Trail Blazers Sign Earl Watson
JULY 10TH: The Blazers have officially signed Watson, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 6TH: Citing agent Mark Bartelstein, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Trail Blazers have agreed to terms for a one-year veteran's minimum deal with unrestricted free agent Earl Watson (Twitter links).
Watson averaged 2.0 PPG and 4.0 APG in 17.3 MPG during 48 contests with the Jazz last year. He'll make $1.4MM in the one-year deal. Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune adds (Twitter) that Watson was suffering from a sports hernia even after coming back from knee surgery during the first part of the 2012/13 season.
Sixers To Interview Michael Curry
The Sixers will interview Michael Curry for their head coaching position, sources tell Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia is the only team without a head coach after a dozen others named new bench bosses this offseason. Curry, already an assistant coach with the team, had been expecting to talk to GM Sam Hinkie about the opening after summer league.
Pompey also cites reports that link Grizzlies assistant Lloyd Pierce to the job, but a source close to Pierce tells Pompey that the Sixers have not requested permission from the Grizzlies for an interview. Curry also interviewed with the Bucks before they hired Larry Drew, and was also linked to the Cavs before they wound up with Mike Brown.
It appeared Curry was set to interview with the Sixers shortly after Hinkie took over as GM in May, but it's unclear whether that meeting took place. When Hinkie came aboard, the GM said he would put the coaching search on the backburner while he put his front office staff together. Curry appeared to have the support of the players in Philly, but that may be less of a factor now that the team has begun to break up its core.
Cavs May Make Run At Andrei Kirilenko
The Cavs struck a deal with Andrew Bynum earlier this evening, but they might not be done with significant additions yet, as a source tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio the team may turn its sights to Andrei Kirilenko (Twitter link). The veteran turned down a $10,219,420 player option to return to the Wolves next season, and he'd fill a hole at small forward for the team.
Bob Finnan tweets that the Bynum deal exhausted the Cavs' cap room, though I believe they'll still have about $3MM left once Bynum signs his contract. If the Cavs are out of cap space, they could use their $2.652MM room exception, so either way, they don't have much room to give Kirilenko a salary that comes close to what he turned down from Minnesota. The Wolves don't appear interested in a sign-and-trade, Finnan also notes, via Twitter.
The Spurs made a run at a sign-and-trade deal for Kirilenko and came up short, and the Wolves appear to be in the mix to re-sign the veteran as well. With a dwindling number of teams that have cap space and Minnesota seemingly unwilling to accomodate a sign-and-trade, re-signing with the Wolves may be Kirilenko's most lucrative option left.
Wolves Moving Toward $50MM Deal With Pekovic?
7:51pm: A source tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune that the two sides are no closer to a deal, despite Wojnarowski's report. The Wolves are still waiting to hear back on an offer they made this past Friday, Zgoda writes.
2:33pm: Pekovic isn't close to signing anything yet, agent Misko Raznatovic tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
12:59pm: The Timberwolves and Nikola Pekovic are "getting closer" on a four-year, $50MM agreement, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Heading into the offseason, Pekovic was considered perhaps the top restricted free agent on the market, but he hasn't drawn the sort of interest that last year's top restricted options did. The perception all along has been that the Wolves and Pekovic would work something out, and no potential rival suitors, such as the Mavericks, Hawks, or Cavs, appear poised to extend an offer sheet to the big man that would make him think twice.
In addition to nearing a deal with Pekovic, the Timberwolves are closing in on Corey Brewer, and have already reached agreements with Chase Budinger and Kevin Martin. No matter what order those moves happen in, the Wolves wouldn't be able to fit all those players into their cap space, so at least one sign-and-trade will be needed if Minnesota hopes to bring all four players aboard.
Wolves To Deal Luke Ridnour To Bucks
10:54pm: Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times tweets that a Ridnour-Ekpe Udoh swap, which had been rumored around draft time, could once again materialize. I'd assume that would happen within the framework of this deal, though I'm not sure what that would accomplish for Minnesota, since Udoh's $4,469,548 salary is larger than Ridnour's.
7:41pm: The Wolves have reached an agreement with the Bucks to deal point guard Luke Ridnour to Milwaukee in an arrangement that will allow Minnesota the room it needs to finalize its pact with Corey Brewer, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. No salary will head from the Bucks to the Wolves in the trade, so presumably there will be draft picks and/or cash headed to Minnesota.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier today that the teams were discussing the swap, as the Wolves sought to clear room to bring aboard Brewer along with the rest of their free agent haul. Ridnour, like J.J. Barea, was frequently mentioned in trade rumors over the past few weeks as Minnesota sought to clear its logjam at point guard.
Milwaukee's acquisition of Ridnour gives the team a backup for either incumbent point guard Brandon Jennings, or Jeff Teague, whom the Bucks have coveted. Ridnour is set to make $4.32MM in 2013/14, the final season of his contract.
Kings Form D-League Alliance With Reno Bighorns
The Kings will take over the basketball operations of the D-League's Reno Bighorns for the next two seasons, tweets Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee. The Kings attempted to buy the Bighorns outright, and though owner Vivek Ranadive fell short of that goal, Sacramento will have the option to purchase the club at a later point, according to Bizjak (Twitter link).
The deal forms the latest hybrid partnership between an NBA club and its D-League affiliate. The Kings will run the basketball operations for the Bighorns, while local ownership in Reno will have control over the business side. The Kings will be the only NBA team affiliated with the Bighorns, after having to share the club with the Grizzlies and Jazz last year.
The Kings join the Heat (Sioux Falls Skyforce), Nets (Springfield Armor), Celtics (Maine Red Claws), Rockets (Rio Grande Valley Vipers), Knicks (Erie BayHawks) and Trail Blazers (Idaho Stampede) as the seventh NBA team to engage in a hybrid partnership. A handful of other NBA teams own their D-League affiliates outright.
Pelicans, Kings, Blazers Agree To Three-Way Deal
7:15pm: The Kings press release on the deal has Sacramento acquiring Vasquez from the Pelicans in exchange for Evans. The Kings also say they wind up with a 2016 second-round pick and future second-round considerations, presumably from the Blazers.
6:43pm: The Blazers announced their part, with Lopez and Harris coming from the Pelicans in exchange for Jeff Withey, future second-round draft considerations, and cash.
JULY 10TH, 6:12pm: The Pelicans have confirmed their end of the trade, via press release. They acquire Evans and Withey, send Lopez and Harris to the Blazers, and ship Vasquez to the Kings.
JULY 4TH, 6:04pm: Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Portland will send Jeff Withey to the Pelicans and a future second round pick to the Kings as part of the three-team deal (Twitter links).
4:44pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that Terrel Harris, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, will also be sent to the Blazers in the deal. Meanwhile, Portland will pay Lopez's 15% trade kicker, which will be worth about $1.57MM in total, spread equally across the next two seasons. Stein adds that Sacramento will be receiving two second-round picks from the Blazers, rather than one.
4:39pm: The Pelicans will receive cash and future draft picks from the Blazers in the deal, tweets John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Sam Amick of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that the Kings will also receive a future second-rounder from Portland.
3:55pm: The Pelicans, Kings, and Trail Blazers have verbally agreed to a three-way deal that will make Tyreke Evans a Pelican, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). The deal will send Evans to the Pelicans, Robin Lopez to the Trail Blazers, and Greivis Vasquez to the Kings, with the Blazers sending out picks and cash, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Evans had been preparing to sign a four-year, $44MM offer sheet with New Orleans, so rather than lose him for nothing, the Kings decided to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal. The Pelicans had been motivated to move Lopez in order to make room under the cap for their offer to Evans, so involving the two players in the same deal made sense. Meanwhile, with New Orleans putting together a backcourt that will feature Evans, Jrue Holiday, and Eric Gordon, Vasquez was the odd man out, making him expendable as well.
Sacramento agreed to complete the three-way deal with the Blazers and Pelicans after Jose Calderon passed on an opportunity to sign with the team. According to Wojnarowski, the Kings wanted to sign Calderon and flip Vasquez to another team, but the Spaniard decided he didn't want to be part of a full-blown rebuild in Sacramento. Calderon will continue to negotiate with other teams, including the Pistons, tweets Wojnarowski.
As for the Pelicans, they get their man in Evans and figure to use him off the bench in a Manu Ginobili-type role, behind a starting backcourt of Holiday and Gordon. It's not clear where the cash and picks coming from the Blazers are headed, but I would guess the Pelicans will acquire something from Portland, since New Orleans is sending out multiple players in the move.
For Sacramento, the deal gives the team the opportunity to regain some value for Evans, and Vasquez's modest $2.15MM salary will allow the club to retain plenty of cap space to pursue other players. The Kings previously withdrew a four-year offer for Andre Iguodala, but should still have the flexibility to pursue Iguodala again, if they so choose. Sacramento may also get in on those draft and cash considerations from Portland, though we'll have to wait for further word.
Meanwhile, the Blazers continue to make use of their summer cap space by making trades rather than signing free agents, as Lopez will be absorbed using the team's room under the cap. Portland also agreed to acquire Thomas Robinson from the Rockets without including any outgoing salary. At the moment, only $500K of Lopez's 2013/14 salary is guaranteed, but the next two years of his contract will become guaranteed this weekend, since he won't be waived by tomorrow. He'll earn $5.12MM next season and $5.34MM in '14/15.
The three teams will be able to finalize the transaction when the July moratorium lifts next Wednesday.
Knicks Sign Tim Hardaway Jr., C.J. Leslie
6:47pm: Deeks corrects his earlier report, and confirms that Leslie's deal isn't fully guaranteed (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 6:01pm: Leslie's two-year deal is fully guaranteed for both seasons, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports, contradicting earlier word that the pact only included a partial guarantee.
MONDAY, 2:37pm: The Knicks have officially announced Hardaway's signing and also formally announced the signing of undrafted free agent C.J. Leslie (Twitter links). We had initially heard a day after the draft that the Knicks had agreed to sign Leslie, who will be in line for the rookie minimum. He'll also have a partial guarantee on his deal, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
2:05pm: The Knicks have reached a contract agreement with first-round pick Tim Hardaway Jr., agent Mark Bartelstein tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
Hardaway was the 24th overall pick in last month's draft, meaning he was the first of this year's draftees with a rookie-scale amount below $1MM. Still, as our chart of rookie salaries shows, Hardaway will earn 120% of that $997,300 cap hold, good for a first-year salary worth close to $1.2MM.
Bulls Release Richard Hamilton
JULY 10TH: The Bulls have waived Hamilton, tweets Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald.
JULY 2ND: With Richard Hamilton's full salary for 2013/14 set to become guaranteed if he's not waived on or before July 10th, the Bulls will indeed release him before that happens, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. By cutting Hamilton, the Bulls will save $4MM, as only $1MM of his $5MM salary is guaranteed.
The move comes as no surprise, as the Bulls have shopped Hamilton multiple times in the past in the hopes of shedding his contract. With Chicago projected to be in luxury-tax territory next season, getting out from under $4MM of Hamilton's salary will actually save the Bulls significantly more than that in tax payments.
Mike Dunleavy figures to get not only some of the money the Bulls will save by cutting Hamilton, but also many of the minutes that the veteran guard would have played. Dunleavy agreed to a two-year contract likely worth the mini mid-level exception with the Bulls yesterday.
As Berger tweets, if he can be had for a reduced salary, Hamilton still represents a decent option for a contending team. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link) expects the Knicks to at least kick the tires on the veteran shooting guard, who shares an agent (Leon Rose) with Carmelo Anthony.
Andrew Bynum Rumors: Wednesday
We heard yesterday that Andrew Bynum may make a decision on his next team by the end of the night, but that turned out not be the case. As I suggested on Tuesday, it didn't make a ton of sense for Bynum to announce a decision before his meeting with the Mavericks, which is scheduled for today. For now, agent David Lee says there's no timetable for his client's decision, adding that it "might" happen this week, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Here are the rest of today's Bynum updates:
- Lee wants to engage the Cavs in another dialogue tonight or tomorrow, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Still, the team isn't going to wait on Bynum, and while it hasn't pulled its offer, Cleveland will keep looking at other options (Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
- Of the $24MM the Cavs offered Bynum over two years, only $6MM is guaranteed, says ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). However, that still makes it the highest offer Bynum currently has on the table.
- The Mavericks' interest in Bynum remains serious enough after today's meeting that they're having "a medical discussion" and weighing an offer, GM Donnie Nelson indicated (link via Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News).
- Asked if Bynum would make a decision today, agent David Lee told the Plain Dealer (Twitter link) that "it takes two to make an agreement." That suggests to me that negotiations are ongoing and that there's not necessarily an offer on the table that Bynum likes.
- Earlier today, we heard that the Sixers haven't entirely ruled out the possibility of bringing back Bynum. Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio also heard that the Cavs believed Bynum may prefer to play in Dallas.
- Many league executives feel like it will be difficult for the Hawks or Mavericks to top the Cavaliers' offer to Bynum, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- According to Amico, the Cavs and Hawks have been provided with Bynum's most recent medical results, and one source says they're "not bad."
- Amico hears from multiple league sources that Bynum's problems with the Sixers may not have been entirely health-related, with several of those sources hinting at a friction between Bynum and the organization.
- Whether or not they land Bynum, the Cavs may be open to moving a power forward, says Amico, noting that Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, Earl Clark, Anthony Bennett, and Kevin Jones are all capable of playing the position.
- While the Cavs' offer to Bynum has been reported as a two-year deal, only one year is guaranteed, and the second year is a team option. According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, Bynum's camp is hoping to land a deal with a little more security than that.
- Although Bynum may be seeking more security, his market could be opened up a little if he'd agree to a clause that protects teams in the event of recurring knee injuries, says Kyler. Brandon Roy signed such a deal with Minnesota a year ago, making the second year of his deal non-guaranteed when his knee problems flared up again. If Bynum would consider such a deal, several teams would consider signing him, writes Kyler.