NBA To Replace Stu Jackson With Rod Thorn
Sixers executive Rod Thorn will replace Stu Jackson as the NBA's executive VP of basketball operations, the league has announced. Jackson is stepping aside at the end of the month. Thorn's new title will be president of basketball operations, and presumably he'll take over Jackson's duties, which include handed out fines and suspensions.
Jackson has been looking for work within a team's front office for months, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who reports that he wasn't seen as part of the league's future once Adam Silver takes over as commissioner in February. Wojnarowski noted Jackson's pursuit of other jobs earlier this spring.
Thorn is leaving Philadelphia, where he'd been transitioning into more of an advisory role for the Sixers for the past year or so as the team's president of basketball ops. During the 1980s and '90s, he spent 14 years with the league in a similar role to the one he's taking on.
Nets Eyeing Alan Anderson
After failing to wrangle a buyout of Bojan Bogdanovic from his overseas club, the Nets have turned their attention to Alan Anderson, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Anderson has been with the Raptors since late in the 2011/12, initially inking a pair of 10-day contracts.
The Mark Bartelstein client told Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors this spring that he'd prefer to re-sign with the Raptors, but Anderson also said that he wants a chance to play significant minutes wherever he winds up. He averaged 10.7 points in 23.o minutes per game this past year, making the most of his time with a career-high 12.6 PER. Still, he saw nearly five fewer minutes per game after the All-Star break, which was about the time the Raptors acquired Rudy Gay.
Anderson would figure to back up Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson in Brooklyn, but he's also drawn steady interest from Minnesota. He made the minimum salary last season, but he could wind up with slightly more if the Nets decide to give him part of the mini mid-level they had ticketed for Bogdanovic. Brooklyn GM Billy King said today that it's possible the team could split the exception between multiple players, or use less than the full $3.183MM amount, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News observes (Twitter link).
Clippers Re-Sign Matt Barnes
JULY 10TH: The Clippers have officially finalized the signing of Barnes, per a team release.
JULY 5TH: Matt Barnes is heading back to the Clippers, as Barnes himself announced today on Twitter. According to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), Barnes has reached a three-year contract agreement to remain in Los Angeles.
The deal will be in the $11-12MM range, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), which means the Clippers appear to be using a portion of their mid-level exception to get it done. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com notes (via Twitter) that the third year won't be guaranteed, while Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) pegs the value at $9-11MM. The difference between Spears' and Turner's figures may be related to the amount of guaranteed money.
Barnes was linked to a ton of teams during free agency, including the Mavericks, Nuggets, Nets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Timberwolves, and Pelicans. However, he always seemed to be a good bet to stick in Los Angeles with either the Clippers or Lakers. A report earlier today suggested he would likely sign with one of those two L.A. teams for an amount around the mini mid-level.
Barnes, an Aaron Goodwin client, outperformed his minimum-salary contract with the Clippers in 2012/13, averaging 10.3 PPG and recording a 15.5 PER. While his new salary will take up a portion of the Clippers' MLE, the team isn't done looking for more help, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. As Markazi tweets, L.A. still has room to sign another veteran for more than the minimum, though the player would have to come fairly cheap.
Clippers Re-Sign Ryan Hollins
JULY 10TH: The Clippers have officially re-signed Hollins, according to a team release.
JULY 7TH: The Clippers will re-sign backup center Ryan Hollins, who's agreed to a one-year deal, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The California native is represented by BDA Sports Management, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Hollins, 28, averaged 3.4 PPG with 2.3 RPG for the Clippers last season in 11.1 minutes per contest. The big man is extremely well-traveled but his new deal with the Clippers means that he won't have to seek out a seventh NBA destination this year.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Clippers Sign Darren Collison
JULY 10TH, 4:56pm: Collison's deal with the Clippers is now official, the team announced today on its website.
JULY 6TH, 10:40pm: HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus says (via Twitter) that if Collison's reported $1.9MM salary is accurate, then Barnes' three-year deal is for $10MM and not the $11MM-12MM we reported yesterday.
10:12pm: Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com offers some specifcs from cap guru Nick Silva regarding how much Barnes and Collison took from the MLE. She says Barnes signed for $3.25MM in the first year ($3,396,250 in the second and a non-guaranteed $3,542,500 in the third) and Collison the aforementioned $1.9MM (Twitter link).
8:59pm: According to Sam Amick of USA Today, Collison will make $1.9MM in the first year (Twitter), and as noted by Star-Telegram Mavs beat writer Dwain Price, that's less than half of the MLE (Twitter).
ESPNLosAngeles.com's Ramona Shelburne tells Marc Stein, that it's believed Matt Barnes took less from the Clippers in order to make the Collison deal happen (Twitter).
Collison is represented by BDA Sports Management, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
8:45pm: Sources reveal to ESPN.com's Marc Stein that Darren Collison will sign with the Clippers for a two-year deal with a player option for the second year (Twitter).
With no sign-and-trade option available between the Mavs and Clippers, Collison is opting to take a portion of the Clippers' Mid-Level Exception in order to go back to Los Angeles (Twitter).
Pelicans Sign Greg Stiemsma
4:50pm: The Pelicans have officially announced the signing of Stiemsma in a press release.
10:15am: The Pelicans have reached an agreement to sign Greg Stiemsma, according to agent Mark Bartelstein (Twitter link via Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today). The deal will be for one year and $2.7MM, says ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter).
Stiemsma, 27, was released on the weekend by the Timberwolves, prior to his 2013/14 contract becoming guaranteed. However, based on the figure reported by Broussard, the big man seems to be in line for a salary nearly identical to what he would have earned anyway.
Stiemsma appeared in 76 games for the Wolves a year ago, averaging 4.0 PPG and 3.4 RPG as a center off the bench. For New Orleans, he'll serve as a de-facto replacement for Robin Lopez, who the Pelicans agreed to trade to Portland.
Sam Amick of USA Today first reported yesterday (via Twitter) that the Pelicans were among about 12 suitors for Stiemsma, while ESPN.com's Marc Stein tweeted earlier today that New Orleans appeared to be the frontrunner.
Warriors Add Andre Iguodala On Four-Year Deal
JULY 10TH: As we've noted in a pair of other posts, Iguodala's deal is now official, after he was incorporated into the three-way deal between the Warriors, Jazz, and Nuggets.
JULY 5TH: The Warriors have reached an agreement to sign Andre Iguodala to a four-year, $48MM deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
With the Nuggets opposed to facilitating a sign-and-trade for Iguodala, the Warriors appear to be signing the free agent swingman using cap room. The team will clear a huge chunk of salary from their books by sending Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson, and Brandon Rush to the Jazz, which should be enough to clear the space necessary for Iguodala.
Iguodala had been pursued by the Kings and Nuggets, among other teams, before agreeing to terms with the Warriors. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Denver made Iguodala a four-year, $52MM offer, and also proposed five-year scenarios, but the 29-year-old opted for Golden State instead. Earlier this week, the Kings made Iguodala a four-year offer reported to be in the $52-56MM range, but withdrew it before he made his decision.
Even after agreeing to sign Iguodala, the Warriors haven't dropped out of the race for Dwight Howard. A sign-and-trade is still a viable option if Howard wants to come to Golden State and the Lakers are willing to negotiate, particularly since the Warriors may be more open to moving Klay Thompson and/or Harrison Barnes once they lock up Iguodala.
Jazz Acquire Biedrins, Jefferson, Rush, Picks
JULY 10TH, 4:40pm: Utah's agreement with the Warriors has been finalized and has been rolled into a separate deal, both teams confirmed. The breakdown:
- Utah receives Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush, two first-round picks (2014 and 2017 from Warriors), three second-round picks (2016 and 2017 from Warriors, 2018 from Nuggets), and cash (from Warriors).
- Denver receives Randy Foye (via sign-and-trade) and a second-round pick (2018 from Warriors).
- Golden State receives Andre Iguodala (via sign-and-trade) and Kevin Murphy.
JULY 5TH, 4:36pm: Both first-rounders the Jazz are acquiring in the deal will be unprotected, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
4:01pm: The Warriors will send their 2014 and 2017 first-round picks to the Jazz, tweets Wojnarowski. Multiple second-rounders will also go to Utah in the deal, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).
3:27pm: Murphy will be sent to the Warriors in the trade, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Meanwhile, Wojnarowski tweets that multiple draft picks are headed to the Jazz, including a 2014 first-rounder.
3:23pm: Brandon Rush is also headed to Utah in the deal, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Shedding Rush's salary as well will give Golden State room under the cap to sign Iguodala.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com adds (via Twitter) that the Warriors will receive a non-guaranteed contract from Utah in the trade. That player will be either Kevin Murphy or Jerel McNeal.
2:57pm: The Warriors have reached an agreement on a salary-dump trade with the Jazz, according to Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson will be heading to Utah in the deal, reports TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter).
Rumors relating to the Warriors' trade talks with the Jazz had been swirling all day, as Golden State looked for a way to clear cap space to make a run at Dwight Howard and/or Andre Iguodala. The team ended up reaching an agreement to bring Iguodala aboard, and hasn't been entirely ruled out of the race for Howard.
Nuggets Acquire Randy Foye In Three-Way Deal
WEDNESDAY, 4:37pm: The Nuggets and Jazz have issued press releases officially announcing the three-way deal. Denver will send the Jazz a future second-round pick, as previously reported, but will also receive a future second-rounder from the Warriors in the deal. As I predicted yesterday, Golden State's trade with Utah has also been rolled into this one. In all, the deal looks like this:
- Utah receives Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush, two first-round picks (2014 and 2017 from Warriors), three second-round picks (2016 and 2017 from Warriors, 2018 from Nuggets), and cash (from Warriors).
- Denver receives Randy Foye (via sign-and-trade) and a second-round pick (2018 from Warriors).
- Golden State receives Andre Iguodala (via sign-and-trade) and Kevin Murphy.
TUESDAY, 3:30pm: The Nuggets, not the Warriors, will send the Jazz a 2018 second-rounder in the trade, according to Genessy (via Twitter).
This strongly suggests to me that the Warriors and Jazz will be folding their earlier agreement into this deal, since not doing so would mean there are no outgoing pieces coming from Golden State. As noted below, folding the two deals into one should allow the Warriors to keep a $11MM+ TPE rather than a $9MM one.
MONDAY, 3:20pm: The Warriors, Nuggets, and Jazz have agreed to a three-way trade that will send Randy Foye to Denver and Andre Iguodala to Golden State via sign-and-trades, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Genessy reports that the Jazz will receive a 2018 second-round pick from the Warriors in the deal. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported late last night that the three teams were involved in "advanced discussions."
According to Wojnarowski's initial report, Foye will receive a three-year, $9MM contract from the Nuggets, with a team option on the third season. ESPN.com's Marc Stein first reported late last night that Foye and the Nuggets were closing in on a verbal agreement. Meanwhile, the deal will mean yet another pick headed to Utah from the Warriors, who are already set to send the Jazz multiple picks in another trade agreement.
Over the weekend, I explained why the Warriors would likely pursue a sign-and-trade agreement with Denver rather than sign Iguodala outright, despite having already agreed to a four-year contract with him. In that piece, I suggested that Golden State would take on Iguodala using the $11,046,000 trade exception the team will create by moving Richard Jefferson, allowing the club to retain its other TPEs and the full mid-level. However, by incorporating Utah into this deal, the Warriors may be able to combine their two agreements with the Jazz into one trade, allowing them to keep the slightly larger Jefferson TPE rather than the $9MM exception for Biedrins.
For Denver, the agreement will allow the team to add Foye and create a trade exception worth Iguodala's new salary. Since the Nuggets project to be an over-the-cap team, it looks like they'll have to use some of that Iguodala TPE in order to acquire Foye, but there still should be $8MM+ left on it when the dust settles.
Odds & Ends: Kings, Tolliver, Lakers, Ellis
After a bid to relocate the NBA's Kings failed, Seattle-based investors also reportedly explored the possibility of moving the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes to the city. Although the franchise appears to be staying put in Phoenix, Seattle wasn't the only city interested in relocating it. According to Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com, Paul Allen and the Trail Blazers were also interested in buying the Coyotes and moving the team to Portland's Rose Garden.
Here are more odds and ends from around the NBA on a very busy Wednesday:
- The Kings have named high-ranking NBA executive Chris Granger as their new team president, according to Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. Granger, who had been the executive VP of team marketing and business operations for the NBA, will oversee the team's role in the development of a new downtown sports arena and its business operations, says Lillis. It doesn't sound like Granger will be involved much, if at all, in the Kings' basketball operations.
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (via Twitter) that Anthony Tolliver is in talks with five teams, including the Hawks, and hopes to make a decision soon.
- The Lakers have had conversations with Josh Powell's representative, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. McMenamin adds in a second tweet that the team has also spoken to a couple more former Lakers: Sasha Vujacic and Lamar Odom.
- As Monta Ellis continues to seek a free agent deal, there doesn't appear to be a clear favorite to sign him, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. News broke today that Ellis has parted ways with his longtime agent.
- Elton Brand and Brandan Wright are still talking to the Mavericks about a potential return, but Rodrigue Beaubois is almost certainly headed elsewhere, as GM Donnie Nelson told reporters today, including Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com.
- Before he agreed to sign with the Bobcats, Al Jefferson received interest from the Mavericks and Pelicans, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.