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With plenty of intriguing free agents still unsigned, Hoops Rumors figures to stay busy for the next several weeks. There are a number of different ways you can follow us to keep tabs on the latest NBA news and rumors this summer and throughout the year.
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Odds & Ends: Kleiza, Iguodala, Dooling, Knicks
Let's round up a few Friday odds and ends from around the Association….
- After being amnestied by the Raptors, Linas Kleiza is drawing interest from several European teams, including CSKA Moscow, writes Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, passing along a report from Djordje Matic.
- Sam Amick of USA Today spoke to Andre Iguodala about his free agency, and some drama along the way related to the Kings and Nuggets.
- Keyon Dooling is receiving "serious interest" from two teams and will likely decide next week where he'll sign, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, who adds that a reunion with the Grizzlies is unlikely.
- There's nothing new on the Raja Bell front, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, noting that the Knicks no longer have any interest in Bell after signing Metta World Peace. The Knicks remain in the market for a point guard and a big man though, says Zwerling.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com explains why he finds it unusual that the NBA decided to compensate the Thunder for a portion of Kevin Durant's contract.
- Multiple teams have inquired on undrafted free agent Khalif Wyatt, according to agent Stephen Pina. Wyatt played for the Sixers' Summer League squad in Orlando, but hasn't talked to Philadelphia yet about a more permanent contract (Twitter links via Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com).
Eastern Notes: Brown, George, Raptors, Blair
Although their pursuit of Bobby Brown is said to be gathering "momentum," the Knicks aren't the only team interested in the Euroleague star. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Brown also has offers from Chinese teams, and is drawing interest from other NBA clubs as well. Here are a few more notes from around the Eastern Conference:
- Appearing on 1070 The Fan, Pacers president Larry Bird said the team is prepared to make a "major offer" to Paul George this offseason to try to lock him up before he hits restricted free agency (hat tip to Pro Basketball Talk).
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star hears that the Raptors saved about $2MM in guaranteed money in their buyout agreement with Marcus Camby.
- A report last weekend suggested that the Wizards are interested in DeJuan Blair, and Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv confirms (via Twitter) that the interest is mutual. Washington has already used its full mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, leaving only the minimum salary to offer, unless a sign-and-trade can be negotiated.
- While Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio says Daniel Gibson is very unlikely to return to the Cavs, he names the Bucks and Pacers as potential suitors for the 27-year-old (Twitter link).
Contract Details: Rice, Billups, Speights, Splitter
We've already passed along plenty of new details and information this week on the summer's free agent contracts, with round-ups on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We've got a few more updates worth noting today, so let's dive in….
- Eric Pincus updated salary details for several teams at HoopsWorld, including the Wizards, Jazz, Raptors, Spurs, Kings, and Trail Blazers.
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports also provides new contract information for the Wizards, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Pistons, and Pacers.
- According to Deeks, Glen Rice Jr.'s deal with the Wizards is a two-year minimum-salary pact, with a guaranteed first year and a partially guaranteed ($400K) second year.
- Deeks also notes that Chauncey Billups and Marreese Speights are the only players known so far to receive actual team options on their contracts. Most other free agents reported to have signed deals with team options actually have a partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed season on their contracts (Twitter links).
- According to Pincus, Tiago Splitter's contract with the Spurs starts at $10MM, and eventually decreases to $8.25MM in year four. The deal also includes a 15% trade kicker (Twitter links).
Rockets Sign Aaron Brooks
FRIDAY, 11:02am: The Rockets have made Brooks' signing official, announcing the new deal today in a press release.
THURSDAY, 11:28pm: Brooks tells Berman he had other offers, but he felt most comfortable taking the one from the Rockets (Twitter link). It appears from Brooks' comment that he signed for the minimum, but that's not entirely clear.
11:02pm: It appears Aaron Brooks is re-signing with the Rockets, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston tweets that the point guard is returning to the team after inking a one-year deal. Houston waived Brooks on June 30th in a move to clear cap space. The five-year veteran's previous contract for 2013/14 would have become fully guaranteed if he wasn't waived by the end of last month.
Brooks was set to make $2.508MM this season before the Rockets cut him loose, but he seems unlikely to make that much this year in his new deal. Houston attempted to trade him before waiving him, but no team appeared willing to take on his old contract. The Rockets waived Carlos Delfino at the same time they waived Brooks, but Delfino has already moved on, having signed with the Bucks.
The Rockets have the $2.652MM room exception available, but I won't be surprised if the Creative Artists Agency client's new deal is for the minimum. He saw just 38 minutes of action in the regular season with Houston after signing March 5th, following his buyout from the Kings. Brooks got more run in the playoffs, averaging 11.2 minutes per contest in Houston's six-game defeat to the Thunder in the first round, but he wasn't nearly the integral part of the team that he was in 2009/10. That's when he struck for 19.6 points and 5.3 assists per game, both career highs by wide margins.
Rockets Sign Reggie Williams
JULY 19TH, 11:01am: The Rockets have officially signed Williams, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 10TH, 8:34pm: The second year of Williams' deal isn't a team option, but is instead non-guaranteed, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The first year is only 50% guaranteed, Feigen adds (Twitter link).
6:20pm: The Rockets have landed another outside shooter, agreeing to terms with Reggie Williams on a two-year pact worth the minimum salary, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The second year will be a team option, Stein says.
Williams, a four-year veteran, has seen his numbers decline each season after a rookie year in which he notched 15.2 points per game in a 24-game stint with the Warriors. He put up only 3.7 PPG this past season with the Bobcats, and shot just 30.6% from behind the arc, well off his mark of 42.3% from three-point range in 2010/11. He's still a 37.1% shooter for his career, and the Rockets will hope that he regains his touch to give defenses another long-range threat to worry about.
The Interperformances agency client will take a significant paycut from the $2,612,500 he earned in 2012/13. The four-year veteran's minimum will be $947,907 this coming season. Houston will likely use the minimum-salary exception, so his signing won't affect the team's pursuit of other free agents.
Pistons Sign Caldwell-Pope, Mitchell
The Pistons have officially locked up rookies Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell, the team announced today (Twitter link). Caldwell-Pope will receive a standard rookie-scale contract, while the terms of Mitchell's agreement aren't yet known.
As our chart of salaries for first-rounders shows, Caldwell-Pope, the eighth overall pick last month, will likely receive a 2013/14 salary of about $2.65MM. Mitchell, a North Texas product who is not to be confused by the former Alabama player of the same name, may receive a minimum-salary deal. However, the Pistons still appear to have some cap space, plus their room exception, so it's also possible that Mitchell receives a salary that exceeds the minimum.
For the complete breakdown of which of this year's draft picks have signed so far, check out our list here. As that list shows, the Pistons' third pick, Peyton Siva, remains unsigned. According to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (via Twitter), the team has yet to make a decision on Siva, who may be the odd man out on a roster that already features 15 players.
Cavaliers Waive Kevin Jones, Chris Quinn
The Cavaliers have shed two non-guaranteed contracts from their books, waiving Kevin Jones and Chris Quinn, according to a team release. The moves coincide with the team's introduction of Andrew Bynum, so it appears a little extra cap space was required to squeeze in Bynum's salary.
Jones, 23, appeared in 32 contests with the Cavs last season, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG. He also played 12 games for the team's D-League affiliate, recording an impressive 22.4 PPG and 11.2 RPG for the Canton Charge. Quinn's stint with the Cavs was briefer, as he appeared in just seven games for the club. Both players' contracts were fully non-guaranteed, and weren't set to become guaranteed until January.
Jones' impressive D-League numbers could result in him drawing some interest around the NBA, at least as a training camp invitee. Meanwhile, Quinn is reportedly receiving some attention from foreign teams, according to a Thursday report. Both Jones and Quinn suffered concussions during Summer League action, so they may need to get healthy first before signing new deals anywhere.
Wolves Owner Expects Deal With Nikola Pekovic
Of the remaining unsigned free agents, Nikola Pekovic appears to be a lock to receive the largest free agent contract, but there doesn't seem to be a bidding war developing for his services. The Timberwolves remain confident that Pekovic will be back in Minnesota next year, and don't have a sense of urgency to complete a new deal, as team owner Glen Taylor tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
"My sense is, I think we both know he's going to be playing for our team next year," Taylor said. "I think we're just dealing with an element of time here. I would tell you I'm very positive that he'll play for our team. What we have left isn't something that can't be resolved. There doesn't seem to be a lot of pressure on us or him to get it done. A meet has been set up in the future."
According to Taylor, after the Wolves extended a contract offer to Pekovic, believed to be in the four-year, $48-50MM range, the big man's camp responded with a counter-proposal. The two sides are expected to meet within the next week in hopes of hammering something out.
"I'm confident it'll get done," Taylor said. "I've been through so many of [these] things. You say, 'It's just money, Glen.' I think we'll get it done. He's an important part of our team. He wants to be back and we want him here."
As Zgoda notes, there aren't many teams left that would have interest in Pekovic and the cap space to make him a big, long-term offer. The Bucks are one team that could have the cap room, but they haven't been linked to the 27-year-old at all this offseason. As such, it still appears that it's just a matter of when, not if, the T-Wolves and Pekovic strike an agreeement.
Odds & Ends: Bobcats, Expansion, Kings, Brown
USA Today's Sam Amick rounds up the news from the Board of Governors meeting today, which featured unanimous approval of Charlotte's name change from Bobcats to Hornets. Commissioner David Stern initially laughed off the idea of the switch, but fan support for the Hornets monicker persuaded him to take the issue seriously, Amick writes. Stern also offered hints that the league could consider expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas in the future, and he said the union's lack of an executive director has hung up the league's plans to implement human growth hormone testing by next season. Amick also passes along the league's rule adjustments, and we've got more from the meeting as we look around the Association this evening:
- In May, the league imposed a deadline of 2017 for the opening of a new arena in Sacramento, but Stern indicated today that he's pleased with the progress the Kings and the city are making, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee observes.
- The Nuggets, Wizards, Grizzlies, Suns and Knicks were all in attendance as Bobby Brown participated in a five-on-five scrimmage Wednesday, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The Knicks also saw Brown workout Tuesday, and they're reportedly moving toward a deal.
- Eric Gordon tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com that the Pelicans have assured him that he's a part of the team's long-term plans.
- Lakers VP Jim Buss said on NBA TV tonight that he strongly believes Kobe Bryant's torn Achilles will be healed in time for him to play in preseason games this fall, notes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.
- The Bulls may have promised a training camp invitation to Andrew Goudelock as an enticement to get him to play for their summer league team, according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald (Twitter link).
- Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has maintained flexibility with his underwhelming free agent haul this summer, but his decision to keep the core of the team intact could have negative consequences, as Eric Koreen of the National Post examines.