Shawne Williams Exercises Player Option
Shawne Williams has officially exercised his player option for next season and will remain under contract with the Trail Blazers for another year, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes first reported in April that Williams would pick up his 2012/13 option, worth about $3.14MM.
Blazers Rumors: Batum, Hickson, Coach
In spite of weeks of trade speculation, the Trail Blazers kept both of their lottery picks last night, drafting Damian Lillard sixth overall and Meyers Leonard 11th. If the two newest Blazers sign typical rookie contracts (120% of the scale amount), they'll be on Portland's books for a total of about $5.2MM in 2012/13. Even with those salary commitments, the Blazers figure to have plenty of cap space this offseason to re-sign their own free agents and potentially pursue others. Here's the latest out of Portland on the team's summer plans….
Chris Bosh Withdraws From Olympics
On the heels of teammate Dwyane Wade pulling out of the Olympics due to injury concerns, Chris Bosh has decided to withdraw as well, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Agent Henry Thomas told Winderman that Bosh has pulled out of the London games to deal with his lingering abdominal injury.
O.J. Mayo To Become Unrestricted Free Agent
The Grizzlies will not extend a qualifying offer to O.J. Mayo to make him a restricted free agent, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). The decision means that Mayo will become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team, without the Grizz having the opportunity to match offers.
Jordan Farmar Intends To Opt Out
Jordan Farmar plans to opt out of his contract with the Nets and become an unrestricted free agent, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Sulia link) also hears Farmar is leaning toward declining his player option, though Farmar himself tells Bondy he's still undecided (Twitter link). The 25-year-old's option for 2012/13 is worth $4.25MM.
Timberwolves To Continue Pursuit Of Pau Gasol
The Timberwolves reportedly made attempts to acquire Pau Gasol earlier in the 2011/12 season, and it appears the team's pursuit of the Lakers big man will continue into the offseason. Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press reports (link via Yahoo! Sports) that when the T-Wolves offered Derrick Williams to Charlotte for the No. 2 pick, it would have been part of a bigger move to land Gasol. While that deal didn't happen, Minnesota is expected to keep trying to acquire the Spaniard this summer, says Krawczynski.
Vernon Macklin Becomes Unrestricted Free Agent
The Pistons did not extend a qualifying offer to Vernon Macklin, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. As such, the power forward will become an unrestricted free agent, and Detroit won't have the opportunity to match any offers. Ellis adds, via Twitter, that the Pistons are "really high" on Macklin, and could re-sign him, but may not have the roster space.
Macklin, Detroit's second-round pick a year ago, played in 23 contests for the team, averaging 2.0 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 5.9 MPG. To make him a restricted free agent, the Pistons would have had to tender him a one-year qualifying offer worth about $962K.
Raptors To Aggressively Recruit Nash In New York
Reports of the Raptors' strong interest in Steve Nash are gaining steam, with Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reporting last night that Toronto was planning a "hard push" for the Canadian point guard. Marc Stein of ESPN.com has specific details on the team's recruiting plan, tweeting that the Raptors intend to park "no less than a five-deep contingent" in Manhattan as soon as allowed. According to Stein (Twitter link), Raps GM Bryan Colangelo wooed Nash in the same aggressive way for Phoenix, and quickly signed him in 2004.
Salaries For 2012 First Round Picks
By now, you've likely had a chance to pore through last night's NBA draft results, taking stock of which teams did well and which teams made some questionable choices. As we move from the draft into free agency, it's also worth considering how last night's first round picks will affect NBA teams' payrolls going forward. Clubs with a pair of first-rounders, or high lottery picks, will see their draftees take a chunk out of any cap space they have heading into free agency.
2012 NBA Draft Results
The 2012 NBA draft finally arrived on Thursday night, and while the first overall pick certainly wasn't unexpected, the surprises started coming at No. 2 and continued for most of the night. We've got the complete results, including all 60 picks and six draft-night trades, right here: