Wizards Amnesty Andray Blatche
4:04pm: The Wizards have officially amnestied Blatche, the team announced in a press release.
3:35pm: The Wizards will use the amnesty clause to waive Andray Blatche, according to TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter). Michael Lee of the Washington Post confirms Aldridge's report, and adds that an official announcement is expected to come soon (Twitter link).
Shannon Brown Close To Signing?
According to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter), Shannon Brown is close to signing a contract with an unknown team. Woelfel notes that the Bucks have been eyeing Brown, who has also drawn interest from the Suns. I wouldn't be surprised to see Brown re-sign with the Suns, after the team fell short in its pursuit of O.J. Mayo.
Brown, 26, has played for five NBA teams in his six-year career, most notably appearing in every regular season game for the Lakers in 2009/10 and 2010/11. For the Suns last season, he started 19 of 59 games, setting or matching career highs in PPG (11.0), MPG (23.7), and PER (13.6).
Lakers Rumors: Rush, Jamison, O’Neal, Hill
While Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reported yesterday that Antawn Jamison had decided to sign with the Lakers, GM Mitch Kupchak told Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that nothing was imminent on that front quite yet. If Jamison finalizes a deal with the Lakers, it may have to be for the veteran's minimum, as Kupchak confirmed to ESPNLA that the team doesn't plan to use its $3.09MM mini mid-level exception to fill out its bench. Here are a few more Lakers notes, mostly from McMenamin:
- In addition to Jermaine O'Neal, Brandon Rush is also working out for the Lakers today, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. However, the Warriors are expected to match any "reasonable offer" for their restricted free agent (Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
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Grizzlies, Timberwolves Discussing Trade
TUESDAY, 12:11pm: The Grizzlies believe they have a verbal agreement to swap Dante Cunningham for Wayne Ellington, but the Timberwolves seem to be looking to include Cunningham in another deal before finalizing anything, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillery speculates that the T-Wolves are waiting for resolution on Nicolas Batum's offer sheet before making any other moves official.
"The shoe will drop this week or it won't get done," one source told Tillery, on the Grizzlies/Timberwolves trade talks.
Jeremy Lin Rumors: Tuesday
With the Knicks still not confirming exactly when they received the Rockets' offer sheet for Jeremy Lin, we can assume their deadline is tonight, even if we're not 100% sure. If a decision is indeed due later today, we can finally expect resolution on a topic that's sparked a ton of debate over the last couple days. A number of reports on the weekend suggested the Knicks were leaning toward not matching Houston's offer, but it appears no definitive decision has been made yet, as Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets. Here are the latest updates on Lin and his $25.1MM offer sheet….
- ESPN.com's Larry Coon points out (in an Insider-only piece) that if the Knicks matched Lin's offer sheet and wanted to get out from under the third year of his deal, they could waive him using the stretch provision. The provision would allow the Knicks to spread Lin's $14.9MM 2014/15 salary over the next three years, at less than $5MM annually.
Earlier updates:
Kobe Bryant Considering 2014 Retirement
Kobe Bryant is under contract for two more seasons, and when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2014, he isn't 100% sure he'll keep playing. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Bryant was reminded that during his rookie season he said he'd retire at age 35, and acknowledged that "it's still probably accurate" (link via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times).
Odds & Ends: T-Wolves, Griffin, Nuggets, Hollins
- After tearing his left meniscus during a Team USA practise last Wednesday, Blake Griffin was forced to remove himself from the Olympic games. The Clippers forward had successful surgery today, and is still expected to be ready in time for training camp, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc J. Spears.
- The Nuggets are considering using their amnesty provision on forward Chris Andersen, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Andersen has two years and $9MM left on his deal.
Earlier updates:
Trail Blazers To Interview Patrick Ewing
9:02pm: A tweet from The Oregonian's Jason Quick reports that Patrick Ewing's interview with the Trail Blazers is believed to be a courtesy. Also, Brian Shaw will interview with Portland.
6:41pm: The Trail Blazers are scheduled to interview Patrick Ewing, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling.The former assistant coach for the Magic has long been looking to become the lead man with a team, and over the past couple of months has had his name associated with both the Knicks and Bobcats.
Nets, Bobcats, Lakers In Mix For Jamison
8:42pm: ESPNLA.com's Dave McMenamin tweets that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak acknowledged the team's interest in Jamison, but said no signing is imminent just yet.
5:56pm: The Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell has tweeted that Antawn Jamison is set to become a Laker.
5:01pm: TNT's David Aldridge tweets that the Nets are a less likely destination than the Lakers or Bobcats for Jamison, unless negotiations with Kris Humphries collapse.