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Month: August 2012

Lakers Re-Sign Devin Ebanks

By | at August 13, 2012 3:39 pm

The Lakers officially announced today that they've re-signed Devin Ebanks, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter). Ebanks' re-signing had been anticipated for over a month, with the team and player waiting until after there was resolution Dwight Howard to make things official, in case the 22-year-old needed to be included in a deal as a signed-and-traded piece.

Ebanks, a restricted free agent, elected to sign his qualifying offer and return on a one-year deal worth $1,054,389, so he'll hit free agency again next summer. In 2011/12, the 6'9" forward played in 24 games, starting half of them, with averages of 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game.

The Lakers also announced today that they've signed Jodie Meeks.

1 comment Los Angeles Lakers Transactions

Chris Andersen Receiving Offers

By | at August 13, 2012 2:54 pm

One of a handful of amnesty victims in line for future pay checks but without a job lined up, Chris Andersen is drawing interest from a number of NBA teams, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Zwerling hears that Andersen has received a few contract offers, but is prioritizing one potential destination in particular. Zwerling adds that Andersen's offers have ranged from $1.2MM to 5MM per season (Twitter links).

While I have no doubts that the Birdman is drawing some interest, I'd be shocked if he actually had an offer on the table worth $5MM annually, considering the Nuggets amnestied him when he was due about $4.6MM per year. Only a handful of clubs could even offer $5MM at this point. The Cavaliers and Suns should have enough cap space, and I believe the Wizards and Magic have their full $5MM mid-level exceptions remaining, but while one or two of those teams could be a fit for Andersen, it's extremely hard to imagine any of them going that high for a bench player.

As for Andersen's preferred destination, it's possible that could be the Knicks, though that's just my speculation. We heard earlier in August that the veteran forward would love the opportunity to reunite with old teammates like Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith in New York. If the Knicks were to pursue the 34-year-old, they could only offer the veteran's minimum (about $1.35MM).

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Jazz Tried To Acquire Ryan Anderson

By | at August 13, 2012 1:36 pm

Restricted free agent Ryan Anderson became a Hornet over a month ago, sent to New Orleans by the Magic in a sign-and-trade deal for Gustavo Ayon. Before the two sides completed that trade, however, the Jazz were in talks with the Magic to acquire the sharpshooting Anderson, according to Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.

Smith reports that the Jazz likely would have had to give up Paul Millsap in order to land Anderson, but that Utah eventually backed out of talks for last year's Most Improved Player. The Jazz ultimately acquired another forward in Marvin Williams, and signed an outside shooter in Randy Foye. It's not clear whether the four years and $34MM that Anderson will earn with New Orleans was more or less than he could have received from Utah.

For the Magic, the traded player exception they earned from the Anderson sign-and-trade allowed them to absorb Josh McRoberts' and Christian Eyenga's salaries in last week's Dwight Howard blockbuster, which helped create a massive $17.8MM trade exception in the move. If, rather than Ayon, Orlando had acquired Millsap and his $8.6MM expiring contract for Anderson, it may very well have impacted what the team was willing to give and take in the Howard deal.

0 comments New Orleans Pelicans Orlando Magic Utah Jazz

Pat Riley Talks LeBron, Signings, Spoelstra

By | at August 13, 2012 1:12 pm

Heat president Pat Riley appeared on the Sid Rosenberg Show on 640 Sports in South Florida today, discussing LeBron James' gold medal performance in London, the Heat's offseason moves, and the Lakers' acquisition of Dwight Howard. Let's round up of a few of Riley's more notable quotes, courtesy of Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel….

On LeBron's Olympic performance and the next step for the reigning MVP:

"I think both [Heat owner] Micky [Arison] and I had a great sigh of relief that he got through the Olympics without getting hurt or anything happening and also winning the gold medal…. We're happy for him. We love him to death, obviously…. We just want him to get home and get some rest. And in a short six weeks, he's going to be back at it in training camp."

On Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis joining the Heat:

"They're both a perfect fit for us. There isn't any kind of magic. You build it over time and if you build it, as they said in 'Field of Dreams,' they will come. And they're coming, and we're happy about it."

On the Lakers' trade for Howard and whether it makes a Lakers/Heat Finals likely:

"Howard is a little more athletic than [Andrew] Bynum. They definitely have improved their team…. [But] it's not an easy job for any team in the West. And it's not going to be an easy job for us here in the East."

On Erik Spoelstra's future in Miami:

"Probably, I'll be gone before he leaves, or if he ever does. I'd like to see Erik be like Gregg Popovich and be here for his whole career. I mean, that's very hard in this league. I was with three different franchises after championships in L.A. Change is, at times, the landscape of the NBA…. But, no, he's part of us. He's part of the Heat. He's grown up with the Heat. He's learned everything that he really has to learn to be a head coach."

4 comments Miami Heat

Odds & Ends: Williams, Cavs, Terry, Blazers

By | at August 13, 2012 12:02 pm

The 2016 Summer Olympics may be four full years away, but with London's games behind us, it's not too early to start looking ahead to Rio de Janeiro. NBA players are expected to maintain Olympic eligibility at least through 2016, so Tom Zeller of SBNation.com provides an early preview of what Team USA's roster might look like in Brazil. Zeller predicts we could see five new faces on 2016's squad, including plenty of players who missed the London games due to injuries: Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Kyrie Irving.

Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NBA:

0 comments 2016 Olympics Boston Celtics Cleveland Cavaliers Los Angeles Lakers Minnesota Timberwolves Portland Trail Blazers

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

By | at August 13, 2012 11:26 am

If you want to keep tabs on all of Hoops Rumors' stories and updates, you can follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our feed through your RSS reader of choice. However, if you prefer to only receive news about your favorite NBA team, we have you covered. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 30 teams.

Atlantic

Central

Southeast

Southwest

Northwest

Pacific

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

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Free Agent Spending By Division: Central

By | at August 13, 2012 9:50 am

Our look at 2012 free agent spending by division continues with the Central, after we used Hoops Rumors' Free Agent Tracker to examine the Southeast last week.

Once again, these figures only take into account free agent signings, so salary absorbed in trades or money used to sign draft picks isn't included in this list. Additionally, not all of this salary is necessarily guaranteed, which we'll try to note as we go along. Here are this summer's Central Division free agent costs, sorted by player salary:

Indiana Pacers: $128.366MM (D.J. Augustin, Gerald Green, Roy Hibbert, George Hill, Ian Mahinmi)
For a team that values cap flexibility and small, safe deals, the Pacers committed a huge amount of money to free agency this offseason. Of course, a significant chunk of that money went to Hibbert (four years, $58MM+) and Hill (five years, $40MM), but the team's other signings weren't insignificant. Green and Mahinmi both received eight-figure guarantees, while Augustin will earn $3.5MM for one year. With no minimum salaries or partial guarantees in the bunch, the Pacers easily rank among this summer's top spenders in any division.

Milwaukee Bucks: $41.352MM (Ersan Ilyasova, Joel Przybilla)
The Bucks haven't exactly been active on the free agent market, but Ilyasova's deal alone counts for $40MM, one of nine contracts this summer worth $40MM or more. Przybilla, meanwhile, will earn $1,352,181, but since it's a minimum-salary deal, the Bucks will only be on the hook for $854,389 of it.

Chicago Bulls: $13.808MM (Marco Belinelli, Kirk Hinrich, Nazr Mohammed, Vladimir Radmanovic, Nate Robinson)
Having lost Omer Asik, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver, and John Lucas III, the Bulls were tasked with rebuilding their bench, and did so on the cheap. Mohammed, Radmanovic, and Robinson are all on one-year, minimum-salary contracts, while Hinrich will earn a portion of the mid-level and Belinelli will make the bi-annual exception. The big expenditure here is Hinrich, whose $8MM over two years appears to be fully guaranteed.

Cleveland Cavaliers: $7.682MM (C.J. Miles, Luke Harangody, Michael Eric)
Despite having a huge portion of cap space available, the Cavs have been fairly quiet in free agency. Miles' two-year, $4MM deal is believed to include a team option for year two, while Eric's deal includes only a partial guarantee on year one, along with two non-guaranteed seasons. While the three players could earn up to a combined $7.682MM if they're retained for the duration of their contracts, the Cavs are currently only on the hook for something in the neighborhood of $3.5MM.

Detroit Pistons: $4.875MM (Vyacheslav Kravtsov)
Most of the Pistons' summer spending has come by way of contracts for draft picks (Andre Drummond, Kyle Singler, and Kim English), but they did make one free agent signing, inking Kravtsov to a three-year deal. The contract will pay the Ukranian big man $1.5MM in each of the next two seasons, with a $1.875MM player option for 2014/15.

0 comments Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks

Kyler’s Latest: Meeks, Lakers, CBA, Walker

By | at August 13, 2012 8:36 am

In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler turns his attention away from yesterday's Olympic final in London and touches on a few NBA items of interest. Here are a few of the highlights from Kyler's piece:

  • Jodie Meeks' deal with the Lakers appears to be worth about $2.97MM over two years — $1.45MM in year one, with a team option for the second year worth 104.5% of that amount ($1,515,250).
  • Having signed Meeks, the Lakers are now expected to finalize Devin Ebanks' deal today, putting 14 contracts on their books. With just one roster spot left and having spent close to $100MM already, the team is likely finished with its summer moves, despite having been linked to Kenyon Martin and others, says Kyler.
  • Examining how the new CBA has affected free agent deals, Kyler notes that the NBA's "middle class" has been hit hard. He points to players like Meeks and C.J. Watson, who signed for less than expected, as well as players still on the market and struggling to find offers, such as Leandro Barbosa and Carlos Delfino. Kyler predicts Barbosa and Delfino may get their best offers from their former teams at reduced rates.
  • Antoine Walker, who has played in the D-League the last couple years, acknowledges that his playing career may be over, as he indicated back in April. However, he tells Kyler that he intends to remain close to the game, and hopes to find a role as a coach or analyst at some level.
0 comments Los Angeles Lakers

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Thunder, Wayns

By | at August 12, 2012 10:21 pm

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:

  • Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida says the newly-retooled Lakers could pose a significant threat to the defending champion Heat.
  • The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry writes that the Lakers' acquisition of Dwight Howard is only the latest reminder that big-market teams have significant advantages over small-market teams, even contenders such as the Thunder.
  • Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio is impressed with Sixers guard Maalik Wayns, who went undrafted in June's draft.
0 comments Los Angeles Lakers Oklahoma City Thunder Philadelphia 76ers

Kennedy On Brown, Lakers, 2014 Free Agent Class

By | at August 12, 2012 7:47 pm

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld has weighed in today on several relevant NBA topics, including the expectations placed on the Lakers and their options in free agency in coming years:

  • Kennedy tweets that Mike Brown will likely receive the majority of blame if the Lakers fall short of their championship aspirations following the additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard this offseason.
  • Kennedy also tweets that he would be surprised if Howard did not re-sign with the Lakers when he hits free agency in July 2013.
  • In a Sulia post, Kennedy takes a look at the 2014 free agent class, some of which could be options for the Lakers. Top players available include Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Danny Granger, and, should they choose to opt out of their contracts in Miami, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
  • In the same post, Kennedy quotes an anonymous NBA executive as believing the 2014 class has the potential to be more impressive than that of 2010.
0 comments 2013/14 NBA Free Agents Los Angeles Lakers
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