Mike Miller, Linas Kleiza Clear Waivers
Mike Miller has gone unclaimed on amnesty waivers and will now become an unrestricted free agent, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The same is true for Linas Kleiza, who also cleared waivers, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Miller and Kleiza were amnestied on Tuesday by the Heat and Raptors, respectively.
It's no surprise that Kleiza didn't draw any interest on amnesty waivers, given his health problems and poor production last season. As Stein notes, he's a good bet to return overseas for the coming season. On the other hand, the Cavaliers were reportedly considering a bid on Miller, but it appears the team decided against it.
Shortly after we heard that the Cavs were mulling a bid for Miller, another report indicated that the veteran sharpshooter is considering surgery to repair bulging disks in his back. Miller has hardly been a picture of good health over the last several seasons, so that's likely true, but it could also have been leaked to scare off non-contenders like the Cavs from making a claim. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal notes (via Twitter) that Miller "made it clear to people around him" that he wasn't interested in landing in Cleveland.
Even with potential surgery looming, Miller figures to draw interest from contending teams. Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com both list the Spurs, Thunder, and Rockets as potential suitors, while Woj also mentions the Warriors and Windhorst names the Grizzlies (Twitter links).
Odds & Ends: Evans, Lakers, Miller, Magic
Maurice Evans didn't latch on with an NBA team during the 2012/13 season, and hasn't appeared in an NBA game since he played for the Wizards in April 2012. Nonetheless, the veteran wing isn't about to call it a career just yet. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that Evans hasn't retired, is healthy, and is talking to a few teams in Europe. It doesn't appear anything is finalized, though Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that Evans is "set to sign" with a club overseas. As we wait to see where the 34-year-old lands, let's round up a few more odds and ends from around the league:
- The Lakers paid $500K to Jordan Farmar's former team in Turkey to buy him out of his contract, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
- Mike Miller calls a reunion with the Grizzlies a "definite possibility" if he clears waivers, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- After reaching deals with Ronnie Price and Jason Maxiell, the Magic are done with free agent signings for this offseason, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).
- Breaking down some comments made by Paul George on ESPN Radio, Matt Moore of CBSSports.com writes that the Pacers shouldn't have to worry about the Lakers making a play for George anytime soon, but that it may be an issue that resurfaces in a few years.
- Bob Sansevere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press spoke to Timberwolves president Flip Saunders about how the roster is coming together, and his expectations for the coming season.
Warriors Sign Toney Douglas
JULY 18TH, 2:53pm: The Warriors have officially signed Douglas, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 9TH, 2:05pm: Douglas' deal with Golden State will be for one year and $1.6MM, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter). Barring a sign-and-trade, that means Douglas will receive either a portion of the team's mid-level or bi-annual exception.
12:40pm: The Warriors and Toney Douglas have reached an agreement on a contract, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Terms of the deal aren't yet known, but I'd be surprised if a significant financial commitment was made to the David Falk client.
Douglas, 27, has played for three NBA teams over the course of his four-year career. After starting with the Knicks, he was sent to Houston in last summer's sign-and-trade deal involving Marcus Camby, then was sent to Sacramento in the six-player swap that saw the Rockets land Thomas Robinson.
Although he averaged 9.8 PPG and recorded a 15.1 PER in his first two seasons in the league, Douglas has fallen off slightly over the last couple years, with those averages slipping to 7.1 and 11.3 respectively. Douglas won't assume the sort of role Jarrett Jack had with the Warriors, but he'll provide an extra body in the backcourt, and should see some playing time at the point.
Atlantic Notes: Pierce, Garnett, Sixers, Knicks
Three new Nets were formally introduced at a press conference in Brooklyn today, with Jason Terry obviously receiving a little less attention than longtime Celtics Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. While Pierce appeared emotional about leaving Boston, both veterans spoke about having a great opportunity to compete for a title with the Nets, as Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com details. Here's more on Pierce and Garnett, as well as a few other notes from around the Atlantic Division:
- According to Pierce, he initially had to talk Garnett into waiving his no-trade clause to complete the deal, with the two teammates speaking on the phone for an hour and a half. Pierce added that he hopes to become a general manager someday, and that if he were Danny Ainge, he would've accepted the offer the Nets made (Twitter links via Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com).
- Pierce also said that he never spoke to Ainge about keeping the Celtics' core together and attempting one more run, but noted that it would have been tough to make the necessary improvements to return to title contention (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe).
- No matter how many candidates the Sixers bring in, and they've been linked to plenty, Michael Curry and Brett Brown still appear to be the frontrunners, says ESPN.com's Marc Stein. According to Stein, Brown is expected to receive the last interview that the team conducts (Twitter links).
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com adds Austin Daye and Quincy Douby to the list of players who have worked out for the Knicks in Las Vegas (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Josh Newman of SNY.tv hears that the Lakers and Sixers are also expected to take a look at Douby this month (Twitter link).
Magic Sign Jason Maxiell
1:25pm: The Magic have officially announced the signing of Maxiell in a press release.
11:58am: Free agent big man Jason Maxiell will join the Magic, according to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (via Twitter). Although Goodwill calls the news "official," there's been no announcement from the team yet, but it appears the two sides have an agreement in place. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports confirms (via Twitter) that it will be a two-year deal.
The Magic haven't been very active in free agency this offseason, which is no surprise, since it's not like the club is a player or two from contention. A report last week suggested Orlando wanted to add depth at point guard and center though. Since then, the team has agreed to sign Ronnie Price at the point, and has now agreed to terms with Maxiell. The 30-year-old isn't a traditional center, but the team sees him as someone who can play some minutes in the middle as well as at power forward, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).
Maxiell is coming off a four-year contract that paid him $5MM annually, so he'll see his salary cut roughly in half — Goodwill tweets the two-year deal is worth about $5MM overall. Wojnarowski adds in his story that the second year of the contract will be a team option, which perhaps means it will be non-guaranteed.
The former Cincinnati Bearcat has spent his entire eight-year NBA career in Detroit, after being drafted by the Pistons in the first round of the 2005 draft. In his most recent season with the team, Maxiell started 71 of his 72 games, averaging 6.9 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 24.8 minutes per contest.
Mark Cuban Talks Howard, Offseason, Calderon
For the second straight offseason, the Mavericks missed out on their top target in free agency, and like he did a year ago when he discussed Deron Williams, owner Mark Cuban suggests his team will be better off without Dwight Howard. Pointing to the club's ability to sign "five good players or more" rather than just adding one max-salary player, Cuban suggested that the roster would have more flexibility going forward, as Bryan Gutierrez and Tim MacMahon detail at ESPNDallas.com.
Cuban also addressed a number of other Mavs-related topics, so let's round up the noteworthy quotes from Gutierrez's separate piece at ESPNDallas.com.
On having to move on to Plans B or C this offseason:
"You guys like to make a big deal about it. Obviously, we were disappointed we didn’t get Dwight, but we pretty much got everything else we wanted to get and then some. Much more. We never thought we’d be able to get Monta [Ellis]. It turned into a good summer. Now, the key is to get everybody playing together, get everyone healthy, keep them healthy and go."
On whether the team will explore trades:
"We’re open. Given that all of these are new signings, it’s going to be tough for us to do a trade. We can do anything until December. We didn’t sign these guys to trade them. We signed them to keep them. Our goal is to have everyone here, play together and move on. We still have a lot cap room for next year, so we’ll see."
On how the signing of Jose Calderon improves the team:
"We just have a great compliment of people. He’s great in the pick-and-roll, which will be great for Dirk [Nowitzki] a whole bunch. He’s a pass-first point guard, which will help with Monta. It’ll help with Sam [Dalembert], Vince [Carter] and Shawn [Marion]. We’re going to have guys who can get Shawn the ball, which we couldn’t do last year. Vince won’t have to work as hard as he did last year. We can block shots between Sam and Brandan [Wright]. I think we’ll be in good shape."
On a new agreement with Devin Harris:
"I think we’ve got something worked out. We just restructured the deal. When we have something to announce, we’ll announce it…. I think we'll get him back, but I don't want to jinx us. We'll let him rehab with us and all that kind of stuff."
Camby Hopes To Play Two More Years, Then Coach
Having agreed to a buyout with the Raptors, Marcus Camby appears to be ticketed for unrestricted free agency by this weekend, but the 39-year-old doesn't intend to end his playing career anytime soon. According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, Camby still hopes to play until 2015, when his previous contract would have ended, and then aims to get into coaching after that.
"He wants to play two more years and then move into coaching," a source told Zwerling. "He would likely start out as an assistant, as many [former players] do, but someday he'd be a great head coach. He has a very high basketball IQ."
Reports are divided on whether or not Camby is officially on waivers yet. Zwerling hears that details of Camby's buyout are still being finalized, even though the team announced yesterday that an agreement had been reached and the big man had been released. Either way, Camby should be on the open market soon, free to sign with any team except the Knicks. The former second overall pick hopes to join a contender, with the Clippers, Heat, Bulls, and Rockets believed to be in play.
"His decision will be fairly quick," the source said. "He's not ruling out the minimum, but if a team shows a bigger commitment, that could make a difference."
Kyler’s Latest: Bucks, Magic, Knicks, LeBron
When I asked Hoops Rumors readers yesterday what Brandon Jennings' future holds, about half of you predicted a return to Milwaukee, either on a one-year contract or on a longer-term deal. And according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, the Bucks have indeed shifted their focus back to retaining Jennings, after their pursuit of Jeff Teague fell short. Here's more from Kyler on the Bucks and a few other situations:
- While the Bucks' three-year, $15MM contract with Zaza Pachulia was viewed as an overpay, sources tell Kyler that Pachulia had received two-year offers worth about the same amount annually, making that third year necessary for Milwaukee to get a deal done.
- The Magic haven't been very involved in free agency this summer, but they continue to work the phones on possible deals. According to Kyler, the team is hoping to reach a buyout agreement with Al Harrington that would reduce his guaranteed salary for the 2014/15 season.
- We've already heard that the Pelicans are preparing an offer in the $3MM range for Greg Oden. Kyler reports that the offer may be worth $3MM+ annually for two years, adding that Oden's camp is looking for a "safe" spot for the former first overall pick to continue his career. An organization with patience and the right kind of expectations is Oden's preference.
- Although the Knicks will continue to be active in looking to add talent this year and next, the team will be careful about taking on any salary beyond next season, says Kyler. With Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Andrea Bargnani set to come off the books by the summer of 2015, the Knicks barely have any salary on their books beyond that.
- It's been widely assumed that LeBron James will opt out of his contract next summer in search of a new long-term deal, but Kyler says that's not a lock. LeBron will also have the chance to opt out in the summer of 2015, and the continued health and production of Dwyane Wade figures to play a significant part in the MVP's decision.
Nets Waive D.J. White
The Nets have released D.J. White, the team announced today in a press release. White was included as part of the blockbuster deal that sent him to Brooklyn along with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry.
White's 2013/14 salary wasn't set to become guaranteed until August 1st, so the Nets won't take a cap hit for cutting him. Assuming the 26-year-old forward clears waivers, he'll be free to try to latch on with any team except for the Celtics, who are ineligible to re-sign him until next July.
White, a 2008 first-round pick, appeared in just 12 contests for the Celtics last season and averaged only 7.2 minutes in those games, so he didn't have a chance to make much of an impact. The five-year veteran, who has also played for the Thunder and Bobcats, has never had a real standout season in the NBA, but has been fairly efficient in the minutes he's played, recording a 14.6 career PER.
Contract Details: Andersen, Young, Roberson
The specific figures on several of this summer's contracts continue to trickle in, so we'll keep passing along any notable details or changes related to those deals. Here's the latest:
- Chris Andersen will be getting the minimum salary in his deal with the Heat, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter link). Previous reports indicated he'd receive 120%, the most the Heat could give him via Non-Bird rights.
- Eric Pincus updated several team salary figures at HoopsWorld, including the Pacers, Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Thunder, Magic, 76ers, and Suns.
- Nick Young's deal with the Lakers includes a 15% trade kicker, tweets Pincus.
- According to Pincus, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Carmelo Anthony, and Kendrick Perkins all saw their cap hits for next season increase or decrease, based on having met or failed to meet incentives (all four Twitter links).
- While most of this year's first-round picks will sign for 120% of their rookie-scale amount, it appears Thunder first-rounder Andre Roberson signed for just 80% of his, tweets Pincus.
- It seems as if Dwight Buycks received a portion of the Raptors' mid-level exception rather than the minimum salary. Deeks tweets that he'll get a guaranteed $700K from Toronto. Buycks reportedly signed a multiyear deal, so it's not clear if his second-year salary exceeds the minimum or includes a guarantee.