Atlantic Notes: Rondo, Raptors, Celtics
A few notes from around the NBA's Atlantic Division.
- According to a tweet from Hoopsworld.com's Bill Ingram, a rumor has bubbled to the surface that the Rockets are interested in trading for Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, but Dwight Howard has no interest in playing with the four-time All-Star.
- The Raptors have officially announced they will be making Nick Nurse an assistant head coach on Dwane Casey's staff, according to the Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat. Nurse will run the team's offense.
- The Celtics are in talks to sign Brazilian big man Vitor Faverani, according to TuBasket.com. The Boston Herald's Mark Murphy reported Boston's interest this morning, but made it clear an expensive buyout with Faverani's team in Brazil could sour things.
League Announces New Salary Cap
The league has announced a new salary cap of $58.679MM, according to several NBA reporters, including the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn. The luxury tax will be $71.748MM.
Both figures are up from last season, when the salary cap was $58.044MM and the luxury tax was $70.307MM. Larry Coon of ESPN.com's twitter timeline is full of new information with regards to how the tax and cap affect exceptions and maximum and minimum salaries.
More information has been provided by ESPN.com.
Odds & Ends: Stiemsma, Brewer, Bucks
A few random notes from around the league on this busy Tuesday evening.
- After having his rights renounced by the Timberwolves, free agent center Greg Stiemsma has found interested suitors in about 12 teams around the league, according to a tweet by USAToday's Sam Amick. The Pelicans are one of those teams.
- The Timberwolves are pursuing Corey Brewer and are trying to trade Luke Ridnour to make signing him possible, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
- According to Gery Woelfel of JournalTimes.com, there's growing chatter that the Bucks are aggressively pursuing Hawks restricted agent point guard Jeff Teague, and would let Brandon Jennings walk if they can get him.
- Woelfel is also reporting that the Bucks are interested in Gary Neal.
Western Notes: Rockets, Speights, Jack
A few notes from around the NBA's Western Conference
- As we noted earlier, the Warriors plan on signing free agent forward Marreese Speights to bolster their suddenly thin front line (trying to recover from the loss of Carl Landry and a serious injury to Festus Ezeli). According to the Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson, Speights' deal could be for three-years and $9MM, but he isn't yet positive those numbers are accurate. ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst reports on that front that both Speights and former Warriors guard Jarrett Jack will sign outright with Golden State and the Cavaliers, respectively.
- The Rockets were fined $150K by the NBA for making public comments about Dwight Howard signing with the team before the league's moratorium has lifted, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
- According to NewsOk.com's Darnell Mayberry, Thunder center Kendrick Perkins had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday morning. He will be off his feet for at least two weeks, which has a slight chance in factoring into whether the team chooses to amnesty him at some point soon.
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Clippers Waive DaJuan Summers
The Clippers have reduced their roster by one, releasing DaJuan Summers, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Summers, signed back in April for the rest of the 2012/13 season, had a non-guaranteed minimum salary for '13/14, so the Clips won't take a cap hit for the move.
Summers, 25, appeared in just a pair of contests for Los Angeles last season. He has previously spent time with the Pistons and Pelicans, averaging 3.3 PPG in 83 career games. The timing of the move seems a little unusual, since the Clippers confirmed today in a press release that Summers would be on their Summer League squad, and his contract wasn't scheduled to become guaranteed until January.
In any case, Summers will become an unrestricted free agent, assuming he clears waivers.
World Peace Interested In Knicks If Amnestied
3:49pm: After the Knicks, World Peace's list of preferred destinations if he's amnestied includes the Clippers, Nets, Bulls, Heat, Thunder, Spurs, and Pacers, in that order, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. As Amick notes, the list reads like a who's-who of title contenders, and sends a message to teams with cap space that MWP isn't interested in being claimed by a non-contender.
2:14pm: A report yesterday indicated that the Lakers are preparing to amnesty Metta World Peace, a move that can't be finalized until tomorrow at the earliest, as I explained this afternoon. While nothing is official yet, World Peace would be "upset" if the Lakers cut him, as longtime friend (and head of his foundation) Jose Morales tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
"If the Lakers do amnesty him, he might want to retire," Morales said. "If one of these small-market teams picks him up, he won't be happy with that. He doesn't want to play there."
Teams with cap space would have the first shot at World Peace if he were amnestied, since they'd have the ability to submit a waiver bid for him. Most clubs that still have room aren't legit contenders — the Cavaliers, Pistons, Mavericks, and Hawks are a few clubs that figure to have cap space during amnesty week.
With the threat of retirement looming, those teams may not want to risk claiming World Peace. If he were to go unclaimed, he'd become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team besides the Lakers. Morales tells Zwerling that MWP would be interested in joining the Clippers, and that joining his hometown Knicks would also have strong appeal.
"If the Lakers amnesty him, he's going to have a point to prove that he can still be that player in New York," Morales said.
Odds & Ends: Assistants, SVG, Brewer, Lakers
As teams continue to finalize their coaching staffs for the 2013/14 season, a pair of clubs made official announcements today. The Kings have formally hired Dee Brown and Micah Nori, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant in Toronto, while the Raptors have made a hire of their own, announcing that Nick Nurse, coming off a D-League championship, will join Dwane Casey's staff.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:
- Former Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that it's "very possible" he won't return to an NBA bench for the 2014/15 season, adding that there's no guarantee he'll ever coach again. Tomasson's piece includes plenty of interesting tidbits and quotes from Van Gundy, including word that four teams contacted him in the spring about coaching vacancies.
- We passed along reports today indicating that the Timberwolves are eyeing Corey Brewer, and Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune adds another detail, writing that Minnesota is exploring its options for a potential sign-and-trade deal with the Nuggets.
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears that Raja Bell, Kenyon Martin, and Bobby Brown are among the free agents with interest in the Lakers, though it's not clear if that interest is mutual (Twitter link).
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel addresses whether or not it makes sense for the Heat to save their amnesty clause until next year.
- Before they decide whether or not to use their amnesty provision this year, the Raptors will wait to see exactly what the luxury tax threshold is, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- Grantland's Zach Lowe takes an extended and interesting look at how the Pelicans' offseason moves will shape the team going forward.
Hawks, Mavs, Kings Finalists For Monta Ellis?
3:44pm: The Bulls made a run at Ellis in hopes of acquiring him via sign-and-trade, but couldn't make the other roster moves necessary to complete a deal, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Charania writes that the Kings appear to be in the lead for Ellis, with the Hawks and Mavs also in play. Whatever team Ellis decides on will likely have to make at least one roster move to create room for him.
2:46pm: A source tells TNT's David Aldridge that Ellis' decision may come down to the Hawks and Mavericks (Twitter link). Aldridge adds that Ellis remains interested in Sacramento, but the Kings' acquisition of Luc Mbah a Moute may take them out of the mix.
Meanwhile, in his full story on Ellis, Broussard goes into detail on each suitor's pursuit of Ellis, noting that the Mavs are hoping to land both Ellis and Andrew Bynum, and are shopping Shawn Marion in an effort to make room. The Hawks are considering a sign-and-trade involving Jeff Teague, the Bobcats are waiting to see what happens with Gerald Henderson, and the Kings are exploring trading Marcus Thornton, though again, the Mbah a Moute deal could reduce Sacramento's chances.
2:00pm: Among the free agents still on the board, none had a higher scoring average last season than Monta Ellis. But the top scorer on the market may not be available for long. According to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter), Ellis hopes to make a decision on his destination within the next 48 hours, choosing from a group of suitors that includes the Hawks, Kings, Bobcats, and Mavericks.
The Hawks and Kings have been the teams most often linked to Ellis in the last several days, though the Mavs were also identified as a potential destination for him earlier in the free agent period. I believe this is the first we've heard of the Bobcats' interest, though it's probably not "serious," according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Depending on what other moves are made, and how big a starting salary Ellis receives, some of those teams may need to negotiate a sign-and-trade with the Bucks rather than signing him outright.
Ellis, 27, declined an $11MM player option to hit free agency, and also reportedly turned down a three-year, $36MM extension offer from the Bucks last season, so he'll likely be seeking a starting salary in that $10-12MM neighborhood.
Knicks Notes: Brand, Martin, Wright, MWP
It's already been a busy day for Knicks news and rumors, as we've passed along multiple updates on potential free agent targets, as well as a report that suggests Metta World Peace would be interested in landing New York if and when he's amnestied by the Lakers. Nonetheless, there are still a few more items out of the Big Apple to address. Here's a round-up:
- If World Peace is amnestied as expected, the Knicks would "love" to add him for the veteran's minimum, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- The Knicks have been told by Brand's representatives that they're out of the running for the veteran big man, according to Berman.
Earlier updates:
- With Elton Brand pursuing offers from several other teams, the Knicks will likely turn their attention to Kenyon Martin, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Martin isn't close to a deal with any other club.
- The Knicks have also expressed some interest in Brandan Wright, but he's expected to be out of New York's price range, says Zwerling.
- A source tells Zwerling that he could see World Peace getting through amnesty waivers and becoming available for the Knicks. "I'm not sure if a young team would bite," the source said.
- Nate Robinson expressed interest in the Knicks when the team still had access to its full mini MLE, but now that part of that exception has been committed to Pablo Prigioni, Robinson is likely no longer an option for New York, according to Zwerling.
- Undrafted seven-footer A.J. Matthews tells Marc Berman of the New York Post that he thinks he has a "great chance" to turn a Summer League stint with the Knicks into a training-camp invite.
- Berman also tweets that the Knicks have kept tabs on free agent forward Anthony Tolliver, but Tolliver is still waiting on the Hawks.