Warriors Nearing Deal With Marreese Speights
The Warriors are closing in on a deal with big man Marreese Speights, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Details aren't totally clear just yet, but it's expected to be a one-year pact.
The soon-to-be 26-year-old spent last season with the Grizzlies and Cavs, averaging 8.3 PPG and 3.0 RPG. The Grizzlies dealt him, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby, and a future first-round pick to the Cavs for Jon Leuer in January, a deal that helped Memphis ease some of their payroll burden and get beneath the tax line.
Speights had a $4.52MM player option for next season with the Cavs but opted out and Cleveland reportedly didn't pursue re-signing him. The Cavs didn't see him as a tremendous fit anyway, but with a frontcourt group that includes Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao, and Tyler Zeller, there wasn't much room for him.
Atlantic Notes: Melo, Celtics, Rondo
The Celtics are in the process of rebuilding, and never was that more evident than in the hiring of 36-year-old Butler coach Brad Stevens. Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes that Celtics' management was impressed with Stevens' charm. They weren't the only ones, it appears.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe contends that unlike other college-to-professional coaching jumps, like that of former Celtics coach Rick Pitino, Stevens is different. Celtics general manager Danny Ainge tells Washburn that he has complete confidence turning the reigns of the Celtics' future over to the fresh-faced Stevens whose only coaching experience lies in his six years as head coach at Butler, after seven previous seasons as a Butler assistant coach.
Washburn went on to add that Stevens wowed assembled media personnel during his introductory press conference on Friday displaying "confidence, humility, and passion." But the Celtics have a lot more to do as they begin to reassemble a squad that had been at the forefront of the Eastern Conference since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce in the summer of 2007.
Below are some more Celtics links about moves they might make involving Rajon Rondo and others, as well as other tidbits from the rest of the Atlantic Division.
- Nate Duncan of HoopsWorld believes now is the time for the Celtics to trade their All-Star point guard despite a contract that's considered frugal after he signed a five-year extension for $55MM in October of 2009. Rondo's also been said to be keeping an open mind after the hiring of Stevens.
- With so much of the Celtics' future still up in the air, it's natural that Celtics' players still on the roster would be stressed. But guard Courtney Lee isn't sweating all the summer wheelings and dealings with his team this summer, writes the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett.
- One player who knows Brad Stevens all too well, is former Gonzaga big and Celtics rookie, Kelly Olynyk. The rookie Olynyk's 8th-ranked Gonzaga team lost to Stevens' 11th-ranked Butler squad back in January, writes ESPNBoston's Chris Forsberg.
- Brad Stevens wasn't the only head coach without any prior NBA head coaching experience hired this summer. The recently retired Jason Kidd, and former off-guard Brian Shaw, will also be rookie NBA head coaches this coming NBA season, writes the New York Daily News' Mitch Lawrence.
- Lawrence's fellow colleague at the Daily News, Frank Isola, writes that the recent Knicks trade for embattled Raptors power forward Andrea Bargnani provides "Il Mago" with a second chance in the NBA after coming over from Italy as the number one pick in the 2006 draft.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com notes that Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire will meet with Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer to train, but mentions in a tweet that Tyson Chandler won't be joining them.
Free Agency Rumors: Bynum, Clippers, Warriors
Andrew Bynum is one of the biggest wildcards of this year's crop of free agents after failing to play a single minute while in a Sixers uniform this past season. Bynum's belabored knees kept him from showcasing the All-Star talent he displayed during the 2011/12 season with the Lakers, which is what prompted the Sixers to deal for him in the first place.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News notes that the Mavs have positioned themselves to be in the mix for Bynum this summer, but signing the injury-plagued seven-footer would have to be contingent on a couple of different stipulations:
One would be whether Bynum could fly to Dallas for a thorough physical with the Mavs to see how his knees are doing after another surgery this year. There's also no chance they'd sign Bynum to a long term contract unless the deal was written in such a way as to protect the team should he miss extended time because of injury.
Sefko notes that Bynum was a force for the 2011/12 Lakers averaging 18.7 PPG and 11.8 RPG while making the All-Star team, but he missed 28 games in 2010/11, 32 games in 2008/09 and 47 games in 2007/08.
Here are a few more rumors surrounding Bynum, the Clippers and Warriors during another whirlwind night of the NBA's free agency:
- Tom Moore of Phillyburbs.com tweets that he doesn't think a proposed hypothetical with the Mavs sending Shawn Marion's $9.3MM contract plus a second round draft pick to the Sixers would be enough to acquire Bynum.
- According to sources for the Los Angeles Times' Brad Turner, the Clippers are looking to bring back big men Ryan Hollins and Ronny Turiaf (Twitter).
- The Oakland Tribune's Marcus Thompson says the Warriors are interested in J.J. Hickson (Twitter), but the price might be too high to make a deal right now.
- Thompson also writes (via Twitter) that the Warriors are not looking for a number 2 point guard, but a number 3 point prospect that's more Charles Jenkins than Jarrett Jack. Coach Mark Jackson and GM Bob Myers have Andre Iguodala to fill their back-up point guard duties.
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld guesses that Lamar Odom may spurn his current Los Angeles team, the Clippers, for his former LA team, the Lakers (Twitter).
- Chris Haynes of Comcast Sportsnet Northwest says Jermaine O'Neal will make his free agency decision in the next 2-3 days, and that he wasn't pursued by the Blazers (Twitter).
Free Agency Rumors: Odom, Brand, Tinsley
The Mavs will bring back point guard Devin Harris, but they're also considering another former guard, this one from their title-winning 2011 team: Jose Barea.
Earlier this month, there were rumors of a sign-and-trade involving O.J. Mayo and either the Wolves' J.J. Barea or Luke Ridnour. This came before the Mavs locked up their point guard slot by signing Jose Calderon.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com says (via Twitter) the Mavs have $8MM in cap space after Jose Calderon signed with them and O.J. Mayo signed with the Bucks, but there are ways to increase that figure, he notes. We already reported that the signing of Calderon likely knocks Barea out of the running for a return to the Mavs in a sign-and-trade since the Mavs have their point guard now and Mayo is gone.
Here's what else is happening around this busy Saturday night, including more Mavs' rumors as they go with plan B after failing to sign Dwight:
- Besides bringing Harris back, the Mavs are also looking at re-signing Elton Brand, reports McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. McMahon also mentions their interest in Jermaine O'Neal, as previously iterated.
- The Lakers, fresh off the disappointing exit of free agent Dwight Howard, are looking at Elton Brand and Lamar Odom, reports ESPNLosAngeles' Ramona Shelburne (Twitter links). But interest levels for Odom are hard to determine on both sides, and they may not be able to afford Brand, Shelburne continues.
- Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune says (via Twitter), that besides the Nets, the Jazz were among Jamaal Tinsley's primary suitors. Oram says Tinsley remains interested in returning to the Jazz.
- In the first three years of Chris Grant's position as the Cavs' general manager, he spent less than $7MM in free agency. This summer he's spent $34MM counting option years, tweets the Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Loyd.
Devin Harris To Sign With Mavs
10:27pm: Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reiterates our contention that Harris will likely spend a lot of time at shooting guard next to Calderon in the Mavs' backcourt. MacMahon notes that Harris spent half his time next to Jeff Teague at shooting guard last season with the Hawks, so the transition won't be difficult. Acquiring Harris also allows the Mavs to bring their rookie guards, Shane Larkin and Gal Mekel, along more slowly.
8:04pm: Although the deal can't be made official until Wednesday when the NBA's July moratorium is lifted, ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon says the Mavs struck a deal today to bring Devin Harris back to Dallas for a three-year deal in excess of $9MM. With Harris' and Jose Calderon's deal, the Mavs have solved their backcourt problems from last year.
The 30-year-old Harris averaged 9.9 PPG and 3.4 APG in 24.5 MPG during part-time starting duties with the Hawks last year. But Harris primarily played as the off-guard when Jeff Teague was in the game at the same time. This might be how the Mavs choose to use him in conjunction with Calderon.
6:40pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com is hearing that Hawks unrestricted free agent Devin Harris is "closing in" on a deal to go back to the Mavs for a three-year deal worth $9MM plus (Twitter).
Harris is repped by Excel Sports Management, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Rockets Rumors: Gibson, Brewer, Asik
The Rockets have been the toast of the NBA's free agency period after agreeing on a deal for free agent Dwight Howard last night, but since the move they haven't rested on their laurels. General manager Daryl Morey has signed Omri Casspi from the Cavs, and re-signed Francisco Garcia.
But Morey and the Rockets aren't done as they're testing the waters to shore up their backcourt and figure out what to do with Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, who have been offered in trade packages as the Rockets look to team James Harden and Howard with a third superstar.
The offering of Lin and Asik comes despite reports from Ken Berger at CBSSports.com earlier today that the Rockets may keep Asik and Lin next year. Asik has already voiced his displeasure at staying in Houston to back-up Dwight at center.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that a rumored Pelicans sign-and-trade for Asik, which sources originally revealed to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnawrowski, hasn't even been discussed, and if it had the Pelicans would not be interested in the former Bulls center who took on a larger role with the Rockets this year. Let's look at a couple more rumored moves involving the Rockets this afternoon:
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says the Rockets are interested in the Nuggets' unrestricted free agent Corey Brewer (Twitter).
- The Rockets are also looking at Houston native and Cavs free agent, Daniel Gibson, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, but cautions they're holding off on signing him for now.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that with the Mavs and Warriors both currently looking to sign Suns unrestricted free agent Jermaine O'Neal, the Rockets might also be in the running.
- Because the Rockets signed Casspi and Garcia to two-year deals, they're not reimbursed for parts of contract over $884,293 tweets Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld.
Jazz Sign Trey Burke, Rudy Gobert
4:45pm: The Jazz also announced their official signing of Burke.
SATURDAY, 2:48pm: The Jazz have officially signed Gobert, according to their website.
FRIDAY, 8:35am: The Jazz have signed their two first-round picks to rookie contracts, according to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). While no official announcement has been made by the team yet, Pincus hears that Trey Burke and Rudy Gobert have been locked up.
The formal signing of a first-round pick is one of the few transactions that's allowed during the July moratorium. With the move, Burke's and Gobert's cap holds will be replaced by 120% of their respective amounts, assuming they each signed the maximum allowable rookie deal, which virtually all first-rounders do.
As our chart of likely first-round salaries shows, that would mean a first-year salary of about $2.44MM for Burke and $1.08MM for Gobert. Overall, the newly-signed contracts will amount to an increase of about $600K on the team's 2013/14 books. That difference should be negligible as Utah pursues free agents, since the club still has more than $25MM in cap room.
Blazers Waive Sasha Pavlovic
The Blazers have waived Sasha Pavlovic, the team announced via Twitter. Pavlovic's deal extended through 2014/15, but both years left on it were non-guaranteed, meaning Portland doesn't owe him any more money after paying him $1,232,713 this past season. Pavlovic was acquired last summer as part of a three-team sign-and-trade arrangement, and he seemed to be included in the deal simply to make the salaries match. Since players who are signed-and-traded must be given three-year deals, that's what Pavlovic got, but the lack of guaranteed money allows the Blazers to part ways with him now.
The Dan Fegan client will hit the free agent market, unless another team puts in a claim for him, which would be unlikely. He was in and out of Portland's rotation this past season, averaging 2.6 points in 13.5 minutes per game. With the team's acquisition of C.J. McCollum at the draft and its agreement today to sign Dorell Wright, the Blazers added depth at the wing positions, likely eliminating any need to keep Pavlovic around.
Pavlovic was set to earn close to $1.4MM this season and nearly $1.5MM in 2014/15, so his release figures to give the Blazers a little more wiggle room under the cap. Still, it'll be a tight squeeze if they want to sign anyone else, given their trades for Robin Lopez and Thomas Robinson. Portland's best weapon left might be its $2.65MM room exception.
Free Agent Rumors: Bynum, Teague, Kirilenko
Free agents continue to reach deals with teams across the NBA in advance of Wednesday, when agreements can become official. Here's the latest on the moves that could be next:
- The Mavs were in contact with Andrew Bynum even before Dwight Howard turned them down, and Stein tweets that Dallas is indeed pursuing the oft-injured Bynum now that Howard is out of the picture. Still, the Mavs will make a detailed and careful evaluation of the big man's health before reaching an agreement, according to Stein.
- Jeff Teague's camp is becoming increasingly frustrated with the Hawks, who have yet to engage in meaningful negotiations on a new deal, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The point guard is a restricted free agent, so Atlanta controls his destiny.
- The Kings aren't considering Andrei Kirilenko, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
- The Knicks remain in play for Elton Brand, as do other teams, but a decision could come this weekend, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
- The Jazz and Grizzlies also made offers to Dorell Wright, who wound up agreeing to join the Blazers instead, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The Thunder also made an offer, as previously reported, Haynes notes.
- Decision makers within the Blazers front office have led The Oregonian's Joe Freeman to expect that the team won't re-sign Elliot Williams (Twitter link).
- Joe Dumars, fresh off his agreement to sign Josh Smith, has his sights on a perimeter sharpshooter for the Pistons, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (on Twitter). Keith Langlois of Pistons.com agrees, and hints that the team could hit the trade market as well (Twitter link).
Nets To Sign Bojan Bogdanovic?
SATURDAY, 1:51pm: Bogdanovic pegged his chances of joining the Nets at only 50% or slightly higher when speaking to a Croatian radio station today, as noted on the website Sportnet (translation via Nets Daily). Bogdanovic denied that a deal had been signed, though no deal can be officially signed until the July Moratorium is up on Wednesday, anyway.
FRIDAY, 8:23pm: Bogdanovic will get a three-year deal with a starting salary of about $2.4MM, tweets Howard Beck of The New York Times. That would leave close to $800K on the mini mid-level for the Nets to sign someone else. That wouldn't be enough room to bring on a player for as much as the two-year veteran's minimum salary, but as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News points out on Twitter, the Nets may prefer to let that money go unspent so they can save on their already-hefty luxury tax bill.
8:03pm: The Nets have reached agreement on a deal that will bring 2011 second-round pick Bojan Bogdanovic to the team for the coming season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The team acquired the draft rights to the Bosnia and Herzegovina native shortly after he was taken 31st overall by the Heat two years ago.
When it appeared the Nets would use their mini mid-level to sign Kyle Korver, it looked like Bogdanovic would not be coming stateside this season, since the rookie minimum salary would have been all Brooklyn would have had left to give him. With Korver heading back to the Hawks instead, that frees up as much as $3.183MM to give to Bogdanovic as a starting salary.
The 6'8" small forward maintained interest in playing for the Nets even as it appeared he wouldn't get the chance to do so right away. He averaged 14.3 points per game and shot 38.7% from three-point range this past season for Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey.