FA Updates: Evans, Josh Smith, Pekovic, Clark
Tyreke Evans has been one of the most intriguing stories in free agency so far, with the Pelicans having extended a four-year, $44MM offer to the 23-year-old. Still, Evans has yet to agree to sign that offer, and there's no guarantee he'll do so, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The situation remains fluid, and Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) believes if the Kings make Evans a comparable offer, he'd prefer to sign it and stay in Sacramento.
Let's round up a few more of today's free agent updates….
- As they continue to explore the possibility of making a big splash, the Warriors are trying to set up a meeting with Josh Smith, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Sulia). However, Smith doesn't seem as interested in the Warriors, who Thompson says "aren't going to jump as high as others to get him."
- Don't expect a whole lot of movement in talks for Nikola Pekovic until after Dwight Howard makes his decision, says Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News says (via Twitter) the Cavaliers are being extremely aggressive in their pursuit of Earl Clark, meeting with him yesterday and again today, though no offer has been extended yet.
- Dorell Wright met with the Thunder yesterday and was presented with one- and two-year contract offers, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, adding that Wright received a similar proposal from the Trail Blazers. The Spurs, Grizzlies, and Mavericks also have interest in Wright, says Spears (via Twitter).
- Australian forward Joe Ingles is drawing interest from four NBA teams, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com, listing the Pacers, Grizzlies, Bucks, and Clippers as possible suitors for the 25-year-old.
Raptors Not Looking To Trade Rudy Gay
The Raptors are not looking to move Rudy Gay and the two years ($37.2MM) remaining on his contract, according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter). When a report surfaced yesterday that the Pistons had offered up two expiring contracts for Gay, there was speculation that new GM Masai Ujiri could be looking to unload his small forward, but that's not the case, says Broussard.
Because Gay was acquired by the Raptors' old front-office regime, headed by Bryan Colangelo, it was unclear whether Ujiri valued the 26-year-old as strongly and considered him a part of Toronto's long-term plan. While that's still not entirely clear, it's at least obvious that Ujiri and the Raptors won't be inclined to move Gay for nothing, and likely don't plan to shop him either.
Blazers, Pacers Eyeing Robin Lopez
12:36pm: With Lopez drawing plenty of trade interest, he is unlikely to be released by the Pelicans by Friday, since the team should be able to find a deal, tweets Wojnarowski.
12:15pm: As the Pelicans attempt to move Robin Lopez before his contract becomes guaranteed this weekend, Portland has emerged as a possible destination for the big man, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, the Pacers are one of the other teams on a short list of potential suitors for Lopez.
Lopez is set to earn about $5.12MM in 2013/14, a reasonable price for a center who was productive (18.9 PER) and durable (82 starts) during his first season in New Orleans. However, that salary is not yet guaranteed, with Lopez set to receive just $500K if he's released on or before Friday. If he's on an NBA roster beyond Friday, however, his salary for both '13/14 and '14/15 ($5.34MM) will become fully guaranteed.
The Pelicans are in hot pursuit of Tyreke Evans, with a lucrative offer sheet on the table for the restricted free agent. Should Evans agree to sign that offer, New Orleans will likely need to trade or release Lopez to clear the necessary cap space. A trade wouldn't necessarily have to be agreed upon by Friday, but the Pelicans would probably lose some leverage at that point, since they'd no longer have the fallback option of releasing Lopez.
Unlike Portland, Indiana doesn't currently have the cap space to absorb Lopez's contract without sending salary back in return, so the Blazers seem to be a likelier trade partner for New Orleans, unless the Pacers can get creative.
Latest On Matt Barnes, Clippers
11:51am: Barnes will begin meeting with other teams today, tweets Shelburne.
10:30am: After agreeing to acquire Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick yesterday, the Clippers remain "very interested" in re-signing Matt Barnes, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. That interest appears to be mutual, with Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reporting that Barnes would still like to return to L.A.
However, according to Broussard, if the Clippers don't "do something fast," Barnes will begin meeting with rival suitors. The Mavericks, Nuggets, Nets, Knicks, and Spurs have all shown interest in Barnes, says Broussard. Various reports have also linked the Trail Blazers and Lakers to the veteran forward.
L.A. only has Barnes' non-Bird rights, but still has the full mid-level exception available as well. A non-Bird offer from the Clips for Barnes would limit his starting salary to about $1.48MM, whereas an offer using the MLE could start at any salary up to $5.15MM. Given how well Barnes played for the Clippers in 2012/13 and how many suitors he appears to have, I'd be surprised if the 33-year-old was willing to settle for that $1.48MM first-year salary.
Knicks Rumors: Prigioni, Smith, Blair, Brand
With a limited amount of flexibility available to bring back J.R. Smith, and only the mini mid-level exception to offer Chris Copeland and/or Pablo Prigioni, it will be tricky for the Knicks to bring back all their free agents this summer. Here's the latest out of New York on the team's continuted attempts to improve the roster:
- With an international report suggesting that the Knicks have extended a two-year contract offer to Prigioni, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News tweets that Prigioni told a friend today that he hopes to reach an agreement with the club "real soon."
- There's a growing feeling among insiders that Smith will sign with a team besides the Knicks, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Based on the money available from rival suitors, one agent tells Zwerling that Smith "has to" leave New York, though we did see him take a discount to re-sign with the Knicks last year.
- In a separate tweet, Zwerling passes along a couple more notes, reporting that DeJuan Blair will be too pricey for the Knicks, and that Kenyon Martin may field other offers this week.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post examines the Knicks' pursuit of Elton Brand, noting that the team may have to use part of its mini mid-level exception to lure the veteran big man to New York.
Donald Sloan, Pacers Agree To Multiyear Deal
The Pacers have agreed to terms on a multiyear contract with Donald Sloan, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It's already the third agreement the Pacers have reached this month, on the heels of deals for C.J. Watson and David West.
Sloan, 25, is a combo guard that has played primarily at the point in the NBA, including a brief and productive run in Cleveland filling in for the injured Kyrie Irving. Assuming the Pacers view him as a point guard as well, Sloan figures to be the third-stringer, behind George Hill and Watson.
Terms of Sloan's deal aren't yet known, but I'd be a little surprised if it was for more than the minimum. Depending on how they signed Watson though, the Pacers should have either the mid-level exception or the bi-annual exception available if necessary.
Sloan is represented by Impact Sports Basketball.
Morey: Rockets Not Looking To Move Lin, Asik
Despite reports suggesting otherwise, the Rockets are not looking to deal Jeremy Lin or Omer Asik, GM Daryl Morey tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. There have been rumors and rumblings indicating that both players could be expendable if the Rockets sign Dwight Howard.
Morey's comments don't come as a surprise, and I don't think they rule out the possibility of Houston making a move involving one or both players. The Rockets GM likely is simply attempting to regain some leverage and to ensure that Lin and Asik won't be uncomfortable if they remain with the Rockets going forward.
Should Howard agree to sign with the Rockets, moving Lin and Asik would certainly represent the team's best chance at bringing in a third impact player to complement D12 and James Harden. Lin and Asik each have two years remaining on their contracts, with cap hits of about $8.37MM each for 2013/14 and 2014/15.
Considering the Rockets reportedly want to add Josh Smith to go along with Howard, Houston could attempt to send Lin and Asik to Atlanta in a package for a signed-and-traded Smith. It's not clear whether the Hawks would have interest in such a deal (the Rockets may have to dangle other young players or draft picks to pique Atlanta's interest), but that's just one example of an avenue the Rockets could explore.
For now though, according to Morey at least, Houston appears content to hang on to both players.
Bucks, Spurs Interested In Kyle Korver; Nets Out
9:39am: The Spurs are another team to keep an eye on in the Korver sweepstakes, tweets Stein. San Antonio should have at least the full mid-level exception available.
9:01am: Several teams are pitching offers to Korver that the Nets are unable to match, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who hears that the Bucks proposed a three-year, $20MM deal (Twitter links).
7:53am: Despite an earlier report indicating that a Kyle Korver signing was essentially "in the bag" for the Nets, it doesn't appear he'll be heading to Brooklyn after all. ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter links) reports that the Nets, without enough money to offer Korver, are out of the running for the free agent sharpshooter.
It comes as no surprise that the Nets, who only have the $3.18MM mini mid-level exception available to offer outside free agents, wouldn't be able to compete with rival offers for Korver. When I examined the 32-year-old's free agent stock earlier in the year, I predicted that he'd at least match the three-year, $15MM contract that expired this summer. It appeared for a time that Korver would be willing to accept a discount to join the Nets, but it seems that's no longer the case.
Brooklyn has also been linked to Marco Belinelli, who provides a similar skillset to Korver and would be more likely to sign for the mini mid-level. Now that the Nets seem to be out of the running for Korver, perhaps the club will pursue Belinelli or another outside shooter more aggressively.
Pistons Made Trade Offer For Rudy Gay
WEDNESDAY, 8:45am: The Raptors turned away the Pistons' proposal for Gay and don't intend to move him for nothing, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
TUESDAY, 11:03pm: The Pistons have offered the Raptors the expiring contracts of Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva in a package for Rudy Gay, league sources told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
Stuckey and Villanueva will both earn $8.5MM in 2013/14 and while Gay has two years and $37MM left on his deal. Detroit is hoping that GM Masai Ujiri is planning even more drastic change in Toronto days after agreeing to ship Andrea Bargnani to the Knicks.
Gay averaged 19.5 PPG while shooting 43% from the floor in his 33 games for the Raptors. Detroit was among the bidders for him when the Grizzlies made him available last season and they are making another play for him this summer.
Nets Sign Mason Plumlee
The Nets have officially signed first-round pick Mason Plumlee to a rookie-scale contract, the team announced today in a press release. During the July moratorium, first-round picks are permitted to sign contracts with their respective clubs.
Plumlee, 23, will likely receive a 2013/14 salary worth about $1.3MM, as I outlined in our breakdown of salaries for first-round picks. The 22nd overall pick spent four years at Duke, averaging 17.1 PPG and 10.0 RPG in his senior season, and figures to be a big man off the bench for the Nets this season.