2013 July | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Harrington, Ebanks, Mo Williams

July 30th, 2013 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Al Harrington recognizes that he's a candidate to be traded or bought out by the Magic, but tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he's healthier and believes he can still contribute, wherever he lands.

"Whatever situation I can get to where I can help a team win, that's what I want to do," Harrington said. "I don't want to play 36 minutes or none of that. Play 20, 25 minutes, just help mentor the young guys and stuff like that."

Here's more from around the NBA:

Former Laker Devin Ebanks has received interest from the Hawks, Bucks, Bobcats, and Nuggets, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
In his latest column on the Suns, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic says that agent Arn Tellem was "five minutes away" from a deal for J.J. Redick with another team before the Suns and Clippers proposed the three-team trade that sent him to Los Angeles. Coro also notes that the Pacers had expressed interest in Luis Scola for months before acquiring him.
Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien met with Mo Williams today in Memphis, tweets Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Within an excellent piece on the Thunder, Grantland's Zach Lowe shares a few interesting details on Kevin Durant's max contract and Oklahoma City's cap and tax situation.

Suns GM Discusses Trades, Plumlee, Green

July 30th, 2013 at 12:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns GM Ryan McDonough recently appeared on KTAR 620 AM in Phoenix to discuss his team's offseason moves, including last weekend's trade that sent Luis Scola to the Pacers (hat tip to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld). Speaking to Dave Burns and John Gambadoro, McDonough provided a few interesting quotes relating to the Scola deal and the possibility of further trades down the road. Here are some highlights:

On one way the team could take advantage of its stash of future first-round picks:

"When teams have maybe a disgruntled superstar, what are they looking for in return? Well, they're looking for picks, that's what they want. None of those guys are available right now, but as you know, some of the time you don't always see that coming. You look at the Deron Williams situation or something like that, and these things just kind of happen out of the blue. I think we're well-positioned to strike if and when the next disgruntled superstar becomes available."

On whether the Suns have made or received trade calls for Kendall Marshall:

"I'm not going to go into that with specific guys on the roster. I guess generally… I've talked about all of them. All of the guys on the roster have been discussed. I think we as a franchise, you have to consider offers for all of them. Obviously there are varying interest levels and the guys are at varying ages with different contracts, but we have to consider all opportunities. Now that being said, we're really happy with our salary cap position going forward, we're very happy with our draft pick position, and we think we also upgraded the talent on the roster."

On whether Miles Plumlee and Gerald Green are expected to contribute to the Suns in 2013/14:

"I think we'll be able to get something out of both of them. I was down in Orlando Summer League at the beginning of the month, and Miles Plumlee, playing for the Pacers' Summer League team, looked very good for the second year in a row. He's a good rebounder, he's always been a very good rebounder per minute, even going back to his days at Duke…. I like Miles. His character, rebounding, and athleticism, I think will fit right in here."

On Green:

"We drafted him with the Celtics in the summer of 2005…. Gerald has always had the athleticism and the scoring ability and the talent. He just needed to mature, which he has. I think going to Russia was a humbling experience for him, and then coming back the hard way in the D-League…. I think both [Plumlee and Green] will play significant roles for us next year."

Bucks Sign Giannis Antetokounmpo

July 30th, 2013 at 12:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 30TH: Antetokounmpo has officially signed his deal with the Bucks, as agent Giorgos Dimitropoulos tweets.

JULY 27TH: Giannis Antetokounmpo, whom the Bucks drafted 15th overall in this year's draft, is headed to Milwaukee and will sign his rookie-scale contract soon, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. The Athens native, dubbed the "Greek Freak," is in line for a first-year salary of nearly $1.8MM, as our salary chart for first-rounders shows, providing he signs for the standard 120% of his scale amount.

It seemed clear soon after the draft that the Bucks had no intention of stashing the raw, 18-year-old small forward overseas, so perhaps the monthlong holdup in signing his deal has been related to Milwaukee GM John Hammond's desire to maintain flexibility in the free agent market. The Bucks have been active in the past few days, signing Miroslav Raduljica and agreeing to a contract with Gary Neal, so it seems they're ready to use their ample cap room.

Antetokounmpo spent last season with a second-division club in Greece, so NBA competition will be a significant step up. He figures to be assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Milwaukee's D-League affiliate, though with five other NBA clubs sharing the Mad Ants, finding enough playing time could prove a challenge.

John Wall Close To Max Contract Extension

July 30th, 2013 at 11:44am CST by Michael Pina

JULY 30TH, 11:44am: Wall's max extension remains on track to be completed by the end of this week, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Stein tweets that the team originally targeted a date of August 1st for a press conference, but it's not clear if that's still the goal.

JULY 25TH, 12:25pm: The Wizards and Wall aren't expected to finalize an agreement until at least next week, says Michael Lee of the Washington Post.

JULY 24TH, 9:47pm: John Wall and the Wizards are closing in on a five-year, $80MM maximum contract extension, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal will make Wall Washington's designated franchise player, which allows a fifth year on the deal, as opposed to four.

The deadline on such an extension is October 31st, but the Wizards and Wall appear to be closing in much earlier than that. Wall is 22 years old and is entering his fourth season next year. The former number one overall pick has yet to lead his team to the playoffs, and is coming off an injury shortened campaign last year.

Mavs In Serious Talks With DeJuan Blair

July 30th, 2013 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

11:19am: If the Mavs and Blair agree to terms, it will likely be for a one-year, minimum-salary contract, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. While there was some talk of a sign-and-trade, Blair figures to sign for a year and test the market again next summer, says Kennedy, adding that the ex-Spur figures to choose Dallas' offer over similar proposals because he'll get a chance to play major minutes with the Mavs (all Twitter links).

9:58am: The Mavericks are engaged in serious talks on a deal for DeJuan Blair, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Stein, the odds of the two sides reaching an agreement are "promising."

It'd be a little surprising if the Mavs were able to land Blair, since the team appears to be capped-out, and Blair's asking price was said earlier this month to be in the $3MM range. The big man was also reportedly seeking a multiyear commitment. Based on reported contracts and salaries to date, it seems as if the Mavs have used their cap space and signed Wayne Ellington using the $2.65MM room exception. Assuming that's the case, Dallas could only offer Blair the minimum, unless a sign-and-trade deal can be worked out with the Spurs.

Blair, 24, has spent all four seasons of his NBA career with the Spurs, but saw his role reduced as Tiago Splitter emerged as a productive starter for the team. After averaging 8.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and a 17.5 PER in his first three years, Blair's rates fell to 5.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and a 14.6 PER in 2012/13.

According to Stein (via Twitter), the Mavs are also likely to complete a new deal for Devin Harris later this week, and remain in the mix for Greg Oden.

Erick Green To Sign With Italian Team

July 30th, 2013 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets second-round pick Erick Green has agreed to terms on a deal with Italy's Mens Sana Siena, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Confirming the agreement, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that it will be a one-year contract for this year's 46th overall pick.

Green, 22, was the leading scorer among Division I players in the 2012/13 season, pouring in 25.0 PPG as a senior for Virginia Tech. The 6'3" combo guard also threw in 3.8 APG and 4.0 RPG to go along with a shooting line of .475/.389/.816. He was selected on draft night by a pick that initially belonged to Utah. The Nuggets acquired the 46th overall pick and cash from the Jazz in exchange for the 27th pick, which was used on Rudy Gobert.

The Nuggets will retain the rights to Green, but his deal with Siena means Denver won't carry a cap hold for his salary in 2013/14. The Nuggets should have another opportunity to sign him next summer, if they so choose.

For the latest news on contracts for all 60 of this year's draftees, be sure to check out our complete list, which continues to be updated.

Bobcats Re-Sign Gerald Henderson

July 30th, 2013 at 11:01am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 30TH, 11:01am: The Bobcats have officially re-signed Henderson, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 26TH, 8:04pm: Henderson and the Bobcats have reached an agreement, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.

7:27pm: The Bobcats and restricted free agent Gerald Henderson are putting the finishing touches on a new three-year, $18MM deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The swingman and agent Arn Tellem turned down Charlotte's offer of $7MM per year to get the team to agree to a third-year player option, according to Wojnarowski.

The two sides are expected to formalize the deal early next week, Wojnarowski adds. The move has appeared likely over the past couple of weeks, though Henderson reportedly drew "heavy interest" from the Wolves before they acquired Kevin Martin. Negotiations between Henderson's camp and the Bobcats seemed to stall a couple of weeks ago, with the sides far apart on financial terms. While Wojnarowski reported then that the Bobcats were seeking sign-and-trade scenarios that would send Henderson elsewhere, his story today identifies the 25-year-old as the franchise's top priority.

Henderson was reportedly seeking a salary of about $8MM a year, but it looks like he'll settle for about $2MM less. The move will leave the Bobcats with less than $1MM worth of cap space, unless they backload Henderson's contract. Charlotte committed its room exception to Josh McRoberts, so re-signing Henderson is probably the club's final major offseason move.

The former 12th overall pick averaged 15.5 points per game last season, up only slightly from his 15.1 PPG in 2011/12. The career 27.2% three-point shooter showed improvement from behind the arc, nailing 33% of his three-point looks in 2012/13, and his 16.4 PER was also a career high by a wide margin.

Pelicans Sign Jeff Withey

July 30th, 2013 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have officially signed rookie big man Jeff Withey to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Since Withey was a second-round pick, he won't receive a standard rookie-scale deal, so terms of the agreement aren't yet known.

Withey, 23, was selected 39th overall in last month's draft by the Trail Blazers. A couple weeks later, he was shipped to New Orleans in the three-team deal that saw the Pelicans also acquire Tyreke Evans while sending Greivis Vasquez to Sacramento and Robin Lopez to Portland.

Withey spent four seasons at Kansas, developing from a freshman who only played 45 total minutes into a senior who averaged 13.7 PPG and 8.5 RPG in 2012/13. With Lopez having been dealt to the Trail Blazers, Withey may earn some playing time in his rookie year. Withey, Greg Stiemsma, and Jason Smith represent the Pelicans' best options at center, unless the team is willing to have Anthony Davis spend time at the five.

Sixers Rumors: Trades, Kazemi, Brown

July 30th, 2013 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday, we rounded up the latest news on the 76ers' coaching search, which has lasted about three and a half months so far and still seems to be adding viable new candidates. Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool is the latest contender for the job, joining other frontrunners like Spurs assistant Brett Brown, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, and in-house candidate Michael Curry. As the Sixers' lengthy coaching search continues, let's check in on a few more notes out of Philadelphia….

No team has more cap room still available than the Sixers, and GM Sam Hinkie believes that will open the door for additional trades, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. "We will be an attractive trading partner for teams around the league all year – not just for players, but for the cap room that we have," Hinkie said. "That kind of flexibility will give us real options."
It's worth noting that while much has been made of the Sixers needing to spend more money to reach the salary floor, the team has until next June to increase its payroll. So taking on money in a trade at next year's deadline is an option for reaching that floor.
Within Pompey's same piece, Hinkie also confirmed that the club's 54th overall pick from last month's draft, Arsalan Kazemi, is a good bet to spend the 2013/14 season overseas. "He would get a chance to work on his game somewhere else for a year," Hinkie said. "Then [we] would have the opportunity to reassess where he is later. I think that's an attractive opportunity for someone like him."
A source tells Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com (Twitter link) that the Sixers aren't currently working on any buyouts with players, but Kwame Brown is a candidate to be bought out and/or waived before next summer.

Odds & Ends: Scola, Celtics, Heat, Suns

July 29th, 2013 at 10:11pm CST by Zachary Links

While Jason Kidd shocked everyone by becoming the head coach of the Nets just weeks after retiring, his co-Rookie of the Year in 1994/95 is going to go down a more conventional path. Grant Hill told Johnny Esfeller of IMG Academy that he is looking into a career in broadcasting and speaking with some of the major networks out there. The charasmatic and thoughtful Hill should make for a natural on TV, whether he's on color commentary or a studio analyst. Here's tonight's look around the Association..

The Pacers' acquisition of Luis Scola makes them an even bigger threat to the Heat, opines Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard noted that Scola isn't just a strong basketball addition, but he should also be a great fit for Indiana's locker room.
If Rajon Rondo is not ready to go at the beginning of the 2013/14 season, it's possible that the Celtics could slide undrafted rookie Phil Pressey into the starting role as he's the only other point guard on the roster, writes Marc D'Amico of Celtics.com. However, Boston also has two other players on its roster in Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee who can handle the one-guard duties in short order and there's even a chance that Rondo will be in action for opening night.
The Heat know that the rest of the Eastern conference is quickly catching up them, writes Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.
The additions of Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee fit the Suns' offseason goal of increasing athleticism across the roster, writes Matt Petersen of Suns.com.

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