Odds & Ends: Team Canada, Harrellson, Magic
A handful of players with NBA ties have been invited to a weekend training camp that will take place soon to give Team Canada officials a first glimpse at candidates for their national team, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports (Sulia link). Tristan Thompson of the Cavs, Joel Anthony of the Heat, Cory Joseph of the Spurs, Andrew Nicholson of the Magic and Kris Joseph of the Celtics are on the list. Robert Sacre, the 60th pick in this year's draft by the Lakers, remains unsigned, but he's been invited as well. The team has officially named former Raptors head coach and current Blazers assistant Jay Triano as head coach, Wolstat also writes, and Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson will also be an assistant with Team Canada. Lakers guard Steve Nash, serving as Team Canada's GM, said he wouldn't have accepted the position if Triano wasn't coming aboard, too, Wolstat notes. Here's more from around the Association this afternoon:
- The Heat conducted a workout with Josh Harrellson today, as we heard earlier, but the Timberwolves have no interest in the 6'10" University of Kentucky product, as they prefer a center with more length, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes that Harrellson is just one of several big men the Heat are considering (Sulia link).
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the options the Magic have at power forward to replace Ryan Anderson.
- The Bulls, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves and Warriors all have some significant injury issues with training camp about a month away, and Sam Amick of SI.com checks in on the status of Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and others.
- Robin Lopez is recovering from left knee surgery that took place a week after the Hornets acquired him in a sign-and-trade, but he's expected to be ready for training camp, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune reports. Lopez expressed his enthusiasm about coming to New Orleans, saying, "I’m excited to be here. We’ve got a young, energetic group. The good thing is we’ve got some youth that has a little bit of experience as well. Hopefully we can parlay that into something special.’’
- Joe Dumars, Pistons president of basketball operations, traveled overseas with assistant GM George David to watch Jonas Jerebko and Slava Kravtsov in FIBA Eurobasket qualifying, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes.
How Restricted Free Agents Fared This Summer
Deron Williams' $98MM+ contract represented the biggest deal of his summer's free agent period by far, but Williams is the only unrestricted free agent you'll find among the offseason's top five largest contracts. Rounding out the top of the list? Restricted free agents Brook Lopez, Roy Hibbert, Eric Gordon, and Nicolas Batum.
While Lopez, Hibbert, and Gordon landed max deals, not every restricted free agent made out quite so well. Most players were able to improve at least marginally on the one-year qualifying offers their teams offered, but there were a handful of instances where the player may simply have been better off accepting his QO.
Besides the four restricted FAs listed above, the following players made out very well in free agency, landing big, multiyear deals: JaVale McGee, George Hill, Ryan Anderson, Jason Thompson, Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, Landry Fields, Danny Green, Darrell Arthur, and Marreese Speights. And while Courtney Lee was made unrestricted by the time he signed, his four-year deal represents a big win as well. Lavoy Allen, Aaron Brooks, and Jeremy Evans also did okay, landing multiple years and modest raises.
Let's take a look at the rest of this summer's restricted free agents to see how they fared:
- Robin Lopez: Lopez's three-year, $15.3MM contract looks nice on paper, but only the first year is guaranteed, for less than $5MM. Still, even that's a slight improvement on the $4MM qualifying offer he had from the Suns.
- Greg Stiemsma: Stiemsma's QO was only worth about $1.05MM, so even though he only earned one guaranteed year from the Timberwolves, the raise to $2.58MM made it worthwhile.
- Brandon Rush: The two-year, $8MM deal Rush signed with the Warriors is solid, but his qualifying offer was actually worth slightly more than his $4MM 2012/13 salary. Rush has a player option in the second year of the deal, which provides a level of security that a one-year deal wouldn't, so even if he opts out next summer, he shouldn't have any regrets about not simply accepting his QO.
- D.J. Augustin: The Bobcats pulled their $4.39MM QO to Augustin right before he signed with the Pacers for one year and $3.5MM. That's not an insignificant amount Augustin gave up by not returning to Charlotte, but given the team's performance last year, maybe the change of scenery was worth it.
- Jerryd Bayless: Bayless' overall guarantee from the Grizzlies (about $6.1MM) is larger than the amount of his QO (about $4MM), but his salary for 2012/13 will be just $3MM. The Raptors withdrew their offer to Bayless fairly early in July, but perhaps the combo guard would do things differently if had a second chance at free agency.
- A.J. Price: The Pacers rescinded their qualifying offer to Price early in the free agent period, and it cost the point guard a little money. He ended up signing with the Wizards for the minimum salary ($885,120) rather than his $1.09MM QO.
- Derrick Brown: The Bobcats pulled their QO to Brown, who remains unsigned. It looks like that $1.09MM offer will be more than Brown lands now.
- Semih Erden / Sonny Weems: We don't know exactly how much Erden signed for in Turkey, but considering he inked a two-year pact with a third-year option, he probably made out just fine. Ditto for Weems, who signed a three-year deal with CSKA Moscow after the Raptors withdrew their qualifying offer.
- Devin Ebanks / Darius Morris / Luke Harangody: These players simply re-signed their qualifying offers to return to their respective teams.
- Patty Mills: Mills also re-signed for the amount of his qualifying offer, but added a second-year option to his new contract. There are conflicting reports on whether it's a team or player option, but a player option would make more sense — otherwise, Mills would've been better off simply accepting the QO.
- Alonzo Gee / Ivan Johnson: The only two remaining unsigned restricted free agents, they still have a few weeks to either accept their qualifying offers or work out new deals.
Remaining Notable Offseason Dates
With the summer's premier free agents off the market and 2012's top trade candidate (Dwight Howard) having been moved, we've entered something of a dead zone in the NBA calendar, as players and teams wait for training camps to begin. Still, despite the relative lack of activity these days, there are a number of dates and deadlines to keep an eye out for before the NBA regular season begins. Here are a few of them, courtesy of Larry Coon's CBA FAQ:
August 31: Next Friday is the last day teams can waive players and apply the stretch provision to this season. That means if a player with one year and $3MM left on his contract is released before August 31st, the remaining $3MM will be "stretched," with the team paying $1MM for each of the next three years. If the same player is released after September 1st, the current season would be paid per the normal payment schedule. Because this provision only applies to contracts signed under the new CBA, it's unlikely we'll see it taken advantage of much this year, but it could become more important in future seasons.
September 6: Second-round picks become free agents if not given a required tender. Many of this year's second-rounders have already signed with their respective teams, or decided to play overseas. Those that remain unsigned will likely be locked up in the near future.
October 1: This is the last day for a restricted free agent to accept a qualifying offer, unless the team extends the deadline, which is rare. As our dwindling list of restricted free agents shows, it appears there are only two players left with outstanding qualifying offers — the Hawks' Ivan Johnson and Alonzo Gee of the Cavs.
October 31: Halloween is the last day teams can extend players entering the final year of rookie scale contracts, like the Thunder recently did with Serge Ibaka. It's also the last day teams can exercise 2013/14 options on rookie scale deals. For instance, at some point before this deadline, the Celtics will pick up their 2013/14 team option on Avery Bradley.
Odds & Ends: Clippers, Jackson, Scola, Cavs
The Clippers had a breakthrough season in 2011/12, but their ability to build on that will be compromised by their offseason health issues, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups are expected to miss the entire preseason, while Lamar Odom, who's working his way back into playing shape, and Blake Griffin figure to be limited training camp participants. That means the Clippers will likely start the season having to play catch-up, Markazi says. That's compounded by Vinny Del Negro's task of having to integrate five new free agent acquisitions in the lineup while also juggling part-time GM duties. Here's more from around the Association tonight:
- Stephen Jackson spoke fondly of his return to the Spurs to Jared Ainsworth of the Beaumont Enterprise, saying, "If things work out in San Antonio I wouldn't mind finishing my career there. But you know it's a business and I'm one of those guys that doesn't mind going to play somewhere else. I've been on seven different teams."
- Luis Scola donned his Suns uniform Wednesday for an introductory press conference and photo shoot, and talked about his adjustment to life in Phoenix and his experience with the Argentinian team at the Olympics, as Stefan Swiat of Suns.com writes.
- The Cavs acquired Jeremy Pargo via trade with the Grizzlies last month, but Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio expects the Cavs to find another point guard to bring to training camp, with Pargo and Donald Sloan currently the only backups for Kyrie Irving (Sulia link). Amico also passes along word that most coaches and executives he's talked to project the Cavs to win between 28 and 35 games.
- Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com grades every team's offseason. The Clippers, despite their injuries, and Lakers get A+ marks, while the Pistons and Magic get F's.
Extension Candidate: Jeff Teague
This will be a critical season for Jeff Teague, which might make the remaining two months of the offseason even more important. The Hawks brought in serious competition at the point guard position when they traded for Devin Harris. The pair put up similar numbers last season, with Harris averaging 11.3 points, 5.0 assists and 1.9 turnovers per game with a 16.0 PER for the Jazz, while Teague put up 12.6 PPG and 4.9 APG to go with 2.0 turnovers per game and a 15.8 PER. GM Danny Ferry gave an initial vote of confidence to Teague, as Lang Greene of HoopsWorld wrote earlier this summer.
“He’s still a young player,” Ferry said. “Last year was the first time where he just played. He got to play, totally green lighted. It will be interesting to see how he matures this year and continues to develop with things. It will be more his team. We don’t have Joe (Johnson). We don’t have Marvin (Williams). It will be more of Jeff’s team than it has ever been. I think he’s capable of stepping in and doing a good job with that.”
Teague was third behind Joe Johnson and Josh Smith in minutes played last season, so between that and Ferry's statement, it appears he'll get the initial nod as starter during training camp. That arrangement might not last. Johnson has suggested he and Harris could play together in the backcourt, as Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote, but with Lou Williams and Kyle Korver around, minutes at the two-guard spot will be tough to come by in Atlanta. The uncertainty should be enough to prompt Teague and agent Mike Conley Sr. to gauge Ferry's interest in a long-term extension before the October 31st deadline to do so. Though it would be a hedge against the 24-year-old's continued improvement in his fourth NBA season, an extension could provide security and a leg up on Harris, who's set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Teague's case centers around his play since the 2011 playoffs, when he stepped in as the starter for an injured Kirk Hinrich and averaged 11.8 PPG and 3.5 APG while shooting 51.4% in six postseason contests. He remained in the starting lineup for all 66 games last season, even when Hinrich was healthy, and drastically outdid his numbers of 4.2 PPG and 1.8 APG in 11.9 minutes per game over his first two seasons. His peripheral statistics demonstrate that his increased production has not simply been a function of more playing time, as his true shooting percentage (.551), turnover percentage (15.1) and win shares per 48 minutes (.131) were all better last season than in either of his first two years.
Despite that improvement and Ferry's stated confidence, the Hawks are likely to be a reluctant partner in extension talks. The team appears set on clearing space for the future, with only about $18.484MM committed for 2013/14. Harris, a former All-Star, has struggled in recent seasons, but at age 29 is still a reliable option at the point capable of delivering a career year. Given their similarities, it would seem wise for the Hawks to sit back and let the play of Harris and Teague this season dictate who they'll re-sign this summer. Even if Teague, given his age, appears to be the better long-term option, he'll be a restricted free agent next summer, when Chris Paul, Ty Lawson, Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry, Jose Calderon, Darren Collison and others could all be part of a crowded buyer's market.
Teague's agent needn't look far for a comparison, as son Mike Conley Jr. averaged 12.0 PPG and 5.3 APG with 2.1 turnovers per game and a 16.8 PER in his third season back in 2009/10, numbers similar to Teague's last year. Conley got a five-year, $40MM extension from the Grizzlies, but that was under the old CBA. Teague isn't eligible for a five-year extension in the current set-up, and given the Hawks' leverage, I doubt they'd go for $8MM a year. If Teague would be willing to settle for $6MM a year over three seasons, a deal that would bring him to unrestricted free agency at age 28, I think that might get the job done.
Celtics Rumors: Green, Signings, Bremer
Jeff Green said it best a few hours before the long-awaited news of his official signing with the Celtics was announced, taking to Twitter with an emphatic "FINALLY!!!" The 6'9" forward signed a one-year, $9MM deal with the team before last season, but it was voided when doctors discovered he had an aortic aneurysm. Surgery to correct the heart problem forced him to miss the entire season, and after agreeing to a contract last month that gave him four years at the same annual salary he would have made under the deal that was voided in December, Green is poised to return to the Celtics at last. There's more on Green tonight, as well as a few other notes concerning the team that wears green:
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com says the Celtics are counting on Green to outperform his contract the way Rajon Rondo has done since signing a five-year, $55MM extension in 2009. Blakely also observes that Danny Ainge, the team's president of basketball operations, left the door open for additional moves between now and training camp. "I don't know the answer to that," Ainge said, when asked whether Green's signing would end offseason business. "It depends on what opportunities are out there, but I like where we are right now."
- It's unclear exactly what delayed the official announcement of Green's signing, but Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com believes the hangup could have revolved around whether to add a contract clause related to his health, as well as more common snags related to contract value and length. There's no word, at least not yet, about the deal including some kind of out for the Celtics if Green has more heart trouble.
- The agent for guard J.R. Bremer says his client will make a decision soon about which overseas team to sign with, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Bremer, now 31, started 41 games for the Celtics in 2002/03, but hasn't played in the NBA since 2003/04.
Pera Brings Locals Aboard In Bid To Buy Grizzlies
Prospective Grizzlies owner Robert Pera has reached an agreement with local investors that will likely keep the team in Memphis for at least the next 15 seasons, report Geoff Calkins and Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
The partners will account for between 30% and 35% of the team's ownership. As part of the deal to bring them aboard, Pera has agreed to give them the right to match any offer Pera receives for his majority stake. The local investors will also be able to buy out Pera's share at its current worth if he wants to move the team, or force Pera to pay a $100MM penalty.
The locals include J.R. "Pitt" Hyde, Staley Cates, Ed Dobbs, Duncan Williams and Billy Orgel. Others are expected to join them. Some have been part of a minority ownership group with current owner Michael Heisley, but that group's share of the team has dropped from 30% to 2% in recent years.
Pera agreed to purchase the team from Heisley in June, but the falling stock of Pera's Ubiquiti Networks has called into question his ability to meet the $350MM purchase price. Pera said in July he was looking for local partners, though he insisted finances weren't the reason. The NBA is vetting Pera's bid as it awaits approval from the Board of Governors. Heisley made it clear that Pera, who lives in northern California, was unlikely to move the team upon buying it, but the addition of the local minority investors and the terms of their involvement solidifies the notion that the Grizzlies aren't going anywhere soon.
Wizards Eye Terrence Williams, Shawne Williams
The Wizards reportedly have interest in Martell Webster, as we heard earlier today, and they're also among a handful of teams in the mix for Michael Redd. Michael Lee of The Washington Post confirms the team's interest in those two and says the team is also considering Terrence Williams and Shawne Williams.
Lee reports the Wizards are watching a number of free agents as they consider whether to add a player to their roster, which stands at 13. They have about $3MM in cap room, but plan to sign someone for the minimum, Lee says. That would make it hard to corral Anthony Tolliver, another player on Washington's radar, since agent Larry Fox has said his client isn't “in the minimum game.”
Terrence Williams hasn't drawn much interest this summer, though a report early last month linked him to the Kings, Pistons and Suns. The Kings signed Williams, the 11th overall pick in the 2009 draft, this past season after he was waived by the Rockets. He put up solid numbers in 20.5 minutes per game for Sacramento, averaging 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 18 contests, but the team elected not to give him a qualifying offer before June 30th, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Shawne Williams opted in to the final year of his contract with the Blazers, worth $3.135MM, but became a free agent last month when the Blazers bought him out last month. Williams missed most of 2011/12 with a left foot injury, and was sent from the Nets to Portland in the Gerald Wallace deal at the trade deadline. He appeared in 25 games before the injury and shot poorly, with a percentage line of just .286/.241/.727 compared to the .426/.401/.837 he put up in 2010/11 with the Knicks.
Highest Paid Players By Team
Pay does not always match up with performance, as the NBA continually demonstrates. The best player on a team is not always its highest paid, and sometimes a club receives little in return for its most prolific investment.
We've listed each team and its highest paid player below. All it takes is a glance to notice a few names and dollar figures that look out of kilter. John Salmons has been a serviceable NBA player, but after a season in which he averaged 7.5 points and put up a PER of 9.0, well below the 15.0 mark of an average NBA player, he's hardly the kind of guy you'd expect to be a top money-earner. Derrick Rose's name seems much more fitting on the list, but he won't be giving the Bulls any production for their money for at least a significant chunk of the upcoming season as he recovers from knee surgery. Chris Bosh, while an All-Star caliber player, isn't on par with three-time MVP LeBron James on the court, but they signed identical contracts back in 2010.
Perhaps most remarkable, though, is how much turnover there is. Eleven of the 30 players on this list joined their teams within the last 12 months. Three of them were involved in the four-team trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, though Howard himself isn't on the list, as Kobe Bryant's $27.849MM salary will be the highest in the league this coming season.
Here's the complete list, by division:
Atlantic Division
Celtics: Paul Pierce, $16.790MM
Knicks: Carmelo Anthony, $20.463MM
Nets: Joe Johnson, $19.753MM
Raptors: Jose Calderon, $10.562MM
Sixers: Andrew Bynum, $16.889MM
Southeast Division
Bobcats: Ben Gordon, $12.4MM
Hawks: Josh Smith, $13.2MM
Heat: LeBron James and Chris Bosh, $17.545MM (tie)
Magic: Hedo Turkoglu, $11.816MM
Wizards: Emeka Okafor, $13.49MM
Central Division
Bulls: Derrick Rose, $16.403MM
Bucks: Monta Ellis, $11MM
Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao, $8.368MM
Pacers: Roy Hibbert, $13.669MM
Pistons: Corey Maggette, $10.924MM
Southwest Division
Grizzlies: Zach Randolph, $16.5MM
Hornets: Eric Gordon, $13.669MM
Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki, $20.907MM
Rockets: Kevin Martin, $12.44MM
Spurs: Manu Ginobili, $14.107MM
Northwest Division
Jazz: Al Jefferson, $15MM
Nuggets: Andre Iguodala, $14.968MM
Timberwolves: Kevin Love, $12.922MM
Thunder: Kevin Durant, $16.67MM
Trail Blazers: LaMarcus Aldridge: $13.5MM
Pacific Division
Clippers: Chris Paul, $17.779MM
Lakers: Kobe Bryant, $27.849MM
Kings: John Salmons, $8.083MM
Suns: Goran Dragic, $7.5MM
Warriors: Andrew Bogut, $13MM
Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.
Celtics Sign Jeff Green
6:02pm: The Celtics have officially announced the signing on their website, finalizing the deal more than six weeks after an agreement was reached.
“We are thrilled to be able to have Jeff back with the Celtics,” Danny Ainge, the team's president of basketball operations, said in the press release. “Jeff’s versatility on offense and ability to guard players out on the perimeter is something that we are looking forward to having on the court this season.”
AUGUST 22ND, 12:34pm: Green's day should finally be made official in the next day or two, Falk tells Sam Amick of SI.com (Sulia link). The agent said that the cap issues holding up the deal were "nothing serious" and that the agreement is still expected to be for four years and about $36MM.
AUGUST 17TH, 8:45pm: Nearly a month after his last update on Green's contract status, Falk told the Boston Globe on Friday that his client's deal should become official next week, reports Washburn (via Twitter).