James Jones Exercises Player Option
Heat guard James Jones has exercised his player option for the 2013/14 season, remaining with the two-time defending champions for at least one more year, according to the team's official Twitter account.
Known solely for his ability to knock down three-point shots, other areas of Jones' game aren't seen as strengths. He played just 221 minutes last season, and only 33 in the playoffs.
James is set to make $1.5MM next season.
Danny Ainge On Rivers, Garnett, Pierce
Earlier today, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge conducted a press conference to address Doc Rivers' departure, as well as the team's immediate future surrounding the likes of Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, and how the team will fill its vacant head coaching position.
- Ainge told reporters he was ready for the upcoming rebuild, but that he wasn't sure if there would be complete renovation of the team's core players this summer or next, according to a tweet from ESPNBoston's Chris Forsberg.
- With regards the team's vacancy at head coach, Ainge said he has yet to contact or communicate with any candidates, tweets CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely.
- Blakely also tweeted Ainge's confirmation of earlier reports that the league has mandated the Celtics and Clippers make no trades with one another throughout the 2013/14 season.
- According to a tweet from the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, no decision has yet been made on what the team will do with Pierce and Garnett.
- Ainge confirmed that the team's star point guard, Rondo, had nothing to do with Rivers wanting to leave for Los Angeles (tweet).
- Ainge ruled himself out as an option to replace Rivers as Celtics head coach, according to a Forsberg tweet.
Celtics, Clips Can’t Swap Players Through 2013/14
5:20pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein tweets that the provision also applies to trades involving three or more teams, so no deals involving both the Clippers and Celtics will be allowed next season.
4:11pm: The Celtics and Clippers have officially agreed on compensation and completed a deal that will make Doc Rivers the new head coach in Los Angeles. However, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, the agreement includes one notable detail that hadn't been previously reported. Berger tweets that the Celtics and Clippers have agreed that they can't exchange players until after the 2013/14 season.
We knew that the league was likely to disallow any trade involving Kevin Garnett heading to the Clippers, since the CBA doesn't permit one deal to be contingent on another, and the NBA viewed Garnett as connected to Rivers. Still, the agreement reported by Berger is even more extreme, eliminating the possibility of any deals between the two clubs for at least a year.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that Paul Pierce couldn't still end up on the Clippers. L.A. can't trade for him, but if Pierce is bought out before June 30th, he could theoretically still sign with the Clips as a free agent.
Kings Extend Qualifying Offer To Tyreke Evans
The Kings have made a qualifying offer to Tyreke Evans, ensuring that he'll be a restricted free agent this offseason, the team announced today in a press release. The one-year offer is worth $6,927,157.
As I noted earlier today when it was reported that the Knicks extended a qualifying offer to Chris Copeland, we'll be seeing plenty of these QOs over the next several days, as teams formally make free agents restricted. By extending an offer to Evans, the Kings will have the opportunity to match any rival sheet he signs with another team.
In the unlikely event that Evans were to accept the one-year offer from the Kings, he would become eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2014.
Rashard Lewis To Exercise Player Option
Rashard Lewis' agent, Colin Bryant, confirmed today what Lewis himself told Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld two weeks ago, telling Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link) that the Heat forward will pick up his 2013/14 player option to remain in Miami.
Lewis' option for next season will only pay him the minimum salary for a veteran with 10+ years of experience ($1,399,507). Still, he'd probably have trouble finding more than the minimum with another club, so giving up the chance to compete for another title in Miami never really made much sense for the 33-year-old.
In his first season with the Heat, Lewis appeared in 55 games (14.4 MPG), averaging 5.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG while shooting 38.9% on three-pointers.
Cavs Rumors: Robinson, Noel, Len, Trades
A Houston Chronicle report earlier today indicated that the Rockets were in "advanced talks" on a deal that would see them trade Thomas Robinson, citing the Cavaliers and Spurs as a couple possible trade partners. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, the Cavs are indeed engaged in trade discussions with Houston, working on the logistics of a possible Robinson acquisition while attempting to keep a potential deal with the Mavericks alive. Here's more from Amico:
- Multiple league executives believe the Cavs are looking big with the first overall pick, since the team has been trying to acquire a veteran small forward via trade. The No. 1 pick will likely come down to Nerlens Noel vs. Alex Len, according to Amico.
- The Cavs have had discussions about trading their second-round picks (Nos. 31 and 33) with the Celtics, Mavericks, and Timberwolves, says Amico. However, when Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities asked a Wolves source about the possibility, he was told, "We did not buy an NBDL team" (Twitter link).
- On a conference call earlier today, ESPN.com's Chad Ford talked about the possibility of the Thunder trying to acquire the No. 1 pick, suggesting the team would likely have to give up Serge Ibaka to make it work. According to Amico, the Thunder have made it clear to other teams that they're not interested in moving Ibaka, though they remain willing trade partners.
- While a deal with OKC is unlikely, the Cavs are expected to continue to explore trade options involving the No. 1 pick up until the draft. Amico notes that the team may not feel as if any of the bigs in the draft are ideal fits.
- The Cavs are also "highly reluctant" to part with any 2014 picks via trade, says Amico.
- Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets that he's more convinced than ever the Cavs are trying to move up from No. 19, and says to keep an eye on the Mavs' pick at No. 13.
Doc Rivers To Become Clippers Head Coach
3:54pm: The Celtics have issued a press release announcing that they have allowed Rivers to pursue a coaching opportunity with the Clippers, and that Boston will receive a future first-round pick as compensation. With the deal now finalized, GM Danny Ainge will meet with the media at 5:30 central time today, according to a second press release.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have officially announced that Rivers will serve as the team's head coach and senior VP of basketball operations, with a media session scheduled for Wednesday.
2:23pm: Rivers has signed his deal with the Clippers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
TUESDAY, 1:33pm: A source tells Murphy that Rivers is expected to fly to Los Angeles today and sign his contract with the Clippers tomorrow. The Clips also figure to formally introduce Rivers as their new head coach tomorrow after he inks his deal.
3:50pm: According to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, the NBA has yet to formally approve the Rivers transaction. A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com hears that the hold-up is related to Rivers and the Clippers still ironing out the details of the head coach's new contract (Twitter link). I'm guessing that the NBA is fine with the compensation agreement — it's just a matter of the Clippers finalizing the details from their end.
MONDAY, 2:29pm: A league source tells Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link) that the NBA has approved the compensation agreement for Rivers, which will send a first-round pick to the Celtics.
SUNDAY, 5:26pm: Pending league approval, the Clippers and Celtics have reached an agreement that will result in Doc Rivers becoming head coach of the Clippers, writes ESPNBoston reporter Jackie MacMullan. In exchange for letting Rivers out of his current contract with the team, the Celtics will receive an unprotected first round pick in 2015 from Los Angeles.
The Clippers will pick up the remaining three years remaining on Rivers' contract, worth $7MM annually, $21MM total, tweets Los Angeles Times reporter Brad Turner.
In a move unrelated to this deal, the Celtics are also trying to trade longtime franchise player Paul Pierce for a first round pick. If they are unable to to secure a deal before June 30 (the deadline on Pierce's contract that makes his $15.3MM contract guaranteed next season), they'll look to move him this February before the trade deadline.
According to a tweet from ESPNLA.com's Ramona Shelburne, the Clippers were prepared to hire either Byron Scott or Brian Shaw as their head coach, if Boston didn't accept their offer of an unprotected first round pick in 2015.
Nuggets Hire Brian Shaw As Head Coach
TUESDAY, 3:13pm: The Nuggets have officially named Shaw as their new head coach, the team announced today in a press release.
MONDAY, 7:01pm: The Nuggets will hire Brian Shaw to be their next coach, according to Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post (via Twitter). Shaw beat out former Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins, ex-Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro, Spurs assistant Brett Brown, and Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt for the job.
The longtime assistant has been considered for several top head coaching jobs over the years and found himself as a leading candidate for several vacant positions this summer. Shaw was a finalist for the Clippers' job along with Byron Scott before L.A. cemented their deal to bring Celtics coach Doc Rivers out west.
Shaw's hire is the first major move by new Denver decision maker Tim Connelly. Connelly takes over for a franchise at a pivotal time after his predecessor Masai Ujiri bolted for Toronto, coach George Karl was fired, and Andre Iguodala decided to decline his player option for 2013/14. There's still a lot in flux for the Nuggets, but they've at least taken care of one pressing matter in advance of Thursday's draft.
Pelicans To Pursue Chris Copeland
3:00pm: Speaking to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, agent John Spencer confirmed that the Pelicans have interest in his client and said he expects other teams to show interest as well. But that doesn't necessarily mean Copeland will leave the Knicks, according to Spencer.
"He turned down a lot of money to play in New York last year," Spencer said. "It would not surprise me if Chris turned down a lot of money to stay in New York. It’s really about circumstances and situations."
The Knicks extended a qualifying offer to Copeland earlier today, officially making him a restricted free agent.
8:22am: Having only signed a one-year deal with the Knicks last summer, Chris Copeland will become a free agent this summer, less than a year after making his NBA debut. And according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, at least one team is planning to make a "strong bid" for Copeland. Berman reports that the Pelicans are expected to pursue Copeland in July.
Because Copeland has just been in the NBA for a year, the Knicks will have the opportunity to extend a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. However, because New York is in the tax, the team is expected to only have the mini mid-level exception (starting at about $3.18MM) available to match any rival offer sheets for the 29-year-old.
Armed with plenty of cap space, the Pelicans would be able to make Copeland an offer the Knicks are unable to match. Berman reported last month that Copeland would likely be seeking "Steve Novak money," or about $4MM per year on a long-term deal. If New Orleans was to meet that reported asking price, the Knicks wouldn't have the means to match the Pelicans' offer.
According to Berman, Pacers president Donnie Walsh also has interest in Copeland. The Pacers don't figure to have as much financial flexibility as the Pelicans, but they could have the full $5.15MM mid-level exception available, so they'd also be able to outbid the Knicks.
Even if Copeland receives an offer sheet for a starting salary that the Knicks could match (ie. $2-3MM), it wouldn't be a surprise to see the team let him walk. By not committing their MLE to Copeland, the Knicks would be able to use it on Pablo Prigioni or an outside free agent.
Ford’s Latest: Cavs, Magic, Wizards, Suns, Kings
ESPN.com's Chad Ford has published version 6.0 of his 2013 mock draft, with just over 48 hours remaining until draft night. As he has been for all six of Ford's mocks, Nerlens Noel remains in the No. 1 spot. The ESPN.com scribe wrote a lengthy piece last night on why he thinks the Cavaliers are still likely to select Noel, and provides details on plenty of other first-round teams in his new mock, so let's check out the highlights….
- The Magic are prepared to leap on Noel if he's there at No. 2, but if the Cavs take him, Orlando's choice becomes trickier. Ford continues to hear that the Magic are leaning toward Victor Oladipo over Ben McLemore and others., though Cody Zeller could be a dark horse.
- Otto Porter appears to be ahead of Anthony Bennett for the Wizards at No. 3.
- Although Ford has the Suns selecting McLemore at No. 5, he says Phoenix prefers Oladipo and also likes Zeller and Michael Carter-Williams.
- If Porter or Alex Len are still on the board at No. 6, the Pelicans will probably draft one of the two, but if not, the team may target a point guard like Carter-Williams or Trey Burke, says Ford.
- C.J. McCollum has emerged as a potential selection for the Kings at No. 7.
- The Trail Blazers wouldn't be opposed to drafting Carter-Williams if he slides to No. 10, since he has the necessary to play alongside Damian Lillard, according to Ford.
- If the Cavs end up acquiring the Mavericks' 13th overall pick, Cleveland would probably use it to draft Sergey Karasev.
- Ford has Shabazz Muhammad slipping all the way to No. 18 (Hawks) in this version of his mock.