Manu Ginobili, Spurs In No Rush To Negotiate
A year ago, when Tim Duncan hit free agency, reports of an agreement between Duncan and the Spurs didn't surface until the last day of the July moratorium. This summer, another lifetime Spur is on the open market, and the player and team are expected to take their time in negotiations once again. According to TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter), talks between Manu Ginobili and the Spurs are unlikely to happen for several days.
Based on comments made over the last several weeks by both the Spurs and Ginobili, it seems extremely unlikely that the veteran guard won't be re-signing with San Antonio. As such, there's no rush for either side to work something out, since waiting a few days allows the Spurs to explore other potential free agent targets or trade opportunities.
It's worth noting that Ginobili's cap hold on San Antonio's books is worth the maximum salary at the moment, so the Spurs won't be able to officially clear any cap space until reaching resolution with him. If and when Ginobili formally re-signs, it figures to reduce his cap hit significantly, since he's likely in line for a major pay cut on last year's $14.11MM salary.
Northwest Rumors: Wolves, Jazz, Brewer, Aldridge
With the exception of the defending division champs from Oklahoma City, we've got a little something this morning on every Northwest team, so let's dive in and round up the latest….
- J.J. Redick and Chase Budinger have received four-year contract offers from the Timberwolves, as we heard last night. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter) that Redick is the priority for Minnesota, but the team would like to sign one of those two players.
- The Jazz met with Paul Millsap late on Sunday night when free agency opened, according to Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune. While Utah didn't make Millsap an offer, the team expressed a "high interest" in re-signing the big man, who figures to be a Plan B for some of the clubs that fail to land Dwight Howard.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that Corey Brewer is garnering interest from the Pelicans, Hawks, and Nuggets. Brewer is also set to meet with the Rockets, who believe that he would be a strong complementary piece for their top target (Howard).
- Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge does an excellent job of rounding up all the LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors to date, including the latest from Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.
Rockets Will Offer Smith Deal If D12 Pursuit Fails
During their meeting with Josh Smith yesterday, the Rockets told the free agent forward that they would make him a contract offer if their pursuit of Dwight Howard fell short, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Spears adds that Smith understood the team's position and wasn't offended by being a Plan B.
With just enough cap space to make Howard a maximum-salary offer, the Rockets will have plenty of room to pursue other free agents if they're unable to sign D12. Smith's maximum salary won't be as high as Howard's, and Smith is unlikely to receive max offers anyway, so Houston could potentially sign Smith and still have cap space to use on another player, should the team miss out on Howard.
There are also rumblings that the Rockets could explore acquiring Smith via a sign-and-trade even if they're able to sign Howard. Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin would be probable trade chips in that scenario, though Spears notes that Smith has yet to meet with the Hawks, so a sign-and-trade hasn't been discussed yet.
In addition to meeting with the Rockets, Smith also had a "productive" meeting with the Pistons, who are said to be preparing a "substantial offer" for the longtime Hawk.
Los Angeles Rumors: Bledsoe, Redick, Vujacic
Dwight Howard has met with the Rockets, Warriors, and Hawks so far this week, and the Lakers, along with the Mavs, will finally get their shot to make a pitch to the All-Star free agent today. As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets, Golden State's and Atlanta's presentations yesterday went well, with Howard considering both team's head coaches (Mark Jackson and Mike Budenholzer) to be impressive.
As the Lakers prepare to meet with the biggest free agent left on the market, let's round up a few more updates out of Los Angeles….
- It's sounding "more and more" as if the Clippers may just hang on to Eric Bledsoe, says Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. As Shelburne notes, it's hard to imagine Bledsoe re-signing with the Clippers long-term, either this offseason or next summer as a restricted free agent, but Doc Rivers seems in no hurry to part with the point guard, even after exploring possible deals (all Twitter links).
- According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the Clippers have received trade inquiries on Bledsoe from the Raptors, Magic, Pistons, Bucks, and Mavericks.
- The Clippers are searching for a way to sign-and-trade for J.J. Redick, who dined with Rivers on Monday night, tweets Wojnarowski. However, sources call the possibility a long shot.
- Sasha Vujacic intends to return to the NBA for the 2013/14 season, and the Lakers would be his top choice, reports Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).
- Kobe Bryant offered his latest hints that he'll be sticking around past next summer, insisting to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com that he'll be able to play at a high level for "at least another three years," and pointing to his injury and the Spurs' run to the Finals as motivation (Twitter links).
- The Lakers have expressed interest in re-signing Earl Clark, who is drawing attention from "two or three teams" besides L.A., writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Poll: Who Is The Best Free Agent Still Available?
With free agency kicking off today, news and rumors around the NBA have been flowing nonstop. A few big names are already off the market, including Chris Paul, but most are still available. After Dwight Howard, who is unquestionably the most sought-after player left, which player is best?
Tiago Splitter, Spurs Making Progress In Talks
The Spurs and Tiago Splitter have "ramped up" their negotiations on a new deal, and are making progress toward an agreement, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein adds in a second tweet that other teams pursuing Splitter appear to be dropping off in anticipation of the 28-year-old coming to terms with San Antonio.
Splitter, who received a qualifying offer from the Spurs worth $4.93MM, figures to be in for a sizable raise on last year's $3.94MM salary. While it's not clear exactly what sort of offers the big man could be looking at, a multiyear deal with an annual salary between $6-10MM seems likely. Even if the Spurs and Splitter don't reach an agreement, he's a restricted free agent, which means the club would have the opportunity to match any rival offer sheet.
If the Spurs were to agree to terms with Splitter, it may signal that the team doesn't expect to use room under the cap this summer. With close to $42MM in salary commitments already, a new deal for Splitter and a new contract for Manu Ginobili would use up a good chunk of San Antonio's potential space, even assuming Ginobili takes a significant pay cut.
This post was first published on July 2nd at 2:32pm CST.
Western Notes: Mavericks, Pachulia, Lucas III
A few bits of news scattered throughout the Western Conference:
- The Spurs are reportedly targeting John Lucas III in free agency, according to a tweet from ShamSports.com's Mark Deeks.
- The Oregonian's Joe Freeman is reporting that there's a mutual interest between the Trail Blazers and free agent center Zaza Pachulia. However, the talks are only in preliminary stages.
- Eddie Sefko from the Dallas Morning News reports that the Mavericks had discussions with several big-name free agents today, including Andre Iguodala, Andrew Bynum, and Monta Ellis.
- Tyreke Evans met with the Kings on Monday, according to USA Today's Sam Amick. It still isn't clear on whether the team would match a lucrative four-year offer sheet by the Pelicans, or whether Evans will even sign that offer sheet.
Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Watson, Jazz
A few notes from around the Northwest Division:
- Earl Watson is currently in discussions with several teams, according to a tweet from the Deseret News' Jody Genessy. The free agent point guard spent last season with the Jazz.
- Also according to Genessy, the Jazz have spoken to Mo Williams and DeMarre Carroll, as have other teams.
- The Salt Lake Tribune's Bill Oram reiterates Genessy's report that the Jazz and Carroll have been in heavy discussion, but nothing is imminent.
- Also according to Oram, the Jazz are said to be very interesting in re-signing forward Paul Millsap, but no deal has been offered yet.
- According to a tweet from 1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson, the Timberwolves have reached out to Alan Anderson.
- The Timberwolves also have four-year offers out to J.J. Redick and Chase Budinger, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski.
Eastern Rumors: Jefferson, Knicks, Robinson
Here's a look at the latest from the Eastern Conference on a busy first evening of free agency:
- Al Jefferson will be meeting with the Bobcats on Wednesday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, but Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer doesn't believe much will come of it (Twitter links).
- The small forward position is still a need for the Knicks and they inquired about both Francisco Garcia and Matt Barnes, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Twitter).
- The Knicks spoke with Nate Robinson's representatives, but don't count on the diminutive point guard winding up back in New York, Berman tweets.
- The Celtics are set to be a taxpayer in 2013/14, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge hinted today that the team will try to get under the tax line, as Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com notes. Still, it looks like Rajon Rondo will be sticking around Boston.
- The agreement between Mike Dunleavy and the Bulls figures to help second-rounder Erik Murphy make the Chicago roster, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
- Beno Udrih's agent told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (on Twitter) that his client is "less likely" to re-sign with Magic but a return is "not impossible". The Pinnacle Management client has ten teams interested in him, according to his agent, though he wasn't specific on which clubs. Deveney has heard that the Wizards and Celtics are among those with interest, though the Wizards are probably out, with Eric Maynor coming aboard.
- The Pacers officially announced that they have hired Nate McMillan as associate head coach.
- Patrick Ewing will be Steve Clifford's associate head coach in Charlotte, with Bob Beyer, Stephen Silas, Bob Weiss and Mark Price filling out the Bobcats staff, according to a team press release.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Wolves, Mavs Discuss O.J. Mayo Sign-And-Trade
The Mavs and Timbewolves have engaged in sign-and-trade talks about O.J. Mayo, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, with J.J. Barea or Luke Ridnour likely heading to Dallas in return. The Mavericks are also discussing a Mayo sign-and-trade with the Clippers involving Eric Bledsoe, though any Mayo deal probably hinges on Dallas missing out on Dwight Howard. Dallas would no doubt prefer the Bledsoe deal to any of the Minnesota trade options, so the Wolves appear to be down the list of options, notes Wolfson (on Twitter), who also points out that a Minnesota-Dallas trade isn't imminent.
Any sign-and-trade would require Mayo's consent, and Mayo and Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders were scheduled to meet today. Still, there are more than a half dozen teams with interest in the shooting guard, who seems destined to improve on the $4MM option for next season that he turned down from the Mavs.
The Mavs are reportedly becoming more and more confident they can work out a sign-and-trade for the Landmark Sports Agency client, and having at least two such deals in the works seems to indicate that's the case. Mayo tailed off after a hot start last season, but he still averaged 15.3 points per game and showed career-best 40.3% three-point shooting.
The Mavs aren't the only ones who've had multiple sign-and-trade deals in the works. Before Mike Dunleavy agreed to sign with the Bulls, the Wolves and Bucks were discussing a sign-and-trade that would have sent Ridnour to Minnesota, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.