Hawks Claim Gustavo Ayon
MONDAY, 9:10am: The Hawks have confirmed the move in a press release.
SUNDAY, 7:02pm: The Hawks have claimed Gustavo Ayon off of waivers, a league source tells Shams Charania of RealGM. Ayon tipped the signing earlier in the afternoon, writing "Go Atlanta Hawks" on his Facebook page earlier in the afternoon.
The Bucks released Ayon on Thursday due to their glut in the frontcourt, but the 6'10" big man received heavy interest due to his inside presence and affordable $1.5MM contract. Ayon is expected to get a fair trial to earn a spot in a Hawks rotation that has lacked a young, developing center alongside Al Horford, Charania writes. The 28-year-old has averaged 4.8 PPG and 4.3 RPG in two NBA seasons for three different clubs.
Hoops Rumors’ 2013 Free Agent Tracker
If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out Hoops Rumors' 2013 Free Agent Tracker. Using our tracker, you can quickly browse the offseason's contract agreements, sorting by team, position, contract length, total salary, and a handful of other variables.
For instance, if you want to see all the Clippers' summer signings, you can sort by team and find all of the club's free agent additions listed here. If you're curious to see how many players signed contracts of four years or more, you can sort by contract length and bring up that list right here.
A few additional notes on the tracker:
- Not all of the agreements listed in the tracker are finalized yet. As signings become official, we'll continue to update and modify the data as needed. This also means that many of the dollar figures listed in the tracker won't be 100% accurate yet.
- Contract amounts aren't necessarily fully guaranteed, and are based on what's been reported to date.
- A restricted free agent who has agreed to an offer sheet won't be listed as "signed" until his current team decides whether to match the offer. For instance, if Brandon Jennings were to sign an offer sheet with a rival team, he wouldn't be listed as "signed" until we heard whether or not the Bucks had matched the offer.
Our Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar under "Hoops Rumors Features" or at the top of the page in the "Tools" menu. It will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.
Odds & Ends: Oden, Heat, McGrady, Scola
All eyes are on Greg Oden at this stage of the offseason and David Aldridge of NBA.com (via Twitter) hears that the big man will make his decision either Wednesday or Thursday. The former No. 1 overall pick will choose between the Mavericks, Pelicans, Spurs, Kings, Heat, and Hawks as he looks to mount another comeback. Here's tonight's look around the Associatiion..
- A source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (via Twitter) that Oden is most intrigued by the Pelicans and Heat.
- While in China fulfulling committments with sponsors, veteran Tracy McGrady said that he is open to returning to the CBA next season, according to a report from China.org.cn.
- Luis Scola's nearly $4.9MM salary for 2014/15 will be partially guaranteed for $940K, rather than non-guaranteed, because he appeared in all 82 games for the Suns this past season, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
- In the same piece, Coro passes along Suns GM Ryan McDonough's optimism that Channing Frye will be ready to play in time for the season. Frye missed all of 2012/13 with an enlarged heart.
- Gal Mekel told Kevin Arnovitz of True Hoop TV that he isn't concerned about making the transition from playing in Israel to suiting up for the Mavericks.
- Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer delves into Sixers GM Sam Hinkie's philosophy of acquiring undervalued players with upside.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Week In Review: 7/22/13 – 7/28/13
Here's a look back at the week that was..
- The Wizards and John Wall are closing in on a max extension.
- The Pacers bolstered their bench by acquiring Luis Scola from the Suns.
- Mike Miller is joining the Grizzlies.
- The Thunder re-signed Derek Fisher.
- The Blue Light Special is still on at MSG: the Knicks re-signed Kenyon Martin.
- The Mavericks re-signed Brandan Wright to a two-year, $10MM pact.
- The Nuggets signed Nate Robinson at a bargain basement price.
- Denver also re-signed center Timofey Mozgov to a three-year, $14MM deal
- Paul George wants to stay in Indiana.
- Gary Neal became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Bucks.
- The Mavs went outside of the box for their new GM hire.
- The Grizzlies acquired Nick Calathes from the Mavs.
- The Bucks requested waivers on Gustavo Ayon.
- We're still waiting on Greg Oden to land somewhere.
- Marcus Camby got his buyout from the Raptors and cleared waivers, allowing him to sign with the Rockets.
- The Mavs welcomed Bernard James back after he cleared waivers.
- The Grizzlies will sign second round pick Jamaal Franklin to a three-year deal.
- The Hawks signed Macedonian center Pero Antic.
- The Bulls said goodbye to Malcolm Thomas.
- The Grizzlies claimed Josh Akognon off of waivers from the Mavs.
- The Bucks signed foreign big man Miroslav Raduljica.
- The Nets inked Alan Anderson to a two-year deal.
- The Magic exercised options on four players.
- LeBron James is set to leave Team USA.
- The Warriors waived a trio of players.
- The Jazz signed Ian Clark off of a strong summer league showing.
- The Celtics are bringing Nolan Smith into camp.
- Not a big surprise, but Marcus Smart says he's going into the 2014 draft.
- The Lakers will sign Elias Harris to a two-year deal.
Hoops Links: Spurs, Antic, Walker
On this week in 1988, the Hawks became the first NBA team to play in the Soviet Union when they defeated the Soviet Georgia All-Stars 85-84 in an exhibition game. The game wasn't only a first in hoops history, it also dispelled the long held belief that in Soviet Russia, basketball shoots you.
Got a fantastic basketball blog piece that you want featured on Hoops Rumors? Send your submissions to HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the web..
- Pounding The Rock says the Spurs are the best in the West.
- The Basketball Post doesn't understand why the Hawks signed Pero Antic.
- Rufus On Fire looks at Kemba Walker and the new Bobcats' frontcourt.
- Raptors Republic says Toronto is set up to tank.
- Hoops Addict goes from the hardwood to the tables.
- Hardwood Paroxysm talks basketball and art.
- Liberty Ballers recaps the 76ers's summer league performance.
- Knickerblogger discusses Mike Woodson.
- The Brooklyn Game is stoked about Alan Anderson.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here’s a look back at the original analysis created by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Hoops Rumors readers were asked to vote on the worst $40MM+ signings of the summer.
- Chuck Myron recapped the 2013 offseason trades.
- Luke Adams ran down the teams with a hard cap for 2013/14.
- Luke examined some potential destinations for Gustavo Ayon.
- Most of you believe that the Nets took the biggest leap forward of any team this offseason.
- I asked if the new-look Rockets are Finals-bound and most of you said no.
- Chuck ran down each team’s most expensive free agent acquisition this summer.
- Here’s a look at how teams used the bi-annual exception, courtesy of Chuck.
- Most Hoops Rumors readers see the Nets as the most likely threat to the Heat in the East, but the Bulls and Pacers weren’t far behind.
- Here’s a rundown of the regular Hoops Rumors features that you need to be familiar with.
- Did you miss Luke’s weekly chat on Monday at 4pm central? Really, dude? Luckily for you, we have the transcript right here.
Texas Notes: Oden, Mavs, Manu, Rockets
Earlier today, Chuck Myron ran down each team's most expensive signings from this summer. The Rockets were among the league's heavyweights with their four-year, $88MM committment to Dwight Howard. Meanwhile, the Mavericks had high hopes for this offseason but their heftiest contract went to Jose Calderon, who got a four-year, $29MM deal. Here's the latest out of the Lone Star State..
- A Friday report indicated that the Mavs had sent representatives to Indianapolis to watch Greg Oden work out, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that it isn't the case. Dallas still remains among the teams interested in the oft-injured big man, whom Stein hears is looking lean and moving well as he auditions for teams. Stein expects teams to make formal offers early this week in advance of Oden's decision by the end of the week (Twitter links).
- Manu Ginobili is glad to be back in black (and silver), writes Mike Monroe of the Express News. Ginobili celebrates his 36th birthday today and he is sure that the two-year, $14MM deal he signed with the Spurs this offseason will be his last.
- Rockets GM Daryl Morey doesn't view the raiding of his front office as a sign of success, writes Jonathan Feigen of Houston Chronicle. "I don't feel we accomplished much, yet," Morey said. "I'll take more pride when we've actually had more results than before. It's a results league. It should be. Everyone, including ourselves, will be looking at what should be a step forward this year in hopefully a big way. … I'm trying to make sure we actually have some results before we get too excited."
International Notes: Turkoglu, Bogdanovic
Could James White be taking off for a trip to China? Yesterday, we learned that the well-traveled 30-year-old could be headed back overseas as he mulls over all of his options. The small forward has career averages of 2.7 PPG and 1.0 RPG, but his real hoops legacy comes in the form of highlight reel dunks. Let’s take a trip around the globe for today’s international news..
- Hedo Turkoglu wants to record 1,000 games played before his NBA career ends, and then he intends to play for either Fenerbahce Ulker or Anadolu Efes in his native Turkey, as he tells Ajansspor.com (translation via HoopsHype). Turkoglu is entering the final season of his contract with the Magic. He’s played 895 regular season games, which would mean he’ll need to play beyond 2013/14 if he wants to hit 1,000, unless he’s counting the 93 playoff games in which he’s taken part.
- Bojan Bogdanovic tells Gol.hr that even though his deal with the Nets fell apart this summer, he still intends to play for Brooklyn at some point. His contract with Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey is set to expire next summer (translation via NetsDaily).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Toure Murry Mulling Invitation To Knicks Camp
The Knicks have invited guard Toure Murry to training camp, but he's still weighing his options, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). The Knicks reportedly began talks with the Wichita State and D-League alum earlier this month after he played for New York's summer league team. Zwerling first reported the Knicks were considering Murry two weeks ago.
Murry averaged 8.3 points and 1.6 steals in 23.4 minutes per game with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League this past season. He split his time in summer league between the Knicks and Rockets, notching 7.2 PPG and 1.0 SPG in 19.1 MPG over six total contests. His numbers in college weren't particularly eye-popping either, and he went undrafted in 2012.
It's unclear exactly what the Knicks like about Murry, but he's a favorite of coach Mike Woodson, and his hesitance to accept the team's invitation suggests there are others who regard him highly. He could have an offer from an overseas team that involves guaranteed money that he's reluctant to pass up, though that's just my speculation.
Each Team’s Most Expensive Signee
The Rockets introduced free agent signee Dwight Howard this month with a flashy press conference that doubled as a parade of Rockets Hall of Famers, many of whom showed up to take part in the event that NBA TV broadcast nationwide. In Detroit, Pistons president of basketball ops Joe Dumars could barely contain his excitement as he put new acqusition Josh Smith on display in front of the media.
It's safe to say the Bulls were a bit more subdued when they announcing their signing of Mike Dunleavy.
Just about every team has waded into the free agent market in July, with widely varying results. The Rockets handed out a max contract to Howard, while the Clippers did the same in re-signing Chris Paul. The most lavish commitment the Lakers made was a one-year contract for Chris Kaman for the value of the mini mid-level exception.
The offseason has been even quieter for the Thunder and Heat. Their minimum-salary agreements with Derek Fisher and Chris Andersen, respectively, are their only forays into free agency so far. The Kings, too, have only made one free agent pickup, signing Carl Landry to a long-term deal.
That's a spending spree compared to what's happened in Philadelphia and Phoenix. Neither the Sixers nor the Suns have signed any free agents. That will surely change as teams begin to invite players to training camp, but both rebuilding clubs have passed on the chance to spend for upgrades.
With the help of the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Tracker, we've put together a list of each team's greatest expenditure in free agency this summer. In most cases, the players receiving the most lucrative multiyear deals are also getting the highest average annual salaries, but there are a few exceptions, as we note. The list includes free agent signees and players acquired via sign-and-trade, but it doesn't include signed draft picks. Some of the signings have yet to become official.
- 76ers — None
- Hawks — Jeff Teague: four years, $32MM (by total value); Paul Millsap: two years, $19MM (by average annual value)
- Bobcats — Al Jefferson: three years, $40.5MM
- Bulls — Mike Dunleavy: two years, $6.509MM
- Bucks — O.J. Mayo: three years, $24MM
- Cavaliers — Jarrett Jack: four years, $25.2MM (by total value); Andrew Bynum: two years, $24.79MM (by average annual value)
- Celtics — Keith Bogans: three years, $15.857MM
- Clippers — Chris Paul: five years, $107.343MM
- Grizzlies — Tony Allen: four years, $20MM
- Heat — Chris Andersen: two years, $3.434MM
- Jazz — John Lucas III: two years, $3.2MM
- Kings — Carl Landry: four years, $26.047MM
- Knicks — J.R. Smith: three years, $17.947MM
- Lakers — Chris Kaman: one year, $3.183MM
- Magic — Jason Maxiell: two years, $5MM
- Mavericks — Jose Calderon: four years, $29MM (by total value); Monta Ellis: three years, $25.08MM (by average annual value)
- Nets — Andrei Kirilenko: two years, $6.509MM
- Nuggets — J.J. Hickson: three years, $16.145MM
- Pacers — David West: three years, $36.6MM
- Pelicans — Tyreke Evans: four years, $44MM
- Pistons — Josh Smith: four years, $54MM
- Raptors — Tyler Hansbrough: two years, $5.112MM
- Rockets — Dwight Howard, four years, $87.591MM
- Spurs — Tiago Splitter: four years, $36MM
- Suns — None
- Thunder — Derek Fisher: one year, $1.4MM
- Timberwolves — Kevin Martin: four years, $27.805MM
- Trail Blazers — Dorell Wright: three years, $6MM
- Warriors — Andre Iguodala: four years, $48MM
- Wizards — Martell Webster: four years, $21.991MM