top undrafted prospects.
Draft evaluations are already beginning to roll in, as ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) provides his grades for all 30 teams, while SI.com's Chris Mannix and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports are among those to name this year's winners and losers.
Proving it's never too early to look ahead to next year's, Ford (Insider link) also has a preview of the 2013 draft class, and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com publishes his first 2013 mock draft.

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Pacific Rumors: Lakers, Nash, Kings, Kirilenko

June 29th, 2012 at 11:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The major news of the day in the Pacific Division, and the league, for that matter, is the four-team trade that brings Lamar Odom back to the Clippers, his original NBA team. Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes about several key decision the Wolves have to make Saturday, many of which may be tied to the team's pursuit of Pau Gasol via trade with the Lakers. Richardson mentions that Michael Beasley has been working out in Los Angeles with former Laker Norm Nixon, who says his old team would "love" to sign Beasley. Nixon doesn't speak for the Lakers in an official capacity, of course, but it's just one more intriguing tidbit as Sunday's start to free agent negotiation's draws near. Here's more from the West Coast:

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic says it seems Steve Nash's days in Phoenix are over, as the Suns appear unwilling to come close to the $11.7MM he earned in 2011/12. Coro believes another team will give Nash an offer that approaches that figure.

Earlier updates:

Latest On Thunder’s Negotiations With Brooks

June 29th, 2012 at 11:06pm CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 29TH, 11:06pm: The Thunder and Brooks are finally "getting close" to a deal, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports.

3:26pm: According to Ric Bucher of ESPN.com, the Thunder have increased their offer to roughly $16MM for four years. But a source familiar with the negotiations tells Bucher, "We're not close, and the clock is ticking."

JUNE 28TH, 5:14pm: The two sides continue to negotiate a new deal, and $4MM per year is still the tipping point, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.

3:15pm: The Thunder has included a fourth year in its offer to Brooks, but the sides are still far apart on money, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The Blazers could offer their coaching job to Brooks if talks break down, Wojnarowski hears.

JUNE 22ND, 11:48am: Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman tweets that, despite "growing speculation" the two sides are far apart in extension talks, GM Sam Presti says he hopes Brooks will coach the Thunder "for years to come" (Twitter link).

8:42am: It hasn't even been 12 hours since the Thunder's 2011/12 season came to an end in Miami, but it won't be long before Oklahoma City is tasked with a number of off-court decisions. Chief among those decisions is the contract status of Scott Brooks, whose current deal expires at the end of June. We heard last weekend that the Thunder had offered Brooks a three-year, $11MM contract, which Brooks didn't accept. Now, ESPN.com's Marc Stein brings us the latest on the negotiations between the Western Conference champs and their coach.

According to Stein, the Thunder have upped their offer to Brooks to north of $4MM annually. However, the team is still resistant to the idea of a four-year contract, preferring a two- or three-year deal instead. While the two sides still appear likely to hammer out an agreement at some point, Stein's sources caution that extension talks have been "slow-moving for weeks" and that concern is rising within the organization that an agreement isn't a slam dunk.

Stein adds that the Thunder have started internally discussing potential backup plans, should talks with Brooks collapse. Two names that have surfaced, Stein says, are Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.

If the Thunder aren't willing to meet Brooks' contract demands, I'd be surprised if they were willing to shell out the money necessary to land a big-name coach like Jackson or Van Gundy. I wonder if this leak is coming from the team in an effort to regain some leverage by suggesting Brooks isn't the only attractive option out there. Either way, I think the smart money is still on Oklahoma City and Brooks coming to some sort of agreement in the coming days.

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Qualifying Offers: Friday

June 29th, 2012 at 10:43pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA's 2012 free agent period just two days away, teams continue to extend qualifying offers to free agents in order to make them restricted. If a qualifying offer is not tendered to a player eligible for restricted free agency, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Players who are tendered qualifying offers have the option to accept the one-year contract and hit unrestricted free agency a year from now, but the primary purpose of the offers are to ensure that the player's team can match any offers for him this summer. We'll track today's qualifying offer updates right here, with the latest added to the top of the page….

The Cavs have made a qualifying offer to Luke Harangody, according to the joint Twitter account of Plain Dealer writers Mary Schmitt Boyer and Jodie Valade. The tender is expected to be around $1.05MM.

Earlier updates:

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