Grizzlies To Sign Ronald Dupree
The Grizzlies have reached an agreement on a one-year contract with free agent Ronald Dupree, according to agent Mark Bartelstein (Twitter link via ESPN.com's Marc Stein). Terms of the deal aren't known, but I'd guess it's a non-guaranteed invite to training camp.
Dupree, 31, has appeared in 157 games for five teams over the course of his six-year NBA career. However, since playing in a handful of games for the Pistons and SuperSonics in 2007/08, the 6'7" forward has appeared in just three games, for the Raptors in 2010/11. Dupree, who played for the 2004/05 Pistons that fell to the Spurs in the NBA Finals, has averaged 3.5 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 11.2 MPG in his career.
Dupree will be the 15th player under contract for the Grizzlies, though only 13 of those deals are guaranteed. Dupree and D.J. Kennedy figure to be among the players with a chance to earn one of the final two roster spots, if Memphis heads into the season with a full 15-man roster.
Amick On Martin, Fisher, Fesenko, Williams
In addition to reporting that Matt Barnes is closing in on a deal with the Clippers, SI.com's Sam Amick shared updates on a handful of other free agents in his latest piece. Let's dive in and round up a few highlights from the SI.com scribe:
- Most, if not all, of the teams interested in Kenyon Martin only have interest at the veteran's minimum. The Lakers and Celtics were among the teams in play earlier in the offseason, but now Amick wonders if Martin will wait until midseason or even retire if he doesn't find a situation he likes.
- Derek Fisher may be in the same boat as Martin, with retirement or signing halfway through the season both potentially in play. Fisher turned down an offer from the Bulls before Chicago signed Nate Robinson, and the chances of the veteran point guard returning to the Thunder are "remote."
- Kyrylo Fesenko is scheduled to work out with the Spurs next week, and may work out for the Cavaliers after that. The Hawks and Heat have also been in touch with the big man.
- The Pistons will work out Terrence Williams this week. The Mavericks and Celtics are also believed to have interest in Williams.
Matt Barnes Leaning Toward Joining Clippers
After two seasons with the Lakers, Matt Barnes may continue playing his home games in the Staples Center while wearing a different uniform. According to Sam Amick of SI.com, Barnes is close to signing with the Clippers, and could formalize a deal later this week.
Amick indicates that Chris Paul would play a role in luring Barnes back to Los Angeles, as the point guard "would love to make Barnes the latest addition" to a Clippers team that has involved Paul in its decision-making process. Barnes has also drawn interest from the Lakers, Nets, and Heat, according to Amick.
If Barnes were to sign with the Clippers, it would have to be for the minimum salary, since the club used its full mid-level exception to sign Jamal Crawford and its bi-annual exception to add Grant Hill. The Clippers currently have 14 contracts (13 guaranteed) on their books, so Barnes would almost certainly be assured of a roster spot for the regular season.
Nets Sign Andray Blatche
WEDNESDAY, 3:19pm: The Nets have officially announced the signing in a press release.
TUESDAY, 10:30pm: The Nets and Blatche have finalized the deal, Josh Newman of SNY.tv reports.
SUNDAY, 12:18pm: Fred Kerber of the New York Post reports that Blatche "has other business that needs to be addressed first" before he finalizes his deal with the Nets, according to Miller. While it appears there are other options for Blatche, he's still likely to sign with the Nets this week, Kerber says. Rumors have linked him to the Heat and the Spurs since the Wizards used the amnesty clause to waive him in July.
FRIDAY, 1:40pm: Agent Andy Miller confirmed to Michael Lee of the Washington Post that Blatche has agreed to sign with the Nets and will finalize the deal sometime next week.
THURSDAY, 5:55pm: For most of the offseason, Blatche has been working out in Houston, Texas under the guidance of former NBA player John Lucas in hopes of landing an NBA deal for the upcoming season. According to Lucas, via Twitter, the forward has signed a contract with the Nets.
8:02am: Two sources close to Blatche tell Michael Lee of the Washington Post that the former Wizard has yet to make a decision, and that he's still considering an offer from the Heat. It's clear that Blatche hasn't signed anything yet, but based on the number of reports suggesting that at least a verbal agreement with the Nets is in place, I'd be surprised if he didn't end up with Brooklyn within the next few days.
WEDNESDAY, 8:51pm: Blatche's deal will be non-guaranteed, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times (via Twitter).
7:52pm: The Nets have agreed to terms with Andray Blatche on a contract, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The deal is for one year and is worth the minimum salary, according to Spears, who adds that Blatche and the Nets are expected to finalize the agreement early next week (Twitter link).
Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com reported last week that if the Nets signed Blatche, it was unlikely to be a guaranteed deal. ESPN.com's Marc Stein echoed that sentiment today, indicating that the Nets, who have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, prefer to fill their last two roster spots with non-guaranteed deals. So we'll have to wait and see how much, if any, of Blatche's deal includes guaranteed money.
Blatche is coming off a tremendously disappointing season in Washington, but has the upside to make the deal a worthwhile investment for the Nets. In the two seasons prior to 2011/12, Blatche averaged a very solid 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds with a 17.2 PER in 30.5 minutes per game. However, those averages fell off to 8.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 10.6 PER, and 24.1 MPG in a '11/12 season plagued by conditioning issues.
Because the Wizards amnestied Blatche this summer, he'll continue to receive a salary well above the veteran's minimum from Washington for the next three years. For the Nets, assuming he earns a place on the regular-season roster, he'll come off the bench as a power forward and perhaps earn some minutes backing up Brook Lopez at center.
Thunder Sign DeAndre Liggins
The Thunder have officially signed DeAndre Liggins and Andy Rautins, according to a team release. We had heard that Rautins would receive a camp invite on a non-guaranteed deal, but the agreement with Liggins wasn't previously reported. I would guess Liggins will be a non-guaranteed contract as well.
Liggins, 24, spent his rookie season with the Magic after being drafted 53rd overall in 2011. The Kentucky product didn't see much action in Orlando, recording 115 total minutes in 17 games with the club. The team elected not to tender him a qualifying offer this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The Thunder have 14 players on guaranteed deals, so it appears likely that Daniel Orton, Hollis Thompson, Liggins, and Rautins will be competing for the team's final roster spot.
Malcolm Thomas Seeking Guarantee From Knicks
Unrestricted free agent Malcolm Thomas will work out with the Knicks over the next two days in hopes of landing a guaranteed contract from the team, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The Knicks have signed a handful of players to non-guaranteed deals this week, but Thomas' representatives "made it clear" their client isn't looking for just a training camp invite.
Thomas appeared in three games for the Spurs last season, and also signed a 10-day contract with the Rockets, though he didn't appear in any games for Houston. He saw his stock increase after a standout performance with the Bulls' summer league squad in July, and was reportedly drawing interest from the Clippers, Bulls, Hawks, and Bobcats.
According to Charania, Thomas has been weighing offers from NBA teams as well as clubs in Europe and China. It's not clear if any of the NBA offers he has received have included a partial or full guarantee — I would assume if that were the case, he would have accepted one by now, but perhaps the 6'9" forward would prefer to land with the Knicks.
New York's front office has "long been impressed" by Thomas, with this week's workouts allowing the 23-year-old the opportunity to audition for the team's coaching staff, says Charania.
Doug Collins Talks Expectations, Cap, Bynum
One of the offseason's primary storylines has been the Rockets' search for a superstar, which has yet to come to fruition. The 76ers, on the other hand, could be viewed as the anti-Rockets — last month, Philadelphia was able to turn a couple young players, a future draft pick, and Andre Iguodala into star center Andrew Bynum.
As the new-look Sixers prepare to head into the 2012/13 season, coach Doug Collins appeared on 97.5 the Fanatic in Philadelphia to talk to Mike Missanelli about transitioning from a roster that he felt had been "maxed out" to one with greater upside. Here are a few highlights from the conversation, via Sports Radio Interviews:
On the Sixers' offseason moves and the increased expectations on the team:
"I would much rather have expectations to be really good then to have to overachieve and scratch into the seventh or eighth spot and get beat in the first round by the first or second seed. We’ve got a great opportunity this year to have some good things happen. We think we have made some nice changes on our team — we have gotten bigger in the backcourt, we’ve added some shooting, we’ve gotten bigger on the front line, we think we’ve added the premier low post center in the NBA on the offensive side of the ball, and now it’s going to be up to us to try to put the pieces together. But I like what we’ve done and we’re going to see how long it will take us to get it together."
On the team's salary cap situation going forward:
"We planned to put ourselves in a position where the cap was not going to kill us. I don’t think people realize how important it is to have cap flexibility. And I think the neat thing about… all of the things that we have done, we also have a bright future, just from the standpoint that we don’t have any bad contracts and we have flexibility moving forward. And for a franchise like us, that is going to be so important as we continue to add the pieces to try to get to that championship level."
On getting involved in the blockbuster deal that saw Bynum land in Philadelphia:
"We knew that Orlando was going to do something with Dwight Howard and so we had had some conversations along the way — there were three or four teams involved. Houston was really involved and they were trying to get Dwight Howard. Obviously the Lakers, Brooklyn. And so we kept paying attention to what was going on and when it looked like the deal was going to have to go through L.A., we knew either Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum was probably going to be involved in that, so we got ourselves involved actually by getting in with a fourth team."
On working with Bynum this season:
"I think he’s excited that he’s going to be the primary focus of us, playing through the post rather than being the third option in LA. He’s a very smart and bright guy, he’s articulate, he knows the game and we talked a little bit about it. Sometimes you say things, and I think even he would agree that some of the things that he said came across maybe being a little immature a couple of times. He knows the play on J.J. Barea is going to be seen forever and he will always be a part of that, but I just feel like he’s in a great place. I think he and I are going to have a great connection with one another."
Pacific Notes: Seattle, Kings, Warriors, Barbosa
The Seattle arena proposal, led by investor Chris Hansen, still requires the approval of Seattle City Council and King County Council, but the plan took a major step forward yesterday, as Lynn Thompson of the Seattle Times writes. It was announced that Hansen and the city council have reached an agreement on financial terms for the arena, with official approval expected later this month. At that point, Hansen can begin "shopping" for an NBA franchise. Let's round up the latest links on the Seattle situation and a few other topics from around the Pacific Division….
- Former SuperSonic Lenny Wilkens believes Seattle could land a team as early as next season, according to Percy Allen of the Seattle Times. Allen says that the Bucks, Bobcats, and Timberwolves are all realistic candidates for relocation, though the Kings remain the odds-on favorite to move.
- The cost of relocating an NBA franchise means Sacramento should still have a reasonable chance at keeping the Kings, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com.
- Marcos Breton of the Sacramento Bee wonders if the city of Seattle would want to bring the Kings to town even if the Maloofs were still a part of the package.
- The threat of a lawsuit may impact the future of the Santa Cruz Warriors, says J.M. Brown of the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The city of Santa Cruz had been expected to approve a plan to build a 30,000-square-foot facility to host Golden State's D-League team.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News believes the Lakers are still the most likely landing spot for unrestricted free agent Leandro Barbosa.
Raptors Notes: Iguodala, Trades, Calderon
The Raptors officially announced their signing of Dominic McGuire this morning, and deals for Jamaal Magloire and Chris Wright are expected to follow. With 14 players already on guaranteed contracts, the Raptors figure to have McGuire, Magloire, and Wright in camp to battle for the team's 15th and final roster spot. Here are a few more of today's Raps-related items:
- Lang Greene of HoopsWorld passes along comments made by Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo to Michael Richards on TSN Radio (.mp3 link), which included a handful of interesting tidbits. Among them: Colangelo said the Raptors had a chance this offseason to jump into some trade scenarios, and still have some trade possibilities that they're exploring.
- Colangelo singled out Andre Iguodala as a player the Raptors could've been in on, but said the asking price was too high for a guy that can become a free agent as early as next summer. According to Greene, the Raptors would have had to give up DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, Jose Calderon, and a first-round pick to land Iguodala.
- Colangelo also noted that Calderon's expiring contract makes for a valuable trade asset.
- Toronto's GM on the team's offseason: "Maybe we failed this summer to make the sexy move, but I tell you that we have gone about this building it the right way, taking a patience approach which is not easy for me to do. I want to turn things around very quickly sometimes — all of the time. But sometimes you really do have to wait. You have to do it the right way."
Raptors Sign Dominic McGuire
WEDNESDAY, 8:50am: The Raptors have officially signed McGuire, according to a team release. McGuire will have at least some guaranteed money on his one-year deal, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
SUNDAY, 4:21pm: The Toronto Raptors have reached an agreement with free agent forward Dominic McGuire, according to a tweet from Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski. Late last week, Wojnarowski tweeted that the Nets were planning on bringing McGuire in for a workout, but it appears he's headed to their division rival.
The 6'9" defensive specialist should be a perfect fit with the plan head coach Dwane Casey's trying to set forth in Toronto. He's coming off one of the best seasons of his five-year career. With near-career best averages of 3.5PPG and 3.8RPG with the Warriors.