2012 July | Hoops Rumors

Nets Nearing Max Contract With Brook Lopez

By Luke Adams | at July 11, 2012 4:34 pm

4:34pm: Lopez is still considering signing Charlotte's four-year offer sheet, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski says the Nets will match any offer sheet Lopez signs, but matching an offer sheet would prevent Brooklyn from trading Lopez for a full year (Twitter links). It looks to me as if Lopez is seeking a little leverage with the Nets, perhaps hoping to increase his fifth-year guarantee.

2:59pm: With trade talks for Dwight Howard dead, the Nets are now expected to finalize a contract with Lopez, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick.

2:22pm: The Nets are warding off the Bobcats' advances toward Lopez and are close to finalizing a five-year, $78MM deal for the center, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski's report seems to suggest that the fifth year of the contract would not be fully guaranteed, but would still ensure that Lopez would make more than he could with another team.

12:56pm: Lopez is weighing a maximum offer sheet from another team, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times. Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that the Trail Blazers and Bobcats have both indicated to Lopez that they're willing to sign him to a four-year max offer sheet as soon as today.

12:43pm: The Nets have agreed to give Lopez four fully-guaranteed, max-salary years, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The two sides are still talking about a possible fifth year — since the Nets are the only team that can offer that fifth year, they can be more flexibile with the guarantee. The Nets' willingness to offer a four-year, max-salary deal means another team can't top Brooklyn's proposal in an offer sheet (all Twitter links).

WEDNESDAY, 12:13am: It's not out of the realm of possibility that Lopez could sign an offer sheet with another team, according to Wojnarowski. His report cites the Bobcats as a team with interest in Lopez on a max deal. An offer sheet would mean Lopez could avoid any partial guarantees based on games played the Nets might want in the contract, and would mean he couldn't be included in a sign-and-trade deal.

TUESDAY, 10:59pm: Lopez is close to reaching an agreement on a maximum contract with the Nets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The two sides are negotiating the length of the contract, as Lopez can sign for four years and $58MM or five years and $78MM.

1:44pm: While the Nets continue to try to find a way to obtain Dwight Howard, the team's primary trade chip is just a few hours away from being able to sign offer sheets with rival clubs. In case they aren't able to acquire Howard, the Nets have been negotiating a contract extension with Brook Lopez and could complete a deal within the next 48 hours or so, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

Signing Lopez to a new contract would mean that the Nets couldn't trade him for Howard or anyone else until January 15th. While Brooklyn would probably prefer to maintain the flexibility to complete a sign-and-trade involving their 24-year-old center, the end of the moratorium means the team could have to turn to Plan B. If Lopez were to sign an offer sheet with another team, the Nets could only match the offer or let him walk, and wouldn't be able to include him in a sign-and-trade deal.

With Howard-centric rumors dominating most of the Lopez news we've heard so far this July, there hasn't been much reported interest in Lopez from other clubs. But you'd have to think that a team in search of size, whether that's the Rockets, Trail Blazers, or another club, could make life difficult for Brooklyn by pursuing Lopez, a scenario the Nets would rather avoid.

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17 comments Brooklyn Nets Charlotte Hornets Portland Trail Blazers Brook Lopez Dwight Howard

Thunder Sign Hollis Thompson

By Luke Adams | at July 11, 2012 4:20 pm

The Thunder have signed Hollis Thompson to a three-year deal, agent Seth Cohen tells Bobby Bancroft of 106.7 The Fan (Twitter link). Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman confirms the agreement, writing that Thompson will receive a partially-guaranteed contract worth the rookie minimum (about $473K) for 2012/13.

Thompson, a 6'8" junior out of Georgetown, went undrafted in June, but quickly found a spot at the back of the Thunder's roster. The 21-year-old becomes the 15th player under contract for next season for Oklahoma City, meaning players like Derek Fisher, Royal Ivey, and Nazr Mohammed almost certainly won't be back.

0 comments Oklahoma City Thunder Transactions Hollis Thompson

Knicks May Match Raptors’ Fields Offer Sheet

By Luke Adams | at July 11, 2012 2:12 pm

While it's widely been assumed that the Knicks would decline to match the Raptors' three-year, $19MM offer sheet for Landry Fields, that's not necessarily a given. Raptors president Bryan Colangelo told Toronto media today that there's a "50/50 chance" the Knicks match the Raps' offer to Fields (Twitter link via Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun).

14 comments New York Knicks Toronto Raptors Landry Fields

Jeremy Evans Re-Signs With Jazz

By Daniel Seco | at July 11, 2012 2:02 pm

WEDNESDAY, 2:02pm: The Jazz have officially re-signed Evans, according to a team release.

THURSDAY, 7:01pm: Jeremy Evans has agreed to terms with the Jazz on a three-year, $5.5MM deal, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (on Twitter). The forward was a restricted free agent but decided to remain with Utah after spending the first two seasons of his career in Salt Lake City. Evans, 24, averaged 2.1 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 29 games during the 2012 season. The former second-round pick won the 2012 NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend in Orlando.

0 comments Transactions Utah Jazz Jeremy Evans

Bucks Sign Doron Lamb

By Luke Adams | at July 11, 2012 1:59 pm

The Bucks have signed second-round pick Doron Lamb, according to the Bucks' PR Twitter feed, which attached of Lamb signing his contract.

Lamb was the 42nd-overall pick in the 2012 draft, and will likely receive the rookie minimum from Milwaukee. According to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link), the deal is for three years, though I would guess it's mostly non-guaranteed.

0 comments Milwaukee Bucks Transactions Doron Lamb

Dwight Howard Rumors: Wednesday

By Luke Adams | at July 11, 2012 1:50 pm

In yesterday's round of Dwight Howard rumors, we learned that the Cavaliers had pulled out of the complicated four-team talks that included the Nets and Magic. The Nets are still in the mix for Howard, but are focusing more on one-on-one talks with Orlando now. Meanwhile, the Magic continue to talk with other teams, including the Rockets, Lakers, and Hawks, about a variety of trade scenarios involving the star center. What will today bring? We'll track the latest right here….

According to SI.com's Sam Amick, the Magic could simply let the Nets fall out of the race for Howard and seek another trade partner. Amick adds that the Rockets have been calling around looking for a taker for Luis Scola, in an effort to allow the Magic to clear more cap space in a Howard deal.
Among the Nets' reasons for accelerating the Howard talks: They're concerned that the Trail Blazers will step in and sign Brook Lopez to an offer sheet after missing out on Roy Hibbert, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. The Rockets represent another threat to the Nets if their offer sheet for Omer Asik is matched, adds ESPN.com's Chad Ford (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

12 comments Atlanta Hawks Brooklyn Nets Houston Rockets Los Angeles Lakers Orlando Magic Portland Trail Blazers Andrew Bynum Brook Lopez Dwight Howard Luis Scola

76ers Re-Sign Lavoy Allen To Two-Year Deal

By Zachary Links | at July 11, 2012 1:34 pm

JULY 11TH: The Sixers have officially re-signed Allen, the team announced in a press release.

JULY 1ST: The 76ers have reached an agreement in principle on a two-year, $6MM-plus extension with Lavoy Allen, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Philadelphia tendered Allen a qualifying offer on Friday worth roughly $962K.

The 6'9", 225-pound forward averaged 4.1 PPG and 4.2 RPG in just a shade over 15 minutes per contest in 2011/12. Injuries led to him being called upon to start in 15 games as a rookie and played roughly 20 minutes a night during the postseason.

1 comment Philadelphia 76ers Transactions Lavoy Allen

Pistons Sign Kyle Singler

By Chuck Myron | at July 11, 2012 1:29 pm

JULY 11TH: The Pistons have officially announced the signing of Singler, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (via Twitter).

JUNE 29TH: The Pistons will sign 2011 second-round draft pick Kyle Singler on July 11, the first day free agents can officially ink contracts, said Joe Dumars, the team's president of basketball operations, as Larry Lage of The Detroit News reports. Singler played the 2011/12 season in Spain after Detroit took him with the 33rd overall pick last June. The 6'8" forward averaged 16.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in his final season of a four-year stay at Duke.

1 comment Detroit Pistons Kyle Singler

Thunder Sign Hasheem Thabeet

By Sean Highkin | at July 11, 2012 1:02 pm

JULY 11TH: The Thunder have officially signed Thabeet, according to a team release.

JULY 4TH: The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to sign center Hasheem Thabeet to a two-year deal, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman, the contract is fully guaranteed for both seasons.

1 comment Oklahoma City Thunder Transactions Hasheem Thabeet

Nuggets Sign Evan Fournier

By Luke Adams | at July 11, 2012 12:48 pm

The Nuggets have officially signed first-round pick Evan Fournier to a rookie scale contract, according to a team release. While most first-round signings are merely a formality, Fournier's deal is notable since it means the 19-year-old guard will join the Nuggets immediately rather than continuing to play overseas.

As the 20th overall pick, Fournier is eligible to sign for a first-year salary of up to about $1.36MM.

0 comments Denver Nuggets Transactions Evan Fournier

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Month: July 2012