Clippers Not Considering Camby?
Having just agreed to terms with big man Byron Mullens, sources say that the Clippers are not looking to sign free agent Marcus Camby (LA Times' Brad Turner via Twitter). The fact that DeAndre Jordan and Ryan Hollins are also on the team's depth chart doesn't make it likely that Los Angeles would be looking to add another center at this point. Earlier this evening, we relayed a report that listed the Clippers as one of three teams considered to be the leading candidates to sign the 6'11 big man.
Camby, who was bought out by the Raptors last week, averaged 1.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 10.4 MPG in just 24 games for the Knicks last season. Just a few days ago, we heard of the former UMass star's plans to play in the NBA for two more years before moving into coaching.
Odds & Ends: Mavs, Brown, Telfair
- Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown addresses his relationship with LeBron James and his stint as coach of the Lakers in part one of an interview with Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- The Knicks, Heat, and Thunder have shown interest in Sebastian Telfair, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets.
- Kennedy, as part of his NBA PM piece, passes along comments from Chris Douglas-Roberts, who's confident that the Lakers will bring him to training camp for a second straight year.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York tweets that contrary to reports, the Bulls, Clippers, and Rockets are all front runners for Marcus Camby, and that the 39-year-old center is still weighing opportunities. It isn't clear as to what reports Zwerling is alluding to, as his list of frontrunners hasn't appeared to change much from this past week (with the exception of the Heat).
- The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer touches on LeBron James and Andrew Bynum and a broad spectrum of Cavs-related topics in her mailbag column.
- Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway Sr. networked with several teams in Las Vegas about potentially joining an NBA coaching staff and is optimistic about his chances.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Blair, Knicks, Sixers, Rondo
It's been a month of upheaval for the Celtics, Nets and Sixers, while the Knicks and Raptors have largely maintained the status quo on their rosters. Teams aren't done dealing yet, and here's the latest news related to Atlantic Division clubs.
- DeJuan Blair is still in discussions with teams, but he's likely to wind up with an offer of an annual salary around $3MM, putting him out of reach for teams like the Knicks, who are limited to the minimum salary, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Keith Schlosser of KnicksJournal.com hears that the Knicks plan to bring as many as four members of their summer league team to training camp (not counting Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr., who are already on the roster). Schlosser advocates for Alabama product Tony Mitchell to be one of them.
- The Sixers are still without a coach and, as Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com reports, they don't have a timetable for hiring one, either. The indecision isn't helping matters for the team, Kaskey-Blomain argues.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com examines the landscape for Rajon Rondo, the Celtics' lone remaining star. He's been the subject of plenty of trade rumors as he recovers from his torn ACL, an injury the team believes will be healed in time for the start of the season.
LeBron James Likely To Choose Either Heat, Cavs
Sources tell Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that LeBron James will likely opt out of his contract with the Heat next summer and choose between re-signing with the Heat and returning to the Cavaliers, where he began his career. That would appear to leave the Lakers, who are gearing up for a run at the four-time MVP, out of the picture. Of course, James won't be able to sign a new deal with any team until July 2014, so much can change between now and then.
James took less than the max to sign with the Heat in 2010, and he's set to make only slightly more than $19MM this year. That's a figure that's less than the 2013/14 salaries for Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Amar'e Stoudemire and the amnestied Gilbert Arenas, among others, as HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy points out via Twitter. James' deal includes raises to $20.59MM in 2014/15 and to $22.1 for 2015/16, but it would make financial sense for him to lock in a long-term arrangement next summer while he's still at or near his peak.
Amico hears that James' enjoyment of the recruiting process is one reason why he's likely to opt out next summer, which makes it curious that he'd narrow his choices to just two teams. I'd imagine he'd at least meet with the Lakers and others to hear what they have to say, though that's just my speculation.
HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler reported this week that James is not a lock to exercise his early-termination option next summer. The former No. 1 overall pick also has a player option he can decline in 2015, so James could take a year-by-year approach. With so much uncertainty, Amico argues the Cavs need not focus too much on the specter of a King James return, even if it appears they have a chance to get him.
Southwest Rumors: Barbosa, Oden, James
- Artur Barbosa, who doubles as the brother and agent of Leandro Barbosa, tells Terra Brasil that the Mavs have offered the veteran guard a contract, and that the Dallas option is preferable to the Bulls, who've also shown interest (translation via HoopsHype). The agent says he's also engaged in talks with the Rockets. The Mavs wouldn't comment last night about a Brazilian report linking them to Barbosa, so perhaps this is the report in question.
- Greg Oden is the top big man on the Mavs' radar following the team's signing of Samuel Dalembert and the release of Bernard James, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who names the Heat, Spurs and Pelicans as the other teams still in the mix for Oden (Twitter link).
- There's a legitimate chance that a team claims James off waivers from the Mavs, Stein writes in the same piece. A source close to James tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that he's heard teams are eyeing the big man. The Wolves haven't expressed interest yet, but Minnesota is prepared to waive center Chris Johnson if necessary to make way for a better option, Wolfson reports (Twitter links).
- Spanish club FC Barcelona announced the signing of Kostas Papanikolaou to a four-year deal (translation via Sportando's Emiliano Carchia). The Rockets hold the power forward's NBA rights, but it's unclear what the buyout clauses in his new contract are like. A report last weekend indicated that Papanikolaou "definitely" wants to play in the NBA this season, but signing a long-term European deal seems to run counter to that.
- Tyreke Evans is ready to embrace a sixth-man role with the Pelicans, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News details.
Contract Details: Landry, Wolves, Turiaf
We've kept up with precise data on many of the new player contracts handed out around the league with four posts already this week. There's still more info trickling in, and here's the latest:
- Carl Landry will receive $6.5MM in each of the four seasons of his contract with the Kings, making the total value $26MM, HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus tweets.
- The Timberwolves used part of their $2.016MM bi-annual exception to sign Ronny Turiaf, who'll make $1.5MM in both seasons of his two-year deal, according to Pincus (Twitter link). Minnesota can use the remaining amount of the bi-annual at any time this season, but the team won't be allowed to carry it into 2014/15, when the Wolves won't have any portion of the bi-annual available.
- Pincus updated the HoopsWorld contract data for the Kings, Magic, Bucks, Timberwolves, Rockets, Warriors, Pistons, Cavaliers and Hawks.
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports updated salary information for the Lakers and Hawks.
Mavericks Waive Bernard James
The Mavericks have waived Bernard James, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Dallas tried hard to avoid losing James but were forced to in order to create enough cap room to sign guard Monta Ellis.
Dallas hopes to re-sign James, but that could prove to be difficult as he is an athletic, blossoming big man who earns less than $1MM per season. The left-handed center saw just 9.9 minutes per contest last season and averaged 2.8 PPG. Despite his limited burn, rival teams see decent potential in the Florida State product.
Texas Notes: Mavs, Dalembert, Rockets, Camby
Here’s a look at the latest from the Lone Star State..
- Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News isn’t impressed by the Mavericks‘ aging starting five of Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, and new additions Samuel Dalembert, Jose Calderon, and Monta Ellis. Four of the five are older than 32 and Ellis has seen his field goal percentage drop from inside the arc and from long range.
- Mavericks rookie Ricky Ledo is ready to prove himself in Dallas, writes ESPNDallas.com’s Bryan Gutierrez. The Mavs traded for the No. 43 pick to land Ledo, who techically came out of Providence but never suited up for a game due to academic issues. “Ledo is a very good prospect at the guard position. He’s a very young kid and this is the beginning of a process for him,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We know he has NBA ability and we like him as a person. We’re going to work hard with him.“
- The Rockets are a leading candidate for center Marcus Camby, but they’ll need a better backup center option if they trade Omer Asik, opines Matt Moore of CBSSports.com. Camby is 39-years-old and even though he can rebound and defend a bit, they’ll need something more reliable given his age.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Miller, Mack
The buzz is back in Charlotte, or at least, it is in one sense. The floundering Bobcats will shed their moniker dedicated to their former owner and their day-glow orange jerseys and become the Hornets in 2014/15. Here's a look at the latest out of the Southeast..
- The Heat dropped Mike Miller's salary by using the amnesty clause, but their real tax test is still ahead of them, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. If a proven veteran with an outsized contract is put on the market at the deadline, Winderman wonders if the club will take the plunge by packaging smaller pieces such as Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem, and Shane Battier to get a deal done.
- One reader asks Winderman if the Heat still have room in their rotation for another upgrade this winter. With Chris Andersen, Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen, Battier, Norris Cole, and possibly Haslem, there doesn't seem to be another rotation spot available.
- The Hawks appear to be overloaded at the one-guard position after re-signing Jeff Teague and drafting Dennis Schroder, but GM Danny Ferry believes that there will still be a place for guard Shelvin Mack, writes Robby Kalland of Peachtree Hoops.
Raptors Sign Tyler Hansbrough
JULY 20TH, 9:16am: The first year of Hansbrough's deal in Toronto is worth $3.2MM while the non-guaranteed 2014/15 season could pay $3.32MM, according to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
JULY 15TH, 2:49pm: The Raptors have officially signed Hansbrough, the team announced today (Twitter link).
JULY 12TH, 9:46am: The second year of Hansbrough's deal will be partially guaranteed, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter).
JULY 10TH, 9:58am: Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets that Hansbrough will earn about $3MM in his first year with the Raptors, while Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes that the forward will earn roughly $3MM per season with Toronto. So it sounds like the deal will be worth in the ballpark of $6MM overall.
JULY 9TH, 7:44pm: Tyler Hansbrough has agreed to terms on a contract with the Raptors, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears. Rumblings of a possible deal were first reported by ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
After spending the first four years of his career in Indiana, the Pacers rescinded Hansbrough's qualifying offer this summer so they could afford re-signing David West. Hansbrough is a career 42.7% shooter who averaged a career-worst 7.0 PPG last season.
Hansbrough's deal will be for two years, and will come out of the team's mid-level exception, according to the Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat.